1-6 Cardinals beginning to feel the squeeze
You are what your record says you are. The Cardinals are an abysmal 1-6 and they can’t run from it. It’s staring them right in the face like a fat, flabby stomach.
Leave it to their most tenured player, of course, to find a sliver of a silver lining.
“I don’t view myself as a 1-6 guy and I don’t view my team as a 1-6 team, but everyone else knows you are 1-6,” wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “It’s different. It’s like when you put on a couple extra pounds and your lady or your wife says, ‘Baby, that shirt is a little tight on you.’ You’re like, ‘Nah, this shirt actually looks good.’
“Sometimes, you’re the last person to really realize that shirt is probably a little tight on you. But at the same time, you don’t view yourself as that. You turn the tape on and you’re not getting the results, and obviously you look at the record and it is 1-6. But you don’t ever let that permeate into your thoughts.”
Sage advice, but that shirt is going to feel a lot tighter on Sunday at State Farm Stadium if the Cardinals can’t find a way to beat the equally struggling 1-6 49ers. Arizona’s only victory came against San Francisco three weeks ago, but the 49ers thoroughly outplayed the Cardinals in that game and would have won convincingly had it not been for five turnovers.
As chaotically bad as things have gone, and it got downright critical in a recent span of just three days when the Cardinals not only made a change at offensive coordinator but star cornerback Patrick Peterson created a huge distraction by briefly demanding to be traded, it can get a lot worse real quick.
Another devastating loss similar to the Cardinals’ 45-10 beat down by the Broncos 10 days ago could bring about even more changes and upheaval heading into their off week. It may very well trigger a firestorm that results in the team dealing a star player or two before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. It would also further crank up the heat on the hot seat occupied by firstyear head coach Steve Wilks.
Wilks already seems to be in serious jeopardy of losing the locker room and with it, his “TAC” mantra of trust, accountability and commitment that he’s tried so desperately to instill in this team. Some players have been privately grumbling for weeks, but Peterson’s public acknowledgement of asking for a trade was incredibly damning to Wilks and the entire organization.
“I talked to Pat about it, of course we talked, but I think that’s a matter that I’ll just keep between me and him,” veteran safety Antoine Bethea said. “He expressed himself to me as one of his brothers, as a friend, but I think I’ll keep that between me and Pat. Has it been rough? Yeah, it’s been rough.
“You come in here day in and day out, put the work in and you go out and don’t get the results that you wish for, it can definitely eat at you. And knowing you have a lot of talent in this locker room and it’s not carrying over on the field, you’re going to feel some type of weight.”
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan knows the feeling. In his first year as San Francisco’s coach last season, his team started out 0-9 before winning six of its last seven games. His 49ers have dropped six of their first seven this year, but as bad as it’s been, Shanahan said a coach is in real trouble if has problems motivating his players when a season hasn’t gone according to plan.
“If it is an issue, then you have the wrong type of guys,” Shanahan said during a conference call with Arizona reporters. “That’s what you have to find out in times like this. Everyone is motivated when things are easy. When things get really tough is when you find out who people truly are. Sometimes that is a necessity when you are trying to build a team and build an organization the right way.
“We went through a lot of it last year and I thought we did have some pretty strong guys because were able to start 0-9 and finish 6-10. Right now, we’re going through a similar situation and if people are thinking of shutting it down or that there is not much to play for, they are dead wrong. This is our job. This is what we do for a living. … If people aren’t feeling that way, then we have to make sure that we don’t keep them a part of us.”
If the Cardinals plan on turning things around, they better start by doing it in this game because the schedule is about to get a whole lot tougher. They return from their bye with a road date in Kansas City against the red-hot Chiefs. Following a home game against the Raiders, which could end up deciding the first overall pick in next year’s draft, there are back-to-back road games at the Chargers and Packers.
This game could have a different look to it now that Byron Leftwich is calling offensive plays for the Cardinals instead of Mike McCoy. It’s expected that Leftwich will use more max protection alignments up front for rookie quarterback Josh Rosen, that he’ll dial up more deep throws down the field and that he’ll utilize more running plays for David Johnson outside the tackles.
“There’s not going to be any miracles overnight,” Wilks said. “But we’re definitely looking for improvement.”
It’s going to be a slow, gradual process, according to Rosen, although he said he’s excited about what he’s already seen in the game plan for the next couple, three games.
“I think he’s trying to ease in,” Rosen said of Leftwich, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach. “He’s not trying to, as he says, ‘go cold turkey on it’ and switch everything. He definitely changed some things to do what we do well, refine the game plan so we can think less and play faster but at the same time, not change too much and slow everyone down.”
The Cardinals’ slow start seems like it’s starting to take a toll on Fitzgerald, 35, who needs just 135 receiving yards to surpass Hall of Famer Terrell Owens (15,934) for second place on the NFL’s all-time list. He’s not worried about milestones as much as he is trying to stack together some wins.
“I love T.O. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a big bro to me and he’s always been good to me,” Fitzgerald said. “When we get there, we get there – Week 15, Week 16 at this pace. You know how I am about records, though. That’s not something I’m shooting for or asking for.”
With just 26 receptions, which ranks tied for 60th in the league, and 255 receiving yards, which ranks 84th, Fitzgerald could stand to see more targets from Rosen. That could finally happen in this game.
“Larry Fitzgerald is a uniquely talented human being,” Leftwich said. “He’ll catch everything that comes his way. We have to do a better job getting him the ball and putting him in position to make plays for us. The plays are still there in him. I don’t think he’s dead just yet.”
Maybe not, but are the Cardinals? That shirt Fitzgerald was talking about really is starting to look way too tight on them at the moment.
“I hope not. I hope not,” Fitzgerald said. “I think it’s better to always believe that the shirt isn’t too tight. It gives you better perspective because it doesn’t allow you to be as tight and apprehensive. You’ve got to have that free-flowing, confident attitude no matter what your record states.”