Cards’ Rosen needs to eliminate turnovers
CARSON, Calif. – Of all the directives Cardinals coach Steve Wilks has been heaping on his team, one message keeps getting delivered more than any other.
“The biggest thing is that we’ve got to make sure we limit the turnovers,” Wilks said.
The Cardinals (2-8) obviously haven’t been listening, because they keep coughing up the football at an alarming pace. Entering Sunday’s game against the Chargers (7-3) at StubHub Center, they have the third-most giveaways in the NFL with 21 and more than half of those (11) have come in just the past four weeks.
The biggest culprit during that stretch has been rookie quarterback Josh Rosen, who has accounted for 10 of those turnovers with eight interceptions and two lost fumbles. Rosen has only started seven games thus far, but his 10 interceptions overall already are tied for the fourth-most in the league.
That’s alarming considering Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (385) and Saints quarterback Drew Brees (356) have combined to throw 513 more passes this season than Rosen (228) and yet those two have only been intercepted three times between them.
“It’s very impressive,” Rosen said. “I’m trying to get there. … That’s why they are who they are and we’re all trying to get there.”
Rosen shouldn’t feel too terrible. His favorite quarterback of all time, Peyton Manning, was intercepted a league-leading 28 times as a rookie in 1998.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had been a turnover machine, too, leading the league with 21 interceptions two seasons ago. But last season, Rivers cut that number down to 10 and this year, he’s trimmed it down to six to go along with 23 touchdowns.
“It’s something that we’ve really emphasized,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “Philip has definitely bought in. He never wants to throw interceptions, but we want to play smart football and we want to take care of the football. For the most part, we’ve been doing that all year.”
Sometimes, a quarterback can’t avoid interceptions. Passes get tipped and end up in the wrong hands. Other times, they bounce off a player’s body and get scooped up by the enemy.
“You do have those turnovers,” Lynn said. “Some turnovers are just maybe a lack of concentration, focus or whatnot and then some of it is just the defense making great plays. Those guys are professionals over there and they’re going to make plays every now and then. I think it’s just something you have to keep emphasizing.”
It’s something Rosen and the Cardinals have to get better at in a hurry. And yet to hear new offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich explain it, eliminating all the turnovers at once might actually stunt Rosen’s growth process.
“I hate to say it this way, but most of the time they learn it by making those mistakes,” Leftwich said of rookie quarterbacks in general. “When he makes them, trust me, we’re on him. We’re just trying to give him the understanding that those things can’t happen.
“But they do and we’ll learn from it and we’ll get better from it. The opportunities that are coming up in these games, though, we couldn’t ask for more than to be able to teach these kids. We’re in a lot of different situations week in and week out that he’ll be able to learn for, so that’s a plus.”
Part of Rosen’s problems, as Wilks sees it, is that the rookie has a penchant at times for not wanting to take the checkdown and instinctively throw to his second or third target if his first one isn’t open.
“He’s trying to force things in there sometimes,” Wilks said.
Rosen, who had two of his three interceptions against the Chiefs in Week 10 returned for touchdowns, said he isn’t going to stop trying to thread the needle when he knows it will fit. He also knows he’s not a magician. At least not yet.
“There are certain kind of defensive position where you can try and fit it in,” he said. “So, if there’s a zone-dropping linebacker, there’s no way you’re going to get it around him. But if it’s man coverage and the guy is kind of on his hip, that’s something where you can give a guy a shot.
“When certain guys are in certain positions, like if a fast guy is going hip-tohip with someone going deep, you can chuck it there. But there are certain ones where I don’t care how good you are, you’re not going to get it completed. Depends on the play, the situation and the defense.”
In Lynn’s eyes, it’s just a matter of time before Rosen figures it out and really starts to excel. He said the Chargers scouted Rosen heavily coming out of UCLA and loved what they saw in him, especially the arm strength, the mobility and the smarts.
“He’s going to be an outstanding quarterback in this league,” Lynn said. “… I think he’s doing a good job right now.”