There didn’t seem to be much desire over at the Arizona Republic to discuss the
Cardinals 58-0 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks. “The Cardinals did a good job of
providing material for those who like to mock them” it opined. “Seattle
cornerback Richard Sherman did a hula dance after intercepting his second pass…For
the Cardinals defense, pride came after the fall. The unit didn’t show any
interest in tackling the Seahawks to open the second half…Rookie quarterback
Russell Wilson wasn't asked to do much, completing 7 of 13 for 148 yards and
one touchdown (and his first interception in five games). But unlike last week
in Chicago, the Seahawks didn't need any heroics from Wilson…In fact, Wilson
got to be a spectator for the last 25 minutes while Matt Flynn finally got his
first regular-season action in a Seahawks uniform.”
The Associated Press observed that “It was an effortless
performance by the Cardinals (4-9), who have lost nine straight… and had almost
as many turnovers (8) as first downs (10).” On back-to-back possessions early
in the second quarter, an interception and muffed punt were taken in for 14
points, and the way the Cardinals were moving the ball, the Seahawks were never
in any danger of losing this game. John
Skelton and his four pass interceptions provided the only quarterback “play”
the Seahawks required, as they rushed for nearly 300 yards. Wilson did complete
a pass for 67 yards, but he also showed that he can be careless throwing the
ball when he thinks he has the freedom to do so. Matt Flynn actually got his “opportunity”
to play, and Pete Carroll even let him throw the ball; to me, it seemed like
another “audition” for an off-season trade, which might be best for Flynn.
Meanwhile, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin
III suffered what was first reported as a sprained knee against the Baltimore
Ravens. RG3 was hit late in the game after running for a 13-yard gain. Fellow
rookie Kirk Cousins replaced him and led the Redskins to an overtime win. This
was the second time Cousins has come into the game after an injury to RG3, and
this time it might be more serious. The problem for the Redskins is that this
might be a recurring theme, or worse. In his sophomore season at Baylor, RG3
tore his right ACL—the same knee that was injured against the Ravens—and missed
the remainder of the season. While he may not be that “multi-dimensional”
quarterback, Cousins’ style isn’t the kind that has as great an injury risk. These
occurrences to RG3 while in the prime of his health should come as a cautionary
tale of Seattle fans, given that Wilson has a similar style of play.
In other parts of the NFL, Nick Foles—the back-up of another
oft-injured running quarterback—had a very unMichael Vick–like day, again
playing well in a 23-21 win over Tampa Bay. Foles completed 32 of 51 for 381
yards and 2 scores and no interceptions. Unfortunately for Andy Reid and his
job status, these performances haven’t translated into victories until now. But over in Indianapolis, Andrew Luck had on
paper a mediocre performance, but he managed to help the Colts overcome a
13-point halftime deficit and staged his sixth fourth quarter comeback of the
year as the Colts improved to an improbable 9-4 record. Luck is on pace to
easily break the rookie record for passing yardage, while the rest of his class—RG3,
Wilson, Brandon Weeden and Ryan Tannehill are all on pace to surpass the
3,000-yards passing threshold their first season. This class is already being
compared to the 1983 class that produced three Hall of Fame quarterbacks; none
of the rookies in that class—not even Dan Marino or John Elway—passed for 3,000
yards in their first seasons. Jim Kelly did pass for over 4,500 yards his “rookie”
season, but with the USFL's Houston Gamblers and their “run and shoot” offense.
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