Arizona Cardinals Football Club Game Release Game # 7 THIS WEEK S GAME The Cardinals return from their bye week and head to Carolina with a two-game lead in the NFC West. They look to extend their current win streak to three games and earn their second road win of the season. Prior to their off week, the Cardinals defeated the Dallas Cowboys in a thrilling 30-24 OT win for the Cardinals that was aided by special teams touchdowns on the first and last plays of the game. J.J. Arrington returned the opening kickoff 93 yards giving the Cardinals an early lead. The Cardinals built a 24-14 lead late in the game on TD receptions by Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston. The Cowboys then rallied by scoring 10 points in the final three minutes, including a gametying 52-yard field goal as time expired that sent the game into overtime. After a Dallas three-and-out on the first possession of overtime, Sean Morey broke through the line and blocked Mat McBriar s punt, which Monty Beisel scooped up and returned three yards for the game-winning TD. The Panthers improved to 5-2 last week with a 30-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints. QB Jake Delhomme threw for two TDs while WR Steve Smith caught 6 passes for 122 yards and a TD on the day. Carolina s defense held the Saints number one ranked passing offense, which was averaging 324.7 yards a game through the air, to just 228 yards. The Cardinals continue on the road next week as they face St. Louis in their first NFC West contest since the opening game of the season at San Francisco. THE COACHES Ken Whisenhunt John Fox 12-10 Overall Record 61-49 12-10 Regular Season Record 56-47 0-0 Playoff Record 5-2 2 nd Years as Head Coach in NFL 7 th 2 nd Years with team 7 th Sunday, October 26, 2008 10:00 AM (MST) ARIZONA CARDINALS (4-2) at CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-2) Bank of America Stadium ARIZONA CARDINALS 2008 SEASON SCHEDULE Regular Season Result/ Date Opp. Time Sun., Sep. 7 @ San Francisco 49ers W, 23-13 Sun., Sep. 14 MIAMI DOLPHINS W, 31-10 Sun., Sep. 21 @ Washington Redskins L, 17-24 Sun., Sep. 28 @ NY Jets L, 35-56 Sun., Oct. 5 BUFFALO BILLS W, 41-17 Sun., Oct. 12 DALLAS COWBOYS W, 30-24-OT Sun., Oct. 19 Bye Sun., Oct. 26 @ Carolina Panthers 10:00 AM Sun., Nov. 2 @ St. Louis Rams 11:00 AM Mon., Nov. 10 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS # 6:30 PM Sun., Nov. 16 @ Seattle Seahawks * 2:05 PM Sun., Nov. 23 NEW YORK GIANTS * 2:15 PM Thur., Nov. 27 @ Philadelphia Eagles & 6:15 PM Sun., Dec. 7 ST. LOUIS RAMS * 2:15 PM Sun., Dec. 14 MINNESOTA VIKINGS * 2:05 PM Sun., Dec. 21 @ New England Patriots * 11:00 AM Sun., Dec. 28 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS * 2:15 PM # Monday night on ESPN & Thanksgiving night on NFL Network * Subject to flexible scheduling decisions BROADCAST INFORMATION TELEVISION Network: FOX Play-by-Play: Matt Vasgersian Analyst: Brian Baldinger Sideline: Laura Okmin CARDINALS SPANISH RADIO Flagship: KMIA 710 AM Play-by-Play: Gabriel Trujillo Analyst: Rolando Cantu CARDINALS RADIO Flagship: Sports 620 KTAR Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch Analyst: Ron Wolfley Sideline: Paul Calvisi 2008 NFC WEST STANDINGS Team W L PF PA Hm Road Div Arizona 4 2 177 144 3-0 1-2 1-0 St. Louis 2 4 96 178 1-2 1-2 0-1 San Francisco 2 5 158 196 1-3 1-2 1-1 Seattle 1 5 110 171 1-2 0-3 1-1 This Week in the NFC West Arizona (4-2) @ Carolina (5-2) St. Louis (2-4) @ New England (4-2) Seattle (1-5) @ San Francisco (2-5) Mark Dalton Vice President, Media Relations Mike Helm Media Relations Coordinator mdalton@cardinals.nfl.net 602/379-1720 mhelm@cardinals.nfl.net 602/379-1647 Chris Melvin Media Relations Manager Nate LoCascio Media Relations Assistant cmelvin@cardinals.nfl.net 602/379-1882 nlocascio@cardinals.nfl.net 602/379-1620 8701 S. Hardy Drive, Tempe, AZ 85284 Phone: 602-379-0101 Fax: 602-379-1821 www.azcardinals.com
CARDINALS & PANTHERS IN 2008 CARDINALS CATEGORY PANTHERS 4-2 Record 5-2 177 Points Scored 147 144 Points Allowed 104 22 Touchdowns Scored 15 17 Touchdowns Allowed 11 8 Rushing TDs 7 12 Passing TDs 7 2 Return TDs 1 4 Rushing TDs Allowed 3 12 Passing TDs Allowed 5 1 Return TDs Allowed 3 13/102 Sacked/Yards Lost 10/63 9/7 Fumbles/Lost 6/4 5 Had Intercepted 5 8/10 Field Goals Made/Attempted 14/14 360.0 Total Yards Per Game 324.0 314.0 Opp. Total Yards Per Game 275.7 86.8 Rushing Yards Per Game 114.0 93.7 Opp. Rushing Yards Per Game 107.0 273.2 Passing Yards Per Game 210.0 220.3 Opp. Passing Yards Per Game 168.7-1 Turnover Ratio Even 31:44 Average Time of Possession 31:17 6/28/2 NFL Rank-Total Offense/Run/Pass 16/15/16 14/11/20 NFL Rank-Total Defense/Run/Pass 5/14/2 1/2 2-Point Conversions 0/0 @ StL Next Week BYE THE LAST TIME Panthers 25, CARDINALS 10 October 14, 2007 University of Phoenix Stadium (64,403) The Cardinals fell to 3-3 and dropped their first home game of the year with a 25-10 loss to the Panthers. It was a battle of the battered as both teams began the week by placing their starting quarterbacks on I.R. Arizona s Matt Leinart (collarbone) and Carolina s Jake Delhomme (elbow). The Panthers were further hampered when #2 man David Carr (back) was unable to go and in a game-time decision turned to 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde, who had joined the team midweek. Arizona was soon in a similar position when starter Kurt Warner injured his left (non-throwing) elbow midway through the opening quarter on a sack by Julius Peppers. The Cards turned to their own recent signee, Tim Rattay, who had just joined the team on Tuesday. Carolina s John Kasay kicked FGs off 33 and 43 yards on consecutive drives at the end of the first quarter and start of the second to give the Panthers a 6-0 lead. On the next possession, the Cards answered by moving 80 yards in 12 plays and capped it with Edgerrin James longest TD run as a Cardinal (23 yards). James was 7-43 rushing on the drive while Rattay was 4-4 for 28 passing. Neither team was able to record a first down on the next 5 combined possessions and the half ended with Arizona leading 7-6. Kasay s 24-yard FG on Carolina s 2 nd possession of the 2 nd half put the Panthers ahead 9-7 but Arizona again responded on the next series. WR Larry Fitzgerald playing for the 3 rd straight game without fellow all-pro Anquan Boldin (hip) outleapt a Carolina defender to come down with a 36-yard completion from Rattay and that was key in setting up a 50-yard Neil Rackers FG that gave Arizona a 1-point lead. Kasay s miss on a 45-yard attempt early in the 4 th allowed the Cards to hold onto that lead further into the final quarter. With 5:52 to play, Carolina took over at its own 10 but a 25-yard pass interference penalty on 1 st down moved it to the 35 and on the next snap, Testaverde hooked up with Steve Smith on a 65-yard TD that gave Carolina a 15-10 lead after the 2-point try failed. On the very next play from scrimmage, Rattay s pass attempt went off the hands of TE Leonard Pope and was INT d by CB Ken Lucas at the AZ 36. That led quickly to a 45-yard Kasay FG which made it 18-10. With 3:26 to go Rattay seemed to have WR Jerheme Urban open down the middle but the receiver bobbled the pass and Deke Cooper corralled the loose ball for an INT. On the next snap, DeAngelo Williams raced 75 yards off left tackle to the 14 and shortly thereafter he scored from 13 yards out to put Carolina up 25-10 and put the game out of reach. PANTHERS 3 3 3 16 25 CARDINALS 0 7 3 0 10 Team Qtr. Time Scoring Play Drive Score Panthers 1 3:48 Kasay 33-yard FG 7-21, 3:25 3-0 Panthers 2 14:50 Kasay 43-yard FG 7-34, 2:20 6-0 CARDS 2 7:16 James 23-yard run (Rackers kick) 12-80, 7:34 6-7 Panthers 3 5:44 Kasay 24-yard FG 10-47, 4:39 9-7 CARDS 3 3:20 Rackers 50-yard FG 6-35, 2:24 9-10 Panthers 4 5:40 Smith 65-yard pass from Testaverde (pass failed) 1-90, 0:12 15-10 Panthers 4 4:26 Kasay 45-yard FG 4-9, 0:59 18-10 Panthers 4 2:07 Williams 13-yard run (Kasay kick) 4-89, 1:12 25-10 THE SERIES The Cardinals and Panthers will meet for the eighth time this week as the Cardinals travel to Carolina for the first time since 2004. The Cardinals are winless in their last four games against the Panthers and have not defeated Carolina since a 16-13 win in Carolina on 10/6/02. The first three games of the series (and four of the seven games) have been played in Carolina, where Arizona has both of its wins against the Panthers. SERIES NOTES Overall Regular Season Series: 2-5 Cardinals on the road at Carolina: 2-2 Cardinals last win: 10/6/02, 16-13 @ Car First Meeting: 11/19/95, L, 27-7 @ Car Last Meeting: 10/14/07, L, 25-10 vs. Car The series between Arizona and Carolina dates back to 1995, the Panthers first season as an NFL franchise. The Cardinals head into this week s game on a four-game losing streak against the Panthers that dates back to 2003. This week s game marks the fifth meeting between the two teams in the last six seasons, the lone exception being 2006. STATISTICS CAR AZ First Downs 14 10 Rushes-Yards 30-181 26-98 Net Passing Yards 193 159 Total Net Yards 374 257 Passing (A-C-I) 33-20-0 26-14-3 Sacked by Opp. 1-5 1-2 Punts-Average 7-38.3 7-45.1 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 4-2 Penalties 9-65 11-103 Time of Possession 31:07 28:53 Weather: Indoors RUSHING PANTHERS: Williams 10-121, TD; Foster 17-43; Smith 2-15; Haynes 1-2. CARDS: James 22-80, TD; Breaston 1-10; Rattay 2-5; T. Smith 1-3. PASSING PANTHERS: Testaverde 20-33, 206 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, CARDS: Rattay 12-24, 159 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT; Warner 2-2, 21 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT. RECEIVING PANTHERS: Smith 10-136, TD; Colbert 3-29; Carter 2-17; King 2-12; Foster 2-6; Hoover 1-6. CARDS: Fitzgerald 6-97; B. Johnson 4-29; T. Smith 2-9; Urban 1-42; Pope 1-3. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 2 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
LAST GAME CARDINALS 30, Cowboys 24 (OT) October 12, 2008 University of Phoenix Stadium (64,389) In one of the most thrilling games in recent memory, the Cardinals improved to 4-2 and won their 6 th straight home game as Arizona became the first team in NFL history to score TDs on the first and last plays of a game. In between, there was a season s worth of big plays, controversial calls and nail-biting moments. J.J. Arrington returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a TD, his 2 nd career game opening score. The first half though did not produce the shootout that many had anticipated in this match-up of top 5 offenses. Dallas 2 nd drive appeared to end when Darnell Dockett sacked Tony Romo forcing a fumble that AZ recovered but referee Pete Morelli ruled forward progress had been stopped. Two drives later, with 4:04 to play in the 2nd, AZ appeared to go up 14-0 when Dockett sacked Romo in the end zone forcing a fumble that Antonio Smith recovered for a TD. However, Dallas challenged and Morelli negated the score based on the infamous tuck rule that instead made it an incomplete pass. The Cowboys capitalized 5 plays later on a 55-yard TD pass to Patrick Crayton. When the ensuing pooch kickoff was muffed, the Cowboys recovered at the AZ27 with 0:56 left poised to take the halftime lead. But the AZ defense produced a 3-n-out and Nick Folk s 37-yard FG try clanged off the upright. On the opening series of the 3 rd quarter, Dallas took a 14-7 lead with a 14-yard TD pass to Miles Austin. AZ responded with a long drive of its own (11-60) and tied the game at 14 on a 2-yard scoring pass from Warner to Larry. The drive s key play came early when AZ faced a 3 rd -n-17 from its own 33. Rookie RB Tim Hightower caught a short screen and picked up just enough to move the chains. The Cards then tried a surprise on-side kick but the Cowboys recovered at the AZ46. On 3 rd -n-9 at the AZ 31, a bad snap pushed Dallas back to the 47, forcing a punt. Fitzgerald then came up with another huge play when he outleapt everyone on a 39-yard jump ball that moved from the AZ23 to the DAL38. That led to an 11-yard TD pass to Steve Breaston. After a Dallas 3-n-out, the Cards went up 10 with 3:17 to play thanks to Neil Rackers 41-yard FG. Dallas did not go away. Romo hit Marion Barber with a short pass in the flat that turned into a 70-yard TD play. The Cards went 3-nout giving Dallas the ball back at its own 32 with :50 left. In the closing seconds, Romo hit Jason Witten for a 30-yard gain to the AZ39 and killed the clock with :04 left. Cards DE Travis LaBoy was injured on the play and when he couldn t get to the line of scrimmage a 5-yard offside penalty was added. Folk then connected on a 52-yarder that forced OT. Dallas won the toss and started OT at its own 22. Chike Okeafor sacked Romo on 1 st down and after 2 incompletions the Cowboys lined up to punt from their own 11. Special teams captain Sean Morey then burst thru the middle and blocked Mat McBriar s punt that Monty Beisel returned 3 yards for a TD. COWBOYS 0 7 7 10 0 24 CARDINALS 7 0 7 10 6 30 Team Qtr. Time Scoring Play Drive Score CARDS 1 14:45 Arrington 93-yard kickoff return (Rackers kick) 0-0, 0:15 0-7 Cowboys 2 0:59 Crayton 55-yard pass from Romo (Folk kick) 7-91, 3:53 7-7 Cowboys 3 8:11 Austin 14-yard pass from Romo (Folk kick) 12-77, 6:49 14-7 CARDS 3 3:21 Fitzgerald 2-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 11-60, 4:50 14-14 CARDS 4 10:44 Breaston 11-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 8-89, 4:58 14-21 CARDS 4 3:17 Rackers 41-yard FG 9-43, 4:58 14-24 Cowboys 4 2:00 Barber 70-yard pass from Romo (Folk kick) 4-77, 1:17 21-24 Cowboys 4 0:00 Folk 52-yard FG 5-34, 0:50 24-24 CARDS OT14:00 Beisel 3-yard return of blocked punt -- 24-30 STATISTICS DAL AZ First Downs 15 14 Rushes-Yards 22-73 19-50 Net Passing Yards 301 226 Total Net Yards 374 276 Passing (A-C-I) 39-24-0 30-22-1 Sacked by Opp. 3-20 1-10 Punts-Average 8-41.9 5-43.0 Fumbles-Lost 4-1 2-2 Penalties 12-93 12-70 Time of Possession 33:15 27:45 Weather: Indoors RUSHING Cowboys: Barber 17-45; Jones 3-22; Owens 1-6; Romo 1-0. CARDS: James 9-29; Hightower 7-20; Arrington 1-2; Warner 2-(-1). PASSING Cowboys: Romo 24-39, 321 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT. CARDS: Warner 22-30, 236 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT. RECEIVING Cowboys: Barber 11-128, TD; Witten 4-55; Owens 4-36; Crayton 3-84, TD; Austin 1-14; Curtis 1-4. CARDS: Breaston 8-102, TD; Fitzgerald 5-79, TD; Hightower 4-29; Pope 2-12; Arrington 1-10; Doucet 1-3; Urban 1-1. CARDS SPECIAL TEAMS MAKE HISTORY IN OT DEFEAT OF THE COWBOYS The Cardinals gained a firm grasp on first place in the NFC West against Dallas when special teams ace Sean Morey broke through the Dallas line and blocked Mat McBriar s punt following Dallas first possession in the overtime period. Backup linebacker Monty Beisel, who was right behind Morey on the blocked kick, scooped up the loose ball and returned it three yards for the game winning touchdown and a 30-24 victory over the Cowboys. It was Beisel s first career touchdown. Morey s blocked punt marked the first time in NFL regular season history that a game has ended on a touchdown off of a blocked punt. Combined with J.J. Arrington s 93-yard return on the game s opening kickoff, the win marked the first time since at least the 1970 NFL-AFL merger that a team has scored a touchdown on the first and last plays of the game. A Few Facts About the Blocked Punt There have been three overtime games in NFL history have ended on blocked field goal returns; the last was Philadelphia s Clyde Simmons picking up his own team s blocked field goal attempt and returning it 15 yards for a touchdown @ NY Giants (11/20/88). Coincidentally, the Eagles kicker who had his field goal blocked was Luis Zendejas, who is currently the Cardinals Senior Director of Community Relations. For the Cardinals, it was the first blocked punt returned for a touchdown since Tommy Bennett recovered a Matt Turk punt (blocked by J.J. McClesky) in the endzone at Washington on 9/14/97. It was Morey s second blocked punt as a member of the Cardinals the other was vs. Seattle on (9/16/07). It marks the first time the Cardinals have won in overtime when they lost the coin toss since a 2002 9-6 OT win vs. Dallas on 10/20/02. The touchdown in overtime vs. Dallas was the Cardinals second overtime touchdown in franchise history, with both coming on returns. There was Beisel s three-yard return on the blocked punt and on 10/29/95 vs. Seattle, Lorenzo Lynch returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown in a 20-14 win. It was the first blocked punt of Mat McBriar s career. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 3 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
HUGE AUDIENCE SEES CARDS BEAT COWBOYS Arizona s thrilling overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys at University of Phoenix Stadium was not only the most-watched Cardinals game of 2008 but also ranked as the highest-rated NFL game of the season on FOX. Across the country, 23.6 million viewers watched the 30-24 Cardinals victory that earned a 14.7 national rating and 30 share on FOX. It was the most-watched FOX program since the finale of American Idol last May. It also had a larger audience than the season premiere of C.S.I., which was the #1 prime time show of that week with 23.5 million viewers. The telecast was even referenced by both John McCain and Barack Obama during the final televised Presidential debate. McCain mentioned he had watched the Cards defeat the Cowboys on TV the previous weekend to which Obama replied, Congratulations. Locally, the game had a rating of 22.3 and 47 share while reaching 413,000 households. It was the most-watched Cardinals game of the season and the fifth that was the week s top-rated show. Game Rating Share Households Rank Week 1 at San Francisco 14.8 30 266,000 1 Week 2 vs. Miami 17.5 34 315,000 1 Week 3 at Washington 11.7 27 210,000 2 Week 4 at NY Jets 12.2 29 227,000 1 Week 5 vs. Buffalo 15.2 32 282,000 1 Week 6 vs. Dallas 22.3 47 413,000 1 Here are the Valley s top five most-watched shows from the week of the Cardinals-Cowboys game. Show (Day) Net Rating Share Households 1. Cowboys at Cardinals (Sunday) FOX 22.3 47 413,000 2. C.S.I. (Thursday) CBS 12.8 21 237,000 3. Dancing with the Stars (Monday) ABC 10.7 17 199,000 4. N.C.I.S. (Tuesday) CBS 9.4 15 174,000 5. C.S.I.: NY (Wednesday) CBS 8.9 15 165,000 BIG PLAY J.J. DEFENSE ON THE ATTACK One week after forcing Buffalo starting quarterback Trent Edwards out of the game and sacking his replacement J.P. Losman five times, the Cardinals sacked Dallas QB Tony Romo three times, giving them 18 sacks through the first six games of the season. The Cardinals three sacks against Dallas gives them at least one sack in 29 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL. They have multiple sacks in the last eight consecutive games. Consecutive Games with a Sack Team Games Arizona 29 Dallas 27 Denver 9 Detroit 8 The Cardinals 18 sacks are tied for the sixth-highest total in the NFL this season. Most Sacks 2008 Season Team Sacks Pittsburgh 25 NY Giants 21 Philadelphia 21 Dallas 20 NY Jets 20 Arizona 18 The Cardinals defensive linemen have been consistent in getting to the quarterback, combining for 12 sacks through the first six games (Bertrand Berry- 4, Travis LaBoy-4, Darnell Dockett-2, Gabe Watson-1, Bryan Robinson-1) and also have 13 QB hits and five fumble recoveries. MOREY WINS PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK J.J. Arrington s 93-yard kickoff return for a TD to start the Dallas game was the first kickoff return for the Cardinals since Arrington s 99-yard kickoff return to start the game at Minnesota on 11/26/06. It was the sixth game-opening kickoff return for a TD in franchise history. Game Opening Kickoff Returns Franchise History Opponent Player Yards 10/12/08 vs. Dallas J.J. Arrington 93 11/26/06 @ Minnesota J.J. Arrington 99 11/23/58 vs. Pittsburgh Ollie Matson 101 10/3/54 vs. Philadelphia Les Goble 92 11/29/34 vs. Green Bay Homer Griffith 97 9/23/34 @ Cincinnati Doug Russell 102 With the return vs. Dallas, Arrington joins Gale Sayers, Mercury Morris, Ike Thomas and Steve Odom as the only NFL players since 1964 with two game-opening kickoff TDs in their career. Arrington saw his first action of the season vs. the Bills after being inactive for the first four games. He played a big part in the Cardinals 13-play 78-yard TD drive in the third quarter that put the Cardinals up 31-17. Arrington converted two third-andlong situations during the drive, a 13-yard reception on 3 rd -and- 13 and then a 14-yard run on 3 rd -and-9. In all, Arrington had four of his seven touches and 35 of his 44 total yards on that third quarter drive. Special teams captain Sean Morey was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his week six performance in the Cardinals thrilling 30-24 overtime victory vs. the Cowboys. Morey did just about all a special teams player could do in the game to help the Cardinals defeat the Cowboys. In addition to the blocked punt in overtime, Morey also provided a key block for J.J. Arrington s 93-yard TD return on the game s opening kickoff and went on to lead the team and tie a career-high with four special teams tackles. It was the first time in his career Morey earned Player of the Week honors. It was the 13 th time in team history that a Cardinals player was selected as Special Teams Player of the Week with Morey becoming the 9 th different player to be honored. Cardinals wide receiver Steve Breaston (Week 4-2007) and kicker Neil Rackers (Week 7-2004, Week 4-2005) have both also won the award in the past. Morey recorded 19 special teams tackles last season in his first year with the Cardinals. At the beginning of the 2008 season he was voted by his teammates as the team s special teams captain. He leads the Cardinals this season with 10 special teams tackles so far this season and now has 116 special teams tackles in his seven-plus NFL seasons. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 4 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
WHISENHUNT HAS CARDINALS IN FIRST Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt has the Cardinals in first place in the NFC West with a 4-2 record, two games ahead of second place St Louis, who has won two consecutive games. The Cardinals 30-24 OT win over the Cowboys two weeks ago was their second consecutive win and the sixth consecutive win at University of Phoenix Stadium. Under their second year head coach, the Cardinals now hold a 9-2 record in their home stadium when they were also 4-2. With a record of 4-2 for the first time since 2002, the Cardinals are in first place in their division at the latest point in the season since 2002. Whisenhunt now has a 12-10 record as the Cards head coach and has reached 12 wins faster than any Cardinals head coach since Charley Winner reached 12 in 20 games in 1966-67. Fastest coaches to 12 wins: Coach Games Years Charley Winner 20 1966-67 Ken Whisenhunt 22 2007-08 Don Coryell 24 1973-74 A win this week vs. Carolina would put the Cardinals at 5-2 and would be their best start since 1976 when the team finished the season at 10-4, two years before the league went to the 16-game schedule. HALEY HAS THE OFFENSE ROLLING Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley was handed the play-calling responsibilities in the offseason, taking over fulltime the duties that he began to share during the 2007 season. Under Haley, the offense has become one of the most potent and high scoring offenses in the NFL. Haley took over a portion of the play-calling duties during the 2007 season and the Cardinals offense had scored 20+ points in 10 consecutive games before being held to 17 points in Washington in week three. After scoring 30 points against the Cowboys, the Cardinals have now scored: 30+ points in 9 of the last 14 games 20+ points in 13 of the last 14 games Arizona has now scored 177 points on the season and their 29.5 points-per-game ranks #1 in the NFL. Points Scored 2008 Team G TDs Pts PPG Arizona 6 22 177 29.5 NY Giants 6 18 170 28.3 Chicago 7 22 196 28.0 Philadelphia 6 18 167 27.8 Green Bay 7 23 194 27.7 The Cardinals 177 points through the first six games put them on pace to score 472 points for the season which would establish a new franchise record (423 1984). Arizona scored 404 points in 2007, the second-highest total in team history. NOT JUST A RETURN MAN In the first 19 games of Steve Breaston s career he had a total of 12 receptions for 164 yards. In the last three games, starting with week four against the Jets, Breaston has piled up 24 receptions for 301 yards and his first career touchdown. In the Cardinals last game, the overtime win vs. Dallas, Breaston had his second 100-yard receiving game in the last three games and caught the go-ahead TD pass in the fourth quarter, an 11-yard TD pass from Kurt Warner that gave the Cardinals a 21-14 lead. It was the first TD reception of Breaston s career. Steve Breaston Last Three Games Opponent Rec. Yds TDs 9/28 @ NYJ 9 122 0 10/5 vs. Buf 7 77 0 10/12 vs. Dal 8 102 1 24 301 1 Over that three-game span, Breaston tied Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White for first place in the NFL with 24 receptions. His 301 receiving yards were the fifth-highest total in the NFL over that span as well. Adding to his 122 receiving yards against New York, Breaston also had 192 kickoff return yards and 10 punt return yards, giving him 324 total combined yards for the game, a franchise single-game high. He became the first Cardinals player in team history to record 300 combined yards in a game. Single-Game Combined Yardage Record Yards Player Date Rush-Rec-Ret. 324 Steve Breaston 9/28/08 @ NYJ 0-122-202 284 Ollie Matson 12/31/54 vs. Pit 85-74-135 280 Terry Metcalf 11/27/75 vs. Buf 7-52-221 278 Ollie Matson 10/26/52 vs. Pit 82-121-75 POINTS NEAR THE PAINT Arizona scored 14 points inside the redzone against Dallas, giving the team 138 points in the redzone so far this season, the highest total in the NFL. The Cardinals are tied for the NFL lead (Tampa Bay) in redzone drives (28) and lead the NFL in touchdowns (18), passing touchdowns (10) and rank second in rushing touchdowns (8) inside the redzone in 2008. Rookie running back Tim Hightower is tied for fourth in the NFL with five rushing touchdowns inside the redzone while Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are tied for second in receiving touchdowns with four each. Of Kurt Warner s 12 touchdown passes on the season, 10 have come inside the red zone, tied with Philip Rivers for the top total in the NFL. AN ADMIRAL FLASHBACK Looking back, the 1998 Amsterdam Admirals team could never have known what they had at the quarterback position. At the time what they had was an Arena Football League star in Kurt Warner and an undrafted practice squad quarterback in Jake Delhomme. Fast forward 10 years and you have two Pro Bowl quarterbacks who have combined for three Super Bowl appearances. After two record setting seasons in the Arena football league, Warner was signed by the St. Louis Rams and was allocated to the Admirals where he started all 10 games and led the league in passing yards (2,101), attempts (326), completions (165) and touchdowns (15). Serving as Warner s backup that season was Delhomme, who had been signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997 and spent the season on the practice squad before being sent to NFL Europe. That season, Delhomme completed 15-of-47 pass attempts for 247 yards and no TDs with four INTs. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 5 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
CARDS BUILT FOR SUCCESS By nearly all accounts, the 2008 Cardinals roster is the most talented and deepest in recent memory. That didn t happen overnight but through a well-executed plan to build a quality football team that will be competitive for years to come. Under the direction of General Manager Rod Graves, the Cardinals have assembled that talent in a number of different ways. The most significant has been through the NFL Draft. That s really the lifeblood of any successful NFL team, said Graves. Our scouts and personnel department have done an outstanding job in identifying the types of players that will not only succeed at the NFL level but also excel in our particular system. Recent drafts have not only produced Pro Bowlers in Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Wilson, and Darnell Dockett but also scores of other full-time starters and contributors. In all, 26 of the 53 players on the roster were acquired through the draft. It may be too early to tell but based on indications thus far, the 2008 Cardinals draft is poised to produce the next wave of Cardinals stars; six of the seven 08 draftees are on the opening day roster and the seventh is on the practice squad. Another area that has been instrumental in building the 08 Cardinals is unrestricted free agency. The big splash free agents get a lot of attention, said Graves. But I m extremely proud of players that may have generated less fanfare when we signed them but have made significant contributions and filled important roles. In that category a year ago were players like Mike Gandy, a full-time starter at left tackle, and cornerback Rod Hood, who not only started every game but counted two touchdowns among his career-high five interceptions. Arizona sees initial signs of success from this year s free agents, including Travis LaBoy, who leads the team with 4.0 sacks through six games, and Clark Haggans, who collected 1.5 sacks in week 5 vs. Buffalo. According to Graves, University of Phoenix Stadium is also a major factor in the team s ability to build a championship-caliber team. There s no question that the stadium has delivered everything that the team had hoped for, Graves said. Since the start of 2007, we re 9-2 at home and a big part of that success can be attributed to the home field advantage that s been created by a sold out stadium and a large, passionate fan base. It s also provided the revenue streams that we were lacking previously and give us the chance to compete aggressively with the other teams in the league. Arizona s 8-8 mark in 07 and 4-2 record so far is a good indication that the Cardinals plan is working. The next step is a successful 08 campaign that extends into 2009. NFC WEST AT A GLANCE The Cardinals are 1-0 in the NFC West so far this season after their victory in San Francisco in week one. The Cardinals will face the Carolina Panthers this week before they play their second NFC West game of the season when they travel to St. Louis to face the Rams, who sit in second place in the division, two games back of Arizona. After facing only one NFC West opponent in the first eight weeks of the season, the Cardinals will have five games against their division opponents over the final nine games. Seattle and San Francisco are the only two teams in the NFC West to have played more than one game in the division so far. Below is a breakdown of the season schedule of each of the teams in the NFC West: Arizona 4-2 (2-1 NFC; 1-0 Div) St. Louis 2-4 (2-3 NFC; 0-1 Div) San Francisco 2-5 (2-4 NFC; 1-1 Div) Seattle 1-5 (1-4 NFC; 1-1 Div) Week 1 W 23-13 @ SF L 3-38 @ PHI L 13-23 vs. ARI L 10-34 @ BUF Week 2 W 31-10 vs. MIA L 13-41 vs. NYG W 33-30 @ SEA L 30-33 vs. SF Week 3 L 17-24 @ WAS L 13-37 @ SEA W 31-13 vs. DET W 37-13 vs. STL Week 4 L 35-56 @ NYJ L 14-31 vs. BUF L 17-31 @ NO BYE Week 5 W 41-17 vs. BUF BYE L 21-30 vs. NE L 6-44 @ NYG Week 6 W 30-24 OT vs. DAL W 19-17 @ WAS L 26-40 vs. PHI L 17-27 vs. GB Week 7 BYE W 34-14 vs. DAL L 17-29 @ NYG L 10-20 @ TB Week 8 @ CAR @ NE vs. SEA @ SF Week 9 @ STL vs. ARI BYE vs. PHI Week 10 vs. SF (MNF) @ NYJ @ ARI (MNF) @ MIA Week 11 @ SEA @ SF vs. STL vs. ARI Week 12 vs. NYG vs. CHI @ DAL vs. WAS Week 13 @ PHI (Thurs) vs. MIA @ BUF @ DAL (Thurs) Week 14 vs. STL @ ARI vs. NYJ vs. NE Week 15 vs. MIN vs. SEA @ MIA @ STL Week 16 @ NE vs. SF @ STL vs. NYJ Week 17 vs. SEA @ ATL vs. WAS @ ARI Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 6 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
JAMES AIMS FOR TOP 10 Currently 13 th on the NFL s all-time rushing list, Edgerrin James is poised to enter the top 10 in 2008. With 11,970 yards on the ground after rushing for 363 yards in the first six games, James needs 243 yards to pass Marcus Allen, who currently sits in 10 th place. With another 1,000-yard season, James would move as high up as the number eight spot, currently held by the legendary Jim Brown. All-Time NFL Rushing Leaders: Yds. to Rk Player Yrs/NFL Yds. Pass 1 Emmitt Smith 15 18,355 6,386 2 Walter Payton 13 16,726 4,755 3 Barry Sanders 10 15,269 3,300 4 Curtis Martin 12 14,101 2,132 5 Jerome Bettis 13 13,662 1,693 6 Eric Dickerson 11 13,259 1,290 7 Tony Dorsett 12 12,739 770 8 Jim Brown 9 12,312 343 9 Marshall Faulk 13 12,279 343 10 Marcus Allen 16 12,243 274 11 Franco Harris 13 12,120 151 12 Thurman Thomas 13 12,074 105 13 Edgerrin James* 10 11,970-14 John Riggins 14 11,352-15 Corey Dillon 10 11,241-16 O.J. Simpson 11 11,236-17 LaDainian Tomlinson* 8 11,096-18 Fred Taylor* 11 10,957-19 Ricky Watters 11 10,643-20 Warrick Dunn* 12 10,604 - * Denotes active players GETTING THE TOUGH YARDS Rookie RB Tim Hightower had two more chances to convert third-and-one attempts against Dallas and was successful on both, as he has been all season. Hightower is now seven-of-seven on the season in third-and-one situations on the season, best in the NFL. In addition to his third-and-one stats, Hightower is three-ofthree on fourth-and-one situations this season as well, making him 10-of-10 on the season in short yardage situations. 3 rd /4 th Down-and-1 Rushing 1 st Player Rush Yds Avg. Downs Pct. 1. Tim Hightower 10 41 4.1 10 100.0 2t. Michael Pittman 9 38 4.2 7 77.8 2t. Clinton Portis 9 43 4.8 7 77.8 4t. Joseph Addai 7 31 4.4 6 85.7 4t. Marion Barber 7 29 4.1 6 85.7 Hightower s five rushing TDs on the season are the most rushing TDs by a Cardinals rookie since Ronald Moore had nine in 1993. Moore s 1993 total is also a franchise rookie record. His five rushing TDs are tied for sixth in the NFL and stand as the best total among rookies this season. Hightower s 30 points on the season are tied with Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald for the team lead among nonkickers. They are also the second-highest total in the NFL among all rookies in 2008. JAMES LEADS ACTIVE RUSHERS Edgerrin James is just 30 rushing yards shy of 12,000 rushing yards for his career as he heads into the game vs. Carolina this week. He needs just 105 rushing yards to pass Thurman Thomas on the NFL s career rushing list. James is one of only two current NFL running back with 11,000 career rushing yards, as he pushes towards Thurman Thomas on the NFL s All-Time rushing list. LaDaininan Tomlinson reached 11.000 yards in week six and currently sits 874 yards behind James. Top Active Rushers Player Yrs. Att. Yards TD 1. Edgerrin James, Ari. 10 2,950 11,970 80 2. LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D. 8 2,488 11,096 119 3. Fred Taylor, Jax. 11 2,357 10,957 61 4. Warrick Dunn, Atl. 12 2,571 10,604 48 5. Jamal Lewis, Cle 8 2,229 9,508 56 6. Shaun Alexander, Was 8 2,179 9,437 100 7. Ahman Green, Hou 11 1,980 8,929 57 8. Clinton Portis, Was. 7 1,873 8,533 70 9. Ricky Williams, Mia 8 1,827 7,363 48 10. Thomas Jones, NYJ 9 1,767 6,981 38 *Free agent; subject to developments TRIPLE-HEADED ATTACK The Cardinals have found a way to use all of their running backs in 2008. Edgerrin James, Tim Hightower and J.J. Arrington have combined to not only contribute in the running game but also in the passing game. The Cardinals have eight rushing touchdowns on the season through the first six games, tied with four other teams for the second-highest total in the league while rookie Tim Hightower is the league s top rated back in converting short yardage situations on third and fourth down. Running backs coach Maurice Carthon recently explained why the three running back system has worked for the team. I just think that there are good situations to give each of these guys a chance to play, Carthon said. I think J.J. (Arrington) has some abilities with his speed. Hightower has shown he can do some things in short yardage and then you have Edgerrin (James) who has shown he can be durable and be counted on. All three of those guys have specific talents and deserve an opportunity to play so we try to get them in the game and use them as much as we can. So far it has been helping us and it is the part of the reason we are 4-2 because none of those guys have complained. They have gone out and done whatever it is we have asked them to do whether it is running, blocking or catching the ball. Rushing No. Yds. Avg. Lg. TD James 101 363 3.6 16 3 Hightower 43 130 3.0 17t 5 Arrington 5 21 4.2 14 0 Total 149 514 3.4 17t 8 Receiving No. Yds. Avg. Lg. TD Hightower 14 121 8.6 20 0 James 10 73 7.3 16 0 Arrington 4 35 8.8 13 0 Total 28 229 8.2 20 0 Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 7 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
FILLING THE VOID With Anquan Boldin out of the lineup for the last two games, the Cardinals offense relied on numerous players to step up their play in back-to-back wins over the Bills and Cowboys. Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald averaged numbers over the last two games that were comparable to the numbers put up by Boldin and Fitzgerald through the first four games of the season. Games 1-4 Rec. Yds. TDs Anquan Boldin 27 366 5 Larry Fitzgerald 24 415 2 Fitzgerald and Boldin totaled 51 receptions for 781 yards and seven touchdowns over the first four games of the season, a combined average of 12.8 receptions for 195.3 yards and 1.75 touchdowns a game over that span. Games 5-6 Rec. Yds. TDs Steve Breaston 15 179 1 Larry Fitzgerald 12 131 3 With Boldin out of the games vs. Dallas and Buffalo, Fitzgerald and Breaston combined for 27 receptions for 310 yards and four touchdowns, a combined average of 13.5 receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns a game. Over the last three games, Breaston has averaged eight receptions for 100.3 yards per game after catching just four passes for 72 yards in the first three games combined. HE JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER With everything that wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has accomplished in his NFL career, it is hard to believe he is in only his fifth NFL season and just turned 25 at the end of August. Entering 2008, Fitzgerald had recorded 330 receptions for 4,544 yards and 34 touchdowns in his first four years. He has been to two Pro Bowls and last season led all NFC receivers in both receptions and yards. Fitzgerald totaled 100-yard receiving in a game 13 times in his first 61 NFL games and has added his 14 th, 15 th and 16 th 100-yard games this season. With 16 career 100-yard games, Fitzgerald is tied with David Boston (1999-02) for the six-highest total in franchise history. In the last seven games he has played dating back to last season, Fitzgerald has combined for 47 receptions, 717 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 102.4 yards per game. Date Opp Rec Yds TD 12/30/07 vs. StL 11 171 2 9/7/08 @ SF 3 31 1 9/14/08 vs. Mia 6 153 0 9/21/08 @ Was 7 109 1 9/28/08 @ NYJ 8 122 0 10/5/08 vs. Buf 7 52 2 10/12/08 vs. Dal 5 79 1 47 717 7 Last season, Fitzgerald joined Anquan Boldin as the only players in NFL history to have recorded two 100-catch campaigns in their first four NFL season. Should he reach the milestone again this season, he would become just the fourth player in league history with three or more 100-catch seasons. HE COMES BACK STRONG Anquan Boldin hopes to return to action this week after missing Arizona s last two games (head), and he has a record of playing well after returning from an injury. In the three games he has played immediately after returning from injury over the last three seasons, Boldin has collected 22 receptions for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Games after Injury 2005-07 Date Rec. Yds TD 10/21/07 @ Was 8 29 2 12/16/07 @ NO 6 83 0 11/20/06 @ StL 8 105 1 Boldin played the best stretch of football in his NFL career in 2005 after missing two games due to a knee injury. Boldin returned at St.Louis and rattled off five consecutive 100-yard games, establishing a franchise record. Boldin was on the receiving end of an illegal and vicious helmet-to-helmet hit in the closing seconds of the Cardinals week four game in New York that drew a one-game suspension and $50,000 fine against Jets safety Eric Smith. Boldin, who had eight plates installed to fix two facial fractures and wiring inserted to align his bite, feels he is ready to play. I feel like I m ready to go, Boldin said this week. That s what I ve been working toward the past couple weeks, getting back on the field after the bye week, so hopefully it will work out. FITZGERALD RANKS NEAR THE TOP Larry Fitzgerald ranks near the top in many of the NFL s receiving categories through the first seven weeks of the season despite not playing last week due to the bye. In 2007, Fitzgerald led the NFC in both receptions (100) and receiving yards (1,409). Below are some of Fitzgerald s NFL rankings this season: Category Receptions: 36 Receiving Yards: 546 Receiving TDs: 5 Receptions of 25+ Yards: 5 Receptions for 1 st Downs: 27 Receiving Yds after the Catch: 214 Receiving Broken Tackles: 5 Red Zone Receptions: 6 Red Zone TD Receptions: 4 Goal-to-Go TD Receptions: 4 NFL Rank T-7 th 4 th T-1 st T-8 th T-4 th 5 th T-1 st T-3 rd T-2 nd T-1 st Fitzgerald has been piling up stats since he came into the league in 2004 as the Cardinals first round selection. In that time, Fitzgerald has been one of the best receivers in the NFL. Some of his accomplishments include: 4,310 receiving yards since 2005, the third highest total in the NFL in that period (Chad Johnson, 4,509 and Reggie Wayne, 4,367). His 47 receptions of 25 yards or more since his rookie season of 2004 are the fourth most in the NFL in that period. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 8 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
BOLDIN SEEKING FOURTH IN A ROW Anquan Boldin established a personal record in week four against the Jets with his eight-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Boldin, who exited the game in the fourth quarter with a head injury, now has at least one touchdown in three consecutive games, the longest streak of his career. Boldin had consecutive games with a touchdown five times in his career entering the 2008 season. His current streak began in week two with a career-high three-td game against the Miami Dolphins and he has one receiving touchdown in the last two games he has appeared in. He sat out the last two games after suffering an illegal hit in the fourth quarter of the game against the Jets. Despite missing the last two games, Boldin s five touchdowns are still tied for the lead among all NFL receivers through the first five games of the season. NFL Receiving Touchdowns 2008 TDs Player 5 Anquan Boldin Larry Fitzgerald, Chris Chambers, Terrell Owens Anquan now has 440 receptions in 72 career games, and needs just 10 more receptions in his next eight games to become the fastest receiver in NFL history to 450 career receptions. Fewest Games to 450 Career Receptions Lionel Taylor 81 Marvin Harrison 82 Torry Holt 85 Randy Moss 86 Isaac Bruce 88 Anquan Boldin has 440 in 72 games played. FITZGERALD AND BOLDIN MOVING UP Larry Fitzgerald s touchdown reception vs. Dallas gave him 39 for his career, putting him in fifth place on the Cardinals career list. With a touchdown this week at Carolina, Fitzgerald will be tied for fourth place on the franchise list with Jackie Smith (1963-77). Receiving TDs Career TDs Player (Years) 66 Roy Green (1979-90) 60 Sonny Randle (1959-66) 45 Mel Gray (1971-82) 40 Jackie Smith (1963-77) 39 Larry Fitzgerald (2004-present) 38 Bobby Joe Conrad (1958-68) Anquan Boldin is rapidly moving up the list and currently sits at 34 career TD receptions. Boldin needs just five more receiving yards to move into sixth place on the Cardinals franchise receiving yards list as well. Boldin currently has 5,824 yards receiving for his career, four behind Bobby Joe Conrad (5,828). Receiving Yards Career Yds Yards Player (Years) To Pass 8,497 Roy Green (1979-90) 2,674 7,918 Jackie Smith (1963-77) 2,095 7,005 Pat Tilley (1976-86) 1,182 6,644 Mel Gray (1971-82) 821 6,579 Frank Sanders (1995-02) 756 5,828 Bobby Joe Conrad (1958-68) 5 5,824 Anquan Boldin (2003-present) TOUCHDOWNS IN THE DESERT In 2007, Larry Fitzgerald caught his 30 th touchdown pass, giving him more touchdowns than any other Cardinals player since the team moved to Arizona. He increased that total with his two-yard TD reception vs. Dallas, his third TD pass in the last two games. He now sits at 39 career touchdowns. Despite his absence the last two games, Anquan Boldin has made a lot of progress as of late. He established a new career-high with nine TDs in 2007 despite missing four games. In 2008, he has five in four games, giving him eight in his last six games. TDs while in Arizona TDs Player/Position Years 39 Larry Fitzgerald/Wide Receiver 2004-34 Anquan Boldin/Wide Receiver 2003-29 Larry Centers/Running Back 1990-98 27 Rob Moore/Wide Receiver 1995-99 24 Frank Sanders/Wide Receiver 1995-02 Boldin now has 14 touchdowns in the 16 games he has played since the beginning of 2007. He collected a total of 20 TDs in the 56 games he played during his first four seasons. WARNER AMONG THE LEADERS AGAIN Kurt Warner is back near the top of the league rankings in 2008 after throwing for 1,708 yards, 12 TDs, a 70.0% completions percentage and earning himself a 102.8 passer rating. Below is a look at where Warner ranks among NFL passing leaders this season. Category Attempts: 213 Completions: 149 Completion Pct: 70.0 Yards Passing: 1,708 Yards Per Attempt: 8.02 TD Passes: 12 Red Zone TD Passes: 10 QB Rating: 102.8 First Downs Passing: 86 SCORING THE LONG WAY The Cardinals offense has done a good job of controlling the clock and using long drives to generate points this season. Arizona has scored on 11 drives that have lasted at least 10 plays, the third-highest total in the league. Scoring Drive of 10+ Plays 10-Play 10-Play Score Team Drives Drives Scores Pct. Pts GB 77 16 13 81.3 63 Min. 87 13 12 92.3 59 AZ 65 12 11 91.7 62 Den. 64 13 11 84.6 62 While not all of their drives are long ones, the Cardinals also have one of the lowest three-and-out percentages in the league. Only nine of Arizona s 65 drives this season have been three-and-outs, with their 13.8 percentage ranking as the second-best in the NFL, behind only New Orleans (12.3). NFL Rank 6 th 3 rd 1 st 3 rd 5 th T-5 th T-1 st 3 rd 3 rd Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 9 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
WARNER ADDS TO TOUCHDOWN TOTAL Kurt Warner s two TD passes against the Cowboys give him multiple TD passes in each of his last five games and in 13 of his last 14 games. Warner now has 33 TD passes in his last 14 games dating back to the final eight games of 2007, the most in the NFL over that period. Passing Touchdowns Since Midway Point of 2007 Player (Team) Yards TDs Kurt Warner (Ari) 4,070 33 Tony Romo (Dal) 3,592 31 Drew Brees (NO) 4,472 28 Brett Favre (GB-NYJ) 3,070 28 Philip Rivers (SD) 3,210 27 Warner joins New Orleans QB Drew Brees as the only quarterbacks to throw for over 4,000 yards in that 14-game span. STILL DEADLY ACCURATE Kurt Warner has started the 2008 season by completing 149- of-213 passes for 1,708 yards, good for a 70.0 completion percentage, the best in the NFL this season. Warner currently ranks second in the NFL history with a 65.4 career completion percentage. Career Completion Percentage NFL History Pct. Player (Years) 65.9 Chad Pennington (2000-present) 65.4 Kurt Warner (1998-present) 64.3 Steve Young (1985-99) 64.1 Drew Brees (2001-present) 64.0 Peyton Manning (1998-present) Warner s 64.7 completion percentage since coming to the Cardinals in 2005 is the best in franchise history among QBs with at least 1,000 passing attempts. Career Completion Percentage Cardinals History Player (Years) Att. Comp. Pct. Kurt Warner (2005-present) 1,207 780 64.7 Neil Lomax (1981-89) 3,153 1,818 57.6 Jake Plummer (1997-02) 2,754 1,540 55.9 Jim Hart (1966-83) 5,096 2,590 51.1 Charley Johnson (1961-69) 2,047 1,030 50.3 Warner s 102.8 passer rating on the season has improved his career passer rating to 93.8 after beginning the season at 93.2. He currently sits in third place all-time behind Steve Young and Peyton Manning. All-Time Passer Ratings Rating Player (Years) 96.8 Steve Young (1985-99) 94.1 Peyton Manning (1998-present) 93.8 Kurt Warner (1998-present) 93.0 Ben Roethlisberger (2004-present) 92.9 Tom Brady (2000-present) In the first six games of 2008, Warner has completed at least 60 percent of his passes in five games and 70 percent of his passes in four. He completed 79.2 percent of his passes in his perfect game (158.3 passer rating) in week two vs. Miami and 73.3 percent of his passes vs. Dallas. CARDS PASSING GAME TO BE TESTED The Cardinals passing game has faced a couple of stiff tests so far this season, going up against Buffalo s thenseventh ranked pass defense and following that up with a game against the Cowboys star-filled defense. Arizona has come out of those games with two victories and a combined 71 points, including Kurt Warner s 76.4 completion percentage, 486 passing yards, four TDs and only one INT. Arizona has also played the last two games without star wide receiver Anquan Boldin. This week will present another test for the Arizona passing attack as they go head-to-head against a Panthers defense that is ranked fifth overall in the NFL and second against the pass. The Panthers have held opponents under 200 yards passing in four of their seven games this season. Below is a comparison between the Cardinals passing offense and Carolina s pass defense. Cardinals Panthers Pass Offense: 2 nd Pass Defense: 2 nd Yards: 1,741 Yards Allowed: 1,184 Yds/Game: 273.2 Yds Allowed/Game: 168.7 TDs: 12 TDs Allowed: 5 Comp. Pct: 70.0 Comp. Pct Allowed: 56.9 100-Yd Rec. Games: 7 100-Yd Rec. Games Allowed: 0 Most Yds: 472 Most Yds Allowed: 231 MVP COMPARISONS Kurt Warner is a two-time NFL MVP, having won the awards in both 1999 and 2001 as a member of the St. Louis Rams. Warner looked every bit the player he was during his MVP years as he led the Cardinals during the latter half of last season. He has continued his high level of play into this season and he is among the league leaders in many of the league s top passing categories. Just six games into the 2008 season, the award is by no means going to be handed out soon, but a look at Warner s stats through the first six games of 2008 compared to his stats during his two MVP seasons bring up some interesting comparisons. Below is a look at Warner s stats through the first six games of this season compared to his MVP seasons. 2008 (Cardinals) Att. Com. Pct. Yds. TD INT W-L 213 149 70.0 1,708 12 5 4-2 2001 ( Rams) Att. Com. Pct. Yds. TD INT W-L 218 151 69.3 1,779 12 4 6-0 1999 (Rams) Att. Com. Pct. Yds. TD INT W-L 162 118 72.8 1,531 18 3 6-0 Warner is on pace to throw for over 4,500 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 10 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
BREAKING DOWN WARNER AT HOME Won the first 15 home games he started. For his career he is 29-13 as a starter at home. ON THE ROAD Won 15 of his first 21 road games as a starter. For his career he is 22-26 as a starter on the road. INDOORS Won 21 of his first 22 games as a starter indoors. For his career he is 34-10 as a starter indoors. OUTDOORS For his career he is 18-28 as a starter in games played outside. THROWING FOR 300 YARDS OR MORE Warner s teams are 28-16 when throwing for 300 yards or more Sept. 15 Oct. 7 Nov. 7 Dec. 15 Jan. 0 WHEN THROWING FOR 3+ TDs 23 of the last 25 games in which he has thrown for 3+ TDs, his team has won 26-4 when he throws for 3+ TDs in a game WITH A QB RATING OVER 100.0 (Min. 15 att.) Won 26 of the first 27 games in which he had 100+ rating Has a career record of 33-3 with a 100.0+ rating WHEN COMPLETING AT LEAST 70% OF HIS PASSES Won 20 of his first 21 games when completing 70% or more Has a career record of 25-4 when completing 70% or more WHAT TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK The Cardinals are looking for their third consecutive victory this week vs. Carolina and with a victory would improve to 5-2 on the season, which would be their best start since 1976. The Cardinals are looking to end a four game losing streak against the Panthers that dates back to 2003. The Cardinals second ranked passing offense will go headto-head with Carolina s second ranked pass defense, which has not allowed a 100-yard receiver or a 300-yard passer on the season. Carolina s defense has given up just one passing TD in the last four games. Kurt Warner will be playing in his 100 th career game this week as he makes his 92 nd career start. Warner made his first start last season against the Panthers and suffered a torn ligament in his non-throwing arm, an injury he played with the remainder of the season sporting a large brace on the arm. With a sack this week, Bertrand Berry would have at least one sack in five consecutive games and would tie teammate Chike Okeafor (and two others) for the third-longest streak in franchise history. Edgerrin James needs 105 rushing yards to pass Thurman Thomas for 12 th on the NFL s career rushing list. A TD this week and Larry Fitzgerald will be tied for fourth place on the franchise list with Jackie Smith (1963-77). LEINART IN YEAR THREE Matt Leinart returns from a 2007 season that saw him land on injured reserve with a broken collarbone he suffered in the fifth game of the year. After his injury, backup Kurt Warner filled in and had a strong run as the Cardinals quarterback. Warner was named the starter after the final preseason game and a closely contested competition with Leinart, who head coach Ken Whisenhunt says is making significant improvements as he continues to grow in the system. He has started 16 games in this league, Whisenhunt said of his young QB. That is not a lot of games for a young quarterback. I am very excited about the progress he has made and his future with the organization. In his rookie season, Leinart showed the promise that made him the 10 th overall selection in 2006. After taking over as the starter in place of Kurt Warner in the sixth week of the season, he threw for 2,547 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. As a rookie starter, Leinart: Completed 60 percent or more of his passes in five of his last six games. Became the first rookie in NFL history to throw for over 400 yards in a game. Became the first Cardinals quarterback since Jake Plummer in 2001 to have three games in a season with a 100+ quarterback rating. Broke Plummer s rookie record of 2,203 passing yards, throwing for 2,547 yards on the season. PASSING GAME IS ONE OF THE BEST The Cardinals enter this week s game at Carolina with the NFL s second ranked passing game and the sixth ranked offense overall. Arizona s offense is averaging 273.2 yards per game through air and Kurt Warner has two of the top nine single-game yardage totals in the NFL this season (472 yards @ NYJ and 361 yards vs. Mia). Warner s has thrown for 1,708 yards, second-best in the NFL while his 70.0% completion percentage is the best in the NFL. His QB rating (102.5) is the third best. Warner had his fourth game of the season with a 70.0+ completion percentage vs. Dallas. Cardinals receivers have combined for seven 100-yard receiving games (Larry Fitzgerald-3; Anquan Boldin-2, Steve Breaston-2) while Boldin, Fitzgerald and Breaston have combined for 91 receptions, 1,285 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this season, despite the fact that Boldin missed the last two games due to an injury. There have been 11 different Cardinals players who have caught multiple passes on the season. Breaston has added 301 receiving yards in the past three weeks, including his second 100-yard game in the last three weeks last week against Dallas while rookie Early Doucet has gotten in on the action in the last two games as well with six receptions for 42 yards in his first career NFL game vs. Buffalo. The Cardinals second rated passing game will go head-tohead with the Panthers second rated passing denfense this week in a showdown of two of the NFL s best in their respective areas. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 11 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
CARDINALS-PANTHERS CONNECTIONS Panthers quarterback Josh McCown was originally selected by he Cardinals in the third round (81 st overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. During his four seasons (2002-05) in Arizona McCown started 22 of 33 games played totaling 5,431 yards with 25 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. Cardinals linebackers coach Bill Davis served as the Panthers outside linebackers coach from 1995-98. Panthers tight ends/offensive quality control coach Geep Chryst spent three seasons in Arizona working with tight ends (1996-97) and quarterbacks (1998) and then returning to the Cardinals from 2001-03 to coach the quarterbacks. In Pittsburgh, from 2001-03, Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt coached the tight ends and assistant head coach/offensive line Russ Grimm served as offensive line coach while Panthers secondary coach Tim Lewis roamed the sidelines as defensive coordinator. Panthers assistant head coach/running backs coach Jim Skipper coached the running backs for the Cardinals in 1996. Panthers guard Keydrick Vincent played in seven games, starting one for the Cardinals in 2007 after being signed on 10/9/07. Panthers guard Jeremy Bridges played for Arizona from 2004-05 starting 11 out of 21 games played for the Cardinals. Panthers defensive tackle Darwin Walker was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the third round (71 st overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft. Walker played one game for Arizona before being released on 9/8/00. Cardinals defensive line coach Ron Aiken is a graduate of North Carolina A&T, Aiken earned all-conference honors while playing guard and center for the Aggies (1973-76) and was a captain in 1976. He earned his bachelor s degree in history from North Carolina A&T in 1977. Cardinals defensive backs coach Teryl Austin roamed the sidelines in the same capacity for Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from 1993-95. Cardinals running back J.J. Arrington is from Nashville, NC and played cornerback and running back at Northern Nash High School in Rocky Mount. Panthers linebacker Jason Kyle was a three year starter and four year letterman at Arizona State from 1991-94. He is a native of Tempe, AZ and lettered in football and track at McClintock High School. Cardinals defensive backs coach Teryl Austin (2003-06) served in the same capacity in Seattle while Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas (2003-04) and wide receiver D.J. Hackett (2004-07) played. Cardinals wide receiver Jerheme Urban (2003-05) was also with the Seahawks during that time. In 1995 Cardinals special teams coach Kevin Spencer was a quality control coach for Oakland while Panthers head coach John Fox was the defensive coordinator. Cardinals President Michael Bidwill and Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney are both graduates of Catholic University in Washington D.C. Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart (2001-05) and guard Deuce Lutui (2004-05) were teammates at the University of Southern California (USC) Panthers wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett (2004-06) and center Ryan Kalil (2003-06). ADRIAN RETURNS TO NC As Arizona makes the long trek across the country to North Carolina, one player will be returning home. Cardinals strong safety Adrian Wilson hails from High Point, NC and left quite a legacy in Raleigh, having played his college ball at North Carolina State (1998-2000). Wilson s 254 career total tackles (144 solos) were the most by a Wolfpack defensive back since James Walker recorded 289 stops from 1993-95. On top of that he recorded 11 passes defensed and three interceptions. In 1999-2000 Wilson helped N.C. State to 14 wins, which is the best two season win total since the Wolfpack won 16 games in 1993-94 seasons. Wilson was a Dream Team All-America selection in 2000. Wilson left NC State following his junior season when he was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round (64 th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. This week s game vs. Carolina will be the seventh game Wilson has played in against against the Panthers as a member of the Cardinals. The last time Wilson played against the Panthers in Carolina he picked off a Jake Delhomme pass and recorded six tackles. As a prep Wilson earned All-Guiford County honors from the Greensboro New and Record at T.W. Andrews High as a safety and split end. He also earned most valuable player in the coaches East-West All-Star Game. He was multiple sport athlete, competing in track and earning honorable mention high school basketball All-America in 1998. ALL-MADDON TEAM When the Cardinals host the Panthers this Sunday, one of the team s most avid fans will be following the action as he awaits game four of the 2008 World Series. Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon doesn t miss a game. "Since 1962 I've liked this team," Maddon said. "This goes back to when Charley Johnson was the quarterback and when MacArthur Lane was the running back and Conrad Dobler was the meanest, dirtiest left guard in all of football. Air Coryell- I went through the whole thing. Neil Lomax, Portland State, I got it all." He continues to follow the team closely and watches every Cardinals game on TV. I will always watch the Cardinals play, now and forever, he says. His regular job, however, has kept him quite busy these days and has also thrown a wrench into his Cardinal viewing habits. Two weeks ago, the Cards-Cowboys game fell on an off day in the Rays-Red Sox series. Maddon was able to watch the first part of the game from the stadium but didn t learn of Arizona s thrilling OT win until his fiancée texted him on the Rays team bus. Maddon s Rays are one of the great sports stories of 2008. Tampa Bay became the second team in major league history to win 95 games a season after losing 95 and shocked the baseball world when they captured the AL East division crown. Last week, Tampa Bay defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games to earn the franchise s first-ever American League Crown and World Series appearance. The Rays-Phillies World Series opens this Wednesday in Tampa. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 12 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
AMONG THE DEFENDERS DE/LB Bertrand Berry returned from injury against the Cowboys to collect the fourth sack in his four games this season. Berry missed two weeks (@ NYJ; vs. Buf) with a hamstring injury. Through his first four games, he has collected nine tackles, 4.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. DE/LB Travis LaBoy had one of his best games as a pro in week one at San Francisco, collecting three tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Recorded his second 2.0 sack game vs. Buffalo and added seven tackles. Tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks and has 21 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the season. MLB Gerald Hayes leads the team in tackles with 45 on the season and has three tackles-for-a-loss. Tied a career-high in week three at Washington with 14 total tackles on the day. Had five tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery vs. Buffalo. LB Chike Okeafor collected a sack in week one that gave him sacks in six consecutive games dating back to 2006 (sat out 2007 season with a torn bicep), the second-longest streak in franchise history. Collected another sack in week four at NYJ and also picked off a Brett Favre pass in the first quarter, his second-career interception and first since 9/7/03 vs. New Orleans as a member of the Seahawks. Okeafor had his third sack of the season vs. Dallas and has 23 tackles on the season. LB Karlos Dansby was voted as a defensive captain prior to the season and ranks second on the team with 43 tackles and has added a sack of Washington QB Jason Campbell while also recovering a fumble in San Francisco. He had a half-sack vs. Buffalo and also collected two tackles-for-a-loss. Had a team-high 10 tackles vs. Dallas. FS Antrel Rolle is in his first year as a safety after spending his first three NFL seasons as a cornerback. Rolle is third on the team with 36 tackles and has four passes defensed on the season. SS Aaron Francisco is in his fourth season with the Cardinals and has been a key contributor filling in for Adrian Wilson and on nickel packages in his Cardinals career. In his limited playing time this season, Francisco has 23 tackles, good for fourth on the team, two tackles-for-loss, two passes defensed and one forced fumble. Francisco s 23 tackles through six games in 2008 are six shy of his single season career-high of 29 he set in 16 games in 2006 CB Rod Hood ranks second on the team with six passes defensed through the first six games. He effectively shut down Dallas WR Terrell Owens, holding him to just 36 yards on four receptions in the Cardinals victory over the Cowboys. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was the team s first round pick in 2008 and has not disappointed. He has started the two games and is tied for the team lead with six passes defensed. He has appeared as a receiver on offense and is tied for second on the team with five special teams tackles. DOCKETT ANCHORS D-LINE Fifth-year defensive tackle Darnell Dockett returns in 2008 after becoming the first Cardinals defensive tackle to make the Pro Bowl since Eric Swann in 1996. The 2004 third-round draft pick, who set career-highs with nine sacks, 75 tackles and two forced fumbles last season, doesn t appear to be slowed by his trip to Hawaii. Durability has made Dockett an integral part of the Cardinals defense. He has started 69 of 70 games in his first four-plus seasons in the NFL and he has started every game the last three-plus years, with his 55 consecutive starts ranking as the team s longest current streak. Dockett s stat line from his performance against Dallas reads five tackles, a tackle-for-a-loss and a QB pressure, but fails to tell the story of one of the most dominant performances of his career so far. Dockett sacked QB Tony Romo in the first quarter, forcing a fumble in Cowboys territory that was recovered by the Cardinals but referee Pete Morelli ruled forward progress had been stopped, giving the ball back to Dallas. Two drives later, with 4:04 to play in the second quarter, Dockett looked to have put Arizona up 14-0 when he sacked Romo in the end zone forcing a fumble that Antonio Smith recovered for a TD. However, Dallas challenged and Morelli negated the score based on the infamous tuck rule that instead made it an incomplete pass. Dockett has collected 20 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery so far this season. He collected two tackles and recorded his first fumble recovery of the season against Buffalo and with his performance against Dallas, has been one of the most dominant defenders in the NFL over the last few weeks. AS MOTIVATED AS EVER SS Adrian Wilson played only six defensive snaps against Buffalo but still found a way to make a huge impact on the game. In the third play of the game, his first, he took down Buffalo QB Trent Edwards just as he released the ball. Edwards would have to leave the game with a concussion and never returned. Wilson was listed as questionable to play heading into the game as he had not practiced all week due to a hamstring injury. He informed head coach Ken Whisenhunt that he wanted to play just hours before the game. Wilson returned full time against Dallas and collected six tackles and a pass defensed against the Cowboys in a memorable performance by the Arizona defense. Wilson set a goal this season to join an elite club among NFL defenders, the 20/20 club. With 16 career interceptions and 16 career sacks entering the season, Wilson is determined to become the ninth player in NFL history to join the 20/20 club. Players with 20 Sacks/20 INTs Player Sacks Ints S Ronde Barber (TB, 1997- present) 21.0 33 S LeRoy Butler (GB, 1990-2001) 20.5 38 LB Donnie Edwards (KC/SD, 1996-present) 23.5 28 S Rodney Harrison (SD/NE, 1994-present) 30.5 33 LB Seth Joyner (Phi/Ari/GB/Den, 1986-98) 52.0 24 LB Ray Lewis (Bal, 1996- present) 30.0 25 LB Wilber Marshall 45.0 23 (Chi/Was/Hou/Ari/NYJ, 1984-95) LB William Thomas (Phi/Oak, 1991-01) 37.0 27 Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 13 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
BY THE NUMBERS 70.0 Kurt Warner s completion percentage (149-213), the best in the NFL this season. 100 Number of career games played for Kurt Warner when he takes the field this week vs. Carolina. 33-3 Kurt Warner s record when he has a QB rating of 100.0+. He is 3-0 so far this season. 2 The NFL rank of both the Cardinals passing offense and the Carolina pass defense. 7, 0 Number of 100-yard receiving games for the Cardinals this season, the most in the NFL and the number of 100-yard receivers allowed by the Panthers, one of six teams not to have allowed a 100-yard receiver. 29.5 The number of points the Cardinals have averaged pergame so far this season, the best in the NFL. 138 Number of points the Cardinals have scored inside the red zone this season, the highest total in the league. 1976 A win this week would put the Cardinals at 5-2, which would be their best start since 1976. 23,600,000 Number of viewers who watched the Cardinals 30-24 OT victory over Dallas. It was the most-watched FOX program since the finale of American Idol last May. 29 Number of consecutive games the Cardinals have recorded at least one sack, the longest current streak in the NFL (Dallas-27). +7 The Cardinals turnover ratio in their four wins. -8 The Cardinals turnover ratio in their two losses. 10 RB Tim Hightower is a perfect 10-of-10 converting third-andone (7-7) and fourth-and-one (3-3) situations. 105 Rushing yards needed by Edgerrin James to pass Thurman Thomas for the 12 th spot on the NFL s all-time rushing list. 51 Number of NFL teams since 2001 that have started the season at 4-2. 28 The number of teams, since 2001, that have made the playoffs after starting the season at 4-2. 9.4 Average number of victories for teams that have started 4-2 during the same period. BERRY ATTACKING AGAIN After DE/LB Travis LaBoy came to the Cardinals in free agency and won the starting job in training camp, Bertrand Berry has been playing in a reserve role in his first four games of 2008. There can t be too many reserves around the NFL playing like Berry has to start the NFL season. He now has a sack in each of the four games he has played of the season after taking down Dallas QB Tony Romo. Romo became the 36 th different QB Berry has taken down in his career. A Pro Bowler in his first season with the Cards in 2004, Berry had notched 14.5 sacks in the last three campaigns combined all cut short due to injury. He missed the final eight contests of 2005 (pectoral), the last six of 2006 (triceps) and the last seven of 2007 (triceps). HOLDING EM UNDER THE CENTURY MARK The Cardinals held the Cowboys (who entered the game averaging 138.8 rushing yards per game) to just 73 net yards rushing in their last game and have now gone 11 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, the third-longest current streak in the NFL. Games Without Allowing 100-Yard Rusher Team Games Baltimore 25 Minnesota 14 Arizona 11 The last RB to rush for 100 yards on the Cardinals was San Francisco s Frank Gore, who rushed for 116 yards on 11/25/07. The Cardinals held Marion Barber to just 45 yards on 17 attempts and held Felix Jones to 22 yards on the ground. The Cardinals will face an accomplished group of rushers over their final 10 games as they look to keep the streak intact Among the running backs the Cardinals will face this season are: Steven Jackson (STL), Frank Gore (SF), Brandon Jacobs (NYG), Brian Westbrook (PHI) and Adrian Peterson (MIN). This week as the team travels to Carolina, the Cardinals will face the double-headed attack of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart who have combined for 766 rushing yards and seven TDs so far this season. SMITH HAS NOSE FOR THE BALL In the first six games of the 2008 season the Cardinals defense has recovered eight of the 13 fumbles they have forced. In all of last season Arizona forced only 23 fumbles and recovered 11. Defensive end Antonio Smith is responsible for three of the recoveries in 2008, which leads the league and ties his careerhigh that he set last season in 16 games. In games against San Francisco and Dallas he recovered fumbles deep in Arizona territory preserving a three point lead against the 49ers and a seven point lead versus the Cowboys. Smith forced one of his three fumble recoveries and it led to an offensive touchdown on the ensuing drive in week five to put the Cardinals up 7-0 against Buffalo. Smith has recovered a fumble in three games this year and Arizona went on to win each time. Over the past three years the fifth year pro has recovered eight fumbles while forcing two. In 2006 he returned a fumble four yards for a touchdown vs. Denver (12/17/06). Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 14 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
WEEK 8 IN THE NFL All times MST Bye Week: Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Green Bay, Houston, Minnesota Sunday, Oct. 26 Oakland at Baltimore 10:00 AM CBS Arizona at Carolina 10:00 AM FOX Tampa Bay at Dallas 10:00 AM FOX Washington at Detroit 10:00 AM FOX Buffalo at Miami 10:00 AM CBS St. Louis at New England 10:00 AM FOX San Diego at New Orleans (London) 10:00 AM CBS Kansas City at NY Jets 10:00 AM CBS Atlanta at Philadelphia 10:00 AM FOX Cleveland at Jacksonville 1:05 PM CBS NY Giants at Pittsburgh 1:15 PM FOX Seattle at San Francisco 1:15 PM FOX Monday, Oct. 27 Indianapolis at Tennessee 5:30 PM ESPN PRACTICE AND MEDIA SCHEDULE Wednesday, 10/22/08 Thursday, 10/23/08 Friday, 10/24/08 Sunday, 10/26/08 Practice, 10:45 AM-12:50 PM Kurt Warner available after practice Panthers Conference Calls: Jake Delhomme 11:30 AM John Fox 11:45 AM Practice, 10:40 AM-12:45 PM Practice, 10:20 AM-Noon Cardinals at Panthers, 10:00 AM Bank of America Stadium Photographers/videographers may shoot until the team portion of practice begins (approximately the first 25 minutes) Players and coaches will be available coming off the field each day and the locker room will be open for 45 minutes after practice. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt will also be available following each session. CARDINALS PRONUNCIATIONS Monty Beisel Steve Breaston Calais Campbell Tim Castille Oliver Celestin Early Doucet Clark Haggans Ali Highsmith Nathan Hodel Kenny Iwebema Chike Okeafor Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Antrel Rolle Lyle Sendlein Jerame Tuman Jerheme Urban Elliot Vallejo Ken Whisenhunt BYE-sull BRES-tin kuh-lay-us kuh-steel SELL-us-teen doo-sett HAY-gins ah-lee HOE-dul uh-web-uh-muh CHEE-kay oh-key-for dah-muh-neek AHN-trel SEND-line Jeremy Jeremy vuh-lay-ho WIZZ-en-hunt RADIO BROADCAST SCHEDULE The following Cardinals radio broadcasts will air this week on Sports 620 KTAR: Big Red Rage w/ Bertrand Berry and guest Anquan Boldin Majerle s Sports Grill Wednesday, 6:00-7:00 PM Kia NFL Kickoff Show Sunday, 7:00 8:00 AM Hosted by Bill Lewis and Darren Urban Cardinals Pre-Game Huddle Sunday, 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Hosted by Paul Calvisi, Hank Kuhlmann, Rob Moore and Rob Fredrickson CARDS MOST RECENT TRANSACTIONS Wed, Oct. 1 Wed, Sept. 24 Wed, Sept. 17 Tues, Sept. 9 Sat, Sept. 6 Mon, Sept. 1 Sat, Aug 30 Cardinals re-signed WR Onrea Jones to the practice squad and released RB Ryan Moats. Cardinals re-signed LB Chris Harrington to the practice squad and released WR Onrea Jones from the practice squad. Cardinals signed RB Ryan Moats to the practice squad and released DE Jason Banks. Cardinals re-signed S Oliver Celestin. Cardinals placed C Al Johnson (left knee) on injured reserve, elevated C Pat Ross to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, released S Oliver Celestin and released C/G Anthony Oakley from the practice squad. Cardinals signed CB Michael Adams, DE Jason Banks, DT Keilen Dykes, WR Lance Long, C Pat Ross, CB Wilrey Fontenot, WR Onrea Jones, and C/G Anthony Oakley to the practice squad. Cardinals released CB Michael Adams, CB Travarous Bain, DE Jason Banks, RB Steve Baylark, T Kelly Butler, T Peter Clifford, DT Keilen Dykes, LB Chris Harrington, G Jasper Harvey, S Dennis Keyes, WR Lance Long, G Carlton Medder, TE Brent Miller, CB DeMario Minter, LB Brandon Moore, QB Anthony Morelli, WR Jamaica Rector, C Pat Ross, TE Alex Shor, LB Matt Stewart, DE Joe Tafoya and RB Chris Vincent. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 15 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Game 1 CARDINALS 23, 49ers 13 September 7, 2008 Candlestick Park (67,186) The Cardinals opened the season with a 10-point victory at San Fran. It was the team s first week one road win since 1999. Combined with Seattle & St. Louis losses it also gave Arizona sole possession of first place in the NFC West. Keys to the victory were a 5-0 edge in takeaways and a time of possession advantage in the second half of 22:38 to 7:22. Anquan Boldin led all receivers by catching 8 passes from Kurt Warner for 82 yards (all in the 2 nd half) and Eggerrin James gained 100 yards on 26 carries. Defensively, veteran newcomer Travis LaBoy notched 2.0 sacks of J.T. O Sullivan and a forced fumble on one. The Cardinals opening drive reached the SF 7 before a 25-yard Neil Rackers FG gave them an early lead. On the 2 nd play of the next series, FB Zak Keasey caught a pass from O Sullivan but DT Darnell Dockett forced a fumble that LB Karlos Dansby recovered at the SF 11. The drive reached the 2 but a personal foul on LT Mike Gandy backed it up and Rackers missed from 35. The Niners then moved quickly into AZ territory and Frank Gore put San Fran ahead with a 41-yard TD run. The next San Fran drive ended when SS Adrian Wilson INT d O Sullivan and returned the pick to the SF 33 but the Cards were forced to punt. Early in the 2 nd quarter, AZ faced a 3 rd -n-7 when Warner hit WR Steve Breaston with a 40-yard completion to the 1. On the next play he lofted a ball to the corner that Larry Fitzgerald snared for a TD. The next SF drive again ended with a turnover when Bertrand Berry stripped O Sullivan and Antonio Smith recovered but the ensuing drive ended with a punt. The Niners then tied it late in the 2 nd on a 39-yard Joe Nedney FG. Despite a 3-0 edge in takeaways and a decisive AZ advantage in field position, the game was tied 10-10 at the half. Because they deferred on the opening coin flip, AZ got the ball to start the 3 rd quarter. Thanks to a pass heavy attack (including 3-47 to Boldin) the Cards took the lead on a 31-yard Rackers FG. Rackers then pooched the kickoff to the SF 33 where LB Takeo Spikes muffed it and Matt Ware recovered. The drive penetrated the red zone and on a 3 rd -n-4 pass from the 5, Warner s completion to Breaston was originally spotted at the 2 but a Cardinal challenge moved it inside the 1, though still shy of a first. On 4 th -n-inches, rookie RB Tim Hightower scored his 1 st career TD and gave AZ a 20-10 lead. As a result of the 2 drives, AZ was able to chew up 11:03 before the Niners offense re-took the field. When they did, SF moved 60 yards in 13 plays and Nedney hit a 30-yard FG that made it 20-13 with 12:05 to play. That s when the Cardinals were able to put the game out of reach with a sustained 18-play drive that consumed 10:08 and ended with a 30-yard Rackers FG. San Fran s next play from scrimmage saw LaBoy pull the hat trick on O Sullivan with a sack, forced fumble and recovery. CARDINALS 3 7 10 3 23 49ERS 7 3 0 3 13 Team Qtr. Time Scoring Play Drive Score CARDS 1 11:06 Rackers 25-yard FG 7-33, 2:35 3-0 49ers 1 6:00 Gore 41-yard run (Nedney kick) 5-75, 2:43 3-7 CARDS 2 10:25 Fitzgerald 1-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 6-58, 2:50 10-7 49ers 2 1:52 Nedney 39-yard FG 9-69, 4:19 10-10 CARDS 3 8:25 Rackers 31-yard FG 15-65, 6:35 13-10 CARDS 3 4:03 Hightower 2-yard run (Rackers kick) 8-33, 4:22 20-10 49ers 4 12:05 Nedney 30-yard FG 13-60, 6:58 20-13 CARDS 4 1:57 Rackers 30-yard FG 18:62, 10:08 23-13 Game 2 CARDINALS 31, Dolphins 10 September 14, 2008 University of Phoenix Stadium (63,445) In their home opener, the Cardinals offense rolled up 445 total yards and 31 points on the Dolphins en route to a 21-point victory and their first 2-0 start since 1991. QB Kurt Warner passed for 361 yards and 3 TDs. All 3 went to WR Anquan Boldin who finished with 6 catches for 140 yards and his first career 3-TD day. Fellow WR Larry Fitzgerald was 6-153 and the duo eclipsed the century mark in the same game for the 6 th time. Boldin s 22 nd career 100-yard game tied him with Jackie Smith for the most in franchise history. Warner finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3, becoming the first Cardinal QB with a perfect rating since Jim Hart on 11/23/75 vs. NYJ. It was Warner s third career perfect game tying him with Peyton Manning for most in NFL history. Warner s first pass of the day set the tone for a big day. After a delay penalty and another for illegal formation, the Cards 1 st down play saw Warner throw it deep down the middle for Boldin, who continued on for a career-long 79-yard score. On Arizona s next drive, the QB connected with Fitzgerald on a 75-yard pass to the 4 and 3 plays later, Warner hit Boldin with a 3-yard TD toss. While Miami s first 4 drives ended with punts, Arizona s produced points as Neil Rackers put the Cards up 17-0 with a 45-yard FG midway thru the 2 nd quarter. On the opening series of the 2 nd half, Arizona was aided by 3 Miami penalties that kept the drive alive and rookie Tim Hightower capped it with a 1-yard TD run that put AZ up 24-0. Hightower became the first player in team history with TD runs in each of his first two games. The Dolphins got on the board with a 32-yard Dan Carpenter FG but the Cards answered right back. They moved 80 yards in 8 plays as Warner and Boldin connected again, this time on an 8-yard hook-up. Only a Ronnie Brown 1-yard run with 2:38 left made the final 31-10. Both squads pulled their starting QBs as Chad Henne replaced Chad Pennington with 9:42 to play and Matt Leinart came in for Warner for the final series. Edgerrin James reached a career milestone on the opening drive of the 3 rd quarter when he became just the 14 th player in NFL history to eclipse 15,000 total yards from scrimmage. DOLPHINS 0 0 3 7 10 CARDINALS 14 3 14 0 31 Team Qtr. Time Scoring Play Drive Score CARDS 1 12:20 Boldin 79-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 1-69, 0:29 0-7 CARDS 1 5:40 Boldin 3-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 8-92, 4:19 0-14 CARDS 2 8:46 Rackers 45-yard FG 11-60, 6:42 0-17 CARDS 3 10:29 Hightower 1-yard run (Rackers kick) 10-71, 4:31 0-24 Dolphins 3 5:26 Carpenter 32-yard FG 11-58, 5:03 3-24 CARDS 3 1:27 Boldin 8-yard pass from Warner (Rackers) 8-80, 3:59 3-31 Dolphins 4 2:38 Brown 1-yard run (Carpenter kick) 18-89, 7:04 10-31 STATISTICS MIA AZ First Downs 17 22 Rushes-Yards 72 81 Net Passing Yards 164 364 Total Net Yards 236 445 Passing (A-C-I) 32-17-0 26-20-0 Sacked by Opp. 2-15 2-12 Punts-Average 5-38.5 2-38.5 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-0 Penalties 6-42 8-45 Time of Possession 28:06 31:54 Weather: Indoors STATISTICS AZ SF First Downs 18 13 Rushes-Yards 39-109 20-108 Net Passing Yards 176 183 Total Net Yards 285 291 Passing (A-C-I) 30-19-0 20-14-1 Sacked by Opp. 3-21 4-12 Punts-Average 4-45.0 2-43.5 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 5-4 Penalties 4-40 3-20 Time of Possession 37:05 22:56 Weather: Sunny, 70 degrees, 70% humidity, Wind WNW 20 mph. RUSHING CARDS: James 26-100; Hightower 8-13, TD; Warner 5-(-4). 49ers: Gore 14-96, TD; Foster 4-11; O Sullivan 2-1. PASSING CARDS: Warner 19-30, 197 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT. 49ers: O Sullivan 14-20, 195 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT. RECEIVING CARDS: Boldin 8-82; Breaston 3-54; Fitzgerald 3-31, TD; Hightower 3-21; Pope 1-5; Castille 1-4. 49ers: Gore 4-55; Davis 3-51; Johnson 3-48; Keasey 2-13; Battle 1-16; Foster 1-12. RUSHING Dolphins: Williams 11-28; R. Brown 11-25, TD; Bess 1-13; Pennington 1-6. CARDS: James 18-55; Hightower 10-24, TD; Breaston 1-4; Leinart 2-(-2). PASSING Dolphins: Pennington 10-20, 112 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT; Henne 7-12, 67 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT. CARDS: Warner 19-24, 361 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT; Leinart 1-2, 15 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT. RECEIVING Dolphins: Camarillo 4-49; Hagan 3-51; Martin 3-32; Brown 2-19; Bess 2-13; Ginn 1-9; Cobbs 1-5; Williams 1-1. CARDS: Fitzgerald 6-153; Boldin 6-140, 3 TD; Patrick 4-30; Hightower 1-20; Breaston 1-18; Pope 1-15; James 1-0. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 16 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Game 3 Redskins 24, CARDINALS 17 September 21, 2008 Fed Ex Field (90,060) The Cardinals suffered their first defeat and fell to 2-1 with a 7-point loss at Washington. The Redskins produced 10 points off Arizona s first two turnovers of the season and the Cardinals snapped their streak of 10-straight games scoring 20+ points. The Redskins opened the game with an 11-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard Clinton Portis TD run that gave the hosts an early 7-0 lead. On the first play of the 2 nd quarter, Edgerrin James fumbled and Carlos Rodgers recovered at the AZ 34. That turnover Arizona s first of the season led to a 48-yard Shaun Suisham FG and 10-0 Redskin lead. Later in the quarter, the Cards embarked upon an 11-play, 84-yard drive and Kurt Warner capped it with a 4-yard TD pass to Anquan Boldin. The TD came one play after an 18-yard pass from WR Jerheme Urban to RB Hightower took it to the 4. That TD made it 10-7 at the half and the Cards opened the 3 rd quarter with a 15-play, 72- yard drive to the 9 and tied the game with a 26-yard Neil Rackers FG. Washington responded with its own long drive on the ensuing possession (11 plays, 80 yards) and took a 17-10 lead when Jason Campbell connected on a 2-yard scoring pass with TE Todd Yoder. On the 3 rd play of the next drive Warner went deep down the middle to Larry Fitzgerald who hauled it in for a 62-yard game-tying TD. When the Cards got the ball back after a Redskin punt, Warner went deep down the middle again, this time looking for WR Steve Breaston. However, Leigh Torrence tipped the ball away at the last second. Rodgers grabbed the deflection and returned the INT 42 yards to the AZ15. Two plays later, Campbell hit Santana Moss on a screen pass that resulted in a 17-yard scoring pass and a 24-17 lead with 12:10 to go. After an Arizona punt, the Redskins appeared to go up 2 TDs on a 68-yard Campbell pass to Devin Thomas but the play was negated by tackle Stephon Hayer s personal foul. That drive ended when Suisham s 52-yard FG try was no good and the Cards took over at their own 42 with 3:23 to go. Facing a 4 th -n-4 at the AZ48 with 2:46 to go, Arizona opted to punt and hope for a stop. Instead the Redskins picked up the necessary first downs to salt away the remaining time. CARDINALS 0 7 10 0 17 REDSKINS 7 3 7 7 24 Team Qtr. Time Scoring Play Drive Score Redskins 1 8:28 Portis 3-yard run (Suisham kick) 11-60, 6:32 0-7 Redskins 2 13:08 Suisham 48-yard FG 4-4, 1:52 0-10 CARDS 2 2:43 Boldin 4-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 11-84, 6:20 7-10 CARDS 3 9:20 Rackers 26-yard FG 15-72, 5:40 10-10 Redskins 3 3:16 Yoder 2-yard pass from Campbell (Suisham kick) 11-80, 6:04 10-17 CARDS 3 1:53 Fitzgerald 62-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 3-85, 1:23 17-17 Redskins 4 12:10 Moss 17-yard pass from Campbell (Suisham kick) 2-15, 0:48 17-24 Game 4 Jets 56, CARDINALS 35 September 28, 2008 Giants Stadium (78,222) The Cardinals fell to 2-2 following a wild 56-35 road loss at the Jets that saw the hosts explode for 34 points in a nightmare 2 nd quarter for Arizona. The Cards then responded with 21 straight in the 3 rd to close the gap to 13 points. They never got closer though as Brett Favre threw 3 of his career-best 6 TD passes in the 4 th to ensure the win. The game ended with a frightening moment when Anquan Boldin absorbed a vicious hit from Eric Smith at the goal line. He left the field on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital but he was ultimately OK. Arizona missed 2 big chances on its opening drives of the game. After reaching the NYG9, a Warner sack & fumble pushed it back to the 32 and on the next play, a Boldin fumble was returned by Hank Poteat to the NY43. Three plays later, LB Chike Okeafor killed the threat when he INT d Favre and took it to the NY16. That led to a 37-yard FG try by Neil Rackers that was blocked by DT Kris Jenkins. The Jets took over at midfield and 2 plays into the 2 nd quarter Favre hit Laveranues Coles with a 12-yard TD. On the next drive, Darrelle Revis picked off Warner s 3 rd -n-8 pass and returned it 32 yards for a TD. The Jets extended the lead to 21-0 with a 34-yard Favre-Coles connection on the next series. The first play of the ensuing drive saw Warner INT d again, this time by Eric Smith who returned it to the AZ 19 and that led to a 20-yard Jay Feely FG. The spiral continued on the next AZ drive when LB Calvin Pace sacked Warner forcing a fumble that the Jets recovered at the NYJ40. It set up the 3 rd Coles TD catch (2 yards). A Warner fumble on the next play from scrimmage gave the Jets time for a 30-yard FG and a 34-0 lead as the devastating 2 nd quarter ended. Arizona fought back in the 3 rd with 3 long drives that ended with short TD runs set up by Warner passing. Edgerrin James scored on rushes of 4 & 2 yards and after a successful onside kick, Tim Hightower s 1-yard run made it 34-21 late in the 3 rd. The Jets responded by going 80 yards in 12 plays and Favre threw the first of 2 TD passes to Jerricho Cotchery. AZ again cut it to 13 with 9:49 to play on an 8-yard Warner-to-Boldin TD. With 7:33 to go the Jets went for it on 4 th -n-1 at the AZ 40 and Favre delivered with a 40-yard TD pass to Corchery. The no-huddle Cards quickly narrowed it to 13 again on a 14-yard Jerheme Urban TD catch. AZ s final hopes were dashed by another Favre TD pass with 1:54 left. CARDINALS 0 0 21 14 35 JETS 0 34 0 22 56 Team Qtr. Time Scoring Play Drive Score Jets 2 14:44 Coles 12-yard pass from Favre (Feely kick) 10-49, 5:18 0-7 Jets 2 13:25 Revis 32-yard INT return (Feely kick) -- 0-14 Jets 2 7:17 Coles 34-yard pass from Favre (Feely kick) 4-83, 2:27 0-21 Jets 2 3:32 Feely 20-yard FG 8-17, 3:28 0-24 Jets 2 0:10 Coles 2-yard pass from Favre (Feely kick) 7-40, 1:50 0-31 Jets 2 0:00 Feely 30-yard FG 1-0, 0:02 0-34 CARDS 3 12:39 James 4-yard run (Rackers kick) 6-79, 2:21 7-34 CARDS 3 5:41 James 2-yard run (James run) 13-76, 5:06 15-34 CARDS 3 2:50 Hightower 1-yard run (pass failed) 7-54, 2:51 21-34 Jets 4 11:50 Cotchery 17-yard pass from Favre (Feely kick) 12-80, 6:00 21-41 CARDS 4 9:49 Boldin 8-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 6-62, 2:01 28-41 Jets 4 7:26 Cotchery 40-yard pass from Favre (Feely kick) 4-49, 2:23 28-48 CARDS 4 4:49 Urban 14-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 6-66, 2:37 35-48 Jets 4 1:54 Keller 24-yard pass from Favre (Washington run) 4-29, 1:04 35-56 STATISTICS AZ WAS First Downs 19 21 Rushes-Yards 23-116 31-136 Net Passing Yards 197 187 Total Net Yards 313 323 Passing (A-C-I) 31-17-1 31-23-0 Sacked by Opp. 2-13 2-17 Punts-Average 4-41.8 4-42.8 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0 Penalties 6-42 7-67 Time of Possession 26:55 33:05 Weather: Sunny, 75 degrees, 46% humidity, Wind NNE 1 mph. RUSHING CARDS: James 18-93; Hightower 5-23. Redskins: Portis 21-68, TD; Campbell 4-26; Betts 4-23; Thomas 1-16; Sellers 1-3. PASSING CARDS: Warner 16-30, 192 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT; Urban 1-1, 18 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT. Redskins: Campbell 22-30, 193 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT; Randle-El 1-1, 11 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT. RECEIVING CARDS: Fitzgerald 7-109, TD; Hightower 3-38; Boldin 3-25, TD; James 2-15; Patrick 1-19; Castille 1-4. Redskins: Moss 7-75, TD; Cooley 7-72; Randle-El 3-23; Yoder 2-4, TD; Thomas 1-7, Sellers 1-4. STATISTICS AZ NYJ First Downs 33 23 Rushes-Yards 15-42 26-89 Net Passing Yards 426 284 Total Net Yards 468 373 Passing (A-C-I) 57-40-3 34-24-1 Sacked by Opp. 5-46 2-5 Punts-Average 1-39.0 2-48.0 Fumbles-Lost 5-4 0-0 Penalties 11-71 4-61 Time of Possession 31:00 29:00 Weather: Cloudy & occasional rain, 69 degrees, 97% humidity, variable winds. RUSHING CARDS: James 9-29, 2 TD; Hightower 6-13, TD. Jets: Jones 18-46; Washington 7-26; Smith 1-17. PASSING CARDS: Warner 40-57, 472 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT. Jets: Favre 24-34, 289 yds, 6 TD, 1 INT. RECEIVING CARDS: Boldin 10-119, TD; Breaston 9-122; Fitzgerald 8-122, TD; Urban 5-50; James 5-37; Patrick 1-11; Smith 1-6; Hightower 1-5. Jets: Coles 8-105, 3 TD; Cotchery 4-67, 2 TD; Washington 4-17; Franks 2-32; Jones 2-23; Stuckey 2-12; Keller 1-24, TD; Baker 1-9. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 17 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Game 5 CARDINALS 41, Bills 17 October 5, 2008 University of Phoenix Stadium (63,830) The Cardinals rebounded from a pair of tough east coast road losses to score a decisive home win over the unbeaten Bills. Arizona improved to 3-2 and remained in sole possession of 1 st place in the NFC West. Buffalo entered the game at 4-0 but turned it over 4 times and suffered 5 sacks while AZ played a sack-free/turnover-free game. Kurt Warner bounced back from a rough outing at the Jets to complete 78.5% of his passes to 9 different receivers. Playing without all-pro WR Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald caught a pair of TDs while rookie RB Tim Hightower added 2 on the ground. The Bills lost starting QB Trent Edwards (concussion) on the game s 1 st drive and back-up J.P. Losman played the rest. AZ opened the game by scoring TDs on its first 3 drives possessions and scored points on 7 of its first 8. On the game s 3 rd play, SS Adrian Wilson came untouched on a blitz off the right side and delivered a punishing blow to Edwards. Two plays later, DE Antonio Smith blew up a backfield handoff between Losman and Marshawn Lynch and recovered the fumble himself at the BUF38. That led to a 2-yard Warner-Fitzgerald TD. Arizona s next drive went 80 yards in 8 plays and ended on Hightower s 17-yard scoring run that made it 14-0. Buffalo cut it to 14-7 when Losman hit Lee Evans with an 87-yard scoring pass. The Cards responded with another long TD drive (12-78) and ended this one on Edgerrin James 1-yard run. Late in the 1 st half, Losman scored on a 2-yard TD run with 1:46 to go to make it 21-14 but Warner & Co. marched into position for a 47-yard Neil Rackers FG as the 1 st half expired. Buffalo produced a 48-yard Rian Lindell FG on its first drive after intermission to make it 24-17. The Cards then went 78 yards in 13 plays on a drive aided by several key conversions by J.J. Arrington on 3 rd -n-long. The drive appeared to end when Rackers hit a 28-yard FG but a Buffalo offside penalty gave AZ a 1 st down. They capitalized with a 2-yard Warner-Fitzgerald TD 2 plays later. The first play of the next drive saw Gerald Hayes force a fumble by TE Robert Royal and Darnell Dockett returned it to the BUF34. When Rackers knocked a 38-yard FG in off the upright 4 plays later, AZ led by 3 scores early in the 4th. The Cards then put the final nail in the coffin when DT Gabe Watson sacked Losman forcing a fumble that Hayes recovered at the BUF19. That led to Hightower s 2-yard TD run which made it a 41-17 final. BILLS 0 14 3 0 17 CARDINALS 7 17 7 10 41 Team Qtr. Time Scoring Play Drive Score CARDS 1 9:52 Fitzgerald 2-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 6-38, 2:31 0-7 CARDS 2 14:15 Hightower 17-yard run (Rackers kick) 14-80, 6:40 0-14 Bills 2 12:09 Evans 87-yard pass from Losman (Lindell kick) 3-83, 2:06 7-14 CARDS 2 5:51 James 1-yard run (Rackers kick) 12-78, 6:18 7-21 Bills 2 1:46 Losman 2-yard run (Lindell kick) 8-63, 4:05 14-21 CARDS 2 0:00 Rackers 47-yard FG 9-44, 1:46 14-24 Bills 3 9:35 Lindell 48-yard FG 5-26, 3:03 17-24 CARDS 3 2:33 Fitzgerald 2-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 13-78, 7:02 17-31 CARDS 4 14:55 Rackers 38-yard FG 4-8, 2:18 17-34 CARDS 4 10:35 Hightower 2-yard run (Rackers kick) 6-19, 2:57 17-41 Game 6 CARDINALS 30, Cowboys 24 (OT) October 12, 2008 University of Phoenix Stadium (64,389) In one of the most thrilling games in recent memory, the Cardinals improved to 4-2 and won their 6 th straight home game as Arizona became the first team in NFL history to score TDs on the first and last plays of a game. After J.J. Arrington returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a TD, the first half failed to produce the shootout that many had anticipated in this match-up of top 5 offenses. Dallas 2 nd drive appeared to end when Darnell Dockett sacked Tony Romo forcing a fumble that AZ recovered but referee Pete Morelli ruled forward progress had been stopped. Two drives later, with 4:04 to play in the 2nd, AZ appeared to go up 14-0 when Dockett sacked Romo in the end zone forcing a fumble that Antonio Smith recovered for a TD. However, Dallas challenged and Morelli negated the score based on the infamous tuck rule that instead made it an incomplete pass. The Cowboys capitalized 5 plays later on a 55-yard TD pass to Patrick Crayton. When the ensuing pooch kickoff was muffed, the Cowboys recovered at the AZ27 with 0:56 left poised to take the halftime lead. But the AZ defense produced a 3-n-out and Nick Folk s 37-yard FG try clanged off the upright. On the opening series of the 3 rd quarter, Dallas took a 14-7 lead with a 14-yard TD pass to Miles Austin. AZ responded with a long drive of its own (11-60) and tied the game at 14 on a 2-yard scoring pass from Warner to Larry. The Cards then tried a surprise on-side kick but the Cowboys recovered at the AZ46. On 3 rd -n-9 at the AZ 31, a bad snap pushed Dallas back to the 47, forcing a punt. Fitzgerald then came up with another huge play when he outleapt everyone on a 39-yard jump ball that moved from the AZ23 to the DAL38. That led to an 11-yard TD pass to Steve Breaston. After a Dallas 3-n-out, the Cards went up 10 with 3:17 to play thanks to Neil Rackers 41-yard FG. Dallas did not go away. Romo hit Marion Barber with a short pass in the flat that turned into a 70- yard TD play. The Cards went 3-n-out giving Dallas the ball back at its own 32 with :50 left. In the closing seconds, Romo hit Jason Witten for a 30-yard gain to the AZ39 and killed the clock with :04 left. Cards DE Travis LaBoy was injured on the play and when he couldn t get to the line of scrimmage a 5-yard offside penalty was added. Folk then connected on a 52-yarder that forced OT. Dallas won the toss and started OT at its own 22. Chike Okeafor sacked Romo on 1 st down and after 2 incompletions the Cowboys lined up to punt from their own 11. Special teams captain Sean Morey then burst thru the middle and blocked Mat McBriar s punt that Monty Beisel returned 3 yards for a TD. COWBOYS 0 7 7 10 0 24 CARDINALS 7 0 7 10 6 30 Team Qtr. Time Scoring Play Drive Score CARDS 1 14:45 Arrington 93-yard kickoff return (Rackers kick) 0-0, 0:15 0-7 Cowboys 2 0:59 Crayton 55-yard pass from Romo (Folk kick) 7-91, 3:53 7-7 Cowboys 3 8:11 Austin 14-yard pass from Romo (Folk kick) 12-77, 6:49 14-7 CARDS 3 3:21 Fitzgerald 2-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 11-60, 4:50 14-14 CARDS 4 10:44 Breaston 11-yard pass from Warner (Rackers kick) 8-89, 4:58 14-21 CARDS 4 3:17 Rackers 41-yard FG 9-43, 4:58 14-24 Cowboys 4 2:00 Barber 70-yard pass from Romo (Folk kick) 4-77, 1:17 21-24 Cowboys 4 0:00 Folk 52-yard FG 5-34, 0:50 24-24 CARDS OT14:00 Beisel 3-yard return of blocked punt -- 24-30 STATISTICS BUF AZ First Downs 13 28 Rushes-Yards 17-84 34-123 Net Passing Yards 203 250 Total Net Yards 287 373 Passing (A-C-I) 24-18-1 42-33-0 Sacked by Opp. 5-35 0-0 Punts-Average 2-46.5 2-45.0 Fumbles-Lost 3-3 0-0 Penalties 6-36 4-20 Time of Possession 23:44 36:16 Weather: Indoors RUSHING Bills: Lynch 13-55; Evans 1-22; Jackson 1-5; Losman 2-2, TD. CARDS: James 21-57, TD; Hightower 7-37, 2 TD; Arrington 4-19; Warner 2-10. PASSING Bills: Losman 15-21, 220 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT; Edwards 3-3, 18 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT. CARDS: Warner 33-42, 250 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT. RECEIVING Bills: Reed 4-45; Hardy 3-35; Jackson 3-32; Lynch 3-10; Evans 2-100, TD; Royal 2-8; Johnson 1-8. CARDS: Breaston 7-77; Fitzgerald 7-52, 2 TD; Doucet 6-42; Arrington 3-25; Urban 3-10; James 2-21; Patrick 2-11; Hightower 2-8; Pope 1-4. STATISTICS DAL AZ First Downs 15 14 Rushes-Yards 22-73 19-50 Net Passing Yards 301 226 Total Net Yards 374 276 Passing (A-C-I) 39-24-0 30-22-1 Sacked by Opp. 3-20 1-10 Punts-Average 8-41.9 5-43.0 Fumbles-Lost 4-1 2-2 Penalties 12-93 12-70 Time of Possession 33:15 27:45 Weather: Indoors RUSHING Cowboys: Barber 17-45; Jones 3-22; Owens 1-6; Romo 1-0. CARDS: James 9-29; Hightower 7-20; Arrington 1-2; Warner 2-(-1). PASSING Cowboys: Romo 24-39, 321 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT. CARDS: Warner 22-30, 236 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT. RECEIVING Cowboys: Barber 11-128, TD; Witten 4-55; Owens 4-36; Crayton 3-84, TD; Austin 1-14; Curtis 1-4. CARDS: Breaston 8-102, TD; Fitzgerald 5-79, TD; Hightower 4-29; Pope 2-12; Arrington 1-10; Doucet 1-3; Urban 1-1. Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 18 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Arizona Cardinals / Week 6 / Through Sunday, October 12, 2008 / Regular Season Won 4, Lost 2 9/7/2008 W 23-13 at San Francisco 49ers 9/14/2008 W 31-10 Miami Dolphins 9/21/2008 L 17-24 at Washington Redskins 9/28/2008 L 35-56 at New York Jets 10/5/2008 W 41-17 Buffalo Bills 10/12/2008 W 30-24 Dallas Cowboys Arizona Opponent Total First Downs 134 102 Rushing 35 34 Passing 88 62 Penalty 11 6 3rd Down: Made/Att 36/78 27/68 3rd Down Pct. 46.2% 39.7% 4th Down: Made/Att 5/7 5/6 4th Down Pct. 71.4% 83.3% Possession Avg. 31:44 28:16 Total Net Yards 2160 1884 Avg. Per Game 360.0 314.0 Total Plays 390 337 Avg. Per Play 5.5 5.6 Net Yards Rushing 521 562 Avg. Per Game 86.8 93.7 Total Rushes 161 140 Net Yards Passing 1639 1322 Avg. Per Game 273.2 220.3 Sacked/Yards Lost 13/102 18/104 Gross Yards 1741 1426 Attempts/Completions 216/151 179/120 Completion Pct. 69.9% 67.0% Had Intercepted 5 3 Punts/Average 18/42.7 23/42.4 Net Punting Avg. 36.7 36.5 Penalties/Yards 45/288 38/319 Fumbles/Ball Lost 9/7 13/8 Touchdowns 22 17 Rushing 8 4 Passing 12 12 Returns 2 1 Score By Periods Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT Pts Team 31 34 69 37 6 177 Opponents 14 61 20 49 0 144 Scoring TD Ru Pa Rt PAT FG 2Pt Pts N.Rackers 0 0 0 0 19/19 8/10 0 43 T.Hightower 5 5 0 0 0/0 0/0 0 30 A.Boldin 5 0 5 0 0/0 0/0 0 30 L.Fitzgerald 5 0 5 0 0/0 0/0 0 30 E.James 3 3 0 0 0/0 0/0 1 20 M.Beisel 1 0 0 1 0/0 0/0 0 6 J.Urban 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6 J.Arrington 1 0 0 1 0/0 0/0 0 6 S.Breaston 1 0 1 0 0/0 0/0 0 6 Team 22 8 12 2 19/19 8/10 1 177 Opponents 17 4 12 1 16/16 8/11 1 144 2-Pt. Conversions: Team 1/ 2, Opponents: 1/ 1 Sacks: B.Berry 4.0, T.LaBoy 4.0, C.Okeafor 3.0, K.Dansby 2.0, D.Dockett 2.0, C.Haggans 1.0, B.Robinson 1.0, G.Watson 1.0 Team: 18.0, Opponents: 13.0 Rushing No. Yds Avg Long TD E.James 101 363 3.6 16 3 T.Hightower 43 130 3.0 17t 5 J.Arrington 5 21 4.2 14 0 K.Warner 9 5 0.6 11 0 S.Breaston 1 4 4.0 4 0 M.Leinart 2-2 -1.0-1 0 Team 161 521 3.2 17t 8 Opponents 140 562 4.0 41t 4 Receiving No. Yds Avg Long TD L.Fitzgerald 36 546 15.2 75 5 S.Breaston 28 373 13.3 40 1 A.Boldin 27 366 13.6 79t 5 T.Hightower 14 121 8.6 20 0 E.James 10 73 7.3 16 0 J.Urban 9 61 6.8 14t 1 B.Patrick 8 71 8.9 19 0 E.Doucet 7 45 6.4 9 0 L.Pope 5 36 7.2 15 0 J.Arrington 4 35 8.8 13 0 T.Castille 2 8 4.0 4 0 T.Smith 1 6 6.0 6 0 Team 151 1741 11.5 79t 12 Opponents 120 1426 11.9 87t 12 Interceptions No. Yds Avg Long TD C.Okeafor 1 39 39.0 39 0 A.Wilson 1 28 28.0 28 0 E.Green 1 1 1.0 1 0 Team 3 68 22.7 39 0 Opponents 5 80 16.0 42 1 Punting No Yds Avg Net TB In Lg B D.Johnson 18 768 42.7 36.7 2 7 59 0 Team 18 768 42.7 36.7 2 7 59 0 Opponents 22 976 42.4 36.5 2 6 61 1 Punt Returns Ret FC Yds Avg Long TD S.Breaston 12 4 96 8.0 17 0 Team 12 4 96 8.0 17 0 Opponents 7 4 68 9.7 22 0 Kickoff Returns No. Yds Avg Long TD S.Breaston 17 361 21.2 38 0 J.Arrington 4 161 40.3 93t 1 S.Morey 1 8 8.0 8 0 C.Campbell 1 0 0.0 0 0 Team 23 530 23.0 93t 1 Opponents 26 492 18.9 44 0 Field Goals 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ N.Rackers 0/ 0 2/ 2 3/ 5 3/ 3 0/ 0 Team 0/ 0 2/ 2 3/ 5 3/ 3 0/ 0 Opponents 0/ 0 1/ 1 4/ 5 2/ 3 1/ 2 Fumbles Lost: K.Warner 4, A.Boldin 1, C.Campbell 1, E.James 1 Total: 7 Opponent Fumble Recoveries: A.Smith 3, T.LaBoy 1, K.Dansby 1, D.Dockett 1, G.Hayes 1, M.Ware 1 Total: 8 Passing Att Cmp Yds Cmp% Yds/Att TD TD% Int Int% Long Sack Lost Rating K.Warner 213 149 1708 70.0% 8.0 12 5.6% 5 2.3% 79t 13/ 102 102.8 J.Urban 1 1 18 100.0% 18.0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 18 0/ 0 118.8 M.Leinart 2 1 15 50.0% 7.5 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 15 0/ 0 75.0 Team 216 151 1741 69.9% 8.1 12 5.6% 5 2.3% 79t 13/ 102 102.8 Opponents 179 120 1426 67.0% 8.0 12 6.7% 3 1.7% 87t 18/ 104 106.5 Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 19 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Arizona Cardinals 2008 Defensive Statistics (based on coaches film review) QB QB SPECIAL TEAMS Name TT UT AT TFL Sacks/Yds INT PD FF FR PRS HITS TT UT AT FF FR BP/K Gerald Hayes 45 33 12 3 - - - 1 1 1 1 - - - - - - Karlos Dansby 43 37 6 2 2/17 - - - 1 - - - - - - - - Antrel Rolle 36 21 15 - - - 4 - - - - - - - - - - Aaron Francisco 23 15 8 2 - - 2 1 - - - 2 2 - - - - Chike Okeafor 23 13 10-3/10 1 1 1-4 1 - - - - - - Clark Haggans 21 13 8-1/12 - - - - 1 2 - - - - - - Travis LaBoy 21 18 3-4/17 - - 1 1 1 3 - - - - - - Adrian Wilson 21 14 7 1-1 3 - - - 1 - - - - - - Darnell Dockett 20 13 7 1 2/13 - - 1 1 2 5 - - - - - - Eric Green 19 16 3 - - 1 3 - - - - - - - - - - Rod Hood 16 16 - - - - 6 - - - - - - - - - - Antonio Smith 16 11 5 2 - - - 1 3 2 5 - - - - - - Calais Campbell 11 9 2 - - - - 1-1 - 5 4 1 - - - Bertrand Berry 9 5 4-4/21 - - 2-1 2 - - - - - - Bryan Robinson 8 6 2-1/8 - - - - 1 - - - - - - - Matt Ware 7 5 2 1 - - - - - - 1 6 2 4-1 - Alan Branch 6 4 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ralph Brown 6 5 1 1 - - - - - - 1 3 1 2 - - - D. Rodgers-Cromartie 5 4 1 - - - 6 - - - - 5 3 2 - - - Kenny Iwebema 2 1 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gabe Watson 2 1 1 1 1/6 - - 1 - - - - - - - - - Sean Morey - - - - - - - - - - - 10 5 5 - - 1 Monty Beisel - - - - - - - - - - - 6 3 3-1 - Oliver Celestin - - - - - - - - - - - 5 4 1 - - - Neil Rackers - - - - - - - - - - - 5 3 2 - - - Tim Hightower - - - - - - - - - - - 5 1 4 - - - Ali Highsmith - - - - - - - - - - - 3 1 2 - - - Jerheme Urban - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 - - - - Tim Castille - - - - - - - - - - - 3 2 1 - - - Nathan Hodel - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 - - - - Dirk Johnson - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 - - - - Miscellaneous: J.J. Arrington: 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown vs. Dallas Cowboys, Oct. 12 Sean Morey: Blocked punt vs. Dallas Cowboys, Oct. 12 Monty Beisel: Three-yard return of blocked punt for a touchdown vs. Dallas Cowboys, Oct. 12 Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 20 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Arizona Cardinals The Last Time RUSHING 200 Yards Rushing By Cardinals: 214 by LeShon Johnson at New Orleans, Sept. 22, 1996 By Opponent: 228 by Clinton Portis at Denver, Dec. 29, 2002 150 Yards Rushing By Cardinals: 165, Marcel Shipp vs. San Francisco, Oct. 26, 2003 (35 att.) By Opponent: 173, Shaun Alexander vs. Seattle, Nov. 6, 2005 (23 att.) 100 Yards Rushing By Cardinals: 100, Edgerrin James, at San Francisco, Sept. 7, 2008 (26 att.) By Opponent: 116, Frank Gore, vs. San Francisco, Nov. 25, 2007 (21 att.) Two 100-Yard Rushers By Cardinals: 126 yards, Ottis Anderson/102 yards, Wayne Morris at New Orleans, Oct. 5, 1980 By Opponent: 106 yards, Ahman Green/101 yards Vernand Morency at Green Bay, Oct. 29, 2006 Three Rushing Touchdowns By Cardinals: Marcel Shipp at St. Louis, Dec. 3, 2006 (1, 6, 9 yards) By Opponent: Shaun Alexander (4) at Seattle, Sept. 25, 2005 (25, 1, 1, 1 yards) Two Rushing Touchdowns By Cardinals: Tim Hightower vs. Buffalo, Oct. 5, 2008 (17, 2 yards) By Opponent: Aaron Stecker at New Orleans, Dec. 16, 2007 (1, 6 yards) PASSING 500 Yards Passing By Cardinals: 522 by Boomer Esiason at Washington, Nov. 10, 1996-OT (35 comp., 59 att.) By Opponent: Never happened 400 Yards Passing By Cardinals: 472 by Kurt Warner at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (40 comp., 57 att.) By Opponent: 417 by Tim Rattay at San Francisco, Oct. 10, 2004 (38 comp., 57 att.) 300 Yards Passing By Cardinals: 472 by Kurt Warner at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (40 comp., 57 att.) By Opponent: 321 by Tony Romo vs. Dallas, Oct. 12, 2008 (24 comp., 39 att.) Six Touchdown Passes By Cardinals: Charley Johnson vs. New Orleans, Nov. 2, 1969 By Opponent: Brett Favre at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (12, 34, 2, 17, 40, 24). Five Touchdown Passes By Cardinals: Charley Johnson (6) vs. New Orleans, Nov. 2, 1969 By Opponent: Brett Favre at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (12, 34, 2, 17, 40, 24). Four Touchdown Passes By Cardinals: Jake Plummer vs. Detroit, Nov. 18, 2001 By Opponent: Brett Favre at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (12, 34, 2, 17, 40, 24). Three Touchdown Passes By Cardinals: Kurt Warner vs. Miami, Sept. 14, 2008 (79, 3, 8 yards) By Opponent: Tony Romo vs. Dallas, Oct. 12, 2008 (55, 14, 70). RECEIVING 200 Yards Receiving By Cardinals: 217, Anquan Boldin at Detroit, Sept. 7, 2003 (10 receptions, 2 TD) By Opponent: 203, Kevin Williams vs. Dallas, Dec. 24, 1995 (9 rec.) 150 Yards Receiving By Cardinals: 153, Larry Fitzgerald vs. Miami, Sept. 14, 2008 (6 rec.) By Opponent: 162, Eric Johnson at San Francisco, Oct. 10, 2004 (13 rec., TD) Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 21 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
100 Yards Receiving By Cardinals: 102, Steve Breaston (8 rec., TD) vs. Dallas, Oct. 12, 2008 By Opponent: 128, Marion Barber vs. Dallas, Oct. 12, 2008 (11 rec., TD) Two 100-Yard Receivers By Cardinals: 122, Larry Fitzgerald (8 rec.), 122 Steve Breaston (9 rec.), 119 Anquan Boldin (10 rec., TD) at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 By Opponent: 141, Roddy White vs. Atlanta, Dec. 23, 2007 (12 rec.), 114, Laurent Robinson vs. Atlanta, Dec. 23, 2007 (7 rec., TD) Four Receiving Touchdowns By Cardinals: J.T. Smith at Washington, Oct. 8, 1989 By Opponent: Earnest Gray vs. N.Y. Giants, Sept. 7, 1980 Three Receiving Touchdowns By Cardinals: Anquan Boldin vs. Miami, Sept. 14, 2008 (79, 3, 8 yards) By Opponent: Laveranues Coles at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (12, 34, 2 yards), Two Receiving Touchdowns By Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald vs. Buffalo, Oct. 5, 2008 (2, 2 yards) By Opponent: Laveranues Coles (12, 34, 2 yards), Jerricho Cotchery (17, 40 yards) at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 10 or More Receptions in a Game By Cardinals: Anquan Boldin at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (10 for 119 yards, TD) By Opponent: Marion Barber vs. Dallas, Oct. 12, 2008 (11 for 128 yards, TD) COMBOS 100-Yard Rusher/100-Yard Receiver By Cardinals: Edgerrin James, 102 yards rushing/larry Fitzgerald, 171 yards receiving vs. St. Louis, Dec. 30, 2007 By Opponent: DeAngelo Williams, 121 yards rushing/steve Smith, 136 yards receiving vs. Carolina, Oct. 14, 2007. 100-Yard Rusher/Two 100-Yard Receivers By Cardinals: Johnny Johnson, 103 yards rushing/ernie Jones, 117 yards receiving/roy Green, 120 yards receiving vs. Green Bay, Nov. 18, 1990 By Opponent: Robert Smith, 117 yards rushing/cris Carter, 119 yards receiving/randy Moss, 104 yards receiving at Minnesota, Nov. 12, 2000 100-Yard Rusher/100-Yard Receiver/300- Yard Passer By Cardinals: Edgerrin James, 102 yards rushing/larry Fitzgerald, 171 yards receiving/kurt Warner 300 yards passing vs. St. Louis, Dec. 30, 2007 By Opponent: Marshall Faulk, 100 yards rushing/torry Holt, 145 yards receiving/marc Bulger 329 yards passing vs. St. Louis, Nov. 23, 2003 Two 100-Yard Receivers/300-Yard Passer By Cardinals: 122, Larry Fitzgerald, 122 Steve Breaston, 119 Anquan Boldin; 472, Kurt Warner at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008. By Opponent: 141, Roddy White; 114, Laurent Robinson; 315 Chris Redman vs. Atlanta, Dec. 23, 2007 SCORING Four Total Touchdowns By Cardinals: Ronald Moore vs. L.A. Rams, Dec. 5, 1993 (4 rush) By Opponent: Shaun Alexander at Seattle, Sept. 25, 2005 (4 rush) Three Total Touchdowns By Cardinals: Anquan Boldin vs. Miami, Sept. 14, 2008 (3 rec.) By Opponent: Laveranues Coles at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (3 rec.) Two-Point Conversion By Cardinals: Edgerrin James run at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 By Opponent: Leon Washington run at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 Safety By Cardinals: Gerald Hayes blocked Donnie Jones punt out of end zone vs. Seattle, Oct. 24, 2004. Ball goes out of the endzone. By Opponent: Mitch Berger pushed out of endzone at Seattle, Dec. 9, 2007. KICKING Six Field Goals By Cardinals: Neil Rackers vs. San Francisco, Oct. 2, 2005 (40, 45, 48, 23, 43, 24 yards) By Opponent: Has Never Happened Five Field Goals By Cardinals: Neil Rackers vs. San Francisco., Oct. 2, 2005 (40, 45, 48, 23, 43, 24 yards) By Opponent: Morten Andersen at Atlanta, Oct. 1, 2006 (34, 40, 36, 26, 28 yards) Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 22 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Four Field Goals By Cardinals: Neil Rackers at San Francisco, Dec. 24, 2006 (25, 39, 37, 32 yards) By Opponent: John Kasay vs. Carolina, Oct. 14, 2007 (33, 43, 24, 45 yards) Three Field Goals By Cardinals: Neil Rackers at San Francisco, Sept. 7, 2008 (25, 31, 30 yards) By Opponent: John Kasay vs. Carolina, Oct. 14, 2007 (33, 43, 24, 45 yards) Missed Point-After-Touchdown By Cardinals: Neil Rackers at Washington, Oct. 21, 2007 (blocked) By Opponent: Josh Brown vs. Seattle, Nov. 6, 2005 (blocked) Blocked Punt By Cardinals: Sean Morey vs. Dallas, Oct. 12, 2008 (Mat McBriar punt) By Opponent: DeDe Dorsey at Cincinnati, 11/18/07 (Mike Barr punt) Blocked Punt Return For Touchdown By Cardinals: Monty Beisel vs. Dallas, Oct. 12, 2008 (Mat McBriar punt, blocked by Sean Morey, returned 3 yards by Beisel) By Opponent: DeDe Dorsey at Cincinnati, 11/18/07 (Mike Barr punt, returned 19 yards) Blocked Field Goal Attempt By Cardinals: Calvin Pace at Seattle, Sept. 17, 2006 (Josh Brown 30-yard attempt) By Opponent: Kris Jenkins at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (Neil Rackers 37-yard attempt) Blocked Field Goal Attempt For Touchdown By Cardinals: Aeneas Williams (Seth Joyner block) at Carolina, Nov. 19, 1995, 72 yards (John Kasay kick) By Opponent: Mike Bass (Verlon Biggs block) at Washington, Sept. 24, 1972, 32 yards (Jim Bakken kick) RETURNS Punt Return For Touchdown By Cardinals: Steve Breaston vs. Pittsburgh, Sept. 30, 2007, 73 yards (Daniel Sepulveda punt) By Opponent: Yamon Figurs at Baltimore, Sept. 23, 2007, 75 yards (Mike Barr punt) Kickoff Return For Touchdown By Cardinals: J.J. Arrington vs. Dallas, Oct. 12, 2008, 93 yards (Nick Folk kickoff) By Opponent: Antonio Brown vs. Washington Redskins, Dec. 11, 2005, 91 yards (Nick Novak kickoff) Interception Return For Touchdown By Cardinals: Antrel Rolle vs. St. Louis, Dec. 30, 2007 (47 yards, Marc Bulger pass), Gerald Hayes vs. St. Louis, Dec. 30, 2007 (30 yards, Gus Frerotte pass. By Opponent: Darrelle Revis at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 (32 yards, Kurt Warner pass). Fumble Return For Touchdown By Cardinals: Antonio Smith vs. Denver, Dec. 17, 2006, 4 yards (Tatum Bell fumble) By Opponent: Tully Banta-Cain vs. San Francisco, Nov. 25, 2007, recovered in end zone (Kurt Warner fumble) DEFENSE Four Interceptions By Cardinals: Kwamie Lassiter vs. San Diego, Dec. 27, 1998 By Opponent: Never has happened Three Interceptions By Cardinals: Antrel Rolle at Cincinnati, Nov. 18, 2007 By Opponent: Marcus Trufant at Seattle, Dec. 9, 2007 Two Interceptions By Cardinals: Antrel Rolle vs. St. Louis, Dec. 30, 2007 By Opponent: Darrelle Revis at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 Two Interceptions By Teammates By Cardinals: At Washington, Oct. 16, 1994 (Aeneas Williams and James Williams) By Opponent: At Baltimore, Nov. 16, 1978 (Bobby Boyd and Lenny Lyles) Four Quarterback Sacks By Cardinals: Bertrand Berry vs. New York Giants, Nov. 14, 2004 By Opponent: Never has happened Three Quarterback Sacks By Cardinals: Bertrand Berry at Oakland, Oct. 22, 2006 By Opponent: Patrick Kearney at Seattle, Dec. 9, 2007 Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 23 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Two QB Sacks By Teammates By Cardinals: vs. Philadelphia, Dec. 24, 2005 (Adrian Wilson and Chike Okeafor) By Opponent: vs. New England, Sept. 19, 2004 (Rodney Harrison and Willie McGinest) Two Opponent Fumble Recoveries By Cardinals: Renaldo Hill at Carolina, Oct. 6, 2002 By Opponent: Rod Coleman at Atlanta, Oct. 1, 2006 TEAM SCORING 50 Points Scored By Team By Cardinals: St. Louis 56 at Minnesota 14, Oct. 6, 1963 By Opponent: At New York Jets 56, Arizona 35, Sept. 28, 2008 40 Points Scored By Cardinals: At Arizona 41, Buffalo 17, Oct. 5, 2008 By Opponent: At New York Jets 56, Arizona 35, Sept. 28, 2008 20 First-Quarter Points By Cardinals: 21 vs. San Francisco, Sept. 10, 2006 By Opponent: 21 at Denver, Dec. 29, 2002 20 Second-Quarter Points By Cardinals: 21 vs. St. Louis, Dec. 30, 2007 By Opponent: 34 at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 20 Third-Quarter Points By Cardinals: 21 at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 By Opponent: 21 at New York Giants, Sept. 11, 2005 20 Fourth-Quarter Points By Cardinals: 22 at St. Louis, Nov. 20, 2005 By Opponent: 22 at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 30 One-Half Points By Cardinals: 35 in second half at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 By Opponent: 34 in first half at New York Jets, Sept. 28, 2008 Score Touchdown In Each Quarter By Cardinals: Vs. Buffalo, Oct. 5, 2008 (7, 17, 7, 10 points) By Opponent: Vs. San Francisco, Nov. 25, 2007 (7, 10, 7, 7 points) OFFENSE 500 Yards Total Offense By Cardinals: 552 vs. San Francisco, Nov. 25, 2007 By Opponent: 520 vs. Oakland, Nov. 24, 2002 No Sacks/No Interceptions Allowed By Cardinals: vs. Buffalo, Oct. 5, 2008 By Opponent: vs. Dallas, Nov. 12, 2006 DEFENSE Shutout By Cardinals: At Arizona 19, N.Y. Giants 0, Dec. 12, 1992 By Opponent: vs. Seattle 38, Cardinals 0, Sept. 14, 2003 Shutout At Home By Cardinals: Cardinals 19, N.Y. Giants 0, Dec. 12, 1992 By Opponent: at New England 31, Cardinals 0, Sept. 15, 1996 Shutout On The Road By Cardinals: Cardinals 38, at Dallas 0, Nov. 16, 1970 By Opponent: vs. Seattle, 38, Cardinals 0, Sept. 14, 2003 MISCELLANEOUS Overtime Win At Home By Cardinals: Oct. 12, 2008 vs. Dallas, 30 24 By Opponent: Oct. 10, 2004 vs. San Francisco, 31 28 Overtime Win On The Road By Cardinals: Dec. 2, 2001 at Oakland, 34 31 By Opponent: Dec. 12, 2004 vs. San Francisco, 31 28 10 Or More Penalties By Cardinals: 12, Oct. 12, 2008 vs. Dallas (70 yards) By Opponent: 12, Oct. 12, 2008 vs. Dallas (93 yards) Tie Game By Cardinals: Dec. 7, 1986 at Philadelphia, 10 10 Over 40:00 Time of Possession (Non-OT) By Cardinals: 41:31 vs. Cincinnati, Dec. 18, 1994 By Opponent: 43:07 at Tampa Bay, Nov. 4, 2007 Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 24 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
at San Fran. Miami at Washington at New York Jets Arizona Cardinals 2008 Participation Buffalo Dallas at Carolina GP/GS/DNP/IA No. Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Total 27 Adams, Michael PS PS PS PS PS PS N/A 28 Arrington, J.J. IA IA IA IA P P 2-0-0-4 62 Banks, Jason PS PS - - - - N/A 52 Beisel, Monty P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 92 Berry, Bertrand P P P IAJ IAJ P 4-0-0-2 81 Boldin, Anquan WR WR WR WR IAJ IAJ 4-4-0-2 78 Branch, Alan IAJ P P P IA IA 3-0-0-3 15 Breaston, Steve P WR WR WR WR WR 6-5-0-0 61 Brown, Elton P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 75 Brown, Levi RT RT RT RT RT RT 6-6-0-0 20 Brown, Ralph P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 93 Campbell, Calais P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 43 Castaneda, Eduardo PS PS PS PS PS PS N/A 46 Castille, Tim P P P P IA IA 4-0-0-2 35 Celestin, Oliver - IA IA P P IA 2-0-0-3 58 Dansby, Karlos WLB WLB WLB WLB WLB WLB 6-6-0-0 90 Dockett, Darnell DT DT DT DT DT DT 6-6-0-0 80 Doucet, Early IA IA IA IA P P 2-0-0-4 73 Dykes, Keilen PS PS PS PS PS PS N/A 11 Fitzgerald, Larry WR WR WR WR WR WR 6-6-0-0 47 Francisco, Aaron P P P SS SS P 6-2-0-0 23 Fontenot, Wilrey PS PS PS PS PS PS N/A 69 Gandy, Mike LT LT LT LT LT LT 6-6-0-0 25 Green, Eric RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB RCB 6-6-0-0 53 Haggans, Clark P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 59 Harrington, Chris - - - PS PS PS N/A 54 Hayes, Gerald MLB MLB MLB P MLB MLB 6-5-0-0 95 Highsmith, Ali P IA IA P P P 4-0-0-2 34 Hightower, Tim P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 48 Hodel, Nathan P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 26 Hood, Roderick LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB LCB 6-6-0-0 91 Iwebema, Kenny P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 32 James, Edgerrin RB RB RB RB RB RB 6-6-0-0 50 Johnson, Al IR IR IR IR IR IR N/A 9 Johnson, Dirk P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 86 Jones, Onrea PS PS PS - PS PS N/A 72 Keith, Brandon IA IA IA IA IA IA 0-0-0-6 55 LaBoy, Travis DE DE DE DE DE DE 6-6-0-0 7 Leinart, Matt DNP P DNP DNP DNP DNP 1-0-5-0 19 Long, Lance PS PS PS PS PS PS N/A 60 Lucas, Enoka - PS PS PS PS PS N/A 76 Lutui, Deuce RG RG RG RG RG RG 6-6-0-0 30 Moats, Ryan - - PS PS - - N/A 87 Morey, Sean P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 56 Okeafor, Chike SLB SLB SLB SLB SLB SLB 6-6-0-0 89 Patrick, Ben TE P P TE TE IAJ 5-3-0-1 64 Peters, Scott IR IR IR IR IR IR N/A 82 Pope, Leonard TE P TE P P TE 6-3-0-0 1 Rackers, Neil P P P P P P 6-0-0-0 97 Robinson, Bryan NT NT NT P NT NT 6-5-0-0 29 Rodgers-Cromartie, D. P P P CB CB P 6-2-0-0 21 Rolle, Antrel FS FS FS FS FS FS 6-6-0-0 70 Ross, Pat DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 0-0-6-0 63 Sendlein, Lyle C C C C C C 6-6-0-0 49 Shor, Alex - PS PS PS PS PS N/A 94 Smith, Antonio DE DE DE DE P DE 6-5-0-0 45 Smith, Terrelle P P P P FB P 6-1-0-0 2 St. Pierre, Brian IA IA IA IA IA IA 0-0-0-6 84 Tuman, Jerame IAJ IAJ IAJ IAJ IAJ TE 1-1-0-5 85 Urban, Jerheme P WR P P P P 6-1-0-0 68 Vallejo, Elliot DNP DNP DNP DNP IA IA 0-0-4-2 22 Ware, Matt P P P S P P 6-1-0-0 13 Warner, Kurt QB QB QB QB QB QB 6-6-0-0 98 Watson, Gabe IAJ IAJ IAJ IAJ P P 2-0-0-4 74 Wells, Reggie LG LG LG LG LG LG 6-6-0-0 24 Wilson, Adrian SS SS SS IAJ P SS 5-4-0-1 at St. Louis P-Played, Position-Started, INJ-Injured, DNP-Did Not Play, IA-Inactive, IAJ-Inactive/Injured, IR-Injured Reserve, PS-Practice Squad, PUP-Physically Unable to perform list, SUS-NFL Suspension, NFI-Reserve/Non-Football Injury, RE-Roster Exemption San Fran. at Seattle New York Giants at Philadelphia St. Louis Minnesota at New England Seattle Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 25 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Arizona Cardinals 2008 Starters OFFENSE Opponent, Date WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB RB TE at SF, Sep. 7 Boldin Gandy Wells Sendlein Lutui L. Brown Pope Fitzgerald Warner James Patrick WR LT LG C RG RT WR WR QB RB WR Miami, Sep. 14 Boldin Gandy Wells Sendlein Lutui L. Brown Urban Fitzgerald Warner James Breaston WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB RB WR at Washington, Sep. 21 Boldin Gandy Wells Sendlein Lutui L. Brown Pope Fitzgerald Warner James Breaston WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB RB WR at NYJ, Sep. 28 Boldin Gandy Wells Sendlein Lutui L. Brown Patrick Fitzgerald Warner James Breaston WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB RB FB Buffalo, Oct. 5 Breaston Gandy Wells Sendlein Lutui L. Brown Patrick Fitzgerald Warner James Smith WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB RB TE Dallas, Oct. 12 Breaston Gandy Wells Sendlein Lutui L. Brown Pope Fitzgerald Warner James Tuman at Carolina, Oct. 26 at St. Louis, Nov. 2 SF, Nov. 10 at Seattle, Nov. 16 NYG, Nov. 23 at Philadelphia, Nov. 27 St. Louis, Dec. 7 Minnesota, Dec. 14 at New England, Dec. 21 Seattle, Dec. 28 DEFENSE Opponent, Date LE NT DT RE SLB MLB WLB LCB RCB SS FS at SF, Sep. 7 Smith Robinson Dockett LaBoy Okeafor Hayes Dansby Hood Green Wilson Rolle Miami, Sep. 14 Smith Robinson Dockett LaBoy Okeafor Hayes Dansby Hood Green Wilson Rolle at Washington, Sep. 21 Smith Robinson Dockett LaBoy Okeafor Hayes Dansby Hood Green Wilson Rolle LE DT RE LB LB DB DB LCB RCB SS FS at NYJ, Sep. 28 Smith Dockett LaBoy Okeafor Dansby Ware R-Cromartie Hood Green Francisco Rolle DT NT RE SLB MLB WLB DB LCB RCB SS FS Buffalo, Oct. 5 Dockett Robinson LaBoy Okeafor Hayes Dansby R-Cromartie Hood Green Francisco Rolle LE NT DT RE SLB MLB WLB LCB RCB SS FS Dallas, Oct. 12 Smith Robinson Dockett LaBoy Okeafor Hayes Dansby Hood Green Wilson Rolle at Carolina, Oct. 26 at St. Louis, Nov. 2 SF, Nov. 10 at Seattle, Nov. 16 NYG, Nov. 23 at Philadelphia, Nov. 27 St. Louis, Dec. 7 Minnesota, Dec. 14 at New England, Dec. 21 Seattle, Dec. 28 at SF, Sep. 7 Buffalo, Oct. 5 RB J.J. Arrington DE Bertrand Berry DT Alan Branch WR Anquan Boldin WR Early Doucet DT Alan Branch T Brandon Keith FB Tim Castille QB Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB) T Brandon Keith TE Jerame Tuman QB Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB) DT Gabe Watson TE Jerame Tuman Only 52 players on roster T Elliot Vallejo Miami, Sep. 14 Dallas, Oct. 12 RB J.J. Arrington WR Anquan Boldin SS Oliver Celestin DT Alan Branch WR Early Doucet FB Tim Castille LB Ali Highsmith S Oliver Celestin T Brandon Keith T Brandon Keith QB Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB) TE Ben Patrick TE Jerame Tuman QB Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB) DT Gabe Watson T Elliot Vallejo at Wash, Sep. 21 RB J.J. Arrington SS Oliver Celestin WR Early Doucet LB Ali Highsmith T Brandon Keith QB Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB) TE Jerame Tuman DT Gabe Watson at NYJ, Sep. 28 RB J.J. Arrington DE Bertrand Berry WR Early Doucet T Brandon Keith QB Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB) TE Jerame Tuman DT Gabe Watson SS Adrian Wilson 2008 Arizona Cardinals Inactives Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 26 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
Roster By Postion No. Name Pos. College Ht. Wt. Age NFL Exp. Defensive Tackles (4) 78 Alan Branch DT Michigan 6-5 332 23 2 90 Darnell Dockett DT Florida State 6-4 285 27 5 97 Bryan Robinson DE Fresno State 6-4 304 34 12 98 Gabe Watson DT Michigan 6-3 332 25 3 Defensive Ends (5) 92 Bertrand Berry DE Notre Dame 6-3 260 33 11 93 Calais Campbell DE Miami 6-8 282 22 R 91 Kenny Iwebema DE Iowa 6-4 274 23 R 55 Travis LaBoy DE Hawaii 6-3 250 27 5 94 Antonio Smith DE Oklahoma State 6-4 285 27 5 Linebackers (6) 52 Monty Beisel MLB Kansas State 6-3 244 30 8 58 Karlos Dansby LB Auburn 6-4 250 26 5 53 Clark Haggans LB Colorado State 6-4 243 31 9 54 Gerald Hayes MLB Pittsburgh 6-1 249 28 6 95 Ali Highsmith LB LSU 6-1 223 23 R 56 Chike Okeafor LB Purdue 6-5 247 32 10 Cornerbacks (4) 20 Ralph Brown CB Nebraska 5-10 185 30 9 25 Eric Green CB Virginia Tech 5-11 196 26 4 26 Roderick Hood CB Auburn 5-11 198 27 6 29 D. Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee State 6-2 182 22 R Safeties (5) 35 Oliver Celestin SS Texas Southern 6-0 207 27 5 47 Aaron Francisco S Brigham Young 6-2 207 25 4 21 Antrel Rolle FS Miami 6-0 208 25 4 22 Matt Ware S UCLA 6-2 215 25 5 24 Adrian Wilson SS North Carolina State 6-3 230 29 8 Long Snapper (1) 48 Nathan Hodel LS Illinois 6-2 238 30 7 Punter (1) 9 Dirk Johnson P Northern Colorado 6-0 210 33 6 Kicker (1) 1 Neil Rackers K Illinois 6-1 202 32 9 Offensive Line (9) 61 Elton Brown G/T Virginia 6-5 332 26 4 75 Levi Brown T Penn State 6-5 322 24 2 69 Mike Gandy T Notre Dame 6-4 316 29 8 72 Brandon Keith T Northern Iowa 6-5 343 23 R 76 Deuce Lutui G USC 6-4 332 25 3 70 Pat Ross C Boston College 6-3 300 25 1 63 Lyle Sendlein C Texas 6-2 300 24 2 68 Elliott Vallejo T Cal-Davis 6-7 312 24 1 74 Reggie Wells G Clarion (PA) 6-4 308 27 6 Tight Ends (3) 89 Ben Patrick TE Delaware 6-3 260 24 2 82 Leonard Pope TE Georgia 6-8 258 25 3 84 Jerame Tuman TE Michigan 6-4 253 32 10 Running Backs (5) 28 J.J. Arrington RB California 5-9 212 25 4 46 Tim Castille FB Alabama 5-11 242 24 2 34 Tim Hightower RB Richmond 6-0 224 22 R 32 Edgerrin James RB Miami 6-0 219 30 10 45 Terrelle Smith FB Arizona State 6-0 250 30 9 Wide Receivers (6) 81 Anquan Boldin WR Florida State 6-1 217 28 6 15 Steve Breaston WR Michigan 6-0 189 25 2 80 Early Doucet WR LSU 6-0 211 22 R 11 Larry Fitzgerald WR Pittsburgh 6-3 220 25 5 87 Sean Morey WR Brown 5-11 193 32 7 85 Jerheme Urban WR Trinity 6-3 207 27 5 Quarterbacks (3) 7 Matt Leinart QB USC 6-5 232 25 3 2 Brian St. Pierre QB Boston College 6-3 230 28 6 13 Kurt Warner QB Northern Iowa 6-2 218 37 11 Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 27 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
ARIZONA CARDINALS 2008 DEPTH CHART OFFENSE WR 11 Larry Fitzgerald 85 Jerheme Urban 87 Sean Morey LT 69 Mike Gandy 72 Brandon Keith LG 74 Reggie Wells 61 Elton Brown C 63 Lyle Sendlein 70 Pat Ross RG 76 Deuce Lutui 61 Elton Brown RT 75 Levi Brown 68 Elliot Vallejo TE 82 Leonard Pope 89 Ben Patrick 84 Jerame Tuman WR 81 Anquan Boldin 15 Steve Breaston 80 Early Doucet QB 13 Kurt Warner 7 Matt Leinart 2 Brian St. Pierre RB 32 Edgerrin James 34 Tim Hightower 28 J.J. Arrington FB 45 Terrelle Smith 46 Tim Castille DEFENSE LDE 94 Antonio Smith 91 Kenny Iwebema NT 97 Bryan Robinson 98 Gabe Watson 78 Alan Branch DT 90 Darnell Dockett 93 Calais Campbell RDE 55 Travis LaBoy 92 Bertrand Berry SLB 56 Chike Okeafor 53 Clark Haggans MLB 54 Gerald Hayes 52 Monty Beisel WLB 58 Karlos Dansby 95 Ali Highsmith LCB 26 Roderick Hood 29 D. Rodgers-Cromartie RCB 25 Eric Green 20 Ralph Brown SS 24 Adrian Wilson 47 Aaron Francisco 35 Oliver Celestin FS 21 Antrel Rolle 22 Matt Ware SPECIALISTS K P 1 Neil Rackers 9 Dirk Johnson LS 48 Nathan Hodel 84 Jerame Tuman H 9 Dirk Johnson 87 Sean Morey KR 15 Steve Breaston 28 J.J. Arrington 87 Sean Morey PR 15 Steve Breaston 21 Antrel Rolle 26 Rod Hood NOTE: Rookies are underlined; Injured players in parentheses Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 28 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
ARIZONA CARDINALS NUMERIC ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Age NFL Exp. College How Acquired 2008 GP-GS-DNP-IA 1 Neil Rackers K 6-1 202 32 9 Illinois FA-03 6-0-0-0 2 Brian St. Pierre QB 6-3 230 28 6 Boston College UFA-08 (Pitt) 0-0-0-6 7 Matt Leinart QB 6-5 232 25 3 USC D1-06 1-0-5-0 9 Dirk Johnson P 6-0 210 33 6 Northern Colorado FA-08 6-0-0-0 11 Larry Fitzgerald WR 6-3 220 25 5 Pittsburgh D1-04 6-6-0-0 13 Kurt Warner QB 6-2 218 37 11 Northern Iowa UFA-05 (NYG) 6-6-0-0 15 Steve Breaston WR 6-0 189 25 2 Michigan D5-07 6-5-0-0 20 Ralph Brown CB 5-10 185 30 9 Nebraska UFA-07 (Clev) 6-0-0-0 21 Antrel Rolle S 6-0 208 25 4 Miami D1-05 6-6-0-0 22 Matt Ware S 6-2 215 25 5 UCLA WV-06 (Phi) 6-1-0-0 24 Adrian Wilson SS 6-3 230 29 8 North Carolina State D3-01 5-4-0-1 25 Eric Green CB 5-11 196 26 4 Virginia Tech D3a-05 6-6-0-0 26 Roderick Hood CB 5-11 198 27 6 Auburn UFA-07 (Phi) 6-6-0-0 28 J.J. Arrington RB 5-9 212 25 4 California D2-05 2-0-0-4 29 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB 6-2 182 22 R Tennessee State D1-08 6-2-0-0 32 Edgerrin James RB 6-0 219 30 10 Miami UFA-06 (Ind) 6-6-0-0 34 Tim Hightower RB 6-0 224 22 R Richmond D5-08 6-0-0-0 35 Oliver Celestin SS 6-0 207 27 5 Texas Southern FA-07 2-0-0-3 45 Terrelle Smith FB 6-0 250 30 9 Arizona State UFA-07 (Clev) 6-1-0-0 46 Tim Castille FB 5-11 242 24 2 Alabama FA-07 4-0-0-2 47 Aaron Francisco FS 6-2 207 25 4 Brigham Young FA-05 6-2-0-0 48 Nathan Hodel LS 6-2 238 30 7 Illinois FA-01 6-0-0-0 52 Monty Beisel MLB 6-3 244 30 8 Kansas State FA-06 6-0-0-0 53 Clark Haggans LB 6-4 243 31 9 Colorado State UFA-08 (Pitt) 6-0-0-0 54 Gerald Hayes MLB 6-1 249 28 6 Pittsburgh D3-03 6-5-0-0 55 Travis LaBoy DE/LB 6-3 250 27 5 Hawaii UFA-08 (Tenn) 6-6-0-0 56 Chike Okeafor LB 6-5 247 32 10 Purdue UFA-05 (Sea) 6-6-0-0 58 Karlos Dansby LB 6-4 250 26 5 Auburn D2-04 6-6-0-0 61 Elton Brown G/T 6-5 332 26 4 Virginia D4-05 6-0-0-0 63 Lyle Sendlein C 6-2 300 24 2 Texas FA-07 6-6-0-0 68 Elliot Vallejo T 6-7 312 24 1 Cal-Davis FA-07 0-0-4-2 69 Mike Gandy T 6-4 316 29 8 Notre Dame UFA-07 (Buf) 6-6-0-0 70 Pat Ross C 6-3 300 25 1 Boston College WV-08 (Car) 0-0-6-0 72 Brandon Keith T 6-5 343 23 R Northern Iowa D7-08 0-0-0-6 74 Reggie Wells G 6-4 308 27 6 Clarion (Pa.) D6a-03 6-6-0-0 75 Levi Brown T 6-5 322 24 2 Penn State D1-07 6-6-0-0 76 Deuce Lutui G 6-4 332 25 3 USC D2-06 6-6-0-0 78 Alan Branch DT 6-5 332 23 2 Michigan D2-07 3-0-0-3 80 Early Doucet WR 6-0 211 22 R LSU D3-08 2-0-0-4 81 Anquan Boldin WR 6-1 217 28 6 Florida State D2-03 4-4-0-2 82 Leonard Pope TE 6-8 258 25 3 Georgia D3-06 6-3-0-0 84 Jerame Tuman TE 6-4 253 32 10 Michigan FA-08 1-1-0-5 85 Jerheme Urban WR 6-3 207 27 5 Trinity WV-07 (Dal) 6-1-0-0 87 Sean Morey WR 5-11 193 32 7 Brown UFA-07 (Pitt) 6-0-0-0 89 Ben Patrick TE 6-3 260 24 2 Delaware D7-07 5-3-0-1 90 Darnell Dockett DT 6-4 285 27 5 Florida State D3-04 6-6-0-0 91 Kenny Iwebema DE 6-4 274 23 R Iowa D4-08 6-0-0-0 92 Bertrand Berry DE 6-3 260 33 11 Notre Dame UFA-04 (Den) 4-0-0-2 93 Calais Campbell DE 6-8 282 22 R Miami D2-08 6-0-0-0 94 Antonio Smith DE 6-4 285 27 5 Oklahoma State D5-04 6-5-0-0 95 Ali Highsmith LB 6-1 223 23 R LSU FA-08 4-0-0-2 97 Bryan Robinson DT 6-4 304 34 12 Fresno State UFA-08 (Cin) 6-5-0-0 98 Gabe Watson DT 6-3 332 25 3 Michigan D4-06 2-0-0-4 2008 Coaching Staff Head Coach: Ken Whisenhunt. Assistants: Russ Grimm (assistant head coach/offensive line), Clancy Pendergast (defensive coordinator), Todd Haley (offensive coordinator), Ron Aiken (defensive line), Teryl Austin (defensive backs), Maurice Carthon (running backs), Rick Courtright (assistant defensive backs), Bill Davis (linebackers), Freddie Kitchens (tight ends), John Lott (strength and conditioning), Mike Miller (wide receivers), Matt Raich (defensive assistant), Jeff Rutledge (quarterbacks), Kevin Spencer (special teams), Dedric Ward (offensive quality control). 10/20/2008 Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 29 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
ARIZONA CARDINALS ALPHA ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birth Date NFL Exp. College Hometown 28 Arrington, J.J. RB 5-9 212 1/23/1983 4 California Nashville, NC 52 Beisel, Monty MLB 6-3 244 8/20/1978 8 Kansas State Douglass, KS 92 Berry, Bertrand DE 6-3 260 8/15/1975 11 Notre Dame Houston, TX 81 Boldin, Anquan WR 6-1 217 10/3/1980 6 Florida State Pahokee, FL 78 Branch, Alan DT 6-5 332 12/29/1984 2 Michigan Rio Rancho, NM 15 Breaston, Steve WR 6-0 189 8/20/1983 2 Michigan North Braddock, PA 61 Brown, Elton G/T 6-5 332 5/22/1982 4 Virginia Hampton, VA 75 Brown, Levi T 6-5 322 3/16/1984 2 Penn State Norfolk, VA 20 Brown, Ralph CB 5-10 185 9/16/1978 9 Nebraska LaPuenta, CA 93 Campbell, Calais DE 6-8 282 9/1/1986 R Miami Aurora, CO 46 Castille, Tim FB 5-11 242 5/29/1984 2 Alabama Birmingham, AL 35 Celestin, Oliver SS 6-0 207 2/25/1981 5 Texas Southern New Orleans, LA 58 Dansby, Karlos LB 6-4 250 11/3/1981 5 Auburn Birmingham, AL 90 Dockett, Darnell DT 6-4 285 5/27/1981 5 Florida State Burtonsville, MD 80 Doucet, Early WR 6-0 211 10/28/1985 R LSU St. Martinville, LA 11 Fitzgerald, Larry WR 6-3 220 8/31/1983 5 Pittsburgh Minneapolis, MN 47 Francisco, Aaron FS 6-2 207 7/5/1983 4 Brigham Young Laie, HI 69 Gandy, Mike T 6-4 316 1/3/1979 8 Notre Dame Dallas, TX 25 Green, Eric CB 5-11 196 3/16/1982 4 Virginia Tech Clewiston, FL 53 Haggans, Clark LB 6-4 243 1/10/1977 9 Colorado State Torrance, CA 54 Hayes, Gerald MLB 6-1 249 10/10/1980 6 Pittsburgh Paterson, NJ 95 Highsmith, Ali LB 6-1 223 1/20/1985 R LSU Miami, FL 34 Hightower, Tim RB 6-0 224 5/23/1986 R Richmond Alexandria, VA 48 Hodel, Nathan LS 6-2 238 11/12/1977 7 Illinois Fairview Heights, IL 26 Hood, Roderick CB 5-11 198 10/3/1981 6 Auburn Columbus, GA 91 Iwebema, Kenny DE 6-4 274 2/6/1985 R Iowa Arlington, TX 32 James, Edgerrin RB 6-0 219 8/1/1978 10 Miami Immokalee, FL 9 Johnson, Dirk P 6-0 210 6/1/1975 6 Northern Colorado Montrose, CO 72 Keith, Brandon T 6-5 343 11/21/1984 R Northern Iowa McAlester, OK 55 LaBoy, Travis DE/LB 6-3 250 8/20/1981 5 Hawaii San Rafael, CA 7 Leinart, Matt QB 6-5 232 5/11/1983 3 USC Santa Ana, CA 76 Lutui, Deuce G 6-4 332 5/5/1983 3 USC Mesa, AZ 87 Morey, Sean WR 5-11 193 2/26/1976 7 Brown Marshfield, MA 56 Okeafor, Chike OLB 6-5 247 3/27/1976 10 Purdue Grand Rapids, MI 89 Patrick, Ben TE 6-3 260 8/23/1984 2 Delaware Savannah, GA 82 Pope, Leonard TE 6-8 258 9/10/1983 3 Georgia Americus, GA 1 Rackers, Neil K 6-1 202 8/16/1976 9 Illinois St. Louis, MO 97 Robinson, Bryan DT 6-4 304 6/22/1974 12 Fresno State Toledo, OH 29 Rodgers-Cromartie, Dominique CB 6-2 182 4/7/1986 R Tennessee State Bradenton, FL 21 Rolle, Antrel S 6-0 208 12/16/1982 4 Miami Homestead, FL 70 Ross, Pat C 6-3 300 3/16/1983 1 Boston College Reading, OH 63 Sendlein, Lyle C 6-2 300 3/16/1984 2 Texas Scottsdale, AZ 94 Smith, Antonio DE 6-4 285 10/21/1981 5 Oklahoma State Oklahoma City, OK 45 Smith, Terrelle FB 6-0 250 3/12/1978 9 Arizona State West Covina, CA 2 St. Pierre, Brian QB 6-3 230 11/28/1979 6 Boston College Salem, MA 84 Tuman, Jerame TE 6-4 253 3/24/1976 10 Michigan Liberal, KS 85 Urban, Jerheme WR 6-3 207 11/26/1980 5 Trinity Victoria, TX 68 Vallejo, Elliot T 6-7 312 5/17/1984 1 Cal-Davis Salinas, CA 22 Ware, Matt S 6-2 215 12/2/1982 5 UCLA Los Angeles, CA 13 Warner, Kurt QB 6-2 218 6/22/1971 11 Northern Iowa Burlington, IA 98 Watson, Gabe DT 6-3 332 9/24/1983 3 Michigan Southfield, MI 74 Wells, Reggie G 6-4 308 11/3/1980 6 Clarion (PA) Library, PA 24 Wilson, Adrian SS 6-3 230 10/12/1979 8 North Carolina State High Point, NC Injured Reserve No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate NFL Exp. College Injury/Date Listed 50 Johnson, Al C 6-5 305 1/27/1979 6 Wisconsin Knee/September 6 64 Peters, Scott C/G 6-3 308 11/23/1978 3 Arizona State Knee/August 1 International Practice Squad NFL No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birth Date Exp. College Hometown 43 Castaneda, Eduardo LB 6-3 253 1/19/1983 1 Monterrey Tech Acuna Coachuila, Mexico Practice Squad No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Birth Date NFL Exp. College Hometown 27 Adams, Michael CB 5-8 181 6/17/1985 2 Louisiana-Lafayette Dallas, TX 73 Dykes, Keilen DT 6-3 294 9/6/1984 R West Virginia Youngstown, OH 23 Fontenot, Wilrey CB 5-9 169 10/14/1984 R Arizona Dallas, TX 59 Harrington, Chris LB 6-5 265 1/19/1985 R Texas A&M Houston, TX 86 Jones, Onrea WR 6-0 202 12/22/1983 1 Hampton Williamsburg, VA 19 Long, Lance WR 5-11 186 5/4/1985 R Mississippi State Macomb, MI 60 Lucas, Enoka C 6-3 299 4/29/1984 1 Oregon Honolulu, HI 49 Shor, Alex TE 6-8 255 1/29/1983 1 Syracuse Panama City, FL Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 30 of 32 www.azcardinals.com 10/20/2008
2008 Arizona Cardinals How They Were Built DRAFT TRADES WAIVERS FREE AGENTS 2001 Adrian Wilson (3) Nathan Hodel 2003 Anquan Boldin (2) Gerald Hayes (3) Reggie Wells (6a) 2004 Larry Fitzgerald (1) Karlos Dansby (2) Darnell Dockett (3) Antonio Smith (5) Neil Rackers Bertrand Berry (Den) 2005 Antrel Rolle (1) J.J. Arrington (2) Eric Green (3a) Elton Brown (4) 2006 Matt Leinart (1) Deuce Lutui (2) Leonard Pope (3) Gabe Watson (4) Matt Ware (Phi) Aaron Francisco (R) Chike Okeafor (Sea) Kurt Warner (NYG) Monty Beisel Edgerrin James (Ind) 2007 Levi Brown (1) Alan Branch (2) Steve Breaston (5) Ben Patrick (7) Jerheme Urban (Dal) Ralph Brown (Clev) Tim Castille (R) Oliver Celestin Mike Gandy (Buf) Roderick Hood (Phi) Al Johnson (Dal) Sean Morey (Pitt) Scott Peters Lyle Sendlein (R) Terrelle Smith (Clev) 2008 D. Rodgers-Cromartie (1) Calais Campbell (2) Early Doucet (3) Kenny Iwebema (4) Tim Hightower (5) Brandon Keith (7) Pat Ross (Car) Clark Haggans (Pitt) Ali Highsmith (R) Dirk Johnson Travis LaBoy (Ten) Brian St. Pierre (Pitt) Bryan Robinson (Cin) Jerame Tuman (Pitt) Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 31 of 32 www.azcardinals.com
2008 NFL Standings NFC East W L T Pct PF PA Home Road Div Conf Non-Conf Streak New York Giants 5 1 0.833 170 101 4-0 1-1 1-0 4-0 1-1 1W Washington Redskins 5 2 0.714 140 128 3-1 2-1 2-1 4-2 1-0 1W Dallas Cowboys 4 3 0.571 189 175 2-1 2-2 1-1 2-3 2-0 2L Philadelphia Eagles 3 3 0.500 167 123 2-1 1-2 0-2 2-3 1-0 1W NFC North W L T Pct PF PA Home Road Div Conf Non-Conf Streak Chicago Bears 4 3 0.571 196 150 2-1 2-2 2-0 3-3 1-0 1W Green Bay Packers 4 3 0.571 194 159 2-2 2-1 2-0 3-3 1-0 2W Minnesota Vikings 3 4 0.429 154 167 2-1 1-3 1-2 3-2 0-2 1L Detroit Lions 0 6 0.000 97 187 0-2 0-4 0-3 0-5 0-1 6L NFC South W L T Pct PF PA Home Road Div Conf Non-Conf Streak Carolina Panthers 5 2 0.715 147 104 4-0 1-2 2-1 3-2 2-0 1W Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5 2 0.714 161 107 1-0 1-2 2-1 5-1 0-1 2W Atlanta Falcons 4 2 0.667 139 127 3-0 1-2 0-2 3-2 1-0 2W New Orleans Saints 3 4 0.429 179 163 3-1 0-3 1-1 2-3 1-1 1L NFC West W L T Pct PF PA Home Road Div Conf Non-Conf Streak Arizona Cardinals 4 2 0.667 177 144 3-0 1-2 1-0 2-1 2-1 2W St. Louis Rams 2 4 0.333 96 178 1-2 1-2 0-1 2-3 0-1 2W San Francisco 49ers 2 5 0.286 158 196 1-3 1-2 1-1 2-4 0-1 4L Seattle Seahawks 1 5 0.167 110 171 1-2 0-3 1-1 1-4 0-1 3L AFC East W L T Pct PF PA Home Road Div Conf Non-Conf Streak Buffalo Bills 5 1 0.833 149 118 3-0 2-1 0-0 3-0 2-1 1W New England Patriots 4 2 0.667 130 116 2-1 2-1 1-1 3-2 1-0 1W New York Jets 3 3 0.500 154 146 2-1 1-2 1-1 2-3 1-0 1L Miami Dolphins 2 4 0.333 120 130 1-2 1-2 1-1 2-3 0-1 2L AFC North W L T Pct PF PA Home Road Div Conf Non-Conf Streak Pittsburgh Steelers 5 1 0.833 141 89 2-0 3-1 3-0 5-0 0-1 3W Baltimore Ravens 3 3 0.500 105 100 2-1 1-2 2-1 3-3 0-0 1W Cleveland Browns 2 4 0.333 92 106 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 1L Cincinnati Bengals 0 7 0.000 98 182 0-3 0-4 0-3 0-5 0-2 7L AFC South W L T Pct PF PA Home Road Div Conf Non-Conf Streak Tennessee Titans 6 0 0 1.000 149 66 3-0 3-0 2-0 5-0 1-0 6W Jacksonville Jaguars 3 3 0.500 124 128 1-2 2-1 2-1 3-3 0-0 1W Indianapolis Colts 3 3 0.500 128 131 1-2 2-1 1-1 2-1 1-2 1L Houston Texans 2 4 0.333 140 179 2-1 0-3 0-3 1-4 1-0 2W AFC West W L T Pct PF PA Home Road Div Conf Non-Conf Streak Denver Broncos 4 3 0.571 173 195 3-1 1-2 2-1 2-2 2-0 2L San Diego Chargers 3 4 0.429 192 162 2-1 1-3 1-1 3-3 0-1 1L Oakland Raiders 2 4 0.333 97 148 1-2 1-2 1-2 2-3 0-1 1W Kansas City Chiefs 1 5 0.167 75 165 1-2 0-3 1-1 1-3 0-2 2L Cardinals vs. Panthers Page 32 of 32 www.azcardinals.com