From the "what in the world" file cabinet, rumors are starting to surface that Kurt Warner contemplated retiring after the loss to the Jets and Boldin's injury. According to reports, he texted his wife from the bus after the game with a message that simply said:  

"This is it. I can’t do this anymore. It’s time to retire."

If you're an Arizona Cardinals fan, that's a scary thought. Kurt Warner is no spring chicken but he is the best quarterback for this offense right now. He's got a QB rating over 100 for the season and after Sunday's game against the Bills he's on pace for 32 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and over 4,700 yards. All of that didn't stop him from getting putting the loss to the Jets into perspective though:

"Something scary like that just makes you contemplate what’s really important and puts football in perspective," Warner reflected after Sunday’s game. "It’s things like that make you say, ‘This game isn’t everything, and I’m not sure if I can do this anymore.’ Because the bottom line is that all I really want is to be able to go home to my wife and kids."

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I'm sure Warner will get blasted with retirement questions today and throughout the week (and I'll update as more news becomes avaliable), but something tells me this was just a guy disapointed by a horrible performance. The injury to a friend and teammate certainly played into this mood at the time, but I don't think any of this changes his desire to play football for the rest of this season or for another year or two. Thoughts? Is this something that the Cardinals team or fans should worry about?

The Arizona Cardinals came back home and moved north of .500 with a big win over the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The offense and defense both looked impressive as they jumped on the Bills early and didn't throttle back until the game was well out of hand. The Cardinals passed a big test and remained perfect at home in 2008.

Kurt Warner: Warner worked the short passing game to perfection in front of the home crowd and even though he didn't have a completion over 20 yards, he was amazingly efficient. He completed passes at a 78.6% clip and notched his second game of the season with a QB rating over 100. It was also his third game of the season in which he didn't turn the ball over (all three games resulted in Cardinals' 
wins). He survived a rough hit in the second quarter that left his chin bloodied and even scampered for 11 yards on a drive right before halftime to avoid the rush and pick up a first down. He also completed at least one pass to nine different receivers and overall, it's hard to ask too much more of your quarterback. Grade: A+

Running Backs: For the first time this season the Cardinals had three running backs active and they each got some work in, combining for 113 rushing yards and 54 receiving yards. Edgerrin James was the workhorse with 21 carries but all of his work only amounted to 57 yards (2.7 ypc), although he did add another touchdown. Tim Hightower continues to impress as a rookie with 37 yards on seven carries (5.3 ypc) and he added two touchdowns, giving him five through his first five games. His best run came on nice 17 yard burst through left side of the offensive line on a 3rd and one. I'll continue to say that he may lack some top end speed but he's got the quickness to hit a hole that Edge lacks at times. JJ Arrington got his first action of the season and for the most part played pretty well. He wasn't spectacular but he did have a good series in the third quarter where he converted a 3rd and 13 with a 13 yard reception and a 3rd and nine with a 14 yard draw play. I'm not really a JJ fan but I'm not sure that Hightower or Edge could have made those two plays. As for the fullbacks, Tim Castille was inactive but Terrelle Smith had several critical blocks, especailly around the goal line. Overall, the running game took quantity over quality with 123 yards on 34 carries (3.6 ypc) but we'll take what we can get. Grade: B-

Wide Receivers: We were wondering who would pick up Anquan Boldin's slack, but I don't think anyone expected the answer to be everyone. Nine different players caught passes and eight of them caught multiple passes. It was pretty clear that the Bills wanted to limit the big play and control Fitzgerald so Warner took exacty what he was given. He spread the ball all over the field and Breaston and Fitz ended up tieing for the team lead with seven receptions. Early Doucet, making his first appearance of the season, had six catches for 42 yards. Ben Patrick and Leonard Pope only combined for 15 yards on 3 receptions but they were better contributors in the running game. The receivers didn't break any big gainers but they were reliable and consistent throughout the entire game. Grade: A-

Offensive Line: The offensive line was fabulous in the passing game but they were just about average in the running game. The line didn't allow a sack for the first time this season and they didn't even allow very many hits on Warner. In the running game though they weren't as good, considering that the offense averaged just 3.6 yards per carry but the average was dragged down by the fourth quarter numbers when they ran 13 times for just 29 yards (2.2 ypc) You'd like the offense to be able to grind out yards to end a game but this offensive line isn't much of a mauling group. For the record though, they did average 4.5 yards per carry for the first three quarters and the Bills knew the Cardinals would be running in the fourth to milk the clock. Grade: B

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Thoughts? Agree/Disagree on the grades? How much confidence do you have in the running game?

The Arizona Cardinals came home looking for a win as well as some momentum and they got both on Sunday by routing the Bills 41-17. The Cardinals were physically dominant from the outset of the game when they knocked Trent Edwards out of the game on their third offensive play (we'll see if Adrian Wilson is fined for the hit later in the week). One look at the box score will tell the story of this game considering the Cardinals ended up with almost a hundred more total yards, more than a 10 minute edge in time of possession and +4 in the turnover ratio. There were far more positives that anything else yesterday so we'll take the easy way out and just talk about what went right. Later in the day we'll talk about the negatives from yesterday and concerns heading into next week including Roderick Hood and Ben Patrick's injury status.

Kurt Warner: I've said it before, but it's worth reiterating: When Kurt Warner doesn't turn the ball over, he's as good as any quarterback in this league. The Bills were 6th in the league heading into this week allowing just 168.5 yards per game but that didn't stop Warner from completing over 78 percent of his passes on his way to 250 yards. He didn't end up with a great yards per attempt (6.0) but a week after having six turnovers, he protected the ball and had a very good game despite missing one of his top receivers, Anquan Boldin.

Offensive Line: One week after getting embarrassed by the Jets, the offensive line had a great rebound performance against the Bills. The O-line kept Warner clean all game long, not allowing a single sack and he was hit just a few times. Considering that Warner dropped back to pass over 40 times, that's quite an accomplishment. They did a really good job limiting Marcus Stroud and Levi Brown had a nice bounce back game after being abused against the Jets. The run blocking still has a long way to go but they did end up with 123 yards rushing on 34 attempts (3.6 avg). 

Wide Receivers: There were several questions heading into Sunday concerning the wide receivers, such as could Breaston handle being a starter and how will Early Doucet handle his first professional game? In case you missed the game, both answers were a resounding YES. The Bills were focused on Larry Fitzgerald (7 for 52) and the result was Breaston and Doucet combining for 119 yards on 13 receptions, including a couple big third down conversions. Fitzgerald ended up with both touchdown receptions but Breaston and Doucet did a good job of moving the chains.

Defensive Pressure: After a couple of lackluster pass rush performances on the road, the Cardinals turned up the dial yesterday and harassed the Bills quarterbacks early and often. A blitzing Adrian Wilson knocked Trent Edwards out of the game on the Bills' third offensive play and they didn't slow down until the game was well out of hand. The defense finished with five sacks, two of which came from free agent signee, Travis LaBoy. LaBoy not only only led the team in sacks, he was also tied for the team lead in tackles and was a disruptive force all over the field. Another Arizona-newcomer, Clark Haggans finished with 1.5 sacks and oddly enough his sacks came on back to back plays in the fourth quarter. Gabe Watson made his presence felt in his first game back with a sack and fumble recovery.

Turnover Ratio: The Cardinals were -8 in the turnover battle the past two weeks against the Redskins and Jets and much of the talk was centered around the defense not being aggressive. Well that certainly wasn't the case yesterday as the Cardinals were ultra-aggressive causing four turnovers which led to 17 points. The first fumble was the result of a great play by Antonio Smith when he shot the gap and blew up a handoff between JP Losman and Marshawn Lynch. That was the second play after Trent Edwards was knocked out of the game and the Bills would never recover. The Cardinals would take over at the Bills 38 and score six plays later. 

Neil Rackers: I've jumped on Rackers for every mistake he's made this year so it's only fair to acknowledge him when he has a really good game. He not only connected on two field goals (47 yards and 38 yards), he also hit another one from 28 that was nullified by a Bills penalty. His kickoffs were effective even though he didn't register a touchback considering that the Bills average starting position on kickoffs was thier own 25 yard line. Rackers also helped his own cause registering two tackles, both of which came around the Bills 20 yard line.

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There were other positivies about this game, but that should get the ball rolling. Later today and into tommorrow we'll chart the running and passing plays as well as continue to break down a big Cardinals win. Thoughts? Who else stood out as having a good game?

What we all pretty much knew, was confirmed today when Ken Whisenhunt said that Anquan Boldin will not play this Sunday for the Arizona Cardinals. He had surgery to repair the fracture in his skull (sinus membrane as reported earlier), but surprisingly, he could still play next Sunday against the Cowboys. The doctor who performed Boldin's procedure did the same surgery on a hockey player who played 10 days later.

As for other injuries, niether Adrian Wilson or Bertrand Berry practiced today, but Whisenhunt said that both were improving. They'll be listed as questionable and likely be a game time decision.

• There's no word on Anquan Boldin's status yet but we should get some definitive word by days end. I will say that it's not looking good. Larry Fitzgerald sounded like he didn't expect Boldin to be able to go when he said, “this is not my first time playing without Q,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s definitely a lot easier when he is out there. I am going to have to definitely play good football and guys are going to have to pick up the slack.”
• If Boldin can't go, Early Doucet should be active for the first time this season and should be the fourth receiver. He's been biding his time on game days but he sounds ready for his first action of the season. Another receiver who will be stepping into a new role, if Q is out, will be Steve Breaston. Breaston will have to be good on Sunday not only for Kurt Warner's sake but the Bills are likely to double or even triple team Fitz until Breaston shows them that he's a legit option on passing downs.
  
• As far as the injury situation goes, we covered the big three yesterday (Wilson, Berry and Boldin) as well as Leonard Pope, but another name was added to the injury list yesterday. Top Backup at almost every offensive line spot, Elton Brown hurt his shoulder during practice yesterday. He underwent an MRI yesterday and we should get an update today. He's a guy who is crucial to the depth along the offensive line. The good news is that NT Gabe Watson will make his first appearance of the season.
  
• As far as the Bills injuries are concerned, Roscoe Parrish is out and Terrence McGee is doubtful. Those are two big names because Parrish is a great returner and McGee is arguably their best cover corner. If Boldin does sit this week, McGee's injury levels the playing field a bit. Two names to keep an eye on are Marcus Stroud and Aaron Schobel, both of whom are listed as questionable. If either or both of them can't play, the Cardinals offensive line should be very thankful.
  

According to Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider, it looks like Darnell Stapleton is the front runner to start at RG on Sunday night. Stapleton got the first shot at it this week during practice, but Trai Essexx did get reps with the first team on Thursday. Tomlin sort of hinted at the prospects of Stapleton getting the starting nob:

"Darnell’s getting more snaps than Trai," Tomlin said. "He’s got more recent history at the position, in terms of practice. Trai’s been concentrating quite a bit at swing tackle. But both guys will work and we haven’t made a final decision. We really don’t have to till Sunday night."

As far as BTSC whipping boy, Wille Colon, getting a shot, Wexell said that it won't happen this week. Colon might only get a chance to move inside if Stapleton can't hold his own this week. With the Steelers on a bye, that would give Colon two weeks to transition. Colon has certainly heard all of the rumors though:

"WHAT?" Colon asked. "What is all this BS? I’ve been in meetings all day. I haven’t heard anything about this." Colon was kidding of course. Wave after wave of reporters had stopped at his locker to ask him about playing guard after Tomlin hinted at the move at his Tuesday press conference.

I'm not sure what the best case scenerio is for the Steelers but I sure wouldn't mind Stapleton grabbing hold of the RG position and never giving it back. He's a young kid who could be a cheap starter for the Steelers for the next several years. Thoughts?

This Sunday's game between the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills is quickly approaching and it'll be a critical game for the Red Birds. Coming off back to back road losses, the Cardinals return home desperately needing a win to grab some momentum and get back above .500. Myself and Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings got together and took a look at some key match-ups for this Sunday.

Bills WR Lee Evans vs Cardinals CB Roderick Hood
cgolden - Lee Evans is a tough match-up for any cornerback because of his big play ability and Roderick Hood will certainly have his hands full on Sunday. Evans is having a great year, averaging over 23 yards per catch, so Hood will have to bring his A-game to keep Evans from getting deep. Evans is not only a legitimate down
the field threat, he's also shifty enough to turn every short pass into a huge play. Roderick Hood is a good tackler but the Cardinals don't play much press coverage, which could leave Evans open for some quick, short passes. Hood is the Cardinals' best corner by far but he's not anything spectacular so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cardinals keep a safety over the top. Much of the Cardinals defensive game plan will depend on Adrian Wilson's availability on Sunday, but either way, Hood will need to some help to contain Evans.  Advantage: Bills

Brian Galliford - Evans is off to a fast start.  He'll never be a guy who catches a large volume of passes, but he definitely makes his catches count (see his 23.7 YPC average through four games).  When Evans is at his best, he's making a play or two early in the game, letting other receivers keep the offense efficient in the middle quarters, and putting the final dagger in a win late in the fourth quarter.  He lulls defenses to sleep in this manner.  There isn't a corner in the league who can cover Evans for an entire game (when he's got competent quarterback play), so I fully expect Evans to make a big play or two in this one.  Advantage: Bills

Brian Galliford - Stroud's importance to this defense can't be measured just by his stats alone.  You have to take into account what Stroud has done for Kyle Williams as well; Buffalo's starting defensive tackles have combined for 28 tackles and 3 sacks in the team's first four games.  Stroud's a force against the run, and he's proven over and over this season that he can routinely beat the double team.  He's been impossible to block.  I don't expect Arizona to establish much of a run game on Sunday, but it would be nice to see Stroud collapse the pocket a handful of times around Kurt Warner, who is a fabulous rhythm passer.  Advantage: Bills

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