Gästebuch » The Arizona Cardinals might just be the antidote

GLENDALE http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dru-samia-jersey , Ariz. (AP) — for what’s ailing the Los Angeles Rams.The Rams (11-3) are the NFL West champions again, and have the NFC’s second-best record behind New Orleans (12-2). But Los Angeles has lost two in a row, 15-6 at Chicago and, last week, 30-23 to Philadelphia.So the Cardinals (3-11), 1-6 at home and at the bottom of the NFL standings under first-year coach Steve Wilks, would seem a welcome opponent when the teams square off Sunday in Arizona’s final home game of its difficult season.Article continues below ...Of course, Rams coach Sean McVay would never say that even if he thought it was true.“That’s certainly not our attitude,” he said. “Our attitude is that we have a lot of respect for this football team and for coach Wilks, and we’ve got to be ready to go. There’s a lot of great players on both sides – proven, high-caliber players, some Hall of Fame players, perennial Pro Bowl players. We’ve got to be ready to go.”The Cardinals were gashed for a season-worst 215 yards on the ground in their 40-14 blowout loss at Atlanta last week. The could mean a big day for Todd Gurley, if he’s healthy. McVay indicated on Wednesday he expected his prolific running back to play after being limited by knee inflammation this week.“We expect that if he progresses the way that we anticipate, that he’ll be ready to go,” McVay said.Gurley didn’t have a big day statistically but ran for three touchdowns in Los Angeles’ 34-0 home rout of Arizona in Week 2.Jared Goff threw for 354 yards in that game, but is going through a rough stretch. In the last three games, he’s thrown for one touchdown and been intercepted six times.“I think each game is independent of each other,” he said. “I don’t think there’s one singular thing. Look at last game, made a couple dumb plays that hurt us and you can’t do that.”The Rams are two-touchdown favorites. Here are some things to consider about the game:FITZGERALD’S FINALEThis might be Larry Fitzgerald’s final home game of his spectacular 15-year NFL career. Then again, it might not.Fitzgerald Daniel Jones Jersey , as is his custom, was not at all forthcoming on the subject of his retirement when the subject was broachedThursday.“If I decide to retire, I’ll let you guys know, seriously,” he said. “So I don’t know why we keep asking these questions. You know me. I’ve been answering for the last three years. Nothing’s going to change.”In other words, when he decides, he’ll let everyone know.Fitzgerald has caught a pass in 226 consecutive games and recently passed Jerry Rice’s record for most catches with one team.With a TD catch on Sunday, he’d have 19 in his career against the Rams. Only Rice has more against a single team, 25 against Atlanta and 20 against the Rams.GOFF’S CONFIDENCEGoff said he thought that toward the end of the Philadelphia game, the Rams got back to being themselves on offense.“I felt like we moved the ball really well and we were able to build off some things there and able to kind of take what the defense was giving us,” he said. “I felt like I learned a lot in the last game and was able to grow.”Goff said it’s not that defenses are figuring them out.“I think it always comes back to us, just doing what we do — executing,” he said. “Defenses are going to present different looks every game and that’s no excuse. It happens every game. It’s happened every game we’ve played this year. So, it just comes down to us executing and being our best and just really focusing on the details.”RAM BACKSWith Gurley’s status a bit shaky, the Rams signed veteran running back C.J. Anderson this week.Even if Gurley plays, there could be some action for Anderson.“Could really see him playing a role this week,” McVay said, “very sharp, cerebral player. He’s played in some systems very similar in terms of the verbiage, some of the things we try to emphasize specific to the running game and in protection.”PHAROH SWITCHReturn specialist and wide receiver Pharoh Cooper went from a Super Bowl contender to a leading candidate for the No. 1 draft pick this week when he was waived by Los Angeles and claimed by the Cardinals.“It’s going to be great to see all those guys,” he said of facing the Rams so soon. “I’ve built so many relationships with them.That’s still family over there Ed Oliver Jersey , but at the end of the day I play for the Cardinals now.”HOLIDAY SACKSArizona defensive end Chandler Jones is donating $20,000 for every sack he gets in the final two games — against the Rams and Seattle — to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. He has 5 1-2 career sacks against Los Angeles and 8 1-2 against the Seahawks. METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton left no doubt about their willingness to give up multiple draft picks — in the present and future — to go after prospects they like.New Orleans began the draft not slated to pick until near the end of the second round — 62nd overall — and with no other selections in the first four rounds.Two trades later, the Saints had acquired Texas A&M center Erik McCoy 48th overall and Florida safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson with the third pick of the fourth round.“If you like the player, go get him,” Loomis said. “That’s our philosophy.”While only time will tell if the deals were worth it, the generally guarded Loomis sounded eager to emphasize the value the Saints believed they found with only five total draft choices after trades had sent away four picks from this year and one second-rounder in 2020.Loomis declared that with picks 48, 105 and 177, the Saints acquired three players they had rated in the top 70 going into the draft. The third player New Orleans drafted was Rutgers safety Saquan Hampton in the sixth round.Using the analogy, “More swings, more hits,” Loomis acknowledged that there can be benefits to trading down and stockpiling picks rather than giving away multiple picks to move up for a single selection.In this case, Loomis said, the Saints sought “quality over quantity.” Loomis added that the current state of the Saints’ roster — with most players back from a team that nearly advanced to the Super Bowl — was a factor in that approach.WHO THEY GOTThe 6-foot-4, 303-pound McCoy started every game for the past three seasons for a prolific Aggies offense and was also a captain, an indication of his leadership ability.“You see his strength on tape in each game you watch. We really had a high grade on him,” Payton said. “He obviously played at a high level of competition and you see the consistency, and there were just a lot of things to like.”The 5-11, 210-pound Gardner-Johnson had nine interceptions at Florida, returning three for touchdowns. Four of his interceptions — and two of his TD returns — came last season. Loomis said the Saints see the former Gator as someone who can play either safety spot.“That was one of the things we like about him — his versatility,” Loomis said.The Saints also had a pair of seventh-round picks with which they selected Notre Dame tight end Alize Mack at 231 overall and Idaho edge rusher Kaden Elliss at 244.Mack has been widely characterized as a disappointment at Notre Dame. But the NFL has plenty of examples of players whose relative lack of college production belied their pro potential.“Obviously http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-cody-ford-jersey , he was a really highly decorated high school player,” Loomis said. “Whether he met (Notre Dame’s) expectations or his, that’s for someone else to say, but we like the talent and we like where we got him. … He’ll get every opportunity to succeed here.”SURPRISE MOVEThe trade with Miami that allowed the Saints to draft McCoy cost New Orleans their second-round picks this year and next, as well as a sixth-rounder this year. But New Orleans also got Miami’s fourth-rounder in that deal, which the Saints used in a trade with the Jets to move up 11 spots and take Gardner-Johnson.“The key to that was getting the (fourth-round pick) back when we made the trade to get McCoy,” Loomis said.HOW THEY DIDWith their top three picks, the Saints addressed positions where they had lost veteran regulars. Center Max Unger, selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl, retired after the season. New Orleans also released veteran safety Kurt Coleman after signing him as a free agent just one year earlier.And while the Saints had no apparent need to find a rookie who could start right away, they might have found one in McCoy, a player Payton said they expected to be drafted as early as the end of the first round.Before drafting McCoy, the Saints had responded to Unger’s retirement by signing free agent Nick Easton, a former starting center in Minnesota.Payton noted that Easton and McCoy each are versatile enough to play center or guard, and the coach sounded pleased to have both on the roster to improve depth within the unit responsible for protecting 40-year-old record-setting quarterback Drew Brees and blocking for third-year star running back Alvin Kamara.WHAT’S NEXT?The Saints still need to find more interior defensive linemen, either by signing remaining veteran free agents, trades or signing undrafted rookies.Starting defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is expected to miss at least the early part of the season while coming back from a torn Achilles, Tyeler Davison left in free agency and David Onyemata could be suspended up to four games for a misdemeanor marijuana citation.