Arizona Cardinals: What I Thought I Knew

Now that my heart rate has recovered from a crazy divisional playoff weekend, it's time to do a little posting. This is going to be a 12-part posting about every team in the playoffs. For each team, I am going to do a little post about what I thought I knew, what I know now, and what I expect.

What I Thought I Knew Heading into the Playoffs: Cardinals

1. Larry Fitzgerald is a top 3 NFL wide receiver, and Anquan Boldin is top 5. Post-divisional round analysis: TRUE

We didn't get to see too much of Boldin, but we learned that if you throw a jump ball to Larry Fitzgerald (pictured, left), double coverage or not, he is going to come down with it. He just has that uncanny ability to time his jump perfectly every time, and he can jump higher than you can, plain and simple. Both the Falcons and the Panthers learned that the hard way. When Boldin is healthy, he can turn any 5 yard gain into a sixty yard touchdown because of his agility and power. 

2. The Cardinals can not stop the run, even if they know it's all that is coming. Post-divisional round analysis: UNDECIDED

I mean, you can tell why I thought that heading into the playoffs. They were the 16th ranked rush defense heading into the playoffs, but look at the running backs they played this year, and you will notice they've only played four in the top 10, the last one being Adrian Peterson, who went off for 165 yards against them. In the playoffs, though, it's been a different story. They held a very good Michael Turner to 42 yards on 18 carries, but both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart got at least four yards a carry against them this past weekend. Arizona just jumped out to such a large early lead that they got away from the run. 

3. The Cardinals can not run the ball, and will have to rely on Kurt Warner for everything offensively. Post-divisional round analysis: FALSE

Once again, you can't really blame me for thinking this. This was, after all, the team that came IN DEAD LAST in rushing this year. It really seems to me, though, after the Carolina game, that they realized they might have something with this Hightower-James duo. Unlike many teams, who use the run to open up the pass, Arizona uses the pass to open up the run. When you have to double cover both receivers, that will happen to you. Neither Hightower or James (pictured, right) are going to get 100 yards on you most games, but both are becoming reliable options, especially on second down. 

(Photo Credits: AP)