Hey Turf Show Times,

Cgolden from Revenge of the Birds here, to answer any and all questions that you guys have about the Arizona Cardinals.

I may not be the dali-lama but I'll do my best to shoot it to you straight.  So I'm here to answer your questions - and I expect a few ROTB-ers will migrate over to discuss the upcoming Rams/Cardinals game as well.  Anything you got, fire away - I'm here to share and learn.

I'm looking forward to an entertaining Cardinals/Rams game this weekend.  Should be fun.

Before anyone calls me homer, consider what Silverback has done this year and where he ranks among his defensive mates around the league. He's third in the NFL with 14 sacks and he leads the league in forced fumbles with six. He's also recorded a safety, an interception and defended four passes. He's also 28th in the league in total tackles but his 80 tackles are more than any other OLB in a 3-4 system.

Other Candidates and why they don't measure up to Silverback:

DeMarcus Ware and Joey Porter: ranked 1 & 2 in sacks (with 15 and 14.5 respectively) but neither have near as many tackles, neither have broken up or picked off a pass and they don't have as many combined forced fumbles as Harrison.

Troy Polamula: Leads the league in picks and third in passes defended but zero sacks, zero forced fumbles and only 54 tackles hurts his case.

D'Qwell Jackson: Who? Yea that's what I said. He's the league leader in tackles and he's got two sacks and a pick but he plays for Cleveland. I'm guessing if I've never heard of him than neither have some of the voters.

Patrick Willis and Jon Beason: Talk about two really good 23 year old, sophomores in this league. They're 1 & 2 in tackles (111 and 103) but outside of that they've combined for just one sack, one forced fumble and four picks.

Looking at his competition, I'd have to say Silverback is the front runner. Agree or did I miss some one?

Game time fellas so button those pants and get your game face on. Hopefully KW and company didn't eat too much turkey today. As always.......Go Cardinals.

It's time fellas. We all know what's on the line and how tough this game will be.  Hopefully the Cardinals can contain the run, protect Warner and match the Giants physicalility. As always...........GO CARDINALS!!!

The Arizona Cardinals defense has had it's ups and downs this season but they've continued their uphill improvement under Ken Whisenhunt. The defense is on the verge of breaking into the top ten in yards allowed per game (299.8) which is a far cry from the 29th ranked unit in 2006 (349.4). The biggest improvement on defense has been the front seven's ability to contain opposing running games. They currently rank seventh in the league allowing just under 90 yards per game and 3.8 yards per rush, but this Sunday they'll face a three headed monster intent on grinding out yards, chewing up clock and wearing down any opponent standing in their way. The Giants running game is nothing short of amazing but it's not the only part of the offense that can hurt a defense. Eli Manning and the his group of weapons haven't gotten much publicity this season but they're an efficient unit that is capable of putting points on the board and rarely puts the defense in bad situations. The Cardinals offense will most likely score some points this weekend but the game might just hinge on whether or not the Cardinals defense can slow down the Giants' #1 scoring offense.

When the Giants Run: Write in down, chisel it in stone and take it to the bank, the Giants are going to run the ball on Sunday. They're going to line up a power-I formation and run right at the heart of the front seven of the Cardinals. If they're successful they'll run some more and if they're unsuccessful, guess what, they'll just keep running. The Giants have one of the best, if not the very best, offensive lines in the league and they open holes for a talented trio of backs. The Cardinals ability to contain or slow down the Giants running game will be a huge on Sunday. The Giants are built to run the ball and their offense isn't nearly as proficient when their running game is 'slowed down,' and By 'slowing down' I mean less than 200 yards rushing. When they rush from over 200 yards (5 times) the offense averages 37.2 points per game and as you might guess they're undefeated. When they don't reach 200 yards on the ground, they average just 21.2 yards per game and their only loss was one of those games. The Cardinals will have to find a way to slow down the Giants on the ground and I'd imagine the first step will be keeping Adrian Wilson in the box the entire game. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Clancy Pendergast roll out some new defensive fronts that incorporated Bryan Robinson and Alan Branch on the field at the same time or one that added Calais Campbell to the existing line. This might also be a game when Whisenhunt decides to keep Robinson, Watson and Branch all active so that he can rotate them out more often to stay fresh. The Cardinals will have to do something that the Giants aren't expecting and haven't seen yet to slow them down.

When the Giants Pass: As you'd probably guess, Eli hasn't had to do much to win games recently. He's still performing well when they need him to but when you run the ball as well as the Giants do, the QB tends to get overlooked. Eli's still averaging 30 attempts per game but he hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards since early October. One thing that's interesting though is that Eli got off to a fast start this season completing 63.6% of his passes and tossing six TDs versus just one interception in the first four games. Since his fifth game though he's completed just 57.5% of his passes and throw nine TDs and six interceptions in a six game span. One thing that works in Eli's favor though is that his offensive line gives him great protection and he's only been sacked multiple times in a game once since the second game of the season. When Eli does throw the ball, the does a great job of spreading it around to a host of receivers. They've got three receivers with 30 or more receptions and Derrick Ward (RB) is fourth on the team with 27 receptions.

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The Giants can hurt a defense in a multitude of ways but first and foremost is somehow, someway slowing down their seemingly unstoppable running game. Their offense is built around running the football and the improved Cardinals defense will have to hold it's own against the league's best if they want to give the offense a chance. What can the Cardinals do to slow down the Giants or can they?

When the Arizona Cardinals' offense takes the field, both teams and everyone watching the game knows that they're going to throw the ball early and often. Kurt Warner's averaging just over 38 attempts this season and he's topped 40 attempts in five of the last seven games. Opposing defenses are often faced with the dilemma of sending extra blitzers to try and limit his time in the pocket or dropping extra guys into coverage to blanket receivers. The Giants though aren't your normal defense because they don't have to blitz to pressure the quarterback. They're fourth in the league in sacks (31) and their defensive line is a huge part of that ranking. Their starting defensive line has combined for 22 of those sacks and another six sacks from from backups along the front line. Creating pressure like with their front four allows the Giants to drop linebackers into coverage and allows their defenders to always outnumber the opposing teams receivers. So how will the Cardinals counter the Giants front four?

Tight Ends and Running Backs: I wouldn't be surprised if Whisenhunt keeps three tight ends active this week, but not because they're going to be involved in the passing game. Mike Gandy and Levi Brown will need help to handle Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka and Whisenhunt could give them help by using more double tight end sets than usual. The Cardinals like running four or five wide receiver sets out of shotgun but they may not be able to leave Warner back there without a 'personal protector.' Either Tim Hightower or Edgerrin James will have to flank Warner and pick up any defenders who break through the offensive line. That would leave Warner with one less receiver to throw to but if he doesn't have time in the pocket, it won't matter. The Giants secondary is good but not great and if Warner has the time, he'll be able to find Fitzgerald and Boldin.

Short Passing Game: The Cardinals struggle at running the ball, but that's no secret. Interestingly enough though, they still manage to rank fourth in time of possession per game (32:47 per game) and they keep the clock running with a short quick passing game. Warner's amazing accuracy allows him to complete passes into tight windows and Fitz and Q have the hands to bring in the pass and take a shot. Breaston's also got the quickness to create separation very quickly out of the slot and he's made several big third down catches on quick slants.

Draws and Screens: It's cliche to say that draws and screens slow down a pass rush, especially when the defense isn't having to blitz to bring pressure, but the benefits could be two-fold. They at least put the thought of draw or screen into a pass rusher but the biggest benefit could be in what it does to linebackers. The linebackers are the guys who have the most responsibility in shutting down screens and if they're concerned about a back getting the ball on a delay, they're not dropping as far back into their zone as they normally would. If they can keep guys like Antonio Pierce (a very underrated linebacker in this league) off balance, Warner and the offense as a whole will have an easier day.

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The Cardinals offensive line has been playing much better of late considering that they've only allowed six sacks in the past six games. That's an amazing number considering Warner's averaged 40 attempts per game over those six weeks, but they will be tested on Sunday. Justin Tuck, Barry Cofield, Fred Robbins and Mathias Kiwanuka will give them all they can handle but if Whisenhunt and OC Todd Haley can devise a plan to give Warner time in the pocket the Cardinals offense can thrive. Agree/Disagree? What else can they do protect #13?

Hey Big Blue View,

Cgolden from Revenge of the Birds here, to answer any and all questions that you guys have about the Arizona Cardinals. Want to know how your former QB is looking? Curious about the Cardinals' injury situation?  I may not be the dali-lama but I'll do my best to shoot it to you straight.  So I'm here to answer your questions - and I expect a few ROTB-ers will migrate over to discuss the upcoming Giants/Cardinals game as well.  Anything you got, fire away - I'm here to share and learn.

I'm looking forward to an entertaining Cardinals/Giants game this weekend.  Should be fun.