Tag: Glendale

Cardinals DC Nick Rallis likes to blitz and bank on Budda Baker

Arizona Cardinals DC Nick Rallis is afforded the ability to blitz thanks to the sure open field tackling of safety Budda Baker

Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis has determined that using blitz is the optimal way to frustrate opponents in the pass game. Still, the Cardinals haven’t been perfect against the pass, but safety Budda Baker has done diligence, making open field tackles to stifle offensive drives.


NFL trade deadline rumors hinted that Baker would be shipped off to another franchise. However, a move of that magnitude would drastically change the dynamic of the Cardinals defense.

Amongst NFL teams, the Cardinals rank No. 2 in blitz percentage and No. 4 with a 41.2 blitz percentage on third downs. Rallis has accepted that traditional man coverage and a pass rush without the extras will not work for his personnel group. So, like the good coaches in the NFL do, Rallis has made adjustments.

With Rallis sending extra defenders on the blitz, Baker has been asked to cover ground, and this has led to an increase in his tackle totals. Baker has 91 tackles this season and ranks No. 2 in that category amongst all NFL players. If not for Baker, where really would the Cardinals be?

On Sunday versus the New York Jets, expect Rallis to blitz quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Baker to be in on many tackles versus the Jets’ wide receivers. If the Jets fall into down and distance the Cardinals will have a chance to tally up a few sacks and continue their winning streak.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Behind enemy lines: Cards Wire answers 3 questions for Seahawks fans

Jess Root, managing editor of Cards Wire, answers three questions for Seahawks fans ahead of the Week-7 contest between Seattle and Arizona.

Jess Root, managing editor of Cards Wire, answered three questions for Seahawks fans ahead of the Week-7 contest between Seattle and Arizona set for Sunday night.

The Seahawks have been on a roll to start the season, notching a perfect 5-0 record before their bye. What can the Cardinals do to stop Seattle’s winning ways in the desert?

The Cardinals have been surprisingly good statistically on defense. They are No. 2 in points and near the top in yards allowed, third-down percentage, red-zone percentage and sacks. As long as they don’t have a performance like they did against the Carolina Panthers, they should be able to get off the field and limit Seattle’s attack.

And since they can move the ball as well as anyone else, they should be able to put points on the board. The key will be maintaining that level of defensive play and not turning the ball over on offense. They also cannot afford a bad first quarter.

The NFC West is arguably the best division in football. How does Arizona stack up against the rest of the rivals?

If their defense maintains its level of play, they are as good as anyone. Seattle is definitely the clear favorite, but the Cardinals should be considered just a tick below them. They are definitely in the mix, though.

Who wins Sunday’s matchup and why? Score prediction?

I think the Cardinals finally get a home win over Seattle. They will do what no other team has been able to do and stop a late drive by Russell Wilson.

The Cardinals win 28-24.

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Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury pitch fight on ESPN; Fury opens as favorite

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury sell their fight on ESPN college football stage.

It didn’t take long for Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury to find the biggest stage available to hype their heavyweight rematch, which was formally announced late Friday.

Separated by 1,845 miles, Wilder was in Atlanta and Fury in Glendale, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb, to talk about a rematch that hasn’t exactly been a rumor for the last year

Each was part of ESPN’s pre-game show for college football’s championship doubleheader Saturday, first Oklahoma-Louisiana State in Atlanta and then Ohio State-Clemson in Glendale.

“I’m looking forward to setting the record straight,’’ Fury said a few hours before the scheduled kickoff.

The record, of course, is the Wilder-Fury draw more than a year ago – on Dec. 1, 2018 – at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. It was as controversial as it was dramatic, two elements that Fury promoter Bob Arum thinks can generate 2 million pay-per-view buys for the sequel at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

He got up – rose – from the canvas after a crushing, right-left combination from Wilder put him on his back in the 12th-round. The crowd roared in appreciation of Fury, especially after years of substance abuse and over-indulgence. Fury’s weight was reported to be at nearly 400 pounds months before the first fight.

“I rose from the canvas like a Phoenix from the ashes,’’ Fury said while seated in a stadium just a few miles from the desert city named after the mythic bird.

Fans loved him for his astonishing resilience. Yet, those same fans hated the scoring, a split draw for a bout in which Fury appeared to dominate most of the rounds with a superior skill set.

That skill set appears to be a factor in the opening odds for the rematch. Fury has been installed as slight favorite by William Hill, a London-based bookmaker. The U.K. heavyweight is a 13-8 favorite, meaning there’s a 60.91 percent possibility of him beating Wilder, according to the bookmaker.

Wilder, of course, has his own ideas, or at least he has a right hand. When it lands, it’s over. It’s a formula that has played out in virtually every Wilder fight other than Fury.

“After February 22nd there will be no more unanswered questions.’’ Wilder said in Tweet. “I will finish what I started, and this time @Tyson_Fury will not be getting up off that canvas so quickly. I’ve proven myself time and time again and I will do it again in February. #WilderFury2’’