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.

The Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants sport the #2 and #4 offenses in the National Football League but that doesn't mean that they have much in common. They both put plenty of points on the board (#2 and #1, respectively) and they both like to control the clock (#4 and #2) but there's nothing similar about their methods of getting the job done. The Cardinals precision passing game has a way of slicing and dicing opposing defenses with the skill of a surgeon performing a triple bypass. The Giants, on the other hand, chose to physically impose their will on opposing defenses with a ground game that gives 'blunt force trauma' a bad name.

The contradictory nature of the Cardinals and Giants have an interesting way of working against each other. If either unit starts to excel early in the game, it could put significant pressure on the other. If either team can neutralize the other's skill or will, they'll gain a signifiicant advantage. So take your pick on which prevails, skill or will?

If Skill Takes Over: If the Cardinals passing game, led by MVP candidate Kurt Warner, can get off to a fast start and put some early points on the board they'll put immense pressure on the Giants. The Giants aren't inept at throwing the ball by any means but they're certainly not built to play from behind either. The Giants overall offense is ranked pretty high but their passing game ranks just 19th in the league with just under 200 yards per game. Eli Manning has come a long way since he was backing up Kurt Warner as a rookie but he's still not known for taking over a game and leading his team to comeback wins. He's got as many 300 yard passing games in his five year career (6) as Warner has had in the past nine games. The Giants ability to run the ball at will has left them even less dependent on Eli this season and he's only averaging 208 yards per game. If Warner, Fitzgerald and Boldin can jump out to an early lead and take the trio of Giants running backs out of the game, the pressure will be squarely on the shoulders of Eli and the Giants' 19th ranked pass offense. 

If Will Takes Over: There are several reasons why the Giants are 9-1 but you can't name to name many before you get to Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. They're the best running game in the NFL and they're a huge reason why the Giants score the most points per game of any offense in the league. They dominate the time of possession (2nd in the league) effectively shortening games and limiting the chances that opposing offenses have of mounting drives. The Giants have a way of physically imposing themselves on defenses, wearing down defenses and rotating running backs so that they're fresh for fourth quarters when they're normally nursing a lead and milking the clock. Jacobs, Ward and Bradshaw all average better than 5.0 yards per carry and have combined for more than 1,700 yards on the season. Kurt Warner is a quarterback who tends to get hot during a game and go a quarter or two with just a couple incompletions but if the Giants can hold the ball for extended periods of time they might be able to keep him out of rhythm. It might be just a cliche, but KW and the offense can't score points while they're standing on the sidelines.

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The Cardinals and Giants often get to the same results but they chose much different methods. The question we'll find out Sunday is, which method works better? If one gets clicking early in the game, can they neutralize the other?

Apparently rumors turn into fact pretty quickly in the desert as we learned that Edgerrin James did ask the Arizona Cardinals to release him. The request came just days after the St. Louis Rams' game when not only did Edge not start but he also didn't step on the field for a single snap. As you might expect Edge's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, made the request and has done most of the talking since saying:

"Edge is not looking to create a distraction or impact team chemistry,"
Rosenhaus said. "But this is a difficult situation for him. It's a very confusing decision, not just to not be starting but to not be contributing. He's in the prime of his career and he wants to contribute."

The Cardinals of course denied the request but to his credit, Edge's demeanor hasn't changed in the locker room and he's still working hard every day, according to General Manager, Rod Graves:

"Edgerrin's attitude has been good," Graves said. "He hasn't come in to Ken (coach Ken Whisenhunt) or myself to demand or suggest he wants to be released. He's continued to work and right now everybody is focusing on trying to beat the Giants."

Why wouldn't the Cardinals just let him go?: That questions has several answers and they're all pretty clear. First, they've already paid him most of his salary, including bonuses, for this season and they wouldn't be able to recoup any of than money. In fact, because he's a veteran and been on the roster the entire year, they'd have to pay him the remainder of this year as a severance. Second, if they did release him they'd be down to just two running backs, Tim Hightower and J.J. Arrington. They'd have either bring up Steve Baylark, who's never even been on the roster for an NFL game much less played in one,  from the practice squad or sign a guy off of the streets. If either Hightower or Arrington got injured, they'd be seriously undermanned at running back. And finally, why would they put a guy on the streets who knows their entire play book and offensive philosophy like the back of his hand? Upcoming teams on the schedule, like the Patriots for example, or even potential playoff opponents could pick up Edge and use him for information.

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It's pretty clear that the Cardinals have not intentions of letting Edge go this year, but as many of us already thought he'll be gone once the season is over. My main question to Edge would be, what did he gain by requesting his release? It proves, at least in my mind, that's he's a "me-first" player and that he cares nothing about the team that he spent the past two and a half years with. The Cardinals are in the midst of their greatest season in the past three decades but instead of being concerned with how he can help this team, even if it's in the smallest of ways, he's more concerned with how many yards he can gain over the next seven games. How do you feel about Edge's request? And what team would sign him to be their starting running back right now if the Cardinals did release him?