Yardbarker: Mike Gandy

NoLogoNeeded NFL Mock Draft Picks 31-32

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:32:37 -0500

The end of the first round comes with Arizona and Pittsburgh making their picks. With the 30th pick in the Mock Draft Among Blogs, the Arizona Cardinals select: ***Chris Wells, RB, OSU*** Why the Cardinals chose Wells as per DraftCountdown.com: The Cardinals might be the only team in the league that counts running back as one of their top Draft Day priorities, but that could work out well for them as there should be some excellent options on the board here. There is certainly a chance that Kn...

THE NEWS

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:20:28 -0500

PICS OF THE DAY "So my friend Lianne was fortunate enough to go to Tampa last week. While at one of the bars in Tampa, she ran into this guy. Best Detroit Lions jersey ever... (read the name then say the number). Fantastic." -- AJ, Pittsburgh "Was snapping pics from the Smithfield Street garage and saw this guy. He's even breaking the Jersey Bill of Rights with the hoodie!" -- Lou M. "I am stuck living in Philly...went to this years Steelers/Eagles game, which h...

HEY, SHlTHEADS! THIS IS AN INCOMPLETE PASS!

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:55:12 -0500

If you’ve been watching football all year, you undoubtedly noticed the unusually high number of penalties during the game. This asshole would say that most of the decisions by the men in stripes were pretty kosher. Three holding penalties called on Mike Gandy, who had the dubious task of ...

Super Bowl XLIII Pre-Game Analysis: Pittsburgh vs. Arizona

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:42:59 -0500

Pittsburgh Do’s and Don’t’s - Clement:

Do your best to jam Larry Fitzgerald at the line of scrimmage. If Fitzgerald is given too much space, he's going to cause havoc in the worst ways possible. Before you know it, a trick player will be opening up – even with Polamalu's savvy – and Breaston/Boldin will be running deep sideline routes. While Fitzgerald is murder in the redzone, the crossing route allows him plenty of space to rumble. Beware.

Do your best to allow Woodley and Harrison to go 1 on 1 with the Arizona tackles. The Arizona tackles have been the weakest link on the Cardinal line. Harrison, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, is a sack machine and Woodley may, in fact, be the more talented overall pass rusher. Both are strong and sturdy throughout the game. Arizona will need to mix up protection schemes and their backs – especially the rookie Hightower – better be more than ready to chip. Effective runs to the outside and screens against the blitz are perfect remedies.

Do your best to get Santonio Holmes in open space. If you didn't see his punt return against the Chargers or his YAC-scamper against the Ravens, you missed out. With Ward "dinged" up and Limas Sweed being a PUNK, Holmes may be asked to make 2 or 3 big downfield catches. The best way to free him up isn't with the deep ball though, it's within the 10-15 yard range with space to run. That means Big Ben better be ready to withstand plenty of hits within the pocket.

Don't forget about Anquan Boldin. Larry Fitzgerald may be the best wideout in the NFL; however, Boldin isn't far behind. Sure he's been unhealthy and too much of a primadonna in recent weeks, but Boldin is also a redzone B-E-A-S-T and lethal on the edges. He'll play his heart out and has seen far more bad than good with this franchise. Don't forget just how deadly this duo is.

If the Steelers worry too much about Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin may give them nightmares they won't recover from.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Don't underestimate the talent in the middle of the Cardinal defense. Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby, and Adrian Wilson are flat out studs. While there are other playmakers on that side of the ball – see Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – these three have to seize control of the line of scrimmage, the center of the field, and the deep ball. While Wilson's run stopping abilities aren't too shabby, his ability to lock into a quarterback is highly underrated. Each will need to help their defense for 2-3 Big Ben miscues for the Cardinals to pull off the upset.

Don't forget about "Fast" Willie Parker. The rush game is vital to the Steelers opening up their playbook and putting real pressure on the Cardinals. If Warner struggles early, the Steelers would be wise to pound the Cardinals into submission with the speedy, yet stealthy Parker. Just ask the Seahawks of 2006 how quickly Parker can hit the corner and rush to paydirt. If Parker has 20+ carries, the Steelers should win by two touchdowns.

Don't underestimate the importance of special teams. I don't want to elaborate too much. However, if you can pin the Cardinals inside the 10, you better. Free yardage is the LAST thing you want to give Warner, Fitz, Boldin and company. If Rackers struggles with his kickoffs, burn the Cardinals early and often.

Arizona Do’s and Don’t’s - Sum:

Do make use of the plethora of bulletin board material out there. You've been underdogs EVERY WEEK of this postseason, and the Super Bowl is no exception with the Steelers as 7 point favorites. Heck, even President Obama wants Pittsburgh to win. That's gotta sting ... now turn that sting into solid play on the field. If Barack won't be bipartisan on Super Sunday, you shouldn't be either.

Do keep on executing your playoff game plan. I know I've used that one before, but it's working. The shift away from your pass heavy offense (15 more rushes than passes against Carolina; 29 rushes to 28 passes against Philly) gives one playoff veteran (Warner) time to breathe, while another playoff veteran (Edge) gets to prove his worth again. The D has been stout against the run, and it will need to be again this week since Pittsburgh likes to grind it out.

Do go to Steve Breaston early and often. I expect Pittsburgh's heavy hitters to come out hard early, whacking whoever has the ball. The last thing the Cards need is for Larry Fitzgerald or Anquan Boldin to be laid-out by Polamalu and Co. Breaston is a quality receiver, so he can make the catches ... and as evil as this sounds, it's better for him to get upended than Fitz. Plus, with Boldin already hobbling around the field, he'll be an easy target early in the game.

Don’t expect Kurt Warner to have the same time to throw the ball as he has had in 11 of 12 quarters this postseason (the 3rd quarter of the NFC Championship being the exception). Dick LeBeau has himself a mighty fine defense with an exceptional front seven. They will look to smack Warner around early and often. This is why it will be key to keep running the ball, even if it's with limited success. If you don't, then pack some extra Depends for Kurt.

The Cards had better hope Warner doesn't wear this uniform on Sunday ...

Don't think that an injury to Roethlisberger will be good for you. Byron Leftwich has proven himself more than capable in his relief appearances this year, particularly in the Monday Night game at Washington. But if Big Ben does go down to an injury, CHANGE YOUR DEFENSIVE SCHEME. Byron is a different quarterback who won't be rattled in the same ways that Ben will be. Still keep the heat on him, but rushing only one extra guy at a time. You WILL need your secondary beefed up if Leftwich comes in the game.

Don’t buy into this crap comparing Whisenhunt to Jon Gruden of the 2003 Super Bowl. Yes, both took their new teams to face their old teams in the Super Bowl, but there are key differences. First, Oakland promoted Gruden's successor, Bill Callahan, from within and kept Gruden's system intact. Pittsburgh brought a new head coach altogether into the fold and immediately began adapting some of the offense, giving Ben Roethlisberger more responsibilities. Second, Gruden faced his old team the very same year he left them. The Steelers have had 2 seasons to change their Whisenhunt-isms on offense. If the Cards win this game, it will not be due to Pittsburgh using the same signals and playcalls that they used 2 years ago.

Matchups - Armin:

When the Pittsburgh has the Ball:
Hines Ward vs. Roderick Hood & Santonio Holmes vs. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie ("DRC") Hood and DRC have been playing their best football in the playoffs, while Roethlisburger, Ward and Holmes have nothing to prove. The questions remain: Can Hood play that physical game with Ward, and can DRC keep in stride with Holmes. If Ward starts making those tough catches down the stretch, and Holmes gets open for a couple of big plays, Arizona faces a steep uphill battle.
When Arizona has the Ball:
Mike Gandy and Levi Jones vs. James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley How do you beat Kurt Warner? It's simple. You hit him. Gandy and Jones are up for their toughest task of the season. They must keep NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Harrison, off Kurt Warner. At the same time, they're dealing with Harrison's bookend, Woodley, who is surging during the playoffs. If Gandy and Jones don't step their game up a notch and keep Warner off his back, the Steelers defense will make short work of the Cardinals offense.
Intangibles - Armin:

Super Bowl Experience Both 2nd year head coaches are in their first Super Bowl in that role. However, Whisenhunt won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator for the Steelers and Tomlin won one as the DB coach for the Buccaneers. Which coach will do a better job pulling from his Super Bowl experience? Tomlin also has a bit of an advantage here. He has many players that were on the team during Pittsburgh's triumph in Super Bowl XL. Whisenhunt, on the other hand, has very few who draw upon that experience. Kurt Warner is about all he has. There is no question that Whisenhunt is at an intangible disadvantage. However, the Cards seem to have destiny on their side.

... and the Steelers had better hope Coach Tomlin quits his day job alongside Gregory House

Win It For Pat Last time around, the Steelers wanted to win it for Jerome. Now, it's the Cards who are the Team of Destiny. Can they muster up enough intestinal fortitude to play like Pat Tillman is standing behind them? Can they win it for Pat? While some don't like cliche's like "Win one for the Gipper", this situation screams for Tillman to be the reason for a franchise he proudly played for to win the Lombardi. Here's hoping that if the Cards are holding that trophy after the game, that they point their fingers to the sky and pay homage to a man who may have been the first in the NFL to say, I WANT to play football for the Arizona Cardinals.

Predictions

Come back tomorrow for final predictions from the PHSports crew...

All 106 Players Ranked for Super Bowl 43

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:56:57 -0500

All 106 Players Ranked for Super Bowl

NFL Divisional Playoffs Pre-Game Analysis: Arizona at Carolina

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:59:31 -0500

Arizona Do

Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants: Wednesday’s Injury List

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:16:33 -0500

For the Arizona Cardinals the practice report is pretty good considering their 10 games into the season. Mike Gandy and Clark Haggans are the only ones who didn't practice at all because of injuries, but both are expected to play. Roderick Hood, one of the biggest question marks for Sunday, ...

Hawks-Cards Wednesday Injury Report

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:53:54 -0500
ARIZONA CARDINALS Practice Report LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE Wednesday T Mike Gandy (ankle), CB Eric Green (knee), CB Roderick Hood (ribs) FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE Wednesday TE Ben Patrick (knee), TE Leonard Pope (ankle), TE Jerame Tuman (ankle) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Practice Report Wednesday Practice not complete

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals: Injury Report

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:33:22 -0500

The Arizona Cardinals are still dealing with their fair share of injuries, although most of them aren't considered very serious. Here's the injury reports for both teams as of yesterday.

Player

Injury

Status

Leonard Pope

Ankle

DNP

Ben Patrick

Knee

Limited

Travis LaBoy

Groin

Limited

Mike Gandy

Ankle

Limited

Eric ...

Cardinals Leave Their Heart In San Francisco, Win 23-13

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:49:21 -0500
First!!!! That's what place the Cardinals find themselves in after week one of the 2008 NFL Season.? What a difference a year makes.? After being swept by the San Francisco 49ers last season, including the opener at San Francisco, the Cardinals put together a good game, fueled by a very strong second

Week 1 Matchup: Arizona Cardinals (0-0) vs. San Francisco 49′ers (0-0)

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:12:46 -0500
When:

Short Passes

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:29:21 -0500
Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Just a few other tid-bits from the the land of the Arizona Cardinals today. LT Mike Gandy was able to practice today.? His status for this weeks game is still not known, however they expect him to be able to practice on Wednesday and may be able to make a

Meet Your 2008 Arizona Cardinals Offense

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:28:33 -0500
Seven days until game one.? Today is the last non-NFL Sunday and day one of most teams preparing for game one of the upcoming season.? The NFL season kicks off in four days in New York. So, time to meet your 2008 Arizona Cardinals. Quarterbacks: Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart, Brian St. Pierre - It was

Arizona Cardinals (Raising Zona)

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:26:43 -0500
Team MVP: Adrian Wilson, S Break-Out Player: Tim Hightower, RB Biggest Disappointment: Losing five games by a field goal or less. Fantasy Stud: Larry Fitzgerald, WR Offensive Outlook: The staple of this team. The football should cross the goal line as much if not more than 2007. The biggest question will be how coach Ken Whisenhunt decides to utilize quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner. If Leinart struggles, will he have a quick hook or will he have some patience before bringing Warner into the game? Will he utilize the two quarterback system? My best guess is that he will end up using both quarterbacks in the same game several times and only going to one full time should one fail to consistently produce. The receiver core will be strong. Receiver Bryant Johnson left Arizona to go play for the San Francisco 49ers. Enter third round draft pick, Receiver Early Doucet. Also competing for the third spot will be Steve Breaston. The biggest question amongst the receivers is whether Anquan Boldin can play without his contract situation being a distraction. As for the running backs, Edgerrin James is 30 now, but still can run strong. The question is, can he improve on his yards per run average, which is below 4 yards per game since he came to Arizona in 2006. Tim Hightower, from Richmond, looks to not only be the offensive breakout player, but the team's breakout player. There has been some buzz surrounding his ability to cut and his break away speed. Of course the running game is only as good as your offensive line. There was improvement on the line in 2007 and looks towards linemen Duece Lutui and Mike Gandy to lead the way in providing more consistent open holes for the backs. Tight end is one position that is a little thin right now. Leonard Pope is coming off an injury season. Jerame Tuman is currently his backup. The Cardinals recent addition of Arizona State alum Brent Miller should help. Overall, the Cardinals should score a few more points, however there really hasn't been much change amongst the skill positions. Look for Cardinals to score somewhere between 325-350 points. Defensive Diagnosis: Several questions abound with the Cardinals defense. They are young. However they are fast. Starting with the defensive line, the biggest questions here are the health of Defensive End Bertrand Berry and the happiness of defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. Dockett also needs to address his silly personal foul penalties. The Cardinals probably win at least two more games without his penalties last season, so keeping his head focused in the game is of the utmost importance. It certainly would be nice to see him finally finish a complete season. He's not getting any younger though, so don't go placing any bets in Las Vegas on him to finish the season healthy. Defensive end Chike Okeafor should have a strong season. The linebacker core, lead by Karlos Dansby and Gerald Hayes, should also provide results towards the positive end of the plus-minus category. The most interesting aspect of this defense is the secondary. Adrian Wilson should end up being the team's MVP, again as long as he stays healthy. Recognize a theme here? The health of the Cardinals players will go a long way in determining how much they win. The Cardinals are unfortunately not the type of team that is extremely deep, especially on the defensive side of the ball, thus injuries to starters are considered more dire for the Cardinals than say on a defense in New England. Antrel Rolle moves positions, over to safety. That should take advantage of his speed. I look for the Cardinals to be at least a plus 10 in the plus-minus category. I also look to the defense to provide 5-7 touchdowns. "Red Letter" Game: Philadelphia Eagles, Thursday November 27 (Thanksgiving). Not only is this game 12 and on the road, it's on national television, on Thanksgiving. This is the second opportunity in three weeks for the Cardinals to play in front of the entire nation. The first being the Monday night game on Nov 10th against the 49ers. This could be the game the Cardinals decide if they are contenders or pretenders. Projected Record/Outlook: For the 3rd season in a row, I predict 10-6. Ultimately, on paper they should finish about 12-4. Unfortunately they don't play on paper. They will win two games they shouldn't (Philly on the road, Minnesota at home), and will lose two games they should have won (one against the 49ers, and the other against the Jets). They should sweep the AFC teams at home (Miami and Buffalo). They will play it close with the Cowchips from Dallas and the NY Giants since both are at home. They probably split those games. They also lose in Washington and Carolina. I see them sweeping Seattle and St. Louis. New England will be a waste of time, tag them with a loss now. Can they get it done and finish 10-6? Time will tell. Parting Smack: Seattle Seahawks: They've re-tooled their running game. In with Julius Jones, out with Shaun Alexander. Coach Mike Holmgren is taking the reins of the team for his last season. I could go on and on why this team will suck in 2008. Until the Cardinals beat them in Seattle though, I can't be too rough on them. I will bask in glory though when the Presidential election takes place in November and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's sister-in-law, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, makes some ridiculous remark on The View, and sends the entire Hasselbeck clan into hiding. Seneca Wallace has to take over at QB, which is about as exciting a proposition as watching grass grow. Getting old and finishing 8-8. St. Louis Rams: Do they still have a team? I mean, they got desperate for QB help. They went out and got 56 year old Trent Green. Didn't his head get chopped off by a tomahawk chop in Kansas City a couple of seasons ago? This team lost 48-19 in its 2007 season finale to the Cardinals. If you are allowing the Cardinals score 48 points and allow them to beat you by 29, well, I hear the Big Ten Conference is still searching for it's 12th football team. Wouldn't it make that another Big 12? They already have 11, why isn't it the Big 11? Who cares? I've spent more time caring about the Rams in the past five minutes than their fans have about them in the past two seasons. The Rams are lucky to win 5. They go 5-11. San Francisco 49ers: The media continues to believe this team is a sleeper and can make a run at the playoffs. Playoffs? Are you crazy? Playoffs? They, like the Cardinals, will probably win a couple games they shouldn't and will lose a few they should win. However, this team has a harder time scoring than a paying john in a brothel. Alex Smith is still the quarterback. Their wide receiver core carries an AARP card carrier (Isaac Bruce), a guy who can only catch one out of every five passes (Bryant Johnson), and a Denver Bronco reject from the Jake Plummer days (Ashley Lelie). I get more excited about House of Representatives floor coverage on C-SPAN. Frank Gore really should look for a better home. He is a good player on a below average team. The team is still the best in the bay area though, which is not saying much at all. They go 6-10 at best. - Scott Allen