Green Bay Packers' tactics irritate Arizona Cardinals
BY DAN BICKLEY The Arizona Republic January 5, 2010
PHOENIX -- Playoff games are stuffed with importance. This one feels ready to burst.
The Cardinals fear a quick knockout, one that lays their season to waste, mocking them as one-hit wonders. The Packers fear the Brett Favre Purple Sunset Super Bowl, and would do anything to outlast their nemesis.
If things go really wrong, Sunday's showdown in Glendale could be the last game Kurt Warner plays before announcing his retirement. None of us are ready for that.
The outcome of this game will provide answers to the NFL's latest dilemma. From the moment the 14-0 Colts passed on a chance at immortality, the league has been hearing from angry fans who don't want to see teams fretting over their own safety and playing half-hearted football. It makes for bad television.
In Week 17, the Cardinals rested key players and were flogged like deck hands. The Packers went full bore and crowed like gladiators. Ken Whisenhunt took significant heat for exposing Anquan Boldin, and for allowing Larry Fitzgerald to pursue personal statistics. Mike McCarthy was hailed for keeping his hot team in tune, a team that had been left for dead after losing both regular season games against Favre earlier in the season.
You can almost hear how the turn of events has angered Whisenhunt.
From Sunday's postgame press conference, when Whisenhunt chafed at the merciless beating, and what occurred after he hung the white flag:
They had their plan, Whisenhunt said. I guess they felt good about what they were doing.
Guess?
Whisenhunt has been agitated by McCarthy's tactics in the past. He felt the Packers coach game-planned for an exhibition contest against the Cardinals in August, a game the Packers went deep and led 38-10 at halftime. A needless embarrassment, in other words.
After sleeping on Sunday's loss, Whisenhunt's attitude hadn't changed much. He reiterated his regret for playing Boldin too long. He made it clear that he was rewarding Fitzgerald, ceding to a player who is (thankfully) driven by great personal ambition (fame and money).
Then he struck back at the Packers.
He made it clear that McCarthy was doing nothing different on the other sideline, allowing Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball continuously on the opening drive of the second half, even though the Packers were leading 26-0.
Its something you would feel sick about had (Fitzgerald) gotten injured at the end, but I have no doubt in my mind that's what Green Bay was trying to do with Aaron Rodgers (on Sunday) as far as the passing statistics, trying to get those things, Whisenhunt said. That's part of it.
On that drive, Rodgers passed Favre for second place on the Packers all-time single-season passing yardage list. When the drive was over, he came out of the game. Coincidence? Hardly, and don't think that shameless pursuit of statistics wasnt the No. 1 priority.
In the end, McCarthy was just lucky that one of his players didn't get hurt, like what happened to a burned Bill Belichick in New England, like what happened to Whisenhunt on Sunday.
Either way, the Cardinals are again under the microscope. They've been blitzed in two previous home games by the Packers, have the fewest wins in the NFC tournament, and yet host a playoff game. That policy could change in the future, as the league attempts to address the issue of teams tanking late-season games.
They've got a lot to think about, Packers defensive end Johnny Jolly said after Sunday's game.
Yep, a lot at stake here. Twice, the Cardinals have lost a chunk of dignity to the incoming opponent, humiliated by the Packers' cold-blooded approach. Twice, Whisenhunt has been irked by the audacity of the opposing head coach. The theme of last year's playoff run was a lack of respect. This year's quest begins with revenge.
This time, the Cardinals have no alibis.