• 2 months ago
Transcript
00:00So I may sound a little cliche, but another alarming issue this season, and it dates back all the way to the NFC Championship, is this team's inability to score in the second half.
00:12You've got to find a way to put teams away and not let them claw their way back into the games.
00:21I agree. I mean, coming out of halftime, we've had this discussion, we've talked to Dan about it before, you make those halftime adjustments, and you come out, and the third quarter has been a struggle to put points on the board.
00:37Well, and I almost feel like every time they start off the second half with possession, it's usually a three and out.
00:42And then the momentum is shifted right back to the other team, because they were able to hold you to X amount of points in the first half.
00:50So their adjustments are counteractive to what we need to be doing in that scoring points in the second half, which this team has not proven they can do.
01:01Yeah, I'm with you. I think this past week, the emphasis was clearly, we've got to get better in the red zone.
01:06And I wouldn't be surprised if this week it's, hey, we've got to get better in the second half.
01:12We've got to find ways to go down there and eat up clock and get points on the board.
01:18And you just look, and it's not like they're going out there and just playing conservative and, okay, run, run, run, punt, run, run, run, punt.
01:25There's just little plays that pop up, right? A sack on second down that now you're looking at a third and 11 instead of a third and short.
01:33Third and one, you get a false start, right? Now you're looking at a third and six, and if you can't convert, man, that penalty hurt, right?
01:41You're looking at a third and one where you decide to go shotgun, and now we got stuffed.
01:46Fourth and one, you go for it, you don't get it, right?
01:49So I don't think it's playing conservative, but you're right.
01:52I think that maybe you've got to look at some ways to be, I would say, maybe a little bit more creative on some third downs in the second half just to keep the drives moving.
02:04I don't feel alarmed by it, as Cameron said, but I think that's something they're probably going to put an emphasis on this week.
02:11Look, I think it's fair to bring it up.
02:15The team has the standard of winning a Super Bowl.
02:18They're supposed to be an elite offense.
02:20I think it's fair to bring up today that they did not score at all in the second half.
02:24Fine.
02:25I just don't think it should be the headline.
02:27Well, they didn't score, but Arizona only scored three points in the second half.
02:31And that's the headline.
02:32You guys were just breaking down the defense.
02:33That's the headline to me, is that this defense, which has gotten so much attention for not being good enough, for being the weakness, the Achilles heel, you can't say it after three weeks.
02:42You sure as hell can't say it after yesterday.
02:44The defense made that a two-score game, held it a two-score game for most of the fourth quarter, and the Cardinals never had a chance to tie it up in the fourth quarter.
02:53Because the offense did eventually put the game away, and it was golf to St. Brown, golf with his feet, and nearly 190 yards rushing.
03:01I'm sorry it wasn't a perfect offensive game, and we can invite that criticism, but it can't be the headline.
03:06The headline is TJ's first words, identity, and the conversation we've been having, defense.
03:12If you're going to run it, if you're going to play defense, if your quarterback can make the plays at the end of the game, you're going to win a lot of games, and you're going to be a Super Bowl team.
03:19I get why people bring it up, I do, but I don't think it's this huge issue or overly concerning.

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