Cards roll past Dolphins

Cards roll past Dolphins
by Kent Somers - Sept. 14, 2008 08:15 PM
The Arizona Republic

Shortly before the Cardinals took the field for their home opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, wide receiver Anquan Boldin delivered a short, heartfelt plea to his teammates about avoiding any last-second drama.

"These are the games we're supposed to win and not just barely win," Boldin told them. "It's not a crime to go in and put teams out of the game right way."

The Cardinals did just that Sunday. They jumped on the Dolphins early and often, cruising to a 31-10 victory in front of 63,446 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The methodology was unusual for a team that traditionally wins, and loses, games in dramatic fashion. And the victory puts them in territory they rarely have explored. They are 2-0 for the first time since 1991, although none of them wanted to make a big deal of that.

"We kind of let the past be the past," safety Adrian Wilson said.

It's a new year, but Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner went retro Sunday, looking like he did in his MVP days. He picked apart the Dolphins secondary like so much mahi-mahi. His first pass was a 79-yard touchdown to Boldin. His third was a 75-yard toss to Larry Fitzgerald down to the 4-yard line. His sixth was the first of three touchdowns to Boldin.

In all, Warner completed his first nine passes for 221 yards. He finished 19 of 24 for 361 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

It was the third time Warner has finished a game with a perfect rating, tying Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history.

"All I can say is it's nice to have those days," Warner said. "They don't come very often. It was nice to get the passing game clicking and get the ball into 81's and 11's hand quite a bit."

That would be Boldin and Fitzgerald. Each had six catches, and Boldin finished with 140 yards and three scores, the most he has had since he was the quarterback at Pahokee (Fla.) High. Fitzgerald gained 153 yards.

On the first touchdown, the Cardinals spread the field with Boldin lined up in the slot to Warner's left. One linebacker blitzed, leaving Boldin to beat another one.

Warner lofted the ball to Boldin, who was behind the linebacker and everyone else. Cardinals 7, Dolphins 0, with 12:21 left.

"They left their one free safety back to the weak side on Larry, and nobody covered the middle of the field," Warner said. "I told 'Q' earlier in the week, be ready for this play down the middle, because there are opportunities."

It was the start of what became a familiar dance through the afternoon. Cardinals hit a big pass and score. Defense stymies the Dolphins. Offense does it again.

The Cardinals led by 17 at the half and 31-3 at the end of three quarters.

Boldin repeated his message in third quarter while the Cardinals were driving for a 24-0 lead.

"He said, 'We're not used to being in this spot, but it's OK to be here and keep scoring points and make it easy on the defense and us,' " offensive tackle Levi Brown said.

The Dolphins (0-2) were helpless to stop Warner and to inflict any damage to the Cardinals defense. Miami gained just 92 yards in the first half and didn't convert on five third-down attempts.

For most of the game, it was as if Warner, Boldin and Fitzgerald were playing flag football. When the Dolphins did have good coverage, Fitzgerald would make the catch anyway, and he displayed some ability to run after the catch, even though he was caught from behind on the 75-yarder.

By taking the big lead early, the Cardinals didn't have to take chances defensively. They started playing "soft zones," said Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington, who was 10 of 20 for 112 yards.

The Dolphins had only four plays that gained 15 or more yards and not one for more than 20.

Afterward, the Cardinals weren't thumping their chests about the 2-0 record, even though it's something the team hasn't accomplished in 17 years.

"They are plenty of teams that started out 2-0 and didn't make the playoffs," defensive end/outside linebacker Bertrand Berry said.

Report

Key player

Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner was perfect Sunday, at least according to the quarterback-rating system. He completed 19 of 24 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns, all to Anquan Boldin.

Key moment

The Cardinals opened their first possession with penalties for delay of game and illegal formation. First-and-20? No problem. On the first play, Warner hit Boldin for a 79-yard touchdown pass.

Key number

1974: That's the last time the Cardinals started a season 3-0.

Injury report

CB Rod Hood (neck), OT Levi Brown (left-knee strain), CB Eric Green (left calf strain). All returned to the game.

Did you notice?

The Cardinals used two defensive players on offense. Strong safety Adrian Wilson lined up on the wing of the formation and blocked. Cornerback Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie lined up at receiver, but the ball wasn't thrown to him.

Quote

"I tell the guys to enjoy the win, but keep in mind we beat a team that went 5-11 (last year) and a team that went 1-15. We'll find out what type of team we have when we go on the road against a team like Washington, who's talented." - Cardinals defensive end Darnell Dockett

View from the press box

If coach Ken Whisenhunt is preaching to his team not to let a 2-0 start go to its head, the players are listening. That message was repeated by several of them in postgame interviews. Still, beating those clubs is better than the alternative, and the Cardinals have failed in these situations countless times over the years.

Next week

Cardinals (2-0) at Washington (1-1), 10 a.m. Sunday.




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