Arizona Cardinals Must Get Running Game Going
By Scott Allen
Sept. 30, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Ryan Williams (34) runs the ball against Miami Dolphins cornerback Richard Marshall (31) in the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Dolphins 24-21 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE
After falling behind 13-0 and the Arizona Cardinals going nowhere with poor run blocking from the offensive line on Sunday, it is understandable why the Cards all but abandoned the running game. Cards running back Ryan Williams only carried the ball eight times for 26 yards. Backup William Powell ran twice for two yards. That’s it. That’s all they got. It turned into a pass fest for the Cards.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good passing game and I don’t mind if the quarterback is throwing thirty or forty times a game but more than 40, either your team can’t run or you are way behind. The Cards weren’t more than 13 points behind on Sunday, but it was getting late and the Cards couldn’t find a hole anywhere in the 24-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Williams and company are going to need to run more on Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams. They might, might be able to get away with another poor running performance and win in St. Louis, but if they do, it’s a bad trend heading into the meat of the schedule. Last year in St. Louis, Beanie Wells torched the Rams for 228 yards. Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks ran for 118 against the Rams yesterday. So, it can be done.
The Cards Super Bowl team didn’t have a great running offense either. However that offense had Kurt Warner at quarterback. Some quarterbacks can provide the exception to the rule. Cards quarterback Kevin Kolb can’t go out ans gun-sling it 45-50 times a game and expect that they will come out winners everytime. Balance my friends. They need balance to continue their winning ways.