Two years removed from having playmakers like Kurt Warner andAnquan Boldin at his disposal, I, like many people, believedCardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt would have imposed hisPittsburgh pedigree on the offense by now. Run, run, and afterthat, run some more, which will open the door for a LarryFitzgerald big play. The problem, of course, has been personnel. This came to theforefront big time last weekend when Beanie Wells, after finallylooking good for two straight games, was a surprising pre-gamescratch after hurting his hamstring in practice. If Wells playslast Sunday, the Cardinals win. They were forced to abandon theirrunning game early, and after the Seahawks adjusted well toFitzgerald in the second half, the one-dimensional offensesputtered. It figures the defense rebounded to allow only 261 total yards.The team also cut its penalties down from the previous week from 10to two, which is no minor achievement at insanely loud CenturyLinkField. That the offense managed to look so sloppy is a testament towhere the team is right now. If the Arizona Cardinals are ever ableto put together 60 minutes of decent, well-balanced football thisseason, I think it’s pretty safe to say it won’t happen on theroad.Can it happen this week? I doubt it. The Giants, coming off ahuge road win against a fierce division rival, are the type of teamthat will impose its will. Who knows if Beanie Wells will play onSunday, but the thought of Whisenhunt looking across the field atthe Giants O-line and two-headed monster of Brandon Jacobs andAhmad Bradshaw while Wells stands next to him in street clotheswould speak volumes.It’s no secret that Kevin Kolb needs time in the pocket, and I’mnot sure Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul will afford him thatluxury. This could easily turn into a game of three-and-outs versussustained drives. I don’t think it’ll be a blowout-the Cardinalsprotect their turf pretty well-but it has the potential to be.That the Giants know who they are and the Cardinals do notsounds like too abstract a concept. But I do believe it willmanifest itself on the field, with the Giants harassing Kolb andcontrolling the clock. My pick: Giants 28,CARDINALS 17.
