When asked if he would be showing his team any tape from last year’s 58-0 drubbing at the hands of the Seahawks, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said that he wouldn’t because it was a new coaching staff, offense and defense so “who gives a [expletive]” what happened last year.
His players don’t quite agree. Guard Daryn Colledge said that being on the receiving end of a beating like that left the Cardinals with a “reality check” about what they needed to do to compete in the NFC West, a lesson that they seem to have taken to heart while building a 9-5 record this season. Defensive end Darnell Dockett says the Seahawks are “beatable” and used similar language to his coach to explain that the memory of last year’s game is a reminder of how prepared the Cardinals need to be.
“It lingers in the back of your head,” Dockett said, via the team’s website. “I don’t give a [expletive] what you think about, you remember 58-0. And the biggest thing is you remember how it got to 58-0. You are thinking, missed tackles, poor execution, couldn’t move the ball on offense, couldn’t stop anybody on defense, special teams turnovers. It was an ass-kicking in every phase of the game. When you sit back and deeply think about that, it makes you realize you are going to have to bring your best foot forward.”
The Cardinals are in a much better place than they were heading into last year’s game, so they should be able to remain within eight touchdowns this time even with the Seahawks setting the pace for the rest of the league. If that loss last year is part of the reason why they’re moving in the right direction, than Colledge and Dockett are right to continue using it as a point of motivation for themselves and their teammates.
