Cardinals may be a work in progress, but Giants won't take them lightly
Joshua Dobbs of the Cardinals attempts a pass during the fourth quarter against the Commanders at FedExField on Sept. 10 in Landover, Md. Credit: Getty Images/Scott Taetsch
Next up for the Giants are the Arizona Cardinals, a team that appears to be in a transition period.
The first-year head coach is Jonathan Gannon, who spent the last two seasons as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.
The quarterback is Joshua Dobbs, who was acquired by the Cardinals in a trade with the Browns in late August.
Like the Giants, who will visit Arizona and State Farm Stadium on Sunday, the Cardinals are coming off a Week 1 loss. The Giants were blown out by the Cowboys, 40-0, at MetLife Stadium. Arizona fell to the host Commanders, 20-16, with Washington scoring 10 fourth-quarter points to pull off the win.
How did the Cardinals reach this point?
Quarterback Kyler Murray is on the physically unable to perform list after tearing his right ACL in Week 14 last season. He will miss at least the first four games. Backup quarterback Colt McCoy, 37, who had an elbow injury, was cut by the Cardinals in late August.
Dobbs and Clayton Tune are the only quarterbacks on the roster. That is notable for a few reasons, including this one: Gannon said on Monday that Dobbs will start against the Giants. The quarterback job sounds as if it could be a week-to-week situation.
Dobbs’ play in the opener, outside of one throw in the first quarter to Rondale Moore for 31 yards, was not great. He overthrew tight end Zach Ertz in the end zone, fumbled twice and averaged only 4.4 yards per pass attempt.
The Cardinals probably would have won their opener if not for his turnovers. Perhaps there is a short leash in Arizona.
Drew Petzing, 36, is the offensive coordinator. From their time together in Cleveland, Dobbs knows Petzing’s offense well enough that he could arrive in late August and be ready to start the season opener two weeks later.
All of which sounds . . . hectic.
At the Wednesday news conference this past week, Dobbs spoke of making considerable progress already.
“It’s going to continue to grow,” he said of the offense. “From where we were last Wednesday to this Wednesday, it’s like night and day just understanding each other and understanding the flow and rhythm of the offense. So we’re just continuing to grow as we get more time on task on the field.”
It’s no wonder Dobbs already is feeling more comfortable.
He had just six practices — that’s six — before he made his Cardinals debut.
“I think just looking back at the game, there were a couple plays obviously we want to clean up to have a chance to win the game,” Dobbs said this past week. “Hey, how can we get better as an offense, how can we sustain drives, how do we not stop ourselves? It starts with me at quarterback, but you never know what play it might be. So [everyone] has to stay locked in.”
Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s unit is intent on not underestimating Dobbs.
“I think he’s a very smart quarterback that knows where he wants to go with the football,” Martindale said. “I don’t want to say he’s a game manager because I think some quarterbacks look at that as a dig. He really does know how to take care of the football and try to keep the sticks moving.”
Dobbs said the goal on Sunday is to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers. That includes Ertz, Marquise Brown and running back James Connor, who is being counted upon heavily in this offense. Connor was limited in practice this past week.
“There’s a couple things that I want to get done better with communication, substitutions and packages,” Gannon said. “I want us to coach the details a little bit better because that’s how we can impact the game.”
Gannon had one other request.
“I can’t wait for the [home opener],” he told reporters. “I want it to be loud when we’re on defense and quiet when we’re on offense. Pass the word along.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
