Everett, Wash.
Published: Monday, November 17, 2008

Cardinals pick on little guys

Arizona exploited Seahawks cornerbacks Josh Wilson and Kelly Jennings, as Cardinal wide receivers Larry Fitgerald and Anquan Boldin combined to catch 23 passes for 337 yards.

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

 SEATTLE -- Their lack of size makes them obvious targets, and so Seattle Seahawks cornerbacks Josh Wilson (listed at 5-foot-9, but probably an inch or two shorter) and Kelly Jennings (listed at 180 pounds, but probably a bit lighter) have learned to develop the never-give-up attitude necessary to play the position.

And yet even Wilson and Jennings had to resist the urge to take their helmets and go home early Sunday afternoon.

When Wilson locked up Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald on a third-down play early in Sunday's game, the 6-3, 220-pound wideout still made a diving catch for a first down.

When Wilson made a perfect jump on a pass a few minutes later, Arizona's Anquan Boldin wrestled the ball away from him for a nine-yard completion.

And just about every time Jennings thought he had perfect coverage on one of the Cardinals' Pro Bowl wideouts, Arizona would find a way to complete the pass.

"There's always frustration when you know you've got perfect coverage and they still make the plays," Jennings said after Sunday's 26-20 loss to the Cardinals. "But that shows what type of receivers they are. We've got to make plays too."

On an afternoon when the Seahawks' cornerbacks made some plays but not nearly enough, the Arizona receiving corps won most of the battles. Fitzgerald (151 yards on 10 receptions) and Boldin (186 on 13) led the way as the Cardinals piled up 382 passing yards.

"They kind of did what they wanted," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said of Arizona's receivers. "Give (quarterback Kurt) Warner a lot of credit for that. He looks at you, and he does a lot of checking off at the line of scrimmage. They can get the ball into the hands of those big guys, and they are very good after the catch."

If the Seahawks' defense did anything well Sunday, it was limiting the big plays and keeping the receivers out of the end zone. The only time the Cardinals wideouts got more than 10 yards after the catch came when Boldin caught a pass on a stop-fade route along the left sideline, avoided Wilson, and rambled 33 more yards for a 45-yard reception.

Seattle's cornerbacks also did a decent job of limiting the Arizona passing game after halftime. The Cardinals piled up 244 passing yards in the first two quarters, as compared to just 138 over the final two. Boldin had five receptions for 78 yards after halftime, while Fitzgerald had four catches for 40.

This despite the Seahawks having to play without Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Trufant, who came off the field early in the third quarter because of a concussion.

Even when Trufant was on the field, he was rarely tested. Warner constantly threw at the smaller corners, including at least seven passes in Wilson's direction on Arizona's first three offensive possessions.

"I'm not worried about getting tested," Wilson said. "I don't even care about that. I'm just out there playing football. If they throw the ball at you, that's what happens. You've just got to try and make plays."

Warner completed 19 of his first 21 passes, helping Arizona build a 13-0 lead.

But Wilson swung momentum in the Seahawks' favor with a second-quarter interception that he returned 58 yards to set up Seattle's first score. After Maurice Morris scored on a 13-yard screen pass, the Seahawks pulled to within 13-7.

"I'm starting to get back to college days for me," said Wilson, who returned an interception for a touchdown in the Oct. 26 win over San Francisco. "I don't feel lost or confused. It's more of me just stepping on the field and playing football.

"This is the same game we have all played since we were kids, and we just have to go out there and play," said Wilson, who led the Seahawks with 10 tackles. "And eventually good things will happen for us."

For the most part, good things were happening for Arizona on Sunday -- especially early on. The Cardinals took advantage of their obvious size advantage, continually testing Wilson and Jennings.

"Obviously, smaller corners have been doing good enough," Wilson said. "It seems like every corner in this business is 5-10, so they must be doing something right.

"You can have the height, you can have the speed, you can have the physical tools, but if you're not a football player, it doesn't matter."

Added Jennings: "I never look at my size as a disadvantage."

On Sunday, the Cardinals made Seattle's small corners look like they were at a disadvantage for most of the day.

But that's how it has been for most of the corners who play against Arizona.

"We know that every time we play the Cardinals, that's going to be the challenge for us," Jennings said. "We go into it with the mindset that it's going to be tough, but we've just got to make plays."
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA