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		<description>RUWT? News for Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals 1/3/2009</description>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:57:57 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Cardinals KO Falcons, rookie QB Ryan]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Rookie quarterbacks do not win 
often in the postseason, and Matt Ryan proved to be no 
exception.

Kurt Warner threw a pair of long touchdown passes and the 
Arizona Cardinals took advantage of some costly mistakes by Ryan
to end the Atlanta Falcons' fairy-tale season with a 30-24 
victory Saturday in the NFC wild card playoffs.

Warner connected with Larry Fitzgerald for 42 yards and Anquan 
Boldin for 71 as the Cardinals (10-7) advanced to next weekend's
divisional round at either the Carolina Panthers or the 
top-seeded New York Giants.

It was sweet redemption for NFC West champion Arizona, which 
staggered down the stretch with four losses in five games before
beating Seattle, 34-21, in the regular-season finale.

"A lot of people said we were the worse playoff team ever to get
in and nobody really gave us a chance," Cardinals coach Ken 
Whisenhunt said. "We rallied around that and played well.  We 
responded.  They took the lead, and we didn't fold up the tent."

Running back Edgerrin James, who had been benched earlier in the
season, contributed 73 yards on 16 carries for Arizona, which 
scored 16 unanswered points in erasing a three-point halftime 
deficit.

"I don't I have anything to prove, just look at what I have done
over my career," James said.  "There is no secret what type of 
running back I am.  Finally, I was put in a position to actually
do that, run my own game."

Arizona's defense did a stellar job shutting down Michael 
Turner, the league's second-leading rusher with 1,699 yards, in 
its first playoff game since 1998.

Turner, who set a franchise record with 17 rushing touchdowns, 
was limited to 42 yards on 18 carries, matching his season-low 
output.

"The media said we didn't have a chance," Cardinals defensive 
tackle Darnell Dockett said.  "They said the only thing we had 
better than the Falcons was our receivers, and I said, 'You got 
to be (kidding) me.  They even said their quarterback was better
than ours.  Are you serious?

"We had a chip on our shoulders and we stopped one of the best 
running backs and held them to 60 yards."

Appearing in their first postseason home game since 1947, when 
the franchise was located in Chicago, the Cardinals seized 
control of the game in the third quarter against Ryan and the 
mistake-prone Falcons (11-6).

Antrel Rolle returned a fumbled snap 27 yards for a touchdown in
the opening minute of the second half to put Arizona ahead for 
good, 21-17.

"It seems like ever time Antrel gets his hands on the ball he 
scores, and that was big for us because it got the fans back in 
it," Whisenhunt said.

Dockett forced the fumbled exchange between Ryan and Turner, 
blowing up the play by bursting into the backfield.

"I think he took on three guys and the ball came loose and it 
popped up, I grabbed it and took it all the way," Rolle said.  
"I was surprised when I saw it."

Rookie Tim Hightower capped a long scoring drive with a 4-yard 
run to make it 28-17 with 2:48 to go in the third quarter.  It 
was the first sustained march by Arizona and turned the momentum
completely in its favor after the Falcons had scored two 
touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half.

"It was huge," Warner said.  "Not only did we control the clock 
and scored some points but, as well as our defense was playing, 
we knew that you can't keep putting them out there.  We needed 
to do something.

"It was a methodical drive, we ran the ball well, we got key 
first downs and then finished it off with a touchdown."

Ryan then compounded his troubles on the next play from 
scrimmage, when his long pass down the right sideline was 
intercepted by rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

In the third quarter, four Atlanta possessions resulted in a 
fumble, a pair of three-and-outs and the interception.

"I am disappointed, the whole team is disappointed but not 
discouraged," Falcons first-year coach Mike Smith said.  "They 
made the plays when they had to.  It is tough to win when you 
are minus in turnover ratio."

It only got worse early in the fourth quarter for Atlanta, when 
defensive end Antonio Smith sacked Ryan in the end zone for a 
safety that padded the margin to 30-17 with 12:37 to play.

Ryan finally steadied himself and got the Falcons within 30-24 
with a 5-yard scoring pass to Roddy White with 4:15 to go.

But Atlanta could not get back the ball as the Cardinals ran out
the clock, with Warner hitting a huge 23-yard completion to 
Stephen Spach on 3rd-and-16 with 2:03 remaining.

"There is no better feeling then when you know it is in your 
hands and you got it controlled to the end, especially in the 
playoffs," Warner said.

Warner threw for 271 yards on 19-of-32 passing with the two 
scores and one interception.

Ryan, who guided the Falcons to a seven-win improvement in his 
first year, finished 26-of-40 with two touchdowns and two 
interceptions.  He also was sacked three times.

"They came out and out-executed us," Ryan said.  "Don't know if 
you can pinpoint one play.  We had opportunities to make plays 
out there and didn't take advantage of it."

After watching Atlanta hold the ball for 21 minutes, 19 seconds 
in the first half, Arizona reversed things in the second half, 
allowing the Falcons to keep possession for only 8:39.

"They just played a great football game, period," Turner said.  
"Their defense was fired up and flying all around all day.  It 
seemed like they had guys everywhere.  They crowded the line of 
scrimmage, they had a gameplan and it looked like they knew what
play we were about to run."

Arizona opened the scoring following an interception of Ryan by 
Ralph Brown on Atlanta's first possession of the game.

On a flea-flicker, Warner lofted a 42-yard pass into the left 
corner of the end zone to Fitzgerald, who easily outjumped a 
pair of defenders for a 7-0 lead just 4:32 into the contest.

"You know we would not have been able to do what we did if we 
weren't able to run the ball consistently," Fitzgerald said.  "I
just did what my coaches asked me to.  My goal coming in was 
just to be consistent and make the plays I was supposed to."

After Jason Elam's 30-yard field goal cut the deficit to 7-3 
with 10 minutes left in the second quarter, Arizona's big-play 
offense struck quickly on the ensuing possession.

Warner tossed a short pass in the left flat to Boldin, who 
outran Lawyer Milloy to the sideline and raced 71 yards to the 
end zone for a 14-3 lead with 8:58 to go in the half.

Undaunted, the upstart Falcons came storming back, stringing 
together a second consecutive 14-play drive that was capped by 
Turner's 7-yard scoring run to pull within 14-10.  Ryan was 
7-for-10 for 68 yards on the drive.

"I think we got the momentum back on that scoring drive," Smith 
said.  "We handled the surge well in the first quarter.  The 
second quarter the momentum switched back to us."

The Cardinals' first turnover then led to the Falcons' go-ahead 
score.  Warner's short pass bounced off the chest of Jerheme 
Urban and was picked off by Chevis Jackson at Arizona's 23-yard 
line.

Ryan needed just six plays to get the Falcons in the end zone, 
flicking a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Justin Peelle for 
a 17-14 lead with 23 seconds left before intermission.

In the opening half alone, Ryan threw for 141 yards on 18-of-25 
passing - more attempts than he had in each of his last three 
games.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nfl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nfl/news/84437-Cardinals-KO-Falcons-rookie-QB-Ryan</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nfl/news/84437-Cardinals-KO-Falcons-rookie-QB-Ryan</guid>
				<pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:52:01 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Upstart Falcons look to continue run vs. Cardinals]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[Atlanta (11-5) at Arizona (9-7), Saturday, 4:30 pm EST

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan 
achieved the unthinkable this season - making fans in Atlanta 
forget about his predecessor, Michael Vick.

But Ryan and his teammates will have to have short memories when
the upstart Atlanta Falcons visit the Arizona Cardinals on 
Sunday in the NFC wild card round.

Behind Ryan, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, and free-agent
running back Michael Turner, Atlanta pulled off one of the more 
stunning turnarounds in league history, finishing 11-5 after a 
disaster-filled 4-12 campaign in 2007.

But the Falcons do not sound like a bunch satisfied with this 
fairy-tale season, noting it will not mean much if it comes 
crashing to a halt in the desert of Arizona.

"We are very proud of what we have accomplished up until this 
point with 11 wins," first-year coach Mike Smith said. "But now 
we are all zero and zero."

"It's great to put the regular season behind us," added veteran 
linebacker Keith Brooking. "We're 11-5 ... and we're on a 
four-game mission."

While the record alone signifies the Falcons' rise from the 
ashes, it doesn't begin to explain how much the franchise was in
shambles at the end of 2007.

Vick was indicted on federal dogfighting charges in the 
preseason and rookie coach Bobby Petrino packed up and abandoned
the team after 13 games to take a similar post at Arkansas.

The final slap came when Bill Parcells agreed to take the 
position as Atlanta's head of football operations - only to 
reverse course hours later and accept the same position with the
Miami Dolphins.

Into the morass stepped Ryan, who was charged with bringing some
stability to the franchise - as well the minor task of purging 
the ghost of Vick, a breathtaking athlete who was the face of 
the franchise.

But 11-5? Even team owner Arthur Blank said he was not expecting
more from the Falcons than an 8-8 mark.

"It's about having a chance," Ryan said of making the playoffs, 
"and we're happy to have a chance."

While Ryan has played with uncommon poise for a rookie in 
directing Atlanta to seven wins in its last nine games, 
including a season-ending three-game winning streak, Turner may 
wind as up the league's Most Valuable Player.

The former backup to LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, Turner 
easily was the jewel of the free-agent class, amassing 1,699 
yards - second in the league - and a franchise-record 17 
touchdowns.

Turner opened the season with a 220-year performance against 
Detroit and bookended it with a 208-yard effort against the Rams
in the regular-season finale.

"I believed in my abilities," Turner said. "I just show up to 
work every week and see what happens."

The Falcons likely will feed the ball to Turner early and often 
to keep Arizona's vaunted offense off the field.

The Cardinals feature three Pro Bowl starters in quarterback 
Kurt Warner and wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan 
Boldin, who each went over 1,000 yards and combined for 23 
touchdowns.

After clinching the woeful NFC West title, Arizona wobbled down 
the stretch, absorbing beatings from Minnesota (35-14) and New 
England (47-7) before closing the season with a 34-21 victory 
over Seattle.

"It was important that we played well," Cardinals coach Ken 
Whisenhunt said of the season finale.

The offense juggernaut directed by Warner, who finished the 
season with 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns, received another 
boost when Edgerrin James rushed for a season-high 100 yards on 
just 14 carries against Seattle. James had asked for a trade 
earlier in the season after being benched.

"I think a lot of guys in the locker room want to prove around 
the country we're not the team from two weeks ago (in New 
England) and laid an egg, basically," Arizona safety Adrian 
Wilson said.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nfl]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nfl/news/84007-Upstart-Falcons-look-to-continue-run-vs-Cardinals</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nfl/news/84007-Upstart-Falcons-look-to-continue-run-vs-Cardinals</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:41:06 GMT</pubDate>
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