Scouting Report: Falcons at Cardinals

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- It didn't take much to find exactly what motivated Falcons players and coaches this week as the team prepared for the 15th game of a rocky 2007 season.

Last week.

Few things went right in a 37-3 loss at Tampa Bay last Sunday. The Falcons offense, especially, could only watch from the sidelines as the Buccaneers held the ball for 42:59 seconds and rolled to an NFC South Division Championship.

Interim Head Coach Emmitt Thomas said that game alone will do the job to get his team energized for Sunday's game against the Cardinals (6-8).

“We’re going to put that behind us and we’re going to prepare as hard as we can this week -- go out there and try to get a win at Arizona," Thomas said. " We had a couple plays that happened to us early in the game and we kind of lost our composure. That’s behind us now and I think the guys have come in this week and responded.”

Atlanta, thus, embarks tomorrow on its longest road trip of the season to play against a team that was just eliminated from the playoff race with a loss at New Orleans last week.

"We're focused on trying to finish the season strong," Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt said Wednesday. "We realize some of the teams -- Green Bay is one that pops to mind -- that finish strong the year before and have strong seasons the next year."

Arizona is 4-2 at home this season.

ON THE GROUND: The Falcons run game has gotten its legs the last few weeks despite the results on the score board. Warrick Dunn, Jerious Norwood, Jason Snelling, Ovie Mughelli and the offensive line have put up solid numbers the last few weeks, rushing for more than 100 yards in three of the last four games.

Success in that category alone can help reverse the time of possession woes from last week.

Cardinals running back Edgerrin James may not be as much of a household name in Arizona as he was behind Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. He still gets the job done however, and figures to be excited to face Atlanta's 27th-ranked rushing defense. James has 1,052 rushing yards and a 3.8-yard-per carry average this season.

This is still the category where the Falcons defense can have success, however. The unit has been on the field a lot but not much can take away from linebackers Michael Boley and Keith Brooking and safety Lawyer Milloy, who each have more than 100 tackles on the season.

If the Falcons contain James, the Cardinals will have to deal with a drastic gap in the run game. James has 274 carries. The team's No. 2 rusher (J. J. Arrington) has just 21 touches on the season.

The Cardinals rank 29th in the NFL in rushing as a team and are ranked 11th in the league against the run.

Atlanta's run game was a focus this week in practice, which has touched various positions on the field.

"We all have to play on the same page," starting quarterback Chris Redman said. "We all have to be able to take care of our own job. I think, if we all work together as a unit, we have enough talent in here where we can score some points."

THROUGH THE AIR: Redman completed just four passes last week at Tampa Bay and threw two interceptions -- one returned for a touchdown. He knows he has to improve in the passing game for the Falcons to get better and keep up with a high-flying Cardinals attack that features Pro Bowl receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.

“The biggest thing is you have to put it behind you," Redman said earlier in the week. "It was obviously a tough game for everyone, especially myself. It was a rough week. We’re putting everything behind us, moving forward and we came out (Wednesday) with a great practice. Our tempo was good and we just have to keep moving forward.

“We just have to worry about ourselves right now. We have to go out there and put a good product on the field. I think that’s our No. 1 goal -- to go out there and take care of ourselves. Arizona is a good team (and) they play really well at home. We know they’re going to put up a great fight and we have to go up there and put up a great showing.”

Roddy White was slowed with an injury last week but appears fully healthy for Week 16. He had praise for the Cardinals passing game, including quarterback Kurt Warner, but hopes it's the Falcons receiving corps making noise at University of Phoenix Stadium in Sunday's "Battle of the Birds."

“Those guys are real good," said White. " They’re a couple of Pro Bowlers. I want to go out there and do my thing on my side of the ball and then sit out there and watch them do their thing. But, at the end of the game, we want to be the best receivers on our side and hopefully we get a 'W.'”

To do so the Falcons will have to maneuver around an opportunistic secondary led by Roderick Hood and former first-round pick Antrel Rolle. The cornerback tandem has seven interceptions on the year (four returned for touchdowns).

Warner, who is on track to break some Cardinals records with 21 touchdown passes, will have to contend with DeAngelo Hall (five interceptions). Warner -- a league MVP for the Rams earlier in the decade -- stepped in for first-round selection Matt Leinart earlier in the season and is on target to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark.

"When Matt went down, Kurt stepped in right there and was able to pick up where Matt left off," Fitzgerald said on a conference call with Atlanta media.

SPECIALTIES: Falcons kicker Morten Andersen kicked five field goals (34, 40, 36, 26 and 28 yards) the last time the Falcons played the Cardinals (Oct. 1, 2006). He'll kick for the first time at University of Phoenix Stadium, which opened just last year. The stadium is technically a "retractable roof" venue, but wind shouldn't be a factor roof closed of roof open.

Punter Michael Koenen had a busy day last week, kicking six times for a 37-yard average. He also had his longest punt of the season (63 yards), which was downed inside the 5.

Fantasy football players loved Arizona kicker Neil Rackers a season ago. He hasn't put up the same eye-popping numbers in 2007, but he's still a solid -- and accurate -- kicker. He is 16-of-25 this season with a long of 52 yards.

Rookie Steve Breaston handles the kickoff and punt return duties for the Cardinals and has one punt return for a score this season.

SHUFFLING THE CARDS: Thomas said that Falcons sack leader John Abraham should be ready to go for Sunday's game despite missing practice time this week with a knee injury. Abraham left last week's game early and underwent an MRI on Monday. Friday he was listed as "probable" on the injury report.

Defensive back Antoine Harris, however, may miss his third straight game with a bone bruise in his knee.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Some stats to consider as the Falcons travel to take on the Cardinals.

NUMBERS, NOTES AND COLORS: Some digits, thoughts and shades to get you ready for the Cardinals game...

• The Falcons will wear white jerseys this weekend at Arizona.
• Arizona's offense leads the league in penalty yards with 125 miscues for 1,008 yards.
• The Cardinals lead the overall series with the Falcons 13-10.
• Atlanta put up 495 yards of offense and forced four second-half turnovers in the last season's game against Arizona.
• Whisenhunt played for the Falcons as a tight end from 1985-88.
• White is just one yard away from 1,000 receiving yards on the season.
• Andersen has scored in 358 consecutive games.
• University of Phoenix Stadium will be expanded to hold 73,000 fans for February's Super Bowl.
• There's enough concrete in the stadium to build a sidewalk that could run from Phoenix to San Francisco.
• It gets hot in Arizona, so the stadium's air conditioning runs with enough power to cool 2,300 homes.