CL Underground

There's a certain charm to losing our regular domain name and being forced to the fringes. So what we've lost the majority of our readership? I never liked readers that much anyways.

I prefer our covert compatriots that somehow managed to find us.

But to fill you hardy souls in, we're still wrestling with the Google monster. Being a fan of the Terminator franchise, I've always been leery of technology. Dealing with a faceless conglomerate with no phone number with which to register my ire has only magnified my paranoia.

There's a decent chance Black and I have to wait the arbitrary 19 day waiting period to re-buy the cardinal-laws domain name. In the meantime, we just have to wait and hope we don't lose out to some weirdo lover of cardinal birds. And laws. And hyphens.

So please bear with us till then. If you're reading this, you ARE the resistance.

And the enemy is HER, the smirky and oh-so-innocent Mandy Moore lookalike that dominates my mind until this thing is fixed.

Heads need to roll

Unreal stuff from the football audio-visual "staff" for the game yesterday. I didn't believe they could top themselves for being craptastic after last year's soporific Sting debacle that put the crowd into a coma before a second half kickoff, but they did.

Yep, you were hearing that right. This year's pregame, "let's fire em up!" montage is set to the bluesy notes of one Michael Buble. MICHAEL FUCKING BUBLE! And if that's not bad enough, the "director" wanted to get as much spoken-word poetry as he could dubbed over it, which always goes over well in a muffled fucking stadium. The fans of the Louisville Cardinals are famous for always wanting to be all bluesy and deep and philosophical before kickoff.

Arrrrgh!!!!

I was hot and grumpy too, like most of the fans in attendance, and this just about blew my gasket. It's the easiest thing to do! Drop your Ken Burns bullshit, and put some highlights on the big screen to some catchy, nonoffensive hip hop. It's not rocket science!

The greatest game day atmosphere in college football is Wisconsin's "Jump Around" tradition before the 4th quarter of every game.

Is it an old cheesy song? Sure. But does it fire up a bunch of college kids and fans? You bet. Instead, Louisville is stuck with some 8th rate Banksy trying to capture the poetry of the game before kicking off the season.

It's kinda funny how bad it is, in a gallows humor sort of way. But it is serious; that kind of minor stuff, adding to the gameday atmosphere, it matters. Louisville fans aren't legendary for our intimidating 3rd down noise. True to form yesterday, there were about 5,000 fans on the "deck" that never went back to their seats after halftime.

And Louisville is doing itself no favor with a current AV staff more intent on pleasing itself than the crowd.

Tweets of the Day

Kerry Rhodes, doing his best to follow the Cards all night while gearing up for the NFL season...

Wat was the louisville final score?

Minutes later...

They didn't score anymore?

Rantin' and Rankin'

It was a hot, sticky night in Papa Johns. The crowd was a strange and restless mix of either too drunk or not drunk enough. Most had rushed straight from work and missed most of the beginning. People were grumpy.

But the malaise in the stands was nothing compared to the malaise on the field, at least for 3/4ths of a frustratingly flat 21-9 victory over the MSU Racers. So how bad was it? My thoughts...

* Pretty bad. Even a good night's sleep and some perspective can't change some of the things I saw. Most worrisome is, of course, the offensive line, who more than lived up to its billing as the weak link. False start after false start after false start. But the mental mistakes weren't the worst, those can be corrected, in theory.

The worst was the utter lack of push in the running game, the fact that Murray State linebackers ran freely all night. I don't think there was a single play when a UofL o-linemen got to the second level; Jeremy Wright and Vic Anderson for the most part looked explosive hitting the hole, but were then immediately greeted by a Racer linebacker. I don't know if this is something a little more film and practice can fix or not. Whatever successes this team has, it's fairly clear it'll be a far cry from the "hand it to Powell and dare them to stop us" philosophy of last year.

* Will Stein. Stein was so-so, with a good start to the game. His throws, even his completions, weren't very accurate, but he was keeping his eyes downfield and giving his receivers chances to make plays. His feet were nimble, he looked poised.

That all changed after the first quarter, when the offense steadily devolved into a listless muck. The timing between Stein and his receivers was completely off, and Will didn't have the leadership abilities to get things back on track. Will Stein seems like a nice guy, a local boy, one who's admirably gotten every scrap out of his ability. But I don't know how much of a leader he is. For much of the second half his body language was bad, throwing up his hands in frustration and disgust after many plays.

* Ohhhh, Teddy. Very shrewd of you to tamp down our expectations straight out the gate like that. Three consecutive penalties and then a wounded duck of an INT? Genius.

* Receivers looked good. DeVante Parker had the grab of the night, Josh Bellamy looked explosive before leaving with an injury, Chichester looked like he's improved his route running. There were some drops, but in a game with few bright spots, the receiving corps was one.

* The coaching was a little rusty. There were timeouts at strange times, a nonsensical challenge, and as much as I loved the first fake punt, did we really need to go back to the well a second time with the same fake from that distance? The playcalling was understandably vanilla on both sides of the ball. I think the UofL coaches believed their personnel to be superior, good enough to just line up and go right at them. It didn't turn out like that, not on this night.

The staff didn't seem to make any adjustments or changes throughout the game, which I believe stemmed from the fact that no matter how frustrating the play on the field, the outcome never felt in doubt. Leading me to the one, actual, positive from the night, the play of the defense.

* Even in the rosiest predictions from fans like myself, I never saw one that had the Cardinals defense holding the Racers to 9 points. Against a pass happy, gimmicky scheme, that's no small accomplishment.

And as I said above, the defensive calls were fairly bland. Very little blitzing, no madcap Darius Ashley(ish) dashes from the corner spot. The line was stout and the young and new cornerbacks held their own. Preston Brown, William Savoy, and Dexter Heyman all have a nose for the football. I think the defense has tremendous potential, especially when everyone gets healthy and Bedford unleashes his full bag of tricks.

Because if last night was any indication, the defense is going to be the bedrock. By default.

Louisville overcomes second half stall, defeats Murray State 21-9

If only the game could have ended at halftime. Will Stein and company had put 21 points on the board in impressive fashion against a porous defense, our own Louisville D had smothered Murray State, and I had the perfect opening line for my first post of the 2011 season.

Suck on that, Forde.

 As it turned out, we had another half to play, and it was then that our offensive unit started to experience the growing pains it is perhaps bound to endure. As impressive as Stein was early in the game, nailing several throws on the run and exhibiting an aggressiveness unmatched either by Burke or Froman, he was equally as dismal later on. Not to pick on Short Round, but after completing 10-15 for 150 yards with two touchdown throws in the first half, he would only complete 7 of 17 passes the rest of the way; and some of those misses were, well, not pretty. By the game's end, Stein was entirely out of rhythm. His final attempt, to a crossing Chichester maybe fifteen yards ahead with nary a defender nearby, forced Chi to lunge unsuccessfully and Stein to pound his helmet in frustration. Story of the half. Indeed, there were shortcomings all around on the offensive side of the ball, which should provide plenty to discuss in the coming days.

Stein did play well through two quarters, so the coaching staff should help reinforce the positives while scaling back the negatives. His ability to escape the pocket was as good as advertised and will be deeply needed this season, and he had the TV guys drooling over him after nailing the longer throws on the run. But he has to find the rhythm necessary to performing the routine pass. Stein's value as the experienced starter was also reinforced by the unflattering and unceremonious debut of the Teddy Bridgewater era -- three consecutive dead ball penalties, followed by an interception on the freshman phenom's only throw. That series was, in fact, the point at which the offense went from thriving to flat; which is not to suggest that switching QBs is what disrupted our rhythm, but it doesn't entirely rule it out either.

Stats here.

A win is a win and this one was not without encouragement. As we might have expected from a performance brought to you by Charlie Strong, the Louisville Defense led the way. Murray State was clearly a less talented squad and so I should be careful not to exaggerate what this says about Louisville, but the defense dominated in a way that I don't think many expected; most predictions I saw expected Murray to reach double digits in scoring. What I marveled at during the game was the quickness and clear athletic ability with which our younger players -- many Strong's first recruits -- swarmed and hunted at breakneck speed, fitting naturally into Vance Bedford's aggressive defensive schemes. Tonight they were fierce against an overwhelmed opponent. Eventually, their mettle will be tested, and the learning curve will also serve as baptism by fire.

Game preview: defense looks to pick up where it left off

(If you have any problem seeing the video below, it's because these WDRB links seem to have trouble loading. Try clicking on the post, or click here.)

...and predictions

My depression over still being relatively blogless is no match for the exuberance of kickoff for Cardinal football. Let's do this thing.

Despite Mr. Forde's odd prognostication, this one won't be close. It won't be pretty, but there will be few moments when the game is seriously in jeopardy.

(Aside: My thoughts on Forde's call for a UofL upset? If you read his whole column, he spends a significant chunk railing against certain fans, their "cult of victimhood" and "paranoia that the NCAA has it out for them". I have a feeling we know which generic "fans" he was referring to, and I don't think he was talking about football either. Anywho, so deep down in his journalistic heart, I think Forde felt the need to do something to balance his subconcious lashing out towards UK loonies, therefore a strange prediction that UofL gets upset. Just a thought)

All eyes will be on the Cards fledgling offensive line, and they will play unevenly. They stuggle to get consistent push against a frisky Racer defensive line, and the running game sputters in fits and starts. But the do manage to keep Will Stein upright for the most part, and that allows the Cards to exploit the biggest mismatch of the game.

The Louisville receivers outclass the Murray State backs, and there is relentless shouting from my aerial view in the UPS FLIGHT DECK:

Red: Did you see how OPEN DeVante Parker was?!?!?

Mrs. Red: Huh?

Teddy Bridgewater takes over for the first possession in the 2nd quarter. The drive stalls around midfield, but he leads the team downfield on the next possession before Jeremy Wright breaks through for a TD. Bridgewater finishes the game with respectable stats, but no TDs.

Josh Chichester takes Player of the Game honors with almost 100 yards receiving and a difficult TD snag. The stadium will be 3/4ths full at kickoff (still pretty impressive, considering). Story of the game will be the Louisville defense, picking up where they left off last season dialing up havoc and swarming to the football. The D will score at least one touchdown. The success of the rest of the defensive unit largely masks the inexpereinced cornerbacks, who hold their own.

Final score. 44-17. Player of Game? Josh Chichester. Story of game? Vance Bedford and his wolfpack defense. Secondary story of game? Need for offensive line improvement.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH C! A! R! D! S! CARRRRRDS.

Predictions, predictions...

Will Stein's debut as the starter will be steady but low-key. A first quarter interception will betray some early-game jitters, but Short Round will eventually settle in and run the offense capably. Short Round's ability to escape a collapsing pocket and throw on the run will cancel out some questionable decisions throwing downfield.

But the real key to the offense will be the balance struck between Victor Anderson and Jeremy Wright. Although Victor is the New Face, it will become apparent following a breakaway run by Wright that running duties truly will be shared this season.

Those predictions about the offense aside, Louisville's success in this game will depend on the ability of its challenged secondary to slow down the Racers' noted passing attack. Expect mistakes across the board during the first half especially in from the cornerbacks, but adjustments by strong after the half will be evident.

As long as Louisville's defensive line can put pressure on quarterback Casey Brockman, forcing him to make bad decisions; and following a sack by either Greg Scruggs or Hakeem Smith on what was a risky blitz, Louisville will begin to pull away during the third quarter, and Victor Anderson will help put it away with key runs in the fourth. Call this one for the Cards 27-17. Player of the game: Hakeem Smith

Game preview: all three quarterbacks will play

You gotta love, and at the same time be a bit nervous about, Will Stein slightly pushing back against Charlie Strong's instructions to contain his inner Favre. "Sometimes, I mean, you've got to be that [Favre], if you want to be one of the better quarterbacks in the conference," says Stein in the video below, then quickly retreating back to the emphasis on ball control. (click on the post if the video doesn't appear below, or click here). We'll see which mindset wins out tonight, as well as action from our other QBS, bud you sure don't get the sense that Stein will be timid.

The Time Has Arrived

Summer has ended. The wait is over. It's time to play football.

Tonight, 6 p.m. against Murray State. Game televised on ESPNU. 

Pat Forde's already picked against us, deciding this one is going to go Murray's way. Most commentators predict we'll be mired near the bottom of the league by season's end. No respect. Time to make them pay.

GO CARDS!

What we're up against

From the CJ's article on Murray State quarterback Casey Brockman and the Racer offense, about a month ago:

[Brockman] started three games as a freshman in 2009, due in part to injuries to other quarterbacks. When coach Matt Griffin was fired and Chris Hatcher stepped in, Brockman and then-senior Jeff Ehrhardt competed for the starting job last season. Hatcher called the battle close but opted for the more experienced Ehrhardt.

The Racers started 1-4 and seemed to be on their way to another discouraging season. But in a 40-34 loss at Jacksonville State, ranked No. 4 in the Football Championship Subdivision and a victor over Mississippi, Brockman came off the bench to rally the team from a 19-point deficit.

“Lo and behold, we’re moving the ball all over the place,” Hatcher recalled. “The next week we started him, and we win five out of the last six games. He makes us go. He’s one of those guys you want on your team. He’s never going to look like he’s doing a whole lot, then all of sudden at the end of the game he has more points than you have.”

Hatcher, a former University of Kentucky assistant who mentored Tim Couch, runs the same type of wide-open offense. He likened Brockman to former UK quarterback Dusty Bonner, who transferred to Valdosta State and became a two-time Division II Player of the Year under Hatcher.

Last season Brockman passed for 2,442 yards and 15 TDs with six interceptions in nine games and also rushed for seven scores. He set an OVC record with 570 passing yards and tied a record with seven TD passes in a 72-59 victory over Missouri State.

“The system we play in really helps,” the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Brockman said. “You’ve got to have good receivers. You just put the ball in the right spot. Hopefully, the receivers will make a play and do a little something after the catch.”

Full article here.

In honor of Short Round

Will Stein has been the presumed starter since spring camp (Here's a nice post about Stein written by ESPN's Brian Bennett from that time). And yet Stein reflected a few days ago that he realized only last week that he would be Louisville's first-string guy for certain.

That type of humility and earnestness, combined with his local roots and, of course, the grit it takes to show the world you can play when you're 5 foot 9, is the reason why Stein counts so many fans as supporters with so few doubters among the Cardinal faithful. When you account for the fact that Stein hasn't played much in his career, it's pretty impressive how fans have come to embrace him.

Make no mistake, quarterback IS a big question this year. And yet, Cards fans near and far appear very comfortable knowing that Stein will be at the helm, even as Teddy B. challenges him for playing time as the season progresses. We're rooting hard for his success. 

By now it is cliche to say that we've always been fans of Stein on this site. But I gotta admit, it was pretty cool to look through the archives and recall Short Round's contributions prior to this season, large and small. Among the favorites:

Should Stein start against West Virginia ? (Nov. 4, 2009) -- As we hurtled deeper into a lost season, I made the case to give Stein a chance... what was there to lose?

In defense of Stein (Nov. 9, 2009) -- Stein got his shot, and the results were uneven. Nothing ever did work out smoothly during the Kragthorpe era.

Burkenstein? (Nov. 3, 2010) -- Mr. Red tries to sort out who should play following Adam Froman's injury last season, and throws his hat in with Stein.

And the performances (Nov. 26, 2010) -- After Justin Burke went down with back spasms against Rutgers last year, Stein entered the game and kept his cool in helping Louisville secure its long-awaited bowl berth in the regular season finale. 

Stein's World (April 18, 2011) -- Mr. Red sums it up: the present belongs to Will Stein.

We're not dead!

Not yet anyway.

If you're reading this, somehow you found us. You have managed to trace our location, despite our regular domain name crashing last Tuesday (happy second birthday Cardinal Laws). Such are the skills and techniques of a truly web-savvy Cards fan... actually, are you interested in running a blog? Because we clearly have no idea what we're doing around here.

For the second year in a row, we've forgotten to renew our domain name. Why does this have to happen right when the new football season is about to begin each year? We're preoccupied!

But here we are now, rising from the ashes, determined to make the best of a bad situation. And, incredibly, football is upon us. Web access or not, it's time to get back to work.

Many thanks to Charlie Springer for posting our backup web address at U of L Card Game and linking us back to the outside world. It was two years ago that Charlie gave us our first big boost by linking to our obscure blog and expanding our viewership by approximately 3,000 percent. Here we are two years later, and he's got us on life support, applying the oxygen, refusing to allow us to die. Thanks Charlie.

As mentioned below, Cardinal Laws will be available at our default domain name for the time being: www.cardinal-laws.blogspot.com. Should this web address stop working in the next few days, it will be because we are back up at our usual address at www.cardinal-laws.com. I realize more broken links is not ideal, but we need to get back at our old web link ASAP. Don't give up on us ladies and gentlemen. Okay, gentlemen.

Regular posting resumes tomorrow. It's time to survive. Go Cards!

CARDINAL LAWS available at www.cardinal-laws.blogspot.com

For the time being, Cardinal Laws can be accessed at www.cardinal-laws.blogspot.com. We will revert back to our regular domain name as soon as it's back up. (We forgot to renew our domain name) We apologize for the interruption these past few days and thank you for your patience.