A discussion about our picks for the Arizona Cardinals against St Louis Rams in week 5

I have read a wide variety of blog posts and web pages today trying to determine if my picks I posted yesterday here were in line with a lot of others and it has been an interesting day of reading.

And to be honest I have seen many posts that are picking the Rams over the Cardinals. But I have also seen just as many that also picked Arizona as I did. For those that do pick them, the point spread is all over the place too.

Some of the reasons for choosing St. Louis have ranged from the Cardinals not having near the defense that their won/loss ratio suggests to them not being truly ready to win on the road. Some say they should not have won on the road against New England, and that it was just luck that they did.

I totally disagree with many of those points. Yes I think that the Cardinals defense could use with some improvement. But if you look at how they have done inside the 20, you can see that they have the talent to make it happen. I think they just need to make it happen more consistently at mid field.

I think their defense has the potential to continue to make the big plays and I also think we may see some of those big plays in tonight’s game. I think they have shown improvement in working together over the last few weeks and tonight we should see more of that defensive teamwork in forced turnovers and holding the Rams offense and stopping more 3rd down conversions.

Defensively the Rams have shown some strength, but I also think that Kevin Kolb, quarterback for the Cardinals, has the potential to keep the defense guessing more if he can successfully coordinate with his offense and run a number of no-huddle plays. This also reduces the ability of the Rams to get their substitutions on and off the field effectively which has shown to work in the Cardinals favor at times.

All in all, I haven’t really changed my mind about the pick I made for tonight’s football game, but I have gained a bit more insight into how the Rams have been playing (to be honest even though I have watch many replays on previous games, I have not had the opportunity to watch a complete game, start to finish, the Rams have played yet this season) but I am sticking with what I stated yesterday.

In fact I wonder if I was possibly being a little too conservative and that I should have picked them by 7, but based upon what I told the guys I had the challenge with, that once I made my picks (especially for tonight’s game) I would stand by them.

It’s like placing a bet on a game the day before. You do your research, watch game replays from previous weeks, study the stats, study the lines at your favorite sportsbooks like William Hill, Bet Online, Bet Fred or others, contemplate what your gut is telling you, and make a decision and place your bet.

Although I have not changed my mind and am sticking with my picks, I think tonight’s game will be a good one. Even though the Rams have a young offense they have been developing their skills well and will likely improve and show us many big plays throughout the rest of the season, I just don’t think they are at the point yet where they can be effective enough against the Arizona defense to win the game.

Kickoff is just a few hours away.