Nick Rallis kept it a secret from his players, that his wife had given birth to their second child Sunday morning. The world knew before the Cardinals, since the news was shown during the CBS broadcast as the Cardinals were putting a whipping on the Bears and Rallis’ defense was a big reason why.
Dominick Kyzir Rallis came into the world, and that was good news anyway, but it caught the attention – of everyone that Rallis had given his child the middle name of one of his biggest defensive leaders, emphasizing a closeness that might not have been fully realized.
“He’s been telling me for a few weeks, but I thought he was playing around,” linebacker Kyzir White said during the joy of the postgame locker room. “He kept fishing around, ‘Hey, what’s your name mean?’ I was like, ‘I don’t even know what my name means, to be honest.’
“I asked my Mom and looked it up and sent it to him. It meant handsome and something else. He was like, ‘Man, you ain’t handsome.’ Joking around.”
White didn’t know Rallis’ baby was born until he was told during a postgame interview on the field.
“That’s a blessing,” White said. “That’s my guy. In Philly that was my position coach, so to see him grow. He don’t blow smoke. He don’t tell me what I want to hear, he tells me what I need to hear. And he’s only like three years older than me. He’s a great coach. I love Nick, man. He’s going to be a head coach one day.”
The relationship between Rallis and White is special. But it also underscores the team Jonathan Gannon has built, a team that now has won three straight and done it in Gannon’s image. The home win against the Rams had a similar result, but the hammering the Cardinals delivered Sunday on both sides of the ball was a physical beatdown he likes to deliver.
All teams that win have chemistry. (That’s a post for another day, but I am a big believer that the winning begats chemistry, not vice versa). And it is palpable for this team right now, the way they play, they way they approach the game. You don’t need an example of a coach giving his son the middle name after one of his key players to prove that, but it doesn’t hurt.
As good as Rallis’ day was Sunday with the baby and the dominating unit, assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers has his unit playing at a crazy good level. Every week it feels like there are multiple examples. Sunday, it was Joey Blount racing down to down a Blake Gillikin punt inside the 1 (that set up a safety), it was Gillkin averaging 46.8 yards a punt and downing three inside the 20, it was Greg Dortch sparking the first TD drive with a 27-yard punt return. It was the continuing excellence of kicker Chad Ryland, who had a 55-yard field goal. Rodgers deserves to be in the conversation at this early stage for assistant coach of the year.
Both Rodgers and Rallis got gameballs, Gannon said. Well deserved.
As for Ryland, he has been money. His 55-yard field goal was drilled so well that it went over the crossbar near the top of the uprights – a kick that might’ve been good from 68 or 70 yards.
“I appreciate you guys noticing that,” Ryland said with a smile. “It comes back to, the main goal is making kicks. You can kick the ball as big and high and far as you want, but if it doesn’t go between the pipes it’s zero points. We’re not in the CFL, where you get one point if you kick it out of the back of the end zone.”
Ryland, nice guy that he is, quickly pointed out he wasn’t trying to insult the CFL.
The roof was open to start the game, but when weather moved in – there was even some hail – it ended up closed for most of the game. It did allow for some inclement weather football, which is obviously a rarity.
LB Zaven Collins in the rain.
Pete Vander Stoep/Arizona Cardinals LB Zaven Collins in the rain.
Tight end Trey McBride isn’t going to be mistaken for Paul Hornung running the old Packers sweep, but he did get a two-yard TD run by bulling his way to the pylon.
“We actually just added it recently,” he said. “We probably practiced it three or four times. It looked good in practice and I knew they were going to give me a chance on it.”
McBride has yet to have a receiving TD this season, but now he’s got a rushing TD for the first time in his NFL career.
The Bears had held teams to less than 21 points for 13 straight games – including the Cardinals in a game at Chicago last December. The Cards snapped that streak, as well as obliterating the most yards the Bears had allowed rushing in a game this season.
Former Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt attended the game. “I texted him he needs to come to more games,” linebacker Zaven Collins said.
Kyler Murray was sacked three times, ending his sackless streak at three games. It’s a tradeoff I’m sure the QB will live with.
The Cardinals had two goal-to-go situations and scored TDs both times, making them 13-for-13 on the season. The Bears had the best red zone defense in the league coming in. The Cards were stopped on one of the goal-to-go attempts and kicked a field goal, but the Bears were flagged for a leverage penalty trying to make the block. It was an automatic first down, and Trey Benson later ran in the TD.
I enjoyed finding out Emari Demercado’s nickname was PT Cruiser. Once upon a time, I wanted one of those so badly.
— James Conner has rushed for 100 yards in four of nine games this season. He’s on pace to cross the 1,000-yard mark in the 14th game of the season.
We will see what Tuesday brings, but the trade deadline approaches. Most want to see if GM Monti Ossenfort gets a pass rusher. The pressure the Cardinals managed to put on Caleb Williams on Sunday was spectacular. It is fair to note the Bears have a bad offensive line, however. A move, if one were made, would help (although that’s the definition of any move made, I suppose.)
— That’s two safeties in two games for the Cardinals, after the bad snap to Tua in Miami turned into two points.
— Gannon gets the last word, after watching his running game dominate.
“I thought our O-line was really good. Any time you run for over 200 yards, the O-line is whoopin’ ass, you know?”
Joey Blount celebrates with teammates and fans after downing a punt late in the game.
Caitlyn Epes/Arizona Cardinals Joey Blount celebrates with teammates and fans after downing a punt late in the game.
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