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Cowboys vs. Cardinals: Five Questions With Revenge Of The Birds

Getting some enemy Intel on the Cardinals.

Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

It's Friday, so it is time for Five Questions. This week, we talk to Jess Root over at Revenge Of The Birds.

Blogging The Boys: Give us the scoop on the medical issues Carson Palmer has had, and what he's brought to the Cardinals as the quarterback.

Revenge Of The Birds: Carson is healthy. He had the shoulder nerve issue, but that is over. He is lifting weights and everything. As a quarterback, he has been great. This year, he knows the offense and has only thrown one interception to go with eight touchdowns. At this point last season, he had eight touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He is smart, he can make all the throws and has poise in the pocket.

BTB: Like Dallas, Arizona is something of a surprise team. What didn't people see in the offseason that has turned out to be fueling these wins?

ROTB: They didn't see the resolve they play with. They play as a unit. Their depth was overlooked and, I guess, they overlooked how good Todd Bowles is. They continue to make plays on defense and they have one starter from 2013 in their front seven. The coaching staff has this team believing they can beat anyone and the players work hard in practice and on the field.

BTB: How would you describe coach Bruce Arians and the brand of football he has brought to Arizona?

ROTB: Arians is known for his offense that pushes the ball down the field. He wants to take several deep shots every game. He brings an attitude of winning and history. His coaching staff has a mix of extreme experience (Tom Pratt, Tom Moore) and new and young coaches/coordinators (Harold Goodwin). Mostly, he brings a healthy bravado and swagger. He wants a physical and aggressive defense and he has that. He wants a potent offense (not quite there) and he wants big plays (he does get that). But he wants to win.

BTB: Everybody saw Washington beat Dallas by blitzing the heck out of them, do you anticipate the same from the Cards? How good is their blitz package?

ROTB: Yes! Arizona blitzes more than any other team in football. They do so 47 percent of the time since Todd Bowles became DC. They blitz for a lot of reasons -- not just QB pressure. Sometimes it is to stop the run and other times it is to keep a good pass-catching RB in for protection. But they will blitz and a lot. It hasn't been good at getting sacks, as they only have seven in seven games, but they do get quarterbacks off their spot.

BTB: Based on what you've seen from Arizona and Dallas this year, what is the script for a Cardinals victory on Sunday?

ROTB: Arizona will win if they take away the run game (a tall task) and win the turnover battle. That has been the recipe for winning so far and if they continue to do it, it will work again.

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