The @Seahawks helped out the @AZCardinals this week with advice on cleats in Charlotte against @Panthers: pic.twitter.com/4KkHaDAaWD
— Daniel Hill (@D_Hill80) January 20, 2016
The Seahawks had a meltdown in the first half of their loss to the Panthers in the divisional round last Sunday, falling behind 31-0 by the mid-way point of the second quarter. While Carolina certainly out-played them during that stretch, at least part of the reason for Seattle’s early struggles was their inability to deal with the sloppy turf at Bank of America Stadium.
The Cardinals will have to adjust to the conditions in Carolina much better than the Seahawks did if they want to win the NFC championship game, and they got an unexpected assist from their division rivals to help them in doing so.
When the Cardinals arrived at their visiting room lockers, they had helpful signs posted from the team’s training staff informing them that — per a recommendation from the Seahawks equipment manager — Arizona players should switch to 5/8 7-Stud cleats to avoid slipping.
The Cardinals probably shouldn’t have needed the tip from Seattle, considering they dealt with the same thing in last year’s playoff loss in Carolina. But nonetheless, it’s appreciated.
Once Seattle switched their cleats after the game’s third series, the whole game seemed to flip as they got the Panthers lead down to one score in the second half, coming up just short of completing the comeback.
The Cardinals aren’t a team that usually has to deal with inclement weather or bad field conditions up in Arizona, but with the Charlotte area expected to have a mix of precipitation heading into the game, one would expect the already shoddy turf at Bank of America Stadium to be even worse come Sunday.
