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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- For the Arizona Cardinals, a preseason
victory over Seattle wasn't petty theft. It was grand larceny.
The Cardinals intercepted Glenn Foley six times in a 21-3 victory over the Seahawks on Saturday night. Two of them were
returned for touchdowns -- one 100 yards by Justin Lucas and one 45 yards by Pat Tillman.
"There are no excuses and no explanation for the way I played," Foley said. "This is as bad as I've ever felt after a game. That was like high school ball out there."
Corey Chavous intercepted Foley twice and first-round draft pick Thomas Jones scored on a 12-yard run for the Cardinals (1-1), who had lost five in a row, the final four of the 1999 regular season and last week's 31-17 exhibition loss to Denver.
"We've been talking about stressing energy all season long -- the coach especially," Chavous said. "He wants us to tackle. He wants us to make plays on the football, and I think that's stressed throughout the entire defensive unit."
The Cardinals' performance was a far cry from their 41-7 preseason loss in Seattle last year.
"This team just beat the hell out of us last year physically,"
Tillman said, "and for us to come out and play this way I think
says a lot."
Arizona's regular-season record for interceptions is seven
against the New York Bulldogs in 1949.
"It's a big-play league and we made some big plays in this ball
game," Arizona coach Vince Tobin said. "That's something we
haven't done consistently."
After failing to score a touchdown in the first quarter all of
last season, the Cardinals did it for the second week in a row in
the preseason, going 80 yards in six plays.
Jake Plummer was 3-for-3 for 66 yards on the drive, two of them to David Boston for 11 and 20 yards. Plummer also had a 35-yarder to Frank Sanders to the Seahawks 14.
"Maybe we can get people to shut up about the jinx in the first
quarter," Plummer said.
On second-and-8 at the 12, Jones, who had just 18 yards in eight
carries in his pro debut a week ago, broke two tackles on his
12-yard scoring run that made it 7-0 with 1:39 left in the first
quarter.
"He's not a big guy, but he showed some big heart out there," Plummer said of Jones. "He was fired up. He was a little disappointed in how he played last week."
The Cardinals made it 14-0 when Tillman stepped in front of James Williams to pick off Foley's sidelines pass and run untouched into the end zone for his first NFL score, preseason or not.
Tillman, in the stadium where he was a star at Arizona State,
celebrated with a backward flip. The only other Cardinal to do that
was the fictional Rod Tidwell in the movie "Jerry Maguire."
With rookie running back Shaun Alexander doing most of the damage, Seattle (1-1) drove from its own 33 to the Arizona 18 in
the third quarter. But on first down, Foley threw over the middle
and Lucas, a second-year player battling to make the team,
intercepted at the goal line. He dodged several tackles, the last
one by Foley, and ran 100 yards for the score to put Arizona up
21-0 with 7:17 left in the third quarter.
"The quarterback didn't even see me. He basically threw it
right to me and all I had to do was catch it," Lucas said. "I was
very tired. After an 11- or 12-play drive, I was very tired. I
thought it was about 80 yards. When they told me it was 100, I was
even more tired."
Plummer, who threw an NFL-high 24 interceptions last season, was 8-for-14 for 120 yards and no interceptions while playing the entire first half. Jones gained 33 yards in six carries and caught three passes for 10 yards.
Jon Kitna, starting for Seattle despite a sore lower back, was 4-for-9 for 48 yards. Foley played the entire game after the first
quarter and was 17-of-37 for 204 yards. Seattle's third
quarterback, Brock Huard, didn't play.
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said he left Foley in because "We
wanted to see him dig himself out of a hole."
"Interceptions are always a combination of problems," Holmgren said. "The quarterback can't take all the blame."
Williams caught six passes for 81 yards, and Darrell Jackson had
five receptions for 80 yards.
Seattle averted a shutout with backup kicker Kris Heppner's
38-yard field goal with 12:23 to play in the final quarter.
Cardinals defensive tackle Mark Smith, playing for the first time since ending his holdout a week ago, sacked Kitna in the first
quarter.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Seattle Clubhouse
Arizona Clubhouse
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