Morey’s attention to detail pays off

The Cardinals’ biggest play of the season was no fluke.

Sean Morey’s blocked punt that sealed the win over Dallas two weeks ago followed his elaborate, detailed, weekly routine. That’s how a guy 5-foot-10, 190 pounds can make huge plays.

Morey not only scouts opponents, he also studies game tape of himself — he calls it “self scouting — to see which moves are working and which aren’t.”

In addition to lifting weights, he continually works on hand exercises.

He wears gloves, forearm guards and hand guards, sometimes making motions like a swimmer, sometimes throwing out combinations like a boxer, slapping down other players’ hands, all to keep his own hands strong and quick.

“As a special teams player, you need to be able to play with your hands, whether it be getting off a block, beating somebody on a punt rush, getting off a double team.”

On punt coverage, Morey is the “gunner,” the guy out wide who tries to rush down first to tackle the returner, usually while trying to escape two opponents who are trying to pummel him.

“It’s like a chicken fight. You just can’t allow them to get their hands on you.

“If you do … they can hold you as much as they want as long as you don’t go to the ground. You’re dead in the water if you let them get their hands on you.”

On the other side of the ball, Morey is forever looking for ways to sneak in and block punts.

To enhance his chances, he searches for indicators that might reveal what the opposing special teams are trying to do.

He made a big-time discovery in the moments leading up to his huge block.

Morey noticed the Cowboys had inserted a new player into their punt team.

He also knew the situation — the Cowboys were backed up to their goal line and needed to prevent a return. Otherwise, the Cardinals probably would need only one first down before kicking a game-winning field goal.

Earlier in the game, Morey said the Cardinals’ Tim Hightower had done “an exceptional job” of tying up the Cowboys’ slot man; that’s the guy on the end of the line who — like the gunner — is supposed to get downfield quickly.

“Because that slot wasn’t getting down the field, his coach probably was yelling at him, saying, 'Listen, you got to get down and cover.’ ”

The Cowboys, apparently because of an injury, had moved their left tackle on punts one spot to the guard position.

Morey noticed the new player with a number in the 20s, probably a safety, line up as an undersized left tackle.

“He wasn’t even looking at me.”

The Cowboys coaches probably had explained to him the Cardinals generally were setting up for returns to the sideline; in fact, on the fateful play, they were geared for a return, not a block, Morey said.

The Cowboys’ slot player, perhaps thinking about Hightower, was preoccupied with getting downfield quickly.

The result: “It created an open seam” between the slot and the tackle.

“Knowing the situation and what they’re thinking backed up on the goal line, with a coach screaming at them, 'Get out and cover!,’ they probably weren’t even thinking protection first.”

Morey watched the long snapper hitch his knees slightly, the signal he would hike the ball an instant later.

Morey found the seam and raced in from the right defensive side, unblocked.

At this point, for a moment, he considered trying to take the ball right off the punter’s foot.

But earlier in the game, after nearly blocking a punt — he forced it to sail short and to the sideline — assistant coach Todd Haley had told him if the situation arose again “make sure I get to the block point.”

So Morey made sure not to overrun the play.

“I heard a thud. He kicked it, but into my gut. I just wanted to make sure I smothered it.”

Special teams coach Kevin Spencer praised Morey’s work habits and attention to detail.

He also described Morey’s age-old “fear factor.”

Morey has been cut from a host of teams. He usually is the last receiver on a team; that’s the case with the Cardinals.

“If you’re going to lop somebody off, that can be the guy,” Spencer said. “The fact he may be unemployed … and he’s had some disappointments … that’s a great motivator.”

After Morey’s block, teammate Monty Beisel picked up the ball and rolled into the end zone for the win.

Morey’s detailed preparation, then his quick thinking, had worked out beautifully for the Cardinals.

It’s all in a week’s work.

CARDINALS AT PANTHERS

10 a.m. Sunday, Channel 10