There are reasons the NFL plays those boring pre-season games. It’s the same concerns that cause major college teams try to start out with a pushover game. It’s so week one doesn’t look like a pre-season game. The absence of that experience leads me to anticipate week one will be brutal from a technical standpoint. I guess some games will be okay but most will likely be filled with procedural penalties and missed opportunities. I written this before but no practice can truly simulate real game conditions.
I expect the Cards’ passing game to suffer the most. No matter how many reps they’ve had the timing between Murray & Hopkins will take a few games. Fortunately Hopkins has one of the best catch radii in the game to cover some of this. Still not hitting him in stride will cost yards and maybe a turnover.
Last season the Cards looked rough in the red zone. The best teams in this regard tend to exhibit precision play. They don’t commit costly penalties and they run precise routes. They don’t miss blocks and they don’t commit turnovers. They never look confused.
Last year’s team was also deficient in clock management. Again this is hard to correct in practices. You need game time conditions so the process can be honed. There’s no question about the Cards being aware of these issues. There is a question about if the Cards have moved passed them.
This team has much better personnel than last year. I expect significant improvement. Still, a week one victory on the road is a big ask. However, if everything stays fairly normal this team should contend for the playoffs.
I expect the Cards’ passing game to suffer the most. No matter how many reps they’ve had the timing between Murray & Hopkins will take a few games. Fortunately Hopkins has one of the best catch radii in the game to cover some of this. Still not hitting him in stride will cost yards and maybe a turnover.
Last season the Cards looked rough in the red zone. The best teams in this regard tend to exhibit precision play. They don’t commit costly penalties and they run precise routes. They don’t miss blocks and they don’t commit turnovers. They never look confused.
Last year’s team was also deficient in clock management. Again this is hard to correct in practices. You need game time conditions so the process can be honed. There’s no question about the Cards being aware of these issues. There is a question about if the Cards have moved passed them.
This team has much better personnel than last year. I expect significant improvement. Still, a week one victory on the road is a big ask. However, if everything stays fairly normal this team should contend for the playoffs.
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