What's up fellas, I posted this originally on the Cards message board so you may have seen this already but here it is for those that don't read that MB.
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Well Zo and I made the trip up to "Prescuit" to partake in the day's activities and we had an absolute blast. I'd like to thank the Cards and the city of Prescott for doing an outstanding job with today's mock game.
The players were so great with the fans, after the kids were taken care of they were more than happy to sign autographs, shake hands and shoot the ish with us "Big kids". It was awesome to have interaction with guys that are really cool and flat out funny as hell such as (my fav player) Adrian Wilson, Chike Okeafer, Marcel Shipp, D. Dock, Robert Griffith, Eric Green, and ect. I can't say enough about how accommodating and genuine the players were all the while being themselves and keepin it real with the fans. Every player we came in contact with thanked us for coming out and showing support.
Now for the meat....
Game Observations:
Offense
-Warner looked very sharp on just about every pass, his accuracy and timing are just jaw dropping. He hit BJ perfectly in stride on a long TD pass down the right sideline. BJ hit a 6th gear and blew by the DB, not sure who it was. I was concerned on one of the very first plays I believe it was Antonio Smith who came around and actually hit Warner on his throwing hand and it did hurt him a bit. He needed a time out but was able to shake it off. To Warner's credit he barked at Smith a little bit and I thought that really fired him up. Haven’t seen much of that side of him before.
-McCown- Honestly looked like a typical McCown performance, not absolutely terrible but definitely nothing special. He had a ball that got tipped by a LB but BJ went up and made a spectacular grab. He was not very accurate on passes longer than 5 yards, he seems to have a strong arm but guys were having to reach down, jump up, ect to make the plays where as Warner's balls were right there as soon as the receivers came out of their breaks. Those quick outs though he has down pact. He still has the habit of trying to make every single play and one time actually avoided a sack, rolled out of the pocket to his left, and instead of just throwing it away or running out of bounds he tried to throw into a crowd and almost got intercepted. He did have a great play on a naked bootleg off play action, ran for a good 20-25 yards, he is a really fast guy for his size. Both McCown and Warner played with the #1's.
-Navarre was unimpressive, he had a couple of balls batted down at the line and looked like he just had too slow of a release. In his defense he had guys in his face almost every time he dropped back, the second team O-Line just could not handle the #1 D-line, it was ridiculous. He had a ball that was tipped and picked off by Tate and Tate took it all the way back to the house. His footwork was good but he clearly needs time in the pocket to be effective. (obviously) He and Chang alternated possessions with the #2's.
-Chang started off well, he throws a very, very nice ball, he struggled though running the offense and when pressured seemed like he didn't know exactly where to go with the ball. He got "sacked" several times where he had enough time to get a throw off but just didn't pull the trigger for whatever reason. He did have one play where he avoided the rush, stepped up in the pocket nicely and let a 25 yard bullet go that was right on target but either McCoy or Fabian Davis, not sure which one, got a case of alligator arms as one of our DB's was about to lay him out (if they were actually hitting) as soon as he caught the ball. That was one of the most exciting plays of the game and it was disappointing that the receiver couldn't make that play. Denny really spent a lot of time coaching Chang individually after his series'.
-JJ looked good, but not spectacular. He has a really nice burst and a lot of jukes; he embarrassed #45 on a juke move off of a screen pass and almost scored a TD.
-Cel is pretty much his polar opposite. He took the ball and just attacked the line of scrimmage. Just give me the ball and I'm gonna run it right down your throat type of stuff. He got most of the touches once the team got inside the 10-yard line. Both he and JJ played with the # 1's. Croom got most of the playing time with the # 2's and was absolutely terrible. I think a lot had to do with the #2 O-line not being able to handle the #1's but still Croom showed me nothing.
-Fitz is an animal, his routes were 100% sharper than they were a year ago and his hands are immaculate. He seems like he is more physical than last year too, not afraid to create contact and then separate. I think Kurt really looks for him even when a play is not necessarily designed to be thrown his way. (This being said with Q being out of action of course) BJ had a great game. The other receivers really did not show much so I have no idea who has the inside track on the #4 WR spot.
What really stood out the most to both Zo and me about the offense was all of the shifting and motion that took place on almost every play. I mean we're talking WR's in motion, TE's in motions, RB's in motion, JJ moving out to the slot, ect., and not just the token move the blocker to where we're gonna run type of motion. I've never seen anything like it.
None of the tight ends stood out really, not sure if they even caught a ball all day.
-O-Line
Hard to make assessments from a mock game with no actual tackling but as a unit the #1's dominated the #2 D-line. It wasn't even funny. Hodgy is a big as I've ever seen him and he really got after it. He looks like he is going to help our O-line a lot this season.
Defense
I would have to say that the #1 unit as a whole completely dominated today's mock game both against the pass and the run, but keep in mind They were facing the likes of Croom, Navarre and Chang at QB and RB so take it for what its worth.
-Dockett looks like he has stepped up his game from last year, and we all know what he did last season. He batted a ball down and had pressure on the QB all day and was consistently intense throught the day (even in the autograph session, lol)
-Bertrand looks very quick, on one play he got a hand in on Tim Chang to create what would have been a fumble had it been a real game, and the funny thing was I could actually tell he kinda held back a bit once he burned by the tackle and got to Chang, he chose not to really "hit" him while he was throwing the ball and for Chang's sake I'm glad he did. BB looks really quick, and physically dominating as he did last year.
-Chike seemed not to be going all out and I feel him, and I don't really recall him making any plays, but he's cool and funny as hell so I'll let that slide.
-Cal Pace was really quick and looked much more intense than I've ever seen him. He has noticeably bulked up but still he looks like a pure speed rusher. As much as I've bashed the guy I really hope he can get his act together and be a player for us. Did not really impress though beyond looking bigger than he has in the past.
-A Dubb was solid, he is a real leader out there. He is really stepping into his role as a leader on this club and it seemed like guys really looked to him for direction and leadership at times. The guy is cool as hell, every Cardinal fan should be glad to have some one of his caliber on our team. There were no balls thrown anywhere in his vicinity all day.
-Macklin looked good, he got away with holding at least twice though. He was really physical and this was a "mock" game. Seems like he will get penalized for some of the things he was doing out there if it were a real game, but the bottom line is he didn’t give up and big plays.
-Eric Green is really aggressive. He blankets the receiver and his quickness and recovery is outstanding. He hawks the receiver and probably got there early a time or two as well, but again, the bottom line is he didn't give up jack. I thought he was surprisingly small as far as slender wise, doesn't have a lot of meat on him. Also surprising being that he is coming from a Frank beamer coached program they did not use him much on special teams. He's a funny guy, good kid...
-Tate was the benefactor of some great pressure on the QB but he still made play after play. You really have to be impressed with the guy. Another guy that didn't give up jack and when he did get a ball that was tipped, he knew just what to do with it. I've got nothing but respect for the guy. No one else in the secondary really did anything.
-LB's were a tough group to gage, as there really were no LB blitzes or anything. Huff did look good but so did Hayes, and right now that looks like a real battle for the starting MLB spot. Dansby is the man, explosive is the word that 1st comes to mind to try to describe his play. Darling clearly outplayed the young'ins. Hard to tell from the mock game what this group will bring in '05.
-Special teams
Rackers was booming kick offs as usual and I love him for that alone. He was money except one FG they gave him credit for there were not actual uprights at that end of the field and I think at best it would have clanked off the upright, but he looks good. Player shanked one punt but then came back and absolutely drilled a few more. These guys will be rocks for us as they were last season. "Seabiscuit" aka Dan Sheldon was by far the smallest guy out there but man can that kid fly. He was good but not spectacular. Honestly the best looking guy on returns was JR Redmond. He always caught the ball cleanly and knew how to use his blockers. Not sure how this will play out...
ST coverage looks to be much improved. Guys were flying around and making plays against the returners, #46 Harold Marrow made a couple of great coverage plays and he really played to the crowd.
All in all it's pretty obvious we are moving in the right direction here. We have one week until preseason officially kicks off for us and as far as the #1 O and D go, we can play with anybody. Based on Saturday's mock though our depth is questionable particularly in the trenches. It's also obvious to me that we need Trel to sign and get into camp ASAP, we are going to lean heavily on him based on some of the scheming I saw. One week from today fellas, it all begins. The Lights go on, the pads will be poppin, good God I'm hyped for this season. Sorry this was so long and thanks for reading to all those that actually made it through it all... Peace
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Well Zo and I made the trip up to "Prescuit" to partake in the day's activities and we had an absolute blast. I'd like to thank the Cards and the city of Prescott for doing an outstanding job with today's mock game.
The players were so great with the fans, after the kids were taken care of they were more than happy to sign autographs, shake hands and shoot the ish with us "Big kids". It was awesome to have interaction with guys that are really cool and flat out funny as hell such as (my fav player) Adrian Wilson, Chike Okeafer, Marcel Shipp, D. Dock, Robert Griffith, Eric Green, and ect. I can't say enough about how accommodating and genuine the players were all the while being themselves and keepin it real with the fans. Every player we came in contact with thanked us for coming out and showing support.
Now for the meat....
Game Observations:
Offense
-Warner looked very sharp on just about every pass, his accuracy and timing are just jaw dropping. He hit BJ perfectly in stride on a long TD pass down the right sideline. BJ hit a 6th gear and blew by the DB, not sure who it was. I was concerned on one of the very first plays I believe it was Antonio Smith who came around and actually hit Warner on his throwing hand and it did hurt him a bit. He needed a time out but was able to shake it off. To Warner's credit he barked at Smith a little bit and I thought that really fired him up. Haven’t seen much of that side of him before.
-McCown- Honestly looked like a typical McCown performance, not absolutely terrible but definitely nothing special. He had a ball that got tipped by a LB but BJ went up and made a spectacular grab. He was not very accurate on passes longer than 5 yards, he seems to have a strong arm but guys were having to reach down, jump up, ect to make the plays where as Warner's balls were right there as soon as the receivers came out of their breaks. Those quick outs though he has down pact. He still has the habit of trying to make every single play and one time actually avoided a sack, rolled out of the pocket to his left, and instead of just throwing it away or running out of bounds he tried to throw into a crowd and almost got intercepted. He did have a great play on a naked bootleg off play action, ran for a good 20-25 yards, he is a really fast guy for his size. Both McCown and Warner played with the #1's.
-Navarre was unimpressive, he had a couple of balls batted down at the line and looked like he just had too slow of a release. In his defense he had guys in his face almost every time he dropped back, the second team O-Line just could not handle the #1 D-line, it was ridiculous. He had a ball that was tipped and picked off by Tate and Tate took it all the way back to the house. His footwork was good but he clearly needs time in the pocket to be effective. (obviously) He and Chang alternated possessions with the #2's.
-Chang started off well, he throws a very, very nice ball, he struggled though running the offense and when pressured seemed like he didn't know exactly where to go with the ball. He got "sacked" several times where he had enough time to get a throw off but just didn't pull the trigger for whatever reason. He did have one play where he avoided the rush, stepped up in the pocket nicely and let a 25 yard bullet go that was right on target but either McCoy or Fabian Davis, not sure which one, got a case of alligator arms as one of our DB's was about to lay him out (if they were actually hitting) as soon as he caught the ball. That was one of the most exciting plays of the game and it was disappointing that the receiver couldn't make that play. Denny really spent a lot of time coaching Chang individually after his series'.
-JJ looked good, but not spectacular. He has a really nice burst and a lot of jukes; he embarrassed #45 on a juke move off of a screen pass and almost scored a TD.
-Cel is pretty much his polar opposite. He took the ball and just attacked the line of scrimmage. Just give me the ball and I'm gonna run it right down your throat type of stuff. He got most of the touches once the team got inside the 10-yard line. Both he and JJ played with the # 1's. Croom got most of the playing time with the # 2's and was absolutely terrible. I think a lot had to do with the #2 O-line not being able to handle the #1's but still Croom showed me nothing.
-Fitz is an animal, his routes were 100% sharper than they were a year ago and his hands are immaculate. He seems like he is more physical than last year too, not afraid to create contact and then separate. I think Kurt really looks for him even when a play is not necessarily designed to be thrown his way. (This being said with Q being out of action of course) BJ had a great game. The other receivers really did not show much so I have no idea who has the inside track on the #4 WR spot.
What really stood out the most to both Zo and me about the offense was all of the shifting and motion that took place on almost every play. I mean we're talking WR's in motion, TE's in motions, RB's in motion, JJ moving out to the slot, ect., and not just the token move the blocker to where we're gonna run type of motion. I've never seen anything like it.
None of the tight ends stood out really, not sure if they even caught a ball all day.
-O-Line
Hard to make assessments from a mock game with no actual tackling but as a unit the #1's dominated the #2 D-line. It wasn't even funny. Hodgy is a big as I've ever seen him and he really got after it. He looks like he is going to help our O-line a lot this season.
Defense
I would have to say that the #1 unit as a whole completely dominated today's mock game both against the pass and the run, but keep in mind They were facing the likes of Croom, Navarre and Chang at QB and RB so take it for what its worth.
-Dockett looks like he has stepped up his game from last year, and we all know what he did last season. He batted a ball down and had pressure on the QB all day and was consistently intense throught the day (even in the autograph session, lol)
-Bertrand looks very quick, on one play he got a hand in on Tim Chang to create what would have been a fumble had it been a real game, and the funny thing was I could actually tell he kinda held back a bit once he burned by the tackle and got to Chang, he chose not to really "hit" him while he was throwing the ball and for Chang's sake I'm glad he did. BB looks really quick, and physically dominating as he did last year.
-Chike seemed not to be going all out and I feel him, and I don't really recall him making any plays, but he's cool and funny as hell so I'll let that slide.
-Cal Pace was really quick and looked much more intense than I've ever seen him. He has noticeably bulked up but still he looks like a pure speed rusher. As much as I've bashed the guy I really hope he can get his act together and be a player for us. Did not really impress though beyond looking bigger than he has in the past.
-A Dubb was solid, he is a real leader out there. He is really stepping into his role as a leader on this club and it seemed like guys really looked to him for direction and leadership at times. The guy is cool as hell, every Cardinal fan should be glad to have some one of his caliber on our team. There were no balls thrown anywhere in his vicinity all day.
-Macklin looked good, he got away with holding at least twice though. He was really physical and this was a "mock" game. Seems like he will get penalized for some of the things he was doing out there if it were a real game, but the bottom line is he didn’t give up and big plays.
-Eric Green is really aggressive. He blankets the receiver and his quickness and recovery is outstanding. He hawks the receiver and probably got there early a time or two as well, but again, the bottom line is he didn't give up jack. I thought he was surprisingly small as far as slender wise, doesn't have a lot of meat on him. Also surprising being that he is coming from a Frank beamer coached program they did not use him much on special teams. He's a funny guy, good kid...
-Tate was the benefactor of some great pressure on the QB but he still made play after play. You really have to be impressed with the guy. Another guy that didn't give up jack and when he did get a ball that was tipped, he knew just what to do with it. I've got nothing but respect for the guy. No one else in the secondary really did anything.
-LB's were a tough group to gage, as there really were no LB blitzes or anything. Huff did look good but so did Hayes, and right now that looks like a real battle for the starting MLB spot. Dansby is the man, explosive is the word that 1st comes to mind to try to describe his play. Darling clearly outplayed the young'ins. Hard to tell from the mock game what this group will bring in '05.
-Special teams
Rackers was booming kick offs as usual and I love him for that alone. He was money except one FG they gave him credit for there were not actual uprights at that end of the field and I think at best it would have clanked off the upright, but he looks good. Player shanked one punt but then came back and absolutely drilled a few more. These guys will be rocks for us as they were last season. "Seabiscuit" aka Dan Sheldon was by far the smallest guy out there but man can that kid fly. He was good but not spectacular. Honestly the best looking guy on returns was JR Redmond. He always caught the ball cleanly and knew how to use his blockers. Not sure how this will play out...
ST coverage looks to be much improved. Guys were flying around and making plays against the returners, #46 Harold Marrow made a couple of great coverage plays and he really played to the crowd.
All in all it's pretty obvious we are moving in the right direction here. We have one week until preseason officially kicks off for us and as far as the #1 O and D go, we can play with anybody. Based on Saturday's mock though our depth is questionable particularly in the trenches. It's also obvious to me that we need Trel to sign and get into camp ASAP, we are going to lean heavily on him based on some of the scheming I saw. One week from today fellas, it all begins. The Lights go on, the pads will be poppin, good God I'm hyped for this season. Sorry this was so long and thanks for reading to all those that actually made it through it all... Peace
, but it finally clicked... 
