Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
About the game itself:
Impressive:
* Cardinals' first drive for a TD highlighted by a fantastic catch and sideline run by Jaron Brown, a clutch 3rd down conversion on an out pass to Sir Juke and a nifty bounce out TD run by Jonathan Dwyer, sprung by effective edge blocks by Jared Veldheer and Robert Hughes---all orchestrated very calmly and confidently by Carson Palmer.
* Cardinals' 2nd Team offense moving the ball and scoring a 2nd quarter TD versus the Vikings' 1st defense, culminating on a gutsy 4th and goal play action rollout pass from Drew Stanton to Darren Fells.
* The disruptive play of Calais Campbell and the tough tackling of Deone Bucannon and Rashad Johnson.
* The Cardinals' time-consuming TD drive to start the second half, featuring the hard-nosed runs by Stepfan Taylor and Robert Hughes (who hammered home the TD), and well orchestrated by Ryan Lindley.
* Some bright defensive flashes of speed by newly acquired ILB Desmond Bishop and the rugged, physical play of OLBs Alex Okafor and rookie Derrell Johnson.
* Bruce Arians for going for it on several 4th down situations---especially at the end of the game in trying to go for the win instead of the tie.
Unimpressive:
* The Cardinals' 1st team defense---once again, as I tried to highlight in a thread this week, do not manifest consistent ability in maintaining outside contain, defending play action passes, preventing QB scrambles and covering the opponents' TEs. Not only did the defense put little pressure on Matt Cassell, there were time when he had a three lane highway to scramble through or to see his open receivers with....the epitome of which was a 3rd and 15 conversion where the Cardinals rushed three---backed off Campbell into middle coverage, leaving no rusher whatsoever in the middle and allowing Cassell an eternity to loft a pass easily over the middle to WR Jerome Simpson who was loosely covered by Patrick Paterson.
* Speaking of loose coverage---it was consistently applied the entire game---save three plays, the one where Deone Bucannon had tight enough coverage on Kyle Rudolph in the end zone which made it difficult to adjust to the pass, the one where Justin Bethel prevented a TD pass in the right corner on tight coverage and the other where Orhian Johnson timed a pass perfectly, stretched out and broke it up only to be called for PI from an official behind the play. Having heard at one of his pressers this week BA laud Jerraud Powers as the MVP of the defense---Powers was an MVP last night as in Most Very Poor---not only did Powers get toasted all night inside and out, he slipped and took a dive to the turf on the long TD to Kyle Rudolph who caught the ball well in front of Powers in order for Powers to make a tackle on him.
* No edge rush pressure from anyone all night.
* The penalties---highlighted by the difficulty getting the ball snapped out of the shotgun in the 4th quarter by a seemingly over-amped Ryan Lindley and a quick to jump off-sides RT in Bradley Sowell....amazingly bailed out by a miraculous rugby scrum backward pass by John Estes to Zach Bauman.
* The subpar kicking of Jay Feely whose counterpart, Blair Walsh, was booming kicks deep into the endzone or out of it---and the poor ST coverage in the return game...although both Feely and Walsh hit goalposts in the game, with Feely's going through (on a 33 yard extra point) and Walsh's clanking out, and later Walsh's 33 yard extra point went wide right.
QB (3): Palmer; Stanton; Thomas
Palmer and Stanton were solid and well composed in the game---as was Lindley to start the 2nd half. However, it would have been extra interesting to see Logan Thomas versus Teddy Bridgewater (who showed the poise under pressure that Lindley lacked).
RB (4): Ellington; Taylor; Dwyer; Hughes
This unit seems set, although Taylor, Dwyer and Hughes are so similar it makes you wonder whether keeping all three is the best way to go---plus, even though there will be times BA will want to run the ball, this offense is going to be very pass oriented.
TE (4): Carlson; Housler; Niklas; Fells
Aside from Fells' excellent TD catch---this was a very quiet unit last night. Fells had his hands full trying to block Chad Greenway, who got the better of him a few times. Greenway is very good, so that should not come as a real surprise.
The real question is---are the Cardinals more dynamic with 3-4 WRs in the game, than in 2-3 TE sets? BA will play a mixture of both, but the TE situation has not developed as nicely thus far as one would have hoped, both in blocking and in receiving. This could prompt BA to use the swing tackle at TE again in key blocking situations.
OL (8): Veldheer; Cooper; Sendlein; Fanaika; Massie; Starks; Larsen; Watford
Watford and Larsen were solid as key depth players and possible starters---which is very good news for BA and HC. Starks appears to be ahead in the competition for swing tackle, but his sore ankle could cast some doubt. However, with Potter ailing and Sowell incurring the wrath of the coaches, there really isn't much competition at that spot. A waiver wire addition could sneak right in come early September.
One has to be concerned about the continuity of the offensive line the more Cooper and Sendlein are sidelined. It seems quite possible at this point that Earl Watford could actually beat out Cooper for the LG spot early in this season, much to Steve Keim's frustration.
Keeping more than eight o-linemen would seem out of the question based on the relative lack of depth talent. But, in keeping eight, BA&SK have to stock the PS with 2-3 offensive linemen---one of whom could be T Kevin Palmer who is playing reasonably well for a rookie, even though he appears a tad undersized. Another could be G/C Philip Blake or G/C Tommie Draheim (who made an excellent block on Hughes' TD), both of whom have good size and decent strength. Thus far, we have yet to see a strong push from Alabama G Anthony Steen---not enough to even warrant a PS gig.
WR (6): Fitzgerald; Floyd; Ginn Jr.; John Brown; Jaron Brown; Powell
Interesting here that John Brown was only targeted twice in the game---the first he dropped on on a wide open intermediate post and the second he left he feet to catch, which he didn't have to do. Had he caught it in stride and made one defender miss, he could have had a TD similar to Kyle Rudolph's.
Not sure why Ted Ginn Jr. was active for this game after missing most of the week in practice. He did make one nice catch on a third down conversion.
There isn't any question as to whether Walt Powell will make the team. The coaches and the scouts think he's special---and they know other teams are eyeing the Cardinals' WR depth.
Brittan Golden is playing hard and is making some good plays---but one has to wonder if he can hold up physically because of his slight frame and he's not particularly elusive. He is fast and he is courageous, however.
NT (2): Williams; Ta'amu
Looking for Dan Williams to assert himself more---and this week the team welcomes back Almeda Ta'amu who, as we know, when healthy can be a disruptive force in the middle.
DE (5): Dockett; Campbell; Rucker; Martin; Stinson
Thus far, Frostee Rucker is outplaying all DEs not named Calais Campbell. He is getting into the backfield consistently and has been pressuring the QB as well as any player on the roster. He appears to be highly motivated. Darnell Dockett looks slow---he really hobbled after Cassell on scrambles. Kareem Martin and Ed Stinson have been very quiet thus far---which is some cause for concern. It would not surprise me if Bruce Gaston, if he returns to full health, finds a way to make the roster, as he has been making the most noise in practice. I think SK may think they will be able to waive Stinson and have him go unclaimed off waivers. Stinson is kind of a tweener---he's not big enough to be a stalwart inside and he's not athletic enough to be a force on the edge as a 43 DE.
The rookie DT Justin Renfro had an impressive sack versus Bridgewater last night. Things that make you go...hmm...
ILB (4): Minter; Foote; Bishop; Demens;
Demens and Foote played hard and reasonably well. Bishop showed his superior athleticism, range and blitzing explosiveness, which is just what this unit needs. He missed a tackle in the backfield, which he knew he woould normally make. But, he cleaned up well on the perimeter making a sure tackle on Adam Thielen after Justin Bethel missed.
The guy who is really struggling is Lorenzo Alexander. The way he got manhandled out of the hole on the long run by Joe Banyard was very disappointing, especially for a veteran playing against second stringers. Alexander was a captain last night---and he has a reputation of being a STs ace---but Kenny Demens is outplaying Alexander on STs thus far and by a significant margin.
OLB (5): Shaughnessy; Abraham; Benard; Okafor; Acho
Okafor, Benard and rookie Derrell Johnson were agressive in defending the run. Benard and Johnson came the closest to pressuring the QB, but time and time again the Viking QBs eluded pressure with relative ease. Acho had a good tackle on the opening kickoff, but didn't make much of an impact otherwise.
Adrian Tracy did not have the pressures he had a week ago.
I like this kid Johnson. He's strong at the point of attack---he can bullrush and shed fairly quickly. I am anxious to see what he does versus the Bengals this week.
CB (5): Peterson; Cromartie; Powers; Bethel; McCann
Tough night all around in the secondary, particularly at CB. Peterson got beat repeatedly---on the first series Cassell badly overthrew a wide open Cordarelle Patterson up the sideline who had streaked past Peterson and Peterson looked to be jogging on the play. Powers did not make a play all night. Bethel missed some tackles, but was the closest in coverage. McCann pushed his man in the back on the first punt and was not particularly effective in coverage.
One of the headsiest plays of the night came from rookie Brandon Sermons who neatly managed to prevent Jerome Simpson from going out of bounds with under a minute left.
S (4): Bucannon; Mathieu; Johnson; Jefferson;
If there was a defensive MVP other than Calais Campbell last night, it was Deone Bucannon. if you have the tape, go back and watch him in goal-line situations. He stepped up and made a couple big hits versus the run and he ran tight coverage on Kyle Rudolph. What's so impressive about Bucannon is he's a big hitter and yet he lowers his pads to get underneath the ball carrier the way Honey Badger does. And he gets to the ball in a hurry.
Johnson came up to force the run well. Jefferson was a step behind but close most of the night. Still, he's getting himself in a position to make plays.
Anthony Walters and Ohrian Johnson turned in solid games. Walters forced the run well and Johnson made a couple good plays in coverage.
ST (3): Catanzaro; Leach; Zastudil
At this point, the kicking decision would seem clear, as Jay Feely's kickoffs led to poor field positions and untimely momentum swings. The question may be whether Catanzaro can be good enough to win the job on his own merits or whether a kicker on waivers would be claimed.
Last 5 In:
TE Fells
DE Stinson
OLB Acho
CB McCann
K Catanzaro
First 5 Out:
WR Golden
DT Gaston
LB Alexander
CB Williams
S Walters
PS Leaders?
RB Bauman
T Palmer
G/C Blake
G/C Draheim
DT Gaston
DT Renfro
LB Derrell Johnson
LB Carson
LB Brown
CB Sermons
S Ohrian Johnson
Questions of the Week:
1. How is your roster projection different than mine?
2. Do you think there will be any surprise cuts? They seem to happen every year. don't they?
3. Do you think there is cause to worry about Darnell Dockett's level of play?
4. Do you think the rule changes regarding downfield contact will hurt Patrick Peterson's play?
5. Would you offer the Chiefs the 2015 1st round pick and the 2016 3rd round pick for Justin Houston (6-3, 258, 4, Georgia), assuming the Cardinals could sign him long term?
I am very curious to hear your answers first before and I explain mine.
Impressive:
* Cardinals' first drive for a TD highlighted by a fantastic catch and sideline run by Jaron Brown, a clutch 3rd down conversion on an out pass to Sir Juke and a nifty bounce out TD run by Jonathan Dwyer, sprung by effective edge blocks by Jared Veldheer and Robert Hughes---all orchestrated very calmly and confidently by Carson Palmer.
* Cardinals' 2nd Team offense moving the ball and scoring a 2nd quarter TD versus the Vikings' 1st defense, culminating on a gutsy 4th and goal play action rollout pass from Drew Stanton to Darren Fells.
* The disruptive play of Calais Campbell and the tough tackling of Deone Bucannon and Rashad Johnson.
* The Cardinals' time-consuming TD drive to start the second half, featuring the hard-nosed runs by Stepfan Taylor and Robert Hughes (who hammered home the TD), and well orchestrated by Ryan Lindley.
* Some bright defensive flashes of speed by newly acquired ILB Desmond Bishop and the rugged, physical play of OLBs Alex Okafor and rookie Derrell Johnson.
* Bruce Arians for going for it on several 4th down situations---especially at the end of the game in trying to go for the win instead of the tie.
Unimpressive:
* The Cardinals' 1st team defense---once again, as I tried to highlight in a thread this week, do not manifest consistent ability in maintaining outside contain, defending play action passes, preventing QB scrambles and covering the opponents' TEs. Not only did the defense put little pressure on Matt Cassell, there were time when he had a three lane highway to scramble through or to see his open receivers with....the epitome of which was a 3rd and 15 conversion where the Cardinals rushed three---backed off Campbell into middle coverage, leaving no rusher whatsoever in the middle and allowing Cassell an eternity to loft a pass easily over the middle to WR Jerome Simpson who was loosely covered by Patrick Paterson.
* Speaking of loose coverage---it was consistently applied the entire game---save three plays, the one where Deone Bucannon had tight enough coverage on Kyle Rudolph in the end zone which made it difficult to adjust to the pass, the one where Justin Bethel prevented a TD pass in the right corner on tight coverage and the other where Orhian Johnson timed a pass perfectly, stretched out and broke it up only to be called for PI from an official behind the play. Having heard at one of his pressers this week BA laud Jerraud Powers as the MVP of the defense---Powers was an MVP last night as in Most Very Poor---not only did Powers get toasted all night inside and out, he slipped and took a dive to the turf on the long TD to Kyle Rudolph who caught the ball well in front of Powers in order for Powers to make a tackle on him.
* No edge rush pressure from anyone all night.
* The penalties---highlighted by the difficulty getting the ball snapped out of the shotgun in the 4th quarter by a seemingly over-amped Ryan Lindley and a quick to jump off-sides RT in Bradley Sowell....amazingly bailed out by a miraculous rugby scrum backward pass by John Estes to Zach Bauman.
* The subpar kicking of Jay Feely whose counterpart, Blair Walsh, was booming kicks deep into the endzone or out of it---and the poor ST coverage in the return game...although both Feely and Walsh hit goalposts in the game, with Feely's going through (on a 33 yard extra point) and Walsh's clanking out, and later Walsh's 33 yard extra point went wide right.
QB (3): Palmer; Stanton; Thomas
Palmer and Stanton were solid and well composed in the game---as was Lindley to start the 2nd half. However, it would have been extra interesting to see Logan Thomas versus Teddy Bridgewater (who showed the poise under pressure that Lindley lacked).
RB (4): Ellington; Taylor; Dwyer; Hughes
This unit seems set, although Taylor, Dwyer and Hughes are so similar it makes you wonder whether keeping all three is the best way to go---plus, even though there will be times BA will want to run the ball, this offense is going to be very pass oriented.
TE (4): Carlson; Housler; Niklas; Fells
Aside from Fells' excellent TD catch---this was a very quiet unit last night. Fells had his hands full trying to block Chad Greenway, who got the better of him a few times. Greenway is very good, so that should not come as a real surprise.
The real question is---are the Cardinals more dynamic with 3-4 WRs in the game, than in 2-3 TE sets? BA will play a mixture of both, but the TE situation has not developed as nicely thus far as one would have hoped, both in blocking and in receiving. This could prompt BA to use the swing tackle at TE again in key blocking situations.
OL (8): Veldheer; Cooper; Sendlein; Fanaika; Massie; Starks; Larsen; Watford
Watford and Larsen were solid as key depth players and possible starters---which is very good news for BA and HC. Starks appears to be ahead in the competition for swing tackle, but his sore ankle could cast some doubt. However, with Potter ailing and Sowell incurring the wrath of the coaches, there really isn't much competition at that spot. A waiver wire addition could sneak right in come early September.
One has to be concerned about the continuity of the offensive line the more Cooper and Sendlein are sidelined. It seems quite possible at this point that Earl Watford could actually beat out Cooper for the LG spot early in this season, much to Steve Keim's frustration.
Keeping more than eight o-linemen would seem out of the question based on the relative lack of depth talent. But, in keeping eight, BA&SK have to stock the PS with 2-3 offensive linemen---one of whom could be T Kevin Palmer who is playing reasonably well for a rookie, even though he appears a tad undersized. Another could be G/C Philip Blake or G/C Tommie Draheim (who made an excellent block on Hughes' TD), both of whom have good size and decent strength. Thus far, we have yet to see a strong push from Alabama G Anthony Steen---not enough to even warrant a PS gig.
WR (6): Fitzgerald; Floyd; Ginn Jr.; John Brown; Jaron Brown; Powell
Interesting here that John Brown was only targeted twice in the game---the first he dropped on on a wide open intermediate post and the second he left he feet to catch, which he didn't have to do. Had he caught it in stride and made one defender miss, he could have had a TD similar to Kyle Rudolph's.
Not sure why Ted Ginn Jr. was active for this game after missing most of the week in practice. He did make one nice catch on a third down conversion.
There isn't any question as to whether Walt Powell will make the team. The coaches and the scouts think he's special---and they know other teams are eyeing the Cardinals' WR depth.
Brittan Golden is playing hard and is making some good plays---but one has to wonder if he can hold up physically because of his slight frame and he's not particularly elusive. He is fast and he is courageous, however.
NT (2): Williams; Ta'amu
Looking for Dan Williams to assert himself more---and this week the team welcomes back Almeda Ta'amu who, as we know, when healthy can be a disruptive force in the middle.
DE (5): Dockett; Campbell; Rucker; Martin; Stinson
Thus far, Frostee Rucker is outplaying all DEs not named Calais Campbell. He is getting into the backfield consistently and has been pressuring the QB as well as any player on the roster. He appears to be highly motivated. Darnell Dockett looks slow---he really hobbled after Cassell on scrambles. Kareem Martin and Ed Stinson have been very quiet thus far---which is some cause for concern. It would not surprise me if Bruce Gaston, if he returns to full health, finds a way to make the roster, as he has been making the most noise in practice. I think SK may think they will be able to waive Stinson and have him go unclaimed off waivers. Stinson is kind of a tweener---he's not big enough to be a stalwart inside and he's not athletic enough to be a force on the edge as a 43 DE.
The rookie DT Justin Renfro had an impressive sack versus Bridgewater last night. Things that make you go...hmm...
ILB (4): Minter; Foote; Bishop; Demens;
Demens and Foote played hard and reasonably well. Bishop showed his superior athleticism, range and blitzing explosiveness, which is just what this unit needs. He missed a tackle in the backfield, which he knew he woould normally make. But, he cleaned up well on the perimeter making a sure tackle on Adam Thielen after Justin Bethel missed.
The guy who is really struggling is Lorenzo Alexander. The way he got manhandled out of the hole on the long run by Joe Banyard was very disappointing, especially for a veteran playing against second stringers. Alexander was a captain last night---and he has a reputation of being a STs ace---but Kenny Demens is outplaying Alexander on STs thus far and by a significant margin.
OLB (5): Shaughnessy; Abraham; Benard; Okafor; Acho
Okafor, Benard and rookie Derrell Johnson were agressive in defending the run. Benard and Johnson came the closest to pressuring the QB, but time and time again the Viking QBs eluded pressure with relative ease. Acho had a good tackle on the opening kickoff, but didn't make much of an impact otherwise.
Adrian Tracy did not have the pressures he had a week ago.
I like this kid Johnson. He's strong at the point of attack---he can bullrush and shed fairly quickly. I am anxious to see what he does versus the Bengals this week.
CB (5): Peterson; Cromartie; Powers; Bethel; McCann
Tough night all around in the secondary, particularly at CB. Peterson got beat repeatedly---on the first series Cassell badly overthrew a wide open Cordarelle Patterson up the sideline who had streaked past Peterson and Peterson looked to be jogging on the play. Powers did not make a play all night. Bethel missed some tackles, but was the closest in coverage. McCann pushed his man in the back on the first punt and was not particularly effective in coverage.
One of the headsiest plays of the night came from rookie Brandon Sermons who neatly managed to prevent Jerome Simpson from going out of bounds with under a minute left.
S (4): Bucannon; Mathieu; Johnson; Jefferson;
If there was a defensive MVP other than Calais Campbell last night, it was Deone Bucannon. if you have the tape, go back and watch him in goal-line situations. He stepped up and made a couple big hits versus the run and he ran tight coverage on Kyle Rudolph. What's so impressive about Bucannon is he's a big hitter and yet he lowers his pads to get underneath the ball carrier the way Honey Badger does. And he gets to the ball in a hurry.
Johnson came up to force the run well. Jefferson was a step behind but close most of the night. Still, he's getting himself in a position to make plays.
Anthony Walters and Ohrian Johnson turned in solid games. Walters forced the run well and Johnson made a couple good plays in coverage.
ST (3): Catanzaro; Leach; Zastudil
At this point, the kicking decision would seem clear, as Jay Feely's kickoffs led to poor field positions and untimely momentum swings. The question may be whether Catanzaro can be good enough to win the job on his own merits or whether a kicker on waivers would be claimed.
Last 5 In:
TE Fells
DE Stinson
OLB Acho
CB McCann
K Catanzaro
First 5 Out:
WR Golden
DT Gaston
LB Alexander
CB Williams
S Walters
PS Leaders?
RB Bauman
T Palmer
G/C Blake
G/C Draheim
DT Gaston
DT Renfro
LB Derrell Johnson
LB Carson
LB Brown
CB Sermons
S Ohrian Johnson
Questions of the Week:
1. How is your roster projection different than mine?
2. Do you think there will be any surprise cuts? They seem to happen every year. don't they?
3. Do you think there is cause to worry about Darnell Dockett's level of play?
4. Do you think the rule changes regarding downfield contact will hurt Patrick Peterson's play?
5. Would you offer the Chiefs the 2015 1st round pick and the 2016 3rd round pick for Justin Houston (6-3, 258, 4, Georgia), assuming the Cardinals could sign him long term?
I am very curious to hear your answers first before and I explain mine.
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