Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
Preseason games are always tricky to evaluate. Teams often conceal strategy. Do they have an ability or did they just not want to show it? It’s also problematic drawing conclusions because of who’s playing and how much. Did Tune start because he’s now the starter? Were they just protecting McCoy? Is McCoy even still in the picture? Players, even with minor injuries, are typically held back. A depth chart should answer quite a few questions.
Also most teams use very vanilla game plans. The Cards haven’t blitzed. The Vikes were either trying to work on their running game or they didn’t want to show passing routes. The Cards played Blough for numerous downs but he doesn’t appear to be making this team or any other team. The Cards lack depth, so expect tons of claims soon and continuously throughout the season. I expect Tune to start and McCoy to be cut. The Cards will have to blitz to get passing pressure. This won’t be like the Eagles relying on a 4 man rush. I expect them to stunt often along the line, plus tons of blitzing. The defense will often be ugly. Despite all the comments on personal accountability, the tackling is scary bad. The first game was fine, but when the team hit better opponents, they struggled, even though the Vikes surprisingly lacked depth. The Cards’ secondary is especially thin. Even with all the draft picks, it’s hard to envision fixing this roster in a year.
What you can typically see more clearly in these games is how specific players perform in specific circumstances. The O-line is a mess. Even with other teams rarely stunting or blitzing, too many opponents were either missed or poorly blocked. There were few second level blocks. Tune might end up in the top 2 rushers. As he’ll have to escape often and is effective at moving on the ground.
The Good News
Regarding Tune you had to love his responding to a sack with a long completion. He also showed much better timing on out routes. The more he plays, the better he’ll get if the line gives him even marginally decent protection. Hopefully they’ll occasionally keep a back in to protect. Tune’s use of safety valves will be crucial, but he has to guard against interceptions on those throws. Teams will notice this frequent usage and try to set him up. Tune moves up in the pocket very well, but needs to learn to shift more in the pocket to open throwing lanes and avoid pass knockdowns.
Demercado showed enough to at least be added to practice squad., as did Davion Davis. Sean Chandler show good hands and alertness. There is at least one safety spot unclaimed. McCloud flashed in limited opportunities and that should at least merit a spot on the practice squad. Starters played few minutes, so first line strength was hard to assess. The RBs in general showed some promise, but no breakaway runner appears to be among them.
One area that looks especially good is special teams. Prater was erratic, but he always is slow to adjust to a new holder. He should be fine. Cooney looks effective as the punter. He tends to kick towards the sidelines which should aid coverage. His technique seems to produce favorable rolls once the punt hits. I’d give Kayden Davis a shot at returning all kicks. He was surprisingly elusive with decent strength. This would leave Dortch free to focus on receiving.
On the whole the receiving unit played well. Tight ends were seldom targets.
The Bad News
The defense does not look competitive despite the low score. It’s hard to be absolutely certain as few special plays were used. Thomas looked bad. He blew coverage on one play, missed a tackle on another, but did set a good edge on a running play. Assorted sloppy penalties with Hayes again unable to get through a game clean. The ineligible downfields are inexcusable. Virtually all the corners looked weak. When playing zone the coverage was frequently late to respond to cuts. The D-line looked porous. No passing pressure until the Vikes brought in their third string. Ojulari missed a tackle and was otherwise invisible. I expect a bunch of defensive claims. This could be a very ugly season if there are many defensive injuries.
It’s hard to believe the Cards “won” this game. It seemed no one wanted it. The Cards finished the preseason with a winning record. You could have made quite a bit of money betting on that. The players played hard, but the lack of skill was frightening. I feel sorry for season ticket holders. I’m also afraid this may not be a one year rebuild. I found the last minute trades confusing. Even if the Cards are tanking, why help the Texans? I am excited to see the real game plans. The offense has flashed occasionally with Tune being the major surprise. I liked the pick, but he’s far exceeded my expectations. I’m not certain any coach could save this defense. The Cards drafted athletes but we’ll see if the coaching is up to making them impact players.
Also most teams use very vanilla game plans. The Cards haven’t blitzed. The Vikes were either trying to work on their running game or they didn’t want to show passing routes. The Cards played Blough for numerous downs but he doesn’t appear to be making this team or any other team. The Cards lack depth, so expect tons of claims soon and continuously throughout the season. I expect Tune to start and McCoy to be cut. The Cards will have to blitz to get passing pressure. This won’t be like the Eagles relying on a 4 man rush. I expect them to stunt often along the line, plus tons of blitzing. The defense will often be ugly. Despite all the comments on personal accountability, the tackling is scary bad. The first game was fine, but when the team hit better opponents, they struggled, even though the Vikes surprisingly lacked depth. The Cards’ secondary is especially thin. Even with all the draft picks, it’s hard to envision fixing this roster in a year.
What you can typically see more clearly in these games is how specific players perform in specific circumstances. The O-line is a mess. Even with other teams rarely stunting or blitzing, too many opponents were either missed or poorly blocked. There were few second level blocks. Tune might end up in the top 2 rushers. As he’ll have to escape often and is effective at moving on the ground.
The Good News
Regarding Tune you had to love his responding to a sack with a long completion. He also showed much better timing on out routes. The more he plays, the better he’ll get if the line gives him even marginally decent protection. Hopefully they’ll occasionally keep a back in to protect. Tune’s use of safety valves will be crucial, but he has to guard against interceptions on those throws. Teams will notice this frequent usage and try to set him up. Tune moves up in the pocket very well, but needs to learn to shift more in the pocket to open throwing lanes and avoid pass knockdowns.
Demercado showed enough to at least be added to practice squad., as did Davion Davis. Sean Chandler show good hands and alertness. There is at least one safety spot unclaimed. McCloud flashed in limited opportunities and that should at least merit a spot on the practice squad. Starters played few minutes, so first line strength was hard to assess. The RBs in general showed some promise, but no breakaway runner appears to be among them.
One area that looks especially good is special teams. Prater was erratic, but he always is slow to adjust to a new holder. He should be fine. Cooney looks effective as the punter. He tends to kick towards the sidelines which should aid coverage. His technique seems to produce favorable rolls once the punt hits. I’d give Kayden Davis a shot at returning all kicks. He was surprisingly elusive with decent strength. This would leave Dortch free to focus on receiving.
On the whole the receiving unit played well. Tight ends were seldom targets.
The Bad News
The defense does not look competitive despite the low score. It’s hard to be absolutely certain as few special plays were used. Thomas looked bad. He blew coverage on one play, missed a tackle on another, but did set a good edge on a running play. Assorted sloppy penalties with Hayes again unable to get through a game clean. The ineligible downfields are inexcusable. Virtually all the corners looked weak. When playing zone the coverage was frequently late to respond to cuts. The D-line looked porous. No passing pressure until the Vikes brought in their third string. Ojulari missed a tackle and was otherwise invisible. I expect a bunch of defensive claims. This could be a very ugly season if there are many defensive injuries.
It’s hard to believe the Cards “won” this game. It seemed no one wanted it. The Cards finished the preseason with a winning record. You could have made quite a bit of money betting on that. The players played hard, but the lack of skill was frightening. I feel sorry for season ticket holders. I’m also afraid this may not be a one year rebuild. I found the last minute trades confusing. Even if the Cards are tanking, why help the Texans? I am excited to see the real game plans. The offense has flashed occasionally with Tune being the major surprise. I liked the pick, but he’s far exceeded my expectations. I’m not certain any coach could save this defense. The Cards drafted athletes but we’ll see if the coaching is up to making them impact players.
