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The Setup:
Who will remain on the Cardinal roster and who
will be chopped? This has to be the main question, since none of the
90 guys on the roster were let go between last Thursday and now
("the Wednesday before"). Aside from the
Survival Battle - other than the fact that this game is against the
Super Bowl champs who will be appearing before their home crowd for
the first time since they brought home the Lombardi Trophy and that
we now have game-footage and more practice material from which to
base our judgments, this game shouldn't be all that different from
the Oakland game. What most of us will be looking
for is whether performances by each player in Oakland will carry
over into the Green Bay game or whether some players will regress
while others take a quantum leap forward.
On Offense:
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Against Oakland, Kevin Kolb looked compact,
poised and seemed to have everything under control. Compared to
what we saw from D Anderson, Skelton and Hall a year ago, more
of his high-percentage passes seemed to be "money in the bank"
and fewer of those pass plays seemed like "adventures." If Kolb
plays as well in GB as he did in Oakland, that will be fine, but
what I'm hoping for is that he continues to make directional
progress on all fronts. (Both he and Bartel are considered "gym
rats" and, therefore, capable of improving their understanding
of the offense and decision-making from week to week).
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Since it's GB and the team's first appearance
there since becoming Super Bowl champs, I'd expect a loud
boisterous crowd and more reliance on the silent snap count. It
will be interesting to see how each of our four QB's handle the
crowd-noise - and for that matter, how well our offensive
linemen refrain from making false starts.
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Beanie says he now knows he should have hit
the LOS at the goal line with "lower pad level." Let's see if
his words translate into action at Lambeau. Ryan Williams has
been said to have "broken a few defensive ankles" with his moves
this past week. I'd like to see him do it in a real game
(possibly earlier vs. GB's first or second units).
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There were mixed reports this past week of
(a) "the ball never hitting the ground" in passing drills and,
conversely, a couple of underthrown balls by Kolb and a few easy
passes dropped by Roberts and others in passing drills. The
receiving stats in NFL.com's Game Bookn now lists "number of
catches" vs. "number of times thrown-to." That's one stat I'll
be zeroing in on.
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How will our 2 OT's (Levi and Keith) handle
GB's pass rush? The Pack may be thin both at DT and DE due to
injuries, so we may catch a break.
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Will Deuce - who's been spending most of his
time on the exercise bike and not on the practice field - see
much action in GB?
On Defense:
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We'll want to see whether there are any
changes in the depth chart and who gets the most playing time.
Specifically, I hope to see more of Stewart Bradley and whether
AJ Jefferson continues to see a lot of action.
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We hear that David Carter is listed behind
Dan Williams on the depth chart and is impressing the coaches.
NT is a tough position requiring guys who are big and powerful
enough to squat in the gap, occupy double-team blockers and make
it tough to run inside. I'll want to see whether Williams is
playing himself into shape and whether Carter is big, strong and
tough enough to handle the job as a rotational NT.
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With three ILB's (DWash, Lenon and Bradley)
emerging as starting-material, I'm guessing that sooner rather
than later, Horton will want to move these guys around a little
like chess-pieces. For example, if the Cardinals are looking for
more pass rush fire-power from the outside, would he consider
playing all three at the same time - lining up the speedy, 235
lb Washington at ROLB or WOLB?
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Who will Horton start at CB? Will Peterson
see more playing time? Will Jefferson continue to see as much
action? How about the other members of the Fresno State CB
Alumni Assn (which includes Jefferson, Marshall and Dunn)?
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Will A-Dub see any action? Given the shaky
play at SS, Will R Johnson, Ware or any of the other safeties
prove they can capably handle the assignment in Wilson's
absence?
On Special Teams:
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Who will emerge as leading candidates to
return kickoffs and punts? Will it be our rookie phenom
(Peterson)? Will it be LSH? Roberts? Jefferson? Who?
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Daryl Washington: Gunner. Really?
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Is Epperson a legit candidate to be our punter
or merely a "camp punter?"
Wrapping Things Up
Jobs are on the line. Who plays there way into an
opportunity and who plays themselves off the roster will be the
paramount focus. But in a a couple of parallel preseason universes
will be (a) the battle to become starters and (b) the effort of each
player and the entire team to perfect techniques, learn their
positions and execute better
Bottom line - There are still a
lot of new people and schemes being put in place & stuff to be
sortred out. This game gives us a terrific opportunity to see how
the Cardinals handle all this
And that's a wrap!
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