CARDS - RAIDERS
Initial Take From SIRIUS/Internet
After Watching on TV
Game Recap
The
Bright Side
The Dark Side
The Last Word
Report Card by Player
Initial Take From SIRIIUS/Internet
Question: "Would
the Cardinals be in awe of playing the Super Bowl Champs in their house?"
Answer: "heh, Heh HEH HEH"...no.
As it turned out, they came out on the wrong end of a 28 - 20 score, but
they did open up a 6- 0 lead before falling behind 14 - 6 at halftime and
then scoring 14 unanswered points in the 3Q to gain a 20 -14 lead before
their scrubs gave up 14 points to close out the game in GB's favor in the
4Q.
The way it sounded on SIRIUS and looked on NFL Network's "Around the
League", our first units on both sides of the ball more than held its own
against GB, But things began to fall apart when our second string DB's went
up against Aaron Rodgers and his first string receivers late in the 2H. Our
second and third stringers were better than OK going up against GB's second
and third stringers, but the tail-end of our roster (say, #'s 70 - 90) were
overmatched against GB's scrubs.
I really enjoyed the 8 pm ET start time - it enabled me to listen to the
entire radio-call of the game before turning in at 11 (When preseason games
are played on the west coast, I typically listen only thru the end of the
1H.
High and Low Lights
-
RB Ryan Williams suffered what looked to be a
serious knee injury and was carted off the field. Their were mixed
reports as to the injury's severity, but it sure didn't look good.
-
For the "I told you so" brigade who voiced concern
about our RB depth when we traded Hightower for Holliday, the bad news
is that your fears may have been realized; but the good news is that
backup RB Alfonso Smith looked tough, solid and trustworthy - certainly
good enough to line up behind Beanie and LSH. Net trade off gives us a
tough compact workhorse in exchange for losing a home-run hitter with
some wiggle.
-
Not that Skelton is playing badly enough to cost him
his #2 job, but Bartel played so well that it puts him in neck and neck
contention to be #2. (Note - Max Hall did not perform well during a
brief 4Q appearance, and there seems to be increasing separation between
Max and the three guys ahead of him.
-
Steve Williams was en route to playing himself right
off the roster with at least 3 dropped (or "not caught") passes was at
the wrong place at the wrong time during the busted play that led to Ryan's injury.
After Watching on TV
Actually, the video results came close to matching the radio call and the
written play by play transcript. Once again, the entire game was announced
by the other team's on-air people. (There were some audio problems early in
the game - it's unclear if this stemmed from problems with the GB feed or
problems with AZ feed that would have forced the coverage to be picked up by
the GB crew).
Game Recap
-
1st Quarter
-
Cards received the opening KO and went 3 & out.
(Levi's 1st false start penalty didn't help any). GB took over on
their own 35 and - after 6 plays (including a neutral zone flag on
Campbell and a false start on Finley) punted from midfield. It was
fair-caught by Peterson. Kolb then led the Cards on an impressive
dink & dunk 11 play drive capped by a 39-yard Feely FG. The drive
included two more false-start penalties (one by Hadnot plus Levi's
second). It also included Fitz's second impossible highlight catch
of the preseason; this one a diving one-handed turf-level catch.
Cardinals 3 - Packers 0.
-
GB moved from their own 21 to the Cardinal 48
where they punted. Haggans took a neutral zone flag. Series included
2 sacks - a minus-9 yarder by Calais Campbell and a minus-4 yard
sack by Dockett. Cards took over on their own 9-yard line and moved
to the 11 in 2 plays to close out the quarter. 1st Quarter
Score: Cardinals 3 - Packers 0.
-
2nd Quarter
-
Kolb continued his dink & dunk ways, engineering
a 13-play penalty-marred drive (2 by them/2 by us) to the GB 35,
where Feely boomed one in from 53 yards. Kolb took a delay-of-game
flag. Early Doucet was flagged for an illegal shift; negating a
brilliant 20-yard Beanie catch & run. Cardinals 6 - Packers
0.
-
It was if McCarthy turned on a switch. Starting
from his 20, Rodgers connected with a series of short-medium passes
to bring his team to the Cardinal 20. He then through back-shoulder
laser to Jenkins (Welcome to the NFL, PP21)! Boy that looked easy!
Packers 7 - Cardinals 6.
-
Cards took over on their own 20 with 4:54 left
til halftime. Skelton in for Kolb.Two more penalties (Steve Williams
for an illegal block and Levi's 3rd false start flag) move them all
the way to their own 7-yard line. Graham got off a measley 32
yarder. GB took over on the Cardinal 39 with 3:30 left. After
minus-4 yard sack by Dan Williams, Flynn was able to connect with
Green for a 25-yard catch & run (vs. Marshall). tTwo plays later,
Green ran it in from the 2. Packers 14 - Cardinals 6.
-
Starting from our own 20 with 0:34 left, Skelton
was able to pick up one first down and then hit Doucet for 25 yards
before Father Time forced Feely to attempt a 59-yard FG. Nah gah
happen. Halftime Score: Packers 14 - Cardinals 6.
-
3rd Quarter
-
Packers "got it right" and received. After
Sharpe was offsides on the KO, Green Bay got what it wished for -
Borel fumbled the repeat of the KO (recovered by Ali) and the Cards
took over. Bartel in for Skelton (who was said to have a slight
ankle sprain). Starting from the GB 32, Bartel completed 3 of 4
passes to reach the GB 7 and then hit Steve Williams in the end zone
on a quasi-fade route. (I was kind of surprised we didn't go for 2).
The drive was marred (& a permanent pall cast over the remainder of
the game for Cardinal fans) by a severe injury to Ryan Mitchell's
knee. Packers 14 - Cardinals 13.
-
A false start penalty helped GB go 3 & out on
their next possession. Cards took over on their own 37 and Bartel
mixed short passes combined with runs by Ryan Williams' replacement,
Alfonso Smith to put us on the GB one, where Smith punched it in off
right guard. Cardinals 20 - Packers 14
-
A minus-8 yard sack of Flynn by Schofield (4th
Cardinal sack of the game) stopped a budding GB scoring drive in its
tracks. Cards were then held to 3 & out and punted at the quarter's
end. Third Quarter Score: Cardinals 20 - Packers 14
-
4th Quarter
-
1st & 10 from the 3. Flynn hit West (who had put
a double move on Desia Dunn) deep for a 97-yard TD. So much for a
Cardinal lead. Packers 21 - Cardinals 20.
-
Max Hall in for Bartel. Starting from their own
20, runs and short passes brought the Cards out to their own 45,
where Hall was unable to make anything happen and the Cardspunted.
GB started from their own 16 and the Cardinal 4th string secondary
(consisting of Nnabuife, Irvin, J. Campbelll and K Smith) made him
look like a Pro Bowl veteran. He led GB on an 11-play, 84 yard TD
drive capped by a 6-yard pass over the middle to K Taylor.
Packers 28 - Cardinals 20.
-
Bartel back in with 5:03 left to play, starting
at his own 20. He took his team to the GB 12 on
completions to Sampson (+45), Housler (+18) and A Smith (+5). But on
the 4th play of the drive, rolling back and forth in the backfield
as he looked for an open receiver, he got impatient, tried to force
the ball (instead of throwing it away) and got picked off. GB took
over on its own one-yard line and used 5 plays to drain the clock
down to 1:31. Starting on his own 20, Bartel hit Housler for +7, but
was unable to sustain a drive (a false start call on Clif Louis
didn't help). An incomplete pass to Housler with 4th & one on the
2nd to last play of the game turned it over to GB, with
Harrell taking a final knee. Final Score:
Packers 28 - Cardinals 20.
The Bright Side
-
Kolb, Skelton and Bartel all moved the offense.
-
Kolb-to-Roberts is gaining effectiveness opposite
Fitz.
-
Bartel may have played his way even with Skelton
(who also looked good prior to a slight ankle injury).
-
DeMarco Sampson had a big game - doing everything
that Steven Williams was expected to do.
-
The team in general did not look over-awed by the
World Champs or (with the possible exception of Levi) bothered by the
crowd noise.
-
Alfonso Smith - while lacking the pure athletic
skills of the rookie he replaced - displayed all the qualities you
expect from a reliable backup - size, goes north/south, picks up
positive yardage, secure with the ball etc.
The Dark Side
-
Ryan Williams' knee injury (he 's gone for the
season).
-
Too many drops and other miscues by Steven Williams
-
Levi's three 1H false start calls.
-
Card players were penalized at least 11 times (Many
of those were drive-killers).
-
Cardinal backup DB's did not play well.
Last Word
Decent (though not outstanding) road game vs. football's best. Survivors vs. DMW
(Dead Men Walking) roster battles beginning to sort itself out. Injury to R Williams
partially offset by strong performance by A. Smith
|
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Updated
August 21, 2011
Return to Highlights Page
Report Card By Player |
|
Quarterbacks: |
|
4 Kevin Kolb |
6 for 11, 80 yards, 1 sack, 77.8 Rating. Making directional progress, though
by no means perfect. Doesn't rattle easily. Must learn when to hold 'em and
when to fold 'em when rolling outside the pocket. |
|
19 John
Skelton |
3 for 7 and 39 yards and 61.0 Rating before early exit due to ankle sprain.
Victimized by shoddy play by Steven Williams |
|
02
Richard Bartel |
13 for 19, 169 yards, a TD and a pick for a 91.8 Rating. Blew a scoring
opportunity (& a chance to tie game late in the 4Q) when he got impatient
and threw a pick into a crowd of 4 defenders in the end zone. Still,
there's not very much
separation now between Bartel and Skelton (This is a good thing). |
|
06
Max Hall |
2 for 4 and 13 yards and a 57.3 Rating in brief 4Q appearance in which he
failed to move the offense all that well. Most telling indicator of where he
stands with the coaches is that, they put Bartel back in for him late in the
4Q (& Hall did not appear injured). |
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Running Backs: |
|
26
Chris "Beanie" Wells |
11 carries for 44 yards. All gains less than 10 yards, which suggests he was
consistently picking up 3 or more on each running play. Pretty catch & run
of a middle screen for 20 yards (called back by a flag on Doucet). |
|
34 Ryan
Williams |
On his first carry of the game, he was carted off the
field with a severe knee injury and is done for the season. |
|
36
LaRod
Stephens- Howling |
Saw little action. Picked up one yard in 2 attempts. |
|
46 Alfonso Smith RB |
Saw more action than anticipated when R Williams went down, and took
advantage of the opportunity. 12 carries for 39 and a TD. 5 carries for 30
yards. Looked solid, compact, contained and reliable. |
|
45 Reagan
Maui'ia FB |
Flagged once. |
|
35 Anthony Sherman FB |
Nice reception leaking outside into the right flat for +6 on a rolllout in the 1Q. If ball
could have been delivered "in stride", he would have gone in for "six." |
|
42 Charles Ali |
Fumble recovery on special teams. |
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Wide Receivers: |
|
11
Larry Fitzgerald |
Caught 1 of 4 passes. The one one-handed completion was the second
preseason highlight reel "keeper" in as many games. (A day later,
he signed an 8-year contract with the Cardinals). |
|
18
Stephen Williams |
Caught 2 of 6 passes thrown at him. Had a "bad hair day", dropping
(or "not catching" at least
4 passes and being penalized once. Atoned a little bit by the pretty catch of a fade-route throw in the end
zone. Apparently not happywith his performance and you could see him
scowling on the sidelines even after he caught the TD pass. |
|
89 DeMarco Sampson |
Caught 3 of 4 for 68 including
a 45 yard catch. Did all the things fans were looking for from Steven
Williams and looks to be mounting a very strong challenge for a starting
spot. |
|
80 Isaiah Williams
|
Caught 2 for 2. |
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15 Sean Jeffcoat |
|
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12
Andre Roberts
|
Looked solid as our #2 and
caught 2 for 4. 1 |
|
85 Early Doucet |
Caught 3 of 3 passes thrown at
him. Penalty cost us 20 yards on a Beanie middle screen. Unclear whether it
was he or Beanie who was out of position on that play. |
|
10 Max Komar |
First appearance (sidelined last
week). Went 2 for 2 and once again is reminding me of Wayne Chrebet - in
that he's a crisp, quick route runner with good hands. |
|
13
Aaron Nichols
|
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17
Chansi Stuckey
|
Thrown at twice. Zero catches. So far all we know is that good
thing are said about him, but we're not seeing it translated to
the field. |
|
16
D. Curry-Chapman
|
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Tight Ends: |
|
86 Todd Heap |
Sat out game with thumb injury. |
|
89
Jeff King |
Used mainly as a blocker. |
|
83 Stephen
Spach |
Did not play. |
|
84 Robert Housler |
Very impressive as a receiver. Thrown at 8 times (leading the club). Had 5
catches for 68 yards; mostly of the clutch variety. |
|
81 Jim
Dray
|
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44 Stephen Skelton
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Offensive Linemen: |
|
It's hard to single out specific O-linemen from what we see on TV. This
group isn't run-blocking very well (couldn't open the hole for Beanie 4
straight times near the goal line) and wasn't giving Skelton very good
protection. |
|
75 Levi Brown
OT |
3 False start penalties in 1H (Had another in
Oakland game). |
|
74 Anthony Batiste |
|
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67 DJ Young |
|
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79W Jake Vermiglio |
|
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71
Daryn Colledge |
|
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78 Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack |
|
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68 Pestock, Tom G/T |
. |
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63
Lyle Sendlein C |
|
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62 Ben Claxton
C |
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60 Kris O'Dowd |
|
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70 Rex Hadnot G |
|
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76 Taitusi (Deuce) Lutui
G/T |
I'm trying to figure out what happened on the failure of Alfonso Smith to
score on a run over LG from 2 yards out. It looked like Deuce aggressively
flew into the pile (to the left of the hole)at the LOS, but a GB defender
slashed in from the right to make the play. I suspect the tackler was
Deuce's man, but it's hard to say. Whatever the case, we should have blocked
better on the play. |
|
65
Cliff Louis |
False start penalty |
|
72 Brandon
Keith OG/OT |
|
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73 Jeremy
Bridges G/T |
|
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61 Jason Spiredon |
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69 Erik Mensik |
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Defensive Linemen: |
|
93 Calais
Campbell (D2) |
One sack, a tackle for loss and a QB hurry. |
|
91 Vonnie Holliday |
Nice key stop late in game. |
|
96 Ronald Talley |
Saw at least one missed tackle. |
|
92
Dan Williams NT
|
One sack, a QB hurry and a tackle for a loss. |
|
79 David Carter |
Backing up D WIlliams at NG. |
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60 Ricky Lumpkin |
|
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90 Darnell Dockett UT/DE |
Had 3 tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss and 2 QB hurries. |
|
69 Jeremy Navarre |
|
|
Linebackers: |
|
55 Joey
Porter
OLB |
Looked like a CB on one pass he dropped off to defend. |
|
50
O' Brien Schofield
|
2 tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, one QB hurry and a forced fumble. |
|
59 Will Davis |
|
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39 Duke Lemens |
|
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51 Paris Lenon ILB |
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97 Stewart Bradley |
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95 Pago Togafau |
|
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54 Quan
Sturdivant |
|
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58 Daryl Washington
ILB
|
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56
Reggie Walker |
Vaguely remember
his name being called in conjunction with a successful play by GB, but
otherwise looked pretty good. |
|
57 Curtis
Gatewood |
|
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47 Kendall Smith |
|
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53 Clark Haggans DE/OLB |
Encroachment call. |
|
94Sam Acho |
Had a tackle for a loss. |
|
52 Cyril Obiozor |
Failed to contain outside late in game. |
|
48 Brandon
Sharpe |
Flagged for neutral zone infraction. |
|
Defensive Backs: |
|
28
Greg Toler
CB
|
Started opposite Jefferson and looked good in brief appearance. |
|
27
Michael Adams
|
Injured. Did not suit up. |
|
31
Richard Marshall |
Backup role - too often the defender in on the play when the offense does
good. |
|
43 Desia Dunn |
Toasted badly on C West's double move for a 97-yard score. |
|
20
A.J. Jefferson CB |
SIn briefly, and I saw at least one pass breakup and a solid tackle at the
sideline. |
|
21 Patrick
Peterson
|
Beaten by Jenkins on 20-yard back shoulder completion at the pylon. Used
mainly as punt returner (at least 2 fair catches. Looked trustworthy back
there). |
|
30
Marshay Green CB |
Did not play well in 2H. Many successful completions by Harrell found him in
the vicinity of the receiver. |
|
29
Bryant Nnabuife |
Appeared late in game and led the team with 5 tackles. Often in the right
place at the right time, but also often "late" to the ball. |
|
24
Adrian Wilson SS |
Injured. Did not play, |
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41 Hamzah
Abdullah S |
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33
Tommy Irvin |
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25 Kerry
Rhodes FS |
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49
Rashad Johnson S |
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22
Matt Ware S |
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32 Jared Campbell |
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40
Pat Tillman, (S) |
Permanent part of the Cardinal roster.. |
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Specialty Teams: |
|
04 Jay Feely K |
Jay is Jay. |
|
05 Ben Graham P |
Not consistent |
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09 Derek
Epperson P |
Got off two boomers for a 47.5 yard average net. |
|
82
Mike Leach
LS |
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