With the help of the Direct Ticket 30 review, I recorded the game and ran it all in slow motion. Here’s what I saw.
1. Most of the blocking breakdowns were the result of poor blocking by tight ends or a failure of the offensive line to get clear on who would block which rusher. The latter was an issue last year as well, but San Fran barely stunted, so it’s scary the Cards didn’t look better.
2. Edge did a great job of picking his holes. He only made what appeared to be the inferior choice on two carriers. With just a little more help, he’d be unreal with this passing attack to keep the defense honest.
3. Cards receivers dropped at least 3 very catchable balls; however, the Cards have one of the best receiver sets I’ve ever seen. They should have called Johnson’s number more.
4. The punt coverage error was due to several people overrunning the play and amazing case of not holding their lanes all the way back to the line of scrimmage. I couldn’t get numbers, but I’m sure the coaching staff has them.
5. Pace & Huff often got caught too far inside and left the flat open.
6. The defensive tackles failed to hold the line on blocking plays and were typically handled by one-on-one blocking. No one anchored worth a hoot.
7. Warner had a great game except for the fumble and the idiotic grounding throw.
8. I saw some criticism of Rolle, but he looked good on tape. When the QB isn’t pressured any more than Smith was, you can’t hold coverage forever.
9. Green can really hit, but he needs to focus on coverage a little more.
10. Francisco had a nice game as a role player.
11. The Cards failed to collapse the pocket and there was rarely more than one defender pressuring the QB, which made sacks hard to come by since Smith is very mobile. Except for the fumble, Dockett was invisible.
12. Shipp played well on special teams.
13. The tackling was really bad.
We will know a great deal more about this team after week two. They held back so much that I know is in the game package; including that flea flicker another poster mentioned. I look for a fun game, but likely a tough loss.
1. Most of the blocking breakdowns were the result of poor blocking by tight ends or a failure of the offensive line to get clear on who would block which rusher. The latter was an issue last year as well, but San Fran barely stunted, so it’s scary the Cards didn’t look better.
2. Edge did a great job of picking his holes. He only made what appeared to be the inferior choice on two carriers. With just a little more help, he’d be unreal with this passing attack to keep the defense honest.
3. Cards receivers dropped at least 3 very catchable balls; however, the Cards have one of the best receiver sets I’ve ever seen. They should have called Johnson’s number more.
4. The punt coverage error was due to several people overrunning the play and amazing case of not holding their lanes all the way back to the line of scrimmage. I couldn’t get numbers, but I’m sure the coaching staff has them.
5. Pace & Huff often got caught too far inside and left the flat open.
6. The defensive tackles failed to hold the line on blocking plays and were typically handled by one-on-one blocking. No one anchored worth a hoot.
7. Warner had a great game except for the fumble and the idiotic grounding throw.
8. I saw some criticism of Rolle, but he looked good on tape. When the QB isn’t pressured any more than Smith was, you can’t hold coverage forever.
9. Green can really hit, but he needs to focus on coverage a little more.
10. Francisco had a nice game as a role player.
11. The Cards failed to collapse the pocket and there was rarely more than one defender pressuring the QB, which made sacks hard to come by since Smith is very mobile. Except for the fumble, Dockett was invisible.
12. Shipp played well on special teams.
13. The tackling was really bad.
We will know a great deal more about this team after week two. They held back so much that I know is in the game package; including that flea flicker another poster mentioned. I look for a fun game, but likely a tough loss.
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