Cardinals' 53 Man Roster V 4.0

[Mitch]

QB (2): 3-Palmer; 5-Stanton.

Passing CP/AT YDS TD INT
D. Stanton 8/14 107 1 0
R. Lindley 3/5 78 0 0
C. Palmer 4/6 77 1 0
C. TerBush 1/2 8 0 0

Bubble: 14-Lindley. Showing progress---but roster spots with a team this deep will be few and precious.

PS Candidate: 6-TerBush.

RB (4): 28-Mendenhall; 30-Taylor; 38-Ellington; 29-Smith.

CAR YDS AVG TD LG
S. Taylor 20 64 3.2 0 14
A. Smith 12 21 1.8 0 8
D. Stanton 2 8 4.0 0 7
C. TerBush 1 -1 -1.0 0 0
Team 35 92 2.6 0 14

Bubble: 38-Ellington; 29-Smith; 34-Williams.

Alfonso Smith runs hard, possibly too hard. he doesn't let the blocking develop. We saw Stepfan Taylor's patience and wiggle pay off, even on plays that initially looked bottled up.

When you are young and not playing in PS games---you are on the bubble---as is the case with Ellington and Williams.

For now the 4 RBs in the lead are the same.

TE (4): 84-Housler; 83-Sperry; 81-Dray; 86-Jefferson.

Receiver Catches Yards YPC TDs

Shuler 1 8 8.0 0

I said last week that it will be interesting to see is 46-Mickey Shuler can make a move. Little did we know then that Shuler's one catch would be all the Cardinals get from the TE position in PS Game 1. D.J. Jefferson was targeted a few times and had one bad drop. The pass for him in the end zone looked off the mark.

Where was Housler in this game? Is Dray a receiving option?

Bubble: 87-King; 83-Sperry; 81-Dray; 86-Jefferson; 48-Shuler.

Jefferson is going to make the roster---he's a project, but has real upside. King has been hurt and durability is now a real issue; Sperry's been hurt (but has drawn praise from BA), Dray is a solid blocker, but not a "chunk" yard type of receiver. Shuler has the athletic ability to be a contributor in the passing game.

OL (9): 75-Brown; 61-Cooper; 63-Sendlein; 74-Fanaika; 65-Winston; 76-Potter; 69-Gibson; 78-Watford; 70-Massie.

Rushing: 35/ 92 yds/2.6/14 long/0 TDs
Passing: 16/27/ 263 yds/ 2 TDs/ 0 ints./ 1 sack

Total Yards: 355

Bubble: 71-Colledge; 69-Gibson; 73-Rachal; 64-Kelemete

Gibson was solid. Rachal not as much---looked out of shape and didn't finish many blocks. Kelemete was solid as 2nd team RG. If he could double as a center, his roster chances rise significantly.

WR (6): 11-Fitzgerald; 15-Floyd; 12-Roberts; 13-Brown; 89-Hawkins; 10-Gill.

C. Hawkins 4 92 23.0 0 36 4
J. Brown 5 46 9.2 1 17 7
A. Roberts 1 38 38.0 1 38 2
R. Toma 1 28 28.0 0 28 1
L. Fitzgerald 2 21 10.5 0 17 2
D. Buckner 1 19 19.0 0 19 1
M. Floyd 1 18 18.0 0 18 2
S. Taylor 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
N. Edwards 0 0 0.0 0 0 2

Brown and Hawkins showed in the game what the coaches have been seeing in practice.

Bubble: 10-Gill; 1-Toma; 85-Buckner; 19-Edwards.

Gill claims he will be back and ready for this week. He needs a big week. Toma and Buckner has "chunk" plays in the game of 28 and 19 yards respectively. Nicolas Edwards caught my eye in the game---good size, beat his defender (called for pass interference) deep and plays smooth.

NT (2): 92-Williams; 79-Carter.

Bubble: 69-Scott.

Carter was fair---looks like he's regressed a little since his rookie year. Padraic Scott was impressive. Very good motor and sense for where the ball is, albeit a little undersized.

DE (4): 90-Dockett; 93-Campbell; 98-Rucker; 96-Talley.

Arizona Defensive
TACKLES MISC
TOT SOLO SACKS TFL PD QB HTS TD
J. Arenas 5 5 0 0 0 0 0
D. Washin 5 4 0 0 0 0 0
T. Mathieu 4 4 1 1 1 1 0
R. Talley 4 4 0 0 0 1 0
J. Brinkley 4 3 0 0 0 0 0
T. Jefferson 3 3 0 0 0 0 0
Z. Nash 3 3 0 0 0 0 0
K. Minter 3 3 0 0 0 0 0
K. Demens 3 2 .5 0 0 1 0
J. Amaya 3 2 0 0 1 0 0
R. Johnson 3 2 0 0 1 0 0
S. Acho 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
D. Dockett 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
F. Rucker 2 1 .5 0 0 1 0
M. Shaughn 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
J. Bethel 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
J. Abraham 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
R. Yell 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
P. Scott 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
K. Rowe 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
Y. Bell 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
J. Harris 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
R. Walker 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
A. Cason 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
B. McCann 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
C. Parker 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
K. Jones 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
D. Carter 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
P. Peterson 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
J. Mathis 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Team 62 53 3 2 4 6 0

Bubble: 96-Talley.

Rucker (2 tackles, 1/2 a sack) looked better the second time I watched the tape, although he really needs to use his hands better and initiate stronger leverage. Talley was a nice surprise (4 tackles, 1 QB hit). Good game. Mathis had a nice QB hit late in the game.


ILB (4): 54-Brinkley; 55-Dansby; 51-Minter; 56-Walker.

Love the way Minter fills and finishes. Brinkley was aggressive, as was Walker, but Walker seems to miss just a half step a lot. The surprise was Kenny Demens---3 tackles and 1/2 a sack.

Bubble: 45-Demens.

OLB (5): 94-Acho; 97-Alexander; 53-Abraham; 91-Shaughnessy; 57-Okafor.

The only edge players with QB hits were Abraham (1 sack, forced fumble) and Kenny Rowe (1 sack---and a tackle for loss). Still looking for better pressure from the edge.

Bubble: 44-Rowe. Deserves some consideration after his performance.

CB (6): 21-Peterson; 25-Powers; 20-Cason; 35-Arenas; 31-Bethel; 22-McCann.

Very good night all-around from the Cardinals' secondary.

Bubble: 23-Fleming (McCann takes the lead this week). Fleming needs to show up asap.

S (4): 37-Bell; 49-Johnson; 32-Mathieu; 27-Amaya.

The safety play in this game was excellent.

Bubble: Jefferson. Made three good tackles---could it be---as they say on The Jeffersons: "Movin' on up!".

ST (3): 4-Feely; 9-Zastudil; 82-Leach.

Missed long FG for Feely---all KOs were returned. Zastudil shanked one punt, but the others were very good.

PUP (1): 48-Giordino.

Dan Giordino has pass rushing ability if and when he can come off the PUP.

SUS (1): 58-Washington.

Not a great performance from D-Wash.

Last 5 OUT:

G Colledge
TE King
RB Williams
G Rachal
CB Fleming

Bubble Risers:

C Gibson
OLB Rowe
NT Scott
LB Demens

Sleepers:

WR Edwards
WR Toma
WR Buckner
LT Johnson-Webb
DT Mathis
CB Yell

Your thoughts?

 

[binkar]

Good list. I can't disagree with too much of it, but I hope Williams sticks around in the place of Smith, and Flemming in the place of McCann. They both just have more youth and potential. Smith just seems to lack vision, and it's hard to be a good NFL RB without patience and vision.

I was impressed with Scott. I never saw him get pushed back, and he made a really nice play where he shed his blocker and tackled the RB just behind the line of scrimmage. I like Carter, but he's more effective as a penetrator from the nose, not a clogger.

The trade for Javier Arenas may turn out to be one of the most underrated deals of the offseason. It wasn't flashy, but I really like what we've seen from him.

I love that we have brought some speed guys in to battle for the last few WR spots. Guys like Hawkins and Gill will likely never be a focal point of this offense, but they could bring a dynamic that the Cardinals haven't had in a long time. Brown is also really intriguing.

I'm curious as to what the deal is with Kelemente. He always seems to play pretty well when he's in the game, but it seems like he's never spoken of, and seems to have been on the outside looking in from the start. I wonder if he just makes to many MEs in practice.

 

[GuernseyCard]

I don't think there is a roster exemption to cover Washington's suspension.

 

[mrbyte]

I assume that D wash isnt on the 53 because of the up coming ban?

 

[gmabel830]

Housler-Dray-Sperry-Jefferson at TE makes me sick to my stomach. I really hope we hit the waiver wire after cuts at this position.

I think WR is another spot where we could hit the wire.

I'd swap Colledge for Gibson and either Fleming/Jefferson for McCann.

Would love to find a spot for DL P. Scott, but just not seeing it in the numbers.

 

[Mitch]

I don't think there is a roster exemption to cover Washington's suspension.

There is a roster exemption. The Cardinals will have to add him to the roster after the suspension and release a player then.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Why not have a designated Kickoff guy that can boot it out of the stadium on Kickoffs? Wouldn't he be more impactful than an 8th or 9th lineman on most gamedays?

I don't know why more teams don't have this plan in place yet. Starting a team on the 20 at all times seems like a lock to me.

 

[gmabel830]

There is a roster exemption. The Cardinals will have to add him to the roster after the suspension and release a player then.

Just looked it up.. this is correct.

 

[splitsecond]

Disagree about Jefferson. If king can get healthy he makes the roster over Jefferson. Jefferson was not impressive to me at all. Skillet hands at times.

As far as WRs I hope that the others get targets. Constantly throwing to brown and Hawkins is of course going to give them numbers. Buckner probably has better hands than both of them but you'll never see it if they don't ever target him.

 

[GuernseyCard]

Why not have a designated Kickoff guy that can boot it out of the stadium on Kickoffs? Wouldn't he be more impactful than an 8th or 9th lineman on most gamedays?

I don't know why more teams don't have this plan in place yet. Starting a team on the 20 at all times seems like a lock to me.

They never carry 8 or 9 lineman on game day.

 

[GuernseyCard]

There is a roster exemption. The Cardinals will have to add him to the roster after the suspension and release a player then.

I stand corrected.

 

[Dr. Jones]

They never carry 8 or 9 lineman on game day.

Numbers. Schmumbers! I gotta plan man!

 

[JeffGollin]

Why not have a designated Kickoff guy that can boot it out of the stadium on Kickoffs? Wouldn't he be more impactful than an 8th or 9th lineman on most gamedays?

I don't know why more teams don't have this plan in place yet. Starting a team on the 20 at all times seems like a lock to me.

The # of KO's returned stat is misleading. Just about every Cardinal KO went into the end zone, but were returned anyway (no doubt because the GB coaches wanted to see runbacks). If my memory serves me correctly, most if not all the returns failed to make it to the 20.

I doubt that EZ kickoffs will be returned that often during the regular season when it counts.

 

[juza76]

I m sorry for williams but his career is pretty much over, he can have injuries even if he spend 24 hours a day in a hospital bedroom

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm not happy at RB. Smith may have speed but that does not mean he has the instincts of a good RB. Then add Ellington still suffering from a concussion and the questions surrounding Williams... I'm concerned about the depth at RB.

 

[Cardiac]

Unless I'm misreading the stats from CBS sports Feely had the 8th best kickoff distance so far this preseason. Also top 5 in the number of yards the opponent go on each return.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/stats/teamsort/NFL/O-KRETAVG/2013/pre?&_3:col_1=7&_3:col_2=7

I for one think our coverage teams are going to be VERY good so let the opponent bring out the kickoff. I bet the number of times they start inside their own 20 will outnumber how many times the get past the 20 yd line.

 

[PJ1]

After watching the game again the following stood out:

Gibson did look good. Made one mistake but solid otherwise.

Rachal was in fact bad. Not seeing it with this guy considering he isn't a rookie. Sure looked like one in this game.

I liked what I saw from Kelemete in this game and when I saw him last year. Not sure what the coaches think.

Brinkley had a strong game. All over the place making plays.

Tony Jefferson and Bryan McCann looked good to me. Agree McCann could make the team.

Minter moves to the ball well and is a player. Also impressed with Demens who made some nice tackles. Did not like what I saw from Shaughnessy. Seemed lazy to me in this game.

Alexander, Bethel and McCann killed it on special teams. Add in the Badger himself and we could be real good in this area. Far better than we have been in a long time.

Looking forward to Saturday. Wonderful having football back.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Even though he hardly played in the Packer game, prior to the game I thought I read that Kerry Taylor was impressing in camp?

 

[Duckjake]

Disagree about Jefferson. If king can get healthy he makes the roster over Jefferson. Jefferson was not impressive to me at all. Skillet hands at times.

As far as WRs I hope that the others get targets. Constantly throwing to brown and Hawkins is of course going to give them numbers. Buckner probably has better hands than both of them but you'll never see it if they don't ever target him.

I think Jefferson will become the better blocker. The guy is huge. But who knows with the Arians offense maybe catching passes is more important for the TE's than it was with previous coaches.

BTW: Did you guys notice how many times the Cards overloaded one side of the offense with two TE's? That is exactly what I saw in watching the Colts under Arians last season. I also loved seeing plays where the offensive line moved as a LINE in one direction instead of all going in different directions like the keystone kops with their heads on swivels trying to figure out who to block?. They didn't do it a lot but I expect to see more of it once the season starts.

 

[JeffGollin]

I think Jefferson will become the better blocker. The guy is huge. But who knows with the Arians offense maybe catching passes is more important for the TE's than it was with previous coaches.

BTW: Did you guys notice how many times the Cards overloaded one side of the offense with two TE's? That is exactly what I saw in watching the Colts under Arians last season. I also loved seeing plays where the offensive line moved as a LINE in one direction instead of all going in different directions like the keystone kops with their heads on swivels trying to figure out who to block?. They didn't do it a lot but I expect to see more of it once the season starts.

They had to play Jefferson because injuries wiped out the guys ahead of him on the depth chart. (In other words, this may not have been a matter of the coaches playing him because he was secretly rocketing up the depth chart).

What we don't know about Jefferson is how much patience the coaching staff will have in developing him. (i.e. Can you coach "better hands?" "Can you coach better field smarts")? Do they see "material they can mold" - a potential Pro Bowl TE three or four years from now? Or do they see a prospect who looks the part but may never deliver?

You look at the kid and you say to yourself "Wow!" Is that what the coaches were saying? Or were they merely putting his feet to the fire early-on to see what they were (or weren't) getting? Would they have played him as much if the other TE's were healthy?

My gut tells me they like him and he'll be one of the four-plus TE's we keep. This is one of those deals where, as a fan, you wonder if you're on the same page as the coaches.

 

[Garthshort]

PJ1, not saying you're wrong about Shaughnessy, but remember with his size, he's not going to move as fast as other LB's. And he's also making a transition from being a DL'er. Also, BA said that Jaron Brown had a 50-50 game. Half good, half bad. As fans we have no idea if players are making mental errors. To me, Jaron Brown had a vg game, but what do I know. And as far as I've read, BA had nothing negative to say about Charles Hawkins.