Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
QB (3):
3-Carson Palmer—crisp, productive performance on opening TD drive (4/4, 79 yds.)
5-Drew Stanton—non factor (0-3) in this game, was way outplayed by Chiefs’ #2 QB, Chase Daniel
6-Logan Thomas—played impressively (9/15, 105, 0/1), bought time and scramble yards with his feet, threw some picture perfect passes from pocket and off play action, had dropped passes on int. and what should have been a TD—made one of the best tackle pursuits and tackles of the night—wonder if the coaches could create a role for him as a situational TE and/or edge rusher, as he is clearly one of the best athletes on the team.
1st Man Out:
1-Phil Sims—nifty feet and escapability, nice touch on passes, not sure if the sidearm
deliveries hurt or help him—good TD drive at end of game.
RB (4):
38-Andre Ellington—dynamic in the slot, not as much at RB, although he did punch in a TD, a few plays after getting caught from behind on a brilliant catch and run between defenders.
33-Kerwynn Williams—brings aggressive running style and inside the tackles toughness.
39-Robert Hughes—was used this game as the power RB—had runs of 4, 4, 7, 3 yards, but got stuffed a few times and incurred a 4 yard loss on a failed sweep play—had a 13 yard reception out of the backfield and made a key block on the edge LB on the Ellington TD.
31-David Johnson—DNP due to lingering injury and is one of the reasons why Chris Johnson is working out for the team today.
1st Man Out:
30-Stepfan Taylor—still good on STs, but it’s not a good sign that Hughes was featured as the power RB and that Taylor only got one carry.
OL (8):
68-Jared Veldheer—needs to sustain blocks on running plays to match his prowess as a pass protector.
76-Mike Iupati—his power pull opened the hole for Ellington’s TD. Was solid in pass pro.
53-A.Q. Shipley—got off the ball well on the Ellington TD, which made for a clean crisp pull by Iupati. Solid first start.
61-Jonathan Cooper—needs to get better inside leverage on the DT, but looks improved.
74-D.J. Humphries—played with a nasty streak and good athleticism. Good first game; did a very good job of steering DEs wide of the QB.
63-Lyle Sendlein—looked a little rusty, but held up well at the point of attack. Needs to do a better job of slipping off blocks to get to the second level.
78-Earl Watford—needs to engage his man faster and sustain his blocks, but has good feet and movement.
79-Bradley Sowell—is playing well; looks like his technique has improved.
Suspended:
70-Bobby Massie—good first game. Hopefully he wins his appeal and has his 3 game suspension reduced.
1st Man Out:
62-Ted Larsen—with Sendlein back in the mix and Watford showing improvement, Larsen is now on the bubble. A holding call didn’t help his cause.
Sleeper:
71-Anthony Steen—very physical in the running game both at guard and center. Could make a run at the C/G swing spot.
TE (4):
85-Darren Fells—the wrinkle of the night was lining him up in the shotgun backfield opposite Ellington on Ellington’s 57 yard catch. They doubled the RDT with Iupati and Shipley and doubled the LDT with Cooper and Fells (who then ran a delay route) to ensure a clean inside pocket for Palmer. Fells also had a good block on the Ellington TD.
87-Troy Niklas—blocked fairly well in limited action.
80-Ifeanyi Momah—veteran combine steal as pass catching TE. Will get some flak for his holding penalty. Good game—made presence felt throughout (3/31 yds.).
84-Jermain Gresham—has begun to make strides in practice.
1st Man Out:
83-Gerald Christian—had a very good 13 yard catch from Thomas off play action. Ron Wolfley talking about BA keeping 5 TEs, but that isn’t likely to happen with this talented roster. With all the TEs getting injured around the NFL, BA&SK may have to think twice about waiving a young talent like Christian, but is it wise to keep 5 TEs at the expense of weakening the depth at another position?
WR (6):
11-Larry Fitzgerald—glad to see they weren’t throwing Fitz into harm’s way. They really need to keep him fresh and healthy.
12-John Brown—exciting start for him as CP’s go-to speed WR.
15-Michael Floyd—with the timetable on his return uncertain, it is most likely and necessary that BA&SK will keep 6 WRs.
13-Jaron Brown—had a couple big drops at the end of last year and had a bad one in this game that led to near pick-six. But, he is a deep TD waiting to happen, as he has shown in practice.
14-J.J. Nelson—not a highly productive night beside catching a 3 yard quick slant in the red zone, but Carson Palmer is raving about him and he has been playing super fast and well in practice.
16-Jaxson Shipley—his 21 yard catch from Logan Thomas on a crossing pattern was a thing of beauty, as was his nifty punt return following the safety. Going out on a limb here to tab Shipley over Golden.
1st Man Out:
10-Brittan Golden—had a rough night. Didn’t get PI call he was screaming for, didn’t have any big returns and dropped what should have been a relatively easy TD. However, let’s see how he bounces back this week.
NT (2):
98-Corey Peters—showed up stout and productive at the NT spot last night. teamed with Bucannon on a nice RB stuff for a two yard loss.
69-Xavier Williams—this rookie was outstanding last night, so much so that he looks like a lock to make this crowded roster at defensive line.
1st Man Out:
66-Alameda Ta’amu—he played well, but Williams put on a NT clinic. Ta’amu may have some trade value if he keeps showing up on tape as he did last night.
DE (5):
93-Calais Campbell—the team really needs him to be a beast this year.
92-Frostee Rucker—looks like he’s ready to pick up where he left off last year.
90-Cory Redding—needs to be kept fresh for the season.
95-Rodney Gunter—showed why the team traded up to get him. Looked more like a 1st or 2nd rounder last night, than a 4th.
72-Ed Stinson—looks well conditioned, but needs to finish off his tackles.
1st Man Out:
91-Matt Shaughnessy—had a decent game run stuffing and could be a trade chip for teams needing defensive line help.
ILB (4):
55-Sean Weatherspoon—this game showed how desperate the Cardinals are for Weatherspoon to be healthy, as the ILB unit is not very instinctive or fast in stuffing and covering RBs and TEs.
51-Kevin Minter—is exerting himself as a run stuffer.
54-Kenny Demens—is he fast enough to play WILB? He needs to react much faster to passes in the flats, which his replacement Andrea Kirk struggled with even more so. Demens is a good wrap-up tackler when he reads the play faster.
58-Edwin Jackson—good, physical Pound Cake SILB who can be a solid backup to Minter.
1st Man Out:
56-Glenn Carson—lacks the speed and range to play WILB and is not as physical as Minter and Jackson at SILB.
Sleepers:
48-Alani Fua—has the length and speed to play well at WILB, but he’s raw and needs time to develop.
50-Gabe Martin—he has the speed and range the team needs, but he didn’t play much last night, which was perplexing.
OLB (5):
57-Alex Okafor—Cardinals need a big year from him.
44-Markus Golden—made a nice contain tackle for loss and had some QB pressures. His motor was in full gear.
52-LaMarr Woodley—still gets a push on bull rushes, but needs to disengage his blocker faster.
96-Kareem Martin—nice surprise last night; very physical, good bull rush, excellent near sack on the TEX stunt, plays hard to the whistle, but is he as sudden or quick as it is going to take to contain the likes of Wilson and Kaepernick?
97-Lorenzo Alexander—has been starting; he was very active last night on the edge and in making tackles on STs.
1st Man Out:
47-Shaq Riddick—last night was proof as to how much the Cardinals need better athleticism on the edge. therefore it would be a boon if Riddick or Zack Wagenmann could get healthy and make a splash.
CB (4):
21- Patrick Peterson—slim and fast this year.
25-Jerraud Powers—excels in the slot, not as much on the outside.
28-Justin Bethel—they tried to blow Jeremy Macklin by him on the first play and Bethel played it in textbook fashion. Bethel’s play last night was both fast and physical. Adding his tackling (see how he blew up that one short hitch pass?) to the defense is a significant bonus.
35-Cariel Brooks—the rookie can play (despite having such a short neck—looks like his helmet is sitting on his shoulder pads!)—he has a very good sense of leverage in coverage and forces the run with an eagerness and tenacity that coaches want.
1st Man Out:
46-Jimmy Legree—when he was asked to play in press coverage, he played well, making a nice breakup on an inside slant. But, whenJames Bettcher switched to Cover 3 Zone, Legree was exploited numerous times. Funny but BA at half-time was ripping the
defense for being passive and tentative and was adamant that the Cardinals are a bump and run team, and yet his new in-house DC was playing a steady diet of soft zones. Not a good fit for Legree.
S (5):
20-Deone Bucannon—interesting that one the first snap last night he was lined up at WILB and that when Weatherspoon re-injured his hamstring this week, BA immediately brought up Deone as an option to replace him. Deone was shot out of a cannon when at SS in the box he read run and met Knile Davis for a two yard loss with Corey Peters getting the assist. Bucannon has the speed that the current group of linebackers lack—and while he lacks proto-typical ILB weight, if the front line can keep him clean, he could have a Daryl Washington type impact.
32-Tyrann Mathieu—best tackler and all-puprosen made a big play right out of the gates last night.
26-Rashad Johnson—smart and consistent, seems to improve a little every year.
22-Tony Jefferson—looks very physical and aggressive—could start at SS if Deone is moved inside.
41-Harold Jones-Quartey—had six pop, drive and finish (textbook) tackles in the game and showed very quick reads and instincts.
1st Man Out:
29-Chris Clemons—was injured this week, but has been having a good camp as nickel and dime package safety.
ST (3):
7-Chris Catanzaro—good start, despite one 52 yard attempt that was blocked. Excellent kickoffs.
82-Mike Leach—-on the money honey, per usual.
9-Dave Zastudil—not quite looking himself thus far, but still has the most talent.
1st Man Out:
2-Drew Butler—didn’t fare much better than Zasty, but did a good job holding for Catanzaro.
Keim’s Corner:
* Adding RB Chris Johnson so that BA can use Ellington more in the slot and make the offense even faster seems like a fortuitous move.
* The Cardinals are woefully slow at LB all across the board. Keim has some trade chips, and linebacker has to be the number one, number two and number three three needs right now.
* Adding a proven edge rusher such as Dwight Freeney would be huge at this point.
* Adding an experienced CB through trade or waivers would seem wise, although Cariel Brooks does look promising.
* if Zasty keeps struggling, do you look for another punter or stick with Butler and hope he’s improved?
3-Carson Palmer—crisp, productive performance on opening TD drive (4/4, 79 yds.)
5-Drew Stanton—non factor (0-3) in this game, was way outplayed by Chiefs’ #2 QB, Chase Daniel
6-Logan Thomas—played impressively (9/15, 105, 0/1), bought time and scramble yards with his feet, threw some picture perfect passes from pocket and off play action, had dropped passes on int. and what should have been a TD—made one of the best tackle pursuits and tackles of the night—wonder if the coaches could create a role for him as a situational TE and/or edge rusher, as he is clearly one of the best athletes on the team.
1st Man Out:
1-Phil Sims—nifty feet and escapability, nice touch on passes, not sure if the sidearm
deliveries hurt or help him—good TD drive at end of game.
RB (4):
38-Andre Ellington—dynamic in the slot, not as much at RB, although he did punch in a TD, a few plays after getting caught from behind on a brilliant catch and run between defenders.
33-Kerwynn Williams—brings aggressive running style and inside the tackles toughness.
39-Robert Hughes—was used this game as the power RB—had runs of 4, 4, 7, 3 yards, but got stuffed a few times and incurred a 4 yard loss on a failed sweep play—had a 13 yard reception out of the backfield and made a key block on the edge LB on the Ellington TD.
31-David Johnson—DNP due to lingering injury and is one of the reasons why Chris Johnson is working out for the team today.
1st Man Out:
30-Stepfan Taylor—still good on STs, but it’s not a good sign that Hughes was featured as the power RB and that Taylor only got one carry.
OL (8):
68-Jared Veldheer—needs to sustain blocks on running plays to match his prowess as a pass protector.
76-Mike Iupati—his power pull opened the hole for Ellington’s TD. Was solid in pass pro.
53-A.Q. Shipley—got off the ball well on the Ellington TD, which made for a clean crisp pull by Iupati. Solid first start.
61-Jonathan Cooper—needs to get better inside leverage on the DT, but looks improved.
74-D.J. Humphries—played with a nasty streak and good athleticism. Good first game; did a very good job of steering DEs wide of the QB.
63-Lyle Sendlein—looked a little rusty, but held up well at the point of attack. Needs to do a better job of slipping off blocks to get to the second level.
78-Earl Watford—needs to engage his man faster and sustain his blocks, but has good feet and movement.
79-Bradley Sowell—is playing well; looks like his technique has improved.
Suspended:
70-Bobby Massie—good first game. Hopefully he wins his appeal and has his 3 game suspension reduced.
1st Man Out:
62-Ted Larsen—with Sendlein back in the mix and Watford showing improvement, Larsen is now on the bubble. A holding call didn’t help his cause.
Sleeper:
71-Anthony Steen—very physical in the running game both at guard and center. Could make a run at the C/G swing spot.
TE (4):
85-Darren Fells—the wrinkle of the night was lining him up in the shotgun backfield opposite Ellington on Ellington’s 57 yard catch. They doubled the RDT with Iupati and Shipley and doubled the LDT with Cooper and Fells (who then ran a delay route) to ensure a clean inside pocket for Palmer. Fells also had a good block on the Ellington TD.
87-Troy Niklas—blocked fairly well in limited action.
80-Ifeanyi Momah—veteran combine steal as pass catching TE. Will get some flak for his holding penalty. Good game—made presence felt throughout (3/31 yds.).
84-Jermain Gresham—has begun to make strides in practice.
1st Man Out:
83-Gerald Christian—had a very good 13 yard catch from Thomas off play action. Ron Wolfley talking about BA keeping 5 TEs, but that isn’t likely to happen with this talented roster. With all the TEs getting injured around the NFL, BA&SK may have to think twice about waiving a young talent like Christian, but is it wise to keep 5 TEs at the expense of weakening the depth at another position?
WR (6):
11-Larry Fitzgerald—glad to see they weren’t throwing Fitz into harm’s way. They really need to keep him fresh and healthy.
12-John Brown—exciting start for him as CP’s go-to speed WR.
15-Michael Floyd—with the timetable on his return uncertain, it is most likely and necessary that BA&SK will keep 6 WRs.
13-Jaron Brown—had a couple big drops at the end of last year and had a bad one in this game that led to near pick-six. But, he is a deep TD waiting to happen, as he has shown in practice.
14-J.J. Nelson—not a highly productive night beside catching a 3 yard quick slant in the red zone, but Carson Palmer is raving about him and he has been playing super fast and well in practice.
16-Jaxson Shipley—his 21 yard catch from Logan Thomas on a crossing pattern was a thing of beauty, as was his nifty punt return following the safety. Going out on a limb here to tab Shipley over Golden.
1st Man Out:
10-Brittan Golden—had a rough night. Didn’t get PI call he was screaming for, didn’t have any big returns and dropped what should have been a relatively easy TD. However, let’s see how he bounces back this week.
NT (2):
98-Corey Peters—showed up stout and productive at the NT spot last night. teamed with Bucannon on a nice RB stuff for a two yard loss.
69-Xavier Williams—this rookie was outstanding last night, so much so that he looks like a lock to make this crowded roster at defensive line.
1st Man Out:
66-Alameda Ta’amu—he played well, but Williams put on a NT clinic. Ta’amu may have some trade value if he keeps showing up on tape as he did last night.
DE (5):
93-Calais Campbell—the team really needs him to be a beast this year.
92-Frostee Rucker—looks like he’s ready to pick up where he left off last year.
90-Cory Redding—needs to be kept fresh for the season.
95-Rodney Gunter—showed why the team traded up to get him. Looked more like a 1st or 2nd rounder last night, than a 4th.
72-Ed Stinson—looks well conditioned, but needs to finish off his tackles.
1st Man Out:
91-Matt Shaughnessy—had a decent game run stuffing and could be a trade chip for teams needing defensive line help.
ILB (4):
55-Sean Weatherspoon—this game showed how desperate the Cardinals are for Weatherspoon to be healthy, as the ILB unit is not very instinctive or fast in stuffing and covering RBs and TEs.
51-Kevin Minter—is exerting himself as a run stuffer.
54-Kenny Demens—is he fast enough to play WILB? He needs to react much faster to passes in the flats, which his replacement Andrea Kirk struggled with even more so. Demens is a good wrap-up tackler when he reads the play faster.
58-Edwin Jackson—good, physical Pound Cake SILB who can be a solid backup to Minter.
1st Man Out:
56-Glenn Carson—lacks the speed and range to play WILB and is not as physical as Minter and Jackson at SILB.
Sleepers:
48-Alani Fua—has the length and speed to play well at WILB, but he’s raw and needs time to develop.
50-Gabe Martin—he has the speed and range the team needs, but he didn’t play much last night, which was perplexing.
OLB (5):
57-Alex Okafor—Cardinals need a big year from him.
44-Markus Golden—made a nice contain tackle for loss and had some QB pressures. His motor was in full gear.
52-LaMarr Woodley—still gets a push on bull rushes, but needs to disengage his blocker faster.
96-Kareem Martin—nice surprise last night; very physical, good bull rush, excellent near sack on the TEX stunt, plays hard to the whistle, but is he as sudden or quick as it is going to take to contain the likes of Wilson and Kaepernick?
97-Lorenzo Alexander—has been starting; he was very active last night on the edge and in making tackles on STs.
1st Man Out:
47-Shaq Riddick—last night was proof as to how much the Cardinals need better athleticism on the edge. therefore it would be a boon if Riddick or Zack Wagenmann could get healthy and make a splash.
CB (4):
21- Patrick Peterson—slim and fast this year.
25-Jerraud Powers—excels in the slot, not as much on the outside.
28-Justin Bethel—they tried to blow Jeremy Macklin by him on the first play and Bethel played it in textbook fashion. Bethel’s play last night was both fast and physical. Adding his tackling (see how he blew up that one short hitch pass?) to the defense is a significant bonus.
35-Cariel Brooks—the rookie can play (despite having such a short neck—looks like his helmet is sitting on his shoulder pads!)—he has a very good sense of leverage in coverage and forces the run with an eagerness and tenacity that coaches want.
1st Man Out:
46-Jimmy Legree—when he was asked to play in press coverage, he played well, making a nice breakup on an inside slant. But, whenJames Bettcher switched to Cover 3 Zone, Legree was exploited numerous times. Funny but BA at half-time was ripping the
defense for being passive and tentative and was adamant that the Cardinals are a bump and run team, and yet his new in-house DC was playing a steady diet of soft zones. Not a good fit for Legree.
S (5):
20-Deone Bucannon—interesting that one the first snap last night he was lined up at WILB and that when Weatherspoon re-injured his hamstring this week, BA immediately brought up Deone as an option to replace him. Deone was shot out of a cannon when at SS in the box he read run and met Knile Davis for a two yard loss with Corey Peters getting the assist. Bucannon has the speed that the current group of linebackers lack—and while he lacks proto-typical ILB weight, if the front line can keep him clean, he could have a Daryl Washington type impact.
32-Tyrann Mathieu—best tackler and all-puprosen made a big play right out of the gates last night.
26-Rashad Johnson—smart and consistent, seems to improve a little every year.
22-Tony Jefferson—looks very physical and aggressive—could start at SS if Deone is moved inside.
41-Harold Jones-Quartey—had six pop, drive and finish (textbook) tackles in the game and showed very quick reads and instincts.
1st Man Out:
29-Chris Clemons—was injured this week, but has been having a good camp as nickel and dime package safety.
ST (3):
7-Chris Catanzaro—good start, despite one 52 yard attempt that was blocked. Excellent kickoffs.
82-Mike Leach—-on the money honey, per usual.
9-Dave Zastudil—not quite looking himself thus far, but still has the most talent.
1st Man Out:
2-Drew Butler—didn’t fare much better than Zasty, but did a good job holding for Catanzaro.
Keim’s Corner:
* Adding RB Chris Johnson so that BA can use Ellington more in the slot and make the offense even faster seems like a fortuitous move.
* The Cardinals are woefully slow at LB all across the board. Keim has some trade chips, and linebacker has to be the number one, number two and number three three needs right now.
* Adding a proven edge rusher such as Dwight Freeney would be huge at this point.
* Adding an experienced CB through trade or waivers would seem wise, although Cariel Brooks does look promising.
* if Zasty keeps struggling, do you look for another punter or stick with Butler and hope he’s improved?
