Dallas Cowboys coming to the Valley..

[iRobot]

Always a fan favorite to go up against the Cowboys.. even in preseason..

On Saturday afternoon, the Cardinals will face the Dallas Cowboys in week two of the preseason. Expectations for the Cardinals are growing as they appeared to look pretty good in all phases against the Green Bay Packers.

When the Cardinals take the field Saturday, the things I’m most interested in seeing will be:

1) Will the offensive line be able to hold up in pass protection as they did against Green Bay?

The Packers defensive line and getting pressure has been about the only positive for Green Bay over the years. Clay Matthews was essentially stone walled in his limited snaps in week one, which is always a good sign when a top tier pass rusher is ineffective. The line, minus Chilo Rachal, graded out at +3.6 in pass blocking per ProFootballFocus. I expect the line to continue trending upwards and hopefully find a way to improve the run blocking. Speaking of run blocking…

2) Will Mendenhall show us a glimmer of the impact he could have for the Cardinals? Will Ellington show home-run hitter potential?

This will be Rashard Mendenhall’s first live action against players not wearing the same logo on their uniform. What will he show us? Will the line give him decent gaps and will he be quick and decisive in his cuts. Camp reports have been positive at times and I am truly interested to see if he is the clear number one back on the field. Also, Andre Ellington will be in this matchup and he intrigues me greatly as a true home-run threat to take a ball to the house. His speed is deceptive as he only clocked a 4.61 40 yard at the combine, however, his acceleration is quicker than most and he has explosion in his bursts.

3) Is Robert Gill going to show good hands to go with his speed or will Kerry Taylor, Jaron Brown, and Charles Hawkins shine?

Outside of Fitz, Floyd, and Roberts.. there is no clear cut number four wide receiver. Who is going to step up and show why they should be that guy. Patrick Peterson keeps finding himself on the field on offense and that makes me wonder if they really like anyone who is currently vying for the #4 WR spot.

4) Honey Badger don’t give a ****. Honey Badger takes what he wants.

Tyrann Mathieu had an impressive performance in week one and I’m expecting to see even more from the kid as he starts against the Cowboys this week. Recent talk was that he was considered a first round pick at one point (before all the drug drama) and to be honest, he’s making an impact like a first rounder would but he was nabbed in the third. If he can keep clean and continue to produce on the level he has displayed in practice and in week one, the Cardinals front office is going to look like a group of geniuses.

5) Can this defense hold up?

The Cowboys have looked okay through the preseason so far on offense but I think this is the first real defense they’re going to face. Tony Romo was 6 of 8 in passing last week against Oakland but he’s going to face a better defensive front and better backfield in the Cardinals. Can we limit big plays and create some turnovers? That’s what I’m hoping to see and I wouldn’t mind seeing another team get shutout by the Cardinals in the preseason.

Shameless plug to my personal blog: http://azbirdgang.com/?p=96

 

[Mulli]

Nice! Finally, some game analysis. Thanks.

 

[Shane]

Good stuff

 

[jf-08]

Nice writeup. Cool site as well.

 

[BigRedRage]

Good post Robot, glad you have come to asfn.

 

[Mulli]

Ya, I like to pretend ASFN has a football loving android.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[iRobot]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it! Happy to be here!

And Mulli... *Bzzzzt beep boop* Does not compute.

 

[BigRedRage]

Ya, I like to pretend ASFN has a football loving android.

You must be registered for see images attach

I will kick that thing across the room

 

[Mulli]

Only pic that doesn't big red x.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Thanks for the write up.

I have an analysis for the game too.

Ahem......

The Cowboys suck, and their entire organization and fan base can go pound sand.

Done.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Thanks for the write up.

I have an analysis for the game too.

Ahem......

The Cowboys suck, and their entire organization and fan base can go pound sand.

Done.

NICE!

 

[Buckybird]

Thanks for the write up.

I have an analysis for the game too.

Ahem......

The Cowboys suck, and their entire organization and fan base can go pound sand.

Done.

True dat!

Try living your entire life in Big D & being a Big Red fan

 

[SO91]

Thanks for the write up.

I have an analysis for the game too.

Ahem......

The Cowboys suck, and their entire organization and fan base can go pound sand.

Done.

Thought-provoking. You should make t-shirts. I'd buy one

 

[Hollywood]

Heard on the radio today that the cowboys couldn't sell their allotment of tickets to today's game and returned the remainder to the Cardinals. That is a long way from the only game we could sell out was when the cowboys came to town.

 

[40yearfan]

Dallas Cowboys coming to the Valley..

Be sure to get your inoculations at your local health clinic.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Heard on the radio today that the cowboys couldn't sell their allotment of tickets to today's game and returned the remainder to the Cardinals. That is a long way from the only game we could sell out was when the cowboys came to town.

Good. It will be less of a stink to air out of the stadium

 

[CardsFan88]

Our defense will cross their Rubicon line and destroy Romo.

 

[HeavyB3]

Good. It will be less of a stink to air out of the stadium

Why would they buy them from the Cowboys when there are gonna be a ton of Cowboys fans that just buy up the tickets season ticket holders unload? We'll still have plenty more cowboys fans than we would like in the stadium.

 

[GuernseyCard]

At least they aren't coming 'home' to the valley, as it once was.

 

[earthsci]

Why would they buy them from the Cowboys when there are gonna be a ton of Cowboys fans that just buy up the tickets season ticket holders unload? We'll still have plenty more cowboys fans than we would like in the stadium.

Yep. I couldn't give these tickets away, except to someone who said that they had relatives that were lifelong Cowboys fans. Empty seats today.

 

[Red Dawn]

Thanks for the write up.

I have an analysis for the game too.

Ahem......

The Cowboys suck, and their entire organization and fan base can go pound sand.

Done.

I was just going to post the same thoughts.