azdad1978
Championship!!!!
The Arizona Cardinals closed out the preseason with a 33-21 road win over the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High on Thursday night. Three field goals by Neil Rackers (45, 47 and 57 yards), a 1-yard touchdown run by Josh Scobey, and a recovered fumble in the endzone by defensive tackle Ross Kolodziej secured a 23-0 halftime lead.
The Broncos scored three touchdowns in the second half, but with rookie undrafted free agent Larry Croom adding a third-quarter touchdown on a 4-yard run, and Rackers connecting on a 47-yard field goal, the Broncos could not close the gap.
“When you are keeping score, it always feels good,” said Head Coach Dennis Green on his first win with the organization. “It is like fishing, sometimes it takes a while before you catch your first fish and you wonder if you are ever going to get it.”
Special teams turned the tide to the Cardinals favor early-on with a 46-yard punt return by Karl Williams and a blocked punt that led to field goals on the Cards first two possessions. Rackers was money all night, converting on all four of his field goals and also reaching the endzone on five of his kickoffs, four of which went for touchbacks.
“We had a good night,” said Rackers of special teams. “We have been practicing with Coach Green in game-like field goals in practice. We do two here, two there, so it is more game-like and you are more prepared come game time and I think in the long run, it is making us more comfortable.”
Scobey’s touchdown run at the start of the second quarter completed a 12-play, 77-yard drive commanded by quarterback Josh McCown, who exited the game following that series, and finished the night 5 of 8 for 41 yards.
“Of course, we would have liked to have punched it in on those two early drives too when we had those short fields, but Neil is becoming a pretty sure thing so when you get down there it is about protecting the football and not forcing things, and making sure that at worst Neil can get out there and get us three points.”
Albeit with the Broncos sitting starting quarterback Jake Plummer, the Cards defense never allowed the Broncos offense to cross midfield in the entire first half. Defensive end Calvin Pace sacked and forced two fumbles on Matt Mauck, the first recovered by Kolodziej for a Cardinals defensive touchdown, and the second recovered by Antonio Smith to set up the 57-yarder by Rackers right before the half.
“Honestly, I was thinking it was going to be a zone play and I saw that it was actually a bootleg and I think someone made him step back a bit in the endzone and I was able to swat the ball,” said Pace of his first sack in the game. “It was a combination of being at the right place at the right time Week to week, I think every player on this team has improved, not just me. It is just my goal to go out and be able to make some plays.”
Green called Pace’s performance the best effort he’s seen so far out of the second-year player. The head coach also liked what he saw out of newly acquired defensive end Peppi Zellner and revealed that Zellner will likely start at left defensive end against St. Louis and that rookie Darnell Dockett would be moved back to his under tackle position.
“It was good for us to come on the road which is something the Cards haven’t historically done well and get a win,” concluded quarterback Shaun King, who finished 9-of-11 for 107 yards and orchestrated the touchdown drive late in the third quarter. “I think every week we are taking steps to get better. I’ve been on a championship team and I know what it takes to perform at that level and we showed some of those signs tonight and I was encouraged.”
Final Roster
The Cardinals must reach their 53-man roster by Sunday, 4pm EST. The team currently has 69 players on the roster which means the team must release 16 players.
http://www.azcardinals.com/press/pressdetails.php?sid=2172
The Broncos scored three touchdowns in the second half, but with rookie undrafted free agent Larry Croom adding a third-quarter touchdown on a 4-yard run, and Rackers connecting on a 47-yard field goal, the Broncos could not close the gap.
“When you are keeping score, it always feels good,” said Head Coach Dennis Green on his first win with the organization. “It is like fishing, sometimes it takes a while before you catch your first fish and you wonder if you are ever going to get it.”
Special teams turned the tide to the Cardinals favor early-on with a 46-yard punt return by Karl Williams and a blocked punt that led to field goals on the Cards first two possessions. Rackers was money all night, converting on all four of his field goals and also reaching the endzone on five of his kickoffs, four of which went for touchbacks.
“We had a good night,” said Rackers of special teams. “We have been practicing with Coach Green in game-like field goals in practice. We do two here, two there, so it is more game-like and you are more prepared come game time and I think in the long run, it is making us more comfortable.”
Scobey’s touchdown run at the start of the second quarter completed a 12-play, 77-yard drive commanded by quarterback Josh McCown, who exited the game following that series, and finished the night 5 of 8 for 41 yards.
“Of course, we would have liked to have punched it in on those two early drives too when we had those short fields, but Neil is becoming a pretty sure thing so when you get down there it is about protecting the football and not forcing things, and making sure that at worst Neil can get out there and get us three points.”
Albeit with the Broncos sitting starting quarterback Jake Plummer, the Cards defense never allowed the Broncos offense to cross midfield in the entire first half. Defensive end Calvin Pace sacked and forced two fumbles on Matt Mauck, the first recovered by Kolodziej for a Cardinals defensive touchdown, and the second recovered by Antonio Smith to set up the 57-yarder by Rackers right before the half.
“Honestly, I was thinking it was going to be a zone play and I saw that it was actually a bootleg and I think someone made him step back a bit in the endzone and I was able to swat the ball,” said Pace of his first sack in the game. “It was a combination of being at the right place at the right time Week to week, I think every player on this team has improved, not just me. It is just my goal to go out and be able to make some plays.”
Green called Pace’s performance the best effort he’s seen so far out of the second-year player. The head coach also liked what he saw out of newly acquired defensive end Peppi Zellner and revealed that Zellner will likely start at left defensive end against St. Louis and that rookie Darnell Dockett would be moved back to his under tackle position.
“It was good for us to come on the road which is something the Cards haven’t historically done well and get a win,” concluded quarterback Shaun King, who finished 9-of-11 for 107 yards and orchestrated the touchdown drive late in the third quarter. “I think every week we are taking steps to get better. I’ve been on a championship team and I know what it takes to perform at that level and we showed some of those signs tonight and I was encouraged.”
Final Roster
The Cardinals must reach their 53-man roster by Sunday, 4pm EST. The team currently has 69 players on the roster which means the team must release 16 players.
http://www.azcardinals.com/press/pressdetails.php?sid=2172
