This statement is kinda how I feel. Game 1 of preseason isn't changing my view of the team. That said, I enjoy watching games where teams execute 2 min drills and play penalty/mistake free (or at least limited). Not being an embarrassment isn't the barometer of achievement I want the Cardinals to be measured by, but it is a nice start.
You have to start somewhere. This team is seeing it's first action after undergoing a complete gut job in the offseason. This was our first opportunity to see a lot of the young players brought in by a Rookie GM. It was the first opportunity to see a Rookie HC, Rookie OC and Rookie DC call plays and manage a game. So I take the Preseason week 1 as a starting baseline to judge this young team.
Preseason week 1 the coaching staff looked competent.
The team as a hole looked prepared and didn't make a ton of mental errors that we have seen in the past.
Several of the young rookies won their one on one battles and showed a bunch of promise.
Several of the FAs brought in by Monti also looked solid.
So now we look to Preseason week 2 against the defending SB champs. This obviously will be a much bigger test for the young Cardinals team. What I'm looking for here is a team that continues to play disciplined. The Defensive front 6-7 looked a lot better than I expected against the Broncos. Can they continue to play smart and maintain gap integrity against an elite OL? I'd like to see a bunch of improvement with the second string OL as the OL depth seems suspect. I'd like to see one of the young RBs step up and claim the #2 RB spot.