Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
The game was a real treat to watch. Clearly, the Cardinals are well ahead of the Texans in the passing game (both offense and defense)...but...the Texans are learning a new system, just as the Cardinals were last year. The Cardinals were noticeably stronger on special teams.
The Texans, however, are a little ahead in the running game---something that will not be lost on BA and his staff.
Both teams struggles penalty-wise---again, this will be a point of emphasis by the coaches.
QB (3): Palmer; Stanton; Thomas
What was great about Palmer and the group as a whole is how well they came back from sacks, botched running plays and penalties. To see Palmer respond to J.J. Watt's sack by throwing a dart on third and long to Smokey Brown was quite possibly the most impressive play of the game---one that set the standard and tempo for the entire contest.
It will be interesting to see Ryan Lindley and whether he too will demonstrate such a command of the offense and the ability to fight back and keep the chains moving. If so, Lindley could actually garner some trade interest for teams that are short on QB depth.
RB (4): Ellington; Taylor; Dwyer; Hughes
This unit has become "bounce" happy---likely because the bell cow RB Ellington is superb at bouncing plays to the outside---but Taylor and Dwyer don't have Ellington's quick feet or burst and thus have to be reminded that their job is to pound the hole, lower the pads on contact and fight for extra yards.
Hughes has emerged as a genuine FB, both as a blocker and as a receiver. He started the game, which tells us that he is going to have a vital role in the offense.
Bauman has the second best feet and in his case he has that ability to bounce effectively. At this point he would appear to be a lock for the PS.
TE (4): Carlson; Housler; Niklas; Fells
Carlson's wheel route past Clowney was a thing of beauty. He and Housler look smooth, yes even Housler, who showed more polish on his catch and run than we have seen from him in previous years. Niklas has to learn that he doesn't need to hold on bounce runs...just keep riding his man and let the RB play off the block. Fells had one nice catch and a near beauty on his wheel route. But, what the coaches will emphasize to him was the blocks he failed to sustain.
Hardy had a nice catch...and is a smoother athlete than Fells, but not nearly as stout at the POA.
OL (8): Veldheer; Cooper; Sendlein; Fanaika; Massie; Starks; Larsen; Watford
Their pass protection is coming along nicely---Palmer was lauding them for some "clean pockets."
However, the run blocking need significant attention and work as they are not firing off the ball, establishing leverage or sustaining blocks with any semblance of consistency. And when one guy breaks down, as Cooper did a couple of times, the plays get blown up.
Potter played pretty well and has to be on the bubble, depending on whom the Cardinals will keep at other positions. At this time, it looks very clear that the Cardinals are going to keep 6 WRs, which could mean 8 OL, with two OL on the PS, like Blake, Steen, Palmer or Draheim. Blake looks like he's making a charge. He looked very solid at LG.
WR (6): Fitzgerald; Floyd; Ginn Jr.; John Brown; Jaron Brown; Powell
The depth here is excellent, as we saw in the game, a game without Floyd and Ginn Jr. Powell was very good on STs---so he's making his case not only to make the roster but to be active on game days.
Brittan Golden had a very solid showing in this game and if he doesn't make the roster, he could draw some trade interest. Scouts and GMs across the league have an eye on the Cardinals' WR situation because the know there's talent across the board there. Look at Buckner's performance last night, not just catching the TD but how physical he was as a blocker. Ozier too had a nice reception--and no one on this team appears to be shy about catching the ball on quick slants over the middle.
NT (2): Williams; Gaston
Gaston gets a good push and when he learns to counter punch, he could be very good while filling in for Ta'amu.
DE (5): Dockett; Campbell; Rucker; Martin; Stinson
Rucker was very active last night---could wrap up better on his tackles but he was getting good penetration. Stinson was athletic, but he too needs to learn how to use his hands in order to fight his way back to the ball. Martin had one nice pressure.
ILB (4): Minter; Foote; Demens; Alexander
Minter and Foote were solid and should keep gaining confidence. Demens was the best ST player last night and is making a good push to play in the base defense. Alexander missed more than he connected on, but delivered on superb tackle on STs.
As mentioned last week, Dickson is a very good blitzing ILB and he delivered in the game. Dickson is pushing for that #4 ILB spot.
OLB (5): Shaughnessy; Benard; Acho; Okafor; Tracy
Not going to list Abraham until he reports and earns a spot. Meanwhile, Benard and Tracy had very good games and were very disrputive. Still looking for consistent production from Acho and Okafor.
CB (5): Peterson; Cromartie; Powers; Bethel; McCann
The Cb awareness in this game was very good, as evidenced by Cromartie's interception off on Minter's tip. Powers played good position and angles covering the slot. Bethel showed good speed and tackling (but had two holding penalties on STs) and McCann outplayed Teddy Williams who could have intercepted a ball thrown right at him in perfect coverage.
S (4): Johnson; Jefferson; Bucannon; Walters
Solid all around. Bucannon tackled well in the alley and was around the ball a lot. Walters (nice blitz) had a nice game and jumped ahead of Taylor this week. Taylor had a solid game, however, so this #4 S spot until Honey Badger returns is going to be interesting to watch.
Speaking of Honey Badger---the score of 32-0---was wonderfully auspicious!
ST (3): Catanzaro; Leach; Zastudil
Catanzaro was excellent and drove all his kickoffs to be back line of the end zone on top of going 5/5 on XPTs/FGs. He's got the big leg that Feely lacks. Leach was excellent, per usual. And Zastudil had yet another "Zen" (Wolf) landing on a punt inside the three yard line.
Last 5 In:
TE Fells
NT Gaston
LB Alexander
CB McCann
S Walters
First 5 Out:
T Potter
G Blake
LB Dickson
CB Williams
S Taylor
Your thoughts on the game and roster?
The Texans, however, are a little ahead in the running game---something that will not be lost on BA and his staff.
Both teams struggles penalty-wise---again, this will be a point of emphasis by the coaches.
QB (3): Palmer; Stanton; Thomas
What was great about Palmer and the group as a whole is how well they came back from sacks, botched running plays and penalties. To see Palmer respond to J.J. Watt's sack by throwing a dart on third and long to Smokey Brown was quite possibly the most impressive play of the game---one that set the standard and tempo for the entire contest.
It will be interesting to see Ryan Lindley and whether he too will demonstrate such a command of the offense and the ability to fight back and keep the chains moving. If so, Lindley could actually garner some trade interest for teams that are short on QB depth.
RB (4): Ellington; Taylor; Dwyer; Hughes
This unit has become "bounce" happy---likely because the bell cow RB Ellington is superb at bouncing plays to the outside---but Taylor and Dwyer don't have Ellington's quick feet or burst and thus have to be reminded that their job is to pound the hole, lower the pads on contact and fight for extra yards.
Hughes has emerged as a genuine FB, both as a blocker and as a receiver. He started the game, which tells us that he is going to have a vital role in the offense.
Bauman has the second best feet and in his case he has that ability to bounce effectively. At this point he would appear to be a lock for the PS.
TE (4): Carlson; Housler; Niklas; Fells
Carlson's wheel route past Clowney was a thing of beauty. He and Housler look smooth, yes even Housler, who showed more polish on his catch and run than we have seen from him in previous years. Niklas has to learn that he doesn't need to hold on bounce runs...just keep riding his man and let the RB play off the block. Fells had one nice catch and a near beauty on his wheel route. But, what the coaches will emphasize to him was the blocks he failed to sustain.
Hardy had a nice catch...and is a smoother athlete than Fells, but not nearly as stout at the POA.
OL (8): Veldheer; Cooper; Sendlein; Fanaika; Massie; Starks; Larsen; Watford
Their pass protection is coming along nicely---Palmer was lauding them for some "clean pockets."
However, the run blocking need significant attention and work as they are not firing off the ball, establishing leverage or sustaining blocks with any semblance of consistency. And when one guy breaks down, as Cooper did a couple of times, the plays get blown up.
Potter played pretty well and has to be on the bubble, depending on whom the Cardinals will keep at other positions. At this time, it looks very clear that the Cardinals are going to keep 6 WRs, which could mean 8 OL, with two OL on the PS, like Blake, Steen, Palmer or Draheim. Blake looks like he's making a charge. He looked very solid at LG.
WR (6): Fitzgerald; Floyd; Ginn Jr.; John Brown; Jaron Brown; Powell
The depth here is excellent, as we saw in the game, a game without Floyd and Ginn Jr. Powell was very good on STs---so he's making his case not only to make the roster but to be active on game days.
Brittan Golden had a very solid showing in this game and if he doesn't make the roster, he could draw some trade interest. Scouts and GMs across the league have an eye on the Cardinals' WR situation because the know there's talent across the board there. Look at Buckner's performance last night, not just catching the TD but how physical he was as a blocker. Ozier too had a nice reception--and no one on this team appears to be shy about catching the ball on quick slants over the middle.
NT (2): Williams; Gaston
Gaston gets a good push and when he learns to counter punch, he could be very good while filling in for Ta'amu.
DE (5): Dockett; Campbell; Rucker; Martin; Stinson
Rucker was very active last night---could wrap up better on his tackles but he was getting good penetration. Stinson was athletic, but he too needs to learn how to use his hands in order to fight his way back to the ball. Martin had one nice pressure.
ILB (4): Minter; Foote; Demens; Alexander
Minter and Foote were solid and should keep gaining confidence. Demens was the best ST player last night and is making a good push to play in the base defense. Alexander missed more than he connected on, but delivered on superb tackle on STs.
As mentioned last week, Dickson is a very good blitzing ILB and he delivered in the game. Dickson is pushing for that #4 ILB spot.
OLB (5): Shaughnessy; Benard; Acho; Okafor; Tracy
Not going to list Abraham until he reports and earns a spot. Meanwhile, Benard and Tracy had very good games and were very disrputive. Still looking for consistent production from Acho and Okafor.
CB (5): Peterson; Cromartie; Powers; Bethel; McCann
The Cb awareness in this game was very good, as evidenced by Cromartie's interception off on Minter's tip. Powers played good position and angles covering the slot. Bethel showed good speed and tackling (but had two holding penalties on STs) and McCann outplayed Teddy Williams who could have intercepted a ball thrown right at him in perfect coverage.
S (4): Johnson; Jefferson; Bucannon; Walters
Solid all around. Bucannon tackled well in the alley and was around the ball a lot. Walters (nice blitz) had a nice game and jumped ahead of Taylor this week. Taylor had a solid game, however, so this #4 S spot until Honey Badger returns is going to be interesting to watch.
Speaking of Honey Badger---the score of 32-0---was wonderfully auspicious!
ST (3): Catanzaro; Leach; Zastudil
Catanzaro was excellent and drove all his kickoffs to be back line of the end zone on top of going 5/5 on XPTs/FGs. He's got the big leg that Feely lacks. Leach was excellent, per usual. And Zastudil had yet another "Zen" (Wolf) landing on a punt inside the three yard line.
Last 5 In:
TE Fells
NT Gaston
LB Alexander
CB McCann
S Walters
First 5 Out:
T Potter
G Blake
LB Dickson
CB Williams
S Taylor
Your thoughts on the game and roster?
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