What2Watch4: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons

kerouac9

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Here are the numbers I'll be watching in tomorrow night's game against Atlanta:

#74 - D.J. Humphries, LT - Underneath all the white noise around the former first-round selection is the fact that he started 2 games at left tackle last year and has been sidelined much of this training camp. Humphries looked rusty in his few snaps against Chicago.

#27 - Tyvon Branch, FS - Branch needs to be a consistent tackler and last line of defense. If Budda Baker and Tyrann Matheiu are going to be allowed to play instinctively, Baker has to prove that he can support the cover-one coverages behind it.

#13 - Jaron Brown, WR - In his last 4 games of 2016, Jaron Brown had a catch rate of 44% while scoring 8 TDs. Replacing Michael Floyd's role in the offense is easier said than done, particularly if John Brown's role remains dampened.

#43 - Hassan Reddick, ILB - The Cards have used the preseason to get Reddick reps reading and reacting to the defense. He struggled to disengage from blocks (or run by them) against the Bears. He has to get better to become more than a situational pass rusher.

#69 (Nice) - Will Holden, OT - It's fun to watch OL play in the preseason, because nothing matters! The Cards may try and sneak Holden onto the practice squad, but he is a very tall person.

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JeffGollin

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- No major injuries

- Gabbert meets expectations

- I'd like to see Penny shine

- Time for a young WR to outplay Golden

- No sacks allowed

- We shut down Atlanta runners

- Our top three #2 corners neutralize Falcone receivers

- We don't do anything really dumb - especially on ST's.

Finally - to paraphrase BA - this game is all about evaluating individual players and not so much unit cohesion.
 

Garthshort

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Jeff, I thought that the third (this year our fourth) PS game was about unit cohesion. Like it's a dress rehearsal.
 

MrYeahBut

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I want to see the 1st team units on both sides of the ball play well.
 

JeffGollin

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Jeff, I thought that the third (this year our fourth) PS game was about unit cohesion. Like it's a dress rehearsal.
I'm just going by one of BA's most recent interviews. He pointed out that we probably won't see action from the 1st units.
 

Cheesebeef

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- No major injuries

- Gabbert meets expectations

- I'd like to see Penny shine

- Time for a young WR to outplay Golden

- No sacks allowed

- We shut down Atlanta runners

- Our top three #2 corners neutralize Falcone receivers

- We don't do anything really dumb - especially on ST's.

Finally - to paraphrase BA - this game is all about evaluating individual players and not so much unit cohesion.

Wha? That's what the LAST pre-season game is for. I don't believe BA said that about this game and if he did and that's what we're doing, my unease with his decision making will continue to dwindle a bit.
 

mjb21aztd

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So i guess stanton 1st half than gabbert 2nd?

Hoping also chad williams makes a few decent catches

And that reddick and rn plays well on the dline.

So brandon williams is playing tonight right? Cause he needs a lot of reps.

Go Cards play well no injuries!
 

eastcoastSUN

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1. Can Humphries shake off his rust?
2. Can Reddick shrug off defenders to be the first point of attack?
3. Can Bethel hold down the #2 spot (and eliminate some unneeded holding; i.e. see last game)
4. Can we defend against the Falcons deadly screen game?
5. Can we defend against the Falcons deadly WRs?
6. Can we defend against the Falcons in general?
 
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kerouac9

kerouac9

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Humphries looked very bad in pass pro, getting pushed around and giving up a sack. He was better in the running game, but often struggled to locate defenders early in the play.

Reddick remains a real work in progress. Was washed out in the run game, missed tackles, and occupied zones where no one was. Cards broadcasting team really struggling to find positive plays for the Top 15 pick.

Branch was fine and continues to keep Baker in sub packages.

Jaron Brown would be in the bottom third of #2 wideouts in the NFL. Little upside there.

Don't think coaches are gonna be happy breaking down this tape and heading into the week.
 

JeffGollin

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Wha? That's what the LAST pre-season game is for. I don't believe BA said that about this game and if he did and that's what we're doing, my unease with his decision making will continue to dwindle a bit.
The last preseason game is for determining who will fill roster spots #47 -#53 and which of all the other players (if unclaimed) as well as unclaimed kids from the street might fit on the ST.

I'll concede that I might have heard BA wrongly because, to some degree, it defies logic, but that's what I recall hearing - i.e. about putting player evaluation above unit cohesion in planning for Game #4; presumably because most starters don't stay in there long enough to get any timing down.
 

daves

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I'll concede that I might have heard BA wrongly because, to some degree, it defies logic, but that's what I recall hearing - i.e. about putting player evaluation above unit cohesion in planning for Game #4; presumably because most starters don't stay in there long enough to get any timing down.
Aha... sounds as though the disconnect is in how people are referring to the games by numbers. The Atlanta game was technically game #4 for the Cardinals, but it was Preseason week #3. This week's game is what is generally referred to as game #4, even though it's technically game #5 for the Cardinals.
...dbs
 
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