Who impressed you the most tonight and why?

[splitsecond]

1. WASHINGTON. Man, he is going to be a gamer. He was everywhere.

2. Toler. He should be on the first team, but I understand the idea of making him work.

3. Skelton. He looked like Warner from the shotgun. Seriously.

4. D. Williams. For a guy his size, he sure as hell gets on the ball. One play he made on the sideline, how often does a NT do that??

5. Beanie being Beanie.

6. S. Williams. He needs to make the roster. He is raw, but he is going to be a solid player. When Skelton came in, he was in the right places at the right times.

7. Dray, on that bullet from Anderson. For a guy who is known for his blocking abilities, his hands looked superb tonight.

8. Paris Lenon. He was as quick on the ball as Washington was tonight, breaking up plays the DL should have. I was impressed, especially considering how much negativity has surrounded him around these parts.

 

[Duckjake]

Beanie- Hey I'm his biggest fan, but i gotta call it like I see it. He didn't look motivated or energetic at all. He did have a nice stiffarm though.

Hey Beanie ran for 22 yards and caught a TD pass just in the drive that put the Cards back in the game. Better than you would expect from a 2nd string RB.

 

[TJ]

Matt Leinart - did not play well at all IMO. He stared down the receivers, got Fitz injured.....

The "he got this receiver hurt" comment is the worst commentary one can make on a QB, which is why I stopped reading right there. Matt threw a great ball in Fitz's range and the DB made a play on it. That is not Matt's fault. If that comment held any water, just about every quarterback to throw a pass at any level would be atrocious. Receivers get hurt all the time running inside routes. How many times have we seen AW punish players for going across the middle? It is essentially the danger zone for them.

Im not sure what your level of "good" or "well" is but I thought he was fine. I would have been more impressed had we scored, but going 6 for 7 is certainly nothing to argue about, considering the o line didnt look particularly well.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

On the Fitz play he stared him down the whole way and threw the ball right at the FS so Fitz got smashed. He threw the ball well, but the stare down and location was bad. He got Fitz injured IMO. Same kind of throws Josh McCown used to make. They look good, but they put the receiver in a bad position.

Post game Whiz was talking about what a great throw that was to Fitz.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Whiz said "That pass to Fitz was a great throw. It is unfortunate the DB hit him a little low"

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Anyway...

Here is who impressed me.

Washington. Has rare speed but I was more impressed how he was already directing the defense. You could see him pointing to spots. He was excellent at disengaging from blocks, which is what leads to being a great tackler.

Skelton. Loads of physical talent here. Lightning quick release which allowed him to escape some sacks.

Green. I have loved this kid since training camp and he continues to impress. My guess is he makes the roster.

Williams. Right now he looks like our third round pick. The coach was complementing him after the game for his toughness while being hit during the catch. That quickly followed Whis flat calling out Roberts (Skillet Hands Part 2) for his inability to hang onto the ball when hit.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

The "he got this receiver hurt" comment is the worst commentary one can make on a QB, which is why I stopped reading right there. Matt threw a great ball in Fitz's range and the DB made a play on it. That is not Matt's fault.

The color guy on the announcing team saw it the same way I did. Even went out of his way to explain why. Nice throw, but set him up by staring him down and throwing it right at the FS.

Like I said, IMO. He did not look good to me tonight.

 

[Buckybird]

Im not sure what your level of "good" or "well" is but I thought he was fine. I would have been more impressed had we scored, but going 6 for 7 is certainly nothing to argue about, considering the o line didnt look particularly well.

TJ every throw Leinart makes this preseason will be looked at & scrutinized by many here including the national media hounds. He could come out and go 20 for 25 300yds & 3TDs & still be criticized for the 5 he missed. Leinart will continue to have his sceptics until he gets some skins on the wall. Thats what happens to Heismen winners.

 

[bg7brd]

I just want to add that AW looked good too! He made some nice plays at the start.

 

[CrazyCoyote82]

Its all pretty much been said. I was very happy to see the comback!!! My top 3 are as follows and in no order.

1. Skelton Brought it home for us. IMO was a excellent show tonight. Anderson who??? I believe Skelton should be the #2 Behind Leinart.

2. Washington was a great show. Always seemed to be in the right place to make the play.

3. Leinart Had alot of his shoulders tonight. The entire sea of red had there eyes on him and he knew it. It made great passes IMO.

4. Notable mention......... FITZ!!!! Man hes good. Holds on to the ball. Makes great catches and is just flat out fun to watch.

CARLOS WHO????????????????? LOL

 

[TJ]

My notables:

Washington - Guy has phenomenal range and a high motor. Was voted "max effort" player of the game for good reason. I know Whis is conservative with his rookies, but it is going to be very hard for him to keep Washington off the field.

Skelton - Gave us a preview of what he can do in the future. He threw a perfectly timed ball to shorty Max Komar and took a little off of it to show his accuracy too. Totaly opposite to what I saw at TC

S. Williams - Has great hands and speed.

Toler - Looked like a solid #2 to me. McBride wont be a starter come week 1

Alfonso Smith - Surprised he hasnt been brought up yet. He hits the edges hard. For a moment I thought it was Beanie out there cuz I couldnt see the "4" next to the "6" but when they announced who scored the TD, I was shocked. Not likely to make the roster but was impressive

Leinart - 6 for 7 with the incompletion a batted ball. Showed off his strength which is accuracy. I would like for the coach to open it up some down field, but tonight was tough considering the protection was lacking.

My Goats

The offensive line - protection and run blocking were sub par. For Keith, getting his first start against Mario Williams is not exactly the ideal scenario. He needs to get more physical out there. Williams had a clean shot at Leinart on that sack. Scared the crap out of me. On running plays, it took way too long for them to get to their man which led to Beanie and Timmy having to fight off two men before they even hit the LOS. I remember one play where Beanie laid out one guy but the other was right there to throw him down.

Derek Anderson - he played exactly like his scouting report says he plays. Big arm, throws a 99 mph fastball it seems but accuracy is a serious concern. One pass right before halftime he threw to nobody it seemed. There were no red jerseys within 10 yards of the ball. The two picks also didnt help his cause. He also struggles mightily when he has to take a little off his pass, almost as if he must rocket the ball to the receiver to get a completion.

Intensity of the starting defensive line - Im seriously picking on the trench guys tonight I know, but these guys I thought would bring more of a mean streak tonight that they have had during TC. Im sure they will turn it on by preseason game #3 but this was worth noting.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I just watched the highlights of that Komar catch and it was actually insanely good. Skelton had overthrown him by a yard and he dove out and snatched it in mid air.

Komar definitely deserves to be on the impressed list.

 

[ajcardfan]

I just got home.....

Everybody who impressed me has already been mentioned on this thread. But, I will add to the Washington praise fest. It was as impressive a first game for a Cards rookie as I can ever remember. He looked fast, strong and like a 5 year vet.

 

[TJ]

TJ every throw Leinart makes this preseason will be looked at & scrutinized by many here including the national media hounds. He could come out and go 20 for 25 300yds & 3TDs & still be criticized for the 5 he missed. Leinart will continue to have his sceptics until he gets some skins on the wall. Thats what happens to Heismen winners.

Did you copy a post of mine from the offseason I said the same exact thing a while back. Leinart would go 24 for 25 and people wonder why he didnt complete the one pass.

Trust me, I know full and well what you are saying. Everybody is hanging on every throw and every decision this kid makes. It truly isnt fair to him but this is the situation he has inherited. The shoes he has to fill are the size of Shaquille O Neal's.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Here is the Komar catch. I wonder if I can imbed NFL.com...

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d819c1eb6/Max-Komar-36-yard-catch

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Apparently you can not embed NFL.Com videos. Sheesh get with the times NFL

 

[freebyrd]

Toler - played man to man really well. We should be able to have him and DRC man up at times to give the D more options. Definitely looks like a starter to me.

Paris Lenon - made some solid tackles. Definitely better than I thought.

Skelton - looked much better at looking off the receiver and putting a nice touch on the ball. Looked very comfortable in the pocket.

Washington - What can I say about this kid? He was all over the field and was a solid tackler. Very quick with good instincts.

Cody Brown - played a good game and looked like he knew where he was supposed to be.

Williams - has lots of talent. He is really tall and can run. I hope he gets a shot at the roster.

Komar - made some nice grabs at the end of the game.

Not good list.

Matt Leinart - did not play well at all IMO. He stared down the receivers, got Fitz injured and threw weak passes. He only knows where his primary receiver is at and does not look around the field to throw off the DB. Did play action well.

DA - threw the ball too hard. Needs to have a better touch on his throws.

Opposing team marches down the field on the opening drive. Again. Some things don't change.

1st team offense looked out of sync. No push on running plays.

got to agree with you on him putting fitz in a bad position i hadn't really seen the replay yet but except for a quick glance that didn't fool anyone i thought he stared fitz all the way down

nice way to get andre roberts on the field hollywood

 

[Shane]

I just got home.....

Everybody who impressed me has already been mentioned on this thread. But, I will add to the Washington praise fest. It was as impressive a first game for a Cards rookie as I can ever remember. He looked fast, strong and like a 5 year vet.

Just thinking about it makes me giddy!

 

[PDXChris]

Green. I have loved this kid since training camp and he continues to impress. My guess is he makes the roster.

Other than the obvious that so many have talked about, I really liked watching him play tonight. I noticed that every time they threw down field, he would be on him man with real tight coverage. I want him to return every punt next week.


http://www.azcardinals.com/team/roster/Marshay-Green/99e5e333-e681-4e64-ae06-6c775a5defc6

Finished career ranked fourth all-time at Ole Miss in punt return yardage (917 on 93 returns) and sixth in kickoff return yardage (984 on 41 returns) ... 24.0-yard kick return average is the highest of any of the top 10 career leaders ... three career punt return TDs tied for second on the school’s all-time list ... recorded two of the school's top five single-game kickoff return yardage performances (146 and 159 yards) ... all-time leader in punt return yards in the Cotton Bowl with 185 yards in two appearances ..

 

[DieHardCardFan]

Co-sign.

And I'll add

#6 Alphonso Smith: This kid is fast and quick. I doubt he makes the team because we are deep at RB, but man. You can never have enough RBs stashed away.

#7 Max Komar: Made some tough catches across the middle and down the sideline.

#8 Jim Dray: I expected nothing out of him and he made a play or two, that counts as impressing me.

Plus Shanes! Seriously all these guys made me feel really good about this team.

 

[DieHardCardFan]

Washington just really impressed me. Maybe because I was focused on him. But like Chris said, the kid was looking like a vet out there running the D. And as someone else said Karlos who? It is probably premature, but folks I ont think we will miss Dansby!

 

[Carddan]

1. Daryl Washington: not just the way he played but by the way he led the defense. It was impressive for a rookie to look so in control.

2. Toler? Yep, he showed up.

3. Stephen Williams: I thought his catch was the best of the game. He took a personal foul shot to the head, held on to the ball, and got up with attitude. On the deep pass interference call, he had two steps on the DB but the ball was underthrown by Skeletor, he came back for it and drew the flag.

4. Togafau: seeing it live I'm not that sure of his impact, but I noticed him.

5. Skelton, aka Skeletor: sure, why not. His stats were awesome but who knows how much it matters. He did lead us to a 4th Q comeback victory.

6. Komar

 

[Shane]

6. Komar

 

[D-Dogg]

TJ every throw Leinart makes this preseason will be looked at & scrutinized by many here including the national media hounds. He could come out and go 20 for 25 300yds & 3TDs & still be criticized for the 5 he missed. Leinart will continue to have his sceptics until he gets some skins on the wall. Thats what happens to Heismen winners.

Bottom line, you have to throw out 99% of the Leinart "reporting" as it will be biased one way or another, and about 70% of it will be of the "he sucks" variety. It is what it is.

 

[Dayman]

I think most of the top performances have already been covered, but I'd like to put in a vote for Alan Branch. He looks like he's in much better shape than he has been in the past. He also disrupted a few plays.

DRC's big hit great to see, too.