LaRod Stephens-Howling - AP Photo / Matt York
Preseason Game 2
San Diego Chargers 17 - Arizona Cardinals 6
The Good:
Pago Togafau - This guy's motor is always running on high. He seems to be in on every play and if he touches the player carrying the ball, he doesn't usually miss. Battling for a spot on the team, Togafau has bettered his chances by playing well in both games thus far.
LaRod Stephens-Howling (running back edition) - His run game is in its infancy which is obvious, but what his improvement from the first preseason game to this one by way of pass protection was very impressive. He picked up his blocks much better tonight than against Pittsburgh.
Kick and punt return coverage - With as good of a returner as Darren Sproles is, the Cardinals did a great job in this realm. Field position is so important in the NFL and this is a key aspect of winning that battle.
Matt Leinart - Money. Again. The backup spot is his (see "The Ugly" below).
The Bad:
Quarterback protection - These guys are all a little fresh working together, so the defense almost always has the upper-hand at the third team level, but it's still not good to see your quarterback get hit on every pass play.
Cody Brown - Okay, not "bad," but silent. Brown has been nonexistent in two preseason games.
The Ugly:
Brian St. Pierre - Yikes. If you're in a position battle, this is exactly the way you don't want to play.
Overall:
The score is not in any way representative of the type of game that was played this evening. The Cardinals looked fundametally sound on both offense and defense and got good individual efforts from most of the key players they are counting on to produce. Also, this second half was much better than the second half in Pittsburgh which shows improvement. The first teams especially looked good, with the defense looking tougher and tougher. Bill Davis has definitely brought a new edge to the Cardinals defense with his emphasis on discipline and toughness. And to top it all off, it looked like there was one possible injury, but nothing serious to any key players. No victory, but on a 1 to 10, the Cardinals probably deserve around a 7 or 8.
Other articles on the Cardinals vs. Chargers preseason game:
Good, bad, and ugly from Cardinals-Chargers preseason game - Halftime edition
What to watch for during the Cardinals-Chargers preseason game
The San Diego Chargers version of the pregame
Slideshows from Cardinals training camp:
Cardinals "Red and White" game in pictures - Part I
Training camp in pictures - Part I
Training camp in pictures - Part II
Training camp in pictures - Part III
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