Shawne Merriman and Larry Fitzgerald - AP Photo / Matt York
Preseason Game 2
San Diego Chargers 14 - Arizona Cardinals 3
Halftime
The Good:
ABC's pregame montage - There's nothing better than a great pregrame montage to get you pumped and ABC had a pretty darn good one.
LaRod Stephens-Howling - Ironically, he looked a lot like the Chargers' Darren Sproles on his two monster kick returns. We'll probably see even more of him in the second half at running back, which if he continues to run as well as he is, could be a lot of fun.
Quarterback pressure - Two sacks on Rivers on the first drive of the game by Darnell Dockett and Karlos Dansby, another one by Calais Campbell on the second drive, a fourth by Bryan Robinson, and consistent pressure throughout the half. This defensive line is looking very strong.
Tim Hightower - His best asset last year was hitting holes fast, and tonight it looks like he's hitting them even faster. There were a couple of times where he might have made one too many cuts and got caught dancing, but the good definitely outweighed the bad.
Run defense - Though one reverse and a couple of screen passes caught the Cardinals off guard, their run defense was simply impenetrable. Campbell made some wonderful decisions and the rest of the line moved well together. Bill Davis has these guys working as one very cohesive unit.
The Bad:
Defensive coverage downfield - Naanee beat Ralph Brown deep on an early play and another incompletion downfield could just have easily been a reception because the Charger receiver was wide open. This was a weak area last season, so it is a little worrisome to see the Cardinals have issues here.
Penalties - Not a ton of penalties, but more than is comfortable.
The Ugly:
Finishing in the Red Zone - LaRod Stephens-Howling got the Cardinals down to the San Diego 7 yard line and they couldn't get it in the end zone and both Warner and St. Pierre threw interceptions inside the 20 that were just bad decisions. With as well as the offense was moving the ball, there's no reason the Cardinals should only have 3 points on the board.
Overall:
There could have been four or five more "Good" points added above, which just goes to show how good this half was. One of the main things to watch with the first teams was simple execution and players doing their specific jobs and Arizona did that perfectly. Though the score favors the Chargers, there is no doubt that the Cardinals looked cohesive and sound fundamentally. Whisenhunt will not be happy with the Red Zone production, but as was the case in Pittsburgh, there were way more good things going on out there than bad.
Other articles on the Cardinals vs. Chargers preseason game:
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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