AP Photo . Matt York
Preseason Game 3
Green Bay Packers 38 - Arizona Cardinals 10 (at the Half)
10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM Arizona)
TV: Local Ch. 15
Radio: 92.3 KTAR-FM
The Good:
Beanie Wells - He looked fast, he looked strong, he blocked well, he scored a beautiful touchdown, and he walked away from the first half unscathed. That is a huge victory. Beanie Wells, welcome to the Arizona Cardinals...Nice to meet you.
Offensive line - Great pushes on the runs and wonderful protection for Warner. These guys are definitely playing to potential after a full year of experience together.
Warner to Fitzgerald - We haven't seen much of it this preseason, but it's there. Oh, it's there. Is this team fun to watch on offense, or what?
Will Davis on special teams - This may be where Davis has an impact in his rookie year. He was in on a lot of plays in kick coverage and that's a good sign.
DRC - His first-quarter play is what he does best - perfect man-to-man coverage and stopping a giant play. In fact, he had a better line on the ball than the Packer wide receiver. This kid is special....but...
The Bad:
DRC - He got beat over the top...bad...and then got beat again for a touchdown. The first might have had something to do with having zero safety help, but there never should be that much space between you and the man.
Goalline defense - The second possession went better than the first, but on that first drive, the Packers walked into the endzone way too easily and this front seven is better than that. The third possession looked better, but lack of pressure on the quarterback killed them. This was something Bill Davis really wanted to change when he took over this year.
Antrel Rolle - The Cardinals love Rolle's potential, but so far this preseason, he hasn't been sharp. Remember, the Cardinals secondary was in the cellar last year in passing defense, so this is a very important spot to shore-up.
The Ugly:
Ralph Brown - His tackling was weak here in this game and in the last two games, his coverage has been questionable, at best. Earlier, I wrote about Brown and Adams needing to step it up...So far, not so good.
Penalties - Last week, this was in the "bad" category, but two games in a row with too many penalties just pushed it into the "ugly" group.
Overall:
Well, things definitely weren't good. The Cardinals did some things well, there's no doubt, and those small victories should be celebrated, but overall, the first half was pretty ugly. What's most frustrating is that it was a bunch of small mistakes that equaled big points for the Packers and this was exactly what Whisenhunt was trying to fix this year. Now, there's still no reason to panic - the Packers first team offense has looked very good so far in the preseason and they will probably be one of the best in the NFL with Rodgers at the helm, but it doesn't make it any easier to swallow. Take this away from the first half: Beanie Wells really could be the running back of the future the Cardinals have been looking for...
Articles on the Cardinals vs. Packers preseason game:
What to watch Cardinals-Packers pregame
Packers perspective pregame
Articles on the Cardinals vs. Chargers preseason game:
Good, bad, and ugly - Final edition
Good, bad, and ugly - Halftime edition
Cardinals-Chargers pregame what to watch
The Chargers perspective after the game
The Chargers perspective before the game
Articles on the Cardinals vs. Steelers preseason game:
Final Edition of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the game
Halftime Edition of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the game
Steelers notebook of thoughts from the game
Some views from the press box from the Pittsburgh Sports Examiner
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