The good, the bad, and the ugly from the Cardinals vs. Steelers preseason game - Final

Don Wright / AP Photo

Preseason Game 1
Pittsburgh Steelers 20 - Arizona Cardinals 10

The Good:

Punting - This is maybe the surprise of the game.  Ben Graham had the ball downed inside the 20 twice in the first half and once in the second half and had a couple of boomers in the second as well.  This is a very good sign...Let's just hope Graham doesn't get injured because there is no one behind him.

Greg Toler - His man-to-man coverage was tight and when his man did catch the ball, he was very quick to tackle.  Expect to see him move up the depth chart as the preseason progresses.

Michael Ray Garvin - Though there wasn't a whole lot to see on the receiving side (see Brian St. Pierre below), his punt returning looked pretty solid for a guy who's never played in the NFL before.

Dennis Dixon - Okay, so he doesn't play for the Cardinals, but man, was he impressive, so credit where credit is due.  The rookie second-year quarterback out of Oregon looked comfortable in the pocket (though that may have something to do with the lack of penetration from the Cardinals) and his passes were tight and on target.  It's pretty early to make long-term predictions, but there may be a future for this kid.

The Bad:

Brian St. Pierre - He often held onto the ball too long and when he did get rid of it, it came out with very little zip.  The interception he threw was just a bad decision.  Though the coaching staff needs to evaluate the run game, they also wanted to give St. Pierre the same opportunity that they gave Leinart by allowing him to throw the ball.  Leinart didn't look great, but St. Pierre looked worse.  Leinart will remain the backup quarterback for at least another week.

Offensive line -  Early on, they looked like they were holding their own, but whether it was lack of conditioning or just simple breakdowns, they allowed way to much penetration through most of the half..

The Ugly:

Defensive depth - Cody Brown looked slow (just as in training camp), nobody got pressure on the quarterback at all, and the secondary looked a step behind on most plays.  The couple of bright spots: linebacker Pago Togafau looked pretty quick to the ball and Michael Adams made a pretty good play in the endzone to negate a touchdown...but that's about it.  Let's hope there are very few defensive injuries or there's a lot of improvement.

Overall:

It needs be noted that these were the two teams in the Super Bowl last year, so this is arguably the toughest preseason game possible, but when your punting is the best aspect of an entire half, there are issues.  That said, the Cardinals played the Steelers pretty close overall first team vs. first team, which says a lot for Arizona's chances this year if everyone's healthy.  The depth battle, however, goes to the Steelers, hands down, and a lot of attention needs to be paid to the next couple of preseason games in this area.  Hopefully, there will be a lot of improvement in the second and third strings as the preseason progresses.  The first half was closer to an 8 out of 10 - the second half gets a 5.

Guys we didn't get to see a whole lot from: Early Doucet, Ali Highsmith, Will Davis, Rashad Johnson, Chris Vincent, Edward Gant, and of course, Chris "Beanie" Wells

Other articles on the Cardinals vs. Steelers preseason game:
Halftime Edition of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on the Cardinals side
Six things to watch for during the Cardinals-Steelers game
Arizona Cardinals players to watch
Pittsburgh starters to see limited action

More 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

What to do in Flagstaff when you're not watching the Cardinals