Lance Long / Photo by Red Rain Photography
Preseason Game 1 - 5:00 PM PST
Arizona Cardinals at Pittsburgh Steelers
TV: ESPN/Ch. 3 Arizona
RADIO: KTAR 620 AM/92.3 FM
Pre-game at 2:00 PM PST
The Good:
Discipline on defense - You can already see a difference in the defensive assignments under Bill Davis. All preseason, Davis has preached the "do your job" mentality and it looks like it has already started to sink in.
Wide receivers - Well, duh. But still, it's worth noting that there's no let down looming.
Calais Campbell - So far, he looks as advertised. We'll see if he can be consistent.
The Blitz - Both run and passing blitzes...a lot of them. This could be the start of the blitz-era under Bill Davis. If so, this defense will be a lot of fun to watch.
The Bad:
Defensive substitutions - This cost the Cardinals two first-quarter timeouts, but asterix this one with "preseason" since the coaches are also trying to work out the season-just-began kinks.
Kick returns - Antrel Rolle fumbled a punt return and Breaston's very short gain on a kick return was made even shorter by a holding penalty.
Matt Leinart - He either overthrew or threw-behind almost every receiver he targeted. He started to settle down at the end of the half, so it may not be time to panic, but he needs to be more consistent.
The Ugly:
Run-blocking/Run game - Granted, it's against one of the best run defenses in the league, but if there aren't holes, it doesn't matter who's running the ball. And please, Mr. Wells, we don't care what you do, just get healthy. There needs to be another solid choice at running back. Look for LaRod Stephens-Howling and Chris Vincent to get some carries in the second half. There are definite possibilities for competition here.
Overall:
More good than bad, so overall, against the Super Bowl Champion Steelers, a 7 or 8 out of 10 so far. It will be interesting to see how the second and third strings handle the pressure of competing for a spot on the team and in some cases, the pressure of being on the field for the first time in the NFL.
Other articles on the Cardinals vs. Steelers preseason game:
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
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