TRAINING CAMP BLOG
Last Updated 09/01/2008
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First some housekeeping: There will be a departure from the past (when I felt obligated to post something from morning and afternoon practices on a daily basis). Instead, I will post new content when I feel like there's something worth reporting (including a dateline so that you'll at least have an idea of how recent the news or buzz is). But what I won't do is to post stuff just to fill up space. For a running update tracking each player, click here.

Cards Fill Out Practice Squad
Holmdel, NJ  - Sun. Sept. 1 - The Cards re-signed 5 players and added three newcomers to the PS:

WR Lance Long
WR Onrea Jones (Indianapolis)
G/C Anthony Oakley (Chicago)
C Pat Ross
DL Jason Banks
DL Keilen Dykes
CB Michael Adams
CB Wilrey Fontenot (Atlanta)

We didn't realize Ross was young enough to be eligible for the PS, but we're glad he's back - especially with our thin depth at center on the starting 53-man roster. Adams played well enough during preseason to warrant keeping. And I think all of us were pulling for Long.

One surprise was our not re-signing LB Chris Harrington It's unclear whether he was available to us or whether he was possibly picked up by another NFL team. Darren Urban speculates that, perhaps when injured starting center Al Johnson is cleared for action, we might move Ross and then add Harrington.

Also not re-signed (and a bit of a surprise) were S Dennis Keyes, QB Anthony Morelli or either one of our released RB or a new one.

Long, Keyes, Harrington, Adams and Ross Among Those Cut
Holmdel, NJ  - Sat. Aug. 30 - The Turk paid a visit to the 22 following Cardinal players

Leinart and Warner Sharp But Card Scrubs Give Up 18 Unanswered 4Q Points in Loss
Holmdel, NJ  - Sat. Aug. 30 - Kurt Warner went 4 for 4, Matt Leinart redeemed himself as the Broncos scored 18 fourth quarter points to blow open a 28 - 14 win. Leinart and Warner played the entire first half; 3rd stringer, Brian St. Pierre stayed in a little bit into  the 4Q and Anthony Morelli was in for the final 12:06. Meanwhile, Denver's Darrell Hackney played all 4 quarters and played well against Big Red starters and backups. The Cards led 14 -10 at halftime, but in the 4th quarter, they scored on a FG to make it 14 - 13 and then 2 big play TD's )and a 2-point conversion)  accounted for  their final 15 points.

The first Denver 4Q touchdown came on 1st & 10 at the Bronco 13, when Hackney bounced off a Cardinal blitzer and hit a wide open Kory Colbert  down the middle of the field for an 87  yard TD. (We don't know who the errant blitzer was or who blew the coverage; but we suspect the Turk knows all too well). The second Bronco touchdown came on the pickoff of a Morelli pass intended for Alex Shor (who, incidently, did not have a particularly stellar evening). It was picked off by J. Williams who bounced off sloppy would-be Cardinal tacklers pinball-style on the way to an 89 yard TD.

In a very true sense, the game was more "audition" than contest, with 76 players fighting to fill 53 spots on the final roster, yet we must admit to pulling hard for us to win this one. But it seemed to us that, in the second half, Denver coach Mike Shanahan was more intent on giving Hackney additional reps and polishing its more promising scrubs whereas Ken Whisenhunt wanted to give every remaining player on the Cardinal roster a fair shot under varying game situations. Here are some of the things we saw:

• Both Leinart and Warner looked sharp. Matt accomplished more because he was given more opportunities to execute key plays. His only glaring miscue was when - under pressure - he threw an incompletion that turned out to be a backward lateral. (He should have eaten the ball).

• Hightower and Baylark both put the ball on the ground. (HIghtower's fumble was due to a blown block by someone on the left side of the O-line on a draw play; resulting in a tackle nearly simultaneous with the handoff).

• JJ Arrington demonstrated what he can do when given the opportunity by blowing through a gaping hole on a draw play and sprinting 26 yards up the middle for a Cardinal score. It looks to us that the Cards may wind up only keeping 3 RB's (Edge, Hightower and Arrington) and both FB's (which means Baylark and Vincent are probably headed for the PS or the street).

• Breaston, Urban and Long made strong cases for being our #3 receiver. Early Doucet wasn't quite as good early but wound up with 3 catches for 21 yards and flashed enough ability to make the Cardinals think long and hard about whether or not to either keep 6 receivers or try to sneak Long onto the PS.

• Although he started out slowly, Long may have endeared himself to the Cardinal coaching staff by making a saving open field tackle on an interception return, looking comfortable & sure-handed and exercising good judgment on punt returns and catching 4 passes for 46 yards.

• Before we forget - it wouldn't be shocking if the Cardinals and Broncos swapped one of their punters for one of our wideouts straight up.

• Leonard Pope's touchdown catch reminds us of how nice life can be when our QB throws a high zinger into the end zone. Alex Shor dropped one wide open gimme and was the intended receiver on the Williams TD interception. Let's put it this way: You can't say he didn't get a good look by the coaches.

• The left side of the Cardinal line still can't run-block for bleep.

• We saw at least 5 uncalled holds by Bronco offensive linemen on Cardinal defenders. Some of those holds  opened up gaping holes to enable their RB (Alridge) to rip off large chunks of yardage).

• We held our breath when Mike Gandy went down with what could have been a serious knee injury; but he returned later in the 1H, and we allowed ourselves the luxury of uncrossing our fingers.

• Denver's zone-run game sliced and diced us at will. Unless you know what the schemes were, it's hard to point fingers; but it seemed to us our LB's consistently strayed from their assigned gap-responsibilities.

• Defensive star of the game for the Cardinals was Calais Campbell (who was in on 7 tackles - 6 unassisted). He stopped the run, pursued downfield, was in the middle of the action on coverage teams and put pressure on the passer. His sidekick, Iwebema, though less spectacular, remained on the field nearly as much as #93 and played a solid game

• Alan Branch started at NT and was as dominant as we ever saw him (with good penetration and hand usage). We held our breath when the tv cameras showed Cardinal trainers taking a long hard look at his lower leg and ankle.

• After watching DRC turn his back on a run-force responsibility early in the game, allowing Alridge to run wide for big-time yardage, he settled down, aggressively broke on the ball to disrupt a2 or 3 receptions and forced a Bronco punt returner into a fair catch.

• Cardinal coverage teams didn't give up much in the way of Bronco return yardage.

• Cards were only penalized twice for 15 yards.

Things to clean up before regular season: (1) cut down on dumb turnovers. (2) left side of the O-line has to run block better. (3) blockers on the left side cannot allow blitzing LB's and DB's to blow in unattended. (4) better open field tackling from both offense and defense on broken plays and turnovers. (5) a bunch of tough personnel decisions - We'll expand on what we said earlier: If we have a surplus at a certain position and a gaping need at another, it would make sense for us to work out a trade rather than having to cut a good player without getting anything in return for him. We have a surplus of very good receivers. Denver is thin in receivers and has 2 punters who are in the NFL's Top 5 in preseason. (Hello?)

(Note - The second half of the telecast was handled by Denver announcers (who weren't very good at giving credit for good plays or screwups by Cardinal players.  We may have additional comments/revisions after we hear the Wolf/Paulie Podcast radio call of the 2nd half).

Holmdel, NJ  - Thurs. Aug 28 - Tomorrow's game against Denver will feature (a) Kurt Warner under center and (b) a bunch of knockdown drag-out fights for spot on final 53 man roster. The Cards are at 76 (including Castaneda) and have to get to 53. The following is my descending sequence list of most expendable players. 42 are solid. The rest are either expendable or in position battles:

11 Expendible Players/ All (11 to be Cut)
Morelli
Shor
Medder
Clifford
Butler
Bailey
Banks
Dykes
Castaneda
Minter
Bain

20 Players on Bubble/12 Players to be Cut)
Vincent  or Baylark (Drop 1)
Rector, Long, Morey, Doucet, Urban (Drop 4)
Ross, Keith, Vallejo,  (Keep all until Johnson returns. Then drop 1)
Tafoya (Drop 1)
Highsmith, B Moore, Harrington, Stewart, Beisel Drop 3)
R Brown or M Adams (Drop 1)
Keyes or Celestin (Drop 1))

Holmdel, NJ  -  Mon. Aug. 25  -  Turk told  WR Jemalle Cornelius, C Hercules Satale, DL Bryan Robinson and CB Marcus Brown "Coach wants to see you - and don't forget to bring your playbook." (Note - We'll reflect these cuts on the "Scoping Out the Final 53" blog following this one:

Scoping Out the Final 53:
Holmdel, NJ  -  Mon. Aug. 25  - Turk is expected to call on 4 Cardinals today or tomorrow and another 23 by next Saturday. What better time than now to lay out where the roster seems to stand at present (Note - We'll use this blog  to track subsequent roster moves so bookmark it). (Key: Keeper, Iffy, Work Cut Out, No Longer on Roster:

QB (3) - Warner, Leinart, St. Pierre, Morelli
RB (3-4) - James, Hightower, Arrington, Vincent, Baylark
FB (1-2) - T Smith, Castille
WR (6) - Fitzgerald, Boldin, Breaston, Urban, Doucet, Morey, Cornelius, Rector, Long,
TE (3) - Patrick., Pope, Tuman, Miller, Shor
OL (10) - Gandy, Wells, Johnson, Sendlein, Lutui. E Brown, L Brown, Keith, Vallejo, Ross, Medder, Clifford, Butler, Satele
DL (7) - A Smith, Dockett, Watson, Branch, Robinson, Campbell, Iwebema, Tafoya, B Robinson (rookie), Bailey, Banks, Dykes
LB (8) - Berry, Okeafor, Dansby, Hayes, Hagans, LaBoy, Beisel, Highsmith, Castaneda, Harrington, B Moore, Stewart,
DB (8) - Hood, Green, DRC, Wilson, Rolle, Francisco, Ware, Brown,  Celestin, Minter, M Brown, Bain, M Adams, Keyes,
ST (3) - Rackers, D Johnson, Hodel

Which suggests that of the 27 players to be released by final cutdown, 14 are likely to be released while 13 more will have to be culled from a  pool of 22 "iffy" players. (In other words, 22 players will be battling for 8 remaining open positions). At least that's how we see it as of now.

QB Controversy
Holmdel, NJ  -  Sun. Aug. 24  - Kurt Warner should be our starter, pure & simple (Well...er...maybe not so pure nor particularly simple). The third preseason game is the one where the coaches figure out where they're at. Frankly, with Matt Leinart under center, the Cardinal offense looked far from adequate let alone potent. While Kurt Warner wasn't totally free from warts (he still fails to protect the ball as well as he should), you still get the feeling he can move the offense pretty much at will.

We can win with Warner; that's why he should be our starting QB. Leinart isn't  demonstrating he can move the offense with any kind of consistently. Therefore, he should put on the baseball cap, look. listen and learn.

All of this should be within the context of establishing future stability at QB and Leinart should still be central to those plans. It's just that he's not ready yet, and the Cardinals have the luxury of not having to subject him to on-the-job training. Different players develop at varying degrees of speed. It may take a little more time for Leinart (who, after all, started fewer than a half-dozen games in his rookie year, was sidelined for most of last year and therefore lacks the necessary game experience to be considered a "seasoned starter") to develop. (Or maybe he never will - remember Akili Smith and Ryan Leaf).

But at least give Matt Leinart the opportunity to figure everything out - not just awareness of opposing coverages but the importance of consistent footworks and mechanics. And - based on what we saw yesterday - a better understanding of the importance of throwing the ball into risk free spots (rather than such stuff as increasing the potential for batted balls, leaving receivers open to being leveled and, of course, being picked off).

Cardinal coaches shouldn't worry about "bruised egos" ("Events on the ground" have already done that). Just realize that it's fairer and sounder from a psychological standpoint to "play the more-effective, wily vet and let the youngster learn from the sidelines" than it is to "bench the more-effective wily vet and make the youngster learn the hard way."

Holmdel, NJ  - Sun. Aug 24 - Cards overcame a butt-ugly 2nd half to wind up with a 24-0 shut-out over the Raidiz - on the road no less (go figure). We were fortunate that NFL Network started the game with Oakland announcers - so that in the second half (when we wanted to zero in on backup battles for a spot on the final 53-man roster) the Cardinal announcers could keep us clued-in  (instead of our being held captive to a series of inane 2H Oakland sideline interviews). Here are the high (and low) lights:

• Matt Leinart played the entire 1H and should have been penalized repeatedly for "impersonating a starting QB. He went 4 of 12 for a whopping 24 yards while throwing 3  interceptions. On all three, he under-threw his receiver, coming up short on a go-route, floating the ball like a balloon on a seam route and expecting Urban to escape coverage by coming  back on the ball instead of breaking deep. He threw a near-pick on at least one other pass attempt and generally looked lost and frustrated behind center.

• During the first half, what began as "red flags" and then "annoying habits" earlier in the preseason started to emerge as patterns: (a) Darnell Dockett was flagged for roughness. (b) Antonio Smith was penalized twice for encroachment. (c) Kurt Warner fumbled the first time he got hit. (d) Leonard Pope was called for holding. (e) Haggans nailed DeMarcus Russell for an apparent sack, but Russell escaped to convert a long 3rd down. (f) Cards were penalized 9 times for 65 yards.

• A pretty recovery of a surprise on-side kick was negated by an off-sides penalty.

• We turned the ball over 4 times in the first half.  (The good news is that everything else about the game was positive):

• There were no significant injuries (Pope gave us a scare when he tweaked a groin shortly before the end of the 1H) but returned to make some key run blocks and grab a TD pass).

• We ran the ball better than at any time in recent history - 215 yards on 39 rushing plays (a 5.5 average).

• Despite "playing with fire" (turning the ball over 4 times in the first half) our defense held the Raiders to zero points (in part due to "true grit" and in part due to sloppy play by the Raider offense and FG kicker). Hopefully, the team will have learned an important lesson:

  • "If we continue to hang on by our fingernails - despite a seemingly endless series of ugly events - strange things can (and usually do) happen that will keep us in the football game; just so long as we don't get shook and keep after it."

• After a shaky opening Raider drive (featuring three straight completions by DeMarcus Russell, the Cardinal defense was spectacular. It kept rookie RB pheenom Darren McFadden from breaking loose and getting on a roll. They sacked Oakland QB's 4 times for minus-46 yards. (Beisel, Dockett, Haggans were credited with 3 of the 4 sacks).

Individually (by position) -

Quarterback
Leinart played badly enough and Warner well enough to reverse starting and backup roles. Forget about the impact of a demotion on Warner's confidence - events on the ground will have already done that. Leinart demonstrated the need for more seasoning and work on his fundamentals. Despite the one turnover, Warner moved the team crisply. With Warner starting, we have an excellent chance of winning. With Leinart starting, that proposition is "iffy." At #3, St. Pierre looked more comfortable, confident and reliable back there than we've seen thus far.

Running Back
Edge ripped off his nicest gains of preseason. Hightower did likewise, picking up big chunks of yardage to start the 2H with runs for +21, +6 and +13 yards (the final one a twisting inside run for a TD). Not to be outdone, JJ Arrington came in for the next series and, after a 4-yard pickup, ran right on a zone sweep, cut back to his left and took it to the house for a 67-yard TD. It looks like a lock that Edge, Hightower and Arrington will be our top 3 RB's. What remains to be seen is whether Baylark and/or Vincent will make the 53-man roster. We thought Vincent looked a bit more explosive bouncing outside than Baylark, but he will have to learn to hit the LOS with a lower pad-level.

Castille saw most if not all of the action at FB - caught 4 and we saw one nice crunching lead block on on 2H inside run. We don't remember seeing Terrell Smith.

Wide Receiver
Nothing much to shout about in the 1H - Boldin had a couple of nice tough grabs, but Leinart couldn't seem to successfully get the ball to either Fitz or Breaston. In the 2H, Lance Long finally saw some action (three punt returns and a nice low grab on a crossing route). Urban, Doucet and Cornelius each had a catch apiece. The ominous news is that the overcrowded situation at WR will force the Cardinals to release at least one or more talented receivers. Right now are 'druthers are that we keep 6: Boldin, Fitzgerald, Breaston, Urban, Doucet and Long (which would mean we'd have to release Rector and Morey).

Tight End
Patrick didn't play; which meant that Leonard Pope had a golden opportunity to step up and seize the evening. Instead, he started off by being penalized once for holding and not hanging onto a high (but catchable) Leinart throw. However, he redeemed himself in the 2H by teaming up with Tuman to throw more than a couple of key blocks to spring Cardinal RB's for sizable gains and catching an 18-yard TD pass from St. Pierre.

Offensive Line
Both our starting and backup units did the best job of run blocking we've seen since Wiz and Russ Grimm arrived in the desert. Kudos to Brandon Keith (who knocked a Raider defender onto his keister to help spring JJ) and Pat Ross (#70) who was was downfield 20 - 25 yards blocking for Arrington on JJ's long TD run). Vallejo also got props from both the coaching staff and tv announcers. Lutui whiffed on at least one pass block and it looks like a "dual to the end" between Deuce and Elton Brown for the starting RG spot. We're starting to feel more comfortable that we have talented depth available to step up if need be than we did a year ago (or, come to think of it, for as long as we can rememer).

Defensive Line
Memo to Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith - Enough with the penalties already. We're lucky your boneheaded miscues didn't cost us the game. Don't look now but there are talented youngsters and backups (who don't commit those kinds of penalties) eager to grab more playing time.

Aside from that - our D-Line was tough against the run and put pressure on the passer. Backups played as well as starters.

Linebackers
Outstanding job - especially by Dansby and Hayes; but Berry, LaBoy and Haggans made plays as well. The returning Beisel looked good as well. We don't recall seeing much of #95 (Highsmith). When you also factor in Stewart and Moore - we have a logjam here. At least a couple of deserving LLB's won't make it to the Final 53.

Linebackers
Rolle (minor tweak) and Ware (family leave) didn't play. Francisco and Keyes did OK. Adrian Wilson had a monster game (with at least three big hits we remember). Hood was solid at one corner. Eric Green blew zone coverage on one sideline completion. We saw DRC deliver one big hit. (Someone else - probably a DB - wiped out a Raider receiver on the sidelines in the 2H, but we couldn't catch his number). Michael Adams made at least 2 thundering tackles of note. Celestin and Keyes had solid games.

Special Teams
Our coverage teams are still giving up too many kickoff yards. Lance Long fielded 3 - 4 punts (fair caught or let bounce a couple, got nailed after fielding one of them and returned another for nice yardage) and looked comfortable doing so. Rackers converted three XP's and a chip-shot FG. He wasn't as consistently deep into the end zone as we'd have liked on kickoffs.

Bottom Line - We won our second straight game on the road and overcame a horrendous first half to shut out the Raiders. We ran well. Our defense played well. Our backup players performed better than expected - all in all a very good evening in Oakland.

Holmdel, NJ  - Sat. Aug 23 - Tonight's game is scheduled for SIRIUS Channel 157 at 9 pm ET. The NFLNetwork televised rebroadcast is scheduled for 3 am ET tomorrow (Sun.) morning. Things to look for:

Overall

• Crispness of offense under both KW and ML.
• How well we handle Black Hole crowd noise.
• Can we play a 2nd consecutive winning game on the road?
• No major injuries!!!!
• Keeping penalties down.
• Better one-on-one tackling - both on defense and special teams coverage.
• Who unexpectedly flashes?
• 4 players must be cut shortly after the game.

Quarterback
I'd like to see both ML and KW look sharper and more accurate. I'd like to see St. Pierre look at least as comfortable and productive as last week.

Running Back
Edge is on my Fantasy team, so (a) no injuries! and (b) consistent positive yardage plus at least a couple of runs of decent length. A couple of big plays by Hightower.

Fullback
Castille vs. T. Smith.

Wideout
Will Doucet see any action? Breaston vs. Urban. Can Morey hang on? Will Lance Longshot get to see some serious playing time?

Tight End
Whatever happened to Leonard Pope? Will he flash enough to keep Patrick (who will not play) from grabbing an unshakable hold on the starting job? Tuman's blocking on running plays.

Offensive Line
Deuce vs. Elton. Brandon Keith's development. Among the backups, who will play their way on (or off) the roster?

Defensive Line
Will Alan Branch step up (or down)? Dockett vs. Campbell. Will Iwebema continue to show us something?

Linebacker
Berry vs. LaBoy. Okeafor vs. Haggans. Harrington's development. The return of Beisel.

Defensive Back
DRC's development. Francisco vs. Ware  (Rolle will be out). How well will Green and Hood perform as a tandem

Special Teams
Better play on coverage teams. Will Rackers regain his mojo? Will Johnson prove he belongs?

Holmdel, NJ  - Fri. Aug 22 - Perhaps I've been too hard on Aaron Francisco. There's this fan in Hawaii (who goes by the screen name: "Laie Five-O") who has apparently researched the Cardinal free safety in far more detail than I have. Judge for yourself:

(Our Post) KC Game Note
Did not appear til the 2H. Nothing of note. May have lost his #2 FS job to Ware...NO Game Note - Had a really bad outing - got beat deep playing in a 4 corners zone package (a no-no), was a half step late in coverage on the first NO touchdown reception and generally was uninstinctive and late to the ball.

(Five-O's Post)
You seem to be mistaken about Aaron not appearing until the second half. Aaron told me that he and Matt Ware were going to split time at Free Safety due to Antrel Rolle being sidelined with a high ankle sprain.

Aaron did actually start the game as the Cardinals Free Safety as recorded in the Official NFL Game Book.

I did notice during the telecast that when they displayed the photos of the starting defense of the Arizona Cardinals that Matt Ware's photo was in the lineup for the Free Safety and not Aaron's photo.

 Aaron did start the game and played in the first two series.

 As you can see from the play-by-play below that Aaron was in the game during the first defensive series.

Anatomy of a Play (courtesy Five-0)
On their opening drive on third-and-goal from the 7-yard line, the Saints came out in a four wide receiver set with Bush set up in the backfield directly behind Stinchcomb. Billy Miller and Terrance Copper were split about three yards to the left with Copper off the line, making Miller eligible, and Moore and Patten were split about three yards to the right with Patten off of the line making Moore eligible.

At the snap, the Cardinals rushed their four down linemen. Jammal Brown blocked Bertrand Berry, who then tried to go inside. Lined up next to Berry at tackle was Antonio Smith who was blocked by Jamar Nesbit. Jonathan Goodwin and Jahri Evans teamed up on the other tackle, Darnell Dockett, and forced him outside, and Stinchcomb blocked Chike Okeafor to the outside as well. This opened up the middle of the field for Brees to see. Bertrand Berry recovered after being blocked by Brown, went around Antonio Smith and had an open path to Brees.

Terrance Copper's route took him about three yards down the field and then to the sideline, Billy Miller went about five yards deep into the endzone before veering to the sideline, Lance Moore went about five yards deep before turning for the back corner, and Reggie Bush released to the sideline about even with the line of scrimmage. David Patten ran off Moore's back at the snap and ran straight to MLB Gerald Hayes. Hayes met Patten straight up and bumped him at which point Patten broke to the endzone.

Cardinals FS Aaron Francisco took about two steps towards the sideline when Moore broke for it and this provided just enough space in the middle of the field for Brees to float a ball over the head of Gerald Hayes and right into the arms of David Patten who made the catch directly in front of Francisco, who recovered a fraction of a second too late. Touchdown Saints.

Holmdel, NJ  - Thu. Aug 21 - Cards broke Camp and headed down the hill from the cooler Flagstaff to the flame-thrower heat of Greater Phoenix...not much to report other than Coach Whisenhunt cautioned everyone not to read too much into revised depth charts at this point; specifically that Travis LaBoy would start in Oakland in place of B-Train (There should be plenty of sack opportunities for everybody...Cards brough back RB Chris Vincent and released WR Ahmad Merritt and RB Dionte Johnson (injury waiver) which gets the team down to 80 (a roster exemption for Castaneda actually makes it 81). Cards will have to pare their roster to 75 after the Raider game...Lots of noise (and rumors) on the Q front. Talk is cheap. We're not going there.

Holmdel, NJ  - Mon. Aug 18 - Fortunately the NFL Network re-telecast of the Chiefs game came off as scheduled, and I watched it early this morning. One thing that leaps out at you - what you see on TV and what you hear on the radio can be quite different:

Quarterback
While  both Warner and Leinart had their redeeming moments, neither looked consistently sharp - they both threw near picks and one of them almost got Jeremy Urban killed when the ball was thrown high and behind him on a crossing pattern.

Running Back
Lost in the discussion about our backups was a tremendous second effort run by Edge in the 2Q...This is the second week in a row where a quick opener to the fullback was followed by an outlet pass to the fullback. Hmm. Arrington indeed looked like a man with a sense of urgency.

Wide Receiver
Breaston has achieved serious separation from the rest of the pack competing to be #3. (Only Early Doucet - who's been injured - comes potentially close). Two things I noticed about Breaston: (1) his willingness (and ability) to block on an inside running play and (2) better COD quicks than I originally thought he had.

Tight End
Where in the world is Leonard Pope?

Offensive Line
Starters looked really sluggish early in the game. While the backups by no means looked ready for prime time, they did execute their run blocks and hold up decently protecting the passer. They're a work-in-process, and we have to hope key guys will be ready if and when called upon. Elton Brown did not have an especially stellar evening. Nor did backup LT Kelly Butler. Although we hear nothing but good things about Brandon Keith, we really haven't yet had a good look at him on our tv screen.

Defense
Our first half run defense was abysmal during most of  the first half (poor tackling and lack of gap discipline. Especially painful was a long 2H drive featuring large chunks of ground yardage chewed up by Larry Johnson and Coby Smith.

Defensive Line
Fans are right when they get on Alan Branch for not living up to expectations, but we don't think it's a "motor" or attitude thing; it may be due more to problems with technique. When he plays high or leaves his gap to pursue, zone blockers simply "put him on roller skates" and let his own momentum move him out of the play. He has to learn how to "read zone" and then stay in his gap, stay low and anchor...Nice inside push on pass plays from Caleb Campbell. In addition to his rotating with D-Dock, we can see the two lining up side by side in some passing down schemes...Joe Tafoya isn't good enough to make the 53 man roster, but he deserves to make it because he's "Mr. Dependable" -who  gets the job done whenever he's asked to. You need one or two guys like that at #52 or #53.

Linebacker
This is a deep and talented unit; however, the question of the moment is how Clancy P, Billy D and special teams coach Kevin S can best utilize tweeners like Harrington and Highsmith or gamers like Beisel (who  fits the same sort of role at backup LB that Tafoya does on the D-line)...You can bet that Bill Belicheck would have a field day figuring out the various bizarre ways  to utilize the  unique set of talents of Harrington or Highsmith.

Defensive Back
Aaron Francisco was noticeably absent at the start of the game - he was replaced by Matt Ware. He did see some action in the 2H - no doubt a message delivered by Wiz and T Austin....Eric Green missed a sure pick (which hit him in the hands). Stuff like that seldom hits the stat sheets, but they do help fill out a player's body of work...The DRC solo hit in the left  flat was a pretty roll-block deal. But at some point, he will have to demonstrate that he can wrap up...DRC was also in on a near pick (I think it was by Hood) in the right flat. The two broke early on the ball with Cromartie a quarter-step behind the receiver.

Special Teams
The squibbed KO and the missed XP are scary echoes of what happened a year ago. (Oooops! isn't good enough). Our return game definitely looked improved from the NO game to now. Unfortunately, our coverage units don't look all that good - it's not just missed tackles; it's the failure to get in front of the returner, take him on and stand him up. And it's the sense you get that the return team - and not our gunners -  are dictating the agenda.

Where This Leaves Us
There are still questions at QB (If we had to make a decision right now, we'd start Warner; making it clear to Matt Leinart that it's no reflection on him - it's just that Warner is a more complete QB and playing at a higher level while Matt still has some rough edges that need smoothing. We're nervous about offensive line depth and questions about defending against the inside run. (We've got our fingers crossed regarding Gabe Watson's return). Play thus far at free safety has been underwhelming. We can't wait to see Antrel Rolle back and healthy...Our kicking and coverage games are shaky.

Holmdel, NJ  - Sun. Aug 17 - I'll just start out by saying that the management of FSN-AZ have to consist of some of the stupidest people in the entire world. We were skeptical when they issued a press release stating that they would make the Cardinal -Chiefs rebroadcast available to fans living out of the Greater Phoenix TV market (especially when they followed that comment by claiming that -  now Cardinal fans in New Mexico and the rest of Arizona could view the game). Not only were we correct but, to add insult to injury, these clowns blacked out Maximum Cardinals as well. FSN's move wasn't totally unexpected. We've asked for explanations from both FSN-AZ and DirecTV in the past only to find them pointing fingers at one another and then claiming that has to do with esoteric legal contracts involving  rebroadcast rights. What I don't get is that the original reason for blacking out games was to avoid having TV viewing becoming a deterrent for fans to attend unsold-out games in a home market.  Following that logic, FSN-AZ shouldn't care one whit whether or not a Cardinal fan living in Ohio, California or New Jersey can view Cardinal games, since these fans have no impact on local ratings and cannot by buy the products of local advertisers. What really irks us this time are (1) that they blacked out a non-game (i.e. a Cardinal highlight show) and (2) issued the misleading smarmy press release about making the game viewable for everyone.

Flagstaff - Sun. Aug. 17 - Card road trip was successful. They overcame the loud crowd at Arrowhead to prevail 27 -17. Well, actually, there were two games - (1) the "Big Boy Game" featuring starters and second stringers (covering slightly more than  the first half) and (2) "NFL Survivor" - featuring 81 guys trying to make the final 53-man roster (covering most of the second half). The Big Boy Game wound up in a 6 - 6 tie (although you could argue that our successful drive led by Leinart to start the 3Q resulted in a Big Boy score to put us ahead 13 - 6.

The score of the Survivor game is immaterial - it was all about who looked good enough to make the final 53 man roster (and who didn't). The following is a brief game recap - but only as seen through the radio "lens"  .of Calvisi and Wolfley:

KC took the opening kickoff and Coyle led a crisply executed drive - marked by shanked kickoff by Rackers, an offside penalty for Caleb Campbell (who started for the nicked up Dockett) and sloppy tackling. But the Card defense stiffened at our own 14 and KC kicked a FG to make it 3 - zip. The Cards, under Kurt Warner's leadership did not come right back to mount a crisp drive. Two incompletions and a fumbled run for no gain later, Cards were forced to punt. Things looked better on the second exchange of downs - Card defense forced KC to go 3 & out , and Warner led his team on a 13 play drive capped by a Hightower 4 yard TD run around right end (he originally was ruled short, but Wiz won the challenge). Rackers missed the XP. (Hmmm. Leinart came in and - hampered by the lackluster play of his O-line (which had looked sluggish for the entire half) didn't get much done for the remainder of the half. Meanwhile KC was able to scratch its way to another FG to tie the score at halftime 6 - 6.

The Cards opened the 2H with Leinart and the starting O-line intact. You really had the feeling that there must have been some friendly halftime banter  between the O-line and line coach Russ Grimm because the Cardinals came out executing more crisply. Drive took 11 plays capped by a 14 yard Leinart-to-Breaston TD completion up the middle to make it 13 - 6. Led by their backup QB (THigpen) KC came right back, moving the ball to the Cardinal 14, but a sack by Haggans forced KC to kick another FG to narrow the score to 13 - 9. But - after a nifty 78-yard kickoff return by JJ Arrington (who looked like a man eager to keep his job), #3 QB Brian St. Pierre hit Castille who was wide open near the end zone for a 24 yard TD to open up a 20 - 9 lead. After that, it  was pretty much "run guys in and out of the game to see what we have" on the part of both teams - although with 1:19 left to play, 3rd & 6 on the Cardinal 14, Thigpen "mis-threw" to a backup Cardinal safety Dennis Keyes - a rookie UDFA we thought should have been drafted, simply trying to get noticed - who proceeded to rumble and stumble for an 84 yard TD.

A few (audio) observations about players:

Quarterback
At first it looked as though Leinart was going to make it easy for the coaches to reconsider keeping him the starter, but - at least to me - it looked as though Matt did enough to start the second half to retain a fairly secure grip on his starting job.

Running Back
Brief look for Edge. Hightower continues to do what's asked of him and looks like our #2 (although his rookie missed pass blocks threaten to get our QB's killed). Arrington ran with more decisiveness (and sense of urgency).

Wide Receiver
In the competition for #3, the only bright spot was Steve Breaston. (The other guys - Urban, Rector, Morey etc. did not step up when given the chance).  If the decision had to be made today, we'd guess Breaston (although the injured Early Doucet cannot be ruled out).

Tight End
Ben Patrick was hobbling - got hit, got up limping, came back later and then hobbled off the field. Tuman was flagged for holding.

Offensive Line
Starting unit was sluggish in the 1H but discovered new found energy to start the 2H.

Defensive Line
Put very little pressure on the passer. Missed tackles allowed Thigpen to run for 20 yards to convert a 3rd & 19. A couple of nice run stops by (the veteran) Brian Robinson.

Linebacker
The Travis Laboy Show - 2 sacks and additional hurries. Ali Highsmith continues to make plays when given the chance (including on special teams).

Defensive Back
A couple of thundering hits by Adrian Wilson. One by DRC (though not as dramatic as last week's hit on Campbell). UDFA safety Dennis Keyes is a long-shot to stick, but we do need better play at safety and Keyes does come from a solid college program at UCLA. And he certainly stepped up and made a huge play when the opportunity presented itself.

Special Teams
Rackers is falling right back into the same kind of rut that cost us a couple of games (and the playoffs) last year. Tackling by coverage teams was sloppy. Dirk Johnson did little if anything to impress. Only bright spot was Breaston's long return.

Misc.
Memo to Staff - Put lots of extra time this week on tackling fundamentals. Cards did wind up with 4 sacks (1 each by Tafoya and Haggans in addition to the 2 by LaBoy). Cards gave up 3 sacks.

That's it for now - I'll add (and possibly correct) stuff once I get to view the rebroadcast of the game.

Flagstaff - Thur. Aug. 14 - It's offiicial - Brandon Moore is a Cardinal. The (6-1 240) seven year veteran played for current Cardinal LB coach Billy Davis with the Niners. He was released a few days ago to make room for Takeo Spikes. His best year was 2006 when he racked up 92 tackles and 6½ sacks. Production fell off when Davis departed - last year, playing part time, he wound up with 22 tackles and 2½ sacks. He can play all LB positions but is slotted for now at inside LB. With Monte Beisel (back) on the PUP list, Moore logically would be the #1 backup to ILB's Karlos Dansby and Gerald Hayes (competing with Matt Stewart, Ali Highsmith and Beisel)...he's also good on special teams...the grouchy fights typical of the dog days of training camp are beginning to crop up...Lots of nagging injuries but nothing likely to be "season ending.": Rolle has an ankle, Johnson's is rehabbing his cleaned out knee< Watson's knee-cap is on schedule, it's hard to see that DRC has an ankle problem. D-Dock's shoulder is bothering him...Rod Hood's and Brandon Keith's foot injuries not thought to be serious.

 Flagstaff - Wed. Aug. 13 - Lots of stuff flying around the ether. Biggest stories - Rumor #1 -DRC Carted Off With  Ankle Injury. Urban Update - "I know there are reports out there that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was carted off the practice field with his ankle injury. That may be true (I did not see it myself) but it only made sense since DRC was on the far field after getting hurt and there was no reason for him to limp all the way back to the locker room. Just know this: I saw DRC in the cafeteria at dinner, and while he was wearing a walking boot, he was walking on his own." (Note - DRC showed up for the walk-thru the following morning (i.e. this morning) which ironically was replaced by an team outing to the movies.  Rumor #2 -  Cards Sign Brandon Moore. Moore, a LB, was released by Niners (to make room for Pro Bowl regular Takeo Spikes). We're said to "be on the verge" of signing him  -  It's unclear whom we'll cut to make room - CW says "a linebacker - we're not so sure about that (at least not til we know you will staff our coverage units - linebackers make for good coverage dudes). Other News - Veteran Bryan Robinson was named starting DT over Alan Branch (who so far hadn't proved to the coaches he was a starter)...some grousing on Cardinal underground over the lack of production shown by 2nd round draft picks, JJ Arrington and Alan Branch. (I liked the anecdote about one of the on-air guys asking one of Branch's Cardinal teammates:  "Who'll step up and get Alan angry?" Response - "It ain't gonna happen, dawg")...  Other Injury News - Rod Hood is resting a gimpy foot. Brandon Keith hurt his ankle (not thought to be serious)...Wiz said yesterday that Gabe Watson was on target to begin practicing after the Cardinals break training camp Aug. 21....Welcome Mike Goldberg, new voice of the Cardinals - check him out on the KC game telecast this weekend.

Flagstaff - Tues. Aug. 12 - I was happy to see Maximum Cardinals (Jodie Jackson and Glenn Parker) back on FSN-AZ. But I was ecstatic to catch the SIRIUS guys (Pat Kirwan and - I think it was Tim Ryan) broadcasting from Flag  for three hours yesterday afternoon. I didn't take notes and some stuff blurred in my memory bank, but I do remember catching  interviews with Fitz, Q, Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart, D-Dub and DRC. Some of what I heard: While KW would rather know he had a starting job anywhere, he feels he's in a wide-open competition with Leinart and is receiving 50% of the 1st unit snaps....Matt's teammates verify that Leinart is miles ahead of last year and seems much more comfortable, instinctive and confident taking command in the huddle and reading defenses. He also makes many of the line calls (that on many other NFL teams are the responsibility of the center)...Boldin had returned to practice and Kirwan noted that, even in drills, you could see how he stands out...Pat also observed that Edge looked good catching the ball - even catching a few behind his back...They wouldn't tell DRC who said it, but reported that "a senior Cardinal official" indicated that he'd be seeing a lot of action on the field sooner not later...the consensus among all players was that Camp under Wiz was much less stressful now that they knew the new coaches and "drill" and Kirwin observed that Whisenhunt looked quietly confident as to what he know's he's got and what needs to be done...there was a lot of  X's and O's discussion about using multiple sets to create and exploit opposing matchup weaknesses...Splitting Patrick out wide..."Who's 'Mike'" when reading hybrid defenses....A-Dub's varying defensive roles...Fan call-ins were, with one exception, non Arizona (and that dude was actually a Felon rooter)...One problem with SIRIUS - We live in a treed neighborhood between 2 hills, so that the signal occasionally fade in & out (for as long as 5 minutes sometimes) ...And oh yeah, two other bits of housekeeping: (1) Wiz will call into SIRIUS to chime in each Saturday. (2) NFL Network is scheduled to rebroadcast  the KC preseason game at 3 am (ET) Monday (changed from midnight this Sat/Sun). (Sure enough, there was a last-minute schedule change!!!) . FSN-AZ is scheduled to rebroadcast the 9:30 pm (ET) on Sunday, but the odds are probably 80/20 that the game will be blacked out out-of-area on DirecTV - sometimes you get lucky; usually you don't...In closing, I'm getting the bitter-sweet feeling that - because we are so much deeper at some positions this year - we are going to be bummed out  to see some of our favorite players released at cutdown time.

Flagstaff - Thu. Aug. 8 - We lost to NO 24 - 10 last night. We gave up a TD on the opening possession, came back to tie it and then go ahead 10 - 7 only to fall behind - with #3 and #4 backups (St. Pierre and Morelli) under center - and unable to get up off the mat.

NO scored on a 13-play opening drive - marked by  three (!!!) Cardinal penalties capped off by a beautifully dropped-in y yard TD completion from Brees to Patton. (Aaron Francisco was a half-step late in coverage). The teams exchanged possessions before Leinart led the Cards 63 yards in 8 plays to tie the score on a pretty one-yard sweep by Hightower. After a sack on a critical 4th & 1 by Iwebema handed the ball back to the Cardinals, St. Pierre led the offense to the NO 12, where Rackers almost missed  a 30-yard chip shot, giving the Cards a 10 - 7 lead (and their final score of the evening). Once again on the next NO possession, the defense found itself in a 4th & 1 situation (this time on our own one-yard line. Once again it stiffened and stopped the Saints in their tracks.

In the second half, the Cardinal offense (led by St.Pierre and Morelli) couldn't get anything going. Meanwhile, our backup defense had trouble stopping the passing of Brunell and Palko and the running of Aaron Stecker and YAC running of WR Robert Meacham. Saints picked up an unanswered 14 to prevail 14 - 10.

Game Observations (based on less than perfect TV coverage)

ESPN's Coverage
As predicted, lame. Lots of Favre. Lots of sideline interviews while the action went on unreported. Lots of negative interviewing ("So Edge! Seeing that your numbers have fallen off, are you over the hill? Or do the Cardinals just suck?" "Tell us,  Kurt. Aren't you bummed out that you're playing better than Leinart but your stuck here as a backup instead of starting somewhere else?") And then there was Tony Kornheiser (We never thought we'd say this but  "Bring back Dennis Miller!"). Although we vowed to leave the audio on (Heck! It was only a preseason game), Kornheiser's inane and obnoxious commentary - at least three times he sneeringly  alluded to  the paucity Cardinal playoff appearances -  finally forced us to hit the "mutant" button.

Random Observations

Overall:

• Cards took too many penalties (Is it that the coaches let our players get away with this? Or does Graves just simply draft too many stupidos)?

• First defensive unit got little if any pass rush pressure up the middle.

• When there was no pass rush, the Saints completed key passes (including the one for a TD).

• 1st "D" unit was able to contain the run, but didn't stuff anybody.

Quarterback

• I get the feeling that Leinart spends a lot of time looking for open receivers whereas Warner just zings it to where he "knows" the open man will be (i.e. with Leinart, it's "Will he find the guy?" With Warner,"It's there!"

• St. Pierre knows what he's doing and where to throw (and can sometimes get it there), but he seldom steps into his throws (i.e. throws off his back foot) and has inconsistent accuracy. As a #3 QB, he can be trusted with the car keys, but he's not likely to do much more than that.

• At least for right now, Morelli isn't the answer. By giving him most of the 4Q snaps, it denied the coaches the opportunity to observe what some of our talented backup wideouts could do in game action.

Running Back

• Hightower clearly stood out as our #2 RB - strong inside, but also quick enough to get to the corner.

• JJ continues to have hands of stone (dropped a poorly executed screen pass).  On the next play, he caught an outlet pass and promptly fell down.

Receiver

• Pretty drag route and RAC by Breaston.

• Our backup receivers (most notably Breaston and Urban) looked good. Rector (when the QB could find him) had his moments as well. Maybe our eyes were playing tricks on us, but our only sighting of #19 (Long) was on defense.

Tight End

• Pope flagged for false start in the red zone.

Defensive Line

• A Smith missed a tackle and Dansby was absolutely outrun by Reggie Bush on a long gain.

• Nice sacks by Iwebema and Tafoya.

• Although there's little mention of him in the play by play, it seemed to us that Calais Campbell was in on a lot of the (positive) defensive action. Showed good downfield pursuit hustle too.

• We didn't see anything directly, but given our softness against the inside run in the 2H, it suggests that backup NT Alan Branch simply wasn't getting it done last night. Then we listened to the audio replay - Branch elicited favorable comment near the end of the 1H and early in the 2H

• The other Bryan Robinson (i.e. the rookie) pursued well and was in on a couple of nice tackles.

• On at least two occasions, our defense was late getting to loose balls. Nice fumble recovery by Dykes though.

Linebacker

• Ali Highsmith demonstrated several times that you don't have to be a hulk to play stout and hit hard.

• Francisco was a step late at least three times we can recall.

• Francisco was credited with the goal line stop on 4th & 1. To us, it looked like Holloway, Campbell and Highsmith played a key role.

• Didn't see a lot of DRC but his cold-cock of the NO tight end (Campbell) was a beautiful thing.

• Tackling by our backup DB's (Adams, Bain, Celestin) was atrocious - especially during Meacham's 60 yard broken field RAC.

• Nice hit on scrambling Palko by Keyes.

Special Teams

• Our special teams coverage and return units concede far too much field position - no apparent mprovement vs. last year.

The Refs

• Dumb Hockulee interference non-call. Breaston was "tackled" by a pass defender so that he couldn't get open; forcing St. Pierre to throw it away. Instead Hockulee termed the pass "uncatchable." There should have at least been a defensive holding penalty.

That's it for now. We may have additional insights after we augment our "ESPN viewing experience" with more detailed game audio.

Flagstaff - Thu. Aug. 7 - Tonight's the night! ESPN is airing our first preseason game vs. NO - which can be both good and bad. Obviously, it's nice to get the additional national exposure, but it will also bring with it (a) typical reporter cynicism about "the meaninglessness of 1st preseason games, (b) senseless sideline interviews that distract from the action on the field and (c) anticipated considerable time devoted to Brett Favre, Drama Queen and his 2nd life with the Jets. Cardinal fans will not have the opportunity to see wideouts, Anquan Boldin, #3 draft pick Early Doucet, starting center Al Johnson, backup LB Monte Beisel, starting NT Gabe Watson or starting CB Rod Hood due to an assortment of nicks and bruises, but there will be plenty to look for.

Playing Time
The first unit may be out there longer (in order to protect both Leinart and Warner and give them enough snaps in addition to giving the coaches more opportunity to see how Sendlein meshes with the 1st unit at center in Johnson's absence). Leinart may receive more snaps and Warner fewer (or maybe even none) because Wiz wants to see more of Leinart in game situations. The second O-line unit is expected to be: 65 K Butler LT, 61 LG E Brown, 70 P Ross C, 72 Keith RG, 68 Vallejo RT.

What We're Looking For...
No injuries....Crisp offensive execution...how well the O-line opens up holes for our RB's...how well our pass blockers work together...how well we stop the run...how well the defensive plays together...pass coverage...individual position battles...better special teams coverage play...which unsung players step up

Players We're Especially Zeroing In On:
34 Hightower RB
19 Long, WR
10 Rector WR
18 Cornelius WR
82 Pope
89 Patrick
84 Tuman TE
72 Keith RG
78 Branch NT
93 Campbell DE
79 Iwebema DE
57 Holloway LB
55 LaBoy LB
53 Haggans LB
95 Highsmith LB
29 DRC CB
41 Bain CB
21 Rolle S

Flagstaff - Tue. Aug. 5 - Whisenhunt announced that Boldin (hammy) and Doucet (hammy) would sit out the first preseason game Thurs. vs. NO...The absence of two receivers should mean more snaps for undrafted rookie surprise Lance Long (aka Lance Longshot) who has caught just about everything in sight...,Biggest surprise move of TC occurred yesterday with the release of veteran RB Marcel Shipp to make room for backup G Jaspar Harvey. The Cards spun this as "a really difficult decision" made easier because of the similar playing styles of 2nd year man Steve Baylark and rookie Tim Hightower. We're not all that comfortable with that move because injuries can wipe out what limited depth we have behind Edge in a heartbeat.

Flagstaff - Mon. Aug. 4 - Info gleaned from Red & White scrimmage was pretty skimpy...Offense went 2 for 2 in a goal line drill...Fitz made one of his patented leaping tip-toe sideline catches...First depth chart was released but (following D Urban's lead) we'll downplay it as "preliminary" and not all that relevant....Eric Green returned to action...Dockett rolled up on his ankle but Wiz says he's expected to be fine...Doucet's (hammy) injury not thought to be as serious as first thought...Q (hammy) had a negative MRI and is now listed as "day to day"as is Haggans (groin)...Leinart said to have looked sharper than Warner....ASFNer observation - Warner is a stronger vertical passer. Leinart is more effective throwing East/West...Lance Long still receiving positive fan buzz.

Flagstaff - Fri. Aug. 1- Cards suddenly thin at center. Johnson may need more surgery and/or rehab work and may be out for entire balance of Camp. Scott Peters got his knee rolled up on. That leaves Lyle Sendlein and rookie UDFA Hercules Satele - he can get the job done, but he's the only thing between where we are now and total disaster at the center position....Cards cut T Thaddeus Coleman and added veteran  T Kelly Butler...Haggans sat out practice with an undisclosed injury...Boldin had his hammy MRI's (as a precaution). Wiz says he can do just about everything except go at total full speed....Wiz had nice things to say about rookie RT  and seventh round pick Brandon Keith - he likes his feet (now that he's shed 25 pounds) & feels he might project to a T- G swingman...Shane H (ASFN) continues to sing Lance Long's praises. He's got our attention - can't wait to see LL Thursday vs. NO...DRC is still learning how to be a CB in the NFL but is making enough plays in practice to get us really excited. If he stays healthy, we may really have someone special & at at the critical CB position...It's a bit early to be concerned, but there seems to be a consistency of commentary from those who've been at Flag that Leinart isn't exactly lighting it up there. (One word of caution, though. It's dangerous to evaluate or compare players when they are isolated or protected from actual game conditions - like being pressured or hit; or facing complex coverages).

Flagstaff - Thurs. July 30 - Shane H has been doing a stellar job reporting on AM and PM drills on the ASFN blog board. Some recent takes: Hood had a pick yesterday...Shane likes Lance Long (whom D Urban says hasn't to Darren's knowledge, dropped a ball yet)...mentioned the decleating of a blitzing Tavarous Bain by Thaddeus Coleman...reported that Early Doucet "shook DRC out of his shoes on a 15 yard TD reception...observed that "neither Leinart or Warner were very impressive"...and that Dockett continued to abuse Deuce Lutui. D Urban posted a Wiz comment about Alan Branch's consistent effort (or lack thereof) comparing it to a light bulb flickering (but pointing out that, when the light bulb goes on, it's a beautiful thing to see)...Bummer injury of note - Al Johnson's knee is still bothering him, and he's headed down the hill to have it re-examined.

Flagstaff - Tues. July 29 - Team Felon fans will have difficulty "stealing home field advantage this year. As a result of he front office's "Protect the Nest" promotion: "no tickets remain available for purchase for the team’s 2008 home games vs. the New Orleans Saints (Aug. 7) and Dallas Cowboys (Oct. 12)...The only way to purchase tickets to either the Saints or Cowboys games is as a season ticket package. A limited number of season tickets remain available for purchase but that supply is fewer than 600."...DRC had a couple of picks in drills (one for a TD) but got waxed by Morey...D Urban reported that some Cardinal players admitted to "hitting a training camp soreness  "wall." (Note - anyone who works out knows that, it typically takes 48 hours after first  exertion for soreness to set in, so we're not looking at a true Camp "wall" here; just normal aches & pains)...Al Johnson's knee has needed draining...If Bienneman's toe isn't responding to treatment, Cards may add a TE...

Flagstaff - Mon. July 28 - Buzz as we opened camp: All rookies signed, sealed and delivered  by Sat. am...Boldin voiced unhappiness with lack of progress re contract extension...DRC's speed and quicks playing the "receiver role" in DB drills wowed Calvisi and Urban & caused them to speculate whether he could go both ways in the tradition of Deon Sanders or Darrell Green...SMP's (i.e. Superbly Motivated Players) i.e. guys in their contract years & with intensity in their eyes  - mentioned by Urban and Calvisi: Adrian Wilson, Anquan Boldin, K Dansby, E Green and A Smith...Iwebema singled out by Al Johnson as one player who got his attention (for his intensity and work ethic)...Notable Plays: A-Dub unloads on Arrington...Nice catch by Doucet...Nice run by Hightower...You Know things are starting to "get real" when you see "Saints vs. Cardinals" on your DirecTV program grid for a week from Thursday...Al Johnson advised that we can probably expect both power and zone blocking schemes this season, depending on down, distance, play and defensive scheme we're up against...Shane H (on AZFN) observed that various pass rushers were consistently eating Deuce Lutui's lunch in drills. (Note - It's early but still something worth monitoring...Chike said to be playing like someone possessed (including ignoring coach-imposed limits on hitting intensity)...Fitz dropped a ball (Ooooh!)...Shane not impressed by Jamaica Rector...Boldin spending some time mentoring Jemalle Cornelius...A-Bomb - Lots of intensity from D-Dock...