Arizona Cardinals versus Steelers: Ten Things to Watch (Part Deux)

by Hawkwind on Aug 13, 2009 8:59 AM MDT in 2009 Camp & Preseason Comment 4 comments

More photos » Ross D. Franklin - AP

Arizona Cardinals' Matt Leinart (7) and Brian St. Pierre (2) look to stand behind Kurt Warner (13) on the Arizona Cardinals depth chart. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Yesterday we covered the first five "viewing worthy" aspects of this Arizona Cardinals preseason opener yesterday and today we'll take a look at the second five. Now that the game is just under 12 hours away from kickoff, it seems only justified to welcome one and all to the Cardinals 2009 season, but with no further ado here are the final five things worth watching as the Cardinals open the preseason.

Co-Offensive Coordinator: There's a reason that teams don't often employ the co-coordinator role on either offense or defense, especially with a third person (Ken Whisenhunt in this case) calling plays. One might consider this a case of "too many cooks in the kitchen" while others might say that "three heads are better than one." While I'm sure there won't be any melt downs during the preseason, there will undoubtably be times during crucial situations when the 'running game coordinator' (Russ Grimm) will want to call a running play but the 'passing game coordinator' (Mike Miller) will want to call a passing play. Ultimately it'll be up to Ken Whisenhunt as to which play is sent over the radio to Kurt Warner but none the less it's a storyline worth following.
Leinart vs. BSP: Sticking to the offensive side of the ball, the 'battle' for second string QB will certainly take center stage considering that ESPN will latch onto a major story line with one of the Cardinals most marketable players. While many of this consider this 'battle' to be nothing more than ruse, the fact that Brian St. Peirre has been promised the chance to compete for the backup job with Matt Leinart is enough of a reason to keep track of who takes snaps when and how each QB does while they're on the field.

Kick/Punt Return Battle: Last year the Cardinals weren't great on either punt or kick returns, and they've lost their top kick returner while also hoping that their top punt returner continues to grow into a larger offensive role. The result is quite a bit of unrest at the returning position. Two players (LaRod Stephens-Howling and Michael Ray Garvin) will compete at both spots and will likely only make the final roster if they win one of these jobs. The only other competitor is starting free safety Antrel Rolle, who might be the most dynamic force on the roster, but his greatest value to this team is on defense. Who wins these jobs and how effective they prove to be will be a worthy battle for most of the preseason.

Health of Key Players: We already talked about the desire to stay away from key injuries but in this case we're talking about how healthy certain players are coming off of injuries. Stephen Spach is just seven months removed from a torn ACL but is looking to lay claim to the starting tight end job. Gabe Watson has had two surgeries on the knee that he fractured last year but he's hoping to return to his 2007 level of play and win the starting nose tackle job. Other veteran starters like Kurt Warner (hip surgery), Chike Okeafor (sore back) and Lyle Sendlein (shoulder surgery) need to prove not only that they are fully healed from various ailments, but that they are as effective (if not more effective) than they were last year.

Alan Branch: It's not often that a second round draft pick faces a make or break season in just his third season, but Branch stands on the chopping block this year. After two lackluster seasons highlighted by showing up overweight, a lack of urgency and an unconsistent work ethic and motor, Branch is very much in danger of being cut from the very team that traded up to select him with the first pick of the second round in 2007. He has shown up lighter and in much better shape this season, but he needs to show something more than potential over the next month or he could find himself looking for a new job.

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That's ten things (counting yesterday's) but I'm sure that there are more. Who/What will you be keeping a close eye on?

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I think with Warner being Warner and St. Pierre being bored on the sideline all the time, we’ve technically got more like 5 offensive coordinators, but as long as it works… =)

I do believe that all of the key players will be adequately covered if they’re not ready to go, right? Spach = 4 other TEs, Watson = Robinson, Okeafor = Berry/Hobson, Sendlein = Fowler. I’m actually not too terribly worried about the depth at any of those positions atm, assuming they’ll be ready to go by regular season. Another one would be Iwebema bouncing back. He’s not exactly a key player (although with Dykes & Banks out, he’s one of few options right now) but we’ve heard he’s getting up to speed fairly well, so now will be a good time to show it. Sticking with the DL, what is Fields going to show?

One of the few things that hasn’t been mentioned much is the FB competition. I expect Maui’a will batter some people, but miss several assignments. Looking forward to seeing more Castille, though, and hoping he can claim the mantle.

KR/PR should be fun, and Branch is Branch, so we’ll just have to see!

Some of the Pittsburgh storylines of note (if anyone else is a leaguewide infowhore like me):
RB Mendenhall — On IR most of last year, they’ll be making sure this 2nd year is ready for the season and looking worth the 1st-round pick.
LB Depth — Now that Timmons is a starter, they don’t have much.
WRs — Can rookie Mike Wallace outperform 2nd-year Limas Sweed? Some would say it won’t take much…
OL — Will the starters look like a year of continuity paid off? Do they have any backup-worthy players who aren’t actually starting?

by tw3kr on Aug 13, 2009 10:38 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Branch

If he can’t make some noise against the Steelers third team centers and guards, he’s in trouble. Dude needs to have a big game.

I can’t wait to see Leinart take the field again. I thought he was having a good preseason last year until the disaster in Oakland and I think he’s ready to redeem himself.

Be careful....to a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

by Bezekira on Aug 13, 2009 2:53 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs