It has been confirmed that the Arizona Cardinals have released punter Dirk Johnson...Mike Sando and Kent Somers have both reported. Dirk was on the verge of being released, being warned by Ken Whisenhunt after poor performances the past 3 weeks. One of his few supporters, Neil Rackers wanted him to stay, noting that his exceptional kicking was a result of Johnson's holding. Johnson is expected to be replaced by punter Ben Graham, a former NY Jet and New Orleans Saint.

Another week, another win for the Arizona Cardinals. Another 300 yard passing game from Kurt Warner and another big game from the best wide receiving duo in the NFL, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. But this was also another game when they couldn't quite finish off a team on the ropes.

The Cardinals went into the fourth quarter with a seemingly insurmountable lead against the Seahawks yesterday. A six yard screen pass from Kurt Warner to J.J. Arrington on third and goal pushed the Cardinals' lead to 26-7 and it felt like the game was over. The Seahawks though, to their credit, didn't have any thoughts of conceding defeat. They scored two touchdowns in the next ten minutes and were within a single score for over half of the fourth quarter. In the end, both sides of the ball did what they had to do to make the lead stand up. The Cardinals' offense stayed somewhat aggressive picking up first downs via the pass and the run and they held the ball for 7 minutes and 53 seconds of the final 9:41. The defense completely stifled the Hawks, limiting Hasselbeck to 1 of 3 passing for -1 yards and an interception on their final two drives. What does this team have to do though to deliver the proverbial knock blow?

Protect the Football: The Cardinals didn't 'gift wrap' the Seahawks final 14 points but they did make make some bonehead mistakes. The first came when Karlos Dansby picked off Matt Hasselbeck in the end zone and instead of taking a knee, Dansby decide to take off out of the end zone. He was tackled around the ten and lost the ball. Seattle would score five plays later and the next Cardinals drive would last just two plays, ending on a fumble by Warner. The Hawks would punch in another touchdown after five plays and the they would be with six points. There's a fine line between playing aggressive and playing reckless and it's debatable which side the Cardinals were on early in the fourth quarter.

Win the Battle of Field Position: In a one score game, every yard counts and the Cardinals seemed like they were always on the verge of giving the Seahawks a short field. Dirk Johnson punted twice after the Seahawks final touchdown. One was a decent kick (48 yards) but it was negated by a 20 yard return and the second punt was a pitiful 29 yard shank.  Johnson was a big question mark heading into the season and early on he looked decent but his past two games has been pathetic. Ken Whisenhunt called him out last week and said that he's got to improve but this weeks performance could force the coaching staff to work out some punters off the street. They also lost 17 yards in penalties on their final two offensive drives.

Find Some Way to Keep the Clock Running: Considering that last weeks game came down to the final seconds ticking off the clock, I'd have thought the Cardinals would have been a bit more conscious of the clock. Granted it ultimately didn't matter because DRC ended any hopes that the Hawks had of coming back but if the Hawks had mounted a drive they would have had time (2:05) to do some damage. I think most of us have written off the running game from being very effective, although they were better than last week. The Cardinals did a better job of using the clock then they did against the Niners but they still left too many seconds on the table. Two incomplete passes and a reception that ended with Boldin out of bounds left valuable seconds on the clock. to pick on a certain play, Warner was nearly sacked by Lofa Tatupa but he got the ball out of his hands only to be called with intentional grounding. The result was a loss of twelve yards and a clock stoppage. Had KW just tucked the ball and taken the sack the clock would have continued running and used up another 40-ish seconds. Again ultimately it didn't make a bit of difference but it could have if DRC didn't make a great play.

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Maybe I should just be satisfied with another division win on the road, but I think that small problems like this could potentially build up and cost the Cardinals a win against a better opponent. Am I just being too critical? Did you ever really feel like the game was in doubt? Are you concerned that this team can't quite put a game out of reach?

Once more the Cardinals test the cardiac health of their fans.  Leading by 19 in the second half, the Seattle Seahawks storm back to make the game much closer.  The catalyst for this point surge are two turnovers, one of them coming on a double-turnover play after Dansby picked Matt Hasselbeck in the endzone.  Warner soured his fantasy points with a fumble as well.  The blood pressure soared to its acme as Dirk Johnson kicked a short, pink-slip-worthy punt just before the two-minute warning.  Alas, the collective exhalations of relief were heard throughout Red Bird households as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had his second pick of the game and career.  After three of Jake Plummer's favourite plays (kneel-down), the victory belonged to the Arizona Cardinals, 26-20.

There's a lot to talk about for this game and cgolden will have our eloquent official recap soon enough.  Until then, I'll throw out some random thoughts.  Chime in now before you forget your points watching the 'Boys-'Skins game.

Kurt Warner:  five yards short of 400 yards passing; two turnovers; one TD; 4th straight 300+ yard game; really, is there a better choice for League MVP at this point?

Fitz & Q:  10-151 and 13-186 respectively as each had several OMG! plays.  Where the 'ell was Breaston this week?!  Figures when I start him on my fantasy team...

JJ Arrington:  Running back of the week, JJ only had 40 yards rushing but that included a couple long runs for first downs, a rushing TD and a receiving TD.  Resign him, yes?

Neil Rackers:  Four, yes four field goals.  Yeah, three should have been TDs but you have to give credit to the Seahawks' defense.  The 54-yarder before the half has to be a big boost for his and Whisenhunt's confidence.

Boneheads of the Week:  Leonard Pope...a couple of catches he could have gained two more yards if he'd just tripped and fell forward; oh yeah, False Start, #82, five yard penalty, replay the down...how many more times Leonard Davis, er, Pope?  Dirk Johnson...two punts...make them count!  Karlos Dansby...INT in the endzone and you run it out?!  Take a knee and let the offense ice the game!

Game Ball:  Rogers-Cromartie, congratulations on your first two interceptions.  Here's a toast to you and to many more INTs to come.  Also, thank you for listening to Antrel Rolle and taking a knee after than last INT and not pulling a Dansby. 

Ghosts "Busted":  7-3 for the first time in 32 years; first road sweep of the divisional opponents in 40 years; first victory in Seattle in six years.  The Cardinals can clinch the NFC West with a victory against the Giants next week and a San Francisco loss in Dallas.  ::knocks on wood:: 

Let's do this, Cardinals!!!

The special teams units were a big question mark coming into the season but for this one game, they were the best unit on the field. The special teams units were directly responsible for 16 points of the Cardinals 30 points, including the first and final points of the game. There were also some interesting, if not questionable decisions made by the coaching staff that are worth looking at as well.

Neil Rackers: Rackers had a good game kicking field goals and extra points with his only field goal coming from 41 yards out. His field goal percentage is up to  80% on the season (8 of 10) but the real story on Racker's game came on kickoffs. He had six kickoffs total and included in those kicks was a pooch kick and a failed onside attempt. His overall kickoff stats (18 yd return avg) are skewed by those to kicks but his 'true-kickoffs' were productive. Rackers isn't getting as many touchbacks as he has in years past but his kicks are still getting to the goal line or into the end zone. Of his four deep kicks, two of them were into the end zone and the other two were fielded at the one. The Cardinals continue to attempt at least one pooch kick a game and it's tough to tell whether they're trying to catch opposing teams off guard or if they don't fully trust the coverage units.They also attempted another onside kick, but Rackers didn't get the bounce that he needed. He also had another tackle this week when he brought down Miles Austin at the 33 yard line. Grade: A

Dirk Johnson: Johnson had another solid game even though his overall stats weren't eye popping (39.2 avg). He pinned the Cowboys at their own nine once and dropped three punts right around the 20. His overall average was dragged down by two short punts (34 and 30 yards) but those two punts resulted in the Cowboys starting at their own nine yard line and at their 20. He's still performing below league average in both average (29th) and net average (21st) but he has shown a pretty good ability to pin the opponent inside their own 20 (7 times in 18 punts). Grade: B+

Kick Return: Two weeks ago, the Cardinals needed a spark in the kick return department and JJ Arrington has provided exactly that. He only had one kickoff return against the Cowboys but we all know how that one turned out and the Cowboys 
stayed away from him the rest of the game. The rest of their kickoffs included two pooch kicks and a kick out of bounds. If Arrington can continue to strike fear in the opposition, the Cardinals offense will be at a huge advantage with great starting field position. The first pooch kick by the Cowboys was muffed by Calais Campbell but Dallas blew their chance to capitalize on it when they missed a field goal. I would hope that Campbell's days on kickoff return are finished though because he certainly didn't look like a guy who was capable of fielding a kick anytime in the near future. Grade: B+

Punt Return: Steve Breaston continues to be impressive on punt returns and his game was better than his stats (9 avg) would indicate. Three of his returns were for 13 yards or more but his overall numbers were dragged down by a one yard return. One problem that the Cardinals have got to get ironed out are the penalties on punt returns. They had another one this week, an illegal block above the waist by Doucet that moved the offense from their 35 to their own 21. Of course the best and most important punt return went for two yards, when Sean Morey completely blew up the punter and Monty Beisel tumbled into the end zone. Morey, the special teams captain, came through the line unblocked and almost ended up over running over the punter before he even started to kick. Grade: A+

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Overall the special teams was truly special this week and with young, explosive guys (Breaston and Arrington) mixed in with savvy veterans (Morey and Beisel) there's no reason to think that they can't be a dangerous unit on a weekly basis. Thoughts? Agree/Disagree?

With the offensive and defensive analysis already posted, we look at the third and final group from Sunday's victory for the Arizona Cardinals. The special teams units were one of the biggest question marks heading into the season and so far they've been a mixed bag of results. Here's how they did against the Dolphins:

Neil Rackers: Rackers had a rough game considering that the Cardinals won by three touchdowns. He booted the opening kickoff out of bounds and missed a 47 yard field goal (although it was nullified by a penalty). Granted a 47 yarder is any thing but an easy field goal but any time a kickoffs ends up out of bounds, it's a huge buzz kill and simply inexusable. Outside of those two problems, Rackers was ok. He had five other kickoffs, four of which went to at least the goal line, and a 45 yard field goal. He attempted another squib kick at the end of the third quarter, but the Dolphins were ready for it after seeing it several times against San Fran. Grade: C

Dirk Johnson: Johnson is doing everything right so far and he had another great game. He didn't have to do much since the offense was unstoppable for most of the game but when he was needed, he pinned the Dolphins deep. His first punt went 48 yards and was downed at the two yard line and his second punt was fair caught
at the 11. Basically he couldn't have had a better game. Grade: A+

Coverage Units: The coverage on kickoffs was pretty solid for the most part but the overall average (20.3) was dragged down by the squib kick which led to a zero yard return. The three kickoffs that were actually returned went for an average of 27 yards. Calais Campbell is making a name for himself on special teams and he logged another tackle and downed Dirk's punt at the two. Grade: B+

Return Units: Steve Breaston again handled both return duties since JJ Arrington was inactive for the second straight game. Breaston didn't get as many chances as you'd think either considering how inept the Dolphin offense was on Sunday. He had two punt returns (16 yards and 12 yards) but his overall numbers were dragged down by a penalty on the second return. His only kick return went for 27 yards. One black eye for the return units that isn't necassarily Breaston's fault is that two punts resulted in Arizona penalties. Campbell picked up a block below the waist and Haggans had a holding call. The biggest moment for the units though were when Larry Fitzgerald recovered the Dolphins onside kick allowing the Cardinals to run out the clock. Grade: B+

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The specail teams weren't too bad when you look at the group as a whole but you just wonder if Rackers is going to cost this team another game sometime down the road. Thoughts? Agree/Disagree?

An area of the game that had me very concerned going into the season, performed pretty well for the first week of the season and played a pretty big role in the Arizona Cardinals victory. They weren't perfect by any means but all things considered it 
could have been worse.

Neil Rackers: Rackers' had the worst play of the special teams units when he shanked a 35 yard field goal but he also played a huge role in the Cardinals domination of the field position. In total he had six kickoffs and four of them ended up in the endzone, two of which were touchbacks. The other two kickoffs were pooch kicks, one of those was of course recovered by the Cardinals and led to the Cardinals domination in the time of possession department. Of the two regular kickoffs that were actually returned, one was brought out of the endzone but Rossum was stopped at the ten yard line (a SF penalty actually moved the ball back to the 5). The Niners did get one good return though as Rossum brought Rackers' third kickoff out of the endzone for a return of 44 yards. Had it not been for that return though, the Cardinals might never have started pooch-kicking and the third quarter could have had a much different result. Rackers' inability to be consistent on makeable field goals is nothing short of maddening but his truly unique abilities in other areas of the kicking game help keep some heat off of him. Grade: B-

Dirk Johnson: Johnson's raw stats are pretty impressive (punting avg & net avg - 45 yards), but when you look at each punt you really get an idea of just how good he was on Sunday. First, obviously if the raw average and net average are the same, then he didn't have a single punt that was returned. He also pinned the Niners at or inside their 20 three times and one of those was accomplished with an impressive 59 yard boot. His best punt of the day though was a 35 yard beauty that Clark Haggans downed at the one yard line. The one punt that he didn't get inside the 20 was a 48 yard kick that was fair caught by Allen Rossum. Honestly, I'm not sure that Johnson could have done a better job and our cries for a new punter should be silenced for at least a week. Grade: A+

Steve Breaston: Breaston made news for a good game at receiver but he still handled his usual return duties as well and it was a mixed bag at best. He did have an impressive punt return of 17 yards that set the offense up with great field position at the Niner 40 yard line. His kickoff returns left much to be desired though 
considering that his long was 19 yards and he even had one that only a single yard. It's worth remembering that his strength last year was punt returns and if his kick returns continue to be subpar, the coaching staff will have to find a way to keep J.J. Arrington active on gamedays. Grade: C

Coverage Units: Considering that there wasn't a single punt return and the Niners' kickoff return average was just 16 yards, the coverage units certainly did they're part. They did allow one big kickoff return but they made up for by shutting Rossum down at the ten yard line on one return and downing three punts inside, or at, the 20 yard line. Grade: A

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Were you as impressed with the special teams as I was or is a 35 yard missed field goal just too big of a black eye to ignore? How surprised were you by Dirk Johnson and were you wondering where Arrington was on kickoffs?

After getting the ball rolling with four key match-ups yesterday, Fooch, at Niners Nation, and myself sit down and look at the final four match-ups facing the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. These were a bit tougher for me but let me know what you think:

Matchup #5: 49ers Defensive front 7 vs. Cardinals OL (rushing)

Fooch: Advantage: 49ers - While the Cardinals performed well in rushing against the 49ers, the 49ers front 7 has been dramatically improved.  The addition of Justin Smith at OLB and defensive end gives the team a nasty presence now that Bryant Young is retired.  Manny Lawson played in the opener, but was out for the second SF-AZ matchup and he is an integral part of their run defense.  Patrick Willis has a full year under his belt and should only improve.  The one drawback is that Aubrayo Franklin is consistently getting pushed around at the nose tackle position, making it more difficult for the linebackers to make plays.  However, the 49ers will be able to rotate enough guys into the defensive line to cover for that deficiency.  While Michael Lewis plays strong safety, he is excellent in the running game and provides some second level support to the linebackers if they miss a tackle.

CG: Advantage: Cardinals - The Cardinals actually ran the ball decently against the Niners last year totaling 257 yards on 62 carries last year just over 4.1 yards per carry, which is better than they did against the rest of the league. They've also worked tirelessly this offseason to improve the running game and are even going to incorporate some zone blocking schemes to better suit Edgerrin James' running style. The Niners run defense took some shots last year and ended up ranking 22nd in the league but they only allowed 3.8 yards per attempt. With the Niners front seven being fresh and the Cardinals offensive line looking solid so far, I'd really like to call this match-up a 'push,' but I won't take the easy way out. I'll give the Cardinals a slight edge with the one-two punch of James and Hightower.

Match-up #6: Cardinals defensive front 7 vs. 49ers OL (rushing)

Fooch: Advantage: 49ers - I will be honest and admit I don't know a whole heck of a lot about the Cardinals.  The injuries to the defensive line are certainly not something you want when you're facing a running back like Frank Gore.  Gore has slimmed down as he expects to carry a Marshall Faulk type of rushing/receiving role.  The 49ers offensive line was a weakness for much of last year, but Gore was still able to surpass 1,100 rushing yards.  The line has gotten younger and healthier and while Gore may not reach his 2007 goal of 2,000 yards, he will be the engine of this offense.  I'd expect the 2007 offensive line issues to be an anomaly and the 2006 excellence to return.

CG: Advantage: 49ers - The Cardinals defense might have had some faults in 2007 but the front seven was solid against the run. They gave up less than 100 yards per game and finished 9th in league in run defense, but they do have some question marks heading into Sunday. The biggest question mark is at the biggest position in a 3-4 defense, nose tackle. Gabe Watson, last years starter, has already been ruled out for the game and primary backup Alan Branch is questionable at best right now. He hasn't practiced since injuring his ankle in the final preseason game and he'll have to get healthier if he wants to suit up against the Niners. That leaves the nose tackle position to veteran Bryan Robinson, who was signed in the offseason to backup the nose and defensive end positions. He's a consummate professional but he's not a true nose tackle and if he has to play the entire game, he could get pushed around pretty badly by the fourth quarter. If he's the only nose tackle that's available, I'd expect them to go with more four man fronts to try and give him some help. I'd love to take the Cardinals here but there are too many question marks at this point to vote against Frank Gore, who's averaged 4.5 yards per carry against the Cardinals throughout his career.

The final two match-ups after the jump.....

Continue reading this post »

It's hard to imagine that the Cardinals shut out an opponent for just the second time since 1992 (one regular season, one preseason) and the defensive performance wasn't the story of the game. The defense held the Raiders' quarterbacks to less than 50% completion percentage and allowed just 2.9 yards per rush but this game will be remembered for what Matt Leinart couldn't do instead of what the defense did. Here's a quick recap of the highs and lows of the Cardinals' second preseason win:

Defensive Dominance: Those two words aren't normally thrown around in Arizona but that's exactly what the defense did on Saturday. The Raiders had several opportunities to put points on the board but two failed fourth down conversions and a missed field goal preserved the 'goose-egg.' The defense was equally dominant against the run and pass and forced the Raiders offense to six 'three and out' series. They held the Raider passing offense to just 3.0 yards per passing play and pressured the quarterbacks all night finishing with four sacks. Equally dominant was the rushing defense, who allowed just 2.9 yards per rush and not a single run over eight yards. In total they allowed just 165 yards to the Raiders and showed why they expect to be a much better defense in 2008.

Running Game Gaining Ground: The Cardinals finished with over 200 yards on the ground (215 to be exact) and that's quite an accomplishment for a team that finished the 2007 season as one of the worst running teams in the league. They got solid contributions from top to bottom and finished with a 5.5 yards per carry average. They scored two touchdowns on the ground (they only scored 9 in all of 2007) and ripped off several long gains. The longest run of the night was a 67 yarder by J.J. Arrington and Hightower and Chris Vincent each chipped in with a carry over 20 yards. The strong running game also allowed the Cardinals to dominate the time of possession (34:25 to 25:35) for the first time this preseason and it was never more evident than on their first drive of the fourth quarter when they used up over nine minutes of the fifteen minute quarter. It's too early to say that the running game is fixed but it's pretty clear that they should be much improved from last season.

Penalties Just Won't Go Away: After a one game absence the penatly problem re-emerged and it's obvious that Coach Whisenhunt is growing tired of the bone-head penalties. They finished with nine penalties for 65 yards and included everything from encroachment/offsides (4 times), holding (twice), delay of game (twice) and an unnecessary roughness. They also had another penalty that was declined. The tipping point for Whiz came early in the game when Darnell Dockett picked up an unnecessary roughness during the return of Karlos Dansby's interception. Whiz immediately pulled Dockett aside and he watched from the sidelines for the next two defensive series. Sitting guys down on the bench might be the only way to get through to these guys that stupid, selfish penalties will not be tolerated.

Special Teams Still Not Special: Other than Neil Rackers having a good game (one field goal and three extra points) the special teams struggled again this week. Dirk Johnson couldn't duplicate his performance last week (47.7 avg, 41.3 net avg) and his three punts only averaged just 43 yards and ended up with a 37 net yard average. An even bigger problem at the moment seems to be the kickoff coverage which allowed 110 yards on just four returns (27.5 yard avg). Through the first three games of the preseason the coverage units have allowed a 27.7 yard average on kickoff returns and at that rate they'll have to depend on Rackers booting every kickoff into the endzone.

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Matt's performance or lack thereof (four completions, three interceptions) will be the storyline of the game but the Cardinals did some things that are very encouraging. If the Cardinals defense and running game perform like this during the regular season (and no I'm not saying that the defense will or can pitch 16 shutouts) this team will be successful regardless of who is lined up under center. So what did you think? Encouraged or is the QB cloud to big to think about anything else?

Well the Arizona Cardinals players, coaches and staff have left Flagstaff meaning that another training camp is officially in our rear view mirror. This will ultimately go down as a training camp that was dominated by the Boldin's trade demands but for now we can't forget that many other things were accomplished and some questions still need to be answered.

Compliment to Edge: Edgerrin James hasn't been the elite back that the Cardinals thought they were getting when the signed him as a free agent but he hasn't had much help either. His first year in the desert he ran behind a horrible offensive line and he's never had a legitimate backup to give him a break and share the load. The Cardinals seem to have given him some help this year though with rookie Tim Hightower. At the very least Hightower should take over the short yardage and goal line carries and he could be on the fast track to a future starting role. Hightower's shown quick feet, good vision and an unexpected burst that that has caused quite the stir among coaches and fans alike.

Defensive Depth: We all know that the defense fell of a cliff last year after injuries to several key players robbed the unit of their explosive play makers. They didn't have the depth to be competitive last year but things have changed in 2008. The front seven looks to have solid players two deep at nearly every position. The offseason acquisitions of Travis LaBoy, Clark Haggans, Bryan Robinson and Matt Stewart have infused quality depth in to a front seven that desperately needed it. All four of them have starting experience in the this league and their mix of youth and veteran leadership could help vault this defense into the upper half of the league.

BJ's Replacement: Heading into the offseason we weren't quite sure who would replace Bryant Johnson as the third receiver and the options included as many as five names. By the first preseason game though, the competition was all but over. Steve Breaston followed up an impressive mini-camp with an equally, if not more impressive training camp and preseason. He brings the kind of speed and quickness to the wide receiver corps that they haven't had in a while. He looks like he's poised for a great sophomore season and provide a unique compliment to the Pro Bowl duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Where's the Tight Ends?: Before camp the tight end group looked deep, talented and poise for a breakout, but with camp over and the pre-season halfway over we've seen very little the group. Leonard Pope was recovering from an ankle injury and even though he hasn't missed any practices, he hasn't shown much in game time to convince anyone that he's truly 100%. Ben Patrick looked like he was ready to challenge Pope for the starting job but a high ankle sprain against the Chiefs will keep him out until at least the opener. They even had to sign a tight end of the streets after Troy Bienemann couldn't get healthy. Through two games the tight ends have combined for 3 receptions for 23 yards and that kind of production won't get the job done.

Are the Special Teams really special?: The Cardinals lost four games by less than a touchdown and in those games Neil Rackers missed 3 field goals, including losses to Baltimore, Washington, and San Francisco. When the season ended the Cardinals were 31st in the league in field goal percentage and one of only ten teams to miss an extra point. There was some thought that Rackers would have a better year in 2008 because he likes Dirk Johnson as his holder and he's finally recovered from a sports hernia that plagued him in 2007, but Rackers hasn't been terribly good in the preseason with a missed extra point and kickoff that ended up out of bounds. The Cardinals need Rackers to return to the kicker who made over 93% of his field goals (including 6 of 7 from over 50) in 2005.

Who's on the Nose?: We knew going in that Gabe Watson would probably miss most of camp and we thought that Alan Branch would come into camp and perform well enough to stake some claim to keeping the job permanently. Much to our surprise though free agent veteran Bryan Robinson opened camp as the starter at nose tackle and he's been good enough to keep Alan Branch running with the second string. Robinson is not exactly to type of player that the coaching staff would want as the center of the defense so him starting is more of a result of what Branch has not done than what Robinson has done. Hopefully Watson will be ready to go by the start of the regular season because if he isn't the center of the defense could end up being a weakness for opposing offenses to exploit. Branch also needs to step up and show the ability that made the Cardinals trade up to snag him just one year ago.

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What do you guys think? Did camp make your expectations higher or lower heading into September 7th? Who else exceeded or fell below your expectations?

The Cardinals got off to a slow start yesterday but exploded for 14 points in the third quarter to get their first win of the Ken Whisenhunt era. Here's a quick summary of the game according to various reports.

The Good

Travis LaBoy and Defensive Pressure - LaBoy led the team in tackles and added two sacks. Considering that he backs up Bertrand Berry who didn't record a single tackle, LaBoy could be making a serious push for the starting job. Also picking up a sack for the second week in a row was Joe Tafoya. He was considered a 'bubble guy' coming in but if he continues to make plays, they might have to find a spot for him. Clark Haggans also picked up his first sack as a Cardinal.

Penalties - After last weeks performance (6 for 52) the coaching staff has to be pleased with just three penalties for 20 yards. The penalties consisted of a two offsides/neutral zone infractions and a holding. The only penalty that was committed by a starter was an offside penalty by Calais Campbell, who was starting in place of Darnell Dockett.

Quarterback Play - Warner got the start and eventually overcame a slow start (2 incompletions on the first drive) to finish with solid numbers (6 of 9 for 54 yards). He looked a little rusty but shook it off and led the Cardinals to their first touchdown. Leinart would take over on the third offensive series and would almost be picked off on his third pass attempt but a challenge flag overturned the call. He'd continue his slow start for the rest of the first half and his three series of the first half would end up totaling just two of six passing for 13 yards. He'd come out of halftime on fire though (5 of 5 for 49 yards) and his only drive would end in the first passing touchdown of the preseason. St. Pierre and Morelli would play the rest of the game without throwing an incompletion (5 for 5) and St. Pierre would add a TD.

JJ Arrington & Tim Castille - Arrington didn't do a whole lot for the offensive unit with just 18 total yards (13 rushing and 5 receiving) but his 78 yard kickoff return in the 3rd quarter set up the offense with great field position. The beneficiary of Arrington's kickoff return was Tim Castille who would catch the first pass after the return and take in 24 yards in the endzone.

Dennis Keyes - Keyes put the nail in the Chiefs coffin last night.  With Kansas City driving deep into Cardinal territory in the fourth, looking to pull within a score, Keyes picked off a Tyler Thigpen pass and returned it 84 yards for a touchdown.

The Bad

Running Game - The running game never really got going last night. Edge fumbled his first attempt, although it was recovered by Lyle Sendlein, and he'd end up carrying three times on the next drive for 20 yards before giving way to Tim Hightower. Hightower would score the first touchdown of the game from four yards out but his final numbers wouldn't look great (9 carries for 28 yards). The Cardinals as a whole finished up with 76 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.6 yards per carry), but with the lack of depth in the offensive line it's not surprising that the running game struggles once the starters leave the game.

Run Defense - We knew that the front seven would get tested more this week and the results weren't overly promising. They got off to a decent start against Larry Johnson (7 carries for 19 yards on the first three drives), but on the fourth offensive drive for the Chiefs the running game took off with eight carries for 57 yards. The final rushing numbers for the first half, not including the Chiefs' backup QB who scrambled all over the defense, was 76 yards on 15 carries (5.06 avg).

Kickoff Coverage - For the second week in a row the kickoff coverage units allowed the opposing returners to run wild. Last week against the Saints they allowed five returns for 111 yards and this week the Chiefs racked up 139 yards on four returns (34.8 avg). The average starting field position for the Chiefs after a kick off was their own 32 yard line.

The Ugly

Special Teams - Any time a team can say that they missed an extra point and kicked a kickoff out of bounds, they're certainly not bragging. Rackers had a poor game although punter/holder Dirk Johnson said that a bad hold caused the missed extra point. Johnson had a decent game punting though and ended up with a 47.7 yard average and a net average of 41.3. He could have been even better had two punts not gone out of bounds at the 30 yard line.