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Arizona Cardinals Fall to Chargers 17-6: Post Game Thoughts

By Andrew602

It wasn't the best of nights for the Cardinals, but there were plenty of bright spots. Last night the Cardinals fell to the San Diego Chargers in their second game of the preseason. Most don't take the preseason seriously, and why should they? Basing what the Cardinals may look like during the regular season, from the preseason games, is hardly accurate. You have to factor the effort, or lack of effort the starters may give, to the amount of time practice squad players are on the field, to what the other team is doing that they wouldn't normally do in a regular NFL game. In short, don't take the preseason with as much as a grain of salt. With that in mind, here's a look at some of the post game notes.

  • LSH. LeRod Stephen-Howling looked impressive. We thought we might get a better idea of LSH due to Michael Ray Garvin's knee injury, and he didn't disappoint. He began the game with an 89 yard kick return, only to be tackled short of the end zone. He also took another 50+ yarder later in the game. Howling didn't get too many snaps offensively, but he did run well when he had the ball. If he continues to run like this, we can be sure he'll make the team.
  • The 1st string defense looked very impressive. When the Cardinals first string defense took the field last night, they came out on fire. They registered 4 sacks in the 1st quarter, and stifled LaDainian Tomlinson. Calais Campbell looked like the man we saw last week, and the run defense was on top of their game. The only negative factor would be the bomb they game up right away to wide out Legedu Naanee, but 3rd string corner Ralph Brown was on coverage due to an ankle injury to Bryant McFadden.
  • What happened to the 1st string offense? The Cardinals 1st string offense came out of the gate last night looking out of sync, and stiff. We shouldn't put too much into this as it is only a preseason game, but not being able to score an offensive touchdown all night should come as some concern. The lone bright spot of the night on offense has to be Tim Hightower. He ran like a mad man for the time he was on the field. The main problem we all had with Timmy last year was his tendency to dance in the backfield, but it seems as though he's solved that problem.
  • Quarterback battle for the #2 spot? There were some skeptics that thought Brian St. Pierre's performance against the Steelers last week wouldn't happen again, but unfortunately for them, it was worse. BSP never seemed to make an accurate throw last night, and at times, he looked lost. He was given the opportunity to compete for the #2 spot on the team, but performances like that won't help. Leinart finally received his time to play at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and his first drive began at the 1 yard line near the Cardinals end zone. He was able to dig the Cardinals out of that hole, completing passes accurately and with a zip on them. He didn't struggle until they marched to the other side of the field, and Leinart wasn't able to complete a pass, turning the ball over on downs. It seems the #2 spot will remain a question mark until next week.
  • Still not a Beanie sighting. We thought for a moment that we might actually get a shot of Beanie Wells in this game, instead we will be forced to possibly wait another week. After reagravating his ankle last week, Wells was doubtful for last night's game. If he can stay healthy this week, we may finally get a chance to see the 1st round pick for their 3rd preseason game on Friday against the Packers.

    • Those are my thoughts that stood out to me, and as I said earlier, I wouldn't take much from a preseason game. What looked impressive the most to you? Is there anyone you wanted to see more of?

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