First Guess at the Cardinals’ 46 Game Day Actives

QB (2): Bradford; Rosen

• Bradford—-super efficient—-threw to 6 different receivers, all on the money.
• Rosen—-Fair Rosen has Arisen!—-impressive footwork, stepped up in pocket this week when able, threw tight-spiraled darts with relative ease. Nice trajectory on deep pass. Looked far more comfortable behind the Varsity o-line.

RB (4): Johnson: Edmonds; Logan; Foster

• Johnson—-lowering his shoulder this year, wow—-good vision and explosion—-and they have kept him quiet thus far in the passing game, on purpose.
• Edmonds—-sneaky tough, keeps his feet moving on contact—-keeping him quiet in passing game too—-great double team block with Smith on RDE on Rosen TD—-great in-game adjustment by McCoy who saw RT Andre Smith needed help.
• Logan—-good kickoff returns.
• Foster—-Jack of all trades on STs.

FB (1): Coleman

• Coleman—-has been solid, but is getting tested by Penny who is landing wham blocks.

WR (5): Fitzgerald, Kirk, Williams, Butler, Nelson

• Fitzgerald—-must be drooling over the QB accuracy.
• Kirk—-incredibly nuanced for a rookie—-knows how to separate—-then on the goaline when the ILB came to shade him, he did exactly what WRs are taught, to slide open in the opposite direction—-superb adjustment and then superb TD catch—-impressive hands—-plus is finding daylight and chunk yards on punt returns.
• Williams—-breakthrough game—-ran good crips routes, showed good ball concentration and made good blocks.
• Butler—-needs to return asap to get some good touches before game one.
• Nelson—-is a good deep-threat compliment to his teammates. The PI call was big.

TE: (2): Seals-Jones; Holmes

• Seals-Jones—-got a great down block on Edmonds’ cutback run (off unbalanced line)—-they are keeping him quiet in passing game, one might imagine for a reason.
• Holmes—-rebounded with stronger game this week—-still needs to improve his blocking.

OL (8): Humphries; Iupati; Cole: Pugh; Smith; Wetzel; Boehm; Holden

• Humphries, Iupati, Cole—-working in good unison—-formed convoy for Johnson on his power TD—-formed backside wall for Rosen on his TD.
• Pugh—-sealed his man in textbook fashion on Rosen TD—-good pulls, needs to find blocks sooner on pulls and screens and will with flatter angles.
• Smith—-incosnistent—-another false start—-good down blocks—-but, giving up too much pressure on pass pro.
• Wetzel—-would like to see him with 1st team at RT to see if he’s an upgrade—-he’s a better RT than LT. Has been good as a blocking TE.
• Boehm—-played a solid game and snapped the ball with authority.
• Holden—-has value on STs and as another blocking TE and swing T (the coaches might go with 7 OL, but 8 is preferred).

DT (4): Nkemdiche; Peters; Gunter: Pierre

• Nkemdiche—-rough game, got blown back on first run, then left with sore foot—-remains an enigma.
• Peters—-cramped up and then returned to have a good game, even sniffed out a screen.
• Gunter—-is playing hard, but needs to improve his production.
• Pierre—-Cards making end-of half-sacks, big-time this week with Pierre’s at end of first half.

ILB (4): Reddick; Wright; Hodges; Gardeck

• Reddick—-has been excellent on the edge—-in the middle, he drifts into traffic too soon at times—is making a fair share of plays on the ball—-nice interception off tip drill—-is well suited for this defense.
• Wright—-has to get off blocks harder and faster—-has been surprisingly active and productive in pass coverage—-made the saving trip-up tackle on the Saints’ big kickoff return.
• Hodges—-he’s an instant fit because he’s reading his keys and storming his gaps.
• Gardeck—-got some blitz pressure and is one of the more aggressive tacklers on the defense and STs.

DE (4): Jones; Mayowa; Dora; Smith

• Jones—-making a good transition from 34OLB to 43DE.
• Mayowa—-had some pressures this week and is playing physically versus the run—-needs to make more plays on the ball.
• Dora—-is the Johnny-on-the-spot—-very active feet and good ball awareness—-2 fumble recoveries.
• Smith—-showing upside as edge rusher.

CB (4): Peterson; Taylor; Benwikere; Nichols

• Peterson—-made a good, strong tackle on Ingram on first play—-is not getting tested much yet regardless of man or zone.
• Taylor—-gives up a little cushion at times, but is reacting well and quickly to the ball.
• Benwikere—-textbook deep, cushion coverage on Ginn, high pointed the ball a la Pat P. and got both feet down. Might be the best surprise of the pre-season.
• Nichols—-making tackles on STs and showing progress in coverage.

S (5): Baker; Bethea; Boston; Ford; Turner

• Baker—-looking good in the slot and forcing the run from the SS spot.
• Bethea—-missed tackle on Ingram on first play, but solid the rest of the way.
• Boston—-very active in coverage—-would like to see him be more aggressive versus the run.
• Ford—-showcasing speed and aggressiveness in sub packages and on STs.
• Turner—-either he or D.J Foster will get this last STs spot—-both are playing well.

ST (3): McCrane; Brewer; Lee

• McCrane—-53 yarder displayed his accuracy and leg strength (on kickoffs too where Dawson’s were repeatedly short).
• Brewer—-solid veteran.
• Lee—-nice hang time this week.

Rounding Out the 53:

QB—-Kanoff

T—-Cunningham

WR—-Tolliver

DE—-Capi

LB—-Bucannon

LB—-Bynes

CB—-Campbell

PUP:

TE—-Gresham

DE—-Golden

IR:

C—-Shipley

LB—-Cash

Practice Squad:

WR—-Sherfield

WR—-Willis

FB—-Penny

G—-Allen

TE—-Vollert

DE—-James

LB—-Robinson

LB—-Oplinger

CB—-Thomas

S—-Howard