Official Game Day Thread - BAL @ ARI, August 21, 2022
Aug 19, 2022 23:49:29 GMT -7
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Post by FLCardinalFan on Aug 19, 2022 23:49:29 GMT -7
Game Day Thread Baltimore Ravens VS Arizona Cardinals
8/21/2022
Game Time: 8 pm on Fox Network. The game is a nationally televised game and viewable on most cable networks. Welcome to the second game of the preseason! Your 2022 Arizona Cardinals host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night at State Farm Stadium. Please tune in at kickoff shortly after 8 pm. This year the Cardinals will show off for the first time ever their new Black ‘rush’ helmet at 3 home games, starting at preseason game 2 on Sunday night. This helmet has been anticipated by some Cardinals fans for a decade or more. The Cardinals have worn only the flat-white colored helmet with the iconic Cardinals bird head during the team’s 101-year existence.
History: These two interconference rivals have a relatively short history. The Ravens lead the series 5-2-0 vs the Cardinals according to footballdb.com. For more Ravens team history, see www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/baltimore-ravens/teamvsteam?opp=1. However, the storyline goes much deeper. The Ravens were the original Cleveland Browns until Art Modell decided to pack up and move the franchise to Baltimore Maryland. Years ago back in the 1960's these two teams played in the Old NFL before the merger. Both teams resided in the NFL Eastern Division. Then in 1967 The NFL decided to create four divisions: Capitol, Century, Central and Coastal. The two teams became divisional rivals up until 1970. In 1970 the NFL / AFL merger took place and the Browns followed the Steelers and Colts into the AFC conference.
The Rivalry: Today, the rivalry is personal for some Cardinals. For Marquis Brown who last year was himself a Raven, the game has special meaning. Brown was traded to the Cardinals during the off-season. Brown has a guaranteed roster spot and is not expected to play on Sunday. The Cardinals have other new additions at wide receiver and these guys are trying to earn a roster spot. Then there is another kind of rivalry. Two mobile quarterbacks, the Raven's Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals Kyler Murray, are unique among the NFL’s 32 teams. Head coaches for both teams announced that neither QB is likely to see field action on Sunday. For now, all we can do is dream about these two passing and running QBs and Heisman winners in a Super Bowl Matchup.
Game Analysis: It is fantastic that this game is the 2nd preseason game. The Ravens is the perfect team to test the Cardinals defense. As Forum member Cardcore pointed out in the Game Week thread, he wrote, "This (Ravens) should be a good test for the (Cardinals) run defense." Last season the Ravens ranked 3rd in the NFL in running the ball. But again, this is preseason and the two teams are not playing many starters. The Ravens like to run the ball using running backs and the QB. The Cardinals were a disappointing 20th vs the run in 2021. On the flip side, the Cardinals ranked 10th running the ball. The Ravens were # 1 at running the ball in NFL in 2021.
Motivating Factor: Ending the Ravens 21 Straight Wins in preseason games. FanNation's Raven Country has John Harbaugh's preseason record at a gaudy 41-12. Here is the SI.com link: www.si.com/nfl/ravens/news/ravens-second-preseason-game-arizona-cardinals.
CARDINALS OFFENSE
What to Look For: At QB, Trace McSorley will get the start against his old Ravens team. McSorley spent 3 years on the Ravens team prior to being selected off their Practice Squad by the Cardinals during the off-season. McSorley wants to win the game on Sunday. His most recent press conference is linked below. He talks about how Cardinals players must be ready as the Ravens will be pushing hard to beat the Cardinals on every down. The Ravens play to win always, also in preseason. Thanks to azcardinals.com for the two links below. www.azcardinals.com/video/08-19-mcsorley-press-conference. Cardinals QB Jared Guarantano will also see action probably in the second half of the preseason game. He looks forward his limited real game time and hopefully making the Cardinals team, or doing well enough to earn GM attention and a roster spot with another NFL team. Here is Guarantano’s press conference link. www.azcardinals.com/video/08-19-guarantano-press-conference. At RB, watch Eno Benjamin, Jonathan Ward, Keaontay Ingram, and Darrell Williams try to gain big yards against the stout Ravens defense. I expect more carries from Williams and Ingram this week. At WR, Greg Dortch seems to have earned his way onto the roster as WR and as ST return man. Competing with Dortch for a roster spot is Andy Isabella. Will the Cardinals former 2nd rounder again manage to make the final roster? Isabella will get opportunities to prove that he is roster-ready on Sunday night. Meanwhile, Antoine Wesley received praise during training camp. Andre Baccellia (who knows the offense best), Victor Bolden, Marcel Ateman, Jontre Kirklin, and Javonte Payton will all fight for a final roster or practice squad spots. At TE, Trey McBride will get some hard looks on Sunday. My thinking is that he will get more than his fair share of game snaps. The Cardinals like their 2022 2nd round pick and need to work him into the offense. Bernard Seikovitz, an international football player and beneficiary of an NFL roster exemption, is still learning the NFL pro game. He caught his first pass last week and that should be a huge motivator and morale boost for the former NFL Europe player. Stephen Anderson and Chris Pierce will be playing as well. Josh Hokit was just signed this past week.
Offensive Line: The Cardinals Olinemen are a constant work in progress. Josh Jones is must-watch on Sunday. He is working hard to prove that he is a starter at Tackle. Marquis Hayes looks great at practice and has been working with the starters. Joshua Miles, a 2019 7th round pick, is working hard to raise his status on the depth chart. Justin Murray and Sean Harlow should have no problem making the final roster. Danny Isadora is ranked above Miles on the most recent depth chary. Lecitus Smith is working hard to make the team and be the 3rd Center on the depth chart. He is pushing Harlow hard for 2nd Center. The Oline is taking shape. Injuries seem to always bite the Oline though. Murray needs a perfectly-functioning Oline to have time in the pocket to read defenses and react.
Kicking and Punting: K Matt Prater is probably more bothered by his poor performance last week than anyone else on the team. He missed 2 PATs. That will not fly during the regular season. P Andy Lee is still one of the best punters in the game. Second-year P Nolan Cooney showed a strong leg last week achieving a 53-yard average for 2 punts. The former Saints punter also managed to drop a punt inside the Bengals 20-yard line at preseason game 1. The Cardinals have had some big legs in the past, such as Dave Zaststudil, Rich Camarillo, Scott Player. and Jeff Feagles. Teams that lose a lot typically are famous for their Punters.
Special Teams: WR Greg Dortch is proving to be a multi-role player and getting valuable playing time as a punt returner. WR Victor Bolden will in the end zone for kickoffs.
CARDINALS DEFENSE
Defensive Line: We should see DL Cameron Thomas, Myjai Sanders Rashard Lawrence, and Victor Dimukeje on Sunday night. Dimukeje will work hard to extend his sack streak to 2 games. Michael Dogbe needs to step up and shine vs the Ravens. Jonathan Ledbetter did well last week with 3 tackles. Below is his pre-draft video and a short interview link. See .
Linebacker: An area that is getting much scrutiny every week is LB. 2nd year Zaven Collins is under the microscope. He can't let journeyman Joe Walker outplay him. Collins level of effort and execution sometimes leaves us scratching our heads. He must tackle better and not get out smarted by lesser talent on the field. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com graded Collins at 6.39 which is an “eventual starter” on a team. Top 10 draft picks are starters by definition. Zierlein has so far been right about Collins weaknesses—average at diagnosing plays, late reacting, over-pursuing plays, overruns cutbacks. These are not LB shortfalls that can be easily fixed by coaching. Collins needs more playing time—but if he is not learning from his mistakes, he is a LB liability and will ride the pine more and more. On the other hand, Ezekiel Turner had a tackle and 2 assists last week.
Cornerback: CB Antonio Hamilton said this week, “There is no need to bring another corner in. I got it covered.” Right or wrong regarding trash talk, that’s his confidence talking. For now, Hamilton is the #1 or 2 CB. Josh Jackson was in on 3 tackles at CIN. Marco Wilson continues to disappoint the coaches. His skill and growth seem to have plateaued. Head Coach Kingsbury is hedging his words at recent press conference when he discusses Wilson’s performances. That’s always a bad sign for a player. GM Keim is clear about his pursuit of another starting CB. There is major pressure on all CBs to get the job done, or be gone from the team.
Safety: S Jace Whitaker worked hard at CIN and piled up 7 tackles. If the Cardinals Safeties are making the tackles, the run defense is struggling. That does not bode well for 2022. 2022 6th round pick S James Wiggins will play again on Sunday night and try to prove that he belongs on the final roster.
Coaching: HC Kliff Kingsbury is in his 4th year now and going up against a proven HC in John John Harbaugh. Sunday’s game will pit an offensive mind against a defensive mind. DC Vance Joseph has an opportunity to showcase his skills against an explosive Ravens offense.
More GDT Information Will Be Posted On Game Day Sunday. Thanks For Tuning In.
(last edited by PutMeIn at 932am 8/20/2022)
8/21/2022
Game Time: 8 pm on Fox Network. The game is a nationally televised game and viewable on most cable networks. Welcome to the second game of the preseason! Your 2022 Arizona Cardinals host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night at State Farm Stadium. Please tune in at kickoff shortly after 8 pm. This year the Cardinals will show off for the first time ever their new Black ‘rush’ helmet at 3 home games, starting at preseason game 2 on Sunday night. This helmet has been anticipated by some Cardinals fans for a decade or more. The Cardinals have worn only the flat-white colored helmet with the iconic Cardinals bird head during the team’s 101-year existence.
History: These two interconference rivals have a relatively short history. The Ravens lead the series 5-2-0 vs the Cardinals according to footballdb.com. For more Ravens team history, see www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/baltimore-ravens/teamvsteam?opp=1. However, the storyline goes much deeper. The Ravens were the original Cleveland Browns until Art Modell decided to pack up and move the franchise to Baltimore Maryland. Years ago back in the 1960's these two teams played in the Old NFL before the merger. Both teams resided in the NFL Eastern Division. Then in 1967 The NFL decided to create four divisions: Capitol, Century, Central and Coastal. The two teams became divisional rivals up until 1970. In 1970 the NFL / AFL merger took place and the Browns followed the Steelers and Colts into the AFC conference.
The Rivalry: Today, the rivalry is personal for some Cardinals. For Marquis Brown who last year was himself a Raven, the game has special meaning. Brown was traded to the Cardinals during the off-season. Brown has a guaranteed roster spot and is not expected to play on Sunday. The Cardinals have other new additions at wide receiver and these guys are trying to earn a roster spot. Then there is another kind of rivalry. Two mobile quarterbacks, the Raven's Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals Kyler Murray, are unique among the NFL’s 32 teams. Head coaches for both teams announced that neither QB is likely to see field action on Sunday. For now, all we can do is dream about these two passing and running QBs and Heisman winners in a Super Bowl Matchup.
Game Analysis: It is fantastic that this game is the 2nd preseason game. The Ravens is the perfect team to test the Cardinals defense. As Forum member Cardcore pointed out in the Game Week thread, he wrote, "This (Ravens) should be a good test for the (Cardinals) run defense." Last season the Ravens ranked 3rd in the NFL in running the ball. But again, this is preseason and the two teams are not playing many starters. The Ravens like to run the ball using running backs and the QB. The Cardinals were a disappointing 20th vs the run in 2021. On the flip side, the Cardinals ranked 10th running the ball. The Ravens were # 1 at running the ball in NFL in 2021.
Motivating Factor: Ending the Ravens 21 Straight Wins in preseason games. FanNation's Raven Country has John Harbaugh's preseason record at a gaudy 41-12. Here is the SI.com link: www.si.com/nfl/ravens/news/ravens-second-preseason-game-arizona-cardinals.
CARDINALS OFFENSE
What to Look For: At QB, Trace McSorley will get the start against his old Ravens team. McSorley spent 3 years on the Ravens team prior to being selected off their Practice Squad by the Cardinals during the off-season. McSorley wants to win the game on Sunday. His most recent press conference is linked below. He talks about how Cardinals players must be ready as the Ravens will be pushing hard to beat the Cardinals on every down. The Ravens play to win always, also in preseason. Thanks to azcardinals.com for the two links below. www.azcardinals.com/video/08-19-mcsorley-press-conference. Cardinals QB Jared Guarantano will also see action probably in the second half of the preseason game. He looks forward his limited real game time and hopefully making the Cardinals team, or doing well enough to earn GM attention and a roster spot with another NFL team. Here is Guarantano’s press conference link. www.azcardinals.com/video/08-19-guarantano-press-conference. At RB, watch Eno Benjamin, Jonathan Ward, Keaontay Ingram, and Darrell Williams try to gain big yards against the stout Ravens defense. I expect more carries from Williams and Ingram this week. At WR, Greg Dortch seems to have earned his way onto the roster as WR and as ST return man. Competing with Dortch for a roster spot is Andy Isabella. Will the Cardinals former 2nd rounder again manage to make the final roster? Isabella will get opportunities to prove that he is roster-ready on Sunday night. Meanwhile, Antoine Wesley received praise during training camp. Andre Baccellia (who knows the offense best), Victor Bolden, Marcel Ateman, Jontre Kirklin, and Javonte Payton will all fight for a final roster or practice squad spots. At TE, Trey McBride will get some hard looks on Sunday. My thinking is that he will get more than his fair share of game snaps. The Cardinals like their 2022 2nd round pick and need to work him into the offense. Bernard Seikovitz, an international football player and beneficiary of an NFL roster exemption, is still learning the NFL pro game. He caught his first pass last week and that should be a huge motivator and morale boost for the former NFL Europe player. Stephen Anderson and Chris Pierce will be playing as well. Josh Hokit was just signed this past week.
Offensive Line: The Cardinals Olinemen are a constant work in progress. Josh Jones is must-watch on Sunday. He is working hard to prove that he is a starter at Tackle. Marquis Hayes looks great at practice and has been working with the starters. Joshua Miles, a 2019 7th round pick, is working hard to raise his status on the depth chart. Justin Murray and Sean Harlow should have no problem making the final roster. Danny Isadora is ranked above Miles on the most recent depth chary. Lecitus Smith is working hard to make the team and be the 3rd Center on the depth chart. He is pushing Harlow hard for 2nd Center. The Oline is taking shape. Injuries seem to always bite the Oline though. Murray needs a perfectly-functioning Oline to have time in the pocket to read defenses and react.
Kicking and Punting: K Matt Prater is probably more bothered by his poor performance last week than anyone else on the team. He missed 2 PATs. That will not fly during the regular season. P Andy Lee is still one of the best punters in the game. Second-year P Nolan Cooney showed a strong leg last week achieving a 53-yard average for 2 punts. The former Saints punter also managed to drop a punt inside the Bengals 20-yard line at preseason game 1. The Cardinals have had some big legs in the past, such as Dave Zaststudil, Rich Camarillo, Scott Player. and Jeff Feagles. Teams that lose a lot typically are famous for their Punters.
Special Teams: WR Greg Dortch is proving to be a multi-role player and getting valuable playing time as a punt returner. WR Victor Bolden will in the end zone for kickoffs.
CARDINALS DEFENSE
Defensive Line: We should see DL Cameron Thomas, Myjai Sanders Rashard Lawrence, and Victor Dimukeje on Sunday night. Dimukeje will work hard to extend his sack streak to 2 games. Michael Dogbe needs to step up and shine vs the Ravens. Jonathan Ledbetter did well last week with 3 tackles. Below is his pre-draft video and a short interview link. See .
Linebacker: An area that is getting much scrutiny every week is LB. 2nd year Zaven Collins is under the microscope. He can't let journeyman Joe Walker outplay him. Collins level of effort and execution sometimes leaves us scratching our heads. He must tackle better and not get out smarted by lesser talent on the field. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com graded Collins at 6.39 which is an “eventual starter” on a team. Top 10 draft picks are starters by definition. Zierlein has so far been right about Collins weaknesses—average at diagnosing plays, late reacting, over-pursuing plays, overruns cutbacks. These are not LB shortfalls that can be easily fixed by coaching. Collins needs more playing time—but if he is not learning from his mistakes, he is a LB liability and will ride the pine more and more. On the other hand, Ezekiel Turner had a tackle and 2 assists last week.
Cornerback: CB Antonio Hamilton said this week, “There is no need to bring another corner in. I got it covered.” Right or wrong regarding trash talk, that’s his confidence talking. For now, Hamilton is the #1 or 2 CB. Josh Jackson was in on 3 tackles at CIN. Marco Wilson continues to disappoint the coaches. His skill and growth seem to have plateaued. Head Coach Kingsbury is hedging his words at recent press conference when he discusses Wilson’s performances. That’s always a bad sign for a player. GM Keim is clear about his pursuit of another starting CB. There is major pressure on all CBs to get the job done, or be gone from the team.
Safety: S Jace Whitaker worked hard at CIN and piled up 7 tackles. If the Cardinals Safeties are making the tackles, the run defense is struggling. That does not bode well for 2022. 2022 6th round pick S James Wiggins will play again on Sunday night and try to prove that he belongs on the final roster.
Coaching: HC Kliff Kingsbury is in his 4th year now and going up against a proven HC in John John Harbaugh. Sunday’s game will pit an offensive mind against a defensive mind. DC Vance Joseph has an opportunity to showcase his skills against an explosive Ravens offense.
More GDT Information Will Be Posted On Game Day Sunday. Thanks For Tuning In.
(last edited by PutMeIn at 932am 8/20/2022)
