The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Denver Broncos 38-17 last Thursday in front of a packed house at the University of Phoenix Stadium. This victory was actually a relief to fans and most likely to Coach Bruce Arians and the coaching staff. The Cards finished 1-3 in preseason play.
Arizona Cardinals Finish Mediocre Preseason, Prepare for New England
Here we go again, I thought as I watched the game. Another disappointing year with the Bad News Cardinals, another disappointing season by the team best known for their disappointments than they are for their achievements.
Third string quarterback Matt Barkley appeared shaky. He was sacked in his second series after doing nothing in the first series and fumbled the ball away for a pick six to the seemingly unbreakable Broncos defense. The Cards trailed the Broncos by ten points with over nine minutes remaining in the first quarter.
But then something happened. Maybe it was after an ass chewing given by the head coach, maybe it was just early butterflies in the stomach, but all of a sudden Barkley was on board. Barkley played the entire game and finished looking like a blooming hero, completing 20 of 29 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His game performance, I thought, should’ve been enough to place him above Drew Stanton on the depth chart behind starting quarterback Carson Palmer.
Trimming the fat by the deadline on Saturday to reach the 53 man roster requirement, the Cardinals were forced to release some very good players. Among those released was Barkley. The other players cut on Saturday are as follows: defensive lineman Red Bryant, wide receivers Britton Golden, Jaxon Shipley, and Chris Hubert, tight ends Ifeanyl Momah and Hakeem Valles, outside linebacker Shaquille Riddick, 2016 sixth rounder Harlan Miller, reserve guard Antoine McClain, and tackle Robert Crisp. More information about the Cardinals decisions and player cuts can be found at www.scout.com.
No excuses.
This is supposed to be the year that Coach Arians takes his Red Birds to the Super Bowl. As the Cardinals prepare this week for the start of regular season, there are still a lot of questions on defense as well as offense that were not answered it seems during the preseason exhibition. Before the Cards can even consider making it to the play-offs, much less, finishing the season with a winning record, they must win their first game.
The Cardinals play host to the New England Patriots next weekend on Sunday at 5:30pm MST. Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady (suspended) will not participate in this match-up, he won’t even be allowed in the building. God willing, the Cards should be able to take this one.
