There is something eerily similar about the 2007 Arizona Cardinals; something we've all seen before. Unfortunately, it's not difficult to put a finger on -- it's something that stands out like a sore thumb. They're not particularly good on defense and they can't run the ball to save a life.
I can hear Dennis Green now: "I told you we had to pass it 90% of the time!"
Sure, the second and thirds teams came in and did a good job, but the starting offense failed to provide a significant rushing threat. When Edgerrin James got to the line, he seemed indecisive, didn't follow lead blockers and danced around entirely too much. By comparison, Marcel Shipp hit the line hard and fast. He knew where he was going and exploded -- J.J. Arrington had a similar approach.
But as bad as the rushing game looked, the passing game made up for it. As I expected, Matt Leinart began the day with a few short passes before finally opening it up a little bit. He ended the day seven of seven for 70 yards and a touchdown. One of those seven passes was a deep ball over the middle to Larry Fitzgerald for 41 yards.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt also had a few tricks up his sleeve this afternoon. At one point, he called a reverse to Anquan Boldin that ended up being tossed down the field to Fitzgerald. Sure, it was an ugly under-thrown pass, but it was enough to confuse the Texans and ended in a pass interference call.
On the defensive side of the ball, things were just ugly. Antrel Rolle had an awful day that may have pushed him down the depth chart. Outside of one nice diving tackle to save a first down, he was painful to watch. At one point he got lost in coverage which resulted in a 39 yard gain and followed it up with a pass interference that handed the Texans an additional 21 yards.
The Cardinals also failed to put any real pressure on Houston's quarterbacks, but I am inclined to give the Texans kudos for that. It really seems like Houston have a solid offensive line and a good base for a high scoring offense. Their fans certainly have something to be optimistic about.
The only real defensive highlight of the day came courtesy of Adrian Wilson who laid a ridiculous hit on the Texans Owen Daniels. Unfortunately, Owens held onto the ball.
Injury note: Wide receiver Ahman Merritt, who was looking promising, left the game with a dislocated ankle.
Final score: Texans 33 - Cardinals 20
