Preseason Week 1: Arizona 17, Green Bay 0

At long last, it's time for the odds-on favorite to be the worst year of the Preseason Challenge in history to rear its ugly head. Didn't even have time to get a non-Rams game in during the first two weeks. With the Rams' opening day opponent being the Big Dead, PC2013 will focus on their games first. When we last left the Big Dead, they started the season flying high at 4-0, including an improbable-to-say-the-least win at New England, then came to St. Louis, where they usually win, but got bitch-slapped instead and collapsed into a 5-11 heap. New head coach Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer are supposed to solve problems for what was the worst offense in the NFL last year, but it's still fair to ask if there's anybody on that side of the ball to worry about besides Larry Fitzgerald, and whether a change in defensive coordinators will help or hurt what has been a pretty tough unit to go up against.

OK, I promise not to be that long-winded with these. Assuming I get any more done. Let's go over Arizona's preseason opener in Lambeau Field...

FIRST QUARTER
One last note: I'm banning the use of the rewind key when watching these. Pause is OK but no rewind. Part of what takes me forever to do a game. That and being way too wordy. 

Arizona starts Alfonzo Smith at RB, not Rashard Mendenhall, who did not play. After a quick sideline strike to Michael Floyd for 18, they stall out, with Smith getting stuffed twice up the middle and a deep pass for Andre Roberts getting broken up. Packers stacked the box like they did against the Rams. Having drafted guard Jonathan Cooper in the first round, Arizona has to be hoping for better run results than that, though pass protection is good early on.

Big Dead weren't any more ready for the Packers' no-huddle than the Rams were, rushing only two on the second play of the game, with a lineman coming in late off the bench. Aaron Rodgers takes the opportunity to go deep and draws a hold on Patrick Peterson. Arizona blitzes on a 3rd-and-1, leaving the slot receiver all alone for an easy first down. Feel free to do that all you want opening week, guys. They don't blitz on the next third down, and wish they would have, as James Jones burns Antoine Cason for 50 inside the 10. Plenty of time for Rodgers to throw that. Third and goal, Arizona boldly blitzes a five-receiver set, and Rashad Johnson breaks up a goal line pass to Jermichael Finley. They stuff James Starks on 4th and goal to get the ball back. Strong play by Frostee Rucker to put the freeze on Starks.

Sorry I didn't spoiler alert the heading: you already know the Packers' challenge of the play failed. Arizona starts from inside their own 1 but immediately take advantage of soft coverage on the outside again as Fitzgerald gains 18 on an out route. That's going to eat the Rams' similarly-soft coverage, though they're using that less than usual so far in preseason. Smith gets stuffed up the middle for a third time, and Palmer bombs away on 3rd-and-short another time, incomplete for Floyd.

NFL Network skips ahead a couple of minutes and treats us to Graham Harrell throwing an interception directly to Peterson. Rich Gannon says his receiver went the wrong way then proceeds to blame Harrell for the turnover anyway. Huh.

Next play, Palmer goes deep yet again and hits Roberts with a perfect 38-yard TD pass. Beautiful route by Roberts, who gets late separation on Davin House (who the Rams couldn't do anything against in week 2) and tracks the ball in. Arizona 7, Green Bay 0

How many long throws could the Big Dead even attempt last season with the clown show they had at QB? Looks like Palmer/Arians already changes them a lot.

And hey, I said these were going to be shorter. That might be all that's worth talking about, as both teams had gone pretty heavily to the backups by the end of the first quarter. Instead of play-by-play from there, how about I just go for some short notes...

* Cardinal rookie LB Kevin Minter got in on a lot of tackles.

* Arizona's secondary doesn't tackle any better than the Rams' right now, and they didn't tackle well last year, either. They did cover very well, and forced at least a couple of coverage sacks. I'm not sure I'd gush about the Arizona D the way the game recap does. Rodgers was in the game for one drive and quickly had the Packers inside the 5. But they bear watching.

* Not sure why the game recap gushed so much about Stepfan Taylor averaging 3.2 yards a carry. He's elusive enough to be called "quicker than fast", except he's not fast.

* Seems noteworthy that the vaunted Packer offense had one TD through two preseason games, doesn't it?

* Cardinals continue not to be shy about blitzing, though more shy than the Packers were in St. Louis. Looked like a lot of edge blitzing in Green Bay. Didn't see the Packers blitzing a lot at all in this one, which didn't hurt Arizona's pass protection efforts any.

* In case you're wondering where John Abraham ended up, he's in Arizona. Struck at the beginning of the 2nd, beating Marshall Newhouse for a sack/fumble/turnover.

* That turnover set up Arizona's next TD, a 1-yarder from Drew Stanton to big Jaron Brown on an end zone flare route. They quick-snapped and the Packer DB never caught up. They had tried a handoff up the middle and play-action to the tight end before that. Big play on the drive was Stanton hitting somebody named Charles Hawkins for 36. He burned House with a double move. The deal with House will need further explanation from somebody. He's Justin King one week, Darrelle Revis the next.

* Backup QB Drew Stanton is better than anybody the Cardinals had starting at that position last year, and Ryan Lindley looks sharper than he ever did as a rookie. The offensive line only gave up one sack, and no QB was under pressure much. And this isn't an offense looking to get the ball out really quickly. Seems like things are looking up for Arizona's passing game.

* Honey Badger blitzed in untouched for a sack in the 3rd. He also had a 23-yard punt return in the 4th, weaving nicely through tight traffic. Also got credit for a late pass breakup that should have gotten a holding penalty. He didn't start in any capacity. Javier Arenas returned punts in the first half, and Hawkins got a late look there. With a couple of 30+ yard catches, Hawkins bears watching. Kevin Harlan called Honey Badger and Hawkins Arizona's defensive and offensive stars of the game.

* In case you're wondering where Matthew Mulligan ended up, he's in Green Bay. Beyond that, I've got nothing.

* Bombing away again, Lindley went deep for Nicholas Edwards in the 4th, and he drew a DPI inside the 5. And Arizona failed to punch it in, with Alfonzo Smith still in the game. I'm not seeing a team at all here that can bang it out on short-yardage downs. That and kicking (1-for-4 on FGs) looked like this game's Achilles heels for the Big Dead.

* The Packers have a player named Charles Banjo. That is all.

* Going all the way back to the first quarter, my MVP goes to Palmer. TD, passer rating of 149.3, threw well, and with competent quarterbacking, this offense has a whole new look if they can keep him protected.

Photo: ESPN.com

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