Studs
RB Roy Helu. He’s fun to watch, but I’d hate to try and tackle him. He’s always moving forward and consistently gets more yards after contact. Why? Probably because of the way he cuts it’s hard to get a good shot at him to drive him back. Rather, you’re left going for his legs and that enables him to fall forward for another yard or two. Of his 10 runs, nine gained positive yardage and he managed to squeeze out an extra yard – or five or six – after contact on the majority of those. Take this one, for example: On a seven-yard run in the second quarter, Helu gave corner A.J. Jefferson a shoulder shake and cut back inside. A two-yard run turned into a seven-yard gain. On the 33-yard screen pass he hurdled Kory Lichtensteiger and when he hit the ground he appeared to get back to full speed right away. One more run to discuss. It came right after the screen, too. On Helu’s 11-yard run in the second quarter, he did a fantastic job of pressing the hole on a stretch zone to the left. He froze linebacker Stewart Bradley in the hole, then cut wide. Because of Helu’s patience, fullback Darrel Young reached Bradley to create a bigger cutback lane. Oh, and Helu shook Jefferson again for four more yards. Those extra yards add up. I still am not sold on him in pass protection; he picked up a couple blitzes, but his technique is not good – constantly lowers his head.
RB Tim Hightower. He showed his former team what he could do (though they had to be very pleased with what Beanie Wells did, so I don’t think they regret losing Hightower). He finished with 96 yards on 20 carries and gained 10 more on a catch. He did a good job picking up the blitz as well, though he got lucky that he wasn’t flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the first drive. He blocked linebacker Paris Lenon after he had stopped and the play was clearly over. Maybe Hightower didn’t know; my guess is that his intensity took over. Regardless he was lucky; Lenon retaliated and was caught.
TE Fred Davis. Goodness sakes, Fast Freddie has become their biggest weapon. Who would have guessed that? He finished with 86 yards on six catches, including a 40-yarder that should have been a lot more if Rex Grossman had led him at all. That play is difficult to stop with Davis. The linebackers have to honor the play fake (the line slanted to the left and Grossman booted to the right). Davis just runs flat along the line and then does a wheel route. By the time the linebacker has figured the play out, he’s downfield all alone. Davis’ blocking was not the best. See the issue Cooley had too. It wasn’t like it was every play, but Davis blocked better in the opener. Still, on Darrel Young’s third and 1 run, Davis blocked the linebacker inside, creating the hole. And right now he’s making his money with his hands. Grossman was looking for him on several other plays, but the Cards had him covered. Davis made a couple grabs that were terrific, including one in which it looked like the ball might hit the ground. Strong hands.