Offense, Beanie Wells click for Cardinals in loss
Aug 28, 2011, 5:42 AM | Updated: 6:56 am
Now that was what the Arizona Cardinals envisioned their offense
doing when they traded for Kevin Kolb.
The Cardinals scored 31 points Saturday — 24 of which came courtesy of
the offense — and while they ultimately lost to the San Diego Chargers, the
good certainly outweighed the bad in this one.
Take, for instance, Kevin Kolb starting the game by completing just two of
his first eight passes. That was bad. However, the QB finished the game by
connecting on nine of his next 12, completing an 80-yard pass to Larry
Fitzgerald for a score and leading another scoring drive.
Kolb got in a groove, and it was good. The offense clicked after that.
“Whenever you get a big play on offense it boosts everybody’s ego and
momentum a little bit,” running back Beanie Wells said.
Kolb finishing strong after the rough beginning impressed head coach Ken
Whisenhunt.
“The best thing that I saw about Kevin was the way he responded from the
start,” head coach Ken Whisenhunt said.
Beanie Steps Up
The Cardinals need Beanie Wells to become a feature back, and at the very
least Saturday was a step in the right direction.
Wells carried the ball 10 times for 63 yards, showing a good mix of power,
speed and quickness.
“Beanie’s running really well right now,” Whisenhunt said, giving praise to
the offensive line as well as the team’s other backs. “Overall, once again, I
was pleased with our run game.”
Wells leading the charge would be a welcome sight for the Cardinals, as
the former first round pick will be relied on to be a consistent threat on the
ground. He seems to be getting to that point.
“I’m feeling comfortable but I know there’s still a lot of stuff to clean up,
there’s still a lot for me to be more precise on,” Wells said.
Like, for instance, breaking off a big run. Wells’ longest carry against the
Chargers went for 24 yards, but he said he feels like he’s been close to
breaking a few more.
“I think it will come along, that’s what the preseason is for; to fine tune
those little things,” he said.
