Preseason Week 1: Arizona

Week one of the preseason is in the books.  After a few days to digest, here are some of the emerging story lines that are worth following:

• The secondary looks bad.  It's tough to say how much of this is a product of the coaching staff messing with schemes to better evaluate the talent on the roster and how much of it is an actual talent deficit.  Either way, Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton had no problem making them look foolish, almost at will.  It didn't help that there was no consistent pass rush to harass the Cardinals' quarterbacks either. 
• Harrell did not look good.  Two turnovers on his first two drives should send warning flags flying up at this point.  On the interception, he simply stared Jeremy Ross down and telegraphed that throw.  On the fumble, Marshall Newhouse got beat, badly, and Harrell didn't feel the pressure like he should have.  Granted, it was quick pressure thanks to Newhouse getting beat as badly as he did, but he still should have protected the ball in some way.  Harrell also seems to look as though he's always heaving the ball, regardless of how hard he's actually throwing it.  I don't know if that's a product of having a weaker arm, or if I'm just imagining things.
• Mike McCarthy's game plan to start the second half was "win the damn game."  The most positive thing I take from the coaching on Friday night was that McCarthy was clearly as upset as Packer fans were about the team's performance.
• James Starks showed some good cutting ability.  He cannot be the favorite to be the starter, but he's not going to let go of his spot without a fight.
• Tyrone Walker looks like a legit find for Ted Thompson.  On his long catch in the first half, Walker caught a ball that was thrown slightly behind him, secured it and turned up-field, showing some good ability to run after the catch and make a man or two miss.
• Johnny Jolly is back, and he looks like he's having fun.  Jolly got some good push up the middle, nearly made a couple of great plays, and contributed to several good plays both against the run and the pass.  If he can continue to get into football shape and get some quality reps against opposing starters, he will have great opportunity to be part of a much improved defensive line rotation.
• The only action either one of the place kickers saw was Mason Crosby taking the opening kickoff, so no additional clarity was lent to that particular situation.
• Jermichael Finley knows he's in a contract year.  His sideline interview was as boilerplate as you can get, and did acknowledge some of his past propensity for putting his foot in his mouth.  Most don't like platitudes from athlete interviews (myself included), but for Finley, it probably shows an improved mindset.  For the record, his "dropped" touchdown was just good defense.  I've seen nothing from him yet to call into question the quiet improvement he began making over the second half of last season.  I have high hopes for him this season, even if his success is statistically astounding.

I know it's only the first preseason game in a long training camp, but right now it's the most telling sample we have to work with.  We'll know a lot more in the coming weeks, but these are some of the things I'm going to be keeping a close eye on.