Cardinals notebook: Penalties plague Cards throughout first half

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Cardinals got a one-game respite a week ago from their yearlong penalty parade. But the flags returned in force here Saturday night. Let’s just count the ones that happened in the first half, when the starters played most of the time.

Leinart struggles in Cards’ win over Raiders

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• Just moments into the game, defensive end Antonio Smith was called for encroachment, giving the Raiders a first down.

• Darnell Dockett, in a recurring problem for him, was called for unnecessary roughness. Fortunately for the Cardinals, the penalty didn’t wipe out an interception by Karlos Dansby, and Matt Leinart led the Cardinals to a field goal (the first half’s only score).

Dockett came out of the game for two series.

“That’s a big penalty,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “That’s not something we can live with.”

• On the kickoff after the score, the Cardinals’ special teams were called offside, wiping out a successful onside kick by Neil Rackers.

• A 10-yard holding penalty by tight end Leonard Pope, another frequent recipient of flags, helped kill a Cardinals drive.

• A second encroachment penalty on Smith caused the Raiders to go for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal instead of kicking an easy field goal. The pass fell incomplete, though the penalty could have cost the Cardinals four points.

• Linebacker Clark Haggans was called offside.

The penalties calmed down after halftime.

RUNNING GAME A HIT

The Cardinals ran for 215 yards on 39 carries, a 5.5 yard average.

J.J. Arrington had 71 yards on two carries, hitting a home run on a 67-yard score.

“I hope I opened some eyes,” said Arrington, who praised the team’s receivers for their blocks on the play.

“I like what I’m seeing out of J.J.,” both in the backfield and on special teams, Whisenhunt said.

Arrington appears to have locked up a roster spot.

Tim Hightower ran 10 times for 52 yards and a touchdown.

WARE MISSES GAME

Safety Matt Ware missed the game because of the birth of his baby girl: Jaiden Elizabeth weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces.

This is the first child for Ware and his wife, Elizabeth.

Ware and Aaron Francisco are battling for playing time as the top backup safety and for regular time in one of the team’s defensive packages.

RARE FEAT

The Cardinals recorded a preseason shutout for the first time since a 13-0 win over Dallas on Aug. 9, 2003.

They haven’t blanked a team in the regular season since back on Dec. 12, 1992, when they beat the New York Giants 19-0.

“This shows the depth we have defensively,” Whisenhunt said.

Defensive end Antonio Smith said the shutout “is real significant for a defense. It makes you feel you did your job.

“Preseason or not, to shut out somebody is demoralizing (for the opponent).”

CARDS SUE BRYANT

The Cardinals have filed a lawsuit to force former first-round draft pick Wendell Bryant to pay them nearly $2.8 million.

An arbitrator earlier this year ordered Bryant to pay them that amount. The suit asks a federal judge to confirm the award and order Bryant to pay it.

The matter concerns Bryant’s unavailability to play because of a suspension by the NFL.

EXTRA POINTS

The crowd stood before the game in remembrance of Gene Upshaw, the Raiders’ Hall of Fame offensive lineman and director of the NFL Players Association, who died last week.

Had Arrington’s 67-yard run come in a regular-season game, it would have been the 19th-longest run in franchise history.

The Cardinals will cut their roster to 75 players Monday or Tuesday. They’ll make the final cut to 53 players after Friday’s home game vs. Denver.

Linebacker Chike Okeafor sat out with a hip flexor. Whisenhunt, noting that Okeafor suffered a season-ending injury last season in an exhibition game at Oakland, also said, “We didn’t want to have any bad karma” by playing him Saturday. Safety Antrel Rolle sat out with a sore ankle, though he’s already started to practice again.