With the news the Cardinals plan to use essentially the same players in their final preseason game that they used in their second preseason game last week, it is a chance for those defensive backs that caught the attention -- in a negative way -- of Jonathan Gannon in Denver to quickly show improvement.

After that game, Gannon was looking for better fundamentals from the whole team, but noted specifically that his defensive backs needed to foul less often. All told, the Cardinals secondary were flagged five times against the Broncos.

Gannon said rather than mental focus, the issue has more to do with technique. "When you get your hands up there is a reason," Gannon said. "We've got to do a better job of keeping our hands where they need to be. Those guys understand the rules. And all the (officiating) crews call it differently."

Rookie cornerback Will Johnson, one of the few starters that played in Denver, was flagged for a defensive hold a week after being flagged for defensive pass interference against the Chiefs. Johnson will certainly be getting playing time when the season begins, but he isn't the only one who needs to clean up his work downfield.

Interestingly, Gannon acknowledged that, with the Cardinals working on red zone in Thursday's practice, he stressed that the defensive backs had to be somewhat physical, because the game is usually called a little differently near the end zone and a little more is forgiven in coverage.

"You understand there is going to be contact, especially at the top of the route," Gannon said. "It's how much you can use your hands and get away with it. I think a lot of those (penalties) are avoidable, especially if we are cognizant of it. Those are big penalties."