Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings: More Niners/Cardinals Blog-Battles

Apologies for the lack of links this weekend and yesterday, but things were oh so very quiet in Red Bird Land. However, Niners Nation had decided to continue to stir the pot between our two NFC West franchises going into next season.

Niners Nation | At Least We're Not... The Arizona Fraudinals! (Redux)
So, it seems a few Cardinals fans were upset with the comments I made about their "football team". That didn't bother me one bit, I mean, the last couple seasons have been the only bit of team pride they've ever been able to showcase. I think we can give them a break there, no? What got to me were the comments asking for the post to be a bit more on the insulting side with more humor.

azcardinals.com | Live Chat With Steve Breaston
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Steve Breaston will be live-chatting at 1:00pm today.

Sporting News - NFL | Powering up: Five teams can balance attacks with big backs
Because of the NFL's copycat nature, there's a tendency to follow the lead of the reigning Super Bowl champions. With the New Orleans Saints on top now, you can bet 31 other teams are devising ways to make their passing games more explosive. Coming off a 1,000-yard season. Rashard Mendenhall is more a minivan than a "Bus." But another key to the Saints' offensive success didn't come from anything fancy — just pounding the ball at a highly efficient clip, often with Pierre Thomas. Here are five other young backs who can provide pass-heavy teams with a big power boost this season.

NFL.com | Rankings: Things seem to line up for the Chargers in 2010
18. Cardinals -- The offensive identity will turn more to the ground game to ease the pressure off Matt Leinart. Ken Whisenhunt is an excellent coach, but this transition could stall things.

NFL.com | Rankings: Are Cowboys ready to finally make a playoff run?
Arizona Cardinals: Kurt Warner retired and the team lost a half dozen players in the offseason during free agency. The defense needs time to gel and the QB situation needs some patience. Last year, this team was only 4-4 at home and was swept by the 49ers.

espn.com | Video Games -- 'Madden NFL 11' team ratings revealed
Do you believe in Matt Leinart? Neither do the producers of "Madden NFL 11" as the Arizona Cardinals overall team rating in the game has plummeted to just a 79 only one year removed from having one of the more dynamic offenses in the game (and being rated an 87).

ProFootballWeekly.com | Cardinals embracing change on offense
If Cardinals RB Beanie Wells had his way, he would carry the ball every down. "I hope we run the ball a lot more (next season), and I hope I am one of the key guys to do so," Wells told PFW. "I want the ball as much as possible."

Peter King - SI.com | Monday Morning QB
I think Alan Faneca, installed as the starting left guard in Arizona, will be determined to prove the Jets made a mistake in dumping him. Ken Whisenhunt's thrilled with Faneca in early work and thinks he'll be the calming influence a young line needs -- as well as the voice of experience Matt Leinart can use.

Raising Zona | Coach Whiz Bowls Cardinals Over
As Arizona Cardinals players that have been here for awhile, they know Coach Ken Whisenhunt pretty well. One of the things Coach Whiz has always been high on is team morale, working together, on and off the field. Each year during the end of OTA’s, Coach Whiz has been known to sacrifice a practice for a team building event, something to get away from the football field. This year: Bowling.

Cardinals Now | Hightower or Beanie?
There has been some recent news lately that Tim Hightower is still considered the #1 back on this team and has been taking the first snaps during practices. I know some people might be confused by this seeming as how Beanie was overall more effective last year, and the fact that the Cardinals used their first round pick on Beanie Wells. Well I’m going to shed some light on why Tim Hightower being designated the #1 back on this team is pretty irrelevant.

Word From the Birds Blog | In a scorcher, Cards resume
The Cards just got through their hottest OTA today as they begin their final week of offseason work prior to breaking for the summer. There were fewer reps than normal to account for the heat.

azcardinals.com | Temporary Boss
With Ken Whisenhunt out of town playing a little golf, Russ Grimm was the man in charge of the Cardinals Monday as they opened their fourth and final week of organized team activities.

azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers | Casual Mondays
Not much escapes receiver Larry Fitzgerald's watchful eyes. Not only does he catch nearly everything thrown his way, he knows what's happening on the sidelines, too.

Fanster.com | Matt Leinart: "This is the first time in a long time where I feel confident every single day."
There is a changing of the guards in Arizona this year as Kurt Warner retired from the NFL and left the job to Matt Leinart. Leinart needs to show that he has learned and improved his game from the mistake-prone play most Cardinals fans have become accustomed to during his first four years in the NFL. When the Cardinals drafted Leinart tenth overall in the ‘06 draft, just about everybody thought it was a perfect marriage.

NFC West Blog - ESPN | Matt Leinart: 'I haven't proven myself'
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart, perhaps mindful that only on-field production matters for his NFL credibility at this point, has generally kept a low profile this offseason.