9-10-10: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings

The NFL is back, and although the first game was a little underwhelming (along with Taylor Swift's voice in the pregame show, and hearing how different people sound live than they do on their CD's is part of the reason I never go to concerts... But that's a story for another day), at least the NFL is back.

Time for some links, and a little video to get all of you pumped up for Sunday.

Beanie still sits
Running back Beanie Wells sat out practice again Thursday. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said he’s comfortable with a Tim Hightower-LaRod Stephens-Howling- Jason Wright combo in St. Louis, and more importantly, he doesn’t want to rush Wells and his bruised knee. "We will see," Whisenhunt said, adding, "it wouldn’t be a stretch to bring Beanie to the game knowing you can use him and if you don’t, you still have three other guys."

Arizona Cardinals' running back Beanie Wells misses third consecutive practice
Running back Beanie Wells missed a third consecutive practice Thursday, decreasing the odds of him playing in the season opener Sunday in St. Louis.

The KISS theory
OK, maybe coach Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t exactly say, "Keep it simple, stupid" to himself when preparing for the first game of the the year, but there is little question he doesn’t want it getting too complicated. He remembers his first game as head coach in 2007, a Monday night affair in San Francisco the Cardinals should have won but didn’t as they sluggishly started the season.

Quietly, Hightower Prepares
Whiz waits to pick punt returner; Beanie still healing

Arizona Cardinals' defense knows it has a lot to prove
It's not that Cardinals defenders can't talk, they are just choosy about subject matter.

NFL Week 1: Cardinals At Rams, Sunday Sept. 12, 1:15 P.M. AZT - SB Nation Arizona
And so it begins. The Arizona Cardinals kick off the regular season with an inter-divisional road game. New Cards starting quarterback Derek Anderson faces off against shiny and new first overall pick Sam Bradford.

Qualities Arizona Cardinals love about Max Hall were on display at Mountain View
All great quarterbacks have one thing in common: They never get over the toughest losses of their career.

azcentral.com blogs - Dan Bickley - DanBickley - Need a slogan? We've got 'em
Every team needs a slogan.

Hightower’s cups (and the A-Dub video)
So at the Kickoff Luncheon last week, running back Tim Hightower was meeting with the media at one point. I was taking pictures, so I wasn’t there at the beginning. And when I did wander over to see what Hightower might be saying, he was going on and on about the big soda cups for each person that had his likeness on them, and how much he liked the cups. To be honest, I was thinking Hightower was just deadpanning a reaction because someone asked him about it.

The Big Red Rage with guest Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson joins the Big Red Rage with Adrian Wilson to talk about the upcoming season opener at St. Louis.

Beanie Wells' status for Sunday uncertain | ProFootballTalk.com
It's only Week One, but we're already headed for the dreaded 4 PM gametime decision for a running back that happens to matter in fantasy football.

Arizona Cardinals' Hamza Abdullah's left running on empty during fast
Today, for the first time in a month, Arizona Cardinals safety Hamza Abdullah will take long swallows from the water cooler stationed in the middle of the field and join teammates in the post-practice spread of food.

SB Nation Arizona ‘Experts' Predict The Cardinals Season - SB Nation Arizona
As the 2010-2011 NFL season gets underway, SB Nation Arizona's panel of experts have put their heads together to throw out some predictions for the Arizona Cardinals and NFL in general.

Upcoming season stirs Arizona Cardinals debate
With a new NFL season under way, Republic columnists Dan Bickley and Paola Boivin size up the 2010 Cardinals

Eat Pray Love: A Journey Through The Arizona Cardinals Schedule Via Hollywood Film - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
There are two things that I still anticipate like the chubby, goofy ten year old version of myself with the bad hair cut used to --truth being told the only thing that has really changed about me is my age--, the start of the Cardinals season and Summer Movies.

Whisenhunt's Thursday Presser

On the Beat: Wolf Talks Cardinals

Projecting the Cardinals' 2010 record - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The first three NFC West game-by-game projections produced a few surprises. The St. Louis Rams started 3-3. The Seattle Seahawks started 0-6. The San Francisco 49ers went 7-1 at home. And now, against probability, the Arizona Cardinals follow a five-game winning streak with a three-game losing streak to finish the season at 9-7, only one game off their pace with Kurt Warner a year ago.

A look at two people who just got paid.

NFL.com news: Patriots sign Brady to four-year, $72M extension through 2014
A day that started badly for Tom Brady turned out to be a pretty good one after all.

NFL.com news: Milestone moment: Cowboys give Austin a six-year, $54M deal
Pro Bowl wide receiver Miles Austin is going deep with the Dallas Cowboys -- from undrafted rookie to a breakout season and now a long-term contract extension.

Madden 11 Roster Update #3 Details | pastapadre.com
The third roster update for Madden 11 released earlier this morning for the 360 and PS3 and includes over 500 total roster changes taking into account all the releases, signings, and trades that occurred through the NFL cut down to 53 man rosters. There are a few ratings changes mixed in but this update is primarily intended to settle the appropriate rosters in and the regular season updates will provide more in the way of ratings changes. Continue on to check out the full details of Madden 11 roster update #3 and leave your thoughts in the comments!

Week 1 Simulations : Madden NFL 11 News : EA SPORTS
Cardinals 17 - Rams 21

And now, a video of the Cardinals defense from last year to help get everyone ready for the opener at St. Louis and Sam Bradfords introduction to the NFL.

Ultimate Arizona Cardinals Defense Highlights 2009 (via TheVikingsworld)