2-17-12: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Calais Campbell Update

Time for some links, and today we get an update on what is going to happen with Calais Campbell. Don't know if he is going to get tagged or sign a long term contract, but he will get plenty of money to stay in Arizona.


Also a Peyton Manning photoshop with him wearing other teams jerseys, but they made a little error with the Cardinals version. See if you can spot it.

Word From the Birds Blog - Graves: Campbell not going anywhere
Not that it’s a surprise because everyone has realized that if a new long-term contract isn’t reached with defensive end Calais Campbell, he would receive a franchise tag to buy time, but general manager Rod Graves said Thursday Campbell will be sticking around. Graves didn’t come out during an interview on Arizona Sports 620 and say Campbell will get the franchise tag, but he did say Campbell would stay put.

ESPN's Hasselbeck says Cardinals are best fit for Manning - ArizonaSports.com
Peyton Manning is still an Indianapolis Colt, but one ESPN analyst thinks he should be an Arizona Cardinal next season.

azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Tag: Calais Campbell will be it
Cardinals GM Rod Graves didn't break new ground on Thursday with assurances defensive end Calais Campbell will be with the team in 2012. But he might have at least calmed the nerves of fans who were fearful.

Whisenhunt, Graves address Cardinals QB situation - ArizonaSports.com
Will the talk surrounding the Arizona Cardinals quarterback position ever end?

Cards GM Graves: 'Calais will be with us' - ArizonaSports.com
Calais Campbell had an excellent 2011 season for the Arizona Cardinals. In his fourth season out of Miami, the 6'8" defensive end tallied a career-high 8 sacks to go along with 72 tackles. He blocked a few field goals, too, and became the player the Cardinals envisioned he'd be when they selected him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. A free agent, Campbell is about to get paid, and Cardinals GM Rod Graves said they'll be the ones writing the checks.

Word From the Birds Blog - Toler gets his degree — and some dorm life
It may be the best use of a year lost to a torn ACL. Cornerback Greg Toler, who missed the 2011 season because he wrecked his knee, not only finished up the last three credits he needed at Saint Paul’s College — he took his final Finals a couple weeks ago — to get a degree in Criminal Justice, but he even stayed in a dorm for a couple of nights. "Some of the guys (who he played football with) said ‘We can’t believe you came back, Greg,’ " Toler said. "But I stayed in the dorm, and it brought me back around, seeing where I came from."

Cardinals say there’s no way Calais Campbell will get away | ProFootballTalk
Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell is set to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year starts, but there’s no chance that he’s leaving Arizona.

Graves, Whisenhunt Visit the Doug & Wolf Show
Cardinals GM Rod Graves and coach Ken Whisenhunt joined the Doug and Wolf show on Arizona Sports 620 as part of Newsmakers Week.

Arizona Sports News:

Toughness shines in Coyotes' shutout victory vs. Kings
The Coyotes, battling for their playoff lives every game, exhibited the type of mindset they will have heading down the stretch in Thursday night's 1-0 victory over the Kings in Los Angeles: There will be no backing down, and there will be payback. The win moved the Coyotes to seventh place in the Western Conference with 24 games to go, powered by a superb effort by goaltender Mike Smith, who recorded his fourth shutout of the season.

Arizona basketball escapes Washington State with win
Jesse Perry picked up his third and fourth fouls less than a minute into the second half, which threatened to render Arizona's second-leading scorer and rebounder irrelevant for the rest of the game. It didn't turn out that way. Perry broke free to make two inside baskets and a free throw in the final 1:20 of the game, helping lift Arizona to a 76-72 win over Washington State on Thursday night.

Washington races to early lead, buries ASU basketball
Although the outcome was the same, this one was different. Arizona State battled. The Sun Devils fell behind, but they charged back. In the end, they didn't have the firepower to match Washington, losing 77-69 Thursday in a packed Alaska Airlines Arena, but for one stretch in the second half, ASU actually was competitive in a road game.

NFL News:

Joe Flacco's Agent Says Ravens QB Should Be Paid Like Top-Five Quarterback - SBNation.com
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is set to start talking contract extension in the next week. Flacco's agent indicated his client should be paid like a top-five quarterback.

Clinton Portis Ready To Play Again After Missing 2011 Season - SBNation.com
Clinton Portis missed the entire 2011 season after his release by the Redskins but says he plans to play in 2012.

Peyton Manning's Choose Your Own Adventure Game - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
So this is a thing now, apparently.

Marshall Faulk on 5,000 yards passing: Pfffffft | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was one of three guys to throw for more than 5,000 yards this season, along with Drew Brees and Tom Brady. This makes Stafford one of four guys who have ever done it (the other being Dan Marino in 1984). Pretty impressive, right?