2-21-12: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Random Stuff

Time for some links, with todays stuff just being an assortment of random goodies from the Cards and the rest of the NFL.

Weighting For Williams
Nose tackle rehabs from broken arm by lifting, watching pounds

Word From the Birds Blog - No surprise Fitz there for a friend
There’s been a flurry of "This is what’s going on with Fitz" the last few days as it pertains to, for lack of a better description, how Fitz "gets it" as an NFL superstar. First came Ashley Fox’s column the other day on who Fitz is compared to some of the other wideouts out there (It’s not the first time this subject has been explored, and won’t be the last). Then came a note in Sean Jensen’s article about the funeral for the wife of former Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris. Harris’ wife tragically died recently, and Fitz, who was part of the 2004 draft class along with Harris, took a break away from his vacation in South America to attend the funeral. No, Fitz isn’t a superhero, but Mike Sando is right, these are meaningful moments.

Forget Manning, could Cardinals be interested in Flynn? - ArizonaSports.com
There has been plenty of talk about the Cardinals and a possible interest in Peyton Manning, but according to Marc Sessler of NFL.com, the team may have interest in a different passer in the coming weeks.

No surprise: Cardinals tackles struggled in pass protection - ArizonaSports.com
If you watched the Arizona Cardinals last season you know they struggled to protect the quarterback. Whether it was Kevin Kolb or John Skelton, it seemed like there was pressure on nearly every pass play. Well, according to ProFootballFocus.com, Arizona's trio of Levi Brown, Jeremy Bridges and Brandon Keith deserve a good share of the blame.

Friendship trumps vacation for Fitzgerald - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
The horrible news about Tommie Harris' wife dying from an apparent brain aneurysm carried a poignant footnote regarding Harris' friendship with Larry Fitzgerald.

2012 Kiper Mock 2.0: Cardinals thoughts - NFC West Blog - ESPN
13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

Arizona Sports News:

Suns use big third quarter to scorch Wizards
The Suns did not have the sting of four consecutive losses, the fervor of an interfaith US Airways Center crowd or the fresh legs that they had to drive them to burying the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Against the league's second worst team, the power was going to have to come from within. The Suns trailed for less than a minute of game action for a second consecutive night, using the moment to turn around their night with 16 unanswered points and a quarter-closing 31-6 run that propelled them to a 104-88 victory against the Washington Wizards.

NFL News:

2012 NFL Mock Draft: Combine Week Will Shake Things Up - SBNation.com
This is a big week for the NFL as the 2012 NFL Combine opens its doors. Prospects will rise and fall as they answer questions this week. Will anyone recognize this 2012 NFL mock draft just five days from now?

NFL Franchise Tags Are Here: Who Gets Tagged And Who Hits Free Agency? - SBNation.com
The franchise tag period in the NFL opens on Monday and continues through March 5. Which players should expect to receive the franchise tag from their team?

Stanford Routt, Chiefs Agree On Three-Year Contract - SBNation.com
Stanford Routt was released by the Raiders and now he's signed with the division-rival Chiefs.

Stevie Johnson, Bills 'Far Apart'; Franchise Tag Unlikely? - SBNation.com
Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Steve Johnson is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in the 2012 NFL offseason, but the two parties are planning to exchange contract proposals at the NFL combine. As it stands, the Buffalo Bills and Johnson are "far apart" in contract negotiations, according to a report by the Associated Press.