When the Arizona Cardinals cut their roster down to 53 players, head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that there could still be some 'tweaking' once the dust settled from other team's cuts and it didn't take long for him to take action. The Red Birds added veteran offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges, a former Cardinal who played here in 2004 and 2005. Bridges, a 29 year old former sixth round pick, has also played for the Eagles (who drafted him), Panthers and spent the summer and past couple of months with the Redskins. Over the past three seasons he started 28 games over the past three seasons at both guard and tackle (although not at the same time obviously). He was signed by the Redskins and expected to compete for the starting right tackle job but when he lost the job, he also lost a roster spot. Bridges gives the Cardinals much improved depth at offensive tackle and some flexibility should either Mike Gandy or Levi Brown suffer some type of injury. To make room for Bridges the Cardinals cut Elton Brown.

That wasn't the only move the Cardinals made yesterday though because they also filled out their eight man practice squad, finally. Almost immediately they added four players of their own, Ed Gant (WR), Trevor Canfield (G/C) and Alex Field (DE) and Keilen Dykes (DT/DE) and the team finally announced the remaining four players yesterday, OLB/DE Chris Harrington (cut by the Bengals), FB Fui Vakapuna (cut by the Bengals), ILB Lee Robinson (cut by the Broncos) and CB Rashad Barksdale (cut by the Jets). We should all be familiar with Chris Harrington as he was the Cardinals sixth round pick in 2008 and he quickly became an ROTB favorite (here and here). We'll have more on each of the new faces after the jump.....

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Ed Andrieski - AP

Jerheme Urban is one of seven wide receivers who made the Arizona Cardinals final 53 man roster. (AP Photo/ Ed Andrieski )

Browse more photos »

The Arizona Cardinals trimmed their roster to 53 players over the weekend and while there weren't any big-name players shown the door, there were some surprising moves. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt has left open the possibility that a player or two from other team's cuts could be added but there shouldn't be any wholesale changes or significant players added any time soon. At most we might see a veteran presence brought in to shore up a weakness in depth but for the most part this is the team that will decide whether the 2009 Cardinals live up to their lofty expectations. In looking over the remaining 53 players, a handful of questions come to mind and the answers to these questions might just be the difference between another successful January or some early prep work for the NFL draft.

• Why Seven Wide Receivers? - Seven wide receivers is a big number and there are two theories as to why they chose to keep that many. The first, and most likely, theory is that the coaching staff looked at their current wide outs and saw Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston and Early Doucet all nursing various ailments. While none of the three are considered serious injuries, Boldin and Doucet do have a rather significant history with injuries and it's possible that they see Lance Long as a cheap but promising insurance policy. The fact that he offers something on special teams, most notably as a returner, certainly didn't hurt his case either. The second, and less likely although more juicy, theory revolves around the possibility of a trade. To make things a bit more complicated this theory has two parts with the most likely theory centering around a trade of Long, whom most thought the Chiefs would claim if he was exposed to waivers. Todd Haley is a fan of Long and the possibility of them giving up a sixth or seventh round pick doesn't seem all that far fetched. The second theory in this subset is again far less likely but the continued Boldin trade rumors simply won't die. It seems far to late for the Cardinals to still consider this an option, especially with Boldin's softer stance, but just know that the rumors are still out there. Of course the most likely of all of these scenarios is simply that the Cardinals thought that they were a better team with Lance Long than without.
• Is there enough depth at linebacker? - One of the more surprising cuts was the release of Victor Hobson, a veteran capable of lining up at inside and outside linebacker. Of course it was more surprising given the lack of depth at his position as opposed to his performance on the field but his absence leaves the Cardinals with some very inexperienced backups at the linebacker position. It is conceivable that the Red Birds could enter the season with four backups who have never taken a regular season snap in a 3-4 defense. Bertrand Berry is the veteran of the group but he missed all of OTA's so his experience in this defense is limited to training camp and most view him as strictly a situational pass rusher. Ali Highsmith, a second year undrafted player, is undersized but has the most experience of the inside backers. Rookies Will Davis (6th round) and Reggie Walker (undrafted) comprise the rest of the depth but I think it's fair to say that they are not ready to start on Sundays. If a player is added to the roster this week, it will most likely be a veteran linebacker and they'll certainly add at least one more linebacker on the practice squad.

Continue reading this post »

View full size photo »

As I looked over the final cuts of the 2009 preseason, I was immediately struck by how many former Cardinals have been given their pink slips.  Some of these names were recently with the team and may still have some potential, especially at some of the shallower positions on the roster (read linebacker).  With only four spots on the Practice Squad initially filled (Trevor Canfield, Keilen Dykes, Alex Field, and Ed Gant), I wonder if a Chris Harrington could come "home".

Chicago Bears:  Donovan Raiola, Roderick Hood

Cincinnati Bengals:  Darryl Blackstock, Chris Harrington, Langston Moore

Dallas Cowboys:  Matt Stewart

Detroit Lions:  Milford Brown

Houston Texans:  Buster Davis

New England Patriots:  Nathan Hodel

Pittsburgh Steelers:  Alex Stepanovich

San Diego Chargers:  L.J. Shelton

San Francisco 49ers:  Eric Green

This is by no means an overwhelming list of "golly, I wish they were still here" names but there are a few names that gives me a small amount of schadenfreude (Buster "No PS For Me" Davis).

Any cuts by the other 31 teams that appeal to the community in general?  Thank you tw3kr for the link to the cuts.

Just as a side note, this isn't a copy story of Hawks a few days ago, simply a story of how the Cardinals rushing offense will develop this year.

With four weeks down, we're through a preseason that you'll likely want to forget, and at this point, the only impressive part about the Arizona Cardinals offense has been the rushing attack. You've heard it before, the Cardinals were ranked dead last in the NFL in 2008 with 73.6 yards per game and were 31st in the league with a 3.5 average. They revamped their rushing game throughout the playoffs and literally road it into the Super Bowl. The main focus of the draft was to bring in a young, talented back, and at that point, most of us already saw Beanie coming. After the Cardinals drafted Chris Wells in the 1st round, they later released Edgerrin James and we have now come to know Tim Hightower as our starting running back. After the Packers game however, we were finally able to see the investment that is called Chris "Beanie" Wells. Wells blew up in the first 2 and a half quarters, scoring two touchdowns and running with little resistance against the Packers defense.   

'I had a lot of butterflies going," Wells said. "It was definitely up and down like a roller coaster. To finally put on  that jersey and actually get out there, it hit me when I got that first carry in the NFL."

Meanwhile, Tim Hightower quietly constructed a very impressive preseason, attempting to prove that he is the lead back in Arizona. He has broken away from his dancing habits. He also showed up at training camp noticeably slimmer, and has been quicker with his cuts and moves so far. We've already heard a few times that Hightower is playing angry, due to the drafting of Wells, which makes this running back battle even more interesting. So what does all of this mean for the Arizona Cardinals and their fans?

Only a few scenarios come to mind for the Cardinals rushing attack...

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Arizona Cardinals safety Aaron Francisco (47)

Browse more photos »

After one of the more lackluster performances of the preseason, the Cardinals have made their final cuts of the off season before the home opener against the 49ers. Within the last 24 hours, the Cardinals were able to make their decisions and release the remaining 20 players on the bubble. Among them were some notables, including Aaron Francisco, Leonard Pope, and Victor Hobson. Aside from the cuts, those that were left untouched were undrafted rookie linebacker Reggie Walker and second year linebacker Ali Highsmith.

The cuts also show just how much trust the coaches have in the young players on defense. Now backing up Wilson and Rolle will be Matt Ware and Rashad Johnson. Highsmith, Walker and Will Davis will also fill in behind the starters at linebacker. On offense, the Cardinals cut quarterback Tyler Palko, along with fullback Tim Castille. Aside from Pope, the offense remains virtually the same.

Players that were able to survive the cut may come as the real surprise. Fan favorite Lance Long, just barely made the team. With Pope being the odd man out, that means the Cardinals will carry Dominique Byrd, Anthony Becht, and Stephen Spach. Since Ben Patrick doesn't count against the roster until week four, we can only assume that one of these tight ends will be released at that point. Other notables that survived the cut were Michael Adams, Greg Toler, and more importantly, LaRod Stephens-Howling. The most obvious reason for LSH's spot on the roster has to be return duties, which he should be ready for on September 13th. What's everyone's take on the roster cuts? Would you have handled the cuts any different?

For a complete list of the roster cuts, click here.

by David Zalubowski - AP

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt will have harder time cutting 22 players today than he did finding an offensive play that would work this preseason. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski)

View full size photo »

Truth be told we won't dwell on another lackluster effort in the preseason. The Arizona Cardinals finished the preseason without a win but that doesn't even begin to tell the story of how ugly the past three and a half weeks have been. To give you a quick taste of how the past four games have gone, the Cardinals have been outscored 71-16 in the first half, Cardinals' quarterbacks have combined to throw twice as many interceptions as touchdowns (9 to 4) and the Cardinals' defenders have forced just one turnover. In conclusion this Cardinals team has looked like the one that played in December of 2008 instead of the team that took the field in January of 2009. Just for the record, historically teams that finish the preseason winless, also struggle in the regular season. Going back to 1989, 35 teams have finished the preseason without a win and 31 of those teams failed to make the playoff. To make matters worse, 21 of them finished with a losing record.

But we said we weren't going to dwell so we're moving on to the news that should come down today. Tomorrow is the deadline to cut down the rosters to 53 players, but most expect Ken Whisenhunt to break the news in an afternoon press conference. With that in mind, here's ROTB's last shot at nailing down the 53 man roster.

• QB (3): Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart, Brian St. Pierre - Tyler Palko played his way out of any shot of making the roster with a poor performance last night. BSP hasn't shown much this preseason but Whiz is familiar enough with his abilities for him to stick.
• RB (4): Tim Hightower, Chris Wells, Jason Wright, LaRod Stephens-Howling - No one did much to either help or hurt their case for a roster spot last night.
• FB (1): Dan Kreider - After the recent discussion about Kreider vs. Tim Castille, I kept a close eye on both players last night. To be honest neither did much to impress me and at this point I think Whiz would chose a veteran that he's familiar with over a younger player.
• WR (6): Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban, Early Doucet and Sean Morey - I, like most Cardinals fans I suspect, have been pulling for Lance Long but he's played a great deal in the past two preseason games and he hasn't done much with his opportunity (2 catches for 21 yards). I think it's fair to say that he's not ready and I'd be wiling to risk cutting him. The Chiefs may or may not claim him before we can stash him on the practice squad but he can't help this team right now.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

2 months ago: Arizona Cardinals tackle Mike Gandy looks on as time runs out in the fourth quarter of the Denver Broncos' 19-0 victory over the Cardinals in a preseason NFL football game in Denver on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

The Arizona Cardinals finished the preseason 0 - 4.

Should there be a cause for concern? Sure. Does the preseason really reflect upon the regular season? No. Tonight the Cardinals dropped their fourth straight loss of the preseason and I'm glad it has "pre" at the beginning of it. We expected nothing more then a drive or two from the first team offense and defense, and that's virtually was how long they played. The defense was first off the field after stopping the Broncosearly. The offense stayed longer, with Whisenhunt possibly wanting them to muster any sort of offense before the season opener. After half of the first quarter, the remainder of the game and the possibility of salvaging any kind of respect was left in the hands of the reserves. As you can tell by the score, that didn't happen. And that's where we pick up, with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Continue reading this post »

Cardinals @ Broncos Game Day Coverage 

Arizona Cardinals	Denver Broncos
Time: Thursday 9:00 PM ET	TV: KNXV (Ch. 15 Local)
Weather: 67°F	Radio: 92.3 FM(pregame at 3 p.m.)
Location: Denver, CO	Favorite: Denver
Stadium: Invesco Field at Mile High	Stat: AZ 0-3 vs Den Since '01

Ladies and Gents, get ready because in a few short hours the preseason will be over. "Bubble" players will no longer have a chance to impress the coaching staff, and after tonight's game 22 players will be told to pack their bags and exit the building in an orderly fashion. Who is among those 22 that will be decided shortly when the Arizona Cardinals take on the new-look Denver Broncos? As always.........GO CARDINALS!!!

If you have a specific play you'd like to comment about please give a time and quarter for those of us waiting on the NFLN re-air.