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11-22-10: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings

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One good thing we can take about last night... DA's Quarterback Rating for the season is now back over 70. 70.3 to be exact. Right now the Andrew Luck express is going at full steam...

Also, if the NFL wasn't deleting all of the videos of Ben Roethlisberger getting punched in the face from YouTube, I would post it here for your amusement. The bald pedophile lookin' idiot in Minnesota was also fired today.

And if anyone else watched ESPN this morning, Antonio Pierce blamed Antrel Rolle for blowing an assignment that led to the LeSean McCoy's 50 yard Touchdown on 4th and 1. Damn that was satisfying to hear...

Cardinals vs. Chiefs - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
The lazy loudmouth has vanished. In his place is a mature, hardworking Dwayne Bowe who's caught at least one touchdown pass in a team-record six straight games and helped propel Kansas City into first place. Once considered a huge disappointment, Bowe caught two scores Sunday as the Chiefs remained unbeaten at home with a 31-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals , who lost their fifth in a row. Coupled with Oakland's loss to Pittsburgh, the victory gave Kansas City (6-4) a one-game lead in the AFC West and helped erase the stench of last week's blowout loss in Denver.

Mistakes Cost Cards Again
Even without turnovers, errors lead to 31-13 loss in Kansas City

Thomas Jones, Dwayne Bowe lead Kansas City Chiefs over Arizona Cardinals
It was unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, but the weather had nothing to do with the Cardinals' meltdown. The reasons arrived much earlier this fall and apparently plan to stay through the holidays. Penalties, defensive breakdowns, dropped passes, third-down failures, special-teams lapses, etc., all contributed to their 31-13 loss to the Chiefs.

Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson won't judge teammates
Cardinals strong safety Adrian Wilson is a 10-year veteran, a three-time Pro Bowler and a defensive captain. But he doesn't think it's his place to judge his teammates or motivate them. He sounded as if he's tired of trying. Asked how the Cardinals could pull out of their five-game losing streak, Wilson said, "I don't know, I'm not the coach. I can just worry about myself and get myself ready to play. "Everybody is going to be their own judge. Everybody is going to make their own decisions. Regardless of what people say, sooner or later, it falls on deaf ears." Was Wilson implying that he had tried motivating others?

Wrap-up: Chiefs 31, Cardinals 13 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
What it means: The Cardinals are a bad team. They have lost five in a row. They last won 42 days ago. They are 3-7 and last in the NFC West. Arizona still has time to right its season. The Cardinals play one of the NFL's easiest schedules. They play their next three at home against San Francisco, St. Louis and Denver, followed by a trip to struggling Carolina. The NFC West division leaders will likely remain within reach. None of that will matter if the Cardinals don't play better. Their margin for error is about gone. There's little evidence to suggest this team has the offensive firepower to get a winning streak going.

Questions, Answers Stay The Same
The questions were basically the same, because the result – and how the Cardinals got there – was basically the same. Mistakes, ones as linebacker Joey Porter emphasized the Cardinals are not good enough to overcome, came too often. Nothing giant, mind you. An errant throw here. A missed tackle there. A dropped pass, or a foolish penalty. Not downing a punt inside the opponent’s 5-yard line.

Chiefs aftermath
It felt a little like Chinese water torture Sunday. There were no dramatic shifts in the game, no real knockout punch. The Chiefs just kept drip-drip-dripping their way to a win, and it eventually felt there was no way the Cards could wiggle out from beneath the spigot.

Arizona Cardinals lose Will Davis with broken leg - ESPN
Arizona outside linebacker Will Davis broke his left leg against the Kansas City Chiefs and is expected to be out for the season.

Silver linings: Cardinals at Chiefs - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The facts: The Cardinals fell to 3-7 with a 31-13 defeat at Kansas City in Week 11.

Todd Haley schools his former boss in another Arizona Cardinals' loss
There were no signs of animosity, no finger wagging at midfield. The parting words were gracious and sincere. But for a proud man such as Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, the postgame handshake must've cut to the bone. "I told him to keep fighting," said Chiefs coach Todd Haley, former offensive coordinator for the Cardinals. "And I told him I missed him." Though no one would admit to such treason after Haley's Chiefs drubbed the Cardinals 31-13 on Sunday, the feeling certainly is mutual.

A Little Room To Run
Tim Hightower had no interest in the silver lining. Not that it was a surprise, given that the Cards had just lost their fifth straight game to the Chiefs. But with the return of Beanie Wells to the lineup, the Cardinals did run the ball well with both he and Hightower. Hightower had 62 yards on 12 carries – a 5.2-per-carry average – and Wells had 39 yards on eight carries – a 4.9-per-carry average.

Arizona Cardinals rewind: What we learned in 31-13 loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs
What we learned in 31-13 loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs, It's tough to find many positives after yet another loss.

Taylor Pyatt leads Phoenix Coyotes to sixth consecutive win against Vancouver Canucks
Taylor Pyatt scored his second goal of the game 5:52 into the third period and the Phoenix Coyotes extended their winning streak to six games with a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.

NFL Videos: GameDay: Cardinals vs. Chiefs highlights
Highlights of the Chiefs 31-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

NFL Videos: Cardinals postgame press conference
Cardinals react following game with Chiefs

In the Red Zone with Ken Whisenhunt - KC Review
Coach Whisenhunt reviews the Cardinals loss against the Chiefs with Doug and Wolf on Sports 620 KTAR

Video Gallery
Cards look for answers in 31-13 loss to Chiefs

Video Gallery
Cardinals vs. Chiefs highlights

Videos of Brian St. Pierre throwing two Pick Sixes for your amusement...

NFL Videos: Ravens defense, INT, TD
Brian St. Pierre picked off by Ray Lewis, and he returns it for a TD.

NFL Videos: Ravens defense
Brian St. Pierre picked off by Ed Reed, and he laterals it to another Defender who returns it for a TD.

NFC West has a day to forget | ProFootballTalk
The march towards the first below .500 playoff team continued in the NFC West on Sunday. The four teams lost by a combined score of 120-49.

KTAR.com - Espo: Tuning out the Cardinals
No one should have voluntarily subjected themselves to what would play out over all four quarters at Arrowhead Stadium. The Cardinals made two things very clear over those four quarters. They're not a very good team and they miss their former offensive coordinator Todd Haley - now the head coach in Kansas City.

Arizona Cardinals-Kansas City Chiefs play of the game
Arizona Cardinals-Kansas City Chiefs play of the game, The Cardinals trailed 21-6. They had the ball on Kansas City's 35-yard line. It was 4th and 2 with 1:12 remaining in the third quarter.

KTAR.com - Gambo: Cardinals have regressed to Cardinals of old
And with the 6th selection in the 2011 NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals select ----. We'll, it was fun while it lasted but all good things must come to an end. After three years of being relevant in this town and giving the fans competitive football, the Cardinals are back to what we remember the Cardinals being. Because in the end, "The Cardinals are who we thought they were." Or something like that.

NFC West QB rankings through Week 11 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
My weekly look at where NFC West quarterbacks stand (trending arrows indicate general direction, not necessarily a change in ranking from the previous week):

Childress out; NFC West coaches safe? - NFC West Blog - ESPN
A quick look at where NFC West head coaches stand after the Vikings fired coach Brad Childress following a 3-7 start to the season:

azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Post-game spread
The Cardinals revealed no new weaknesses in their 31-13 loss to the Chiefs. They also showed no progress. I continue to think back to the Cardinals off week. They were 3-2, and coach Ken Whisenhunt was pleased, given all that his team had gone through. That was Oct. 10 and five games ago. Since then, this team has collapsed as old Cardinals teams routinely did. Most disappointing for fans is that the club isn't losing to elite teams: Seattle (twice), Vikings, Chiefs. (I'll exclude the Bucs, who are a surprising 7-3).

azcentral.com blogs - Kevin Hunt Blog - kevinhunt - Broken Record
When you're in the midst of a streak like the Cardinals are in .... what can really be said by the coach or the players to simmer down an angry fan base. We all get sick of hearing about "mistakes that need to be corrected" and "we'll go back to the drawing board and come out fighting." It becomes tougher to flush out the negativity. Coach Ken Whisenhunt really earns the paycheck now. He bought a lot of good will his first three seasons in the valley. I continue to now hear the argument that he earned it on the back of Kurt Warner - Hey! - Denny Green had Kurt Warner too and never seemed to figure it out. I haven't wavered in my belief that Whisenhunt is a quality coach but as long as fingers are getting pointed he deserves one in his direction.

Will Davis out with broken leg
Linebacker Will Davis has a fractured fibula, coach Ken Whisenhunt said today, so he is out. It doesn’t help the depth issue, but Whisenhunt said he isn’t overly concerned at the moment. Linebacker Clark Haggans should be OK this week after sitting Sunday with a groin problem — Whisenhunt acknowledged the Cards may have rushed Haggans back the previous week against Seattle — and he noted rookie O’Brien Schofield is getting more practice time. "Not that I am ready to have O’Brien play a significant amount of snaps." "It’s disappointing because (Will) was playing fairly well for us," Whisenhunt said.

KTAR.com - Burns: Tomorrow is all that matters for Cardinals
For the optimistic dreamers who refused to let go, Sunday's 31-13 loss to Kansas City was the moment of surrender. A victory over Todd Haley's Chiefs would have provided at least a token piece of evidence that the Cardinals were capable of remaining relevant in this putrid division.

KTAR.com - Whisenhunt looks for answers and urgency from Cardinals
After five straight loses, answers aren't easy to come by for a head coach in any sport. It is no different for Ken Whisenhunt.

Top Five Things To Watch As The Arizona Cardinals Play Out The String - SB Nation Arizona
Well this season is lost, here are some things to watch in the Cardinals final six games, since the team won't be fighting for a playoff berth.

Brad Childress Fired, Vikings Coach Two-Week Cardinals Reprieve Ran Out - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
With the not-so-shocking news today that the Minnesota Vikings fired head coach Brad Childress, we can only think back on that game just two short weeks ago when Childress was on the verge of losing his job before the Arizona Cardinals came to town.

Arizona Cardinals: The Mostly Bad From Week 11 - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
The mediocre play continued as the Arizona Cardinals lost their fifth straight game, this time against the Kansas City Chiefs. The well of good things to talk about is getting dry, so here's some ... things ... about the Red Birds' Week 11 performance.

The Shutdown Corner Midseason ‘No-Pro' Team: The Offense - Shutdown Corner - NFL  - Yahoo! Sports
Halfway through the 2010 season, here is the Shutdown Corner "No-Pro" team; the guys who have underwhelmed more than any other at their positions. Some are having atypically poor seasons and might turn it around; others are what they are, to use the famous coachspeak. Offense below; we'll have the defense up very soon.

Raiders' Richard Seymour tossed for hitting Steelers quarterback - NFL - SI.com
Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour has been ejected for an openhanded punch to Ben Roethlisberger's face as the Steelers quarterback was celebrating a touchdown pass.

Whoops! Minnesota Vikings Kevin Williams name misspelled on jersey - NFL - SI.com
Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams is a five-time Pro Bowler and one of the best defensive players in the league. Maybe the team's jersey maker should get to know him a little better.

Fisher: Vince Young is no longer the Titans starting quarterback | ProFootballTalk
Titans coach Jeff Fisher has seen enough. Vince Young is through as his starting quarterback after another post-game meltdown.

Mike Vick says he cheated the Falcons | ProFootballTalk
As the redemption phase of quarterback Mike Vick’s career hits high gear, Vick reflected on his past during an exclusive interview with Bob Costas of NBC’s Football Night in America. During the interview, which will air tonight (the show starts at 7:00 p.m. ET), Costas asks Vick whether he believes he cheated the Falcons, the organization that made Vick the first overall pick in the 2001 draft. "In so many ways, I do," Vick said. "I feel like I cheated the organization. I didn’t give them my all. I gave them everything on the field, 100 percent but sometimes that’s not enough."

The legend of Brett Favre is dead - Shutdown Corner - NFL  - Yahoo! Sports
Today's Vikings vs. Packers game will probably not be the last NFL game Brett Favre plays. It should be, though, because at this point, Favre can't do anything for the Vikings franchise other than continue to pilot their dizzying plunge into a foul pit of football sewage.

Brett Favre will "re-evaluate" season after latest loss | ProFootballTalk
Following Minnesota’s soul-crushing 31-3 loss to the Packers, the immediate future of the Vikings is totally up in the air.

Vikings fire Brad Childress, name Leslie Frazier as interim coach - NFL - SI.com
Brad Childress is gone, one season after he famously picked up Brett Favre at the airport, got a contract extension and came within a field goal of reaching the Super Bowl.

Vince Young of Tennessee Titans frustrated by lack of coach's confidence - ESPN
After reflecting on the messy events during and after Sunday's loss to the Washington Redskins, quarterback Vince Young said his biggest issue with Jeff Fisher is that the Tennessee coach lacked the confidence in him to return to the game when Young thought he could have played with his thumb injury.

Source: Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo sidelined at least 3 more weeks - ESPN Dallas
Jerry Jones hopes that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will play again this season, and the owner/general manager's optimism grew after a pregame throwing session Sunday.

It can get worse for the Bengals | ProFootballTalk
On Sunday, the Bengals made history. As Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer points out, they are the first team in NFL history has led by 17 or more at halftime and loss by 18 or more. The 35-0 second half score in favor of Buffalo was the Bengals’ single worst second half result in 43 seasons.

Leslie Frazier has one big decision to make | ProFootballTalk
Leslie Frazier will meet with the Vikings media for the first time as interim head coach this afternoon. Surely one of the first questions will be: Who is your starting quarterback this week?

The Gus Johnson Index: Rating the announcer's 2010 games - Shutdown Corner - NFL  - Yahoo! Sports
For a guy who is listed as fifth on the CBS announcing depth chart, Gus Johnson gets more publicity and accolades than all the network's other play-by-play guys combined. All of it is well deserved. Football's supposed to be fun and listening to Gus Johnson call a football game is definitely that. His excitement, energy, exuberance and enthusiasm have made him a favorite of both college basketball and NFL fans alike.

Week 11's five most valuable players - Shutdown Corner - NFL  - Yahoo! Sports
Comprehensive National Football League news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors, and more

Week 11's five least valuable players - Shutdown Corner - NFL  - Yahoo! Sports
Comprehensive National Football League news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors, and more

Week 11 Monday 10-pack | ProFootballTalk
Week 11 of the 2010 NFL season featured plenty of great games and exciting finishes. It also featured the annual Florio family pre-Thanksgiving visit to New York. Which means that staying up until 3:00 a.m. ET or thereabouts to hammer out the 10-pack before turning in was frowned upon in the luxury suite at the Motel 6.

Here's Video Of Rex Ryan Being Tickled Pink By A Fan Running On The Field
What, no Tasers? As with the Roethlisberger slam, watch it as long as the NFL online team allows you to.

Singletary unsure of play calls, quarterback | ProFootballTalk
49ers coach Mike Singletary seemed stunned after his team’s 21-0 loss to the Bucs. Asked about his decision to punt the ball in the third quarter instead of kick a 50-yard field goal, Singletary couldn’t remember the sequence.

Derrick Mason and Joe Flacco had to be separated after "heated exchange" | ProFootballTalk
Apparently, Derrick Mason is known for speaking his mind on the sidelines, whether it is to his coaches or his quarterback. That’s why Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun says that Mason’s two exchanges on the sideline of Sunday’s win over the Panthers isn’t a huge deal. Mason reportedly had a "very heated exchange" with quarterback Joe Flacco in the second half.

Vince Young's meltdown; Aaron Rodgers' Packers make case for NFL's best team - Peter King - SI.com
Highlights, lowlights (and Richard Seymour, that was one incredible lowlight) and assorted weirdness of Week 11:

Titans' OT loss led to Young outburst, possible end of era - Shutdown Corner - NFL  - Yahoo! Sports
It wasn't bad enough for the Tennessee Titans that they lost, 19-16, to the Washington Redskins, in an overtime heartbreaker. After the game, tensions between head coach Jeff Fisher and quarterback Vince Young boiled over, leading to a situation in which Young lost his starting job (at the very least) and may never play for Fisher again (in a worst-case scenario).

Mark Sanchez possesses special powers - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has evolved from a disaster-prone rookie into some sort of witch.

Young's meltdown, more Snaps Judgments - Don Banks - SI.com
Musings, observations and the occasional Week 11 insight as we take in the NFL's premier rivalry, Colts versus Patriots, with its ultra-glamorous undercard of Manning versus Brady ...

Favre tunes out offensive coordinator, throws season away - Shutdown Corner - NFL  - Yahoo! Sports
With 1:13 left in the first half of the Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings game, Brett Favre threw a slant to Percy Harvin that was picked off by Packers cornerback Tramon Williams. Williams had the throw read all the way, because Favre was late to the party after reading the flat route closed, and the window to Harvin wouldn't stay open long enough for Favre to get a zinger in there. It was Favre's NFL-leading 17th interception of the season, so that wasn't a surprise -- #4 has been throwing picks at a career-high rate all season. The surprise was what happened between Favre and Vikings offensive coordinator/longtime good buddy Darrel Bevell after the play:

Week Eleven early quick slants | ProFootballTalk
While I wonder what would have happened if Michael Griffin had caught up with Vince Young during their postgame chase, here are your early Week 11 quick slants.

Jets win on another miracle finish | ProFootballTalk
Each week, the Jets manage to find a new and more ridiculous way to win. This week will be tough to top.

Falcons vs. Rams - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Not too many big plays for the Atlanta Falcons . An avalanche of little plays did the trick.

Buccaneers vs. 49ers - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
The inexperienced Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been waiting all season to be taken seriously. They hope a road shutout will do the trick. The NFL's youngest team is right in the thick of the NFC South title chase and making a playoff push. All it took for Tampa Bay to finally win again at Candlestick Park was a methodical, mistake-free day of football.

Seahawks vs. Saints - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Drew Brees has made plenty of good defenses look bad during his steady accumulation of New Orleans Saints passing records. That meant trouble for a Seattle team that was already struggling to stop teams from piling up yards in the air.

Raiders vs. Steelers - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
The Steelers returned to the Steel Curtain days of the 1970s. The Raiders went back to the bad old days of the last seven years. There were punches and penalties, a Steelers defense that wouldn't stop and a Raiders offense that couldn't get started. One week after getting embarrassed by the Patriots, a year after losing to Oakland, James Harrison and the Steelers tossed around the Raiders like it was a playground pickup game while beating them 35-3 on Sunday.

Browns vs. Jaguars - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
The Jacksonville Jaguars kept turning the ball over. The Cleveland Browns kept failing to take advantage.

Redskins vs. Titans - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Vince Young is hurt and in trouble with coach Jeff Fisher for his latest meltdown. Meanwhile, Donovan McNabb is back in good standing with Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins.

Texans vs. Jets - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Nailbiting, racing hearts and stunning comebacks. They're all in the playbook lately for the New York Jets .

Ravens vs. Panthers - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
It took one play for mystery man Brian St. Pierre to get the downtrodden Carolina Panthers in position for an upset. Baltimore's stars, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis , responded with two big milestone plays to spoil St. Pierre's potential storybook day and put the Ravens in great shape in the AFC North.

Packers vs. Vikings - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Brett Favre looked ready for retirement, with six likely meaningless games now left for Minnesota in the epilogue of his 20-year career. Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay's swarming defense sure made it clear who's in charge of this Packers-Vikings rivalry right now.

Lions vs. Cowboys - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
The punt was bouncing into the end zone and Detroit's John Wendling played it perfectly, leaping just before the goal line and tapping the ball toward the field. For the fourth time this game, the Dallas Cowboys were about to be pinned inside their 5-yard line. Only this time, the ball took a waist-high hop, right into the hands of Dallas' Bryan McCann . And the speedster knew exactly what to do with it.

Bills vs. Bengals - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Down 31-14 at halftime, the one-win Buffalo Bills got angry. Angry at the officials for giving Cincinnati another play to kick a field goal. Angry at themselves for getting in such a big hole in front of such a small crowd. Angry enough to pull off their best comeback in 13 years.

Colts vs. Patriots - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
A little guy who came out of nowhere overshadowed the NFL's biggest stars. Sure, Tom Brady outdueled Peyton Manning in their annual meeting, a 31-28 New England victory over Indianapolis on Sunday. Yet it was Danny Woodhead , a 5-foot-8 running back from Division II Chadron State, who got most of the attention - if you could find him. The Colts couldn't.

Giants vs. Eagles - Recap - November 21, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Michael Vick 2, Manning brothers 0.