Programing note: I'm going to do the Gamethread Highlights post tomorrow.
Now on to the links.
Rough But Not Permanent
Whisenhunt says Cards won't lose what they've built
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Will Davis out for season with broken leg
The Cardinals defense took another hit with news that outside linebacker Will Davis is out for the season with a fractured left fibula. "That's disappointing because he's a young player that was playing fairly well for us," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday.
KTAR.com - Sinking Cardinals remind fans of bad old days
The Arizona Cardinals are on a slide that has to remind fans of the franchise's bad old days. The five-game losing streak had coach Ken Whisenhunt defensive on Monday about whether this season represented the loss of much of what had been gained in his first three years as coach.
azcentral.com blogs - Paola Boivin - Whisenhunt's Monday thoughts
Whisenhunt met with the media on Monday. Among his comments:
Cardinals report (11.22): Blame falls on everyone
The Cardinals’ 2010 campaign continues to move in the wrong direction following a fifth consecutive loss in Kansas City. Arizona managed to outgain the Chiefs in total yardage 382-352, but the defense was ineffective when it mattered and the offense compiled the majority of its yards with the outcome already decided.
KTAR.com - Soaring around the NFC West after Week 11
Usually we call this wrap up of the previous week's NFC West games ‘Soaring Around the NFC West', after the ugly Sunday the division had in Week 11, we actually debated whether or not to change the name to ‘Sore-ing around the NFC West'.
Whisenhunt says the Cardinals haven’t regressed | ProFootballTalk
In Arizona, the 2010 season would prove whether coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff could overcome an exodus of key players like quarterback Kurt Warner, receiver Anquan Boldin, linebacker Karlos Dansby, and safety Antrel Rolle. Through 10 games, the answer is no. But Whisenhunt isn’t ready to concede that his 3-7 team has regressed.
Arizona vs. Kansas City: 10 Things We Learned | Bleacher Report
One thing I learned Sunday? Stats don't always tell the story. If you look at the stats in this game, in fact, you'd think Arizona would've won. They had zero turnovers, more yards on offense and more time of possession. But football doesn't always go the way the stats say they should. In the end, the Cardinals have a fifth loss in a row.
Cards bring back Komar, promote Green
The Cardinals shuffled the roster today, including making the expected move of putting linebacker Will Davis on injured reserve with his broken leg. The Cards also cut running back Alfonso Smith, who became redundant with the expected return of both LaRod Stephens-Howling and Jason Wright. With two spots open on the roster, the Cardinals re-signed wide receiver Max Komar and promoted cornerback Marshay Green from the practice squad (and it will be interesting to see if Green manages to get some work with the Cards’ cornerbacks struggling). For now, the Cards will have an opening on the practice squad.
Effort, body language matter to Arizona Cardinals fans, too
It is clear, based on the questions Ken Whisenhunt had to answer Monday, that the Cardinals remain an organization frantically trying to stomp out the lingering embers of historical futility.
Video Gallery
Whisenhunt's Monday Presser
Steve Nash's return sparks Phoenix Suns to 123-116 victory against Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets' Toyota Center was not home for the Suns but it put them back in the West after three consecutive losses at East teams and in a building where they have now won on 10 of their past 13 visits. But what made the Suns feel most like they were back in their happy place Monday night was having Steve Nash back in the lineup for a 122-116 victory that sent Houston to its fourth consecutive loss as stars Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks sit out with ankle injuries.
Breaking down NFL turnover differentials - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Football coaches everywhere stress turnover avoidance.
Power Rankings: How the voters voted - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Tensions tend to run a little higher as NFL teams move toward December stretch runs. Just ask ESPN.com's NFL Power Rankings voters.
NFL Power Rankings Week 12 - National Football League - ESPN
The Atlanta Falcons remain atop the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings this week, followed by the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens, the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers to round out the top five. The Ravens and Jets flip-flopped positions from last week.
The day ahead: Sizing up NFC West issues - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Listening to Ken Whisenhunt, it's clear the Cardinals coach is mystified by his team's poor play. In August, I emerged from Cardinals training camp thinking the team's veteran core would keep the Cardinals competitive. Whisenhunt felt the same way. Adrian Wilson, Joey Porter, Darnell Dockett, Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston and Alan Faneca brought some swagger. It's time to reassess and ask, too, whether coaches are putting players in position to succeed. Despite issues throughout much of the roster, the Cardinals' handling of Matt Leinart and the quarterback situation in general will define this season for Arizona.
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, And The War Of 1812: Remembering History As It Happens - SBNation.com
One year, Tom Brady's the best QB in football. The next, it's Peyton Manning. And then Sunday's Patriots-Colts game happens, and it shifts again. So, Manning or Brady? That's missing the point. Manning AND Brady is better than anything we've seen in a long, long time.
The Hit On Eagles' Ellis Hobbs Further Displays NFL's Helmet-To-Helmet Inconsistances - SBNation.com
The hit that resulted in Ellis Hobbs' injury in Sunday night's Eagles-Giants game was legal. And that's part of the problem with the NFL's policy on helmet-to-helmet hits.
Have You Ever Imagined A World Without Annoying NFL Announcers? - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the NFL Network will broadcast a game without announcers. It will be a taped, packaged version of the Bengals-Jets from two days earlier. It will also be the first step to brighter tomorrow. Let's take a second to breathe it in. No more Joe Buck. No more Tony Siragusa. No more Phil Simms. No Cris Collinsworth explaining what's wrong with Michael Vick and that the Eagles listen to too much hip-hop music. No more Matt Millen and Joe Theismann one-upping each other's inane rambling. NO MORE JON GRUDEN.
Tennessee Titans place QB Vince Young on IR for torn flexor tendon - ESPN
Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher says quarterback Vince Young will have season-ending surgery and needs surgery on his throwing hand.
Richard Seymour fined $25K for striking Ben Roethlisberger - ESPN
Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour has been fined $25,000 for striking Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the helmet.
Source: Tony Romo X-rays still show broken clavicle - ESPN Dallas
X-rays on Tony Romo's broken left collarbone show that it's still fractured, and the Cowboys starting quarterback remains at least three weeks away from returning, a source told ESPNDallas.com on Monday.
Wade Phillips points out his similarity to Tom Landry | ProFootballTalk
Nice guys aren’t always humble. For example, former Cowboys, Bills, and Broncos coach Wade Phillips, who now has been fired from three NFL head-coaching jobs, engaged in a little back-patting during a Monday night interview on WXTG radio in Virginia Beach.
Brad Childress' firing began with desperate pursuit of Brett Favre - Don Banks - SI.com
When the end of the tumultuous Brad Childress era in Minnesota at last arrived Monday, I couldn't help but wonder if the team's deposed (and some would say despised) head coach had any second thoughts about his decision to go with the terrain.
Chargers' Philip Rivers Plays 'Just Like A Kid,' Toys With Broncos - SBNation.com
The Designed Rush Redux focuses on Philip Rivers' dominant performance on MNF, the heated exchange between Matt Millen and Steve Young, Richard Seymour's fine and Brian Urlacher calling Roger Goodell a dictator.
West Point grad denied NFL chance in '08 makes NFL debut - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
West Point graduate Caleb Campbell made his NFL debut on Sunday with the Detroit Lions, becoming the first Army player to appear in a game in over a decade (and only the second in the past 30 years).
Maurice Jones-Drew leads surprising Jags; Leslie Frazier right call - Peter King - SI.com
Mailbag questions on Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and more
Broncos vs. Chargers - Recap - November 22, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Take away all those special teams blunders and turnovers, and this is how the San Diego Chargers were supposed to look all along.