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12-10-10: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings

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Some links for the day where the starting Quarterback will (probably) be announced later today. I'd guess it will be Skelton.

Dan Williams Emerges
First-round pick "best rookie I've been around," Dockett says

Your daily QB update
Your daily quarterback update comes with it little change. Derek Anderson still hasn’t passed all his concussion tests and so he has not been cleared to practice, and that continues to be major factor in this whole deal. Will Anderson clear by tomorrow (because I can’t see him playing if he can’t practice Friday, especially with this injury)? If he does clear, he will be considered. "You know what he can do," coach Ken Whisenhunt said Thursday. "If he’s not having the symptoms of the concussion, he had been showing improvement. He is definitely still in the mix." That said, I still think John Skelton is probable, although Whisenhunt said he has not made any decisions and wouldn’t until the Cards got through practice Friday.

KTAR.com - Who is John Skelton?
If you say John Skelton, most Arizona Cardinals fans would tell you about a 6-foot-5 244 pound quarterback who went to Fordham University and was the team's fifth round pick in this past April's NFL Draft. What they won't tell you about is how he played in college and what his journey to the NFL was like. That's because most fans don't know about that journey. Fordham University games aren't on ESPN, ABC or CBS every Saturday. It is a small Jesuit college in New York that is part of the Football Championship Subdivision's Patriot League. Because of that, most fans never saw a down of his college career and prior to Sunday had only seen very limited glimpses of him in the preseason. So who is John Skelton?

Arizona Cardinals' running game may step up
Entering this season, it appeared the Cardinals, a.) should be able to run the ball more effectively than the previous three seasons under coach Ken Whisenhunt, and b.) might have to because Kurt Warner no longer was at quarterback. Both of the above turned out to be true, but a look at the team's rushing statistics tell a story about its offensive futility. The Cardinals are averaging 4.3 yards a carry, 12th-best in the NFL and their highest since the 2002 season. Yet the Cardinals average just 80.2 yards rushing a game, 31st in the league.

Arizona Cardinals, yet again, are getting what they paid for
Football fans don't tolerate seven-game losing streaks. We become angry. We point fingers. We carve new insults with sharpened tongues. "You should start calling him Coach Wiz-I'm-Not," wrote one disgruntled Cardinals fan. Or maybe we should take a look at the organization first. Shift through the wreckage of the good ship Fitzgerald, and you find hull striking coral in the spring, when coach Ken Whisenhunt started getting itchy about his daffy array of quarterbacks.

Arizona Cardinals' John Skelton more likely choice to start at quarterback
Coach Ken Whisenhunt hasn't publicly named a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Broncos, but all signs are pointing to rookie John Skelton. Derek Anderson, who started nine games, has not been cleared to practice after suffering a concussion Sunday against the Rams. With Max Hall out for the season, Skelton and Richard Bartel have taken snaps with the first team in practice this week. It seems doubtful Whisenhunt would start Bartel, who signed with the team Tuesday, over Skelton, who was drafted in the fifth round out of Fordham in April.

The Big Red Rage with Wilson and Dockett
Darnell Dockett joins the Big Red Rage with Adrian Wilson, Paul Calvisi, and Ron Wolfley.

Video Gallery
Whisenhunt updates QB situation

Video Gallery
Cards spread cheer during the holidays

Phoenix Coyotes miss several scoring opportunities in 3-2 loss to Minnesota Wild
The Coyotes were missing a lot of things besides the net Thursday night. A coach can take the bad bounces (clangers off the crossbars and posts) and a little bad luck (a couple of missed shots with an open net). Dave Tippett saw such things happen in the Coyotes' 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild in front of 7,749 at Jobing.com Arena, but it was the missing intangibles that did not sit well with him.

azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Odds in favor of Skelton starting
It appears more likely that rookie John Skelton will start his first NFL game Sunday against the Broncos. The Cardinals didn't name a starter Thursday but signs point to Skelton. Derek Anderson has yet to be cleared to practice after suffering a concussion against the Broncos. Skelton and Richard Bartel shared snaps with the first-team offense again Thursday, although no exact division of labor was provided. It seems unlikely, however, that coach Ken Whisenhunt would start Bartel, who signed on Tuesday.

Under the microscope: 15 little things - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Fifteen little things I noticed while watching NFC West teams play in Week 13:

Chat wrap: Cardinals QB questions - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Mo the Stripper (Chico): What do you see the Cardinals doing with the QB position in the near term? Draft? Free Agent? They might as well prop up a dead corpse under center, or at least someone who has their head on a swivel, because that o-line doesn't offer much protection! I'm enjoying a large turkey leg and a gigantic bowl of corn while participating in your Live Chat! Keep up the great work, Sando! Good Luck!

ProFootballWeekly.com - Top pass rusher right behind QB on Cardinals' wish list
Most team insiders agree that the Cardinals' No. 1 need in the offseason has to be quarterback, considering the team's well-documented problems under center all season long. But they also agree No. 1-A on Arizona's wish list has to be a quality pass rusher, which they believe could just as easily turn into the team's top priority in the upcoming draft ahead of the QB position if the right player is available. "No question," one insider said. "They just don't have one. (Free-agent addition Joey) Porter has not been the answer, he and (fellow starting OLB Clark) Haggans are both 33 years old and (sixth-round rookie O'Brien) Schofield is the only prospect at the position. On the line, pass rushing is not really Darnell Dockett's forte, and Calais Campbell has been a big disappointment." Word is Porter still could return next season "only because they are just so thin at his position," the insider said.

Broncos-Cardinals a sellout; Cards don’t name a starter yet | ProFootballTalk
The Broncos-Cardinals game at the Big Toaster in Glendale, Arizona has sold out, ensuring that the Cardinals will maintain their sellout streak since moving to their new stadium. Plenty of Broncos fans should be on hand to watch Eric Studesville’s coaching debut against likely Cardinals starting quarterback John Skelton. That sentence would have blown my mind a few months ago.

Week 14 Friday 10-pack | ProFootballTalk
It’s crunch time in the NFL. With four weeks to play, there are no shortage of story lines. Here are 10 of them for Week 14.

Rex Ryan tries to salvage Sanchez’s season | ProFootballTalk
With Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez teetering on the brink of the second late-season slump of his two-year career, coach Rex Ryan has decided to take matters into his own hands. As Bob Glauber of Newsday explains it, Ryan will meet weekly with Sanchez in the hopes of ensuring that he’ll play well down the stretch. "This isn’t a huge thing," Ryan said, trying to downplay the move. "It’s a lunch date so I can eat Mexican food with him."

Chargers say they'll remain in San Diego in 2011 - NFL - SI.com
The San Diego Chargers say they will play in San Diego in 2011. Beyond that is anyone's guess.

Eagles complain Michael Vick not treated like other QBs - NFL - SI.com
Michael Vick has taken shots to the helmet, been speared and had his facemask grabbed without seeing a yellow flag. The Philadelphia Eagles aren't happy about it.

Lead NFL negotiator: 18-game season key to talks - NFL - SI.com
The head of the NFL's negotiating team says it will be much easier to reach a new labor agreement with the players' union if the accord includes an 18-game regular season.

Matt Cassel injury update, Chiefs won't say if QB is out Sunday - NFL - SI.com
So if a guy has an appendectomy on Wednesday, can he play football on Sunday? What about the next Sunday? Might he be out the rest of the year?

Peyton Hillis Approaches 1,000 Yards: White Running Backs DO Exist! - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
What if I told you Peyton Hillis was going to become the first white running back in 25 years to rush for 1,000 yards in an NFL season? The last time someone did it, Ronald Reagan was President. Kind of insane, no?

NFL Playoff Picture: Plotting The Chicago Bears Collapse - SB Nation Arizona
The season is winding down and although the Cardinals are basically dead, SB Nation AZ takes a look at the playoff race in each conference.

NFL Week 14 Expert Picks Against the Spread: Chicago Bears A Stone Cold Lock To Beat New England Patriots - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
SB Nation Arizona's NFL Week 14 expert picks

Colts vs. Titans - Recap - December 9, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Peyton Manning wants people to quit worrying about him. He's just fine, thank you very much. Manning threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and the Indianapolis Colts snapped their three-game skid by beating the Tennessee Titans 30-28 on Thursday night to stay just a half-game back in the AFC South.