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12-31-10: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings

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It is new years eve, and since I don't drink (I wouldn't do it if I was the legal age anyway) I have no plans. I'm just waiting for Sundays season finale for the Cardinals.

Also, if anyone here watched the Washington/Nebraska game, Jake Locker didn't have a great game throwing the ball (it looked like Washington's receivers had a hard time getting separation) but he came back from a shot to the head that looked like it was going to knock him out of the game, and he ran the ball pretty well. It is pretty good for him to end his career with a winning season and the first bowl game win for Washington since 2001 as well. Like I have said before, I would support drafting Ryan Mallet or Jake Locker.

Cam Newton on the other hand.... no.

Arizona Cardinals guard Alan Faneca considering retirement when season ends
Guard Alan Faneca will complete his 13th NFL season on Sunday, and will take some time to decide whether he wants to return for a 14th.

DRC's Self-Evaluation
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has heard the criticism this season. And he doesn’t disagree.

Not forgetting Paris
Quietly — because he pretty much operates that way — linebacker Paris Lenon is finishing up a pretty solid season. He’s started every game, had at least eight tackles in 10 (including the last five) and has moved back and forth between the Sam and Mike positions on the inside depending on whether the Cards wanted veteran Gerald Hayes or rookie Daryl Washington next to him. When Lenon signed as a free agent, the thought process was that he was a piece to plug in ahead of what turned out to be Washington, until Washington was ready. He’s been better than that.

Arizona Cardinals' Andre Roberts catching on as season winds down
There was a time this season when Cardinals players wouldn't trust handing so much as even a sandwich to rookie wide receiver Andre Roberts. He'd drop it.

Chat wrap: Cardinals and Kevin Kolb - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Derrik (AZ): The more I think Coach Whiz will be under the gun next year due to a drop off in fan support here in the Valley, I really believe he can convince the owners to go aggressive after Kevin Kolb. Coach will not want his future tied to an unproven QB draft pick with a washed-up backup behind him. Now, I hope he can convince Andy Reid that their high second-round pick with other lower pick or picks will be enough, because the Cards really need to keep their high No. 1 pick this year to fill a huge hole at OLB or tackle. Thanks.

KTAR.com - Losing seasons a rarity for Cardinals' Whisenhunt
To say the 2010 season didn't go the way the Arizona Cardinals had planned would be a bit of an understatement.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Cardinals not hurrying to re-sign Breaston
It appears Cardinals WR Steve Breaston's status suddenly has become a bit shaky in the desert. Playing under a one-year tender offer of $2.4 million, Breaston could become a free agent after the season. But not only have the Cardinals not shown any inclination to re-sign him, his increased lack of usage with the season winding down in favor of rookie Andre Roberts has team sources wondering whether Breaston will remain in the receiving mix next year. Word is a surgically repaired knee that forced him to miss three games earlier in the season could be the main reason why the Cardinals are in no hurry to re-up with Breaston, who has proven to be a quality performer when healthy. As for Roberts, while daily team observers believe he has made major strides since training camp, they don't really consider him all that promising an option as a potential No. 2 receiver.

The Big Red Rage with Wilson and Rodgers-Cromartie
DRC joins the season finale of the Big Red Rage with Adrian Wilson, Paul Calvisi, and Ron Wolfley!

Neither wind, nor rain …
Wednesday, the Cardinals were forced to practice in the rain. Thursday, it was some serious wind, which combined with the drop in temperatures made it darn cold. How cold? Cold enough that coach Ken Whisenhunt, who always wears shorts out to practice (even yesterday in the chilly wetness) went with sweatpants today. It isn’t exactly conducive to practicing a passing game. "I don’t know what the speeds of the winds were, but some of the passes were what you’d expect," Whisenhunt said. "It was a little like when we played in Kansas City. I am hopeful it won’t be quite that windy in Candlestick Park. But we made some good throws. "The wind is usually harder to work in because it disrupts the ball so much in the air, especially in the longer throws. If you think about how tight the windows are that you have to fit the ball into sometimes, when you add in the wind you are talking about it makes it more difficult. When it is wet, you can always attempt to get a dry ball in there. That compensates for things a little bit."

2010 Arizona Sports Year In Review, Part 2 - SB Nation Arizona
The second half of the Arizona sports year was almost as exciting as the first half -- except that most of what happened was pretty awful.

KTAR.com - Sturdy Alan Faneca completes 13th NFL season
Alan Faneca will complete his 13th NFL season on Sunday, lining up at left guard for the Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco in his 144th consecutive start. At 34, he knows it is time to consider retiring from the game, but says he isn't sure he can resist the lure of another season.

Haley is easy choice for coach of the year - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
In August, Todd Haley had no idea his second season in Kansas City would be so delightfully better than his first season.

Michael Vick unlikely to play in finale; Kevin Kolb ready to go - NFL - SI.com
Michael Vick missed practice Thursday because of a leg injury and is unlikely to play Sunday when the Eagles host Dallas.

Sterger’s dad would like to beat up Brett Favre | ProFootballTalk
You may think the Brett Favre-Jenn Sterger situation has ended. You would be thinking wrong.

Week 17 Friday 12-pack | ProFootballTalk
For this week only, the Friday 10-pack has expanded. (We supposed we should say that it has been enhanced.)

Niners claim they won’t lay down for higher draft pick | ProFootballTalk
Last week at this time, the 5-9 49ers remained very much alive for the NFC West crown. Indeed, if they’d merely beaten the Rams, San Fran would be playing for a playoff spot on Sunday against the lowly Cardinals. Now, at 5-10, the Niners are playing for pride. But real pride in the future would be more easily attained if the Niners score a higher draft pick.

Roy Williams compares himself to Michael Jordan | ProFootballTalk
Over the summer, Cowboys receiver Roy Williams compared himself to Jerry Rice. Now he’s comparing himself to Michael Jordan.

Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid naming Michael Vick his starting quarterback was the smartest football move of 2010 -- NFL - ESPN
The end of any NFL regular season usually offers valuable perspective on many topics. In this case, it's the perfect time of year to reflect on the decisions that have determined how this year has played out. Some of those moves improved the postseason chances of teams or derailed them. Others factored into the futures of both coaches and players. But know this much: Only a small number of those decisions were truly memorable. So here are the five smartest moves of this past year and five others that certain teams would love to forget:

Tom Brady plans to play in New England Patriots finale vs. Miami Dolphins - ESPN Boston
Tom Brady isn't looking at the big picture of the 2010 season -- yet. He's focused on the Dolphins on Sunday and said he plans to play.

Hurt New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez doesn't push it in practice - ESPN New York
Nursing a sore shoulder, Mark Sanchez practiced Friday, but the New York Jets' quarterback didn't make many hard throws, and even threw left-handed toward the end of the practice that members of the media were able to watch.

Dallas Cowboys' Jon Kitna throws passes, status for Philadelphia Eagles up in the air - ESPN Dallas
Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna wasn't a participant at practice on Friday as he's still recovering from a strained left oblique muscle, but he did throw some passes in the early portions of practice at Valley Ranch.

League fines New York Jets $100,000 for tripping incident - ESPN New York
The NFL fined the New York Jets $100,000 in the wake of discoveries involving strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi, who instructed inactive players to stand in a wall in a prohibited area on the sideline to deter opposing teams' players during special-teams plays.

Minnesota Vikings say Brett Favre still hasn't passed concussion test - ESPN
At the end of a long, difficult season, Brett Favre's status for the finale is in doubt.

Dallas Cowboys sign veteran kicker Kris Brown - ESPN Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys did not give David Buehler much competition last offseason, but they are making sure he has some in 2011.