Well now... that was an ugly loss. But at least all of the problems we saw were fixable. Time to move on to Oakland and hope for a win that can get some momentum going.
I also saw something on ESPN about a QB Controversy with the Cardinals, but only the insiders could read it so I didn't check it out. Buffalo and Carolina have benched their QBs though...
On to an extra long "day after" batch of links filled with stories about the Cardinals and the rest of the NFL.
Lost Trip To Atlanta
Cards hope they can learn something from 41-7 defeat to Falcons
Arizona Cardinals' Ken Whisenhunt appreciates Atlanta Falcons' late gesture
It's not often a team kneels down on its final possession when it knows the other team is going to get it back.
Arizona Cardinals dominated by Atlanta Falcons
If all the mistakes the Arizona Cardinals made Sunday were chronicled in the form of a family tree, every branch would lead back to a truth as large as the trunk of a redwood.
Hightower Bounces Back
It was, statistically, Tim Hightower’s best game ever, and it came a week after losing two crucial fumbles.
Not Much To Say
Cards try to look ahead following 41-7 loss to Falcons
azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - KentSomers - Sunday review
The Cardinals took their whipping Sunday like men, admitting the Falcons just overpowered them in the 41-7 loss.
Falcons aftermath
Well, at least no one got hurt.
Wrap-up: Falcons 41, Cardinals 7 - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
Time to analyze Atlanta's 41-7 victory against Arizona.
Horrible Showing From Cardinals, 41-7 Loss To Falcons - SB Nation Arizona
Well, that was a heck of a ball game and by that I mean it was horrible. The Cards defense was non-existent and early penalties put the already questionable Anderson-lead offense in a deep hole.
KTAR.com - Ryan throws 3 TD passes, Falcons rout Cards
Jason Snelling looked a little lethargic as he walked over to his locker.
KTAR.com - Doug: Notes from Cardinals loss to Falcons
- Opinions Entries at ktar.com
Cardinals vs. Falcons - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Matt Ryan matched a career high with three touchdown passes, third-string running back Jason Snelling rushed for 129 yards and scored three times, and the Atlanta Falcons romped to a 41-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Wrap-up: Falcons 41, Cardinals 7 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
What it means: Two consecutive road games to open the season put the Cardinals in a difficult spot. They needed to get a split, and they did. The Falcons are better than the Cardinals even on a neutral site. However, the nature of this 41-7 defeat will fuel questions. Can quarterback Derek Anderson become efficient enough? Can Anderson hold up physically to the weekly poundings he is taking? Are the Cardinals going to be vulnerable on defense this season, just as they were when injuries dragged them down late last season?
Another slow start to season for Wells - NFC West Blog - ESPN
It's looking like Wells will not be a quick starter this season, either. The knee injury that kept Wells from playing in Week 1 has made him inactive again Sunday. Wells did participate in practice on a limited basis, but the Cardinals feel good enough about Tim Hightower and even LaRod Stephens-Howling to give Wells additional time.
Charting the Cardinals' first-half struggles - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Tim Hightower's 80-yard touchdown run -- the third-longest for the Arizona Cardinals since 1958 -- stands as a rare highlight for Arizona in its Week 2 game at Atlanta.
Cardinals postgame press conference
Cardinals vs. Falcons highlights
In the Red Zone with Ken Whisenhunt - ATL Review
Coach Whisenhunt reviews the Cardinals loss at Atlanta with Doug and Wolf on Sports 620 KTAR
The Good And The Bad From Week 2 - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
It's going to be tough to find five good things about this game. I guess first off was Tim Hightower's improved performance, running for 115 yards on 11 carries, including the team's only touchdown. Also, no fumbles.
The Anderson Effect ... Is Whisenhunt's Job On The Line? - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
I've heard no rumors -- just musing here -- but let's say Derek Anderson never finds any consistency. Let's say he falls flat on his face like he did for most of last season and the Cardinals meet the expectations of a lot of critics and finish with a losing record. Would the team consider dismissing Ken Whisenhunt because of his decision to jettison Leinart and make Anderson the starter?
Beanie, Watson inactive again
It wasn’t even close today for RB Beanie Wells. The first time he emerged from the locker room, he was in sweatpants, meaning his bad knee probably didn’t respond well this weekend. So Wells is inactive, and the Cards’ running game falls on Tim Hightower, Jason Wright and LaRod Stephens-Howling again.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons play of the game
The call: LaRod Stephens-Howling took the kickoff at his 2-yard line and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown. Alas, the effort was nullified by a holding penalty on Kenny Iwebema away from the play.
Ken Whisenhunt: Blowout loss not an indication of who Cardinals are | ProFootballTalk.com
Some football coaches subscribe to the theory that at the end of any game, you are whatever the scoreboard says you are. But Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt says Sunday's 41-7 loss to the Falcons is not who the Cardinals are.
Kurt Warner sees "no possible scenario" that would result in his return | ProFootballTalk.com
With his Arizona Cardinals struggling in the first year after Kurt Warner's retirement, questions will continue to persist regarding whether Warner may pull a Brett Favre and come back.
Whisenhunt on Monday: At least there were no injuries
Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said if there was any good news at all from Sunday's 41-7 loss in Atlanta, it's that his team came out injury free. He is hopeful running back Beanie Wells will be available Sunday in the team's home opener against the Oakland Raiders.
azcentral.com blogs - Paola Boivin - PaolaBoivin - Warner talks Cardinals, Dancing with the Stars
This is a big night for Kurt Warner, who makes his debut on Dancing with the Stars (7 p.m., Channel 15).
azcentral.com blogs - Dan Bickley - DanBickley - Cardinals obviously mishandled transition from Kurt Warner
In football, quarterbacks and head coaches are joined at the hip. John Elway made Mike Shanahan a champion. Joe Montana made Bill Walsh a genius. Kurt Warner made Ken Whisenhunt a lot of money. But the inevitable separation isn't always pretty, and after the Cardinals' 41-7 loss to the Falcons in Atlanta, some Valley fans are perturbed with the popular head coach.
KTAR.com - Gambo: Start with the defense in the debacle at Atlanta
The most difficult question following the Cardinals embarrassing 41-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons was which was worse, the offense or the defense?
KTAR.com - Whisenhunt says mistakes are correctable
The mistakes can be fixed.
KTAR.com - E: It was as bad as it looked for Cardinals in Atlanta
After three hours of mind-numbing football Sunday, I crawled off the couch and stumbled into my kitchen wondering if I missed something.
KTAR.com - Burns: Falcons showed mercy on lifeless Cardinals
My son spent the weekend playing in a baseball tournament where, from time to time, the mercy-rule is used to save time and spare embarrassment. Up by 10 runs after four innings, or eight runs after five, and the game is over.
Power Rankings revisited: Week 2 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Five of the 10 highest-ranked teams in ESPN.com's most recent NFL Power Rankings lost in Week 2.
Derek Anderson has right guy in his corner - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt has stuck to a merit system in determining playing time, even at quarterback.
Week 2 post game notebook | National Football Post
The Week 2 NFL Notebook: post game notes, X’s and O’s, plus some game balls to hand out…
Cardinals Fans: This Is No Time For Panic - SB Nation Arizona
Scott Howard may be the master of panic but on the heels of a 34 point loss to the Falcons even he doesn't think it's time to freak out.
Week Two Monday 10-pack | ProFootballTalk.com
Last week, I passed out after an ultra-long Sunday before getting up extra early and banging out the Monday 10-pack. This week, I decided to make like Peter King and stay up extra late to put the Monday morning offering in the bag before finally hitting the sack.
Silver linings: Cardinals at Falcons - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
Why the NFC West deserves no respect - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The first chart shows NFC West won-lost records and average point differentials for NFC West teams in non-division regular-season games since the 2009 openers. Seven of the 12 non-division victories came against the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. Two were against the Chicago Bears, one against the Minnesota Vikings and one against the New York Giants.
Quarterback controversies rage in Week Two | ProFootballTalk.com
So much for patience. Starting quarterbacks across the league were given the hook on Sunday without even being given two full games to show what they can do. Others were simply knocked out by injury. Let's run through them from the shockers to the smart moves.
Possible NFL lockout in 2011 could disrupt this season, too
The Heat Index just watched another great slate of Sunday NFL action, but he's feeling the Monday morning quarterback blues.
Arizona Cardinals' loss to Atlanta Falcons a sign of looming trouble
Empathy is hard to find in the NFL. But near the end of a debacle in Dixie, the Falcons' coach unleashed unprecedented mercy.
Cardinals talk about 41-7 loss to Falcons
Attempting To Fit All That Went Wrong In The Cardinals' Loss Into One Article | Bleacher Report
My quiet confidence in Derek Anderson just turned into quiet sobbing. And that’s just my expert analysis of the quarterback position.
Atlanta Falcons Dump The Arizona Cardinals 41-7 | Bleacher Report
Today, the Arizona Cardinals wish they didn't get out of bed. This game was ugly from start to finish for the Cardinals as Arizona was dominated 41-7 in Atlanta this afternoon.
Arizona Cardinals: Derek Anderson Needs to Follow in Aaron Rodgers' Footsteps | Bleacher Report
Don't let the title get you wrong, Aaron Rodgers is on the Green Bay Packers, but what he did to follow a legend is simply what Derek Anderson needs to accomplish as well.
Fight Of The Birds: Arizona Cardinals Get Shut Down By Atlanta Falcons | Bleacher Report
Trust me, it wasn't pretty. If you've got it recorded on TiVo, I don't recommended taking a look.
Cardinals Blown Out By Falcons, Time To Panic? - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
It would be easy to forgive a road loss to the Atlanta Falcons - a team who lost their opening game to the Steelers and desperately needed a win at home to get their high-expectation season off and rolling. Not to mention revenge factor for getting booted from the playoffs by the Cardinals in 2008. But can you forgive the way the Cardinals lost this game or is it time to face the music and accept that this team is just not that good bad?
Cardinals Dominated 41-7 By Fired-Up Falcons - SB Nation Arizona
Matt Ryan threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-32 throws, guiding Atlanta to a thorough 41-7 pasting of Arizona in a lopsided Week 2 affair.
Pictures: Kerry Rhodes Ejected For Touching Touchy Official - SB Nation Arizona
If there's one thing we hear all the time is that NFL football is a game of rule. People love to have some rules. Can't have chaos so we got to have us some rules. And one rule says that you can't touch the official. Except players touch officials all the time when they are talking or want to you know, get the officials attention.
Kerry Rhodes ejected for contact with official | ProFootballTalk.com
An already ugly blowout loss for the Arizona Cardinals in Atlanta just got worse, as Cardinals safety Kerry Rhodes was kicked out of the game.
After big game, Michael Vick says "this is Kevin's team" | ProFootballTalk.com
Last week Vick said he thought the Eagles could have won if he had played the whole game, and he may be right. Based on what we've seen in two games, Vick is the Eagles' best quarterback. But Vick is not the Eagles' starter.
Rapid Reaction: Bears 27, Cowboys 20 - NFC East Blog - ESPN
If Dallas Cowboys fans haven't panicked yet about the 2010 season, now's as good a time as any. You expected them to be a desperate team after a season-opening loss to the Redskins, but it was the Chicago Bears who played with the greater sense of urgency Sunday in a 27-20 road victory. And it's hard to choose between Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett in this one, so we might as well pile on both of them.
Money can't buy the 'Boys wins | ProFootballTalk.com
The Dallas Cowboys have devoted more than $166 million this year to player compensation. They are 0-2. The Chiefs and the Buccaneers have combined to spend $165.3 million. And they are each 2-0. So, yes, things aren't going well right now for the Cowboys. As evidenced by the post-game comments from coach Wade Phillips and quarterback Tony Romo.
Three options at quarterback for Steelers next week | ProFootballTalk.com
With the Steelers losing quarterback Dennis Dixon to a knee injury that will be evaluated on Monday, they enter Week Three with three options at quarterback.
Jerry Jones says 0-2 start is "quite a setback" | ProFootballTalk.com
With the Cowboys losing on the road to the Redskins and at home to the Bears, Jerry Jones' team has fallen to 0-2. As Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News points out, the 'Boys under under Jones have only once before rebounded from an 0-2 start with a playoff berth.
Cowboys defense had no answers for Martz - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
A week after Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett fought over who should take the blame for a bone-headed play call, they made it easier for all of us Sunday. Both coaches flopped in the Cowboys' 27-20 loss to the Chicago Bears, but it was Phillips' vaunted defense that took the biggest fall.
Wrap-up: Raiders 16, Rams 14 - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
What’s next: The Raiders play a very winnable game at Arizona on Sunday. The Cardinals got thrashed in Atlanta. There’s no reason not to think Oakland can’t start the season 2-1. (Something to pin on the bulletin board)
Taking Laps: Reaction To Falcons Thumping Cardinals - SB Nation Arizona
What they are saying...
Brandon Jacobs throws his helmet into the crowd | ProFootballTalk.com
Brandon Jacobs is lucky. He's lucky that he didn't seriously injure someone on Sunday night when he threw his helmet out of frustration into the crowd at Lucas Oil Field. That bush league move by Jacobs could have split someone's head open and given the Giants (and the NFL) and unnecessary scandal. (They may have a minor one anyway.)
Michael Vick, Matt Schaub, Josh Freeman impressed in Week 2 - Peter King - SI.com
Three quarterbacks. That's what I take out of Week 2, along with a Stat of the Week that might be a Stat of the Year, and why the Dolphins are trouble, and why the Vikings should steer clear of a certain tall receiver from the West Coast, and why the enhanced season proposal isn't bowling you over.
Favre's foibles, the dominant Steelers and more Snaps - Don Banks - SI.com
Musings, observations and the occasional insight as we watch a wacky Week 2 unfold while awaiting that showdown of sibling rivalry known as Manning Bowl II ...
Jets' Sanchez rises to occasion in a big way - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
For Mark Sanchez, the moment of truth came less than two minutes into the second quarter of the second game of his second NFL season.
Strained hammy could sit New York Jets' Darrelle Revis two weeks - ESPN New York
New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis said a Monday morning MRI revealed a strained left hamstring. He wouldn't rule himself out of Sunday's game in Miami but also said it's likely he'll miss one to two weeks.
Will Brett Favre stick around if he's benched? - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
We all knew it would eventually happen. A 40-year-old quarterback, no matter his skill or toughness, is going to hit a wall, strictly set by the human body and how far it can or can't go.
Carolina Panthers to start rookie Jimmy Clausen at QB Sunday - ESPN
The Jimmy Clausen era is under way in Carolina, ahead of schedule.
Buffalo Bills shake things up, to start Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB - ESPN
Bills coach Chan Gailey says Ryan Fitzpatrick will be Buffalo's starting quarterback.
Giants vs. Colts - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Big brother Peyton showed little bro' Eli who rules America's first family of quarterbacks.
Texans vs. Redskins - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Their quarterback threw for 497 yards. They overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit. They've beaten Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb back-to-back. They even won an overtime game for the first time.
Patriots vs. Jets - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets finally played like the team coach Rex Ryan says can win the Super Bowl.
Seahawks vs. Broncos - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Who needs Brandon Marshall ? Certainly not the Denver Broncos .
Rams vs. Raiders - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Bruce Gradkowski held his helmet and the football to the sky as he walked off the field to the chants of "Bruuuuce!" that echoed throughout the Coliseum for most of the second half.
Chiefs vs. Browns - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Two wins in one week have the Kansas City Chiefs off to a shocking start.
Bills vs. Packers - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Clay Matthews knocked around another opposing offense, and this time the Green Bay Packers didn't allow any comebacks.
Eagles vs. Lions - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Michael Vick made the most of his first chance to start at quarterback since 2006.
Ravens vs. Bengals - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Instead of watching a game, Mike Nugent got a chance to win one.
Steelers vs. Titans - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin isn't sure who's going to play quarterback next for his Steelers. The way his defense is playing, it might not matter.
Bears vs. Cowboys - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Jay Cutler can't lose. Tony Romo can't win.
Buccaneers vs. Panthers - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
Josh Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued to show remarkable growth. The Carolina Panthers remained in disarray, and may be ready to turn permanently to their own young quarterback.
Dolphins vs. Vikings - Recap - September 19, 2010 - NFL - Football - SI.com
The Miami Dolphins defense has put Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in quite a hole.