11-2-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Skelton Time?

Time for some links, including the possibility of John Skelton playing on Sunday.

Should it be Kolb or Skelton Sunday against the Rams? - ArizonaSports.com
Kevin Kolb suffered a turf toe injury Sunday in Baltimore, putting his Week 8 start at home against the Rams in jeopardy. The QB, who has passed for 1,706 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions this season, would be replaced by second-year pro John Skelton, who started four games for the team last year, winning two. Given Kolb's struggles -- and his injury -- would it make sense for the team to give Skelton the start? "If he's injured and that turf toe is hampering him then I say yes," Arizona Sports 620's John Gambadoro said. "If he's healthy, if he goes out there and he's healthy and he's ready to play, then he plays." Gambadoro said not playing a dinged up-but-able-to-go Kolb sends a message the team may not be ready for.

Re-Focused: Cardinals @ Ravens | ProFootballFocus.com
Arizona Cardinals – Three Performances of Note

Hope for Kevin Kolb? A striking comparison - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Arizona Cardinals fans suffering through a 1-6 start must realize the 2011 season isn't going to produce a playoff berth. They should happily settle for a little hope on the quarterback front. Kevin Kolb's first seven games with the team have warmed seats beneath the Cardinals' leadership while threatening to empty them at University of Phoenix Stadium. An email from Rodney Lakin of arizonasports.com pointed to striking similarities between the first seven starts for Kolb and the first seven for Matt Cassel in Kansas City.

Arizona Cardinals' sellout streak in question for Sunday's game
The Cardinals and Rams each have won a single game, which has led to speculation the Cardinals' streak of 58 consecutive sellouts at University of Phoenix Stadium will end on Sunday. The Cardinals had fewer than 2,000 tickets remaining as of Tuesday afternoon. In the past, they have sold out under similar circumstances. The Cardinals "protect the nest" plans might keep the streak alive. Under the red plan, those buying tickets to the Steelers game also had to purchase tickets to the preseason game against the Chargers and the upcoming Rams game. The Chargers game sold out, so it's logical to think Sunday's will, too.

Popular As The Backup
With Kolb hobbling, Skelton hears pleas to have him play

Word From the Birds Blog - With Sherman ailing, Cards bring back Maui’a
After rookie fullback Anthony Sherman went down early in Baltimore with a left ankle injury, the Cards were in a bind since they only had one fullback on the roster. Tight end Jim Dray was forced to play the position and it hampered the Cards’ use of certain packages. That was rectified Tuesday when the Cards went out and brought back fullback Reagan Maui’a, showing that Sherman is likely going to be on the shelf short-term. To make room for Maui’a, the Cardinals waived defensive end Ronald Talley, although they signed Talley back to the practice squad and released defensive lineman Ricky Lumpkin to do so.

Word From the Birds Blog - Kolb’s numbers and remembering 2010
No one is going to argue that Kevin Kolb has struggled at quarterback. That is clear, especially over the past few games. No will will argue that the Cardinals at three wins after seven games last year, which, while not impressive, is much better than one. That said, it’s probably time to clear up some misconceptions about what the Cards are getting at quarterback now compared to last season. Some have suggested the Cardinals had better quarterback play through this point last year. That is not true, based on the numbers. A look at Kolb thus far, compared to the Derek Anderson/Max Hall combination of a year ago:

Cards o-line could face Long afternoon - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals have allowed 24 quarterback sacks in their first seven games this season, a mark that's the 5th- worst in the league. Quarterback Kevin Kolb has been bludgeoned on a weekly basis, and now his status for Sunday's game against St. Louis is in doubt with a case of turf toe he suffered early in last Sunday's loss to Baltimore. One interesting note on the Cardinals' pass blocking woes; they've faced an elite pass rusher in each of their seven games. Another interesting/troubling note; every single one of those elite pass rushers has registered at least one sack.

Darnell Dockett talked, didn't really deliver - ArizonaSports.com
Darnell Dockett, never one to really mince words, may have stuck his foot in his mouth, so to speak.

Outside the huddle: Cardinals quarterback Rich Bartel
Each week, The Republic spotlights a Cardinals player for a series of on-the-spot, off-beat questions.

Cardinals paying price for poor drafts in recent years
Drafts are to NFL teams what roadwork is to boxers. To paraphrase Joe Frazier, if you failed at work in the dark of the morning, there is no hiding it when the bright lights are on. Draft mistakes are like taking punches, except it takes a lot longer for the pain to fade.

Cardinals bring back the Juggernaut, Reagan Maui'a - ArizonaSports.com
The Cardinals, dinged up after their loss to the Ravens Sunday, needed to find a fullback to replace the injured Anthony Sherman. Enter the Juggernaut, but maybe not for a few weeks.

Is Fitzgerald's contract handcuffing Cardinals? - ArizonaSports.com
There is no doubt whom the "face of the franchise" is for the Arizona Cardinals. It's Larry Fitzgerald. Not only is Fitzgerald one of the most talented and feared wide receivers in the league, but he's also very visible as the Cardinals' ambassador to the community. It's for those reasons that general manager Rod Graves signed Fitzgerald, who was entering the last year of his contract, to a massive 8-year, $120 million deal that guaranteed the receiver around $50 million.

Bad sign for Cardinals: John Skelton is a popular guy | ProFootballTalk
The lowest moment in the 2010 49ers season undeniably came when San Francisco fans started chanting for David Carr to enter a game. Alex Smith has helped make that a distant memory, but there is a similarly depressing movement happening in Arizona right now. John Skelton is suddenly a popular guy.

Cards Daily - Protect QB, Work Through Adversity
The Cardinals look to improve their pass protection while searching for a winning formula.

Arizona Sports News:

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra wins Gold Glove
Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra was named the 2011 Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient for left field in the National League. The award recognizes the best defensive players at their respective positions as voted by major-league managers and coaches. Parra was one of nine first-time winners this season

Phoenix Suns' opening-night lights go dark
The NBA lockout began 125 days ago, and yet it will not hit home until Wednesday night. The lockout wiped out free agency, summer leagues, voluntary workouts, training camp and the preseason. Those were small wounds for fans, but missing out on the Suns' opening night is the salt that stings. US Airways Center will not transform into Planet Orange Wednesday night. Steve Nash is apt to be assisting his kids instead of teammates. The Gorilla will be caged. Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder would have been here Wednesday night. Instead, Durant played flag football back home Monday. The lockout no longer is just a threat. It has sliced away all of November's slate (including 15 Suns games) after owners and players remained at an impasse over collective-bargaining issues.

NFL News:

NFL Week 8, Best And Worst: From Patrick Peterson's Punt Return To Chris Johnson In General - SBNation.com
From Patrick Peterson's awesome punt return to Chris Johnson's general awfulness, here's the top-five best and worst plays from Week 8 of the 2011 NFL season.

2011 49ers Week 8: Five observations - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Five things I noticed while watching the San Francisco 49ers' 20-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 8:

Oakland Raiders Sign TJ Houshmandzadeh. Championship! - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
The Oakland Raiders made an intriguing roster move on Tuesday as they signed free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The former Bengals, Seahawks and Ravens receiver will join Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore as weapons for recently acquired Carson Palmer. The Raiders receivers spent the bye week trying to get Carson Palmer on track. Adding Houshmandzadeh could also help as he spent much of Palmer's recent hiatus working out with the former Bengals quarterback.

LaMarr Woodley Injury: Steelers LB Expected To Miss Ravens Game - SBNation.com
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley will be out for his team's key AFC North showdown against the Baltimore Ravens

How Did Mark Brunell Lose $50 Million? - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Mark Brunell is a recognizable name by any NFL fans having been in the league since 1993 and gone to two AFC Championship games. He's a backup with the New York Jets now and throughout the course of his career has collected $50 million. Brunell is also broke. When he retires from the league, which will be after this season, he'll be moving onto a 9-to-5 job working as a medical sales representative.

Sean Lee Injury: Dallas Cowboys LB Will Miss Time With Dislocated Wrist - SBNation.com
An MRI confirmed Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee dislocated his wrist last week against the Eagles and he is not expected to play Week 9 against the Seahawks.

Five teams that need to embrace a throwback look immediately - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
These are the five teams most in need of embracing a brighter time in their fashion history.

Lance Armstrong takes a Twitter shot at Jerry Jones - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Famed cyclist Lance Armstrong was born in Dallas and named after former Cowboys receiver Lance Rentzel, so his ties to America's Team run deep. But after a tweet sent out in the wake of the Cowboys' 35-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Armstrong shouldn't be expecting an invite to Cowboys Stadium anytime soon.