11-29-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Setting Records

Time for some more links, including more stuff on the two people who set records on Sunday. You know who they are...

Also some stuff on how Kolb will probably be back on Sunday.

Arizona Cardinals News:

The Challenge On The Run
Record rushing day from Beanie, Cards came after Whisenhunt talk

Hidden key to Patrick Peterson's return - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Arizona Cardinals weren't convinced the St. Louis Rams planned to punt on fourth-and-1 with 4:05 remaining in the third quarter Sunday. They left their regular defensive personnel on the field -- Clark Haggans, Darnell Dockett, Daryl Washington, Adrian Wilson, David Carter, Paris Lenon and Calais Campbell among them -- just in case the Rams planned a fake.

Word From the Birds Blog - Whiz passes a mentor
When Ken Whisenhunt was playing in the NFL, Jim Hanifan was one of his coaches. The two were close, and Hanifan liked to tell his big H-back, "Someday, you’ll wind up the Governor of the state of Georgia." "I knew he’d be a tremendous success in whatever he did," Hanifan said Sunday, when he just so happened to be at the same game as Whisenhunt. Hanifan, in fact, was one of the most successful head coaches in Cardinals’ franchise history, totaling 39 wins from 1980-85. It was coincidence, of course – Hanifan was taking part in the Cards’ annual alumni reunion every time they have a road trip in St. Louis – but Whisenhunt’s win against the Rams broke his tie with Hanifan on the team’s all-time wins list. Whisenhunt now has 40 victories. Whisenhunt wasn’t much in the mood — with a 4-7 record — to be talking about his place on the wins list. Don Coryell is the franchise’s all-time leader with 42, and the Cards have five games remaining.

Word From the Birds Blog - Beanie sore but not out; Kolb should return
Not too many news nuggets came out of Ken Whisenhunt’s presser today, which is probably a good thing. Other than running back Beanie Wells, whom Whiz said was "sore" and had a "little swelling" with his knee, the Cards came out fairly unscathed. It’ll be wait and see how much Wells can do at practice Wednesday, but there didn’t sound like any concern he would be ready for Dallas.

2011 Cardinals Week 12: Five observations - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Five things I noticed about the Arizona Cardinals while watching their 23-20 road victory over the St. Louis Rams in Week 12:

QBR ranks: Should Seahawks try Portis? - NFC West Blog - ESPN
John Skelton, Cardinals (18.1 QBR, 30.0 NFL rating): Skelton completed 12 of 23 passes for 114 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and three sacks. He gained 18 yards on three rushes. Skelton did not fumble. His QBR for the season has now dipped below that of injured starter Kevin Kolb. The Cardinals have won three of their last four game, all with Skelton as the starter. They needed punt returns for touchdowns in both victories over St. Louis. Beanie Wells' 228-yard rushing performance was another key Sunday.

Arizona Cardinals optimistic Kevin Kolb will return
John Skelton is 3-1 as the Cardinals' starting quarterback for the past four weeks. It's doubtful he will get a chance to improve on that record on Sunday when the Dallas Cowboys roll into town. That's because the team fully expects Kevin Kolb to finally be able to put his troublesome right foot and big toe to the test and return as Arizona's starter.

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

Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells is getting tougher
Last season or two years ago as a rookie, Beanie Wells probably wouldn't have returned to the game like he did Sunday, when he grabbed his right knee in pain against the St. Louis Rams. He got his cleats stuck in the turf during a run, got twisted around and pushed down awkwardly, and it appeared he wasn't coming back anytime soon. After all, Wells has been dealing with an undisclosed injury to that same knee for the past month and he hasn't exactly been compared to Superman when it comes to being invincible to pain. "That was tough. When he got his knee bent back, it looked horrible," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "At that point, I'm sure most of us assumed that was it, that he was done, because he was already fighting the knee." But Wells responded when the Cardinals needed him most on what turned out to be a record-setting performance by him. He not only returned, he ripped off a 53-yard run and finished with a single-game franchise mark of 228 rushing yards in Arizona's 23-20 victory.

Beanie Wells' career day just part of career season - ArizonaSports.com
It's taken three years, but Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells is beginning to evolve into the talent fans were hoping. Wells continued his career season Sunday with a 228 yard rushing performance against the Rams, besting LeShon Johnson's previous record of 214 yards set back in 1996 against New Orleans. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt said the performance showed just how far Wells has come as a player.

Calais Campbell making strides for Cardinals - ArizonaSports.com
While Patrick Peterson and Beanie Wells got most of the attention from Sunday's win over the Rams, coach Ken Whisenhunt was praising defensive end Calais Campbell on Monday.

Todd Heap continues to play through injuries - ArizonaSports.com
After missing the past two weeks due to a hamstring injury he has been battling all season, Todd Heap was back on the field Sunday for the Cardinals 23-20 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Heap told Arizona Sports 620's Burns and Gambo he had difficulty running in the open field and turning on an extra gear he is used to, but he was able to do shorter movements like blocking at the line of scrimmage. Running back Beanie Wells probably didn't notice anything wrong with Heap's play on the line, as he ran for a Cardinals single-game record 228 rushing yards.

Whisenhunt trumps Peterson for rookie of the year - ArizonaSports.com
This Arizona Cardinal has done it four times this season, each time over 80 yards and he currently leads the NFL with 558 total yards. The player is Patrick Peterson and the name of the game is punt returns. Peterson returned his fourth punt for a touchdown Sunday against the Rams, tying an NFL record for punt returns for a touchdown in a single season. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt knew Peterson was a good returner, but had no idea he could be this special.

Coach Whisenhunt 'optimistic' Kolb will be ready this week - ArizonaSports.com
Kevin Kolb's return could be at hand. Out since Week 8 after suffering a turf toe injury, the QB - - who was close to playing Sunday in St. Louis -- may finally be ready to get back on the field.

Cardinals rookie Sam Acho brings the pass rush - ArizonaSports.com
Suddenly, the Arizona Cardinals have a pass rush. The Cardinals have collected eight sacks over the last four games, with rookie Sam Acho being responsible for three of them. The former Texas Longhorn has five sacks on the season, and is looking more and more like a guy who can be a longterm answer at linebacker for a team desperately in need of one.

In the Red Zone with Ken Whisenhunt - STL Review
Ken Whisenhunt joins The Doug and Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 620 to talk about the record setting day in St. Louis against the Rams.

Cards Daily - Beanie Sets Franchise Mark
The Cardinals sweep the season series with the Rams as Beanie Wells sets the franchise record for most rushing yards in a single game.

Peterson Punt Return TD @ STL in Spanish
Watch and listen as Gabriel Trujillo of the Arizona Cardinals Spanish Radio Network delivers the play-by-play of Patrick Peterson's 80-yard punt return for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams.

Arizona Sports News:

ASU football: Dennis Erickson officially out as coach, search for replacement begins
Arizona State formally begins the search for its seventh football coach since 1980 today. The five-year Dennis Erickson era came to an end after four consecutive regular seasons of .500 or worse records. Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love met with Erickson today to finalize a parting that became necessary after ASU lost its final four games to fall to 6-6. The Sun Devils still will play in a bowl game, their first since 2007. In late October, when ASU was 6-2 and favored to win the Pac-12 South, the 64-year-old Erickson seemed likely to receive a contract extension. Erickson will coach ASU in its postseason game - probably the Sun or Las Vegas Bowl -- like Dirk Koetter did after losing his job in 2006.

ASU football: Statement from Dennis Erickson on firing
"ASU is a great university and a great place to go to school," Dennis Erickson said in a statement. "I will always cherish my memories here."

ASU football: Official release on Dennis Erickson firing
Dennis Erickson will not return for a sixth season as head football coach at Arizona State University, as Vice President for University Athletics Lisa Love has announced that there will be a change in leadership atop the Sun Devil Football program. Erickson will coach the Sun Devils in their bowl game, which will be determined on Sunday, December 4.

Lisa Love the next to go for ASU?
Arizona State has a leadership problem. They have an image problem. You can bet the next football coach will not wear shorts and flip flops to his weekly press conferences. But Dennis Erickson is old news. The trending story is athletic director Lisa Love, and whether her time is through in Tempe, as well.

ASU football: Top football coaching candidates
Now that Arizona State has a coaching vacancy, let's look at some possible replacement candidates. ASU likley will want to go with someone young, someone who can energize the fan base.

ASU football's coaching search now underway
As Arizona State launches its third coaching search in 11 years, Lisa Love wants to make one thing clear: "We are not starting from Ground Zero," the school's vice president of athletics said. "We are not there. I cannot emphasize that enough. We are in a better place to compete at a higher level very fast." Love fired Dennis Erickson on Monday, ending the coach's tenure in Tempe. In five years, Erickson went 31-30, entering the year having gone three consecutive seasons without making a bowl. He will coach the Sun Devils (6-6) in this season's bowl game, which will be announced Sunday.

NFL News:

NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Saints Are Now The Best Non-Green Bay Team - SBNation.com
SB Nation's Week 13 NFL power rankings have a new No. 2 as the Saints move past the 49ers and Ravens into the second spot following their 25-point victory over the Giants.

NFL Week 12, Best And Worst: LeGarrette Blount And Roy Helu Hurdle While Suh Stomps - SBNation.com
From Brad Smith's touchdown tip and catch to Ndamukong Suh's stomp, here's the best and the worst from Week 12 of the 2011 NFL season.

Jack Del Rio Fired As Jaguars Head Coach, According To Report - SBNation.com
The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired head coach Jack Del Rio, according to reports.

Jaguars To Be Sold But Remain In Jacksonville, According To Report - SBNation.com
ESPN reports the Jaguars are being sold though it's unclear to whom. They are expected to remain in Jacksonville, according to the report.

Matt Leinart Fractures Collarbone, Texans Confirm - SBNation.com
The headlines look all too familiar for the Houston Texans: Starting quarterback is out for the year. Matt Leinart, who was replacing Matt Schaub, went down with a shoulder injury on Sunday and shortly after that word leaked that the Texans feared he had a broken collarbone.

Tim Tebow And The Option Offense: Breaking Down The Film - SBNation.com
How does Tim Tebow's spread offense work? What's the best way to stop it? We answer both those questions while taking a look at the film of Tebow and the Broncos offense.

In Defense Of Stevie Johnson And Ridiculous TD Celebrations - SBNation.com
Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson celebrated a touchdown on Sunday with a dance mocking Plaxico Burress, and it sparked the latest in a long line of controversies surrounding NFL players in the endzone. But why?

Ndamukong Suh Suspended Two Games Without Pay For Stomping Packers Player - SBNation.com
The Detroit Lions have been informed that DT Ndamukong Suh has been suspended two games for stopping on a Green Bay Packers lineman last week, FOX's Jay Glazer reports. It was expected that Suh would receive at least a two-game suspension for his actions. Glazer reports he will not be paid in those two games. The Lions face the Saints and Vikings in the next two weeks.

Ndamukong Suh Is A Cartoon Villain - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
There goes Ndamukong Suh, tearing people's limbs off again... In light of his latest controversy, he's the subject of a new Taiwanese Animation video, and maybe more than any character they've ever covered**, Ndamukong wears the mold of a stomping, cartoon hellbeast like it's perfectly natural. Maybe he's never actually swung Colt McCoy around by his helmet and/or murdered Jay Cutler with some sort of electric orb, but it seems like it's just a matter of time.

Texans Plan To Sign Jake Delhomme Or Jeff Garcia After Matt Leinart's Injury - SBNation.com
With Matt Schaub on injured reserve with a foot injury, and Matt Leinart set to join him after fracturing his left collarbone on Sunday, the Houston Texans will sign either Jake Delhomme or Jeff Garcia on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Super Bowl Hero Kurt Warner Gives A Little Spiritual Advice To Tim Tebow | ThePostGame
While he never believed in separation of church and pigskin as a player, NFL legend Kurt Warner has some surprising advice for pro football's newest religious poster boy.

Plummer: I’m not dissing Tebow, I just don’t need to hear it | ProFootballTalk
Former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer has revised and extended his controversial comments about Tim Tebow.

Silver linings: Rams vs. Cardinals - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-9 with a 23-20 home defeat to the Arizona Cardinals.

Silver linings: Seahawks vs. Redskins - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The facts: The Seattle Seahawks fell to 4-7 with a 23-17 home defeat to the Washington Redskins.