11-6-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Gameday Rams/Cardinals

Time for some links to start off your morning as the Cardinals get ready to face the Rams

What Could Have Been
Cards, Rams had different expectations for first meeting

Confidence key for Arizona Cardinals QB John Skelton
In his four starts last season, there were times when Cardinals quarterback John Skelton came to the sideline frustrated. But his word has to be trusted on this. Skelton didn't yell at anyone. He didn't loudly curse himself for mistakes, didn't appear to ever smack his hands together in a way that said, "I blew that one." "Throw a helmet or anything else?" Skelton said with a slight smile. "No." He does have a dog at home, and "he gets kicked quite a bit, too. Mostly his fault." Most of all, the 6-foot-6 Skelton didn't look like he was in water 7 feet deep last year. And that gives the Cardinals some additional hope Sunday against the Rams. Skelton is expected to play for the first time this season, replacing Kevin Kolb, who is doubtful with a foot injury that includes turf toe.

Arizona Cardinals need to take a stand, show some character
Losing is complicated in the NFL. The Cardinals only make it look easy. It's time for this sagging football team to show some character and revolt against a six-game losing streak.

Wired - Adrian Wilson @ BAL
Cardinals SS Adrian Wilson was wired for sound against the Ravens in Baltimore.

Schofield and Acho Make Their Mark
Young OLB's O'Brien Schofield and Sam Acho are beginning to make an impact for the Cardinals defense. Jody Jackson reports.

Peterson Confident While Growing as a Pro
Paul Calvisi sits down with Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson as he learns on the job. The rookie displays supreme confidence and has a tremendous upside.

Building the Gameplan - STL
Ron Wolfley and Jody Jackson build the gameplan for the Cardinals and Rams match-up.

NFL Videos: Playbook: Rams vs. Cardinals
Can the Rams build off Week 8's upset win over the Saints? "Playbook" explains why Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb better step up his game.

(Good look at Kolb's footwork issues)

XTRA910 audio: NFC West Week 9 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Mike Jurecki, Dan Bickley and I expanded our weekly NFC West conversation to include other subjects around the league Friday. Officiating as it relates to concussions was one of them. Apparently, there's more to the NFL in Week 9 than A.J. Feeley and John Skelton potentially headlining the St. Louis Rams-Arizona Cardinals matchup Sunday. We discussed that, too, of course.

Arizona Sports News:

One point short: ASU football falls at UCLA
Derrick Coleman scored the go-ahead touchdown for UCLA on a 1-yard run with 49 seconds to play, and Alex Garoutte missed a 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the Bruins' 29-28 victory over No. 20 Arizona State on Saturday night.

Utah takes advantage of turnovers to beat Arizona Wildcats
John Hays threw for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Utah's defense hounded Arizona quarterback Nick Foles into a pair of big mistakes en route to a 34-21 win over the Wildcats on Saturday.

Coyotes rebound from shutout with win over Oilers
The importance of scoring the first goal can never be overstated. It builds instant confidence and jump-starts momentum. Nobody knows that better than goaltenders. Mike Smith chipped in on that front, recording his fourth career assist, as the Coyotes defeated the Oilers 4-2 on Saturday in front of 13,381 at Jobing.com Arena, snapping Edmonton's six-game winning streak.

NFL News:

NFL Week Injury Report, Week 9: Andre Johnson, Peyton Hillis Out - SBNation.com
SB Nation Medical Expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi discusses some of the most significant remaining injuries impacting this weekend’s games and how they might affect your fantasy rosters:

Other Sports News:

Jerry Sandusky Indicted On Sex Crime Charges, Penn State AD Charged With Perjury - SBNation.com
Former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky was indicted on multiple charges of sex crimes against minors on Friday. Tim Curley, Penn State's current athletic director, and Gary Schultz, Penn State's vice president for finance and business, have been charged with perjury and failure to report.

Penn State's Jerry Sandusky Case: Reactions From Around College Football - SBNation.com
A college football Saturday that was supposed to be one of the season's best was marred by some awful news regarding Penn State. Former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has been charged with many child sex abuse felonies, athletic director Tim Curley has been charged with perjury and legendary coach Joe Paterno has been found to have known about at least one of Sandusky's alleged on-campus actions.