12-18-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Cards/Browns Gameday

Its gameday, and here are some links to start off your morning.

Also, I will be at the game after winning tickets from Hamza Abdullah earlier this week. Hopefully I will be able to see the Cards get back to .500 today.

Returning To .500
After disastrous start, Cards can break even by beating Browns

Arizona Cardinals' Paris Lenon quietly stars on defense
Paris Lenon is a survivor. He's believed to be the only XFL player still roaming an NFL sideline. He loves history. He can tell you about Hannibal crossing the Alps or Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon. He's made history. He played for the 2008 Lions, who set a league record by going 0-16. The following season, he signed with St.Louis, where the Rams went 1-15 and his personal losing streak reached 24 games. Still, to guys like Lenon, the losing isn't personal. The job is, and for that, we should all be thankful.

Arizona Cardinals seeking faster starts
Ken Whisenhunt joked this week that he was considering a unique method to prepare John Skelton in case the backup quarterback had to start today against the Browns. "I think maybe if we get him no (practice) reps and tell him it's the third quarter, then we're in good shape," Whisenhunt said. "Maybe that would be the approach." Maybe that should be the approach with the entire Cardinals offense, which, like Skelton, tends to start slowly.

2011 Cardinals Week 14: Five observations - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Five things I noticed while watching the Arizona Cardinals during their most recent game, a 21-19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14:

John Skelton will get another start Sunday | ProFootballTalk
Skeltonmania has captured the nation’s imagination. And it’s going to last for at least another week.

Cardinals Defensive Revival
One of the most interesting stories of the 2011 season has been the rapid improvement of the Cardinals defense. Jody Jackson has more.

Wired - Anthony Sherman vs SF
Cardinals rookie FB Anthony Sherman was wired for sound during the win over the 49ers.

Building the Gameplan vs CLE
Jody Jackson and Ron Wolfley build the gameplan for the Cardinals and Browns match-up.

Playbook: Browns vs. Cardinals
The Cardinals have hit their stride late in the season and hope to continue with a win over the Browns Sunday.

Arizona Sports News:

ASU basketball falls to NAU for second time in 5 years
Stallon Saldivar hit a 3-pointer with under a second left and scored 24 points, helping Northern Arizona knock off Arizona State for the second time in five years with a 69-68 win over the Sun Devils on Saturday.

Arizona Wildcats basketball can't rally vs. Gonzaga
Teammates said his performance was "All-American" worthy. Arizona coach Sean Miller essentially called Elias Harris one of the best forwards in the country. Even Harris had to acknowledge his game Saturday was pretty special. "Today was not much thinking. Today was getting in there and getting the job done," Harris said. "That's what I did." Harris scored 12 of Gonzaga's first 19 points during a suffocating opening run, finishing with a season-high 25 points, and the Bulldogs needed all of their early advantage to hold on in the final minutes for a 71-60 win over the Wildcats on Saturday at Seattle's KeyArena.

Phoenix Coyotes lose to New York Rangers as time expires
A few times this season, the Coyotes have been victimized by lapses that allowed opponents to score late in periods, robbing them of valuable points. It happened again Saturday night - and this was the worst of all. The Coyotes had just killed a power play, but with one-tenth of a second remaining, Brad Richards scored to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 win Saturday night at Jobing.com Arena in front of 12,172. It was the 15th time this season they have allowed a goal in the final two minutes of a period.

Marcin Gortat, Robin Lopez promising for Suns
A year ago today, the Suns were about as unsure as a team could be at the center position. Robin Lopez just had returned from a knee injury, another medical stop after a foot fracture and bulging disk. With Earl Barron and Garret Siler as the other options, Channing Frye became the de facto center. A day later, the Suns made a six-player trade with Orlando, highlighted by the acquisition of Marcin Gortat. With a year of Gortat, the Suns are comfortable about their classic centers. Gortat shined once freed from Dwight Howard's broad shadow in Orlando, and Lopez appears to be escaping his own darkness after he regressed amid injuries and emotions.

Phoenix Coyotes trade Kyle Turris to Ottawa Senators for defenseman, pick
This was a trade that caught David Rundblad completely by surprise. Kyle Turris, meanwhile, could see it coming at any moment.

NFL News:

NFL Picks And Predictions For All Week 15 Games - SBNation.com
The playoff picture is becoming clearer as we enter Week 15 in the NFL. Here are our picks and predictions on every game this week.

Fantasy Football Week 15 Injury News: Adrian Peterson Expected To Return - SBNation.com
We break down all the week 15 injury news to help you better prepare for your fantasy football playoffs.

Matt Hasselbeck Injury: Titans QB Expected To Start On Sunday - SBNation.com
Despite splitting first team reps with Jake Locker, Matt Hasselbeck is on track to start for the Titans in Week 15.

2011 Seahawks Week 14: Five observations - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Five things I noticed while watching the Seattle Seahawks' most recent game, a 30-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Week 14:

Carson Palmer: Hue Jackson "on our a–" about penalties | ProFootballTalk
It’s not exactly unusual for the Raiders to lead the league in penalties. But this year Raiders coach Hue Jackson has seen enough.