12-26-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Campbell Deal Progressing

There wasn't a lot of news yesterday with it being Christmas, but I do have something good about Calais Campbell that will make us happy.

By the way, anyone else like what they saw from Josh McCown last night? It was good to see him playing again.

Calais Campbell, Cardinals making some progress toward a new deal | ProFootballTalk
When free agency begins in early March, one of the biggest names on the market will be Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell. If he gets there.

Slow starts continue to hamper Cardinals' offense
There is only one negative thing about the great strides made by the Cardinals defense over the second half of the season. They highlight just how far the offense has to go to catch up. While the defense has improved, the offense continues to be hampered by the same problems: slow starts, inconsistent quarterback play and untimely mistakes.

Re-Focused: Cardinals @ Bengals, Week 16 | ProFootballFocus.com
At half time the Cincinnati Bengals were coasting. A 20 point lead and a further field goal in the third quarter stretched it to 23. Mission accomplished; a comfortable victory to keep their playoff hopes alive and end the Arizona Cardinals playoff hopes. In the end the Bengals did win out, but a mini fourth quarter collapse put their ability to control their own destiny, in the playoff race, in doubt. But for the most untimely trip of the season, they would likely have been headed to an overtime period with a Cardinals team that has shown itself capable of pulling off the biggest plays in overtime periods to put away their opponent. The Bengals flirted with disaster in the fourth but their win, combined with a New York Jets loss, sees a sixth seed in an AFC North dominated playoffs within their grasp. For the Cardinals this was the end of an improbable playoff run as they recovered from a 1-6 start to sit at 7-7 entering this week’s game. Behind some of the most inconsistent and at times awful quarterback play during that stretch that is a truly remarkable run that shows that Ken Whisenhunt might just be building a team that can grow and challenge the San Francisco 49ers in the coming seasons if they can find the right man under center. The Bengals now turn their attention to next week as they try to prove themselves as a playoff worthy team as their Cardinals begin to turn their attentions to next season. Right now we’ll turn our attention back to Saturday’s game to take a look at some of the key performers.

NFL News:

NFL Week 16 Debrief: NFL Playoffs Taking Shape As Packers Keep Winning - SBNation.com
The NFL playoffs are taking shape as we now know all but a handful of the postseason teams. The list starts with the Packers and Patriots, who are en route to securing the top seeds in the NFC and AFC.

Big jump for NFC West outside division - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Week 17 features only division games in the NFL. That means we now know final non-division records, a subject of interest for NFC West fans weary of hearing about just how bad the division has been in recent years. NFC West teams went 18-22 overall outside the division, tied with teams from the AFC West for the sixth-best (second-worst) record. The AFC South owns the worst non-division record by far.

Packers May Rest Starters In Week 17 Vs. Lions After Thumping Bears - SBNation.com
The Packers have nothing to play for in Week 17. Might they rest their starters against the Lions?

PHOTOS: Packers Fans Are Untrustworthy - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Christmas is typically a time to spend at home with family, but, if you're a Packers fans, it's far more important to go to the big rivalry game against the Bears than it is to, say, spend time with the in-laws, no matter what it is you actually told your in-laws.