Time for some links.
Potential factor in Adrian Wilson's struggles - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson turned in one of the more dominant performances I can recall from a defensive back during the Arizona Cardinals' victory at St. Louis in the 2010 regular-season opener. Wilson finished the game with two interceptions, one sack and a blocked field goal. He broke on the ball impressively to claim one of the interceptions, a reminder of Wilson's explosive playmaking ability.
Additional details on Adrian Wilson surgery - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Mike Jurecki of XTRA910 radio in Phoenix has additional information regarding Adrian Wilson's surgery to repair a torn abductor.
Tags, tenders like normal
Wide receiver Steve Breaston confirmed an ESPN report he has been extended a tender offer, and I would assume the Cards are doing that for a handful of guys who potentially could qualify as restricted free agents. Again, it’s housekeeping in a way, since everyone is in limbo until a new CBA is reached.
Can’t keep A-Dub down
Following up Mike Jurecki’s news that safety Adrian Wilson had surgery today to repair a torn abductor muscle (Jurecki said Wilson told him there is a three-to-seven week rehab process) that Wilson reportedly played with all season, I am reminded of 2007.
ProFootballWeekly.com - Cardinals consider multiple scenarios with No. 5 pick
Honesty is always the best policy, and to his credit, Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt pulled no punches in his interview session late Friday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine regarding his team’s disappointing 2010 campaign. At least three different times, Whisenhunt acknowledged the need to do a lot of things very differently following a 5-11 last-place finish in what is widely considered the NFL’s weakest division.
ProFootballWeekly.com - Cardinals expecting more from Wells in 2011
Here are some whispers we've been hearing from around the NFC:
Winners, losers at the NFL combine (so far)
Winners and losers from the NFL scouting combine.
Suns' Channing Frye hits game-winner for 2nd straight day to beat New Jersey Nets
You never would expect Steve Nash, a veteran of 14 years, to foul a shooter with 2.7 seconds remaining and his team leading by three points. You never would expect Grant Hill, a veteran of 15 years, to be late on an inbounds pass and get a five-second violation when his team has a shot to win the game with 2.7 seconds to go. But maybe you would expect Channing Frye to hit a game-winning shot in overtime. After all, he has done it two days in a row now.
Phoenix Coyotes stunned by late Dallas Stars' goal
A rough road trip behind them, and home for only a game before another trek out of town, the Coyotes have this mind-set during a month packed with home games down the stretch: make Jobing.com a tough place for the intruders. That plan got derailed Tuesday night - and in a devastating way.
NFL Videos: On the spot
Cardinals strength coach John Lott has a passion for bringing out a player's best performance on the bench press.
Entire owners committee, Drew Brees at NFL talks - ESPN
All 10 members of the NFL owners' labor committee and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees are attending negotiations as the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement nears.
Federal judge backs NFLPA in dispute over TV money - ESPN
A federal judge in Minneapolis has sided with the NFL players' union in a dispute with the league over television revenue.
Espo: Misery is synonymous with Phoenix sports - ArizonaSports.com
I'm pretty sure I'm a glutton for punishment. For years I've watched two things religiously, Nicolas Cage movies and Phoenix professional sports teams. The reason why is simple: they both are excellent at giving off the illusion that they'll be good. The funny thing is, both rarely are any good and always leave me saying the same thing: "That had potential, but in the end it just became laughable'.
Mailbag: Time to trade 49ers' Frank Gore? - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Justin from Scottsdale, Ariz., writes: Mike, what would you anticipate Arizona needing to give up to make a deal with the Bengals for Carson Palmer? Love the idea of No. 9 taking the reins for the Cardinals, and would consider this an upgrade over Kevin Kolb, Marc Bulger or Donovan McNabb. It also might be a positive step towards convincing Larry Fitzgerald to re-up with the team. For a SoCal guy like Palmer, remember that Glendale, Ariz., is closer than San Francisco to Los Angeles, so maybe that gives us a recruiting edge over the 49ers!
azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - No roster moves this week
Some teams have released veterans this week, but the Cardinals have no such plans, I'm told. That doesn't mean it won't happen some time this off-season, but there is really no need to do it now.
azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Adrian Wilson undergoes surgery
Strong safety Adrian Wilson recent underwent surgery to repair a torn abductor, according to Mike Jurecki of XTRA-910.
Seeking answers on Cam Newton - NFC West Blog - ESPN
ESPN's John Clayton points to three teams -- none from the NFC West -- as prime suitors for Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. The team that drafts Newton becomes only part of the story.
Loyalty, continuity and draft-pick retention - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Green Bay Packers drafted 30 of their current players since Mike McCarthy became head coach, a high number. The other Super Bowl team, Pittsburgh, has 23 players drafted under coach Mike Tomlin even though Tomlin inherited a championship team with fewer roster spots up for grabs. The home-grown continuity those organizations enjoy became a reliable storyline during Super Bowl week. Both teams got the quarterback position right, of course, and that makes everyone else look smarter. In general, however, the teams with organizational continuity should enjoy more solid footing during a potentially rocky offseason. The chart shows draft-choice retention rates for NFC West teams. For example, the Arizona Cardinals feature 21 draft choices selected under coach Ken Whisehunt. They have four selected under previous coach Dennis Green and two -- Adrian Wilson and Gerald Hayes -- remaining from the Dave McGinnis era.
Following up: Four high picks in focus - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Following up an earlier item, a look at four relatively recent NFC West draft picks, one per team and each highly drafted, under scrutiny heading toward 2011:
NFL combine notes: LB breakdown | National Football Post
Some notes looking over the 2011 linebacker group from day three at the NFL combine.
NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Von Miller only cements his top billing "
Truth be told, there’s probably very little Texas A&M LB Von Miller could have done on the field Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium to dissuade teams from believing that he’s not an elite player.
Texas A&M LB Von Miller, North Carolina DE/LB Robert Quinn Impress at NFL Combine | Sportsrageous
Texas A&M outside linebacker Von Miller is widely projected as a top-10 prospect, and the pass rushing specialist solidified his status with a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine on Monday. Miller (6’3" 246 pounds) unofficially ran 4.46 and 4.53 in the 40-yard dash, posted a 37" vertical leap, and recorded an outstanding 6.70 in the three-cone drill.
NFL.com news: Questionable QB class could raise Kolb's trade value
The draft class of 2011 is starting to take shape at the NFL Scouting Combine, and I had a bird's-eye view Sunday. The first thing that was loud and clear was teams in search of a solid quarterback in this draft have some concerns after watching the drills Sunday morning. Most teams with a QB need have a level of anxiety about this year's class. As one general manager said, "whatever Kevin Kolb was worth yesterday, he's worth more tonight."
Scouting combine: Monday winners and losers - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
The more draft classes you watch, the more you understand that the preponderance of talent can hit particular positions at the right time, leading to an explosion in the way that positional talent affects the game. When looking at the defensive linemen who worked out on Monday, there weren't too many "losers" per se, because so many of those players in what some consider the best D-line class ever performed up to potential. The linebackers, on the other hand, were a more mixed bag in a class that is one of the weakest in recent years.
Scouting combine: Tuesday winners and losers - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
Here are the defensive backs that impressed the most ... and a few who didn't.
NFL combine report: Defensive ends/linebackers - NFL - SI.com
An amazing group of athletes took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium and proceeded to awe NFL decision-makers with their athleticism. Just 17 of the 42 defensive linemen who ran the 40 failed to break the 5-second mark, a ratio previously unheard of. Likewise, the majority of linebackers that ran were also fast, clocking under 4.65. Here are the risers and slides from the two positions:
Prince Amukamara, Patrick Peterson impress on NFL Scouting Combine's final day - NFL - SI.com
The 2011 NFL combine came to a close on Tuesday as the defensive backs were the final group of players to take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. As was the case during the prior three days of workouts there were a number of outstanding performances which truly impressed the scouts and coaches that remained in Indianapolis. Here's a look at the risers and sliders from the group:
NFL labor talks done for the day; New York Giants' John Mara there - ESPN
The NFL and the players' union have wrapped up negotiations for the day, with the New York Giants' John Mara becoming the first team owner to participate since a federal mediator began overseeing the talks.
Vernon Gholston an unprecedented NFL draft bust | ProFootballTalk
The news this week that the Jets will cut defensive end Vernon Gholston has given us a couple of opportunities to examine just what a monumental draft bust Gholston was.
Report: Carson Palmer says he'll never play for Cincinnati Bengals again - ESPN
Carson Palmer is apparently determined to leave Cincinnati.
Greg McElroy almost aced the Wonderlic. Is he too smart for the NFL? - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports
Alongside the many absurd feats of size, strength and speed on display at the NFL's combine for incoming draft picks, there are also the annual efforts to bore as deeply as possible into the players' skulls: Is this guy smart? Is he a flake? Is he a potential "cancer" in the locker room? Is he really committed to sacrificing his body to the sport? The informal method of sniffing out a potential head case involves face-to-face interviews and the sort of ephemeral buzz that dogged this year's resident "character risk," Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, throughout the weekend in Indianapolis. The formal method is the Wonderlic test.
Evaluating quarterbacks at NFL Scouting Combine - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN
Sunday marked the day the quarterbacks threw at the Scouting Combine. Evaluating quarterbacks in this environment is not easy because they have not worked with these receivers before in most cases, so timing and anticipation will be off.
2011 NFL Draft Quarterback Rankings - Mocking The Draft
Every year we hear about the NFL being a quarterback driven league and that doesn't appear to be changing. The majority of teams find their franchise quarterback through the NFL Draft and this year there could be as many as 9 teams looking to select a quarterback early. This quarterback class has some very intriguing prospects but none that are sure fire franchise quarterbacks. This group includes players with with big arms and amazing athletic ability but they all have at least one significant question mark.
Labor and draft board uncertainty rule the day at the NFL's annual combine - Peter King - SI.com
NFL is being strict with teams in terms of what they can do if there's a lockout Newton and Gabbert should be drafted high, but what about Ponder of Fla. State Rex Ryan's guarantees are starting to bore me; my Oscar thoughts, more
NFL Videos: Von Miller interview
Top OLB prospect Von Miller stops by to talk about his combine performance and possibility of being a top-10 pick.
NFL Videos: Robert Quinn interview
UNC DE Robert Quinn discusses his combine performance and being projected as a top 10 pick despite missing the 2010 season due to suspension.
NFL Videos: Day 3 Standouts
Steve Wyche and Bucky Brooks reveal which prospects shined among the Defensive Lineman and Linebackers on day 3 at the combine.
NFL Videos: Combine: Day 4 Player of the Day
LSU CB Patrick Peterson is the player of the day for the final day at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine.