Some links to start off this weekend, including stuff on the Cardinals being awarded a 7th round pick, lowered ticket prices and a loss by the suns that also included Marcin Gortat's nose being broken.
Arizona Cardinals awarded 7th-round NFL draft pick
Going 5-11 in 2010 paid off in a small way for the Cardinals on Friday when the NFL awarded 32 compensatory draft picks to 23 teams.
Chargers, Browns, Cardinals, Bucs cut ticket prices | ProFootballTalk
At a time when NFL teams are alienating fans with a lockout, only four teams are attempting to entice fans by offering reduced-price tickets.
Word From the Birds Blog - Cards get extra pick, Fitz, and giving back
The NFL finally announced the 2011 compensatory draft picks Friday. The Cardinals ended up with a bonus seventh rounder (248th overall, and their only seventh rounder since their own pick was traded away in the Kerry Rhodes deal) right at the end of the draft and it wasn’t even because they suffered big free-agent losses. Yep — if you had been expecting the loss of LB Karlos Dansby (and K Neil Rackers) to gain the Cards a good pick, you were wrong. The Cards signed FAs Rex Hadnot, K Jay Feely and LB Paris Lenon, and I’d guess Lenon and Feely played well enough to offset Dansby and Rackers.
2011 NFL draft: Cardinals picks - NFC West Blog - ESPN
A quick look at the 2011 NFL draft choices the Arizona Cardinals hold after the NFL announced compensatory selections Friday ...
2011 NFL draft: Picks by team, round - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The chart shows how many picks I expect each NFL team to hold by round unless the Detroit Lions win their appeal in a tampering case that forced them to swap fifth-rounders with Kansas City and forfeit a seventh-round choice.
Mailbag: Banking on Josh McDaniels - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Joe from Fort Collins, Colo., thinks Alabama receiver Julio Jones resembles former Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, a player Arizona couldn't hold onto. He also wonders whether two rookie quarterbacks have ever won their first starts with the same team in the same season, as Max Hall and John Skelton did with Arizona in 2010.
Injuries haunt Phoenix Suns in 106-100 loss to New Orleans Hornets
The Suns lost Mickael Pietrus, Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat to injuries and illness and still competed. The Suns lost their lead and fought back. But after losing 106-100 on Friday night to the New Orleans Hornets, the Suns' fight for a playoff spot finally might have been hit with a blow it can't survive.
Carolina Panthers awarded NFL-high three compensatory draft picks - ESPN
The Carolina Panthers were awarded three compensatory picks Friday for April's draft after losing Julius Peppers to free agency before last season. A total of 23 teams were allotted selections, beginning with a third-rounder (97th overall) to Carolina, which also has the top overall choice after going 2-14 in 2010. Peppers had an All-Pro season with Chicago, and Carolina also lost quarterback A.J. Feeley to St. Louis.
Video: Titans RB Stafon Johnson runs for the first time in months - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
A quick 10-second sprint charge on a treadmill usually isn't a big deal; it (or something like it) is part of the training for any athlete looking to retain (or regain) his or her explosiveness. But occasionally, such things have a deeper meaning. Such was the case for Tennessee Titans running back Stafon Johnson, who was able to get back on the treadmill for the first time in months last week during his rehab and training at the Athletes Performance facility at the Home Depot Center under the supervision of trainer Travelle Gaines (standing to Johnson's left in the video).
"Most teams" don’t have first-round grade on Jake Locker | ProFootballTalk
NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, a Wednesday guest on PFT Live, told Mike Florio that Washington quarterback Jake Locker is a "first-round talent" who could fall in the draft because teams don’t know if he’ll ever "be accurate from the pocket."
Jonathan Baldwin benefits from work with Revis, Fitzgerald | ProFootballTalk
Former Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin is getting ready for the NFL draft by working with two former Pittsburgh players who are among the best in the business, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald.