Quick Note: Tomorrow is my 20th birthday, so I won't be around much tomorrow. I'll post one of these things after I get home from class, but other than that I probably won't be around.
Today, I have a lot more than what I was able to get yesterday, mostly some draft stuff, also a look at the NFL's best Cornerbacks and Cornerbacks taken by NFC West teams in the Draft, a piece by Kent Somers on the East Coast road trips that the Cardinals might wind up taking if there is a season this year, the chance that draft picks for next year could be used on Kolb and some comments from Leinart on his twitter page (never knew he had one until now) on how being disrespected just motivates him.
Also, a video of the Cardinals cheerleader auditions, if you are into that sort of thing.
Arizona Cardinals QB Stock Watch - ArizonaSports.com
With all the talk and speculation about who will line up under center for the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 -- if there is an NFL in 2011 -- we decided it was time for someone to simplify the entire process. With that in mind we put together our QB Stock Watch where you can find out who's moving up, who's moving down and who's just not moving at all.
Cardinals turning attention to defense? - ArizonaSports.com
Much of the talk lately has been about the Cardinals perceived interest in Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert. Real or imagined, the idea of the Cards selecting a QB with the number five pick just more than a week from today is an exciting, if not a bit nerve-wracking, possibility. However, in true Helen Lovejoy fashion, the question has been posed: Won't somebody please think of the defense? It appears the answer to that question may be yes.
Mock draft has Cardinals taking Robert Quinn - ArizonaSports.com
With the fifth pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select...Robert Quinn. Based on his mock draft, ProFootballTalk's Evan Silva, has the Cardinals taking the North Carolina linebacker.
Kolb trade could include future picks - ArizonaSports.com
If the Cardinals are planning on swinging a deal for Kevin Kolb, they may be able to land the QB without giving up a pick in this year's draft. That means the team could keep the number five pick. As a guest of Howard Eskin's on WIP in Philadelphia, Reid said, among other things, that unless a trade is made before the draft any trade would have to include future picks.
Will MNF believe the 49ers-Cards hype? - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals have faced each other on "Monday Night Football" in each of the past four seasons. That matchup would seem to lack appeal for 2011 given the state of the quarterback situations for both teams. Then again, one year ago, no one knew the Week 17 game between St. Louis and Seattle would be flexed into prime time.
Adventures in drafting NFL cornerbacks - NFC West Blog - ESPN
With the San Francisco 49ers in the market for cornerback help and our offseason power rankings focusing on the position later Tuesday, I'll look back at the corners current NFC West teams have drafted over the last decade. This is the second part in a series that began with a look at 15 classes of NFC West quarterbacks. Then as now, I'll break up the charts with narration from teams' perspectives.
Word From the Birds Blog - Schedule hope
In the middle of waiting for the labor problems to be resolved comes the news the 2011 regular-season schedule will be released tomorrow — Tuesday — at 4 p.m. Arizona time (which is 7 p.m. Eastern). I know, I know, there are some of you who feel "What’s the point" until there is a labor agreement, and clearly, the NFL has taken part of that into account. Another game in London, between the Bears and Bucs, has been scheduled for Oct. 23 — except there is a caveat that the game will move back to Tampa Bay if a new labor agreement hasn’t been reached by Aug. 1. As a quick reminder, the Cards’ home schedule includes the NFC West teams, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Carolina, Cleveland and the New York Giants. The away schedule includes the NFC West, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Washington.
10 NFL draft candidates for the Arizona Cardinals
Which player would you like the Cardinals to take with the No. 5 pick?
Top Five: NFL Draft Steals In Arizona Cardinals History - SB Nation Arizona
With the NFL draft on the horizon, a look back at the greatest draft steals in (Arizona) Cardinals history.
Phoenix Coyotes on brink of elimination after loss
Forty-four seconds out of 60 minutes does not seem like much time. That brief interlude Monday night, however, was a snapshot of what the Coyotes are suffering through in these NHL playoffs: Give any leeway to an 11-time Stanley Cup champion, and you pay.
Phoenix Coyotes' Ilya Bryzgalov letting his team down
Before the first playoff puck was dropped, Shane Doan had high hopes. He claimed the best player in the series was on his side, minding the Coyotes' net. It was a claim that had some folks in Detroit laughing hysterically. And now the joke is on us.
Madden 12: The view from the NFC West - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Cleveland Browns' Peyton Hillis and the Philadelphia Eagles' Michael Vick are the last men standing in the race to grace the "Madden 12" video game cover. Hillis has surprisingly (to me) taken out Ray Rice, Matt Ryan, Jamaal Charles and Aaron Rodgers to reach the finals. Vick knocked off DeMarcus Ware, Patrick Willis and Adrian Peterson. My early favorites to represent the NFC West for the 2013 version
Kolb may be limiting his own marketplace - ArizonaSports.com
The Philadelphia Eagles opened the 2010 season with Kevin Kolb as their starting quarterback. He was injured in the first game and never took the starting quarterback job back. Yes, he played later in the year when Michael Vick was injured, but it was never his job again. Now, the Eagles are moving forward with Vick as the starter and Kolb on the trading block for the right price. What exactly is that price? A first-round draft pick? Multiple picks lower in the draft?
Newton has tough time at 'Gruden's QB Camp' - ArizonaSports.com
A year ago ESPN began running a segment called "Gruden's QB Camp." Former NFL coach and current ESPN NFL analyst Jon Gruden sits down with quarterback prospects coming out of college and preparing for the draft and life in the NFL. During Gruden's visit with Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen, the quarterback had trouble with a few of the questions he was asked and topics they went over. After the segment ran, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock went so far as to say that may have hurt Clausen as the draft was less than two weeks away. Fast forward one year and here we are again with "Gruden's QB Camp" leading up to the draft. Is Cam Newton the new Jimmy Clausen in regards to being hurt by a TV segment with Gruden?
Video Gallery - azcardinals.com
All In: Cheerleader Auditions - Part One
Thoughts, analysis on cornerback rankings - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Current NFC West cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (2009), Marcus Trufant (2007) and Nate Clements (2004) have been to Pro Bowls over the years. None appeared on the 10-man ballot I submitted for ESPN.com's positional power rankings. The chart shows my ballot. AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky has the overall results. Rodgers-Cromartie would have made my list a year ago. He tied for the NFL lead with 15 penalties in 2010, up from two the previous season. Consistency was a problem.
azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - NFL schedule released on Tuesday
We've known the Cardinals 2011 opponents since the end of the 2010 season, so there won't be much drama when the NFL announces dates and times of regular-season games at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. There are a few things to watch for, however, including how many Cardinals road games start at 10 a.m. Arizona time, if there are long trips east in consecutive weeks, and how many opponents will have bye weeks before playing the Cardinals.
101Sports.com: Tony Softli - Possible NFC West No. 1 Picks
Arizona Cardinals Team Needs: QB, OLB (3-4), OT/G, TE, CB; Pick 5th in first round QB: No Kurt Warner amounted to several losses without a seasoned veteran. John Skelton coming into his second season could be called upon to deliver in flashes but is not ready to compete at the level coach Ken Whisenhunt needs. Derek Anderson had a mental meltdown, was caught laughing on the bench with a teammate in a serious butt-kicking loss, and won't be asked to return. Max Hall lacks the skill-set to play quarterback in the NFL. Possible pick: Blaine Gabbert, Missouri (Whisenhunt doesn't like to play rookie quarterbacks). OLB: Aged veteran Joey Porter is on his last legs and was limited in his overall production and was not the playmaker off the edge they were looking for. Clark Haggans showed flashes, but not enough and fell short of expectations. Both the draft and free-agent market (when it begins) is limited as well. Possible pick: Von Miller, Texas A&M (if he makes it to the fifth choice in the first round).
Matt Leinart gets motivation from "haters and doubters" | ProFootballTalk
As quarterback Matt Leinart prepares to kick-start his career after five years of mediocre-to-poor performances, he says that he finds motivation in those who don’t believe in him. "You have to love the haters and doubters," Leinart says on his Twitter page, which predictably is adorned with a glory-days photo of his time at USC. "No matter what you do, take that to fuel your fire and inner drive."
2011 mock draft, take four | ProFootballTalk
5. Cardinals: Robert Quinn, linebacker, North Carolina. LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson is another strong possibility, but need trumps value when the talent differential is so small. A freakish athlete with 4.57 wheels at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, Quinn would combine with O’Brien Schofield to give Arizona a formidable long-term outside pass rush.
NFL schedule due on Tuesday; Chicago Bears-Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London - ESPN
The NFL will officially announce the 2011 schedule on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. The schedule will be released on NFL Network. Despite the uncertain labor situation, the schedule is still being released in mid-April, as usual. However, the preseason schedule, announced on April 12, was late because of scheduling issues in Minnesota due in part to repair of the Metrodome roof that was damaged last season.