Well, there is only one day left until we discover who the Cardinals pick up with their first round draft pick. As you all know, I want Von Miller to be a Cardinal, and I would be in favor of trading up with Denver or Buffalo to get him if necessary. But until then, here are some links regarding the Draft, a possible trade of the 5th Overall Draft Pick for the Cards and other some other stuff.
Arizona Cardinals don't see a sure QB in NFL draft
NFL teams guard their draft boards as if they were tablets handed down from a higher power - you know, above the general manager - so it's impossible to know for sure how much players' rankings vary among teams. But when it comes to quarterbacks this year, there appears to be a vast disparity of opinion. Some think Auburn's Cam Newton should be the No. 1 pick. Others wouldn't call his name a round later. There hardly is a consensus on anyone else, either. From Missouri's Blaine Gabbert to Washington's Jake Locker, scouts look at the tape and see different things.
Valuing A Quarterback Draft
With the position so valuable, QBs always will go high
A very quick peek at Cardinals' draft board - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Five things I noticed when watching the Arizona Cardinals' latest offseason video production, which focuses on the 2011 NFL draft:
Which NFL teams draft for defense early - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Ray Horton is the Arizona Cardinals' third defensive coordinator since Ken Whisenhunt became head coach in 2007. He inherits a defense that has struggled despite significant investments. Arizona has used six first- and second-round choices for defensive players since 2007, tied for the second-highest total in the league.
Word From the Birds Blog - The day before with Whiz and Graves
With the draft beginning tomorrow evening, had a chance to touch base with coach Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Rod Graves for a few final thoughts as the Cards are finished – basically – with the pre-draft work.
Cardinals GM Graves gives 'War Room' insight - ArizonaSports.com
The Cincinnati Bengals have made their pick, putting the Arizona Cardinals "on the clock." From that point the team has 10 minutes to submit a name to the NFL that commissioner Roger Goodell will read, verifying the team's selection and ending weeks of speculation. It's also the culmination of months of preparation.
Analyst thinks Cardinals could trade down - ArizonaSports.com
With the fifth pick in the NFL draft the Arizona Cardinals select … no one? It may sound odd but that could be the case come early Thursday evening. According to ESPN NFL analyst Adam Schefter, the Cards could seriously consider trading down in the first round of the draft.
Ryan Roberts, Daniel Hudson lead Arizona Diamondbacks over Philadelphia Phillies
He should have fielded it. But the ball went under his glove, streaking by for what was ruled an RBI single in the first inning, just the second hit of the game. It looked liked it was going to be one of those nights for Diamondbacks third baseman Ryan Roberts. As it turned out, it wasn't. But it still was memorable. Roberts made up for the slight mistake the rest of the Tuesday's game against the Phillies at Chase Field in front of 19,037.
Drafting a (good) QB in the first round is not a science - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals have the fifth pick in the draft, and it is a certainty that there will be a few quarterbacks available when they pick. With a need for a signal caller, the choice would be easy - except for the fact that picking players, and especially quarterbacks, is hardly an exact science. Below is a list of every QB taken in the first round of the draft since 2000. Judge for yourself: is it worth the risk?
Commissioner's Op-Ed
Commissioner Goodell writes op-ed for Wall Street Journal
Adventures in drafting NFL linebackers - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Drafting Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller fifth overall would help the Arizona Cardinals catch up with their division rivals in at least one category. Since 2005, linebackers drafted by Arizona have combined to start only 16 games for the team, with 2010 second-round choice Daryl Washington starting 11 of them.
Taking NFL labor discourse to another level - NFC West Blog - ESPN
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's recent column in the Wall Street Journal warned of impending doom if players' attorneys prevail in ongoing court battles. The column invited strong criticism from various quarters, and then there was this: veteran guard Chester Pitts, player rep for the Seattle Seahawks, agreeing with characterizations of Goodell as "Fraud-ger" instead of Roger, and comparing league attorney Jeff Pash to something best flushed down a toilet.
When a coach needs to draft a quarterback - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Colleague Kevin Seifert showed some daring by sending TCU quarterback Andy Dalton to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 12 in a recent ESPN.com mock draft. He wasn't arguing for Dalton's value so much as saying the Vikings' need for a quarterback might compel them to take one there. "To me," Seifert later wrote with first-year Vikings coach Leslie Frazier in mind, "there is no better time to jump to the other side than in a coach's first year, giving him a building block for the rest of his program." The key, of course, is not mistaking anchors for building blocks.
Arizona Rattlers lose Rod Windsor to NFL after lockout lifted
With a judge lifting the NFL lockout Monday, the Rattlers were without receiver Rod Windsor on Tuesday at practice. But Windsor could return to the unbeaten Arena Football League team, depending on what takes place this week in the NFL labor dispute.
Michael Bidwill paranoia doomed John Junker: Fiesta Bowl hurt by Arizona Cardinals' success
John Junker has disappeared from view. He has been shamed, blamed and demonized for all that ails college football. Greased palms have gone dry, and that trademark yellow jacket is forever toxic. Yet in his darkest hour, nothing could've seared deeper than learning that Michael Bidwill had been appointed to the Fiesta Bowl task force. Junker's mortal enemy had been asked to help clean up the mess, the knockout blow in a battle that has been raging for years.
I support the Cardinals' pick...I think - ArizonaSports.com
I'm fully aware the Arizona Cardinals do not care whether I support their first pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Insultingly enough, they have never once asked my opinion (although they should have since I didn't like the Levi Brown pick). Having said that, there are only two scenarios that I can see happening between now and 5:45 P.M. (when the Cardinals will be on the clock) on draft day that would lend my support to trading down.
2011 mock draft, take five | ProFootballTalk
5. Cardinals: Robert Quinn, linebacker, North Carolina. Quinn will replace Joey Porter, a surefire post-draft salary casualty.
Draft Drops – The biggest fallers in the 2011 draft - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
The draft analysis game is subjective at best, and there are many things the media doesn't know (or can't reveal) about this or that draft prospect. Often by the time NFL teams are rating their players and putting together their big boards based on information they already have, the media horde is just catching up to what's going on. As a result, the guy who's firmly entrenched on every NFL board with scouting grades by late January could move up and down the media mock drafts like a jumping bean until draft day. These names are by no means conclusive, but based on the array of information we've seen from all sorts of sources, here are 10 players who seem to have seen their stock drop in the last year.
Going up? The biggest risers in the 2011 draft - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
The draft analysis game is subjective at best, and there are many things the media doesn't know (or can't reveal) about this or that draft prospect. Often by the time NFL teams are rating their players and putting together their big boards based on information they already have, the media horde is just catching up to what's going on. As a result, the guy who's firmly entrenched on every NFL board with scouting grades by late January could move up and down the media mock drafts like a jumping bean until draft day. These names are by no means conclusive, but based on the array of information we've seen from all sorts of sources, here are 10 players who seem to have seen their stock rise in the last year.
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson "loves" Cam Newton | ProFootballTalk
There’s a school of thought that Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is too conservative a thinker to sign off on his organization using the No. 1 overall pick on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. Newton is regarded as a boom-or-bust prospect. Many draftniks believe he’s far too risky for the monetary commitment generally associated with the top spot in the draft, at least based on recent No. 1 pick contracts. But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Richardson "loves" Cam Newton.
Chester Pitts calls Goodell a "fraud," Pash a "consistent turd" | ProFootballTalk
In an interview with Brock and Salk on 710 ESPN Seattle, Seahawks guard Chester Pitts agreed with the hosts that Commissioner Roger Goodell is a "fraud." Comparing Goodell to NFL general counsel Jeff Pash, Pitts applauded Pash for being consistent. "He’s a consistent turd," Pitts said.
Carroll: Charlie Whitehurst will get a chance to start | ProFootballTalk
Seattle’s quarterback situation could be handled in a dizzying amount of ways.
NFL: If stay of lockout is denied, expect a free-agent scramble - ESPN
If a stay of NFL lockout is denied, expect a free-agent scramble, John Clayton writes.
NFL players to court: Don't put ruling on hold - ESPN
NFL players urged a federal judge Wednesday to deny the league's request to essentially restore the lockout, saying their careers were at stake. Commissioner Roger Goodell, meanwhile, said owners were preparing for every contingency.
Sources: TCU draft NFL prospect Marcus Cannon has cancer - ESPN
TCU offensive lineman Marcus Cannon has non-Hodgkin lymphoma and will begin treatment, sources said.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appears to be in full spin cycle after the lockout was lifted, and it isn't working - ESPN
The NFL owners were outfoxed and outflanked by the players, and yet Roger Goodell escalated the war of words on Tuesday. Our man says it's time for the commissioner to admit defeat.
10 ways the top ten could play out | National Football Post
It’s always anyone’s guess how the top ten of an NFL draft will shake out. With players rising and falling due to character/medical concerns, trades taking place across the board and teams reaching on quarterbacks, there literally are thousands of ways this could play out. Therefore, the NFP takes a look at ten of those scenarios and highlights the keys from each circumstance.
NFL.com news: Lots of talent, but there's no perfect QB in 2011 draft
The last two drafts have given us Matthew Stafford and Sam Bradford, quarterbacks who were clear No. 1 overall choices. This year, there is no clear-cut No. 1, but there are so many teams desperate for a franchise-saving QB that some team -- or a handful of them -- is going to wind up reaching and hoping to strike gold. Given the importance of the position, those teams considering a quarterback in the early rounds are going to have to get comfortable with investing a pick -- and lots of money -- in a guy with a visible red flag. Each of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft has at least one, many with multiple deficiencies. Below are this year's top seven quarterbacks, and their flaws, many of which were hidden in college but will surely be exposed in the NFL. Be sure to click on the Interactive Scouting Report above to view the red flags in more detail.
NFL.com news: Redskins look to move up in draft, take Missouri QB Gabbert
Rumblings persist that the Washington Redskins want to move up, perhaps as high as the Denver Broncos' No. 2 overall pick Thursday, to ensure they land a quarterback in the NFL draft. Several general managers believe the Redskins, who are expected to cut ties with veteran Donovan McNabb, will make the move to land Missouri's Blaine Gabbert. The Redskins have strong reports on Gabbert and University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker, and some inside the organization believe Gabbert is worthy of the No. 1 pick.
Report: Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith cleans out locker - ESPN
Sometime before the NFL lockout started in March, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith cleaned out his locker at Bank of America Stadium, according to a report by Pro Football Weekly.
Chad Ochocinco tweets 'time is up' with Cincinnati Bengals - ESPN
Quarterback Carson Palmer isn't the only player who feels he will not be with the Cincinnati Bengals next season.
Washington Redskins' Albert Haynesworth indicted on misdemeanor sexual abuse charge - ESPN
Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has been charged with misdemeanor sexual abuse for allegedly fondling his server's breast at a Washington hotel.