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For the Cardinals, they got the win but some issues to work out still exist, especially on Defense. Todays batch of links looks at this.
Arizona Cardinals News:
Word From the Birds Blog - Day after with Whiz
Soon the locker room will open for player availability, but first, a few notes from coach Ken Whisenhunt’s day-after presser:
azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Washington injury update
Inside linebacker Daryl Washington's strained calf should not keep him out for an extended amount of time, his agent said Monday, and it's possible Washington could play Sunday at Washington. Washington's agent, Jordan Woy, said via e-mail: "Daryl should be fine. I believe he will be back for (the) next game but may miss several days of practice." Earlier today, coach Ken Whisenhunt said the team was waiting on MRI results.
Corrections In The Wake Of A Win
Cards know fixes are easier to make after Carolina victory
Arizona Cardinals focus on improving defense
If Week 1 in the NFL taught us anything, it's that offenses - particularly the passing game - clearly seem to be light years ahead of the defenses. The Cardinals certainly can testify to that. They allowed Cam Newton to pass for 422 yards Sunday, an NFL record for a rookie debut, yet managed to defeat the Carolina Panthers 28-21 in their season opener at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Arizona Cardinals' Kevin Kolb begins earning teams trust
No amount of money can buy trust, not even the $63 million that Kevin Kolb can make as a Cardinals quarterback. He must earn it, from those who coach him, block for him and catch his passes. It has been just six weeks, but early signs point to the player making great strides in that area. It was interesting to watch Kolb not only run the offense in Sunday's 28-21 victory against Carolina but interact with his team away from the ball. How was his demeanor on the sideline? What kind of vibe did he send in the huddle? How did players speak of him afterward?
Word From the Birds Blog - Bradley, still learning, waits for chance
Stewart Bradley is a smart man. He reads Nietzsche and James Joyce. He studies French. He loves architecture and hopes to one day build his own house. The linebacker, however, is still learning about the Cardinals’ defense, and the nuances of the 3-4 compared to the 4-3, the scheme he played his first four NFL seasons while with the Eagles. The players he is with at inside linebacker – Paris Lenon, Daryl Washington and Reggie Walker – all played the 3-4 last year, albeit with a different defensive coordinator. So Bradley is playing catch-up after an absent offseason, and that’s the big reason why he played little on defense in the season opener. It was a surprise, to be sure. Bradley signed a five-year contract worth about $25 million to come to the Cards. An immediate impact was expected. It just hasn’t turned out that way – yet.
Baldwin, Peterson among rookie candidates - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Three of the players under consideration for the NFL's top weekly honors played for or against the NFC West in opening week.
Overall Cardinals pleased with game one - ArizonaSports.com
Sunday after the Cardinals beat the Carolina Panthers, they were a bit hesitant to give themselves a thumbs up or thumbs down on their performance because it's tough to do when everything just went by in a blur. Today the coaches and players were back at the facility in Tempe and having watched the game film they felt pretty good about their performance. Most guys agreed that there's a lot of room for improvement but they also agreed that they wouldn't have won that game last year after making that many mistakes.
Defensive backs give Cardinals reason for concern - ArizonaSports.com
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their defense was as bad as their offense was good in Sunday's 28-21 win over the Carolina Panthers. Sure, the team won, but yielding 477 total yards is reason for pause, if not a little concern.
Arizona's mistakes helped Newton's record day - ArizonaSports.com
The flip side of rookie Cam Newton's record performance is the bad afternoon for the Arizona Cardinals' defense. Coach Ken Whisenhunt criticized that defense, particularly the secondary, on Monday, implying that Cardinals' errors, both in technique mistakes and in improper positioning, helped Newton amass 422 yards passing, tied for the most by a rookie in any game and a record for a rookie in a season opener. But, Whisenhunt added, ``It's much easier to correct your mistakes after a win.''
Cardinals notes: A happy team - ArizonaSports.com
Cardinals returned to the facility in Tempe today in pretty good spirits after a 1-0 start to the season.
Confidence doesn't waver 2011 Cardinals - ArizonaSports.com
What a difference an offseason can make. Coming off a 5-11 season many Cardinals fans thought this team was picking up where it left off in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers. But instead of throwing in the towel early and losing another game they expected to win, the Cardinals kept fighting and kept coming back.
Kolb still expecting improvements - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals are riding high especially considering how miserable last season was, after their 28-21 opening week win over the Carolina Panthers. However, defeating a team like Carlina, the worst in the league last season, at home against a rookie quarterback is nothing to get too excited about. Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb wants to see his team clean up their level of play.
Daryl Washington steps up in season opener - ArizonaSports.com
With all of the questions about the Cardinals' defense heading into Sunday's match up against the Carolina Panthers, the end result showed some defensive strengths that may have been overlooked. 2010 second-round pick Daryl Washington recorded seven total tackles, led the team with six solo tackles, one interception and had another one called back due to a roughing the passer penalty. "He started playing a lot better later in the season last year," coach Ken Whisenhunt said.
Hightower predicts Redskins victory over Cardinals - ArizonaSports.com
"I want to win this game and we're going to win this game." Those are the words of former Cardinal Tim Hightower, who is excited to face his old team in Week 2. The running back, who tallied 72 yards and one touchdown rushing along with 25 yards receiving in an opening week win over the Giants, said facing the Cardinals "will be special," according to Football News Now. It should be.
Heap says Cardinals want to be recognized as a team - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals are 1-0, but are still not looked at as a team to be reckoned with. Needing late-game heroics to beat the Carolina Panthers at home will damage a reputation. "It's a good sign when you win those types of games that are ugly," tight end Todd Heap told Arizona Sports 620's Burns and Gambo.
Cards Top Panthers In Opener - Video
Cam Newton sets a rookie record for passing yards in his debut but it's not enough as the Panthers fall to the Cardinals 28-21.
Cards Daily: Finding a Way to Win
Coach Whisenhunt and players discuss the win against the Panthers and what the Cardinals need to do moving forward.
In the Red Zone with Ken Whisenhunt - CAR Review
Coach Ken Whisenhunt joined the Doug and Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 620 to review the 2011 season opening win against the Carolina Panthers.
Arizona Sports News:
Arizona Diamondbacks land very decisive knockout with win over Los Angeles Dodgers
The Diamondbacks watched Ted Lilly's offspeed pitches spin toward them early in Monday night's game, and for five innings, their hitters barely were a threat against the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander, who shooed them away like houseflies. But as they have so many times this season, the Diamondbacks suddenly snapped to life in the middle innings and chased the starting pitcher from the game, showing that slowing them and stopping them are different matters entirely. Think of the Diamondbacks offense like a boxer in the early rounds. He feels out and wears down his opponent, trying to discern weaknesses while devising the best plan of attack. They did it against Lilly in a 7-2 victory at Dodger Stadium just as they have against countless others this season.
Phoenix Coyotes' Matt McConnell keeps it light in the booth
With Matt McConnell, the new television voice of the Coyotes, fans will get a laid-back announcer with a quick sense of humor. And that might be good or bad news for his analyst, Tyson Nash, who has developed a cult following for his off-the-wall observations mixed in with the hockey talk.
ASU football slowed by tackling problems
Even with significant injuries to two starters, Arizona State was expected to have one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. That's what made Friday's effort against then-No. 21 Missouri so alarming. The Sun Devils gave up 501 yards, their highest total in nearly three years. The big issue: tackling.
NFL News:
Eric Berry Injury: Torn ACL Ends Kansas City Chiefs Safety's Season - SBNation.com
Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry will miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL, according to a report.
Steven Jackson Injury: Rams RB Likely Out for Week 2 - SBNation.com
St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson will likely not play against the New York Giants when the two teams meet in a Week 2 Monday Night Football game. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo revealed the news in his Monday afternoon press conference.
Jon Beason's Injury Will Cost Him All Of Carolina Panthers 2011 Season - SBNation.com
Unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers, the bad news was confirmed on Monday: LB Jon Beason tore his Achilles' and will be out for the 2011 season. Tough blow for Beason, who is a rising star in the NFL. Beason had just signed a massive five-year contract with the Panthers so his injury is especially tough to swallow.
'Brett Favre Could Draw Interest From Colts' Is A Rumor You Should Take Very Seriously - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
On Monday, Internet subscriber @bretwallin was kind enough to send me a few screencaps from ESPN's afternoon programming, one of which I will post here:
Denver fans chant for Tim Tebow, but John Fox won’t discuss it | ProFootballTalk
As the Broncos’ offense stagnated in Monday night’s 23-20 loss to the Raiders, Denver fans began to chant for backup quarterback Tim Tebow. John Fox was not amused.
How Many NFL Records Can Be Tied Or Broken In One Week? - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Lots of NFL records were broken or tied in Week 1 of the 2011 NFL schedule, which we already touched on, including: Three kickoffs returned for touchdowns, which ties a record for opening weekend; eight total return touchdowns sets a new record for any week in NFL history; Patriots and Dolphins combined for the most passing yards of any two teams on Monday Night Football; K Sebastian Janikowski tied the record for the longest field goal (63 yards). Here's another one:
Cowboys Fan Didn't Just Taser A Jets Fan; He Tasered A Marine On 9/11
The Cowboys still fancy themselves "America's Team," but there are very little in the way of patriotism requirements to root for them.
Week One sets records for passing yards, return scores | ProFootballTalk
It didn’t just seem like there were more passing yards and return touchdowns in Week One then ever before. It’s a fact.
The Reggie Bush criticism starts early in Miami | ProFootballTalk
Well, that didn’t take long. After getting lauded for his work ethic throughout camp, Reggie Bush was criticized at length in a column Tuesday morning in the Miami Herald. Saints fans are rather familiar with the trend: A big August followed by an underwhelming September.
Danieal Manning avoids defenseless receiver, draws flag anyway | ProFootballTalk
If the NFL really wants to protect defenseless players from illegal hits, it’s going to need to do a better job of explaining what constitutes an illegal hit. Texans defensive back Danieal Manning has no idea what’s legal and what’s illegal anymore, and after watching the video of the hit that drew a 15-yard penalty on Manning, neither do I.
VIDEO: Ron Jaworski Drops The S-Bomb On Monday Night Football - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Tom Brady's performance on Monday Night Football has been pretty amazing. He's already over 500 yards passing and the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins aren't done yet. So you can excuse ESPN announcer Ron Jaworski is he's a little excited. Though, he should probably move away from the mic Tay Zonday-style if he's gonna keep dropping S-bombs live on television...
VIDEO: Ron Jaworski Apologizes For Curse Word, Creates Awkward Moment - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Ron Jaworski dropped the s-bomb on-air during Monday Night Football. It wasn't as though he was trying to say "sit" and slipped, either. It was as if he was at a sports bar, trying to describe a play to a friend after a few drinks. And it harmed all of our delicate ears in the process. Of course, the moment was more funny than anything else, even if it will draw the ire of Jaworski's higher-ups. In fact, someone probably already screamed in his ear because Jaworski apologized for his on-air sailor mouth moment, creating one awkward situation in the booth.
NFL Game Recaps:
New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins Recap - September 12, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Tom Brady started the 2011 campaign right where he left off the 2010 regular season, with an epic, MVP-type performance. Brady threw for a New England team-record 517 yards in a 38-24 win over the Dolphins.
Oakland Raiders vs Denver Broncos Recap - September 12, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Jason Campbell accounted for two touchdowns and Sebastian Janikowski matched an NFL record by kicking a 63-yard field goal, helping the Raiders hold off the Broncos, 23-20, in their season-opener.