9-25-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Gameday

Time to start off this Sunday morning with some links, including one about how Linebacker Clark Haggans could be suspended for something he did in the offseason.

Cards Try To Make Some Noise
Crucial early NFC West game in Seattle will be loud

Arizona Cardinals looking to show things are different this season
It's only Week 3 in the NFL. A loss Sunday to the Seahawks wouldn't be devastating for the Cardinals, at least not mathematically. But emotionally? It could be damaging to a team still puckering from the aftertaste of a 5-11 season. The Cardinals (1-1) lost five of six NFC West games a year ago, including two to Seahawks, who won the division with a 7-9 record.

Arizona Cardinals LB Clark Haggans could be suspended - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals could be without the services of linebacker Clark Haggans if he is suspended by the NFL for actions that violated the league's personal conduct policy during the lockout. But it's not a sure thing, as no one is really certain as to what Haggans did that landed him in a bit of trouble.

NFL Picks Week 3: Cardinals Vs. Seahawks - SBNation.com
The Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks face off in a Week 3 matchup that will get relatively little attention nationally, with the Cardinals not having much of a national reputation and the Seahawks coming off a blowout and struggling with a quarterback problem. The Cardinals look like the favorites, with Vegas setting the line at about three points.

Holliday Settling Into Role with Cardinals
Cardinals defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday brings experience and skill to the playing field, and despite hearing his share of "old" jokes, he also plays the role of mentor to his Cardinals teammates. Paul Calvisi reports.

Cards Arrive in Seattle, Ready for Hostile Crowd
The Arizona Cardinals arrived in Seattle on Saturday afternoon for their Sunday battle with the Seahawks. The players are well aware of the hostile environment at CenturyLink Field. Paul Calvisi explains.

All In: LB Daryl Washington
In this edition of All In, we learn more about Cardinals LB Daryl Washington as he enters his second year in the NFL.

Building the Gameplan at Seattle
Ron Wolfley and Jody Jackson provide analysis on the Redskins game and look ahead to the match-up against the Seahawks.

Arizona Sports News:

Diamondbacks withstand power outage to wallop Giants
Ian Kennedy pitched six innings to earn his NL-best 21st win and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed the San Francisco Giants 15-2 on Saturday night, eliminating the defending World Series champions from the postseason picture.

ASU football pounds USC to end 11-game skid
The streak is history. No matter where this season went, Arizona State had to have a signature moment. Missouri? Yes, it was nice. But USC is a different beast. The Trojans had owned the Sun Devils. Eleven consecutive wins. Five in a row at Sun Devil Stadium. Not anymore. ASU, built a lead, lost it and then overpowered the Trojans when it mattered most, posting a 43-22 win in its Pac-12 season opener Saturday night in front of 61,495 fans.

LaMichael James' 288 yards lead Oregon to rout of Arizona Wildcats football
LaMichael James rushed for a school-record 288 yards and broke the Oregon mark for career rushing touchdowns with two scores to lead the No. 10 Ducks to a 56-31 victory over Arizona in their Pac-12 opener on Saturday night.

Success of the Arizona Diamondbacks was a surprise ... to everyone
Let's just get this out of the way up front: Back in March here at Heat Index headquarters, after careful analysis of the tea leaves and a quick glimpse into the cracked crystal ball, we forecast a 72-win season and fifth place finish in the NL West for the Diamondbacks. Huh. Maybe those weren't tea leaves. Anyway, you probably have heard over and over lately that nobody saw this NL West championship coming, leaving all the so-called experts and pundits Sedona Red in the face.

Power goes out at Chase Field during Diamondbacks game
Roughly 25 minutes after a power outage was reported at Chase Field, temporarily delaying the Arizona Diamondbacks game, lights came back on and the game continued.

NFL News:

Esiason says Goodell should investigate Cowboys’ medical staff | ProFootballTalk
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo may be a hero for leading his team to victory despite suffering a fractured rib and collapsed lung on Sunday. But one former NFL quarterback says the Cowboys’ medical staff is far from heroic. In fact, Boomer Esiason is calling on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to investigate why the Cowboys cleared Romo to play with a seemingly serious injury.

Denarius Moore bests Cam Newton for Pepsi Rookie of the Week | ProFootballTalk
In a year of quarterbacks, receivers have taken the rookie hardware, so far. For Week One, Packers receiver Randall Cobb was named the NFL.com Pepsi Rookie of the Week, with a receiving touchdown and a 108-yard kickoff return beating out Cam Newton and his 422 yards passing, a record for a rookie debut. In Week Two, Newton again was eclipsed, despite throwing for a rookie record 432 yards passing.

Too conservative? Looking at three-WR use - NFC West Blog - ESPN
With an assist from Hank Gargiulo of ESPN Stats & Information, I've constructed a chart putting the 49ers' personnel use in perspective. It shows the percentage of plays NFC West teams have used three or more wide receivers, by down.

Updated: NFC West roided-out rosters - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The freshly updated NFC West roided-out rosters feature a lineup change no one could have envisioned just two years ago.

Denard Robinson will become an NFL draft conundrum | ProFootballTalk
If you’ve been casually watching college football this Saturday afternoon, that maize and blue blur that’s been flashing across your screen was Denard Robinson, the ridiculously fast quarterback at Michigan.

Merton Hanks: New rules have players "turning down hits" | ProFootballTalk
Merton Hanks was an NFL defensive back before he became the guy in charge of issuing fines to NFL defensive backs. And he says there’s no doubt in his mind that those fines have changed the way defensive backs do their jobs.

NFLPA agreed to allow punishment of eight players for lockout misconduct | ProFootballTalk
The eight players identified in the letter are: Talib, Britt, Benson, Albert Haynesworth, Clark Haggans, Johnny Jolly, Pacman Jones, and Brandon Underwood.