9-28-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Overcoming Miscues

Time for some links, mostly about the Cardinals needing to stop beating themselves.

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Word From the Birds Blog - Whiz to PP: You can make it happen
As rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson hauled in his first NFL interception at his own 7-yard line on the final play of the first half, he immediately went down to protect the ball. Moments later, coach Ken Whisenhunt came out to Peterson to let him know Peterson, as a playmaker, needed to try and make something happen.

Feely's Mental Strength
Kicker remains confident he'll rebound (as does his coach) after misses

Don't quit on the struggling Cardinals yet - ArizonaSports.com
It's too early to throw the towel in on the 2011 Arizona Cardinals.

Cardinals should look into Steve Slaton - ArizonaSports.com
Beanie Wells and LaRod Stephens-Howling are banged up, Alfonso Smith is very raw and Chester Taylor was ineffective. That all added up to a loss in Seattle Sunday, and with former Houston running back Steve Slaton now on the market, Arizona Sports 620's John Gambadoro says the Cardinals should act fast.

Outside the Huddle: Patrick Peterson
Each week, The Republic spotlights a Cardinals player for a series of on-the-spot, off-beat questions.

Arizona Cardinals still working to overcome miscues
Sometimes the space between winning and losing in the NFL is so thin that light can't shine through. If the Cardinals don't understand that after last Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Seahawks, they never will. The Cardinals left Seattle believing they did a thorough job of beating themselves. That was the lament of several players in the locker room at CenturyLink Field.

NFC West Stock Watch - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Rising - Calais Campbell, Cardinals defensive end: The NFC West produced plenty of defensive candidates for a spot on this list. Kam Chancellor, Leroy Hill, Chris Clemons, Ahmad Brooks and Carlos Rogers come to mind. I went with Campbell for the sheer level of his dominance against Seattle. Campbell finished the game with 10 tackles, four quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks, sensational numbers for anyone, let alone for a 3-4 defensive end.

Cards Daily: Smith Runs with Opportunity
Cardinals RB Alfonso Smith had a chance to run the ball in a regular season game for the first time of his career last Sunday against the Seahawks. On Monday, Smith and Coach Whisenhunt talked about the performance.

Arizona Sports News:

Diamondbacks pull miracle win in 10th vs. Dodgers
The Diamondbacks were a lot closer to losing their chance at home-field advantage in the NLDS than they were at winning Tuesday night. Trailing by five runs and down to their last out Tuesday night, the Diamondbacks still are taking their chase to host Saturday's playoff opener to the season's final day after Ryan Roberts tattooed a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field.

Diamondbacks' Justin Upton returns to lineup, then gets hit again
Baseball players often talk about going to the plate with a clear head. There was no doubt that Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton was able to do that Tuesday night after taking Monday off to be on the safe side following Sunday's game, in which he was hit on the bill of his helmet by a pitch. "It was a precaution," Upton said. "There was nothing that I didn't pass. They just wanted to give me an extra day." Upton had to retake the neurological test when he arrived at Chase Field on Tuesday, but he said the staff did not believe he had suffered a concussion from San Francisco pitcher Tim Lincecum's first-inning fastball. Upton took his base and came around to score but felt nauseous between innings and was pulled. Then Upton was pulled from the game in the 10th inning Tuesday after being in the face by a batted ball.

Pac-12 reprimands USC's Matt Barkley for calling ASU's Vontaze Burfict a dirty player
The Pac-12 reprimanded Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley on Tuesday for referring to Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict as a dirty player.

The Arizona Republic Goes Scorched Earth On The BCS - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Hate the BCS and wish college football would just accept its fate and move to a playoff system already? This investigative series by the Arizona Republic into the BCS is chicken soup for your soul.

NFL News:

2011 Week 3: NFC West game changers - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Arizona Cardinals' chances were already slim -- about 36 percent, according to the statistical record -- when they came to the line of scrimmage with 1:15 remaining against Seattle in Week 3.

Where NFC West teams rank: Week 3 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The San Francisco 49ers rank last in yards per game and, thanks to special-teams touchdowns, 12th in point scored. The Arizona Cardinals rank ninth in NFL passer rating, but only 20th in QBR. The St. Louis Rams are 11th in rushing yards per game, but only 29th in scoring. And the Seattle Seahawks, despite a No. 11 ranking in red zone touchdown percentage, are only 30th in scoring. Those were among the revelations in our weekly look at where NFC West teams rank in various offensive categories.

Seahawks best, Rams worst in drops - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Seattle Seahawks caught the ball well throughout their roster during training camp. That theme has carried over to the regular season.

What constitutes a dropped pass? - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Good question in the comments section from Los Angeles Rams of St. Louis regarding dropped passes: What constitutes one, exactly?

101ESPN St. Louis audio: Miklasz Show - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Bernie Miklasz and I covered much NFC West ground during our latest conversation on 101ESPN St. Louis:

NFL power rankings - Week 4
Here is an updated version of NFL Power Rankings as we get ready for Week 4. I'll update them every Tuesday throughout the season. Previous rankings in parenthesis:

NFL Power Rankings, Week 4: Bills, Lions Keep Climbing; Falcons, Eagles Stumble - SBNation.com
We're entering Week 4 and SB Nation's 2011 NFL power rankings have a few surprises as a couple of upstarts remain undefeated and some preseason favorites continue to falter.

Michael Vick Injury: Eagles QB 'Likely' To Play Week 4, According To Report - SBNation.com
It's already been a whirlwind week already for Michael Vick news. First, Vick suffered an injury in the Philadelphia Eagles loss to the New York Giants that was originally reported as a broken hand. Eagles head coach Andy Reid came out on Monday and said Vick's hand was actually not broken. Second, Vick criticized the officials for not flagging a couple of hits on him he felt were illegal. He later backed off that criticism. Third, Vick's injury was reportedly expected to keep him out several weeks, according to a report from Howard Eskin. That last one might be wrong. Jeff McLane of the Philly Inquirer reports that, despite the injury he suffered last weekend, Vick is likely to play on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

Jerry Angelo taking increased heat in Chicago | ProFootballTalk
Back-t0-back beatdowns of the Bears are bound to cause a lot of finger pointing in Chicago. The fans are up in arms about Mike Martz’s no-dimensional offense. Media folks are pointing the finger higher up. Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that Jay Cutler’s career is being "held hostage" by G.M. Jerry Angelo. The team’s lack of talent at receiver and offensive line are Hayes’ biggest complaints.

The Upside Of Death? You Don't Have To Watch The Bengals Lose Again - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Remember those stories about Red Sox fans who saw their team win the World Series in 2004 and rejoiced because they could finally die saying they saw their team win a World Series? Well this is the opposite of those stories, and it centers on the Cincinnati Bengals. From Saul Shuller's obituary in the Cinncinati Enquirer last week:

Five remain on pace to break Marino’s record | ProFootballTalk
Rosenthal pointed out earlier today that there have been 33 300-yard passing performances through three weeks of the season, obliterating the prior record of 21. The league is now pointing out that nine quarterbacks are averaging more than 300 yards passing per game through three weeks. And five of them are on pace to break Dan Marino’s single-season passing yardage record of 5,084.

Cowboys say bad snaps were caused by Redskins’ cheating | ProFootballTalk
The Dallas Cowboys had several botched shotgun snaps on Monday night, with center Phil Costa hiking the ball to Tony Romo before Romo was ready. After the game, the Cowboys said that was because the Redskins were cheating.

Steve Slaton Released By Houston Texans, According To Report - SBNation.com
The Texans decided to part ways with Steve Slaton and elevate Chris Ogbonnaya from the practice squad.

With Kerry Collins' Status Unclear, Dan Orlovsky Rejoins Colts, According To Report - SBNation.com
The Colts bring back quarterback Dan Orlovsky after Kerry Collins injury on Sunday Night Football.

Brian Orakpo Not Buying Tony Romo's 'Gutsy' Performance On Monday Night Football - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
After Tony Romo and his fractured rib and punctured lung beat the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football the headlines looked something like this: * Tony Romo Delivers Another Gutsy Performance * Tony Romo's Gutsy Performance Helps Cowboys Rally * Tony Romo Gutsy In Cowboys Win With Fractured Rib You get it. Romo was...gutsy. He was hailed as a "hero" for his "courageous" effort. If you thought it was a little over the top, you're not alone. Brian Orakpo, the Redskins linebacker, would agree.

Tony Romo Indicates Redskins Violated Snap Count Rules - SBNation.com
One of the highlights (if there were any) of the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins Monday Night Football game was Cowboys center Phil Costa walking away with an illegal snap and three bad snaps to Romo. It was clear the Cowboys quarterback was frustrated with what was going on. At the time, we chalked it up to some miscommunication but, apparently, there's more to the story. Romo said after the game that the Redskins were yelling the Cowboys' snap count.

Domonique Foxworth Heads To Injured Reserve, Ending 2011 Season With Ravens - SBNation.com
The Baltimore Ravens have placed CB Domonique Foxworth on injured reserve, ending his 2011 NFL season. Foxworth tore his ACL last year in during training camp and hasn't quite recovered from the injury. Some thought he would be released before the 2011 season began but ultimately he stayed on the roster, and was active for the first two games of the season, before the Ravens decided to end his season.

Antrel Rolle: Eagles were cheap-shotting, and I’m not a punk | ProFootballTalk
Giants safety Antrel Rolle picked up an unnecessary roughness penalty and was involved in several shoving matches during Sunday’s game with the Eagles. But Rolle says he has a simple defense for anything he did: The Eagles started it.