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9-7-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Preparing For Panthers

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The kickoff to the NFL season is tomorrow, and there isn't really a lot of big news for the Cards right now. Most of it is just little stories on the rookie David Carter, something about the dislike Porter and Heap used to have for each other, and Peterson becoming a starter.

On a non-Cardinals note, the Jags let Garrard go, and Aaron Rodgers laughed at Mark Sanchez for prancing around in GQ wearing tight white pants.

Arizona Cardinals News:

Ten Years After 9/11
Wilson recalls "quiet" at the complex the day the Towers fell

Cardinals rookie David Carter making an impression
Being a sixth-round draft pick who did not earn a college starting spot until his senior season and tagged as a "project" did more than motivate David Carter. It made him mad. Carter says he joined the Cardinals with a chip on his shoulder, eager to prove himself, and the 6-foot-5, 300-pound nose tackle has been the surprise of the preseason. He is expected to fill a real need as the backup for Dan Williams, and he also played defensive end during the final preseason game.

Cardinals' Todd Heap, Joey Porter form new alliance in red
They're brothers now, aligned behind the color of red. That wasn't always the case between Todd Heap and Joey Porter. For six bloody years, they were in the middle of the NFL's most vicious rivalry. Porter was an instigating, bone-crushing linebacker for the Steelers. Heap was a quiet tight end for the mouthy Ravens, a team that delighted in matching Pittsburgh's Old World toughness. And then it became personal.

Whisenhunt wary of Cam Newton's feet - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals will take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 1 on Sunday and will also get the first look at number one overall draft pick quarterback Cam Newton. Despite being a young player, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt knows his team has to be on the lookout for Newton's athletic abilities.

Pair of Cardinals signed to practice squad - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals waived both Quan Sturdivant and Ronald Talley Monday to make room for new signings. Tuesday both were brought back, re-signed to the team's practice squad.

Scout's take: Horton's thoughts on Cards - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Scouts Inc. founder Gary Horton has passed along observations for NFC West teams. I'll share them on a team-by-team basis and offer a few thoughts to get the conversation going.

Patrick Peterson named a starter for Arizona Cardinals - ArizonaSports.com
Whether by merit or necessity, Patrick Peterson is now listed as a starting cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals.

Word From the Birds Blog - Peterson enters season as starter
For most of training camp, a debate among the Cards’ depth chart was whether rookie and No. 1 pick Patrick Peterson would start the opening game. He was behind Greg Toler and A.J. Jefferson, and, all things staying the same, I think Peterson would have come off the bench in the beginning. But obviously all things didn’t stay the same. Toler got injured and is out for the season. So Peterson has now been elevated — above veteran Richard Marshall — to the starting lineup.

Chester Taylor could have minimal impact - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals added a veteran presence at running back when they signed free agent Chester Taylor. According to Arizona Sports 620's Burns and Gambo, they may not have gotten much else.

Word From the Birds Blog - Wolf, Cards to help NFL kick off season Thursday
As part of the NFL’s "Back to Football" campaign, the league is bringing in a representative from each team to Green Bay for Thursday night’s season opener between the Saints and Packers as part of the pregame celebration. The Cards chose four-time Pro Bowler (and Cardinals Underground colleague of mine) Ron Wolfley to have the honors.

Whisenhunt on RB Taylor: 'Good fit for us' - ArizonaSports.com
When the Arizona Cardinals lost rookie running back Ryan Williams for the season it was only a matter of time before the team went out and signed another rusher for depth purposes. Arizona finally made the move when they signed Chester Taylor after he was cut from the Chicago Bears. Some have questioned the move stating it won't help the team much, but coach Ken Whisenhunt is happy with the new addition to the team.

In the Red Zone with Ken Whisenhunt - CAR Preview
Coach Ken Whisenhunt joins the Doug and Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 620 to preview the 2011 season opener with the Carolina Panthers.

Arizona Sports News:

Diamondbacks blow late lead, fall to Rockies
Troy Tulowitzki homered, Seth Smith tripled twice and the Colorado Rockies rallied to beat the streaking Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 on Tuesday night.

NFL News:

2011 Power Rankings: NFC West Week 1 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Rams are the only NFC West team to rank 20th or higher on all five ballots this week. Our newest panelist, Ashley Fox, separated by only one spot the Rams and Arizona Cardinals, who ranked second among NFC West teams at No. 21 overall. The rest of us ranked the Rams higher by 4-7 places in our rankings.

David Garrard To Be Released By Jacksonville Jaguars, According To Report - SBNation.com
The Jaguars have made a surprising move by informing QB David Garrard they'll be releasing him, according to a report.

Jaguars Release Of David Garrard Is Surprising But It Shouldn't Be - SBNation.com
There's no other way to put. The release of QB David Garrard from the Jacksonville Jaguars is a major surprise. Only five days before the start of the season, an NFL team has released the player we thought would be their starting quarterback.

Jaguars take criticism for handling of Garrard’s release | ProFootballTalk
Let’s put aside for the moment whether Luke McCown is the best quarterback on the Jaguars roster or whether the release of David Garrard makes sense. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio didn’t believe in Garrard and went "all in" by dumping him. Del Rio gets paid well to make those decisions. The timing of Garrard’s release is a little harder to understand.

David Garrard and the NFC West - NFC West Blog - ESPN
David Garrard completed 64.5 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for Jacksonville last season.

Scout's take: Horton's thoughts on Seattle - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Scouts Inc. founder Gary Horton has passed along observations for NFC West teams.

Scout's take: Horton's thoughts on Rams - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Scouts Inc. founder Gary Horton has passed along observations for NFC West teams.

Scout's take: Horton's thoughts on 49ers - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Scouts Inc. founder Gary Horton has passed along observations for NFC West teams.

Where NFL team stand on roster turnover - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Seattle Seahawks have reveled in their roster activity since Pete Carroll took over as coach following the 2009 season. "Carroll and general manager John Schneider made 284 roster transactions in 2010 and are continuing to shape a roster with bigger, faster, talented young players this season," the team's weekly in-season news release says. "Of the 53 players currently on the active roster for this week's game, only 10 were with the team in 2009." This matches the information I've tracked for every NFL team. The Seahawks are not the only ones to have made a nearly complete makeover since 2009. Every NFC West team ranks among the NFL's top 10 in most new players since the final week of the 2009 regular season.

Peyton Manning's Injury Has Tony Dungy Thinking Colts Don't Make Playoffs - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
The Indianapolis Colts are going through a difficult time right now as the team is coming to the realization that QB Peyton Manning likely won't be available for the first game of the season on Sunday against the Houston Texans due to a neck injury. I remember right around the time of the NFL draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper and Trent Dilfer saying that the Colts would be one of the worst teams in the NFL without Manning. That very well may be the case and one person who thinks they suffer dramatically this season if Manning isn't available is former Colts coach Tony Dungy.

Braylon Edwards' DUI Won't Result In Suspension By NFL - SBNation.com
The 49ers' $3 million gamble on Braylon Edwards has totally paid off, as news came down that Roger Goodell would not be suspending the wide receiver after he plead guilty to a DUI in July.

The NFL Broadcast Pairings Are Out, With More Nantz Than Ever - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
CBS and FOX have released their broadcast pairings for the 2011 NFL season, and there are some familiar faces at the forefront. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms lead the way for CBS, while Joe Buck and Troy Aikman headline for Fox. Because America loves vanilla, apparently.

Aaron Rodgers calls Mark Sanchez in GQ "embarrassing" | ProFootballTalk
When Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez appeared on the cover of GQ magazine, posed for a fashion spread inside and gave an interview in which he was referred to as "the rock-starriest New York quarterback in decades," we knew he’d take some grief. As it turns out, Sanchez isn’t just taking grief in the Jets’ locker room. He’s also hearing it from other NFL quarterbacks who say they wouldn’t dare become offseason fashion models.