9-9-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - The NFL Is Back

The NFL is back, and if last night is any indication we should be seeing a lot of high scoring games where nobody plays defense this year. Only a couple more days until the Cardinals start off the season too.

I'm also highly looking forward to the ASU/Missouri game. Fork em.

Word From the Birds Blog - A new role for Derek Anderson
A year ago, Derek Anderson was starting at quarterback for the Cardinals heading into the opener at St. Louis. The Cards won that day, 17-13, and Anderson threw the game-winning touchdown pass. Then, as everyone knows, it unraveled from there. Anderson and the Cardinals will be in the same building again Sunday in the opener, except this time, Anderson could be the Carolina Panthers’ backup to rookie starter Cam Newton.

Paris, The Quiet Captain
Notebook: Linebacker surprise pick; Marshall, King face former team

New QB, New Leader
Teams with fresh signal-callers -- like Cards and Kolb -- must adjust

Arizona Cardinals' cornerbacks set for NFL starting debuts
NFL coaches typically don't plan to open the season with two cornerbacks who are starting for the first time. But that's the way the preseason has played out for the Cardinals, so Ken Whisenhunt isn't fretting. Patrick Peterson, a rookie, and A.J. Jefferson, in his second year, don't seem worried, so why should their coach?

Arizona Cardinals' Richard Marshall, Jeff King ready to face former team
If the Panthers are in need of bulletin-board material, they aren't going to get it from cornerback Richard Marshall and tight end Jeff King, two former employees who signed with the Cardinals in the off-season.

Whisenhunt - Kolb relationship important, solid - ArizonaSports.com
The Cardinals 2011 season officially gets underway on Sunday and so much has already been made about the chemistry and relationships between teammates, but what about the relationship between head coach and quarterback?

Video: Kent Somers discusses the Arizona Cardinals' Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers
The Republic's Kent Somers talks about Sunday's Cardinals-Panthers Week 1 matchup.

Cardinals announce 2011 team captains - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals have their leaders. Larry Fitzgerald, Lyle Sendlein, Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson were captains last year, while this is the first time for Jay Feely and Paris Lenon.

ESPN insider says Kevin Kolb makes Cardinals a contender - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals are on the precipice of beginning a new season, and they will do so with their third different QB in three seasons. Acquired less than two months ago from the Philadelphia Eagles, Kevin Kolb is expected to not just be better than Derek Anderson, but be an upper-echelon signal caller as well. ESPN's Ron Jaworski, speaking to Arizona Sports 620's Burns and Gambo, thinks knowing he's "the man" in Arizona will go a long way towards helping Kolb show what he's got.

Word From the Birds Blog - Captains named and getting healthier
The news that many seemed to be (anxiously) awaiting has been revealed: Team captains were announced Thursday, with mostly repeats. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and center Lyle Sendlein were named on offense for the second straight year. Kicker Jay Feely gets the nod on special teams. And on defense, defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and safety Adrian Wilson were joined this year by a surprise — linebacker Paris Lenon. It shows the respect Lenon has in the locker room, since the captains are voted on by the players.

Cards Daily: Facing a Rookie QB - Video
Coach Whisenhunt and a few defensive players talk about their strategy going against Cam Newton on Sunday in his first start as an NFL QB.

Big Red Rage - Rhodes and Wilson
The 11th season of The Big Red Rage radio show kicked off with new player host Kerry Rhodes. Fellow safety Adrian Wilson joined the show as a guest.

Arizona Sports News:

Arizona Wildcats football routed at Oklahoma State
Brandon Weeden connected with Justin Blackmon on two short touchdown tosses, Joseph Randle ran for two scores and No. 9 Oklahoma State used an early burst of offense to beat Arizona 37-14 on Thursday night in a rematch of last year's Alamo Bowl.

Arizona Diamondbacks top San Diego Padres, Ian Kennedy wins 19th game of season
The debate over who will win the National League Cy Young Award will continue for a while. Is Diamondbacks ace Ian Kennedy a long shot? Perhaps, but he keeps showing that he could be considered the best pitcher in the league. He continues to deliver clutch performances, and his effort Thursday night was for the most part superbly nasty. The right-hander earned his 19th win, most in the National League, and the Diamondbacks earned a 4-1 victory over the San Diego Padres, increasing their lead in the NL West to 7 1/2 games over the idle San Francisco Giants in front of 21,402 at Chase Field. It was the club's 13th win in a row at home.

Phoenix Mercury take down Tulsa Shock, eye home-court advantage
The first-round playoff matchup is set. The Mercury will play the Seattle Storm. The Mercury sealed it with a 91-76 victory over the Tulsa Shock on Thursday night in front of 8,189 at US Airways Center.

Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts resigns
Suns President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Welts is resigning after running the franchise's business side for nine years.

NFL News:

Saints Vs. Packers TV Ratings Are Enormous - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
The Green Bay Packers beat the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, the opening game of the 2011 NFL season. The Week 1 schedule is packed with great games, including the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens, but the Saints-Packers game may have been the best matchup and the TV ratings prove that.

Peyton Manning Undergoes Surgery Again; Medical Expert Explains Why - SBNation.com
Peyton Manning underwent a third surgery on his neck Thursday, this time for cervical fusion. SB Nation's medical expert explains this procedure, and why Manning has been forced to have so many operations for the same injury.

Report: Peyton Manning Had Neck Surgery Thursday; Out 2-3 Months - SBNation.com
it's going to be a long season for the Indianapolis Colts. ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting that Colts QB Peyton Manning had neck surgery on Thursday morning and his recovery time is expected to be in the range of 2-3 months. Per Mort, there's been no decision whether to place Manning on injured reserve ending his season.

Will Peyton Manning Be Placed On Injured Reserve? - SBNation.com
The Indianapolis Colts indicated on Wednesday that they'd have an update on QB Peyton Manning's neck injury soon and that update has come from ESPN's Chris Mortensen who reports Manning had surgery on his neck on Thursday morning. Mort reports that Manning could miss 2-3 while recovering from the surgery. That would put his return sometime around November or December, which is the majority of the season. That begs the question: Will the Colts put Manning on injured reserve?

Packers prevail in the trenches | ProFootballTalk
Real football is finally back. So what did we learn in Green Bay’s 42-34 Thursday night win over New Orleans?

Clausen could be inactive on Sunday | ProFootballTalk
After the Panthers made Cam Newton the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, incumbent starter Jimmy Clausen vowed to give Newton all the competition he could handle. In the end, Newton won. And Clausen’s loss was more dramatic than expected. As Steve Reed of CarolinaGrowl.com reports, Clausen could be inactive on Sunday against the Cardinals, behind Newton and Derek Anderson.

Arizona Sports NFL predictions - ArizonaSports.com
Last year the common theme was the Cardinals winning the NFC West. This year, not so much. Here's how Arizona Sports sees the 2011 NFL season going down.

NFC West: What the experts are saying - ArizonaSports.com
Well, the predictions from around the nation are in and the general consensus seems to be that the Arizona Cardinals will be better in 2011 than they were in 2010. Still, so are the Rams, and they're most often selected as the NFC West champion.

PHOTO: Green Bay Packers' Crowd Loves America - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Fact: Football is America's pastime. Thus, I pose this question to you. What could be more American than 70,000 livid Green Bay Packers fans creating an aerial image of a waving United States flag while Jordin Sparks sings the National Anthem to kick off the 2011 NFL Season?

Lance Briggs: I’ll get fined for wearing red, white and blue on 9/11 | ProFootballTalk
Bears linebacker Lance Briggs says he’s going to wear red, white and blue when he starts the season on September 11, and he won’t let the NFL’s uniform police stop him.

PHOTO: Charles Woodson And The Junk Punch That Wasn't - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
While Charles Woodson did fire off an uppercut during Thursday night's matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, it did not appear to be a shot to the groin. This is an important distinction: the former is simply dirty while the latter is different level of dirty. In fact, after viewing the play from different angles, it's clear what, exactly, Woodson was doing.

Charles Woodson avoids ejection after punching David Thomas | ProFootballTalk
Packers cornerback Charles Woodson was surprisingly not ejected on Thursday night after punching Saints tight end David Thomas.

Manning got his new deal without having to pass a physical | ProFootballTalk
As the football-following world processes the news that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will miss considerable time after undergoing spinal surgery on Thursday, only one thing is clear. Peyton Manning will get paid a ton of money, even if he doesn’t take a single snap this year.

NFL Game Recaps:

New Orleans Saints vs Green Bay Packers Recap - September 08, 2011 - NFL - SB Nation
Aaron Rodgers passed for three touchdowns, all in a thrill-a-minute first quarter, and the Green Bay Packers survived a breathless final seconds Thursday to beat the New Orleans Saints 42-34 in the NFL season opener.