Time for some links, with some stuff grading the QBs, a little talk with Whiz, the latest Manning-watch update and other random goodness.
Future Endeavors
Campbell, Schofield look into entertaining away from football
Cardinals have intriguing, iffy options at QB - ArizonaSports.com
All the Arizona Cardinals seemed to have learned about their QB situation last season was that they still have much to learn about their QB situation. Kevin Kolb and John Skelton combined to lead the team to an 8-8 record, but they also amassed just 20 touchdowns against 22 interceptions, while completing roughly 56 percent of their passes. ESPN's Trent Dilfer ranked all of the NFL's QBs in an Insider piece, and the Cardinals' pair of signal callers were about where they should have been.
Whisenhunt encouraged by late season turnaround - ArizonaSports.com
Most Arizona Cardinals fans wrote off the team when the season looked bleak with a 1-6 start. As coach Ken Whisenhunt looked back on the season for evaluations, he noticed that's when the team started to get stronger.
Tampa Bay not giving up on adding Cardinals assistant - ArizonaSports.com
New Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano would like to hire away Arizona Cardinals WR coach John McNulty, presumably to be his offensive coordinator. McNulty is under contract with the Cardinals, however, and the team has refused to let him interview for the job, meaning Schiano and his team should be moving on to another candidate. Or not. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Bucs still hope they'll be able to pry McNulty away from Arizona.
Word From the Birds Blog - Peterson’s plea for five
It didn’t take long for Patrick Peterson’s teammates to realize he was something special as a punt return man. As fellow DB and punt return blocker Richard Marshall noted, "Pat P is the man." Yet the oft-repeated mantra of Peterson’s, the one in which he just told his teammates to "give me five yards"? Peterson admitted now, it wasn’t so easy to deliver that message.
Cards have little incentive to appease Bucs - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Arizona Cardinals already denied the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' request to interview their receivers coach, John McNulty, for the position of offensive coordinator. The Bucs are still pushing behind the scenes and could appeal directly to Cardinals ownership, according to Rick Stroud's report in the Tampa Bay Times. The Cardinals have nothing tangible to gain from letting McNulty leave.
azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Michael Irvin: Aeneas belongs in Hall of Fame
Former Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin and former Cardinals cornerback Aeneas Williams competed hard against each other on the field. Today, Williams has no bigger fan than Irvin. Williams is a first-time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Irvin said there is no question Williams belongs.
Whisenhunt Joins the Doug & Wolf Show
Ken Whisenhunt joined The Doug and Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 620 to talk about the Senior Bowl, the Combine, and the Super Bowl match-up between the Patriots and Giants.
Ken Whisenhunt talks Peyton Manning, Ryan Williams and the Arizona Cardinals' strong finish last season
Video: Ken Whisenhunt took part in the Waste Management Phoenix Open's Dream Day activities and took some time to talk football with 12 Sports' Kevin Hunt.
Arizona Sports News:
Phoenix Coyotes stumble after break against Anaheim Ducks
What started as the perfect scenario for a team desperate for points evaporated into a head-scratching and bitter defeat for the Coyotes on Tuesday night. Goaltender Mike Smith was on top of his game in the first period, and the Coyotes, with a 1-0 lead, looked to be en route to the type of effort they needed to get moving in the right direction after the All-Star break. The Anaheim Ducks, spurred by center Andrew Cogliano, had other ideas, and the Coyotes dropped a 4-1 decision in front of 10,579 at Jobing.com Arena.
Arizona Diamondbacks agree to one-year contracts with Miguel Montero, Ryan Roberts
The Diamondbacks avoided arbitration with catcher Miguel Montero and third baseman Ryan Roberts on Tuesday, leaving left-hander Craig Breslow as the club's lone arbitration-eligible player still unsigned.
NFL News:
Super Bowl Media Day Highlights: No, Tom Brady Will Not Touch Your Dragon - SBNation.com
Super Bowl Media Day came and went on Tuesday, and we didn't learn anything new from the Giants and Patriots, but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun! Get caught up on all the highlights.
Peyton Manning, Colts Owner Will Talk After The Super Bowl - SBNation.com
Peyton Manning conducted a sit down interview with ESPN's Trey Wingo on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the conclusion of Super Bowl media day. Manning didn't give many details on his current situation and future as the Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback but he did drop a couple of notable tidbits. There are really two issues at play here: Will he ever play again? And if he does will that be for the Colts?
Peyton Manning Is Likely To Retire Due To Health Problems, Sources Tell Yahoo! - SBNation.com
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's recovery from neck surgery is apparently not going well to the point that sources told Yahoo! Sports that he might have to retire because of it.
Steve Mariucci still haunted by the Tom Brady pick he didn’t make | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
Tom Brady's sixth-round status in the 2000 NFL Draft is an often-told story, as is the fact that he had to compete for reps with Drew Henson with the Michigan Wolverines. Bill Belichick will be the first to admit that even the New England Patriots had no clue when they were getting from the skinny kid who looked and ran like an accountant at the scouting combine — had Belichick known or even suspected, he certainly wouldn't have waited until the 199th overall pick to pull the trigger on the man who might just be the greatest quarterback of all time.
Aaron Rodgers says some Pro Bowlers embarrassed themselves | ProFootballTalk
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers thinks it’s time for the players in the Pro Bowl to step up their play. Rodgers, who started for the NFC in Sunday’s game, said he thought there were some players on the field who looked foolish with their lack of effort.
Through cancer and chemo, Herzlich stayed focused on football | ProFootballTalk
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, Mark Herzlich missed the entire 2009 season after being diagnosed with cancer and wasn’t the same player in 2010, resulting in every NFL team passing on him in the 2011 NFL draft. But the Giants picked Herzlich up as an undrafted free agent, and now he’s in the Super Bowl, and Herzlich says focusing on a return to football is what got him through cancer treatments.