2-2-12: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Waiting For The Bowl

Time for some links, looking at how Coach McNulty is likely to stay here, and more stuff on the unending Peyton Manning drama.

John McNulty likely to stay with Arizona Cardinals
It appears certain that receivers coach John McNulty will stay with the Cardinals rather than become Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator. The Cardinals denied Bucs' permission to talk to McNulty, who is friends with new coach Greg Schiano. Word is the Bucs appealed to Cardinals upper management but were still denied. Coach Ken Whisenhunt has not commented about the decision, but word is this was his call. It's a common practice in the NFL to deny permission, even if it means preventing a position coach from taking a promotion to a coordinator. The Cardinals, for instance, have been denied permission on several occasions, including last year when they wanted to interview Steelers' linebackers coach Keith Butler for the defensive coordinator's job. It's a bad situation for McNulty, because this could have been his best chance to become a coordinator in the NFL. That looks good on a resume when pursuing head coaching opportunities.

Fitzgerald sizes up improved NFC West - NFC West Blog - ESPN
A short drive from ESPN's Super Bowl headquarters to main NFL hotel provided an opportunity to speak with Fitzgerald about his team and the changing NFC West.

Word From the Birds Blog - Manning hype/speculation just getting started
At one point, the website Deadspin.com repeatedly pointed out how much ESPN was covering Tim Tebow. It was overkill, but with a purpose — people paid attention. There’s a chance, a good chance, the coverage of Peyton Manning over the next couple of months will put that to shame.

Cardinals and Manning could be great match, according to ESPN insider - ArizonaSports.com
Cardinals fans who don't want to get too excited about the possibility of Peyton Manning wearing a red jersey next season should probably stop reading now. Manning, who is expected to be released by the Indianapolis Colts in the near future, is recovering from multiple neck surgeries. Should he be able to play next season, the Cardinals figure to be interested in the player. "Arizona is expected to be in on Peyton Manning," ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter told ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike. "They have done due diligence."

Kurt Warner weighs in on Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning's future has been a major topic of discussion in Indianapolis this week, and it was interesting to hear the opinions of another quarterback who has made the journey Manning might soon start. Kurt Warner won two MVP awards and helped the Rams make it to two Super Bowls. Because of health and performance issues, he was forced to leave and try to resurrect his career, first with the Giants and finally with the Cardinals. Warner is in Indianapolis this week in his role as analyst for the NFL Network. He dropped by the Giants media session this morning and answered a few questions himself.

Ex-Cardinals star Roy Green can relate to New England Patriots two-way player Julian Edelman's role
Not many of today's players are asked to do what Roy Green did earlier in his career with the Cardinals.

Whisenhunt Putts for Charity
Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt participated in the Special Olympics Open at TPC Scottsdale to benefit the local chapter.

Arizona Sports News:

Steve Nash leads Phoenix Suns over New Orleans Hornets
For a while Wednesday night, the Suns game looked like it would be defined by their worst defense of the season against the worst team in the Western Conference. Instead, a second-half turnaround meant a 120-103 Suns victory at New Orleans that defined Steve Nash as the most prolific passer in Suns history. None of that looked like it would happen in the first half, when New Orleans (4-18) forced Nash to be a shooter rather than a passer, and he obliged with 19 first-half points and only two assists. Meanwhile, the Suns were breaking down defensively to continually allow the Hornets to score in the paint. New Orleans set a season high for scoring in a half by taking a 59-56 halftime lead, saved for the Suns' sake by an 8-0 half-ending run. That sort of turnaround continued in all aspects in the second half, when Nash assisted on the Suns' first three possessions to draw Kevin Johnson's franchise assists record near. Nash tied Johnson's record of 6,518 with a lob pass to Josh Childress posting up and then broke the record a possession later by tossing a fast-break outlet ahead to Childress for a layup.

Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash breaks franchise career assists record
Suns point guard Steve Nash set the franchise career assists record Wednesday night in New Orleans on a night that has been more about his scoring. Nash needed seven assists entering Wednesday night to pass Kevin Johnson's franchise record of 6,518 assists but only had two at halftime because New Orleans' defense turned him into a shooter. Nash, who sat out Monday's game with a thigh bruise, scored 19 points in the first half but dished assists on the first three Suns possessions of the second half.

National Signing Day wrapup
Tempe Corona del Sol offensive lineman Andrus Peat's decision to attend Stanford highlighted a whirlwind day of signing parties and college commitments from athletes around the state Wednesday. Peat, considered by some as the state's top recruit, announced his choice in front of a gathering at Corona del Sol that included approximately 100 students and several media members. Meanwhile, Arizona State and Arizona put the finishing touches on their coaches' first recruiting classes.

NFL News:

What If Eli's Last Name Wasn't Manning? - SBNation.com
Eli Manning is at the center of Super Bowl week in Indianapolis, but just like always, his brother Peyton's right there next to him. But to understand what makes Eli great, you have to look beyond the family ties.