2-23-12: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Combine

Time for some links as we go into the NFL Combine.

Combine Back To Normal
Labor peace returns Indy gathering to beginning, not end

ProFootballFocus: Cardinals line is improving - ArizonaSports.com
The Cardinals offensive line is improving. Yes, you read that right. According to ProFootballFocus.com, Arizona had the 21st-best offensive line last season, up from its 25th- place finish the year before. The site says the Cardinals ranked 7th in run blocking and 30th in pass protection, while finishing 2nd in penalties.

Word From the Birds Blog - Time for Indy and the Combine
I, along with a handful of other Cards’ people like head coach Ken Whisenhunt and assistants Russ Grimm, Mike Miller, Freddie Kitchens, Kevin Spencer and John Lott, made it to Indianapolis today for the annual Scouting combine. I’ll be here until Sunday, bringing you the stories around the Cards. That begins tomorrow when Whiz and general manager Rod Graves address the media gathered here. Not sure anything of major consequence will come out of it; because free agency is pushed back, there is still plenty of post-combine time for things to happen before free agency starts.

Larry Fitzgerald Seems Like He's Doing Pretty Welll - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Either Larry Fitzgerald found a way to insert himself into the game Myst, or he's just hangin' out by Machu Pichu like it's nothing.

An NFL Scouting Combine full of story lines
Indianapolis again will be the epicenter of NFL news this week as the annual scouting combine begins. The city is just recovering from hosting its first Super Bowl, but I'm guessing the hangover was minimal because folks there know how to handle their big events. I'll be there from Wednesday through Sunday. I'm especially looking forward to this combine because there are more local stories than usual. The Cardinals and their needs will be a primary focus. They have the 13th overall pick. But there are more local college products in attendance than usual, including quarterback Brock Osweiler, linebacker Vontaze Burfict and receiver Gerell Robinson from ASU. The University of Arizona has two notable attendees in quarterback Nick Foles and receiver Juron Criner.

NFL Scouting Combine is used for more than just the draft
The primary goal of the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins this week, is to glean information about players expected to be drafted in April. But no one hits the "delete" key on those files when the draft ends. The information gathered in the scouting process, which includes the combine, is used as long as the player is a player. For instance, one reason the Cardinals felt comfortable in trading for quarterback Kevin Kolb last summer is that he made a positive impression on them during an interview at the 2007 combine. Coaches have spent the past few weeks evaluating free agents, and part of that is looking back at reports written in the months before they were drafted.

azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Now this is Indianapolis
A few quick impressions and notes after, oh, about two hours in Indianapolis for the Scouting Combine.

New Series Preview
Catch a sneak preview of the new video series brought to you by Cardinals Digital Media: "Zoom", premiering Wednesday, February 29th. Preview the series, and Episode 1 with Ryan Williams, now.

Arizona Sports News:

Phoenix Suns lose heartbreaker against Golden State Warriors
A three-game winning streak would have been swell momentum on its own. Rallying from a 21-point deficit to do the same would have been a freight train of magnificent momentum. The Suns wiped away that 21-point Golden State lead and took a lead twice before coming off track in the final two minutes to lose 106-104 on Wednesday night at US Airways Center.

Phoenix Coyotes acquire Antoine Vermette from Columbus Blue Jackets
The Coyotes acquired Antoine Vermette from the Columbus Blue Jackets today, sending minor league goalie Curtis McElhinney along with a 2012 second-round pick and a 2013 fifth-round pick to Columbus.

NFL News:

NFL Combine 2012: Andrew Luck Vs. Robert Griffin III Among Storylines To Watch - SBNation.com
The NFL Combine is starting this week in Indianapolis, and as expected the top story line involves a couple of quarterbacks.