One day of the NFL Draft has passed, and Michael Floyd is now wearing Cardinal red. Now it is time to wait and see who they take in round three.
Floyd Is Cards' Playmaking Pick
Notre Dame wide receiver -- and Fitzgerald friend -- is No. 1 choice
Arizona Cardinals select Michael Floyd in first round of NFL draft
In the face of heavy trade winds, the Cardinals held on to their draft board Thursday night and didn't budge. slideshow Profile: Michael Floyd | Discuss Cards' pick on Facebook Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd was the top-rated player left on the Cardinals board. Trades swirled around the Cardinals. They had offers to move down, but none was enticing enough to convince them to pass on Floyd. "You've got a player who can change field position pretty quickly," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "When you couple that with the guys we have ... we feel like it gives us a very good receiving corps. Now we've added another weapon, and a weapon that is very big, very fast and very physical. I think that was important."
Pressure on Arizona Cardinals' Kevin Kolb mounts with selection of Michael Floyd
Well, the Cardinals didn't exactly take any pressure off quarterback Kevin Kolb by selecting receiver Michael Floyd in the first round on Thursday. Not that taking pressure off any player is a goal. If Floyd is the player the Cardinals think he is, this offense has threats. Larry Fitzgerald, Beanie Wells, Ryan Williams (if healthy) and some tight ends who can catch the ball. Yes, the offensive line, (guard or tackle) still needs addressed. I look for that to happen Friday in the third round. But in Fitzgerald and Floyd, Kolb has two big receivers who have the size and skills to beat press coverage and make catches when tightly covered. That's essential in today's game.
Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald happy with Michael Floyd NFL draft selection
Moments after the Cardinals made it official Thursday night and drafted Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd with the 13th overall pick, Larry Fitzgerald happily weighed in on the selection.
Word From the Birds Blog | After the Floyd pick, and other notes
If I am Andre Roberts, there isn’t anything else I can really say but bring it on. And that’s what the Cards’ receiver did — in the right way — by embracing the Michael Floyd draft choice by calling it "a great pick." He said on XTRA 910 that the Cards needed another receiver because "it is a passing league." How he deals with this — or how Early Doucet does — will be one of the stories of camp. Floyd is a No. 1 draft pick. He’s not a third-rounder like Roberts and Doucet once were. He’s going to have to play. He’s supposed to play. In some ways, this feels like the wide receiving corps has come full-circle (at least potentially) since the 2008 draft, when Doucet was taken and joined Fitz, Boldin and Breaston. But as Whiz said, "Michael Floyd hasn’t done one thing in this league as a player." He must prove himself. And we all know how Whisenhunt prefers to deal with rookies, at least at first.
What I like about NFC West first-rounders - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Arizona Cardinals: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame. Floyd comes to the Cardinals with an advantage. He already knows Larry Fitzgerald. Both players are from Minnesota. Fitzgerald publicly supported Floyd's selection heading into the draft. Floyd will get first-class mentoring from Fitzgerald, on and off the field. Fitzgerald has welcomed young players into his home and taken a direct interest in their development. That should help Floyd, who has a history of alcohol-related arrests.
'Exciting' 1st round of NFL draft surrounds Arizona Cardinals
Trades were involved in six of the first seven selections in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday, and the Cardinals were startled about how quickly the first part of the round went. Nineteen trades were made, the most since at least 1970, according to the league.
Word From the Birds Blog | A ride for a Gorbachev, and other NFL stuff
Life isn’t all about the NFL draft the next few days. Turns out Mikhail Gorbachev — yes, the one-time leader of the Soviet Union and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize — is in town to speak at a fundraiser for the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He needs to get back to New York, where Cardinals president Michael Bidwill just happens to be headed Sunday for some NFL meetings, Bidwill said during an interview on Ch. 12 this morning while previewing the draft. Since Bidwill is also a pilot, he said he will be giving Gorbachev and his group a ride.
Word From the Birds Blog | Cardinals take WR Floyd in first round
The Cardinals ended up taking the Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd with the 13th overall pick Thursday. There was a lot of speculation/reports that the Cards were trying to trade down, but in the end, they stayed put and took a big (6-foot-2, 220 pound) pass catcher who was thought to be the second-best receiver in the draft behind Justin Blackmon.
Cardinals happy to add Floyd to the fold - ArizonaSports.com
Wide receiver was an area of need for the Arizona Cardinals. But Cardinals' brass has been touting all the while that they won't draft for need, instead they opt for the best available player. Well, the worlds of need and talent collided in Arizona's first round draft pick when they selected Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd with the 13th overall selection of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Cardinals players react to Michael Floyd pick - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals drafted Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd with the 13th pick of the first round of the NFL Draft, adding an explosive weapon to pair with Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald. Cardinals players took to Twitter and expressed an overwhelmingly positive reaction about the newest member of the Birdgang.
Arizona Sports 620's reaction to Cards pick of Floyd - ArizonaSports.com
There was plenty of speculation that the Arizona Cardinals would trade out of the 13th slot of the first round of the NFL Draft, but they opted to stay and make the pick. Three of their favorite players: Iowa tackle Riley Reiff, South Carolina outside linebacker Melvin Ingram and Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd were all on the board. The Cardinals went with Floyd, pairing the young stud receiver with Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald to form a formidable combo of weapons for Arizona QB Kevin Kolb. The crowd gathered at Arizona Sports 620's Draft Extravaganza at Talking Stick Resort approved, and so did our talk show hosts. Here's some rapid reaction from the on-air staff of Arizona Sports 620:
Floyd's former coach praises young wideout - ArizonaSports.com
It was no secret Cardinals heralded wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wanted his team to draft Notre Dame wideout Michael Floyd. Fitzgerald's wish was granted when the Cardinals used their 13th pick in the first round to select Floyd, a player who possesses eerily comparable qualities and strengths to their Pro Bowl receiver. For Floyd's former head coach at Notre Dame, the selection made perfect sense.
Cardinals select Michael Floyd at 13 - ArizonaSports.com
The Arizona Cardinals finally got their number two receiver.
Cardinals: Picking Floyd shakes up division - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Arizona Cardinals' decision to make Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd the 13th overall choice has implications throughout the NFC West. For one, it gives quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and John Skelton another physically impressive weapon opposite Larry Fitzgerald. The move also made sure the division-rival St. Louis Rams would not emerge with one of the two highest-rated receivers in the draft. Left unknown: to what degree the Rams wanted one of those wideouts.
Cardinals make Larry Fitzgerald happy by drafting Michael Floyd | ProFootballTalk
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t shy about letting people know what he thought the team should do with the 13th pick of the draft.
Quick look at how NFC West GMs stack up - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Rod Graves, Arizona Cardinals (7): Graves has been the Cardinals' GM for the entire period in question, although personnel director Steve Keim is ultimately responsible for setting the draft board. Draft choices Larry Fitzgerald, Patrick Peterson, Antrel Rolle, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Anquan Boldin, Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith achieved Pro Bowl status. Smith went to the Pro Bowl with Houston last season. That counts for the purposes of our discussion. Three notable non-Pro Bowl picks: Calais Campbell, Karlos Dansby, Daryl Washington.
Cardinals pick Floyd No. 13
The Arizona Cardinals select Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd with the 13th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
Floyd Conference Call
Cardinals 1st round draft pick Michael Floyd conducts a conference call with Arizona media shortly after being selected with the 13th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Whisenhunt and Graves discuss Floyd
Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt and GM Rod Graves talked with the media after selecting Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd with the 13th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Arizona Sports News:
Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash has time to mull options for his future
Suns guard Steve Nash has spent plenty of time this season emphasizing that he did not have the time to think about what would happen in free agency when he had a team to galvanize and rally. Now he has nothing but time to ponder his future. Nash is out of basketball for the season but won't become an unrestricted free agent until July 1.
NFL News:
Brockers helps Rams' defense, not their QB - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The St. Louis Rams watched the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals snatch up wide receivers in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. That left the Rams to address another need when they selected LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers with the 14th overall choice. The question now becomes whether the Rams were right in letting Justin Blackmon (Jaguars) and Michael Floyd (Cardinals) land elsewhere, leaving quarterback Sam Bradford without a No. 1 wide receiver. Both wideouts came off the board one spot ahead of where the Rams were scheduled to select.
What Seahawks are thinking with Irvin - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The 15th overall choice marked that point in the 2012 NFL draft when a team's selection sent me diving into a draft guide to find out more about the latest selection. Bruce Irvin? Yes, Bruce Irvin.
49ers get their receiver: A.J. Jenkins - NFC West Blog - ESPN
There was some thought the San Francisco 49ers might take a character risk by selecting North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins with the 30th overall choice Thursday night. The Jenkins they wound up selecting could not have been much different from Janoris.
Bruce Irvin and a wild night in NFC West - NFC West Blog - ESPN
There were no bold strikes up the draft board for NFC West teams Thursday night. There was resignation among those hoping the St. Louis Rams would emerge with a No. 1 wide receiver for quarterback Sam Bradford. The Rams traded down instead, taking LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers after wideouts Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd vanished from the talent pool right before St. Louis picked. There was the expected in Arizona, where the Cardinals went with Floyd over tackle Riley Reiff, no slam dunk but a widely projected scenario in recent weeks. There was waiting in San Francisco, where the 49ers did not pick until No. 30, where they selected Illinois receiver A.J. Jenkins shortly after two top guards landed elsewhere. And then there was utter shock in Seattle, where the Seahawks used the 15th overall choice for a player with more time logged in jail than in the mainstream media mock drafts circulating recently.
Cancel the Pro Bowl? Sounds good to me - NFC West Blog - ESPN
News that the Pro Bowl is likely going away comes a couple months after commissioner Roger Goodell threatened to discontinue the game. Television ratings for the annual all-star game have remained relatively strong, but the product does nothing to enhance the NFL's brand, in my view. The drama and strategy that make real games compelling cannot exist in a Pro Bowl context.
NFL Draft 2012: Full Coverage Of The First Round - SBNation.com
The first round of the 2012 NFL Draft is in the books and trades came fast and furious. Check out this StoryStream for a look back on the festivities.
NFL Draft 2012: News, Notes, Video And More - SBNation.com
Rounding up the latest 2012 NFL Draft news, updates and rumors.
GIF: Melvin Ingram, Roger Goodell Choreographed A Handshake - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Well, this was probably the best handshake of the draft. It wasn't really your typical handshake, but it sure looks like Roger Goodell and Melvin Ingram planned this out. They had to have been in the back practicing before the NFL Draft got under way.
Ryan Leaf Declared Fugitive From Justice By Texas Law Enforcement - SBNation.com
Former NFL and Washington St. Cougars quarterback Ryan Leaf is now the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the state of Texas, where he's wanted for fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance. Leaf was placed on 10 years probation in Texas two years ago after a burglary arrest, and Texas contends that his recent string of arrests violates that probation.
NFL Draft: Tim Couch Talks About The Process, The Money And Why Hummers Are Awful - SBNation.com
Spencer Hall caught up with someone who knows a bit about the NFL Draft and its oddities in the form of one Tim Couch, former Cleveland Browns quarterback and No. 1 draft pick in 1999. We talked about the moment you go from college player to draft pick, the unreality of professional salaries to a college player, and why the H1 was the worst automobile for casual conversation ever.
Pro Bowl Could Be Canceled, According To Report - SBNation.com
Could the Pro Bowl be canceled? The NFL is reportedly discussing the possibility due to the poor quality of play in the game.
VIDEO: SB Nation Test Drives Madden 13 - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
With the reveal of the Madden 13 cover choice looming (SPOILER: It's Calvin Johnson), SB Nation's Dan Rubenstein headed to ABC's Times Square studios to learn about and test out this year's Madden release. Along the way, game developers explained new features like total control passing (seems reasonable) and the end of psychic secondaries and robo-middle linebackers (BOOOOOO).
Ideas To Fix Pro Bowl Include Pay Based On Performance - SBNation.com
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to a group of bloggers, including several from SB Nation, on Thursday afternoon in the hours before the start of the 2012 NFL Draft. Among the topics discussed was a newsworthy one, the possible cancellation of the Pro Bowl. A report emerged on Thursday that the Commissioner was "likely" to suspend the Pro Bowl due to the poor quality of play.