5-16-12: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Some Draft Picks Signed

Time for todays links, which mostly relate to the signing of some of the draft picks after waiting a little bit longer than most teams have so far.

Pressure point: Cardinals - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The 2012 season should be less challenging for Kevin Kolb than the one that came before it, but Kolb still qualifies for consideration on a varied list of NFC West players with tough roads ahead. Quarterback is a difficult enough position without the added burden of unrealistic expectations. The $12.4 million annual average Arizona paid to Kolb demanded immediate production, and at a high level. Kolb struggled, raising the stakes for 2012.

Four Draft Picks Agree To Deals
Massie, Kelemete, Lindley, Bethel get four-year contracts

Word From the Birds Blog | Campbell back where he belongs
In the offseason, Calais Campbell is often in the locker room. He works out and then he hangs out on his stool checking his phone or just chilling out. That is, until recently, when his contract situation kept him away. That’s changed, of course, and Campbell returned to the locker room Tuesday and to working out — just like normal.

Arizona Cardinals agree to terms with Bobby Massie, Senio Kelemete, Justin Bethel, Ryan Lindley
The Cardinals announced they agreed to terms on contracts with four of their seven draft picks, a process that's been simplified by the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement. There are restrictions on both the length and financial terms of rookie deals, so negotiations are much easier than in past seasons. All four players were selected in the lower rounds and will sign four-year contracts: offensive tackle Bobby Massie (fourth), guard Senio Kelemete (fifth), safety Justin Bethel (sixth) and quarterback Ryan Lindley (sixth).

Arizona Sports News:

Phoenix Coyotes routed by Los Angeles Kings in Game 2
As soon as Coyotes captain Shane Doan left the ice in the second period, his team's discipline -- and possibly the series -- left with him. That discipline has been the cornerstone of the Coyotes' success, and it was challenged the moment the stars of Hollywood arrived in town. The Los Angeles Kings are big and skilled, imposing a physical threat the Coyotes have yet to encounter in the playoffs. That combination stymied the Coyotes in Game1 and intimidated them in Game2. A string of penalties, which included a game misconduct to Doan, unraveled the Coyotes as they fell 4-0 to the Kings on Tuesday night in front of 17,149 at Jobing.com Arena. The visitors snatched a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference finals.

Arizona Diamondbacks offense comes alive in win over Los Angeles Dodgers
Shortstop Willie Bloomquist walked through the dugout as Kirk Gibson was talking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, and the Diamondbacks manager mentioned how much Bloomquist's mentality reminds him of his own. Like Gibson when he played, Bloomquist is hard on himself. "I can relate to him," he said. "It's almost comical that I'm the guy to tell him (to relax)." But on Tuesday night it looked like the Diamondbacks finally did relax. For weeks, their lineup has been filled with hitters trying to make up for a bad month and a half with one big swing. But, on this night, at least, they seemed to realize that less is more. In salvaging a split of this two-game series with a 5-1 win over the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks collected 13 hits. Only one went for extra bases.

NFL News:

Jaguars Starting QB Is Blaine Gabbert; No Competition - SBNation.com
There was some thought that free agent quarterback Chad Henne could challenge Blaine Gabbert for the Jaguars starting quarterback position, but head coach Mike Mularkey says there's no competition.

Some in Jaguars organization doubt Mularkey’s faith in Gabbert | ProFootballTalk
Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey says there is no quarterback competition in Jacksonville and the starting job belongs to Blaine Gabbert. But not everyone in the organization believes him.

Jason Peters Injury: Eagles LT Re-Tears Achilles Tendon - SBNation.com
Eagles left tackle Jason Peters, who initially tore his right Achilles tendon while working out on March 27, suffered another tear to the same tendon after a fall at his house. Derrick Gunn of CSNPhilly.com was the first to report the news:

Rams are "discounting" Sam Bradford’s 2011 season | ProFootballTalk
The Rams are under new management this season and they aren’t just looking to fix the things that went wrong under the old bosses. They are trying to erase the memories of them altogether.

Saints, Brees moving closer to key deadlines | ProFootballTalk
Over the weekend, our pal Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune updated the Drew Brees contract situation, writing that the chances of Brees and the Saints working out a new deal before the launch of OTAs next week are closer to none than slim.