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Every year training camp brings up the same concern over and over again. Avoid Injury. It seems like it would be impossible, as pumped up as these players are. Peeps are out there trying to win a job, so you know they are going at 110%. Hungry, trying to get on the roster. But we don’t want any of our key players injured before the season starts. From raisingzona.com 

This time of year, it’s what we all fear the most, major injuries, you know, the preseason-ending kind, especially the season-ending variety.  Go on injured reserve, the only thing that player will be reserving is a spot on next season’s team. The Arizona Cardinals avoided major injury over the first week plus of training camp.  Then, Monday afternoon practice happened.  Beanie Wells was not expecting a hit, and bam….gets put on the ground, injuring his ribs.  For several hours we were left wondering, uh oh!  Here we go! Luckily Wells’ injury was not serious and he is listed as day-to-day.  Not every player is that lucky and makes you wonder who is next?  How important is is to go all out during a time that counts towards nothing except conditioning and timing more or less.

I love how much attention this training camp is getting. Friends of mine have already been up North checking out the team. Lots of crowds, lots of buzz. The Arizona Cardinals are an elite team. Believe it. From azcentral.com

“This organization, a few years ago, was non-existent. It was hard to even come play against them. Now we’re considered an elite organization. They’ve done a good job bringing players in, trying to keep the team competitive every season, and we’re continuing to grow with that.” – TE Anthony Becht, on the Cardinals’ development

Man Oh Man this summer is going by slow. Now that Amare is gone what we got to talk about? Its so slow Beanie Wells is doing the weather! I guess Beanie had dreams of doing something else when he was a kid. Beanie does make a pretty good weather man, but seriously how hard is that job in Phoenix? “The forecast for today? Hot as a MoFo!” From cardinals.clubs.nfl.com

Growing up, it wasn’t NFL stardom that drove the dreams of Beanie Wells, but instead a desire to be in front of the camera. The original hope was acting – more specifically, to become “a movie star.” Eventually, football became Wells’ immediate path, but his other desires didn’t die. At Ohio State, Wells’ major was communications and by then, TV was the goal. The NFL would come first, but finding a job in television would be on the other end of his career. So Wednesday, after appealing to local NBC affiliate KPNX (Ch. 12) to appear on its news team, Wells got a chance to report the weather on the 5 p.m. newscast. He joked about the heat – “It’ll be 111 degrees on Thursday, too hot for me” – and he lobbied for fans to come to training camp – “In Flagstaff, I like that, 81 degrees, and I need you guys up there. On top of seeing practice, you can enjoy the beautiful weather.” The 21-year-old even zinged veteran anchor Mark Curtis. Curtis made a crack about being good in football and then said it was on Playstation, to which Wells replied, “Was that around back then?”

And thank the lord for Darnell Dockett! Honestly, we haven’t had a sports personalty like this in the valley since Charles Barkley. He opened up to the fans during an online chat on Sports Nation and he didn’t disappoint.

The two running back system, everybody is doing it. The beating a running back takes in this league is to much to bare for a single guy. Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower will be sharing duties in the backfield once again this season. Its a good system because it means not one back has to be out there for every down. It will keep them fresh throughout the game and the season. From azcardinals.com:

Coach Ken Whisenhunt uses multiple backs. That’s a philosophy with which he arrived with from Pittsburgh, the notion that a stable of running backs give a team diverse weapons against an opponent. Maybe it could help a back like for instance, a young Beanie Wells, last a little longer in the NFL – “Let’s face it, if you are getting 50 or 60 snaps as a running back in a game, you’re going to wear down,” Whisenhunt said – but it isn’t the reason for working the depth chart.

Who ever is in the backfield is going to see more carries this year. We can’t have Matt Leinart carry the entire offensive burden. He is going to need help. How much help? Probably a lot. sbnation.com has ranked the 32 NFL starting quarterbacks and has Leinart at number 23. “Weapons galore and an easy schedule, but has a lot to learn.” That sounds about right.

Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt is going to be calling the plays this year for the Cards. Why? Because he loves it and he’s the head coach, thats why. From azcentral.com:

“Whisenhunt called plays in 2007, his first season with the team, and last year. Former offensive coordinator Todd Haley called plays in 2008, then took the Kansas City Chiefs head coaching job in 2009. With Haley gone, Whisenhunt resumed calling plays and plans to do it again this year. Passing game coordinator Mike Miller and assistant head coach/offensive line/run game coordinator Russ Grimm also have considerable input. Whisenhunt’s long-term plan is to hand the play-calling job to an assistant, probably Miller, because Whisenhunt views it as repaying a debt. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher gave Whisenhunt a chance to call plays by naming him offensive coordinator, and it gave Whisenhunt a big boost in becoming a head coach.

I have a feeling he  is going to be calling a lot more running plays than in years past. Not just because Matt Leinart is QB, that is a good reason, but because our running game looks better than it’s looked in years! From revengeofthebirds.com:

It’s no secret that the Arizona Cardinals offense will be headlined by a new-found rushing attack in 2010. Kurt Warner is enjoying retirement in Arizona and will spend next season watching his former team on television. That means that head coach Ken Whisenhunt will rely on backs Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower to lead the charge for the offense. The Cardinals have consistently featured a high-octane passing offense in the years that Warner was at the helm. Now with him gone, the young running backs will need to keep the gas pressed and the wheels moving. The duo of Wells and Hightower, or “Beantower” as some of you may call it, will see a significantly greater amount of reps then they did last season.

Its time to get in shape for that upcoming pool season. UuGHH , That means workin out. Your not alone people. The Arizona Cardinals started hitting the weights Monday. Voluntary workouts began and you can tell by attendance who is serious about the upcoming season. From azcardinals.com;

“That in-house accountability was a theme inherent in the players who came the first day. Some already had been coming for sessions at the Cards’ Tempe facility before Monday. Restricted free agents Steve Breaston, Gabe Watson and Lyle Sendlein – all of whom still had another couple of weeks to seek an offer sheet from another team – chose to sign their tender offers and forgo any further free-agent opportunity to begin the workouts. And key players like Wilson, new starting quarterback Matt Leinart, running backs Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower, veteran linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans and the vast majority of the offensive line all were in attendance.”

Glad to see Joey Porter in attendance after getting arrested over the weekend in California. It looks like he may have dodged a bullet. From revengeofthebirds.com;

“As we all have heard, Joey Porter was arrested over the weekend for resisting arrest, assault on an officer, and DUI. After this happened there were no official charges against Porter and the California DA’s office has decided to not charge him at all for these offenses.”

Oh boy. Here we go again. Joey Porter was arrested over the weekend for DUI , and resisting arrest. WTF! Not a good start. From azcentral.com;

“Officers pulled over a friend of Porter’s in the parking lot of a Taco Bell, and Porter pulled in behind the patrol vehicle. Officers smelled alcohol on Porter and asked for his driver’s license. Porter declined, and the officer asked him to leave the vehicle. Porter declined, according to the release, and started to roll up his window. The officer reached into the car and lifted the unlock button. Porter reportedly slapped his hand on top of the officer’s, and the officer then pushed Porter’s hand back into the car. Porter then exited and car in a “confrontational manner,” according to the release. Porter refused the officer’s request to lie on the ground, but he did put his hands behind is head. Porter was taken into custody, as was a passenger in his car.”

Nice. Sounds like a fun weekend. I have no idea how this is going to play out. we have a long way to go until the season kicks off, plenty of time to put this behind us. Ok, so how about some better news? How about Beanie Wells and how seriously he is taking this off season. From azcardinals.com;

“It’s early in the offseason. There are plenty of months left before training camp, and the offseason conditioning program doesn’t begin full tilt until Monday. But Wells has already been a semi-regular visitor in Tempe (including one previous Camelback Mountain trip) as he prepares for what should be a whole new world. “That’s why I am going up Camelback right now,” Wells said. “I know it’s going to be a long season and I need to be in shape. Have to be ready to tote that pill.” “I don’t know if I enjoy it,” Beanie said with a grin, “but I need it.”

I am glad to see Wells is busting his ass in the off season. It makes me believe he will be even more successful in the upcoming season. I love Camelback Mountain. One word of caution. Lots of eye candy on that Mountain this time of year. Keep your eyes focused on where you are stepping. I took a glance at a beauty running down in spandex and a tight sports bra, I almost fell down the side of the mountain.

To the shock of his fans, Berry announced his retirement on his radio show last night. From revengeofthebirds.com; “Berry was a question mark heading into this past season, but was extended to a one year contract. After notching six sacks in a situational role, he made 2009 his final season. The news was announced on his radio show, “Big Red Rage” Thursday evening. Berry finished his career with 40 sacks for the Cardinals, landing him 6th all-time in franchise history. Thanks for being one of the key pieces in turning around the franchise Bertrand.” Thanks indeed.

Well now for some good news. Two Arizona Cardinals have made Pro Football Weekly’s All Rookie Team. The are, Beanie Wells and LaRod Stephens-Howling. From fanster.com; “Wells, the Cardinals’ first round draft pick (31st overall) ranked 24th in the league and 2nd among NFL rookies in rushing with 793 yards on 176 attempts. He also scored 7 touchdowns. Stephens-Howling, who was picked in the 7th round out of Pittsburgh, made 23 tackles and recovered a fumble on special teams in 2009. He won NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in week 11 after a loss at Tennessee.” Beanie Wells had a great season, I’m glad he stayed healthy.

Do these pictures mean I want the saints to win the Superbowl?????

Over at azcentral.com; they are talking about possible off season moves the Cards might take. Should Ken Whisenhunt get a new contract? Absolutley. Should we keep Anquan Boldin? Nope. Keep Matt Leinart or go shopping in the draft? Undecided. I’m leaning towards keeping the guy. The other decisions are no-brainers, make Beanie Wells our feature back and rework Darnell Dockett’s contract and lock him up. No need for anything drastic. I think we have enough talent to make the playoffs again next year. Its a change talking about the success of the Cards. I don’t know about you guys but I had a lot of fun this season. From revengeofthebirds.com; “That’s not to say that we have nothing to be proud of. That marks three straight non-losing seasons that we as Cardinals have experienced under the Ken Whisenhunt era. During that time we saw one of the most explosive offenses in the league that won the division twice, won four playoff games and one NFC Championship game. We’ve also seen countless records broken and more national recognition that we’ve ever been accustomed to before. The Cardinals have the pieces set in place to be a competitive team for a long time. With some tweaking to both sides of the ball, the Cardinals may be ready to make another Super Bowl run in 2010.” Yeah, I had a blast watching the Cardinals this season. We’ll get’em next year!

That was the greatest NFL playoff game I have ever seen in my life. I stood the entire second half of the game. It was like a heavy weight boxing match, fighters trading bombs back and forth. The first half was all Arizona Cardinals. The defense and offense were clicking. An interception , fumble recovery we were up 24-10 at the half. The Cards were not the same team the Packers faced a week ago. The second half was a different story. Greenbay scored 21 points in the fourth quarter alone. It was an amazing comeback that went into over time thanks to Neil Rackers (happiest man in AZ) 34 yard missed field goal. When Greenbay won the toss I knew it was going to take a miracle to win. And Michael Adams became a miracle worker. Earlier in the game Adams blitzed from the right and had a clear path to sack Aaron Rogers, instead Adams tried to bat the ball down like he was blocking a punt. Rogers ducked out of the way and completed a pass. This time Around Adams had learned his lesson. On the third play of the drive Adams blitzed and hit Rogers forcing a fumble into Karlos Dansby’s hands. Dansby ran it in for a game winning touchdown! The intensity of this game was amazing. The numbers were ridiculous. Kurt Warner is hall of fame bound, has to be. Warner threw for 375 yards and 5 touchdowns, more touchdowns than he had incompletions! We had like 30 first downs! I could make numbers up and they wouldn’t sound as crazy as the truth. The teams combined for 96 points (most ever in a playoff game) and 1,024 yards. 11 different players scored touchdowns. Redunk. The Cards offense was just amazing. From revengeofthebirds.com; “With Anquan Boldin being declared inactive for the contest, the entire receiving corps stepped up. Larry Fitzgerald did his usual damage with 2 TDs on 6 catches for 82 yards including a dramatic one-handed diving snare. Wide receivers Steve Breaston, Early Doucet and Tight End Ben Patrick had their best games of the year, Breaston with the team-high seven receptions and 125 yards and a TD. He also ran for 28 yards on one carry. Beanie Wells broke off a season-long 42-yarder and thundered for 91 tough yards with a 6.5 YPC. Don’t you get the feeling we are still just getting a preview?” And the defense? Well they won the game, but left a lot to desired otherwise. From raisingzona.com; “After building a 31-10 lead, a great playoff team does not allow the opposing quarterback in your house walk all over you like they did.  Rodgers was great, but the Cards defense left a lot to be desired.  Rodgers torched the Cards for 422 yards.  Ugly yes.  Good enough to win.  Today it was.  Just barely and that’s all that matters.  What happened today makes no difference next week.  It’s a clean slate in New Orleans.” Yes, we start all over on Monday. I would have loved to play next weeks game in Glendale. Aaron Rogers said the crowd noise was a factor in the loss. Way to go Cardinals fans!!!

Yippee. We clinched Sunday. Does this mean the Arizona Cardinals are going to go on a two game losing streak to finish out the season? I hope not. This team has a split personalty. we have seen that play out over the course of the season. A positive win is followed by a dysfunctional loss followed by a win and redemption. On Sunday we saw that split personality manifest it’s self in the course of one game. From revengeofthebirds.com; “Mental errors and turnovers haunted the entire game. The Cardinals turned the ball over 3 times and the Lions capitalized by scoring 14 points. The Cardinals also committed 8 penalties for 65 yards. Two of them came from Bryan Robinson, for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that resulted in 30 yards. Turnovers and penalties have plagued the Cardinals lately, and isn’t something they can continue if they want to make a run in the playoffs.” That third quarter was difficult to watch. From raisingzona.com; “The Cardinals played sloppy and left a lot of points out on the field on Sunday.  After jumping to a 17-0 lead, the Cards once again, rested on that lead and played down to the competition and allowed the Lions to tie the game at 17 and again at 24 before pulling it out with a touchdown with two minutes to go.” Beanie Wells had a great game, rushing for 110 yards on 17 carries. Kurt Warner threw for 233 yards and one interception but he redeemed himself with that game winning drive at the end. What are you going to do? Take it anyway you can get it. We clinched the NFC West and that counts for something!

So as I was saying Ron Wolfley was reporting before Monday Nights game that the Arizona Cardinals locker room was quite and very business like. Maybe that was a bad thing. We should have been fired up and ready to match the intensity that the 49ers had. They knocked us around and had us on our heals the whole game. This is nothing new for Cards fans. This season has been up and down and fans never know what to expect week after week. After the Vikings game people began to think we had turned some corner. Its seems after every solid victory we have a bumbling loss. Bumbling? I should have said fumbling. It was like a bad dream. 7 turnovers. That just doesn’t happen in the NFL. Seriously when is the last time a team turned it over 7 times? From revengeofthebirds.com; ”Ball security has been a problem at this point in the season as the Cardinals have fumbled the ball a league-leading 15 times. Tim Hightower- who had 2 fumbles in all of 2008(both were recovered by the Cardinals) – has a team-high 5 fumbles on the year.  Four of the five have been lost, and all of them happened in the 1st quarter. Beanie Wells is a not-far second, with 4 fumbles, and only 2 being lost(Wells lost two fumbles against the Rams and Titans, but they were credited to Warner and Leinart). Wells fumble also came at a critical time when the Cardinals were driving at their 11 yard line. Last night should have been proof enough that the Arizona Cardinals are clearly not a team that can overcome turnovers. In their 5 losses this year, the Cardinals have an astonishing -13 turnover differential. Ken Whisenhunt faced the same issues last season when the Cardinals couldn’t clinch the division at first opportunity. With the Detroit Lions(2-10) up next, the Cardinals can still clinch the division with a win and a 49ers loss at Philadelphia next week.” I have nothing really positive to say about the team right now. Larry Fitzgerald had an MRI Tuesday that ame back negative. So I guess that’s positive. I think we should all just move on. From raisingzona.com; “It’s time to move on and forget.  San Francisco has our number.  That happens quite a bit in this league.  Fact is, the Cards still have a two game lead in the division and the Cards can still clinch with either a Niners loss or Cards wins over the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams.  It’s important to note, if the two teams were to tie, the Niners would win the division.  It’s still a longshot, however it’s a possibility.  Give the Niners credit for putting pressure on the Cards all night and for the next two weeks.  At the very least, they didn’t allow the Cards to win the division on their own field.  Time to move on”..

You know what this Arizona Cardinals team is famous for. Offense. Plain and simple. That’s what sells tickets and puts butts in the seats. However opposing teams are starting to realize the defense is just as good and has been integral to this teams success. That Vikings game was a great example. From revengeofthebirds.com; “The Cardinals may be relinquishing 257 passing yards a game (30th) to opponents, but they are currently ranked 2nd overall in defensive 3rd down efficiency. They’re only allowing 33.1% of 3rd down conversions to opponents and have improved their red zone defense as well — they currently rank 10th in the league at keeping teams from scoring when inside the 20. On Sunday the Vikings only scored twice in the red zone and the Cardinals held the Vikings to 5 of 15 (33%) on 3rd down attempts. Considering the Vikings usually convert 47% of 3rd down attempts (3rd in NFL), the Cardinals’ defensive effort becomes even more impressive.” And the offense has kept its reputation as one of the most impressive in the NFL. After a shaky start the numbers are pretty impressive. From caycompass.com; “In addition the Cardinals are fifth in the NFL in passing yards (266.8), ninth in points (24.8) and tenth in total yards (360.9) per game. Credit to that high–flying offense rests on the arm of ageless wonder Kurt Warner. In spite of being 38 years–old the 12 year vet has passed for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns. Helping in Warner’s success is his trio of wide–outs that remains unchanged from last year. Larry Fitzgerald, one of the game’s best receivers, tops the troupe with a league–leading 10 TDs and 969 receiving yards. Close behind are Anquan Boldin (763 yards and four TDs) and Steve Breaston (579 yards and three TDs). Statistically the Cardinals’ run game may be an afterthought (averaging a paltry 94.1 yards per game) but on the field it has shown marked improvement and the ability to change games. Credit for that rests in the emergence of rookie Beanie Wells who has 517 yards and four TDs. Then again Tim Hightower has not been too shabby with 535 yards and six TDs.” Man, and to think the Steelers won’t even make the playoffs this year. I love it. Lets go Cards!!!

Arizona Cardinals sucked it up and held out for a win against the St. Louis Rams 21-13. I like these kind of wins, it shows you something about the resolve and character of this team. Kurt warner got the Cards off to a good start and had 21-3 lead late in the first half. But Warner didn’t finish the game. From raisingzona.com; “Cards quarterback Kurt Warner threw 15-19 for 202 yards and two touchdowns before leaving late in the first half with what coach Ken Whisenhunt described after the game as “concussion-like symptoms.”  He gave that info in his post game radio interview, continuing on by saying he was taken out more as a precaution and should be available next week.  However he said it will be monitored throughout this week.” Matt Leinart took the reigns in the second half. The Cards didn’t score again but they didn’t have to. The defense weathered a Rams comeback in the second half and Leinart did a good job of managing the game with no turnovers. One factor that helped Matt Leinrt a great deal was our running game. Beanie Wells rushed for 74 yards on 14 carries and Tim Hightower rushed for 110 yards on 14 carries. From revengeofthebirds.com; “The running game was also outstanding for a third week in a row. The Cardinals ran for 183 yards, their highest of the season. 50 of the rushing yards came on a big run by Tim Hightower, in which he broke through the line of scrimmage and ran into Rams territory. The Cardinals ability to run has dramatically made this offense better.” Next week the Cardinals are going to be in Jack Daniel’s country when they travel to Tennessee.

I like this win. It was gritty performance at home for the Arizona Cardinals and they come behind to defeat the Seahawks 31-20. These games are fun to watch because they are like mini dramas, you don’t know how the stories going to end. The good guys were down 14-0 going into halftime, then the Cards exploded in the second half. From raisingzona.com; “This was truly a tale of two halves.  After trailing 14-0, the Cards outscored the Hawks 31-6.  Seattle, in my mind, appeared to have the game well in hand.  I can only imagine what was said at halftime or what changed towards the end of the second quarter. ” It seemed like Beanie Wells put the team on his back in this game and rushed for 85 yards. Wells is awesome to watch, he is incredibly powerful, with that stiff arm he just runs through people. From eastvalleytribune.com; “I think we all see why we drafted him when we did and … the power, strength and explosion he brings to the offense,” quarterback Kurt Warner said. “It’s fun to watch him. You see guys out there. They don’t want to tackle him,” wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “We laugh sometimes because as the game wears on you start seeing guys ducking their heads and turning their shoulders. He’s strong, man. He’s got grown man strength.” The Cardinals are now 6-3 and will face the St. Louis Rams next. I think we have hit our stride, the next few weeks are going to be exiting for Cardinals football!

I was chatting with a friend on facebook earlier in the week and she was asking if the Cards were going to win this Sunday. I was thinking, they are coming off a depressing loss and they are on the road. Yep, that adds up to a victory. I mean thats been the season, they get embarrassed at home and then go on the road and open up a can of whoop-ass. And they did against the Bears Sunday, winning 41-21. What ever, Warner had a great game and showed why he is one of the best QB’s in the league. From raisingzona.com; ”Kurt Warner.  He threw 5 touchdowns for the second time in his career.  The last time was in October 1999, marking the longest period of time between 5 TD games in NFL history.  I didn’t find that stat.  NBC did.  Amazing where they find this stuff.”But thats not all to be proud of Cards fans, the running game looked awesome. Which is no coincidence the passing game was so good. From revengeofthebirds.com; ”The running game did their job and produced solid numbers against the Bears defense. They amassed 182 rushing yards on the ground, making it easily their season high. The combination of Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower are proving to be successful.” If we could play the rest of the season on the road we could win out.