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The Cardinals finished the preseason 3-1. What does that mean? I think the last two times we had a winning record in the preseason we had a losing record in the regular season. Oh well. At least this summer was interesting. Last nights game didn’t change anything. Derek Anderson is still going to start and Matt Leinart still needs to get his resume ready. From azcentral.com 

Otherwise, it was a pleasant evening devoid of theatrics. Derek Anderson started at quarterback for the Cardinals, played one series, completed 2 of 3 passes for 47 yards and helped the Cardinals to a field goal. Matt Leinart replaced him and was competent, but not dynamic, which has been the case all preseason. He completed 3 of 5 for 14 yards and had one pass that was dropped. Leinart played two series, then was replaced by rookie Max Hall, who continued to show why he might be the team’s quarterback of the not-so-distant future.

This Matt Leinart story just blew up over the past two weeks. Convential wisdom said, if Matt Leinart was going to lose the starting job it would have happened after a poor performance in the regular season. Instead he finds himself scrabbling for a team to take him a week before the season starts. From sbnation.com

The Arizona Cardinals have decided to let Matt Leinart – and his agent – see if there are any teams interested in trading for the quarterback according to a report from the Sports Xchange via USA Today. The timing of this isn’t peculiar as all three of the teams that were reportedly interested in trading for the quarterback denied that they were indeed interested. Best of luck to Leinart, but this seems more like the team is telling him “Look, you’re best off in Arizona because nobody else wants to trade for you. We tried, now have a look for yourself.”

What will the future be like? Will America still be fat? Will Sarah Palin be President? I don’t know the answer to these questions but I do know Darnell Dockett will be a Cardinal. And that fact helps me sleep at night. From raisingzona.com

Arizona Cardinals DL Darnell Dockett has signed an extension with the team.  It is reported to be through 2015.  That sounds like Darnell Dockett will be with the Cards for a long time.  Clearly if this had not happened, Dockett was going to go elsewhere.  That would have been a shame. Dockett is one of the hardest working players on and off the field.  He is the ultimate player.  He is worth all $47 million he will receive with this new contract.

This guy did deserve it. He is like a diesel engine out there on the field. Always giving 110%. And Dockett handled this contract situation with class unlike some other NFL players. From revengeofthebirds.com

Correct me if I’m wrong) the Cardinals needed to keep some of their core Defensive players from jumping the ship. Dockett is the kind of player that you need to keep. Dockett was patient, and he got the new deal he deserves. This should be a lesson to everyone else on the team that if you wait for an extension and keep on doing your job to try to make the team better, you will eventually be rewarded for it. Dockett is also the kind of player who won’t be like Albert Haynesworth and many others now that he has a new contract. He said that he is more motivated to “take his game to a new level” which is a frightening thought after how good he already is, and it will also make the job easier for Calais Campbell, Joey Porter, Adrian Wilson, Clark Haggans, and the rest of the defense.

Its weird to think that this preseason was Matt Leinarts’ last chance. Considering he has been with the team since 2006. Why didn’t the organization make a trade in the off season? The offense could have been that much farther along with Derek Anderson. I would have liked to have seen a definite decision much sooner. I think the team would have been better off for it. From foxsports.com

Matt Leinart’s days in Arizona may be numbered. The Arizona Cardinals have been calling around the league trying to trade their former first-round draft pick, FOXSports.com has learned.Several teams have confirmed that they have received calls and e-mails from the Cardinals regarding his services, but it is not yet clear what sort of compensation that Arizona is seeking.

In better news. Instead of leading the Cardinals to a third straight NFC  West Championship, Kurt Warner will being doing the two-step on Dancing With The Stars. Competing against the likes of  “The Situation” and Bristol Palin. Oh brother. From azcentral.com

Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is among the celebrities who will cha-cha-cha on the 11th season of “Dancing with the Stars.” Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke, hosts of the ABC ballroom competition, announced the cast Monday. “The Brady Bunch” matriarch Florence Henderson, “Jersey Shore” co-star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Bristol Palin are also among the 12 celebrities who will be paired with professional dance partners and train before their prime-time premiere Sept. 20.

This season is going to be a test for those new found Arizona Cardinals fans. Doesn’t look like any game is going to be easy this year. Judging from the last two pre-season games, this team is not going to defend it’s NFC West title this year. We can talk about Matt Leinarts’ performance all we want. The offensive line looked horrible, so did the running game. Those problems are going to have to be addressed, otherwise it’s won’t matter who is at quarterback. foxsportsarizona.com

As expected, the success of the offensive line and running game has gone hand in hand.  The early returns have been poor, with few running lanes and subsequently little production from Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower.  The Cardinals have been held to fewer than 70 yards rushing in both preseason games, with backup LaRod Stephens-Howling doing most of the damage Monday night.

I still think Leinart has yet to lose the starting position. In two quarters he has yet to turn the ball over. Unlike Derek Anderson and Max Hall. As for John Skelton had a great outing against Houston’s third string. So what. I think Matt Leinart would do a little better if he had better protection, a little more time to throw the ball. Maybe he will see more than one quarter in the next game. I really think Matt Leinart is still learning this game. From sportingnews.com

Leinart has had trouble in the preseason with his reads and decision making and got no breaks from the Titans, who disrupted him with blitzes. Without top wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and little help from the running game, Arizona went three and out on all three of his series. “I’m just focused on trying to get better every day, every practice, every game,” he told Tafoya in a third-quarter interview. “I’m still confident. You just watch the film and keep going. I’m fine.”

Loosen pounds is tough. Believe me, I know. I work out regularly but I also love food. I have a love hate relationship with 5 Guys Burgers, love the burgers and fries, hate that they are like 3000 calories. That’s enough calories for a small African village. So I feel for Deuce Lutui and Herman Johnson but come on man!! Lets cut down on the portions please. From azcentral.com

But the players have dropped a substantial amount of weight in three weeks, and Whisenhunt acknowledged that losing weight is better than the alternative. Both players are running with the second team – Lutui at right guard and Johnson at right tackle – and played well in their first preseason game Saturday against the Texans. Lutui reported to camp at 360 pounds, around 15 more than the target set for him. Lutui met weight-loss goals last week and is “just around the corner,” from hitting the 340s, he said. Johnson, a fifth-round draft pick in 2009, reported to camp at about 380, 20 or so pounds over his prescribed weight. He has lost 15 pounds at training camp, and after a sluggish first two weeks, is starting to look better.

I think you get discounted tickets if you go to a movie in the afternoon. It been so long since I’ve been up that early I don’t really know, it could be crazy talk. The Cardinals got to see a movie on Wednesday thanks to Coach Ken Whisenhunt. It’s the fourth year that Whisenhunt has allowed the players to see a movie instead of practice. Nice guy. From azcentral.com

It helps break up the monotony of camp and gives players a chance to bond off the field. “It’s something from the first day of camp they start talking about, when is it going to be movie day?’ ” Whisenhunt said. “You see offensive and defensive guys sitting together, laughing and enjoying the movie … it’s great to do things in training camp, other than beating on each other, together.” Players had their choice of movies and “The Expendables” was the most popular choice. Whisenhunt gave it a thumbs up.

Nice. I am glad they didn’t see “Eat Pray Love”, that would have been a bit concerning. I don’t think all the players should have got the day off. Derek Anderson could have used a few extra snaps if you ask me. I am still recovering from his nauseating performance on Saturday. From  raisingzona.com

After last night, I am sure there are thousands of Arizona Cardinals fans who would like nothing more than to see Matt Leinart go sit on the bench or just no longer exist on this team at all.  The boos started early last night. I wish some of those boos had been saved for Derek Anderson.  He actually performed the worst, in my opinion, of the three quarterbacks that played last night.  Anderson threw two picks.  He did have one touchdown drive, but a lot of that was Beanie Wells.

Larry Fitzgerald is going to be ready for opening day, so he says. I hope so. Man. we need this guy to be healthy. I can’t imagine this offense without him. There wouldn’t be an offense without him. Thats how important he is. From azcentral.com

The CardinalsLarry Fitzgerald will recover from a sprained knee ligament in time to play in the season opener at St. Louis
Fitzgerald had a brace on his right knee and watched practice Monday. While Fitzgerald is entering his seventh season, his experience won’t make up for all the practice time he’s going to miss, he said. “I’m playing a position that’s predicated on timing,” he said. “We have a new quarterback and I need to be out there with him every single day, not just on Sunday. Anytime you miss as a receiver, it’s not good.”

I bet Matt Leinart is praying Fitzgerald comes back 100%. Leinart is going to need all the help he can get. Leinart’s performance on Saturday did not do anything to alleviate the fears at the QB position. It seems like people are waiting for this guy to fail, or even hoping that he fails. Whats up with that? From thebiglead.com

Leinart has not proven himself on the field. He has not been given the chance to do so. He had a mediocre rookie season after assuming the starting job. He was hurt early in his second year. He has made one start since.  Yes, he may not be Kurt Warner from 2008 and 2009. Few people are. Warner will be a hall of famer.  He’s 27, the same age Kurt Warner was when he made it to the NFL. His personal life has come under scrutiny, but what great sins has he committed? He enjoyed being a celebrity in his early 20s in Los Angeles. So would most. He fathered a child out of wedlock, meaning he (gasp!) had pre-marital sex. It happens. Contraception isn’t full-proof. He was photographed, during the off-season, partying with young women and alcohol. Shocking. So Leinart is “laconic,” “slow-moving,” fathered a child and enjoys being a celebrity. Minus the beer bong, you could make that exact characterization of Tom Brady. In fact, you could claim Brady has been worse. He dated Tara Reid! Tara effing Reid! There are plenty of reasons not to like Matt Leinart, most of them relate to where he matriculated. However, he deserves a chance to prove himself.  Rooting for him to fail from the first snaps of preseason is obscene.

Everything seems to be going alright in Darnell Docketts life for the moment. That’s a good thing. I think Dockett is becoming my favorite player on this Cards team. Nobody can match this guys personality and his enthusiasm for the game. He is the heart and soul of the defense and he is looking to get a new contract done. From azcentral.com

In Whisenhunt’s eyes, Dockett has matured greatly over the past year. Oh, sure, there has been the occasional transgression – taking a shower over the Internet this spring, for instance – but Dockett has never done anything malicious, never hurt anyone but himself off the field. “Darnell was obviously a highly emotional, highly intense player,” Whisenhunt said. “There is a period where you both have to gain the respect of each other. I’ve asked Darnell to do some things since our first year and he’s done them, besides play good football. t’s not coincidental that the Cardinals were ready to talk contract immediately after Dockett regularly attended off-season practices and workouts. General Manager Rod Graves and Drew Rosenhaus, Dockett’s agent, have had preliminary discussions about a new deal. Traditionally, the Cardinals wait until midseason to extend contracts, but Dockett’s deal might be different. “I’m not a money; I’m not a selfish guy,” Dockett said. “I care about winning. So I’m able to come to work and prepare, like I got a game tomorrow. I believe in the organization and I’m pretty sure they’ll take care of it sooner than a lot of people think.”

Dockett deserves a decent contract, he is a hard worker and always gives 100%. This town is ready for some football. People are dying for the season to start. It’s no surprise that Saturdays preseason game is sold out! From azcentral.com

The Arizona Cardinals have announced that their preseason home game Saturday against the Houston Texans is sold out. The Cardinals have now sold out all 44 games they have played at University of Phoenix Stadium, which opened in August of 2006. That streak includes all preseason games. Saturday’s game will be shown live on Channel 15. Kick off is set for 5 p.m. KTAR 620 AM will have the radio coverage.

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

Thats right sports fans, The Cards have started their training camp up in Flagstaff. I heard hotel prices sky rocket this time of year. What do you expect? The Cards are winners, and winners attract the devoted. So far so good, everyone passed their conditioning tests. Yes, I said everyone. From raisingzona.com

It was a great day! The Arizona Cardinals began the day by having all player pass the conditioning test, including Deuce Lutui, who was rumored to come into camp excessively overweight. Overweight or not, he passed. That means he is in football shape. Good enough for me.

Mean while, the monsoon was deal’n out some punishment on the Cardinal’s University Of Phoenix Stadium. The monsoon decided to come out and play and the valley has seen quite a lot of weather over the past few days. Don’t worry, nothing the repair crews can’t handle. From azcentral.com

The storm came up the south side of the stadium in Glendale and took off a piece of the “crown core,” which is the silver outer shell of the building, said Bob Aylesworth, executive vice president of Hunt Construction Group, which built the stadium. The piece that came off rolled from south to north and tore the thin fabric that is part of the retractable roof, he added. The hole, which is about 1,500 square feet, is surrounded by several smaller rips. Contractors are working to determine a damage estimate and how long it will take to fix the roof. There was no structural stadium damage. Fabric repairs will start today and repairs to the torn panel will start sometime next week, Aylesworth said. Scott Norton, marketing director for University of Phoenix Stadium, said officials “are hopeful that the scheduled events will not be affected.”

I am ready for some football. I mean the Dbacks season is over. There is no sports on TV to watch. This sports junkie is going into withdrawals. I just want to see how this preseason is going to play out. Is Matt Leinart going to be the starter.? My guess is yes. It’s his to lose. That doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be some competition in training camp. From raisingzona.com

With the Arizona Cardinals training camp getting going next weekend, the talk will start to heat up on Matt Leinart as the new Cards starting quarterback.  Does Leinart make it through all of camp as the starter?  Will Derek Anderson push him at all in camp?  Will we see some nice surprises from backups John Skelton and Max Hall?  They are all good questions. All Cards fans eyes will be focused.  This will be an intriguing battle between Leinart and Anderson.  What happens if Anderson performs so well in the preseason that it will be difficult to ignore?  Chances are that won’t happen, but you never know.  There is a constant evaluation that will go on.  I say you have to give Leinart every chance to lose the job though.  Five days and counting.

Lots of questions to be answered. Like how well is O’Brien Schofield going to play? How effective is he going to be coming back from reconstructive knee surgey? From azcardinals.com

O’Brien Schofield continues to rehab and work the reconstructed knee he tore up in January. Whether the linebacker can actually get on the field this season for the Cardinals is yet to be determined. But the fourth-round pick does now have a contract. Schofield signed a four-year with the Cardinals Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed. To make room for Schofield on the roster, the Cards released tackle Devyn Tyler, an undrafted rookie out of Temple.

Dude American and European football teams are worth a lot of money! The only other sports represented in the top 30 of the Forbes list, are the Yankees and Ferrari. Farrari? And the Cards? Number 30 of course, ahead of the Chargers but behind Kansas City. From phoenixnewtimes.com

According to Forbes magazine, the Cards rank as the 30th most valuable sports team in the world. The value of the team, owned by William Bidwill, is a hefty $935 million and the Cards pulled in $223 million in revenue over the past year. Despite the high ranking, however, the Cardinals aren’t even in the top-half of all NFL franchises, which absolutely dominate the Forbes list. In fact, all 32 NFL teams are on the top 50 list. The top NFL franchises are the Dallas Cowboys at $1.65 billion, followed by the Washington Redskins at $1.55 billion and New England Patriots at $1.36 billion.

In order to keep that ticket revenue coming in the Cards are making Phoenix Stadium as fan friendly as possible. This coming season they plan on serving better quality food at cheaper prices. From azcentral.com

It’s the team’s first foray into the concessions business, but team officials promise changes will include cheaper food options, faster service and better quality. Cardinals fans repeated those three suggestions during focus groups, said Ron Minegar, the team’s chief operating officer. “We all know (eating at the stadium) is not going to be like going to In-N-Out Burger,” he said, referring to the fast-food restaurant’s low prices. But several popular menu items should take a smaller bite out of fans’ wallets, and other items have been bundled into combos for a lower price. Faster service, an average of 1 minute per customer, is also a goal, Minegar said. Officials have gone to some lengths to shave seconds off each order. They counted the number of steps it took a cashier to walk to the nacho-cheese dispenser at each concession stand and decided to install more dispensers to speed preparation of one of the stadium’s most popular snacks. Food quality is important too, officials said. Fans want hot dogs piping hot, Minegar said. “They don’t want it to have been sitting wrapped up for 20 minutes,” he said. So roller machines will keep the hot dogs warm.

When you think about it, Ken Whisenhunt is a badass coach. I mean look at his record, lots of success on that resume. He should be Canton bound based on what he’s done with the Cards alone! From azcentral.com

“In my last nine years (coaching) in the league, we’ve been to two Super Bowls, 5-6 championship games and won the division 6-7 times,” Whisenhunt said. “That’s what drives me. When you get a group of guys to believe in something and actually be successful, when you get a town to respond the way this town has supported us . . . there’s nothing else like it. Look at where we were four years ago.”"We’ve created a mind-set of how we work,” Whisenhunt said. “Guys work this way because they know it’s successful. And now they’re taking it on their shoulders to bring in young guys and say, ‘This is how you’re going to do it if you’re going to fit in.’ “

Dude, “Double” Deuce Lutui is weighing in at 400 lbs. Wow, that’s a lot of cheese burgers baby. Holla! Seriously, carrying around all the weight will put Deuce at risk for injury. And two-a-days are coming up soon. From azcentral.com

If Arizona Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui reports to training camp at last year’s playing weight, he will have lost almost 60 pounds in six weeks. That’s not likely to happen. “That (weight gain) was something that was a concern beforehand,” Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “That was something we battled for a couple years now, not just with him but with other guys, too. “If you’re trying to put your best foot forward … in order to get a long-term contract, you would think when the time comes to sign and you get a physical, you would be in good shape.”

How is everybody else holding up this off-season? I heard Matt Leinart is only going out like three times a week and has even cut back on his hot-tub’n. That guy knows how to sacrifice for the team. Still it’s nice to see Leinart get out of the house for a little charity work. From raisingzona.com

I’m still seeing more of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart on the red carpet than anywhere else these days.  Now, I will give him credit, the video of him on the red carpet below is for his own charity event, however, I really would love to see more of Leinart on the green carpet rather than the red. If Leinart thinks he has this in the bag, he’s got another thing coming.  He has three hungry quarterbacks right behind him.

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.