Arizona Cardinals

It hasn't been officially reported yet, but Antrel Rolle has a slightly torn miniscus and will miss at least 4-5 weeks. He will go under the scope soon and hopefully it doesn't turn out to be worse than that. He was injured with that during the Seattle game, and that was partly the reason for his poor performance. He says he cannot wait for a re-match later in the year at Sundevil Stadium.

More stupid things and signs Green has lost his mind.

Allowing Kurt to call 3 TO's in one series during the Giants game

Not spiking the ball in the St. louis game.

Not reviewing the Anquan Boldin one hand catch - replays show he was clearly in bounds.

3rd and inches in the 3rd qtr - with Josh McCowen - why not run the QB keeper and fall forward? Instead the get cute, fake the hand off and throw to side 2 yards behind the line, and lose yardage. The next play they should have went for it, but instead they kick a wortless field goal. (Helped my fantasy team though)

Green may be the worst coach the AZ Cardinals have ever had.

Can USC beat us? maybe.
We are truely pathetic. Seattle beat our blitz every time -we are too predictable. Wilson goes in every time too fast. Why not try a delayed blitz?

Stick with Shipp. He is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Let's just run it to him 20-25 times. Even if we are down by 14 in the 3rd qtr. Do not abandon the run. Then every now and then give it to JJ on a sweep. Why try to be cute?

We need to change the defense to gear it towards the run stuff. They say our defense is aggressive, yet we never jam the receivers at the line. Hit them hard and do not give the 5 yard cushion.

Change up our safety play. Robert Griffen is not the answer. Decent player, but seems lost out there.

I'm glad coach may have woken up finally and benched Reggie Swinton - but he needs to be cut, not benched. Is JJ Moses still out there?

Bryant Johnson - how can we stop him from dropping the ball? He did this the last fews years in the beginning of the season, then later caught on. He needs to wake up now!

I am willing to see what Fred Wakefield can do at right tackle. He can't be any worse than Oliver "big bust" Ross

We will be 0-5 going into the bye week, unless somehow the team can perform a miracle.

10. Saying the Fans do not care when asked about why is he trying to change personnel with seconds left on the clock.
9.Starting Emmit Smith over Marcel Shipp (Shipp later got injured making it a moot point) 8.Cutting LJ Shelton - a top ten tackle in the NFL
7. Grabbing Shaun King as a back-up QB - could have went after Kerry Collins
6. Starting Elton Brown well before he is ready to start in the NFL. May be a good player someday, but not until quite some time.
5. Benching Josh McCown the night before a road game after winning 3 out of 4 games
4. Not going back to McCown early when his experiment didn't work
3. Announcing JJArrington the starter over Shipp, especially after Shipp had a great camp
2. Not having a real offensive line coach - hiring Everet Lindsay as the coach, a player he cut just a few weeks prior
1. Cutting our best lineman we have had in 20 years - Pete Kendall. Just because Pete was a true leader, and coach Green doen't like competitition on leadership. The curse of Kendall is still haunting us - the line Green has put together is much worse than we have had in years.

I don't know how a veteran of Kurt's stature is not smart enough to spike the ball with 20 seconds left. If Green wants to blame himself for that to protect Kurt - I don't buy it. Kurt should know what to do, and be smart enough to just get down there and spike the ball and not call an audible at the line. Also - he should be yelling at all the players to get back to the line fast. Bryant Johnson was lolli-gagging back to the line of scrimmage - c'mon! There is a game on the line, get back fast hustle, spike the ball and you have 2 tries at the 10 yard line to punch it in. Instead, they slowly get back, Kurt tries to call a play at the line and change-up - then Leonard Davis has the false start - game over. Even if they successfully run a play - by not spiking the ball and taking all that time, they only had one play left - not two. Do or die.

I don't like to blame the referees - but this one was terrible. The first really bad call came early when Johnson caught the ball on the 1-yard line and the ball popped out. Martz thought he had a fumble recovery and challenged the call. The referees did not rule for a fumble recovery, instead they rule incomplete pass. The re-play clearly showed a complete pass. This cost us a touchdown. The next huge bad call is when Fitzgerald caught a pass for a first down, but 10 yards up the field they call pass interference on Johnson. He wasn't even near the ball, he was blocking for Fitz so Fitz had more room to run. What a joke. Then came the unsportsmanlike conduct on Leonard Davis -when it was the Rams still hitting Shipp after the whistle. Plus all the holding calls. Arizona had eight penalties for 72 yards, all on its final four possessions.

Positives:
Shipp ran good - Green better keep him the starter in Seattle.
Dockett - played very well - not just the interception, but he got penetration in just about every play.
Russel Davis played well
Dansby was good (one missed tackle though)
Antrel Rolle was good
Anquan Boldin was awesome.

JJ Arrington reporteldy has the flu and did not practice Thursday. Here is Coach Green's chance to start Marcel Shipp and not damage his ego. He could say since Arrington was weak and did not practice this week, we are going with Shipp to start. Shipp then breaks out a 100 yard performance against St. Louis and then Green would be murdered for trying to start JJ against Seattle.

There seams to be a lot of talk about "Q" not being used against the Giants. I think it is a moot point right now. Every week we are going to have a different receiver be the star. Fitz won't have those numbers again. Anquan might be the one this time, or it might be Johnson. Remember too that teams will double team Anquan and that allows the others to have better coverage. If Fitz does have another breakout game this week - then watch for Seattle to double Fitz, and allow Anquan to have better coverage. It also means that when Johnson gets the opportunity - he better not blow it because he most likely will have one on one coverage and be asked to stretch the field. If he drops those kind of plays, then he will not have the respect and teams will ignore him.

Another part of the difference for Sunday's game. 14 points on special teams changes momentum. That is obvious. (ASU gave up 14 on special teams and lost to LSU) But also when Plaxico Buress caught the 13 yard TD pass - he was clearly out of bounds - but we could not challenge it. Kurt already burned all 3 timeouts. That was a huge mistake. Dennis Green said
"(Kurt) couldn’t hear the plays, the crowd was noisy," Green said. "We didn’t have a problem hearing the play in the first half because the crowd wasn’t noisy in the first half. But he needs to make sure he can run a play, even if it’s not the one we call."

My feeling is this - Kurt is a veteran, call your own play! If you do not know what it is, call the play yourself or take the delay of game - it is better than burning 3 timouts. If you burn one because of the noise, fine - but all 3? I'm sure if he called his own play, he would not be in trouble. The players know what to do. It eventually cost us another 7 points.

I'm glad they are making changes on the line. Shawn Lynch wasn't necessarily the problem. Elton Brown was worthless, and Oliver Ross got exposed. Here is what I think should happen for week 2. Nick Leckey should start at center. He has practiced last week and should be ready this week. Then Alex Stepanovich should play (guard with a cast) on to replace Elton Brown. This would strengthen the line. Elton Brown just needs more work and experience before he starts in the NFL. Ohterwise, Green is just building the team for next year and we will have another early draft pick.

Second - Marcel Ship needs to be the starter - I have said this before and I will keep saying this until proven wrong.

James Darling is out 2-3 weeks. This is really going to hurt us. We are very thin on linebackers right now. We did re-sign Lester Towns Tuesday. He is a 7 year vet and at least can play. He is not dominate, but shouldn't hurt us. The latest I hear is that Orlando Huff is moving to the Middle.

This was an embarrassment to Arizona football fans. It was a mockery, a tragedy, a ... tramockery!

I wanted this win in such a bad way. This loss will have future playoff implications.

So here goes the breakdown.

The good:
The weather seamed nice
Thier uniforms looked good
Fitzgerald had a good game
Dansby had a good game.

The Bad:
Special teams - this was supposed to be our strength - what happened?
Where was Dockett?
31 rushing yards - are you kidding me? In an NFL game for 4 qtrs?
Elton Brown was pathetic
Oliver Ross was pathetic
The play calling was a joke
We couldn't stop the run
Scott Player was lousy
Bryant Johnson couldn't hang on to the ball
and so much more - I just want to puke. Especially after the Sundevils lost Saturday, what a lousy weekend.

Great article about Kurt Warner

http://www.ccvonline.com/newsletter/article.aspx?volume_id=110409&article_id=1

Cardinals added Andy Stokes back to the practice squad. I thought they were saving the last practice squad position for a defensive lineman.

The question is, why sign Andy Stokes back when they released him early in camp, when they had kept Golliday until final cuts? It seemed to me Golliday is a better choice.

**Mr. Irrelevant because he was the final pick in the 2005 draft (Patriots) - hence the title of Mr. Irrelevant.

This guy is a fatty - why is he starting?

Arizona State vs Louisiana State Football wil be played at Sundevil Stadium due to hurricane. This is great news for ASU. - I give them a 10 point edge!

This is released form AZ Cardinals .com


Tempe, AZ – The Arizona Cardinals Football Club today announced that the team has signed wide receiver/kick returner Reggie Swinton and released wide receiver/kick returner J.J. Moses.

Swinton (6-0, 194) appeared in 54 career games (four starts) over the last four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions as a receiver and return specialist with career numbers of 41 receptions for 493 yards and four touchdowns, 145 kickoff returns for 3,463 yards (23.9 yard avg.) and two touchdowns and 90 punt returns for 977 (10.9 yard avg.) and two touchdowns.

The 30-year old Swinton signed with the Houston Texans as a free agent on April 19 and was released in the team’s final roster cut on September 3.

In 2004, Swinton appeared in 13 games (two starts) for the Lions and recorded a career high 18 receptions for 213 yards. returned 18 kicks for 410 yards (22.8 yard avg.) and also returned 16 punts for 108 yards (6.5 yard avg.). Originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Murray State in 1999, Swinton was with the Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL before his first NFL game appearance with the Cowboys in 2001. He played two seasons with the Cowboys until being picked up by the Lions in 2003.

Swinton will wear jersey #87.

In addition, the team has added safety Aaron Francisco to the practice squad. Francisco, originally signed as a rookie free agent on April 25, was released during training camp on August 22. He finished second on BYU last season with 88 tackles (43 solo), also recording one sack and one interception. He concluded his collegiate career with 330 tackles (167 solo) and seven interceptions.

Reggie Swinton is a good pick-up. He has 4 return TD's. An if you look on the Cardinals message board, the fans liked JJ Moses - he was an upgrade to Dan Sheldon, but Swinton is an upgrade to Moses - (4 more TD's than Moses)

1	Neil Rackers	K	6-1	201
10	Scott Player	P	6-1	211	8
11	Larry Fitzgerald	WR	6-3	221	2
12	Josh McCown	QB	6-4	213	4
13	Kurt Warner	QB	6-2	219	8
16	John Navarre	QB	6-6	251	2
19	LeRon McCoy	WR	6-1	205	R
21	Antrel Rolle	CB	6-0	206	R
23	Raymond Walls	CB	5-11	189	F
24	Adrian Wilson	S	6-3	230	5
27	David Macklin	CB	5-10	200	6
28	J.J. Arrington	RB	5-9	214	R
29	Quentin Harris	S	6-1	213	3
30	Obafemi Ayanbadejo	FB	6-2	233	7
31	Marcel Shipp	RB	5-11	225	5
32	James Jackson	RB	5-10	215	5
34	Robert Griffith	S	6-0	200	12
37	Adrian Mayes	S	6-1	215	2
42	James Hodgins	FB	6-1	264	7
43	Eric Green	CB	5-11	188	R
46	Harold Morrow	FB	5-11	232	10
48	Nathan Hodel	LS	6-2	248	4
51	James Darling	LB	6-1	247	9
52	Lance Mitchell	LB	6-2	225	R
54	Gerald Hayes	LB	6-1	241	3
55	Darryl Blackstock	LB	6-3	240	R
56	Chike Okeafor	DE	6-5	265	7
57	Orlando Huff	LB	6-3	250	5
58	Karlos Dansby	LB	6-4	243	2
59	Eric Johnson	LB	6-0	241	6
60	Nick Leckey	C	6-3	298	2
61	Elton Brown	G	6-4	339	R
62	Shawn Lynch	C	6-4	294	1
64	Adam Haayer	T	6-6	311	4
71	Alex Stepanovich	C	6-4	304	2
72	Ross Kolodziej	DT	6-3	292	4
73	Jeremy Bridges	RG	6-4	323	2
74	Reggie Wells	G	6-4	320	3
75	Leonard Davis	T	6-6	366	5
78	Fred Wakefield	T	6-7	312	5
79	Oliver Ross	RT	6-4	324	7
80	Bryant Johnson	WR	6-3	214	3
81	Anquan Boldin	WR	6-1	220	3
82	Charles Lee	WR	6-3	227	6
83	Eric Edwards	TE	6-5	257	2
84	J.J. Moses	KR	5-6	178	4
85	John Bronson	TE	6-3	260	R
89	Adam Bergen	TE	6-4	263	R
90	Darnell Dockett	DT	6-4	293	2
92	Bertrand Berry	DE	6-3	277	8
97	Calvin Pace	DE	6-4	270	3
98	Russell Davis	DT	6-4	306	7

09	Carlyle Holiday	WR	6-2	217	R
14	Dan Sheldon	WR	5-8	173	R
35	Ernest Shazor	S	6-4	231	R
39	Jermaine Hardy	CB	5-10	213	R
69	Rolando Cantu	G	6-5	361	1
93	Tim Bulman	DT	6-3	290	R
96	Tyler King	DE	6-3	266	R

This information has not been verified - taken from a post on the message board:

"INSIDER NEWS

Aaron Francisco who was released by the Cardinals last week Monday and signed by the NY Jets on the following Sunday was released by the NY Jets on Saturday 9-3-05 at 10:00 hours after recording 3 tackles and 2 pass breakups in the Jets Vs. Eagles game on 9-1-05.

The Jets had offered to re-sign him to their Practice Squad after releasing him on 9-3-05. He declined their offer on 9-4-05 and instead will sign with Arizona's Practice Squad this morning on 9-5-05.

Although he was released by the Cardinals earlier in the preseason he felt more comfortable and was treated much better by the Cardinals Coaches, Staff and orginization than he was by the NY Jets orginization.

Francisco being an Undrafted Rookie Free Agent and having the opportunity to choose between the Jets and Cardinals, he chose to work for the Cardinals.

He reports this morning for his physical and to sign his contract."

From AZ Cardinals ...
"In addition, the Cardinals have signed defensive tackle Tim Bulman, guard Rolando Cantu, safety Jermaine Hardy, wide receiver Carlyle Holiday, defensive end Tyler King, strong safety Ernest Shazor, and wide receiver Dan Sheldon to the practice squad."

No surprises here. Rolando Cantu might be on the team for the Mexico game and then get released again. Shazor needs to be hidden, and if we get an injury to a DB, he will be activated.

A few surprises on the cuts and a few obvious choices. Let's look at the surprises:

Reggie Newhouse (WR) - Decent player and I thought was better than Leron McCoy, but McCoy was a draft pick this year, and Denny doesn't like cut his draft picks.

Aaron Golliday (TE) - A good blocker, I am not surprised that Edwards and Bergen made the team, but I am surprised that they kept John Bronson. I never saw him play, but I guess he is a good special teamer. That means they kept 3 tight ends on roster.

3 fullbacks were kept on roster - Harold Marrow, James Hodgins, and Obafemi. This is a big surprise, especially since the fullback is not used in Green's system much. Marrow is a great special teamer though. This caused the Cardinals to cut Damian Anderson and go light on the defensive backfield since they kept 10 offensive lineman.

Robert Tate - he started camp as the #1 cornerback opposite David Macklin, everybody raved about his play, then Antrel Rolle signs his contract, after about 3 days takes over as starter, Tate moves to #3, then Eric Green takes over, and Tate just kept falling, but not because he did anything wrong. With that being said , I like our 4 cornerbacks, I just hope there are no injuries.

Ernest Shazor - I thought he would make the team, he definately will be on the practice squad if another team does not pick him up. They just like Adrian Mayes better (also played NFL Europe) due to experience. Shazor left school early for big dreams in the NFL - kind of sad, he should have played his final year in college and maybe had a shot for early round 2006 draft. He should keep his spirits up, because he eventually will make it in the NFL.

Ian Allen (RT) - he has been a starter, this also means Green's experiment of converting Fred Wakefield to an offensive lineman might be working. Rolando Cantu is not a surprise as far as playing capability, but he has been the unnofficial spokesman for the Cardinals in Mexico game and is from Mexico - kind of a media thing, but they can't keep him just because of that, every roster spot is important. This is a small sign the Cardinals organization is changing - changing towards winning.

A few final thoughts - Denver only keeps two QB's on roster - should we adopt that philiosphy? Also, Denver cut Quentin Griffen - Cardinals should pick him up.

Yikes - this one was ugly. They looked like the 2002/2003 Cardinals. The biggest problem among many - they forgot how to tackle! Many times they had the RB locked up and he just kept going.

Positives -
Antrel Rolle - again, this guy never missed a tackle - he knows how to wrap up.
Marcel Shipp - again, it was nice to hear the foghorn sound return at Sundevil Stadium
Shawn Lynch - the 5th center for us this year, he played the whole game and I focused on him a few times, he did much better than anticipated and will be an acceptable choice starting against the Giants.
Adam Bergen (TE) - will make the team
40,000 in attendance for a pre-season - not bad for the Redbirds


Negatives -
everything else -
Dan Sheldon dropped a TD pass right at him - cut
Denver just dominated us at the line of scrimmage - I could tell the team was not hyped up to play, no enthusiasm, no fun, no electricity - even from the fans. I think it was just the 4th game of pre-season and no one cared.