The Official 2012/2013 Arizona Cardinals Thread

[97cats]

"You've got Beanie's power, he's explosive," offensive coordinator Mike Miller said. "When he gets rolling, he's a punishing guy. Then you've got Ryan, who can also be punishing in his own way, but also a slasher and shows flashes of finishing speed."

LaRod Stephens-Howling's skills in the passing game and on draw plays give Miller lots of room for creativity in deciding how to use his running backs.

The hitch in this grand plan, however, is that Wells and Williams are coming off serious knee problems. The Cardinals are confident the two will be ready for the season, based on the opinion of the team's medical staff.

The coaching staff is doing its part by planning to use Williams and Wells, whenever he's able to practice, conservatively in the opening weeks of training camp.

Williams estimates he is "85 to 90 percent" healthy and just needs practice and playing time to make up the remaining 10 to 15 percent. He looked good in the team's first practice of training camp on Wednesday, prompting some smiles and pats on the helmet when he made a quick cut to the inside.



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/card...#ixzz21nD9JDIs

[97cats]

Kevin Kolb has been listed as the Arizona Cardinals' No. 1 quarterback on the team's initial depth chart.

Kolb, set to enter his second season with the Cardinals, is listed ahead of John Skelton on the depth chart, which was released Monday.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt has not indicated whether Kolb or Skelton has the edge in the competition for Arizona's starting quarterback job, stating that he will make his decision over the course of training camp.

"The most important criteria is what they do on the field and how the team responds to them," Whisenhunt said Monday during an interview on ESPN Radio's "The Herd."

"I think ultimately the player that's more consistent, that shows he can give you the best chance to win, that's the one you have to go with."

Whisenhunt said both quarterbacks have "made progress through the spring," but Kolb apparently will start Arizona's preseason opener Sunday in the Hall of Fame game against the New Orleans Saints.

"We've got the Hall of Fame game coming up in a week," Whisenhunt said. "I think this will be a good opportunity in a live situation to put them in and see how they compete."

Kolb was 2-6 as a starter last year, missing much of the season with turf toe and later a concussion. Skelton was 6-2 in his absence, but much of the credit for that success goes to the team's vastly improved defense.

The Cardinals thought they had acquired their franchise quarterback when they sent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a draft pick to Philadelphia for Kolb, then signed him to a five-year, $63 million contract -- with $21 million guaranteed.

But with no offseason because of the lockout, Kolb struggled to absorb the Cardinals' offense then was sidelined with injury. Skelton replaced him, and though his passing often was erratic, he had a knack for bringing the team from behind in the fourth quarter.


http://espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp1...qb-depth-chart

[BibbysTowelDude]

Suck for Barkley please.

[azatm]

Pathetic pick...

[PointGuardU03]

Originally Posted by BibbysTowelDude

Suck for Barkley please.

Doesn't really matter who our qb is with this dogsh*t o-line. Kolb's pick though was horrific.

Btw, how does Russ Grimm still have a job?

[BibbysTowelDude]

Kolb and the o-line suck badly...

[Katzenfreund]

Kolb already injured again. Time to cut the losses and trot him out into the desert. He'll be remembered as the man who brought Ken Whisenhunt down.

[alieberman]

Don't know if Saints are still paying bounties for injuring qbs but I just want to thank the Saints Defense for knocking Kolb out of the game.

[97cats]

CANTON, Ohio -- The protection for quarterback Kevin Kolb was much better following the Arizona Cardinals' exhibition opener than during it Sunday night.

What it all means for the team's ongoing quarterback race hinges on how well Kolb responds to the chest injury he suffered only four dropbacks into a 17-10 defeat to New Orleans in the Hall of Fame Game at Fawcett Stadium.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt stood up for Kolb while downplaying backup John Skelton's efforts.

"I think it's a little bit unfair to Kevin because we weren't doing as good a job up front early in the game," Whisenhunt said. "Then we settled down and played a little bit better. But he'll get his opportunities when we go forward. That's why you don't, it's careful to make judgments on that first experience."

There's no sense in a head coach amplifying the negative with four preseason games left to play. But at some point soon, Kolb will need to stay on the field and produce. Toe, head and chest injuries have knocked him from games with Arizona. A thigh injury suffered in practice last week turned out to be a non-factor.

Whisenhunt described the latest injury, initially announced as a rib contusion, as a bruised chest muscle. He suggested Kolb might not miss much time.

"It's going to all depend on how sore he is," Whisenhunt said. "I don't anticipate it being a problem. Whenever you get one of those, it's hard to torque, so we'll see how he responds. There's a chance he'll practice this week."

Player safety is a legitimate concern, but some hard NFL truths remain. Players cannot earn their peers' respect from the sideline. They must prove they can play through injuries. Quarterbacks especially must do this if they're going to win over a locker room. We saw Tarvaris Jackson do that last season in Seattle by playing through a torn pectoral. We saw Sam Bradford do that for the St. Louis Rams, limping through a Monday night game at Seattle despite a high-ankle sprain that easily could have sidelined him.

It's impossible to know whether Kolb could have played through the toe injury that sidelined him last season. It would be irresponsible to suggest Kolb should have returned more quickly from the concussion that kept him off the field for the final three games. There was obviously no sense in Kolb gutting it out in a meaningless preseason game Sunday night, of course.

We just know this: Kolb keeps getting hurt, and he hasn't fared well enough when healthy.

"He's done a good job (in camp practices)," receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "He's done a really good job competing. He's accurate. His ball's on time and he's having fun. That is important. He is out here with the guys enjoying football. That is really what you want to see. We have a lot of traininbg camp left to go and a lot more games in preseason. I know he'll continue to improve."

The Saints picked off Kolb's first pass. They knocked him from the game not long after that, the fourth consecutive preseason and/or regular season that an injury has knocked out Kolb.

Kolb completed one of his four attempts for four yards and the one interception. He wasn't on the field long enough for anyone to read much into his 0.0 NFL passer rating. Skelton completed 4 of 6 attempts for 32 yards. He was the quarterback during a 14-play, 90-yard drive to Alfonso Smith's 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Skelton completed four consecutive passes during the drive. Arizona ran for 60 of the 90 yards on the drive.

"(Skelton) did a nice job," Whisenhunt said. "He made a couple good throws, moved in the pocket. Like I said, I think the line settled down a little bit by the time John got in there. He had a little bit more time. But to his credit, I think he did a nice job."

The Cardinals will remain on the road, heading to Missouri for one practice with the Kansas City Chiefs, followed by a game against them Friday at Arrowhead Stadium.

Kolb's availability was a leading storyline for the Cardinals last season. That will be the case again this week.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/tag/.../2012-hof-game

[BibbysTowelDude]

Kenny sounds like he's being pigeonholed with Kolb.

[PointGuardU03]

I'm not a fan of Kolb at all, but right now he's clearly the team's best option at QB

[DirtyDezzzzert]

Nah... Kolb is a clipboard holder. Big Red can at least step up in the pocket and throw darts. Your QB can't play scared. It's not even Kolb's fault, blame us for paying a career backup that much dough.

[azgreg]

Have the Cards ever had an offensive line?

[97cats]

The Cardinals return to work tomorrow with a walk-through in the morning, then a practice with the Chiefs from 1:15 to 3 (Arizona time). I'll try to tweet a few times during the workout @kentsomers to let you know what's going on.

Some things to watch for:

-- Will Kevin Kolb (bruised ribs/diaphragm) be able to practice and play this week?

-- Will Beanie Wells come off the PUP list and starting practicing? Ken Whisenhunt said recently it was a possiblility.

-- Will Ryan Williams get more work? And will he play Friday night against the Chiefs.

-- Will right tackle Bobby Massie show improvement as the Cardinals change the way he sets up for passes? Massie struggled early in Canton Sunday night, but appeared to improve as the evening wore on.

-- How will the Cardinals address their poor tackling against the Saints? It's hard to work on tackling in practice because NFL coaches are deathly afraid of getting people hurt. With four more preseason games, my guess is the Cardinals will show improvement. Getting end Darnell Dockett (hamstring) and strong safety Adrian Wilson (calf) back in the lineup should help.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/KentSomers/168227

[azgreg]

NEWS FLASH!!!!!

Cards still suck.