SB Nation - Keilen Dykes

Arizona Cardinals Roster Moves: Keilen Dykes to IR and Antoine Holmes to Practice Squad

Hawkwind — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:16:01 -0000

The Arizona Cardinals made some roster moves today moving Keilen Dykes to Injured Reserve and signing Antoine Holmes to their practice squad. Dykes, who has spent time on the active roster and practice squad this season, tore a biceps muscle during practice last and will require surgery. Dykes started the season on the practice squad but was activated after Lance Long was cut. He was moved back to the practice squad once Ben Patrick's suspension was lifted. Dykes, an undrafted defensive end/tackle from West Virginia, has spent the past two seasons dealing with various injuries.

Taking Dykes' spot on the practice squad will be Antoine Holmes, an undrafted free agent from this season. Holmes transferred to North Carolina State as a junior and moved into the starting lineup as a senior where he totalled 35 tackles, nine for loss and two sacks. He played both defensive tackle and end at NC State but his size (6-2, 278) will limit him to defensive end with the Cardinals. He's decent athlete, especially for his size, but his upside is limited and he was too often controlled by a single blocker in college. He spent time with the Vikings during camp but has been a free agent ever since.

Arizona Cardinals Cut Keilen Dykes to Make Room For Ben Patrick

Hawkwind — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:08:19 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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In an semi-puzzling move the Arizona Cardinals have reportedly released defensive end Keilen Dykes in an effort to make room for tight end Ben Patrick who is returning from a four game suspension. The puzzling nature of the move is because the team requested, and received, a roster exception for Patrick meaning that he could return to practice without them actually having to release anyone. Of course a move would have to be made later in the week so that Patrick can play this weekend against the Seahawks, but with the exception they could have waited a couple of days and made the move later in the week. Dykes can still be added to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

The second reason that this is semi-puzzling is that a defensive lineman instead of a tight end was released. After seeing the entire tight end position struggle with injuries last season, Stephen Spach's recent ankle injury could have something to do with the decision not to release a tight end. Alan Branch's emergence could also have doomed Dykes' status. This move means that for the time being the team will carry four tight ends even though they've only kept two active on game days. Dominique Byrd, who has been inactive for every game, is surely breathing a sign of relief after hearing that he still has a job.

It'll be interesting to see how long it takes Patrick to return to the starting lineup. He was the front runner to the win the job during the off season and even with his pending suspension he still started most of the preseason games. He is the most complete tight end on the roster and considering the lack of production from the position so far (six receptions for 48 yards), his return to the starting lineup might be eminent. Patrick has shown flashes during his first two seasons of becoming a quality tight end although he struggles with consistency and injuries.

Arizona Cardinals Weekly Flock: Fitzgerald Tweets and Warner's Shoulder

Hawkwind — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:40:02 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

3 months ago: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, left, dives for a third quarter touchdown as Jacksonville Jaguars safety Sean Considine tries to make the stop during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in Jacksonville, Fla. Arizona won 31-17. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

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So what's the big news after the Arizona Cardinals first win of the season in dominating fashion, how about the twitter account of guy who has no affiliation with the team. That's right, the twitter barrage by Marcus Fitzgerald (Fitz's younger brother) has been making most of the news this week despite a record breaking performance by Kurt Warner, two fumbles from Beanie Wells and a solid defensive effort. Such is the world we live in. We've tried to let the dust settle on this story before bringing it to ROTB and so far it's dying down as you would expect. Fitz and Warner are just to classy and important to this team for this to remain an issue for any extended period of time.

Friction between Fitzgerald, Warner? - A reader mentioned to us earlier tonight that Marcus Fitzgerald, the younger brother of Cardinals All-World wideout Larry Fitzgerald, posted some Twitter messages during Sunday's Arizona-Jacksonville game suggesting the beginnings of a rift between Larry and quarterback Kurt Warner. Among other things, [younger brother] Fitzgerald says that Larry "texted him pissed off" during halftime, even though the Cardinals were leading by 21 points. In the same tweet, Marcus Fitzgerald opined that Warner plays "like a damn 80 year old." Marcus also offered this assessment of Warner's play: "Kurt warner needs 2 stop bein a scary ass & throw the ball deep 2 my brother! damn this is annoying 2 watch! he throws 2 the rb's 2 damn much."
Marcus Fitzgerald tries to clean up his mess - The younger brother of Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald hasn't been blessed with the same degree of football skills. But, by all appearances, Marcus Fitzgerald (who is on the preseason roster of the UFL's California Redwoods) didn't make up for the relative lack of physical prowess by acquiring an abundance of smarts. Larry Fitzgerald has consistently shown that he knows what to say and what not to say when the public is paying attention. In one afternoon of frustration, however, Marcus has thrown a wrench into that carefully constructed image.
Kurt Warner shrugs off Fitzgerald frustrations - In a Tuesday spot on The Jim Rome Show, guest-hosted by Bickley and MJ of Xtra Sports 910 in Phoenix, Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner adroitly handled questions regarding Twitter posts from the brother of receiver Larry Fitzgerald suggesting that the All-Planet wideout is frustrated by a lack of touches. "He's gonna have his times and he's gonna have his moments and I'm not just gonna go back there and force something to Larry to get him the ball," Warner said. "You know I'm like anybody else, if I can throw the ball to [Anquan Boldin] and [Larry Fitzgerald] every time, I will do that."
Fitz tweets - Darren Urban explains the Fitzgerald brother tweeting fiasco.

Rotation Keeps D-Line Fresh, Productive - Darren Urban takes a look at various notes from the game including the defensive line rotation, Warner's shoulder and an injury update.
Set a Record, Quiet The Critics - Urban looks at Kurt Warner's record setting day and also reveals that a re-aggravation of his sore shoulder was the reason he came out of the game in the third quarter.
Getting Beanie With The Program - Beanie Wells better hang on to the ball. The rumor is that every time it hits the ground this week, Beanie has to put $200 into a pot that will eventually go to charity, all while hopefully teaching a lesson.
Upon further review - Kent Somers finally got a chance today to watch the replay of Sunday's game and a few things jumped out at him including Gabe Watson, Alan Branch, Keilen Dykes and LaRod Stephens-Howling among others.
Catching the breaks - Kent Somers has some post-game thoughts about the lucky breaks that went the Cards way.
Colts vs. Cardinals Preview - Check out this very well written preview of Sunday's big matchup.

Arizona Cardinals Smother the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-17: Defensive Breakdown

Hawkwind — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:44 -0000

More photos » by Phil Coale - AP

The mad man, Darnell Dockett (aka NINE-0) takes aim at David Garrard as the Arizona Cardinals defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-17. (AP Photo/Phil Coale)

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The Arizona Cardinals defense had an up and down game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On one hand they allowed 372 yards and 18 first downs to team without much of a passing attack, but on the other hand they allowed just 17 points, posted four sacks and forced three turnovers. In the game where ultimately the scoreboard does the final talking, you'd have to figure that the defense did it's job but there is certainly some room for improvement.

Bend but Don't Break: A week after forcing eight three-and-outs against the Niners the Cardinals defense forced just one against the Jags and in all the Jaguars were able to put together five drives of at least 50 yards. Luckily for the Cards their defense was able to stiffen up once the Jags crossed mid-field where they forced two field goal attempts (one of which was blocked), a fumble and a fourth drive ended on downs. The yardage total is a bit concerning but 17 points is an vast improvement over last year's average and in this case I think we'll defer to the phrase, "the ends justify the means."
Pressuring Garrard: One of the things we talked about leading up to the game was a need to pressure David Garrard and considering that they notched four sacks and forced a fumble, I'd have to think that they accomplished that goal. There were several instances where Garrard was able to escape the pressure but for all his faults he does have some escapability and it showed on Sunday. Billy Davis continues to be dial up exotic blitzes, especially with his safeties Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle, and with eight sacks in the first two games (second in the league) it's hard to argue with the results.
Run Defense: After completely shutting down Frank Gore in week one the Cardinals took a different path to slow down Maurice Jones-Drew. Instead of just stuffing him every time he got the ball the Cards jumped out to an early lead on the scoreboard and effectively took him out of the game. After reeling off an impressive 36 yard run on the Jags second play from scrimmage, MJD was limited to just 30 yards on 12 carries. The front seven remains stout against the run and a big reason for their success this season has been the ability to rotate in fresh bodies along the defensive line. Alan Branch, Gabe Watson and Keilen Dykes all played roles for the Cards on Sunday and their presence will be needed as the season wears on and guys get dinged up.

Much Improved Secondary?: One of the things we spent the entire off season raving about was how much the secondary would be improved with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie having a year under his belt, Rolle acclimating to the free safety spot and the additions of Bryant McFadden and Rashad Johnson but so far that hasn't been the case. Now the Cards are middle of the road in passing yards per game (15th), yards per pass attempt (17th) and QB rating (18th) but the concerning thing is the number of big plays allowed so far against two offenses who don't really have a big play threat. They've allowed four passes of 20 yards or more and one pass of 40 yards or more and while neither of those are among the league worst, I think we'd have all expected the secondary numbers to look quite a bit better after the first two games, especially considering the amount of pass rush that the front seven has been able to generate. It's hard to make any concrete decisions after two games but I think it's safe to say that the best passing offense that we'll see this season will be coming into Arizona this Sunday night and the secondary needs to have their best performance to date.
Bertrand Who?: After wondering where Bertrand Berry was for most of the off season and then seeing very little from him during the preseason yours truly predicted that he'd be on the chopping block on the final roster cut down day. After two weeks though I'm gladly eating crow as Berry has notched sacks in each of the first two games and was pushed into the starting lineup because Chike Okeafor was nursing a sore shoulder. Berry is still basically a one trick pony considering that his only two tackles have been sacks thus far but he's the team leader in that department and he's also recovered two fumbles. Not bad for a guy who none of us were praising two and half weeks ago.

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All in all the defensive effort was good for a second consecutive week and believe it or not they enter week three as the 13th ranked scoring defense and sixth ranked defense in terms of yards per game. Both of those are dramatic improvements over 2008 but there are still some areas that can be improved upon because there are much better offenses coming down the road.

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Thursday (9/17/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:42:11 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, (Barners and Bammers too) to the Shotgun/Throwdown, your one stop shop for links and entertainment. Today, we're being brought to you by Super Bock in honor of today's Miss Throwdown.

Our invasion by Barner and Bammer trolls continues. Not that we give them anything to stir them up, mind you (*wink, wink). I may have a few today, myself. But it's all in good fun. BTW, I forgot to check the option box today. So, sorry. Back to right-clicking for another day. For those of you traveling to the game: Have a safe trip, enjoy and represent well. Let's GOOOOOOOO Mountaineers!!!!!!! Send in your tips, videos, requests, etc. On with the show.

What you may have missed:

Coach Stewart's Statewide Sportsline Show - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Coach Stew on...Kanye West? WTF!?!?

Big East picks, Week 3 - Big East - ESPN

NFL Cardinals promote former WVU star Dykes - Charleston Daily Mail

NCAA president Myles Brand dies from pancreatic cancer - ESPN (AP)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Myles Brand, who fired Bob Knight as Indiana University basketball coach and went on to become NCAA president, died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer. He was 67.

News of Note:

Preview: WVU at Auburn - BlueGoldNews.com

Auburn Preview - MSNsportsNET.Com
Pravda version.

Auburn Game Preview - wvillustrated.com
Another site's version.

Big East Fearless Predictions - Week 3 - Scout.com

What to watch in the Big East, Week 3 - Big East - ESPN

Campus Connection - MSNsportsNET.Com
Antonik has a few notes and interesting facts to share..chief among them is this:

"West Virginia safeties coach Steve Dunlap made an interesting point yesterday: Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn spent the last two years practicing against the 3-3 stack while at Tulsa. The 3-3 stack is the same defense Tulsa coach Todd Graham is using."

Offensive changes paying off for Mountaineers in Year 2 - Big East - ESPN

HERTZEL COLUMN: Berry hoping to find field Saturday - The Times West Virginian
So are a lot of other people.

Tigers prepare for sloppy weather - Ledger-Enquirer.com
Forecast doesn't bode well for a passing team like we've become.

Auburn's noisy crowd poses 90,000 obstacles for West Virginia - PPG
Make that 75,000 as we will have a strong representation there as well.

WVU ready for Auburn crowd noise - The Times West Virginian
One writer picks a story to cover and they all fall in line right behind.

WVU expects Auburn Tigers to be loud - Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Case in point.

Stewart expects track meet at Auburn - TheInterMountain.com

Practice facility coming closer to a reality - Dominion Post
This has been strangely quiet.

Huggins' facility gets boost from Charleston - Charleston Daily Mail
and more

Powerful Auburn Rush to Collide with Stingy WVU D-Line - eersports.com
Force, meet wall.

Defending Auburn run key for Mountaineers - The Register-Herald

Tigers New-Age Offense Getting it Done on the Ground - eersports.com

Burns now Tigers' Wildcat - The Charleston Gazette
Gus invented it at Arkansas, you think he wouldn't use it at AU?

Auburn's Malzahn making believers out of Tigers - Charleston Daily Mail
Dude can coach offense, got to give him that.

Auburn's Chris Todd is 'pretty dangerous' - Charleston Daily Mail

Special teams stats can be deceiving - The Charleston Gazette
Hickman's notebook.

Spreading the field - wvillustrated.com
Alric Arnett is interviewed.

Franklin realizing his dream - The Register-Herald
Oak Hill native is now a student assistant coach.

Around the League (and beyond):

Jacquizz Rodgers misses practice, but injury not considered serious - The Cincinnati Enquirer

University of Memphis steps up BCS conference quest / Former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has been hired as a consultant - GoMemphisTigers
I don't know if I like this idea or not.

Rich Rodriguez says he didn't see Mich. player throw punch - SI.com
Doesn't matter...it's in the past. "Rodriguez says an official would have called any infraction and says Mouton won't face discipline." Anybody surprised at that statement? Video is on the page, btw.

Worst Tattoo in College Football? - There Is No Name On My Jersey
Pretty bad when your own fans are calling you out.

What's on Tap:

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes - ESPN
Tonight on ESPN. Miami is giving 5.5 at home.

Why I love Coach Kirlav, Part 846:

“I’m never satisfied unless there’s zeros in that column under whoever it is we’re playing. That’s the only time I’ll ever be satisfied. That’s because I’m old and crotchety, I guess.” - BGN.com

Video(s) of (Dis)Interest:

Since we didn't get a Hump Day post yesterday (AHEM), I thought I'd try to make up for it with this little video. In the interest of fairness, if any of you Barner's can give me a link to a video of your girls to compete with this, email the tipline (preferable) or post it in the comments and I will include it tomorrow.

And now the reaction of the hiring of Mr. Chizik last year:

Video of Interest:

If we do this game up right, there should be a similar sight on the Plains Saturday night.

Bonus Countdown:

I really have no problems with this list:

Top 5: Women you would kill for

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown hails from Portugal, at least from what I've found. We'll have to forgive her the last name because she spells it different and she's hot. Here's Marina Rodrigues.

via on205thimages.com

Super Bock image via tomaeembrulha.blogsome.com

Arizona Cardinals Add Keilen Dykes to 53-Man Roster and Onrea Jones to Practice Squad

Hawkwind — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:12:28 -0000

The Arizona Cardinals didn't waste much time filling the vacant spot on the roster left by Lance Long. Today they called Keilen Dykes up to the active roster and they brought back Onrea Jones to the practice squad. Dykes, who missed most of camp with a gimpy quad, didn't make the initial 53 man roster but was signed to the practice squad. Jones was cut by the Cardinals and landed on the Redskins' practice squad for a week before they released him earlier this week. Jones means that the Cardinals will keep eight receivers in their 'system' with six on the roster and two (Jones and Ed Gant) on the practice squad.

Dykes should receive quite a bit of playing time this week because Kenny Iwebema is not expected to play this week. Dykes and Alan Branch should be the primary backups at defensive end.

Arizona Cardinals Finalize Practice Squad and Add Veteran Offensive Tackle

Hawkwind — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:59:46 -0000

When the Arizona Cardinals cut their roster down to 53 players, head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that there could still be some 'tweaking' once the dust settled from other team's cuts and it didn't take long for him to take action. The Red Birds added veteran offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges, a former Cardinal who played here in 2004 and 2005. Bridges, a 29 year old former sixth round pick, has also played for the Eagles (who drafted him), Panthers and spent the summer and past couple of months with the Redskins. Over the past three seasons he started 28 games over the past three seasons at both guard and tackle (although not at the same time obviously). He was signed by the Redskins and expected to compete for the starting right tackle job but when he lost the job, he also lost a roster spot. Bridges gives the Cardinals much improved depth at offensive tackle and some flexibility should either Mike Gandy or Levi Brown suffer some type of injury. To make room for Bridges the Cardinals cut Elton Brown.

That wasn't the only move the Cardinals made yesterday though because they also filled out their eight man practice squad, finally. Almost immediately they added four players of their own, Ed Gant (WR), Trevor Canfield (G/C) and Alex Field (DE) and Keilen Dykes (DT/DE) and the team finally announced the remaining four players yesterday, OLB/DE Chris Harrington (cut by the Bengals), FB Fui Vakapuna (cut by the Bengals), ILB Lee Robinson (cut by the Broncos) and CB Rashad Barksdale (cut by the Jets). We should all be familiar with Chris Harrington as he was the Cardinals sixth round pick in 2008 and he quickly became an ROTB favorite (here and here). We'll have more on each of the new faces after the jump.....

Fui Vakapuna - Vakapuna was a seventh round pick of the Bengals this season after coming out of BYU where he split time as a power running back and a lead blocking fullback. By all accounts the Bengals were absolutely enamored with Vakapuna leading up to the draft and it was a surprise to some when he was cut. The 5-11, 250 pound fullback is considered to be a powerful lead blocker and an adequate pass catcher out of the backfield. He also has the athleticism to contribute on special teams.

Lee Robinson - Robinson is an undrafted rookie who spent the entire training camp and preseason with the Broncos, which means that he did play in the preseason finale against the Cards (2 tackles). The official site is listing Robinson as an inside linebacker and the Broncos did use him on the inside but most scouts projected him as a outside pass rush linebacker coming out of the draft so he has some versatility. He has good size (6-3, 245) and was a very productive four year starter at Alcorn State. Here is one very complimentary video discussing Robinson's potential.

Rashad Barksdale - Barksdale, a former 6th round pick of the Eagles in 2007, has good size (6-0, 208) and has actually appeared in six NFL games for the Chiefs back in 2007. In the past two seasons he's been a member of the Eagles, Chiefs, Giants and most recently the Jets, although his stop in Kansas City was his only time spent on the 53 man roster.

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Now that the practice squad is finalized we can see that they've got two defensive lineman and two linebackers comprising half of the eight man squad. It's pretty clear where the team sees themselves lacking depth. I'm still a bit surprised that the Cards would carry another wide receiver on their practice squad even though they already have seven on the active roster but these things can still be tweaked. Thoughts?

53 Man Roster Predictions After the Arizona Cardinals Shutout Loss to the Broncos

Hawkwind — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:49:49 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt will have harder time cutting 22 players today than he did finding an offensive play that would work this preseason. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski)

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Truth be told we won't dwell on another lackluster effort in the preseason. The Arizona Cardinals finished the preseason without a win but that doesn't even begin to tell the story of how ugly the past three and a half weeks have been. To give you a quick taste of how the past four games have gone, the Cardinals have been outscored 71-16 in the first half, Cardinals' quarterbacks have combined to throw twice as many interceptions as touchdowns (9 to 4) and the Cardinals' defenders have forced just one turnover. In conclusion this Cardinals team has looked like the one that played in December of 2008 instead of the team that took the field in January of 2009. Just for the record, historically teams that finish the preseason winless, also struggle in the regular season. Going back to 1989, 35 teams have finished the preseason without a win and 31 of those teams failed to make the playoff. To make matters worse, 21 of them finished with a losing record.

But we said we weren't going to dwell so we're moving on to the news that should come down today. Tomorrow is the deadline to cut down the rosters to 53 players, but most expect Ken Whisenhunt to break the news in an afternoon press conference. With that in mind, here's ROTB's last shot at nailing down the 53 man roster.

QB (3): Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart, Brian St. Pierre - Tyler Palko played his way out of any shot of making the roster with a poor performance last night. BSP hasn't shown much this preseason but Whiz is familiar enough with his abilities for him to stick.
RB (4): Tim Hightower, Chris Wells, Jason Wright, LaRod Stephens-Howling - No one did much to either help or hurt their case for a roster spot last night.
FB (1): Dan Kreider - After the recent discussion about Kreider vs. Tim Castille, I kept a close eye on both players last night. To be honest neither did much to impress me and at this point I think Whiz would chose a veteran that he's familiar with over a younger player.
WR (6): Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban, Early Doucet and Sean Morey - I, like most Cardinals fans I suspect, have been pulling for Lance Long but he's played a great deal in the past two preseason games and he hasn't done much with his opportunity (2 catches for 21 yards). I think it's fair to say that he's not ready and I'd be wiling to risk cutting him. The Chiefs may or may not claim him before we can stash him on the practice squad but he can't help this team right now.

TE (3): Stephen Spach, Anthony Becht and Dominique Byrd - Truth to be told, I still don't know what we have at this position but I'm confident that Leonard Pope will be cut. He was the last tight end to take the field last night and that says enough about his future. I went back and forth on Byrd but his versatility in the H-back role won me over. The interesting thing about this spot is who gets released after week four when Ben Patrick comes back.

OL (9): Mike Gandy, Reggie Wells, Lyle Sendlein, Deuce Lutui, Levi Brown, Herman Johnson, Brandon Keith and Elton Brown and Melvin Fowler - It's overkill keeping so many offensive lineman and I went back and forth on Elton Brown but his ability to play LT made the difference. Oliver Ross is a possibility but he just didn't impress me during the preseason. Elton Brown wasn't all that impressive either but at least this coaching staff has seen him step in at LT and play decently.

DL (6): Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, Bryan Robinson, Kenny Iwebema, Gabe Watson and Alan Branch - No real surprises here. Branch hasn't done much to warrant a spot but neither has anyone behind him. At least he can line up at DE now as well as DT, although his effectiveness remains about the same. Keilen Dykes doesn't make the cut but hopefully they can keep him on the practice squad thanks to another leg injury that cost him nearly the entire preseason.
LB (8): Karlos Dansby, Gerald Hayes, Clark Haggans, Chike Okeafor, Will Davis, Victor Hobson, Reggie Walker and Ali Highsmith - Bertrand Berry is the surprise cut on the roster after pulling a disappearing act during the preseason that would make David Copperfield jealous. Considering that the backups consist of two rookies, one sophomore UDFA and a guy that was signed off the streets before the regular season finale last year, I fully expect the Cardinals to scour the waiver wire for a veteran linebacker (inside or out).
CB (5): Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Bryant McFadden, Ralph Brown, Greg Toler and Michael Adams - I don't know what to make of this unit but these are the top five guys. DRC has struggled mightily the past two games, McFadden can't even get on the field and Brown is looking awful old and slow. Toler and Adams are two guys that we should all hope spend much more time on special teams than the regular defense.
S (5): Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Rashad Johnson, Aaron Francisco and Matt Ware - Basically this is the same unit as last year, plus a third round pick. Francisco is still Francisco although Ware has caught my eye several times this preseason.
Specialists (3): Neil Rackers, Ben Graham and Mike Leach - No surprises.

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To be honest, when I first wrote all this down I ended up with 54 players and after scouring the two deep I ended up cutting a veteran, Bertrand Berry. I'm not sure why but I keep getting the feeling that some of the veterans who've been around this team throughout all of the bad times cause some apathy in the locker room sometimes that lead to performances like we've seen the past couple of weeks. Berry's absence over the course of OTA's and his indifferent excuse once training camp started is just a microcosm of how this team has played over the course of the preseason. Maybe it's a knee jerk reaction on my part for thinking that someone's head has to roll but so be it. Thoughts? Who makes your 53?

Arizona Cardinals Fight For 53: Examining the Bubble Players by Position

Hawkwind — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:52:26 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

3 months ago: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson, right, picks up an eight-yard gain as Arizona Cardinals cornerback Ralph Brown pulls him down during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Friday, Aug. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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It's simply the nature of the NFL that 22 players who currently call themselves Arizona Cardinals, will be unemployed by the end of this coming weekend. The bad news will be given to hundreds of players across the NFL within the next week and many will be left hoping for a place on some team's practice squad or maybe the newly formed UFL. Before anyone has to worry about their new football home though, the bubble players will have one last shot to impress the coaching staff this Thursday when the Cardinals travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. Here's a quick list at the battles at various positions.

Kreider vs. Castille: With four running backs expected to make the final roster, thanks to LaRod Stephens-Howling's impressive play over the past month, the Cardinals are expected to carry just one fullback. That leaves three guys, Dan Kreider, Tim Castille and Reagan Maui'a, fighting for one spot, although truth be told it's really just a battle between Krieder and Castille. No one has really established themselves and each guy brings something different to the table. Krieder is hands down the better blocker and he's a "Whiz-guy" but Castille's versatility out of the backfield and prowess on special teams gives him a shot.

Long versus the Unknown: The only real question for the Cardinals to answer at wide receiver is how many they want to carry. Assuming that Early Doucet's recent rib injury won't effect his roster status, the teams top six wide outs are virtually set in stone (Fitz, Q, Breaston, Urban, Doucet and Morey). That leaves fan favorite Lance Long fighting for a spot that simply might not be there, but the team has carried seven wide receivers before. The injury risk of a couple of those guys and Long's ability to contribute on special teams leaves the door open. At this point Orea Jones, who's been impressive during the preseason, is simply showcasing himself to other teams or hoping for a practice squad job.

Brown vs. Ross: The offensive line is sort of the in the same predicament as the wide receiver spot considering that they've got quite a few semi-capable bodies but not enough roster spots for everyone. What we know is that Gandy, Wells, Sendlein, Lutui, Levi Brown, Keith and Johnson are all locks make the final 53. If you're counting that's seven bodies and most squads carry eight or nine (although the Cards have kept ten before). That leaves two or maybe three spots up for grabs. One of the spots will undoubtedly be filled by a center and that battle seems to have boiled down to Ben Claxton versus Melvin Fowler. Fowler has a huge edge in experience and would seem to be the front runner but don't count out Claxton's familiarity with the offense. Assuming that the backup center spot is filled by one of these two (but not both), that leaves eight guys with Elton Brown, Trevor Canfield, Carlton Medder and Oliver Ross on the outside looking with one or two spots to fill. Of these remaining four, I'd have to say the top two are Brown and Ross and they'd be battling for the final spot or could be the final two in, if the team decides to keep 10 offensive lineman.

Unknown at Tight End: As we stated yesterday the only thing we really know about the tight end spot is that we really don't know anything. The best bet right now is that Ben Patrick is essentially assured of the roster spot to start the season but that's only because he won't count against the 53 until his four game suspension is over. With that in mind, we'll set him aside and just look at the remainder. The Cardinals in the past have carried as few as two tight ends and as many as four so it's possible that Stephen Spach, Leonard Pope, Anthony Becht and Dominique Byrd could all make the opening day roster, but that's probably a stretch considering how little the tight end is used in the passing game. Our best bet is that three with make the opening day 53 (not counting Patrick remember) with either Pope or Byrd getting cut.

Branch vs. Dykes: This much we know on the defensive line, Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, Bryan Robinson, Kenny Iwebema and Gabe Watson are all locks, even though Watson looked terrible against the Packers. It's tough to look at the Caridnals historically to see how many defensive lineman they kept because the 3-4 defense requires less lineman and more linebackers, but we can be sure that Keilen Dykes, Alan Branch, Alex Field, Rodney Leisle are all at the very least on the bubble. I don't think there would be any debate to say that Dykes and Branch are the best of those four but it could come down to whether the Cardinals want to keep six or seven defensive lineman. If they chose to go with six DL, I think Branch would be the choice considering that Dykes has had serious problems stay healthy over the past two training camps. His inability to stay on the field probably means that the Cards could stash him on the practice squad for an eventful call up when someone gets hurt.

Linebackers Help: Outside of the starters at linebacker, Dansby, Hayes, Haggans and Okeafor, I'm not sure that anyone is assured of a roster spot. Bertrand Berry would seem like a lock but he's done a complete disappearing act so far during the preseason. Victor Hobson, Will Davis and perhaps even Reggie Walker would seem like the next closest thing to locks. Hobson has experience in a 3-4 and can play inside and out while Davis and Walker have been impressive over the past couple of games. There's also Ali Highsmith who's failed to produce the same kind of buzz that he did last year. Chase Bullock and David Holloway round out the rest of the roster but neither of them have done much to warrant a roster spot. If the Cards had to decide today, I'm thinking that they'd keep the starters plus Berry, Hobson, Davis and Walker although this could be one position that gets an upgrade once other teams make their cuts.

Ware vs. Adams: There will be some tough decisions made in the secondary where it would seem that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Bryant McFadden, Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Rashad Johnson and Ralph Brown are all locks to make the squad. Brown has struggled in the preseason but so has the depth behind him so it's highly doubtful that his spot is in jeopardy. With six locks that leaves Aaron Francisco, Greg Toler, Matt Ware, Michael Adams, Jameel Dowling and Wilrey Fontenot fighting for what will probably end up being eight or nine spots. Francisco and Toler are certainly the front-runners of the bubble group so the real battle comes down to Ware versus Adams. It's possible that the team could keep all ten members of the secondary, they've done it before, but nine is a more manageable number. Ware has much more experience with the regular defense and is probably the more talented player but Adams' standout performances on special teams give him a shot.

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Thoughts? Who wins these battles and who makes your final 53?

Arizona Cardinals Weekly Flock: Beanie Wells Looks Great (In Practice)

Hawkwind — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:06:55 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Arizona Cardinals first-round draft pick Beanie Wells runs drills during training camp. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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For the second consecutive day Chris "Beanie" Wells not only participated in a full practice but also impressed quite a few people in the process. While showing no signs of a gimpy ankle, Wells was explosive and fast during team drills and on several occasions was able to use his speed to get to the perimeter of the defense. It certainly sounds like Wells will see his first action of the preseason on Friday against the Packers and the return to action couldn't come soon enough. For the first time since his signing with the Cards, Beanie was reluctant to talk to the media and persistent questions about his ankle led to short, quick, frustrated answers.

"I'm back to where I was before," the optimistic Wells said. "I'm just going to keep saying my prayers and keep working hard."

The rest of the injury report is pretty much the same (Ali Highsmith, Elliot Vallejo and Keilen Dykes) all missing practice and for the past two days Brian St. Pierre has also been sidelined with a bad back. His status for Friday's game doesn't seem to be in doubt at this point though.
The team also worked out a DE/OLB yesterday, Angelo Craig. Craig, a former Cincinatti Bearcat, was selected by the Bengals in the seventh round of last year's draft but was cut before the season started. He spent time on the Panthers and Patriots practice squad. He's got good size (6-4, 250) but is considered a marginal athlete and didn't become a starter in college until his senior season. Ken Whisenhunt noted that the team will continue to work out a couple of players in hopes of signing one before the final preseason game (when veterans play very little if at all). It's worth noting that the first 'cut down day' is September 1st so the team will have to cut five players in order to get down to the maximum number of 75, but moving Cody Brown to IR and not signing someone else would mean that they only have to cut four.
In a final bit of injury news, Kurt Warner has said that he's feeling much better about his surgically repaired hip.

"I feel probably twice as good as I felt at any point since I injured my hip," he said. "It's exciting for me that I'm seeing strides being made. I'm feeling more comfortable, and I don't have to worry about trying to manage the pain. I'm definitely feeling better than I have in a long time."