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Kolb and Cardinals’ bounce-back ability

unfottia — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 03:19:53 +0000

Kevin Kolb’s arrival from Philadelphia gives the Arizona Cardinals renewed hope at quarterback and clear direction following Kurt Warner’s retirement.

It provides a fresh start after a forgettable 2010 transition season for Arizona.

So much has changed for the Cardinals since their Super Bowl appearance following the 2008 season. Other rosters around the league have turned over since then, of course, but not every team was coming off a Super Bowl appearance.

Quite a few teams have sought change. For the Cardinals, it just happened.

Warner’s departure, while easily the biggest change, was far from the only one. Between five and eight starters from that Super Bowl game project as starters in 2011, depending upon how many of the team’s unrestricted free agents re-sign.

When Steve Breaston left the Cardinals for Kansas City this week, drawing attention to the cumulative effect of Arizona’s roster upheaval, a Seahawks fan drew parallels between Seattle’s post-Super Bowl decline and the Cardinals’ plight last season.

“Don’t misunderstand,” Ricky Frey wrote on my Facebook wall, “I’m a Hawks fan, but it seems eerily familiar to watch this happen and know what happened to Holmgren/Mora. Writing on the wall?”

Not if Kolb has anything to say about it. Acquiring a relatively young, potentially ascending quarterback puts Arizona in position to avoid the decline Seattle experienced as a Matt Hasselbeck struggled with injuries while the roster around him withered away. The NFC West remains in transition overall, and the Cardinals know it.

“It’s obviously winnable, but it’s funny to think that everybody thinks you can just step in and win it,” Kolb told reporters Friday. “You’re talking about NFL football teams here. I know last year 7-9 is what won it, but it doesn’t matter. … The door is open, we know, and we’ll be ready to kick it in when it’s time, but it’s not going to be an easy task.”

Larry Fitzgerald, Levi Brown, Darnell Dockett, Adrian Wilson and the recently re-signed Lyle Sendlein started for Arizona in the Super Bowl and remain starters in 2011. Another starter from that Super Bowl game, Gerald Hayes, was released this week. Three more are becoming unrestricted free agents: Deuce Lutui, Bryan Robinson and Gabe Watson.

Six Arizona starters from that game are retired or did not play last season: Mike Gandy, Warner, Edgerrin James, Terrelle Smith, Chike Okeafor and Monty Beisel. Seven more play for other teams: Reggie Wells, Leonard Pope, Anquan Boldin, Antonio Smith, Karlos Dansby, Antrel Rolle and the recently traded Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Some were role players. Others were tougher to replace.

Breaston was a backup on that team, but he played extensively as the third receiver and finished the season with more than 1,000 yards.

Kolb’s addition headlined a flurry of transactions the Cardinals announced Thursday and Friday.

Sendlein, safety Hamza Abdullah, cornerback Michael Adams, tackle D’Anthony Batiste, center Ben Claxton, punter Ben Graham, fullback Reagan Maui’a and tight end Stephen Spach re-signed.

Five draft choices have signed. Guard Daryn Colledge, defensive end Nick Eason, tight end Jeff King, receiver Chansi Stuckey and linebacker Stewart Bradley have signed as free agents from other teams.

Re-signing Sendlein while adding Kolb, Colledge and Bradley suggests the 2011 team is still coming together, not necessarily falling apart.

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Friday notes buffet

Canadian-Pharmacy-Rx — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:46:24 +0000

Arizona Cardinals update:

A few notes before the final game:

– Defensive lineman Bryan Robinson has not made a decision about retirement. “I have to involve my wife in this one,”Â he said, smiling. A 14-year veteran, Robinson will get away from the game for some time and then make a decision. He will weigh his desire to play again, as well as see what interest there might be in him. However, “my agent is not going to call 31 other teams,” he said.

It’s the same way Robinson approached last season. He didn’t call the Cardinals for a job; they called him and signed him. He has served as a mentor for rookie Dan Williams.

When the Cardinals signed Robinson in 2008, they were counting upon him to be a backup. But he became much more. Because of the team’s problems at nose tackle, Robinson moved there, even though end was his natural position. He has started every game in which the Cardinals used a nose tackle during that time.

– Richard Bartel will be the No. 2 quarterback on Sunday even though Derek Anderson is healthy enough to play. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said the move is not a reflection on Anderson, who started nine games. But if something happens to John Skelton, coaches want to get a look at Bartel, who is under contract for 2011.

– Members of the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association gave two awards today. Safety Kerry Rhodes was named the Lloyd Herberg MVP and running back Tim Hightower was the Steve Schoenfeld Good Guy.

Hightowser has taken a lot of criticism at times for fumbling. But he is a professional in the best sense of the word. If Hightower has an 80-yard touchdown run, he will talk about it after. If Hightower loses two fumbles, he will talk about it after. He takes the time to give reporters smart, thoughtful answers to even the dumbest questions. (Speaking only of myself.)

Those of us who cover this team are lucky in that Hightower had a lot of competition. Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, Jason Wright, Alan Faneca, Lyle Sendlein, Calais Campbell, Rhodes, Clark HaggansÂ and many other players were considered. That’s a lot of go-to guys in one locker room.

The awards are named after two former Arizona Republic writers.

Lloyd covered the team from the time it moved here in 1988 until his death in 1994. I’ve never been around a better reporter. That first year, I bumped into Bob Wallace, who negotiated contracts for the team then. Bob was incredulous that Lloyd was leaving messages for him, asking him when an 8th round pick might sign.

And Shoney, well, he as a Valley icon for many years. He was a great friend, and no one in our business took more time to help young reporters.

Friday, December 31, 2010 at 02:36 PM
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That’s all the news for today.

Cardinals re-sign veteran DT Robinson to one-year deal

piedhiess — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:13:00 +0000

The Arizona Cardinals have re-signed nose tackle Bryan Robinson to a one-year contract.

Originally posted here:
Cardinals re-sign veteran DT Robinson to one-year deal