Patrick Peterson returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown in overtime to give the Cardinals a stunning 19-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, bringing a dramatic end to Arizona’s six-game losing streak.

Peterson, the fifth pick overall in the draft out of LSU, became the first player in NFL history to have three punt returns for scores in his first eight games. His latest was the second in NFL history to come in overtime. The other was 86 yards by Tamarick Vanover of Kansas City to beat San Diego on Oct. 9, 1995.

“He’s a special young man,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I’m glad that we have him on our football team — my new son.”

Said an admiring Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, “That is a great player and he made a great play at a critical time.”

Peterson, whose pass interference penalty moments earlier seemed to set up the Rams (1-7) for a game-winning field goal, fielded the ball at the 1. He evaded and bounced off tacklers over the next 30 yards or so, then outran everyone, striding the last few yards in celebration of his third punt return TD of the season as Arizona (2-6) won for the first time since the opening week of the season.

“I was like ‘This team needs a play,’” Peterson said. “I decided to catch the ball and just run for my life.”

Asked what Whisenhunt told him afterward, Peterson said, “he loved me.”

“I said ‘Coach, I love you, too.’”

Arizona’s Calais Campbell blocked Josh Brown’s 42-yard field goal attempt as regulation ended to force the overtime.

“It is probably the toughest loss I have had since I have been in the league,” said Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, back after missing two games with a high ankle sprain. “I felt that for the most part we controlled this game. At the end with the opportunities we had in their territory and to possibly go ahead and not convert, it is tough.”

John Skelton, starting in place of Arizona’s Kevin Kolb, gave up safeties on consecutive plays in the third quarter, then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with 4:51 to tie the game at 13-13.

Brown had field goals of 48, 37 and 41 yards.

Steven Jackson rushed for 130 yards in 29 carries and Bradford was 23 of 36 for 255 yards. Skelton was 20 of 35 for 222 yards for the Rams.

Donnie Jones twice pinned the Cardinals inside their 10-yard line in the third quarter to set up the safeties. The first punt was downed at the 2. Arizona moved it to the 5, then James Hall burst through for a sack for a safety that boosted St. Louis’ lead to 11-6. Arizona got the ball at its 9 the next time, and Skelton was called for intentional grounding on a rollout pass, giving the Rams a 13-6 lead.

It was the first time a player yielded two safeties in a quarter since Aaron Rodgers did it against Minnesota on Nov. 9, 2008. The last player to have safeties on consecutive plays was Kordell Stewart of Pittsburgh against Jacksonville on Oct. 3, 1999.

The safeties marked the first time in NFL history that a team had scored a total of four points in a quarter.

“We just gave them four points in two possessions right there with those plays,” Skelton said, “but no one lost faith on the sidelines.”

With Kolb out with a turf toe, Skelton brought the Cardinals back with a no-huddle offense. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and scrambled twice for 28 on a nine-play, 84-yard drive for the game’s only touchdown on a leaping grab by Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone.

The Rams took the subsequent kickoff and drove to the Arizona 32, where they had third-and-1, but twice Jackson was stopped for no gain, the first time by O’Brien Schofield, the second by Darnell Dockett.

The Cardinals couldn’t take advantage, though, because Skelton fumbled but recovered for a 15-yard loss and Arizona had to punt with a minute to play in regulation.

Bradford’s 23-yard pass to Austin Pettis moved the ball to the 42, then a 5-yarder to Pettis moved it to the 37. Cornerback Michael Adams was injured on the play and had to be carted off. St. Louis tight end Lance Kendricks and wide receiver Greg Salas had been taken off on carts earlier.

The pass interference penalty on Peterson — against Brandon Lloyd, who caught five for 80 yards — moved the ball well within Brown’s range. The Cardinals had lost four games by four points or fewer and they seemed headed for a fifth, until the 6-foot-8 Campbell, with a generous shove from teammate Darnell Dockett, knocked the kick away.

“My mindset was just we’ve got to find a way to get a block,” Campbell said. “Whatever I’ve got to do I’ve got to find a way to get a block. I told Darnell Dockett ‘Man, if you give me a good push, I might get a block,” and he gave me the best push I’ve ever seen ever. In four years of playing with him, that’s the best push he ever gave me.”

Peterson’s game-winning play came a day after his college team, No. 1 LSU, defeated then No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime.

“Tiger pride forever,” he said.

The Rams dominated the first half statistically but led only 9-3.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — An ugly game turned gorgeous in the nick of time for the win-starved Arizona Cardinals.

Patrick Peterson returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown in overtime to give the Cardinals a stunning 19-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, bringing a dramatic end to Arizona’s six-game losing streak.

Peterson, the fifth pick overall in the draft out of LSU, became the first player in NFL history to have three punt returns for scores in his first eight games. His latest was the second in NFL history to come in overtime. The other was 86 yards by Tamarick Vanover of Kansas City to beat San Diego on Oct. 9, 1995.

“He’s a special young man,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I’m glad that we have him on our football team – my new son.”

Said an admiring Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, “That is a great player and he made a great play at a critical time.”

Peterson, whose pass interference penalty moments earlier seemed to set up the Rams (1-7) for a game-winning field goal, fielded the ball at the 1. He evaded and bounced off tacklers over the next 30 yards or so, then outran everyone, striding the last few yards in celebration of his third punt return TD of the season as Arizona (2-6) won for the first time since the opening week of the season.

“I was like `This team needs a play,’” Peterson said. “I decided to catch the ball and just run for my life.”

Asked what Whisenhunt told him afterward, Peterson said, “he loved me.”

“I said `Coach, I love you, too.’”

Arizona’s Calais Campbell blocked Josh Brown’s 42-yard field goal attempt as regulation ended to force the overtime.

“It is probably the toughest loss I have had since I have been in the league,” said Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, back after missing two games with a high ankle sprain. “I felt that for the most part we controlled this game. At the end with the opportunities we had in their territory and to possibly go ahead and not convert, it is tough.”

John Skelton, starting in place of Arizona’s Kevin Kolb, gave up safeties on consecutive plays in the third quarter, then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with 4:51 to tie the game at 13-13.

Brown had field goals of 48, 37 and 41 yards.

Steven Jackson rushed for 130 yards in 29 carries and Bradford was 23 of 36 for 255 yards. Skelton was 20 of 35 for 222 yards for the Rams.

Donnie Jones twice pinned the Cardinals inside their 10-yard line in the third quarter to set up the safeties. The first punt was downed at the 2. Arizona moved it to the 5, then James Hall burst through for a sack for a safety that boosted St. Louis’ lead to 11-6. Arizona got the ball at its 9 the next time, and Skelton was called for intentional grounding on a rollout pass, giving the Rams a 13-6 lead.

It was the first time a player yielded two safeties in a quarter since Aaron Rodgers did it against Minnesota on Nov. 9, 2008. The last player to have safeties on consecutive plays was Kordell Stewart of Pittsburgh against Jacksonville on Oct. 3, 1999.

The safeties marked the first time in NFL history that a team had scored a total of four points in a quarter.

“We just gave them four points in two possessions right there with those plays,” Skelton said, “but no one lost faith on the sidelines.”

With Kolb out with a turf toe, Skelton brought the Cardinals back with a no-huddle offense. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and scrambled twice for 28 on a nine-play, 84-yard drive for the game’s only touchdown on a leaping grab by Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone.

The Rams took the subsequent kickoff and drove to the Arizona 32, where they had third-and-1, but twice Jackson was stopped for no gain, the first time by O’Brien Schofield, the second by Darnell Dockett.

The Cardinals couldn’t take advantage, though, because Skelton fumbled but recovered for a 15-yard loss and Arizona had to punt with a minute to play in regulation.

Bradford’s 23-yard pass to Austin Pettis moved the ball to the 42, then a 5-yarder to Pettis moved it to the 37. Cornerback Michael Adams was injured on the play and had to be carted off. St. Louis tight end Lance Kendricks and wide receiver Greg Salas had been taken off on carts earlier.

The pass interference penalty on Peterson – against Brandon Lloyd, who caught five for 80 yards – moved the ball well within Brown’s range. The Cardinals had lost four games by four points or fewer and they seemed headed for a fifth, until the 6-foot-8 Campbell, with a generous shove from teammate Darnell Dockett, knocked the kick away.

“My mindset was just we’ve got to find a way to get a block,” Campbell said. “Whatever I’ve got to do I’ve got to find a way to get a block. I told Darnell Dockett `Man, if you give me a good push, I might get a block,” and he gave me the best push I’ve ever seen ever. In four years of playing with him, that’s the best push he ever gave me.”

Peterson’s game-winning play came a day after his college team, No. 1 LSU, defeated then No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime.

“Tiger

pride forever,” he said.

The Rams dominated the first half statistically but led only 9-3.

Notes: Among those carted off in the rugged contest, the most seriously hurt appeared to be Salas, who has a broken leg and could be out for the season. … Richard Marshall started at cornerback for Arizona in place of struggling A.J. Jefferson. … Muhammad Ali attended the game, sitting next to Cardinals president Michael Bidwill in the owners’ suite. … The roof was open at University of Phoenix Stadium for a Cardinals game for the first time since Arizona played Dallas last Christmas.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – An ugly game turned gorgeous in the nick of time for the win-starved Arizona Cardinals.

Patrick Peterson returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown in overtime to give the Cardinals a stunning 19-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, bringing a dramatic end to Arizona’s six-game losing streak.

Peterson, the fifth pick overall in the draft out of LSU, became the first player in NFL history to have three punt returns for scores in his first eight games. His latest was the second in NFL history to come in overtime. The other was 86 yards by Tamarick Vanover of Kansas City to beat San Diego on Oct. 9, 1995.

“He’s a special young man,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I’m glad that we have him on our football team — my new son.”

Said an admiring Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, “That is a great player and he made a great play at a critical time.”

Peterson, whose pass interference penalty moments earlier seemed to set up the Rams (1-7) for a game-winning field goal, fielded the ball at the one. He evaded and bounced off tacklers over the next 30 yards or so, then outran everyone, striding the last few yards in celebration of his third punt return TD of the season as Arizona (2-6) won for the first time since the opening week of the season.

“I was like ‘This team needs a play,’” Peterson said. “I decided to catch the ball and just run for my life.”

Asked what Whisenhunt told him afterward, Peterson said, “he loved me.”

“I said ‘Coach, I love you, too.’”

Arizona’s Calais Campbell blocked Josh Brown’s 42-yard field goal attempt as regulation ended to force the overtime.

“It is probably the toughest loss I have had since I have been in the league,” said Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, back after missing two games with a high ankle sprain. “I felt that for the most part we controlled this game. At the end with the opportunities we had in their territory and to possibly go ahead and not convert, it is tough.”

John Skelton, starting in place of Arizona’s Kevin Kolb, gave up safeties on consecutive plays in the third quarter, then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with 4:51 to tie the game at 13-13.

Brown had field goals of 48, 37 and 41 yards.

Steven Jackson rushed for 130 yards in 29 carries and Bradford was 23 of 36 for 255 yards. Skelton was 20 of 35 for 222 yards for the Rams.

Donnie Jones twice pinned the Cardinals inside their 10-yard line in the third quarter to set up the safeties. The first punt was downed at the two. Arizona moved it to the 5, then James Hall burst through for a sack for a safety that boosted St. Louis’ lead to 11-6. Arizona got the ball at its nine the next time, and Skelton was called for intentional grounding on a rollout pass, giving the Rams a 13-6 lead.

It was the first time a player yielded two safeties in a quarter since Aaron Rodgers did it against Minnesota on Nov. 9, 2008. The last player to have safeties on consecutive plays was Kordell Stewart of Pittsburgh against Jacksonville on Oct. 3, 1999.

The safeties marked the first time in NFL history that a team had scored a total of four points in a quarter.

“We just gave them four points in two possessions right there with those plays,” Skelton said, “but no one lost faith on the sidelines.”

With Kolb out with a turf toe, Skelton brought the Cardinals back with a no-huddle offence. He completed 5-of-7 passes for 47 yards and scrambled twice for 28 on a nine-play, 84-yard drive for the game’s only touchdown on a leaping grab by Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone.

The Rams took the subsequent kickoff and drove to the Arizona 32, where they had third-and-1, but twice Jackson was stopped for no gain, the first time by O’Brien Schofield, the second by Darnell Dockett.

The Cardinals couldn’t take advantage, though, because Skelton fumbled but recovered for a 15-yard loss and Arizona had to punt with a minute to play in regulation.

Bradford’s 23-yard pass to Austin Pettis moved the ball to the 42, then a five-yarder to Pettis moved it to the 37. Cornerback Michael Adams was injured on the play and had to be carted off. St. Louis tight end Lance Kendricks and wide receiver Greg Salas had been taken off on carts earlier.

The pass interference penalty on Peterson — against Brandon Lloyd, who caught five for 80 yards — moved the ball well within Brown’s range. The Cardinals had lost four games by four points or fewer and they seemed headed for a fifth, until the six-foot-eight Campbell, with a generous shove from teammate Darnell Dockett, knocked the kick away.

“My mindset was just we’ve got to find a way to get a block,” Campbell said. “Whatever I’ve got to do I’ve got to find a way to get a block. I told Darnell Dockett ‘Man, if you give me a good push, I might get a block,” and he gave me the best push I’ve ever seen ever. In four years of playing with him, that’s the best push he ever gave me.”

Peterson’s game-winning play came a day after his college team, No. 1 LSU, defeated then No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime.

“Tiger pride forever,” he said.

The Rams dominated the first half statistically but led only 9-3.

Notes: Among those carted off in the rugged contest, the most seriously hurt appeared to be Salas, who has a broken leg and could be out for the season. … Richard Marshall started at cornerback for Arizona in place of struggling A.J. Jefferson. … Muhammad Ali attended the game, sitting next to Cardinals president Michael Bidwill in the owners’ suite. … The roof was open at University of Phoenix Stadium for a Cardinals game for the first time since Arizona played Dallas last Christmas.

Read More: Darnell Dockett (DT – ARI), Calais Campbell (DE – ARI), Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell is a big, big man. Of course, most NFL linemen are big but standing six-feet-eight, Campbell towers above them all. What sets Campbell apart is more than his height, it’s his ability to move well in the trenches and use his arm length to tip passes and make tackles.

Campbell had a fantastic game in the Cardinals 19-13 win over the St. Louis Rams. The biggest play of the day came at the end of regulation when Campbell recorded his fourth-career blocked field goal on a 42-yard attempt that would have won the game for the Rams.

“My mindset was like, find a way to get a block,” Campbell explained. “I told Darnell Dockett, ‘If you give me a good push I might get a block.’ He gave me the best push I’ve ever seen ever. In four years of playing with him, that’s the best push he ever gave me.”

There wasn’t any extra trickery or stunts run on the block. Just Dockett clearing space Campbell getting a big paw high in the air. (Here’s the video.)

The blocked field goal was obviously huge, but Campbell also recorded 1.5 sacks in the game, three QB hits and had five tackles, the most of any lineman.

The Cardinals defense as a whole was the difference in the game. They kept the Rams out of the red zone and forced them into three field goals which was their only offensive points of the day. 

“The defense all day, they bailed us out time and time again,” Larry Fitzgerald said.

It wasn’t a pretty win with John Skelton looking shaky in his first start of the season (20-25, 222 yards) and Beanie Wells completely shut down (20 yards, 10 carries). The offensive line was responsible for one safety and Skelton took the blame for the second which gave the Rams four extra points.

Despite all that, the Cardinals got huge stops when they needed to and found a way to pull out a much needed win. Patrick Peterson will get a lot of recognition for his walk-off punt return TD, but the defense led by Calais Campbell were also heroes in the game.

By Cody Ulm

– Writer

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Arizona on Facebook.

Oct 17, 2011 – After a recent player only meeting, defensive tackle Darnell Dockett expressed his confidence in the 1-4 Arizona Cardinals simply stating “we’re going to turn it around.” The solution according to the Pro Bowler? Turning accountability in results:

“When we mess up we say ‘alright, it’s my fault.’ These next eleven games we can’t be having ‘my faults.’ It’s just that simple.”

In what he called “one of the most emotional meetings I’ve ever been in”, Dockett and the other 52 players didn’t look ahead to the Steelers; they looked at themselves.

“We [have to] raise our standards up,” Dockett said. “It’s not about what the media thinks of us, it’s not about what the fans think, it’s about what these guys in the locker room think and what we’ve got to do to get ourselves out of this situation.”

Dockett also refused to use the learning curve for Defensive Coordinator Ray Horton’s new scheme as an excuse for the slow start.

“We need to focus on what [Horton] is trying to teach us because his system works. Our biggest thing is everybody not [executing] it every play.”

Lack of execution aside, Dockett knows that if this team is going to start being successful, it needs to block out all the negative media attention.

“When we step on that field, those guys that put their helmets on and those coaches are the only things that matter. Once we start doing it for each other, this team can go a long way.”

Read More: Darnell Dockett (DT – ARI), Arizona Cardinals

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Arizona on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

By Seth Pollack

– Regional Sports Editor

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Arizona on Facebook.

Oct 17, 2011 – The Arizona Cardinals are back at work after four days off that come mandatory with the NFL bye week. Many players left town to visit family and others just used the time to relax mentally and physically. The coaching staff even got a few days off and were able to use the extra week to get a jump on preparing for next week’s opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh comes to town as the most formidable opponent the Cardinals have faced this season when you account for recent NFL success. The Steelers are 4-2 and winners of their last two games while the Cardinals are 1-4 and moving in the wrong direction after getting blown out in Minnesota in their last game. 

If you are looking for answers coming out of the bye week to the horrible start to the Cardinals season, there are none to be found. 

There was a players only meeting last week that Darnell Dockett described as one of the most emotional meetings he’s every been in. He’s confident they are going to “turn it around” and take things “10 times more serious”.

“We had a good meeting and that’s our next step is playing these next 11 games like it’s our last,” Dockett said of the season’s remaining 11 games.

Larry Fitzgerald, however, didn’t see the meeting as quite so important, “You always hear about play meetings. The key is going out there and playing well. You can talk all you want and say the things you want to say in the meeting but it comes down to execution. If that’s what it takes to do a better job, so be it.”

The Cardinals will continue to work on their own execution with preparation turning towards the Steelers later in the week. The team is off Tuesday and back on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 

Read More: Darnell Dockett (DT – ARI), Larry Fitzgerald (WR – ARI), Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Arizona on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

The scoring passes of 2 yards to Jake Ballard with 3:37 to go and 29 yards to Hakeem Nicks with 2:39 left came after the Cardinals (1-3) seemingly had taken control at 27-17 on Beanie Wells’ third rushing touchdown of the game with 5:16 to go.

Manning completed 7 of 8 for 126 yards on the decisive drives as the Giants (3-1) won their third in a row. He finished 27 of 40 for 371 yards. Nicks caught 10 for 162 yards.

Wells, who missed the previous game with a hamstring injury, rushed for a career-best 138 yards.

The Cardinals’ last gasp ended when Kevin Kolb’s pass to Larry Fitzgerald from the New York 30 fell incomplete.

Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 102 yards to break the franchise records for career yards receiving and career 100-yard games. Kolb, still obviously struggling to take hold of Arizona’s offense, was 20 for 34 for 237 yards, with one interception and one lost fumble.

Wells’ 39-yard run set up his final touchdown but Manning wasted no time in moving his team downfield with completions of 21, 28 and 26 yards to the 2 to set up the toss to Ballard, the tight end’s second touchdown catch of the game.

Arizona’s offense went nowhere and a short punt gave the Giants the ball at the Cardinals 48. Manning threw 29 yards to Victor Cruz, who went to the ground on his own and gave away the ball in what the Cardinals insisted was a fumble. The referees said no, and Manning threw a 29-yard strike to Nicks for the winning score.

The Cardinals took the lead with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, one set up by Fitzgerald’s phenomenal grab of a 47-yard pass, the other when Manning fumbled the ball away at the New York 5-yard line.,

Nose tackle David Carter, a sixth-round draft pick out of UCLA, burst up the middle and stripped the ball out of Manning’s hand. Darnell Dockett fell on the ball for Arizona. Wells ran for 4 yards, then plunged in from the 1 to put Arizona up 20-10 with 2:55 left in the third quarter.

The big play for Arizona earlier in the third came when Fitzgerald and defender Deon Grant went up after Kolb’s long pass. Initially, Grant appeared to have the ball, but as they came down, Fitzgerald wrestled it away with his right arm. The 47-yard completion gave Arizona the ball at the New York 10.

A 7-yard pass to Fitzgerald gave Arizona a first down at the 1, and Wells pounded it in from there to put Arizona up 13-10 with 10:24 left in the third quarter.

Arizona couldn’t convert any of three scoring opportunities into touchdowns in the first half and the Giants offense came alive for a 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive, then Lawrence Tynes kicked a 30-yard field goal with one second to play to put New York up 10-6 at the break.

Kolb was sacked three times in the first half, twice by Dave Tollefson, and fumbled the ball away deep in New York territory.

Ahmad Bradshaw, whose fumble on New York’s first possession set up an Arizona field goal, rambled 13 yards for the score with 2:54 to play.

After the Cardinals failed to move the ball, Manning connected on a 22-yard pass to Cruz and a 26-yarder on the sidelines to Nicks. A facemask penalty against Joey Porter on the Nicks completion and the ball moved to the 12 to set up Tynes’ late first-half field goal.

The Cardinals had the ball twice early deep in Giants territory and came away with only three points. Three plays after the opening kickoff, Bradshaw fumbled after a hit by safety Kerry Rhodes and Clark Haggans recovered for Arizona at the New York 16. The offense couldn’t move and Arizona settled for Jay Feely’s’ 27-yard field goal.

The defense stuffed New York after the kickoff and the Cardinals drove from their 48 to the Giants 17. But Osi Umenyiora, in his first game back from arthroscopic knee surgery, stripped the ball from Kolb and New York’s Jacquian Williams recovered at the Giants 14. Umenyiora finished with two sacks.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Cardinals were penalized 10 times last week, and eliminating silly ones has been a topic of conversation this week.

What the Cardinals don’t want, said defensive end Darnell Dockett, is to be less aggressive.

“We just have to be smart,” Dockett said. “I always emphasize to my team, ‘Don’t never be a punk. If somebody do something to you, you do something back.’ If you just continue to let them do it, then you’re going to have a long day.

“We’re not going to let nobody just push us in the helmet, push in the back, step on our hands and do crazy stuff. You have to respond sometimes but also you got to be smart about it.”

Returning to practice

Inside linebacker Daryl Washington increased his workload Thursday, providing a bit of optimism that he will be able to play Sunday.

Washington, a starter, missed last week’s game with a calf strain. Thursday was the first time he practiced since suffering the injury in the first game, on Sept. 11.

Washington is in only his second season, but coach Ken Whisenhunt said indications are Washington could play without much practice.

“We’ll hopefully get an opportunity to see a little bit more (Friday),” Whisenhunt said. “I would think that … the way he’s studied, the way he’s done in preseason without making a lot of mistakes that he could go in there and certainly play well.”

Depth-chart move

The Seahawks have demoted outside linebacker Aaron Curry to second team, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.

The fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft, Curry has been a disappointment for most of his career. K.J. Wright, a second-round pick, will start against the Cardinals.

Read More: Darnell Dockett (DT – ARI), Arizona Cardinals

You’ve gotta love Darnell Dockett. The eight-year defensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals has an entertaining Twitter presence and isn’t afraid to speak his mind on the social media platform. He’s loud, blunt and entertaining.

Now there’s another reason to like the guy. In honor of 9/11, Dockett got a very patriotic haircut. His new hair style features stars coursing the back of on one side of his head (click here) and stripes running the length of the other (click here).

It’s a nice tribute to one of America’s darkest and most moving moments. Sunday brings about the ten-year anniversary of Sept. 11th, 2001, when terrorists hijacked two planes and ran them into the Two Towers in New York. That day has become an emotional event that no one will ever forget. Surely every single person who was alive to see it can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the attack.

The haircut is a very appropriate and patriotic gesture by one of the Cardinals’ most vocal players. Hats off to you, Dockett, for honoring the men and women who lost their lives on that fateful day. 

If the Panthers are in need of bulletin-board material, they aren’t going to get it from cornerback Richard Marshall and tight end Jeff King, two former employees who signed with the Cardinals in the off-season.

Both were drafted by the Panthers in 2006: Marshall in the second round and King in the fifth. Both became starters and were allowed to depart through free agency. Now they are playing their old team in the first game with their new team.

“It’s a coincidence, but at some point you are going to have to face them so why not the first one?” King said.

Both players have many friends on the Panthers team, but much has changed in Carolina. There’s a new coach, Ron Rivera, a new staff of assistants and some new players.

“I’ll treat it like a regular week,” Marshall said. “I can’t try to do too much. If I do, then I’ll mess up.”

Marshall and King were familiar with the Cardinals before signing here in July. The teams had met five times since 2006.

“You guys are in the South, right?” King joked to reporters before catching himself. “We played you guys, uh, played the Cardinals once a year, so I was very familiar with this team, and they’ll be familiar with us, for sure.”

Get a grip

Many NFL players have idiosyncrasies or superstitions, and quarterback Kevin Kolb is no different.

Before an offensive series, Kolb occasionally rubs his palms on the grass. He does it in practice and games, although it’s hard to see on television because it usually happens during timeouts.

“I’ve been doing it since I was in the seventh grade,” Kolb said. “It does help my grip, but it’s more of a habit now.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Miller told Kolb it reminded him of the move “Gladiator” when Maximus rubs dirt in his hands before combat.

“I like that one,” Kolb said, smiling.

Election results

Players elected six captains for the season. On offense, it’s receiver Larry Fitzgerald and center Lyle Sendlein. On defense, it’s safety Adrian Wilson, end Darnell Dockett and linebacker Paris Lenon. On special teams, it’s kicker Jay Feely.

This is the third consecutive year Fitzgerald, Wilson and Dockett have been captains. It’s Sendlein’s second. It’s the first for Feely and Lenon since joining the Cardinals a year ago.

Fitz said the honor means more to him now than it would have earlier in his career. “When I was young, I would probably have preferred not to be a captain and didn’t really care about it,” he said. “But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a lot more of a team guy … more so than just playing well myself.”

In announcing the captains, Whisenhunt named “the very loquacious Paris Lenon,” a little joke at Lenon’s quiet nature. Then Whisenhunt praised Lenon, who turns 34 in November. “Last year, Paris’ season was one of the most underrated I think of anybody’s, just because of not only his toughness, his leadership but what he brought to our team.

“It seems like he’s found the fountain of youth here in Arizona.”

Injury report

Tight end Jim Dray didn’t practice because of a pectoral strain. Cornerback Mike Adams (knee) was limited. Tight end Rob Housler (groin) took part in all of practice after being limited in Wednesday’s workout. Everyone else practiced fully.

For the Panthers, LB Jon Beason (ankle) did not practice on Thursday.

By Seth Pollack

– Regional Sports Editor

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Arizona on Facebook.

Sep 5, 2011 – The Arizona Cardinals are finally settling into a regular season routine as they prepare for their NFL Week 1 game versus the Carolina Panthers. The team roster is down to the players who will be going into battle this week and there’s an air of confidence, excitement and determination with this group that is very disappointed with last year’s result. 

Star defensive end Darnell Dockett mentioned last year’s 5-11 record several times when he spoke to the media after Monday’s practice.

“Our main focus everyday we step on the field (is to) get better. We just remember what 5-11 felt like,” Dockett said. ”If you look at the game film from last year year and look at how much we didn’t play together, how many mistakes we made, things like that — it sucks. To have an opportunity to go out and redeem yourself again…A lot of games is personal.”

Outside of the team, no one is talking about the Cardinals defense this year and until they deliver on the field, no one should. Inside the team, there’s a lot more hope for improvement.

“We think we can be one of the better units in this league so that’s the way we’re approaching it. We know coach is going to be aggressive and that’s the way we like it and that’s the way we want to be. Just go out there and win or lose on our own terms,” veteran safety Kerry Rhodes said.

Preparations are well underway for the Panthers but with the combination of normal Week 1 unknowns along with a new head coach (Ron Rivera) and a new quarterback (Cam Newton), there’s only so much that can be done.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t mind that too much. He’s stressed being prepared for the unknown all preseason, ”You don’t know if what they’ve shown in preseason is what they’re going to show in regular season. But that’s the way it can be every Sunday in the NFL.”

Larry Fitzgerald says the offense has been watching the Panthers preseason games to get a feel for their new personnel and have also been looking at film from San Diego. Rivera most recently was the defensive coordinator for the Chargers who were a number-one ranked defense in the NFL last year. 

The Cardinals don’t have practice on Tuesday but will continue preparation for the season opener after the day off.

Other notes:

• “Whenever you get to the first game of the season it’s always an unknown, especially with a new head coach coming in…We know with Cam (Newton) that it’s going to be a little bit more simplified so we’ll probably approach it that way.” — Kerry Rhodes
• “I have the same focus I’ve had since the first week of training camp. That’s getting better, getting the core group of guys that I knew was going to be here better…We played against Carolina last year and a lot of us were hurt. It was towards the end of the season, nothing was going right…We want to see what they got now.” — Darnell Dockett
• “He’s the first pick of the draft for a reason. A great player. I don’t go into the game underestimating him. One thing I know about quarterbacks, you give them enough time, no matter who back there, they’ll get the ball up. Our biggest thing is going out playing solid football, assignment football, and not get so caught up on who the quarterback is and what they got. We’re playing at home so you got to play at our level and that’s the mind set that we’ve got to have.” — Docket on Cam Newton
• “We want to make some explosive plays in the run game and the pass game, defensively, special teams. We feel as if we’re capable of making big things happen.” — Larry Fitzgerald

Read More: Kerry Rhodes (S – ARI), Darnell Dockett (DT – ARI), San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Arizona on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

Ray Horton has the credentials to prove what kind of man he is.
This is, after all, the guy who just before leaving the Pittsburgh
Steelers’ coaching staff virtually gave his 1999 Mercedes
convertible to a cafeteria worker.

Correct that. He sold the car for $20.

“I wasn’t going to give it to the guy,” Horton said before the
team practiced on Monday. “I’m not crazy.”

He’s also not always Mr. Nice Guy in his new job as defensive
coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals.

“He’s a good guy until you mess up,” defensive tackle Darnell
Dockett said. “Don’t let that look fool you. He knows his stuff,
man, and he don’t care what nobody says. He’s all about winning,
getting to that ball and hitting somebody.”

The 51-year-old Horton is in a precarious job _ the third
defensive coordinator in coach Ken Whisenhunt’s five seasons in
Arizona. But after 10 seasons as a player and 17 as an NFL
assistant, Horton relishes the opportunity.

“I aspire to move up and up and up,” he said. “I love what I’m
doing. It means everything. You wonder how good you can be, and you
get a shot at it.”

Horton played cornerback for Cincinnati and Dallas, appearing in
a Super Bowl for each team. He coached for Washington, Cincinnati
and Detroit before joining the Pittsburgh staff in 2004. That put
him on the same Steelers staff as Whisenhunt, who was offensive
coordinator there when he took the Arizona job.

Horton was promoted from assistant defensive backs coach to
defensive backs coach with the Steelers when Mike Tomlin took over
as head coach in 2007.

Asked what would be different about Horton’s defense, Whisenhunt
said, “Well, if we could stop somebody, that would be a good
start.”

The Cardinals were 29th out of 32 teams in total defense,
leading to the firing of coordinator Bill Davis, who had taken over
from Clancy Pendergast two years earlier.

“The biggest issue that we had last year is that we weren’t on
the same page as a defense and we weren’t playing together,”
Whisenhunt said. “Everybody wasn’t playing the same call, the same
way. Whatever you want to say about that, that’s basically what
hurt us. Our goal this year is to play better team defense.”

While the Cardinals will remain basically a 3-4 team, Horton is
installing the Steelers’ defense, which means a complete turnover
in terminology.

“The biggest thing is the calls, the adjustment and the
language,” Dockett said. “I’ve been in this system for seven years
so I’ve been used to one thing. I used to come to meetings and look
at the board and be like ‘OK, I got it,’ and I don’t even have to
pay attention no more. Now I have to go there just like I’m a
rookie and write down everything. But change is good.”

Of particular concern is the pass rush.

“As I look at it, I can either just say ‘Wow, we’ve got great
individual one-on-one players that can beat the guy across from
him,” Horton said, “or I’ve got to help them with a scheme, with a
blitz, with pressure. I think it will be a mix of that.”

And Horton is not above reminding his players of his former
employer, and the defensive success he had there.

“I’ve never used the word Pittsburgh,” he said. “Whenever I talk
about Pittsburgh, I say a team in western Pennsylvania, and it’s
for a reason. I envision us becoming like that team in western
Pennsylvania. … Somebody says Rome won’t be built in a day, but
hopefully it can be built in a season.”

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Optimism should have ruled the day at Saturday’s Red-White scrimmage.

Darnell Dockett and Daryl Washington made big defensive plays. Larry Fitzgerald added to his legend with an over-the-shoulder touchdown grab. Quarterback Kevin Kolb continued to impress with throws the team has not seen since Kurt Warner retired.

But a potentially serious injury to strong safety Adrian Wilson overshadowed a cloudless day in northern Arizona.

Wilson suffered an elbow/biceps injury early in practice and left the field in obvious pain with his elbow wrapped in ice. He was scheduled to have an MRI on Saturday night, but the Cardinals are off until Monday, so a report might be unavailable before then.

Speculation was running wild that it might be a torn biceps, an injury that could shelve Wilson for significant time. The Cards were thin at safety already and moved quickly to re-sign Matt Ware, who was with the team last season.

Wilson had a down year in 2010 but still made his fourth Pro Bowl. With a new defensive system and a return to health — he played most of last season with a torn abductor muscle — he was being counted on heavily for leadership and his old brand of play. His loss would be a crippling early blow to a team trying to rebound from a 5-11 season.

There were bright spots Saturday. Washington, cornerback A.J. Jefferson and Dockett all had interceptions — with Dockett’s coming after he batted a Kolb pass.

Washington also stuffed a run play and backpedaled to break up a pass, showing the versatility, range and playmaking ability that has the Cards so excited about the bulked-up inside linebacker.

On offense, running back Beanie Wells continues to show the burst he had in healthy portions of his rookie season in 2009, but he also appeared to miss a pair of assignments in pass protection.

Kolb threw a couple of interceptions, but he also threaded a perfect ball to tight end Todd Heap over the middle, putting it where only Heap could catch it in full stride. And then there was the Fitzgerald TD pass. Kolb lofted a deep ball to the back pylon with Fitzgerald’s back turned. Fitzgerald located the ball by looking up while still running, adjusted to its flight and hauled it in to delight a crowd that Flagstaff police estimated at 13,000.

“I liked the way we threw the ball,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I wasn’t happy about the interceptions, but we made some good accurate throws, made some catches, competed for the ball and made good reads.”