Despite not being taken in the NFL draft this weekend, two Sacramento State football players were signed by teams following the draft.

Former Sac State defensive lineman Zack Nash signed with the Arizona Cardinals and wide receiver Chase Deadder signed with the Tennessee Titans.

Nash, Sac State’s all-time leader in sacks with 29.5, said he was excited and relieved when he found out.

“It was awesome,” Nash said. “I was so happy that the whole pre-draft process was finally over. It felt like a load was lifted off of my shoulders.”

Nash has been busy this offseason as he was named to the All-Big Sky Conference first team and the American Football Coaches Association All-America team.

Nash was also honored by the Associated Press by being named a Football Subdivision All-America team. He was just the second player in school history to receive the honor (Charles Roberts, 1999). He also played in the Players All-Star Classic in February.

With classes still in session, Nash said he has to finish school before he heads out to Arizona full-time to begin the NFL life.

“I head out to mini camp in two weeks for the weekend, then back to Sac until I graduate,” Nash said.

As for Deadder, his senior season was injury-plagued, as he played in just six of Sac State’s 11 games. He caught 15 passes for 152 yards and four touchdowns.

In 2010, Deadder caught 37 passes for 788 yards and six touchdowns.

Deadder has NFL size at 6 feet 6 inches tall and 215 pounds, which is a plus for him.

Nash said that he was happy to see his teammate make it to the NFL as well.

“It’s awesome to see his (Deadder’s) hard work pay off as well,” Nash said. “He works his tail off, so it’s nice to see him be rewarded.”

And a third Hornet may be on his way to the NFL as well.

Quarterback Jeff Fleming said his agent was contacted by the San Francisco 49ers about being invited to the 49ers training camp.

The 49ers have not contacted Fleming himself, but his agent notified him of the call he had with the 49ers, Fleming said.

Nash, Deadder and possibly Fleming could join a small list of Sac State football players to make it to the NFL.

Long snapper Lonnie Paxton, now with the Denver Broncos, has seen the most success.

Paxton was apart of the Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX championship winning New England Patriots.

But just like Nash and Deadder, Paxton was not drafted in the 2000 NFL draft and was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent.

Today, Paxton is the second-highest paid long snapper in the NFL after inking a five-year, $5.3 million deal with the Broncos in 2009.

 

Josh Stanley and Dustin Nosler can be reached at sports@statehornet.com

Read More: Matt Flynn (QB – SEA), Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams

The 2012 NFL preseason schedule is out for every team, including the NFC West. It should once again be an interesting year in a division that has had more downs than ups in recent years. Preseason should give us a good look at what improvements teams have made, most notably the Seattle Seahawks with the addition of Matt Flynn and snazzy new uniforms.

The Arizona Cardinals officially kick off the NFL season with a matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Canton, Ohio, on Sunday Aug. 5. The St. Louis Rams will take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, giving us a first look at whichever rookie quarterback phenom the Colts select first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. The San Francisco 49ers and Alex Smith take on the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning in Week 3 in a matchup that is sure to be awkward for everyone.

It should be noted that the Niners will not be playing the Oakland Raiders in preseason for the first time since 2000, due to the shooting that took place in the parking lot during last year’s game. Here’s the full preseason schedule for the NFC West:

San Francisco 49ers: Minnesota Vikings, at Houston Texans, at Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers

St. Louis Rams: at Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, at Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens

Seattle Seahawks: Tennessee Titans, at Denver Broncos, at Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders

Arizona Cardinals: New Orleans Saints, at Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, at Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information on the 2012 NFL preseason schedule.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to terms on a three-year contract for long snapper Mike Leach and a two-year deal for linebacker Reggie Walker.

Leach has played in all 48 games over the last three seasons with Arizona. A 13-year NFL veteran, he played the previous seven seasons with the Denver Broncos. Leach has played 152 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team and third-longest active string for all long snappers.

Walker played in all 16 games for Arizona last season and was second on the team with a career-high 16 special teams tackles. He has played three seasons for the Cardinals after joining the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2009.

Read More: Kevin Kolb (QB – ARI), Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers

According to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic, the Arizona Cardinals will be re-signing starting quarterback Kevin Kolb — potentially and presumably removing them from the chase to acquire QB Peyton Manning:

The Cardinals got only 9 starts out of Kolb in 2011 as he missed much of the year with injuries (turf toe and a concussion). In his time between injuries, Kolb managed to sport a 57.7 completion percentage and an 81.1 QB passer rating.

Manning, meanwhile, appears to have narrowed the potential field down to the Denver Broncos, the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

PHOENIX – Offensive guard Jake Scott has made the Arizona Cardinals the first team to visit as a free agent.

Scott met with Cardinals officials and coaches on Wednesday as the team waits for Peyton Manning to decide his destination.

Scott, if he signed with Arizona, would replace Rex Hadnot at right guard, with Hadnot becoming a backup at several offensive line positions.

Scott, 6-foot-5 and 292 pounds, was a teammate of Manning’s on Indianapolis’ Super Bowl championship team in the 2006 season. He started the past four seasons for the Tennessee Titans.

Scott was one of three offensive linemen to visit the Cardinals on Wednesday. One of them, Adam Snyder, later reached an agreement on a five-year contract with Arizona.

Snyder, 6-6 and 325 pounds, started 69 games and appeared in 107 over the past seven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. He started 13 games for the NFC West champions last season.

The third to visit was the 6-foot-5, 311-pound tackle Demetrius Bell, who started 30 games for the Buffalo Bills over the past three seasons. He started all 16 games for Buffalo in 2010 but was limited to seven games in 2011 because of knee and ankle injuries.

Tackle is the obvious biggest need for Arizona after the Cardinals released Levi Brown, the starter on the left side, in a salary cap move. Last season’s starting right tackle, Brandon Keith, is a free agent.

Scott’s agent, Ken Staninger, said the Cardinals “called right out of the gate” about his client.

“He’s a good fit for what they’re reportedly looking for,” Staninger said.

The agent said that Scott’s history with Manning was “somewhat of a factor.”

The Cardinals are in something of a holding pattern as they wait for Manning to make his decision. The superstar quarterback was visiting the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday.

Manning spent nearly 6 1/2 hours at the Cardinals’ facility on Sunday. The team is hoping the presence of standout receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the quarterback’s friendship with coach Ken Whisenhunt, among other factors, will lure Manning to the desert. The team has a state-of-the-art stadium with a retractable roof and natural grass field as well as warm winter weather.

But a concern could be the offensive line, which was inconsistent in its performances last season. Arizona did go 7-2 after a 1-6 start to wind up 8-8 for the season, thanks in large part to a vastly improved defence.

Manning also visited the Denver Broncos and spent time with the Miami Dolphins’ representatives in a meeting in Indianapolis.

The Cardinals need a decision by Manning this week because the team will have to pay quarterback Kevin Kolb $7 million if he is on the roster on Saturday. Arizona released Brown, the fifth overall pick in the 2007 draft, because his contract would have counted nearly $17 million on the team’s salary cap for the coming season.

PHOENIX (AP) Offensive guard Jake Scott has made the Arizona Cardinals the first team to visit as a free agent.

Scott met with Cardinals officials and coaches on Wednesday as the team waits for Peyton Manning to decide his destination.

Scott, if he signed with Arizona, would replace Rex Hadnot at right guard, with Hadnot becoming a backup at several offensive line positions.

Scott, 6-foot-5 and 292 pounds, was a teammate of Manning’s on Indianapolis‘ Super Bowl championship team in the 2006 season. He started the past four seasons for the Tennessee Titans.

Scott was one of three offensive linemen to visit the Cardinals on Wednesday. One of them, Adam Snyder, later reached an agreement on a five-year contract with Arizona.

Snyder, 6-6 and 325 pounds, started 69 games and appeared in 107 over the past seven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. He started 13 games for the NFC West champions last season.

The third to visit was the 6-foot-5, 311-pound tackle Demetrius Bell, who started 30 games for the Buffalo Bills over the past three seasons. He started all 16 games for Buffalo in 2010 but was limited to seven games in 2011 because of knee and ankle injuries.

Tackle is the obvious biggest need for Arizona after the Cardinals released Levi Brown, the starter on the left side, in a salary cap move. Last season’s starting right tackle, Brandon Keith, is a free agent.

Scott’s agent, Ken Staninger, said the Cardinals ”called right out of the gate” about his client.

”He’s a good fit for what they’re reportedly looking for,” Staninger said.

The agent said that Scott’s history with Manning was ”somewhat of a factor.”

The Cardinals are in something of a holding pattern as they wait for Manning to make his decision. The superstar quarterback was visiting the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday.

Manning spent nearly 6 1/2 hours at the Cardinals’ facility on Sunday. The team is hoping the presence of standout receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the quarterback’s friendship with coach Ken Whisenhunt, among other factors, will lure Manning to the desert. The team has a state-of-the-art stadium with a retractable roof and natural grass field as well as warm winter weather.

But a concern could be the offensive line, which was inconsistent in its performances last season. Arizona did go 7-2 after a 1-6 start to wind up 8-8 for the season, thanks in large part to a vastly improved defense.

Manning also visited the Denver Broncos and spent time with the Miami Dolphins’ representatives in a meeting in Indianapolis.

The Cardinals need a decision by Manning this week because the team will have to pay quarterback Kevin Kolb $7 million if he is on the roster on Saturday. Arizona released Brown, the fifth overall pick in the 2007 draft, because his contract would have counted nearly $17 million on the team’s salary cap for the coming season.

Arizona Cardinals update:

So, the Cardinals apparently on Peyton Manning’s short list, if he has a short list. The Denver Post and ESPN are reporting Manning will visit, Denver, Arizona and Miami. And that he would like to have a new employer by Tuesday, the start of free agency.

Here are some thoughts off the top of my big head:

– First, the Cardinals aren’t saying anything about this. Mouths are closed. And I’m guessing that’s because Manning wants it that way.

– It seems awful optimistic to think a deal could be done by Tuesday. Maybe contract parameters are already set. But I would think anyone signing Manning would want to get assurances of his physical condition. Evaluating that, seeing him throw, negotiating a contract, passing a physical, etc., that seems like an awful lot to do by Tuesday.

– That timetable works for Arizona, however. The Cardinals would love to have Manning’s future determined by the start of free agency. That helps with budgeting for other free agents. Plus, Kevin Kolb has a roster bonus of $7 million due on March 17.

– Saturday would be a good day for Manning to visit. Kurt Warner is having his annual Flag Football tournament (closed to the public). Larry Fitzgerald will be there. Warner will be too, of course. Or maybe it’s not a good day. Maybe the Cardinals would prefer to bring Manning in on a day when nothing is going on. Who knows?

Friday, March 9, 2012 at 01:39 PM

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Today the Indianapolis Colts finally ended a season’s worth of speculation and released Peyton Manning, the quintessential franchise quarterback. While the Colts will most certainly move on swiftly by drafting a quarterback with their first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Manning is now left with deciding his own future.

Assuming he doesn’t want to retire, he now will have full control over where he plays in 2012. For the sake of this discussion, let’s also assume that Manning will be ready to play once signed. He is supposedly recovering his arm strength and looks to be getting ready to audition for a new team.

There are certain things that I think Peyton is going to want in his next team. First and foremost is a team that is ready to win and make the playoffs. In that regard, what we need is a team that has recently had some success, or is poised for a breakthrough with the right quarterback. Secondly, I think he would like to play in the best weather conditions possible. I can’t see him playing most of his games in a season in the frigid confines of the outdoor stadiums of the AFC East or the NFC East. A team with a dome or at least great weather year-round would preserve his body and neck better.

He also needs a coach that is good with veterans. Someone who won’t be insecure with having someone the stature of Manning on his team. Good management and ownership also go along with that. Having some leadership with great character already present on the team is also helpful.

I think the Arizona Cardinals provide him with that in spades. Their recent success a few years ago with Kurt Warner shows that this is a team that does know how to win with the right pieces. Their current quarterback, Kevin Kolb, was thought to be the next great qb in Arizona, but he has yet to justify the big contract that they gave him to lure him away from Philadelphia in 2011. Management obviously can get along with a star quarterback (Warner), and Coach Whisenhunt is solid. They make sure to limit the drama on and off the field as much as possible.

Larry Fitzgerald is in the prime of his career, and he is that marquee receiver that Peyton has been missing since Marvin Harrison retired. Many think that Colts’s long-time receiver Reggie Wayne, also a free agent, will sign with whatever team Manning does. Todd Heap is an excellent receiving tight end, and the Cardinals’ running game has Beanie Wells and LaRod Stephens-Howling. With these weapons, Manning can pick up right where he left off in 2010, at least offensively.

Peyton would be out of the spotlight a bit in Arizona, and he’d play all his home games in warm conditions. The NFC West is still one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. He’d also have a lot of high character guys on his team like Larry Fitzgerald. I think all those reason are excellent selling points to a guy like Manning. Besides, do you really think he’d be happy in Miami with a star receiver who is not only petulant but a dropper?

Julie is a Featured Contributor for the NFL and has followed the game her entire life. She lives in Denver (no, Manning isn’t coming here), but her heart lies with the Chicago Bears.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Arizona Cardinals have won in spite of John Skelton and because of him, often in the same game. The overtime victory they pulled out Sunday provided another case study — and the basis for a comparison unlikely to catch on outside the desert.

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic draws parallels between Skelton and the Denver Broncos’ Tim Tebow. Both are second-year quarterbacks with winning records as starters and experience leading their teams from behind in fourth quarters. Bickley: “Both quarterbacks have an uncanny ability to frustrate their coaches, deflate their fans, underwhelm their receivers and somehow play their best in the final 15 minutes. Except Skelton isn’t running a gimmick offense. And with a 4-1 record in games he’s started this season, the Cardinals quarterback actually has a better winning percentage than Tebow.” Noted: Skelton also gets credit for playing all but the first few plays of a 21-19 victory against the San Francisco 49ers last week, another game featuring a double-digit comeback by Arizona. The team has trailed in the second halves of all its games this season, winning half of them. Dramatic improvements on defense have played a leading role. Kevin Kolb could be cleared to return from injury for the Cardinals’ next game. Might the team stick with Skelton?

Kent Somers and Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic note that the Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson stayed patient Sunday before coming through with a 32-yard punt return in overtime. Noted: Browns coach Pat Shurmur said one of his players mistakenly thought Peterson had signaled for a fair catch. Peterson has shown a willingness to return punts even from his own 1-yard line, so the Browns should have assumed he’d be returning this one as well.

Also from Somers: a Cardinals game recap naming second-year outside linebacker O’Brien Schofield the player of the game.

More from Somers: postgame thoughts on a range of Cardinals-related issues. On the quarterback situation: “We won’t know until Wednesday, at the earliest, if Kolb will be ready to play against the Bengals on Christmas Eve. I think if Kolb is healthy, the Cardinals will start him. Yes, John Skelton is 4-1 as a starter this season, but the defense’s improvement has more to do with that than anything. Skelton, however, has made progress this season. You have to like the way he hangs in the pocket, and the way he creates something positive when a play breaks down.”

Bob McManman of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals are getting good things from Schofield. Daryl Washington: “O’Brien really stepped up and it was great to see him make those two sacks, back to back. It can’t get no better than that. I wish we would have scored a touchdown right there, but the defense, man, we’re always going to be there for you.”

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com checks in with Larry Fitzgerald for thoughts on how the Pro Bowl receiver got so open on the reception that moved the Cardinals into range for the winning field goal. Fitzgerald: “We had been in that bunch (formation) three times throughout the day and every single time we ran it before, we ran the ‘Toss Crack’ out of it for Beanie (Wells). As soon as I lined up in the formation they were yelling ‘Crack, crack, crack!’ The cornerback kind of settled, and I saw that and went vertical and broke it to the corner.”

Also from Urban: “To be a top offense, the Cardinals need to improve on some things themselves. Skelton was 28-for-46 for 313 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But Fitzgerald was held to three catches, and after Schofield’s huge sack to force the fumble — originally, Wallace was declared down but Whisenhunt challenged the play and it was overturned — the Cards lost 10 yards after getting the ball on the Cleveland 5-yard line.”

Read More: 2011 nfl week 15 recap, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals

NFL Week 15 was full of surprises starting with the Colts getting their first win of the season. Then the Green Bay Packers perfect season came to a screeching halt. And I am going to explain how that impacts the Arizona Cardinals in just a little bit, but as always here are my thoughts on the Cardinals.

Resilient. When thinking of one word to describe the Arizona Cardinals I thought that fit best. 

They aren’t perfect in any phase, but they are finding ways to win football games. 

The Cardinals trailed 17-7 to the Browns. The Cardinals trailed 19-7 to the 49ers. The Cardinals trailed 13-6 to the Cowboys. The Cardinals trailed 10-3 to the Rams. The Cardinals trailed 14-7 to the Eagles. The Cardinals trailed 13-6 to the Rams.

The Cardinals came back and won every single one of those games. The Cardinals were at one point 1-6 and have battled back all the way to 7-7.

Resilient. 

Being a resilient football team will only take you so far. What we saw Sunday when the Denver Broncos were smoked by the New England Patriots was the perfect example of that. To become a real threat to win the NFC West and reach higher goals in the future I need to be able to describe the Cardinals with another word. 

Consistency. 

One side of the ball already has it, the defense is consistent and I believe will continue to be a strength for the foreseeable future. When will the offense get up to the defenses speed or to an acceptable level? 

You can only get so far sneaking out games with special teams and in the second half.  To complete with top echelon teams your offense has to have the ability to score 30 points every Sunday. The Cardinals are not there yet. 

7-7 is nice. The potential and real possibility of being 9-7 is fantastic. Playoffs have gone from a pipe dream to at least a thought. 

The Cardinals proved to be a resilient bunch no matter how this season plays out. In the long term resilient is not good enough.  Resilient and consistent is what the Cardinals need to be.  

Green Bay Packers Upset By The Kansas City Chief 

When I said I was confident the Cardinals would make the playoffs if they finished the season 9-7 I assumed the Green Bay Packers would go into the final game of the season 15-0. This would have given the Packers something to play for, not in the standings or playoff seeding, but history. I don’t think Mike McCarthy could have looked his team in the eye if they didn’t go all out against the Detroit Lions Week 17 if they were 15-0.

Well, the Packers are not going to be 15-0. They shockingly fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 19-14. Green Bay will no longer have anything left to play for Week 17 and I would be shocked if they did not use that game to get healthy. This leaves the Detroit Lions, who I expect to lose next week to the San Diego Chargers going up against the Packers second string. It’s not out of the question, but I now think it is unlikely the Cardinals get into the playoffs even if they finish 9-7.  

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This couldn’t have been how Kevin Kolb envisioned his first year as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback would play out.

In addition to taking a beating the first two months of the season, he missed four consecutive games because of a complicated right-foot injury. Then, just a week after returning, he suffered a concussion on the third play of Arizona’s 21-19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Kolb was inadvertently kneed in the back of his head by 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks after being sacked and fumbling the ball. Kolb’s status for Sunday’s game against the visiting Cleveland Browns is uncertain, and he must go through a series of tests before being cleared to practice.

Kolb was evaluated by physicians twice after taking the hit, and coach Ken Whisenhunt said the quarterback “didn’t feel right. He felt a little off.”

It’s been that kind of season for Kolb.

“At that position, a lot of times it is,” Whisenhunt said. “You don’t see a whole lot of quarterbacks get through a whole season without having some type of injury. That’s not unexpected. It’s unfortunate with the toe, and this one (Sunday) was an unusual thing. You don’t see it very often when you catch a knee to the back of the head like he did.

“That’s not a typical injury. I’m sure it’s frustrating for Kevin because Kevin wants to play, especially after playing well in the second half last week against Dallas. But it’s a part of the game.”

Big play success

John Skelton’s 60-yard touchdown pass Sunday to Early Doucet marked the ninth touchdown of 50 or more yards for the Cardinals this season, the most in the NFL.

The Green Bay Packers have scored touchdowns from that distance or longer eight times, the Detroit Lions seven times and the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys six times apiece.

Of course, four of Arizona’s long touchdowns have come on punt returns by rookie Patrick Peterson, but the overall number impresses Whisenhunt.

“Last year we had hardly any of them and this year we’ve had a bunch of them,” he said. “I think the thing that really stands out is there’s been so many different guys making those big plays. It means we’re close to being a better, efficient team on both sides of the ball.

“I wish it would translate to us being a better third-down team, because that’s one of the areas we’ve got to get better at. But it definitely helps when you can have some of those big plays in games like we’ve had this year.”

Wilson stepping up

Veteran strong safety Adrian Wilson has noticeably stepped up his play for the past month and a half. And he’s done it in a new system despite playing with a torn biceps tendon in his right arm.

Whisenhunt praised Wilson’s work ethic and study habits as major reason for the improvement.

“And when you have 11 guys on the defensive side doing that, you’re going to get better,” he said. “Obviously, Adrian is a talented player. To see him work like that really shows his leadership. To see him make plays in the game and be a force like he’s become here lately, it also really speaks a lot for our defense and our coaches and our players.”

Game ball

Todd Haley, the Cardinals’ former offensive coordinator under Whisenhunt, was fired as head coach of the Chiefs on Monday and Whisenhunt was asked for his reaction.

“Well, we all know Todd’s a good friend of mine,” he said. “This is a tough business. But Todd’s an outstanding football coach and I’m sure there will be something for him.”

Whisenhunt politely declined comment when asked if there could be a reunion of some sort with Haley and the Cardinals.

Center Lyle Sendlein presented Whisenhunt with a game ball on behalf of the team Sunday for the coach tying Don Coryell‘s record for most wins in team history (42).

“It was very meaningful that our team did that,” Whisenhunt said. “It’s a team game. But we’re worried about focusing on Cleveland this week.”