The Arizona Cardinals are a step closer to suing cash-strapped Glendale over the loss of about 3,200 parking spots near the NFL stadium that workers demolished to build an outlet mall.

The Cardinals and the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, which operates University of Phoenix Stadium, on Wednesday delivered a notice of claim to the city seeking up to $66.7 million to replace the lost parking with garages, unless an acceptable solution is found.

The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, follows two April letters to the city that laid out the team’s and sports authority’s concerns that parking demolished in February to build the 38-acre Tanger Factory Outlets complex could not be replaced. They gave Glendale a Tuesday deadline to provide assurances that parking spaces at Westgate City Center would be replaced.

The city never responded, according to the claim.

The Cardinals began playing at the Glendale stadium in 2006. An agreement signed four years earlier required Glendale to provide 6,000 spots for football games and other stadium events at Westgate, the restaurant and entertainment complex near the stadium.

A possible short-term solution the city presented in March did not comply with the parking agreement because the spots were outside Westgate, according to the team’s and sports authority’s April 9 letter to the city.

City Attorney Craig Tindall, whose city faces a $35 million deficit in next year’s budget, said the franchise “jumped the gun” with its notice of claim.

Tindall said the parking agreement requires the 6,000 spots be available only about two months before the first football game. The first Cardinals game is set for Aug. 17, and the city is working to have an answer for the Cardinals within weeks, the city attorney said.

City Manager Ed Beasley said Glendale transportation staffers are working to find spots and are likely to provide responses to the Cardinals soon.

The city manager acknowledged March meetings with the Cardinals and the sports authority, but he could not say whether there had been discussions since or provide details on possible plans.

Cardinals spokesman Mark Dalton said Glendale never responded to April letters, which were also signed by representatives from the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, the Fiesta Bowl and the NFL.

“Today, the city doesn’t own or control enough land at Westgate to perform the contract, and under these unique circumstances, we have a legal right to assurances they have the ability to perform that obligation,” Dalton said.

The parking woes are further complicated by Westgate’s troubles. The 6-year-old complex fell into foreclosure last year.

This year’s announcement that Tanger would open an outlet mall there, along Loop 101 just south of Glendale Avenue, was a sliver of good news for the complex that is now partly owned by two separate lenders.

The city attorney said any new development at Westgate would impact stadium parking plans, but he said there has long been an understanding that parking could be shuffled.

“We haven’t violated any agreements,” Tindall said. “We don’t intend to violate any agreements. We are working on a solution.”

If one exists, sports-authority President Tom Sadler said he would like to see it soon.

“I think we’re prepared to sit down and fully vet any solutions (Glendale) may have, but meanwhile, the clock is ticking toward game day,” he said.

The 49ers’ offensive line made significant strides once Adam Snyder took over at right guard three games into last season.

Now the 49ers must replace Snyder, who signed a five-year contract Wednesday with a division rival, the Arizona Cardinals. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“I loved it there,” Snyder said of the 49ers to the Arizona Republic. “But at this point in my career, I was ready for something else.”

Aside from finding a new starting right guard, the 49ers remain on the prowl for wide receivers.

Mario Manningham, who made clutch catches in the New York Giants’ Super Bowl run, is slated to visit the 49ers facility Thursday, according to ProFootballTalk.com.

Fellow free-agent receivers Brandon Lloyd and Chaz Schilens were guests Wednesday.

Snyder, whose wife is from the Phoenix area, signed with the Cardinals shortly upon his visit Wednesday.

Among the 49ers’ next options at right guard: a) Draft a ready-made prospect, such as Stanford’s David DeCastro; b) Promote Daniel Kilgore, a fifth-round pick last year; c) Re-sign free agent Chilo Rachal; d) Sign a free agent such as 11-year veteran Leonard Davis, who reportedly visited the 49ers on Wednesday.

Snyder is coming off his best season with the 49ers, who drafted him in the third round in 2005. After auditioning for the first time at center in training camp, he flourished at right guard upon replacing Rachal at halftime in a

Week 3 win over Cincinnati.

Of Snyder’s 69 career starts, he made 21 at left tackle, 21 at right tackle, 17 at right guard and 10 at left guard. He also subbed in for six snaps at center in last season’s playoff win over New Orleans.

Snyder’s swan song came in the NFC Championship game, a 20-17 overtime loss in which Manningham made a fourth-quarter touchdown catch to spark a comeback.

The 49ers’ receiving corps has been under construction all week: Randy Moss ditched retirement

for a one-year contract, Joshua Morgan signed with the Washington Redskins and Ted Ginn Jr. is checking out the Detroit Lions, according to MLive.com.

Manningham, a four-year veteran, made a sensational sideline catch in Super Bowl XLVI to launch the Giants’ game-winning touchdown drive against New England. He caught a touchdown pass in each of their three earlier playoff victories.

The 49ers have made no secret of a desire to upgrade their 29th-ranked passing attack. But they’re doing so with quarterback Alex Smith unsigned. Smith said last weekend the final details of a deal were being completed, and 49ers CEO Jed York on Monday put the onus on Smith to accept the 49ers’ offer.

Running back

Frank Gore, in a phone interview with the Associated Press, said he’s “excited” over the 49ers’ recent moves but wants Smith’s deal done, too.

“He went through a whole lot, man,” Gore said.

For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman’s Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers.

Sunday | 2:15 p.m. | University of Phoenix Stadium

TV: Channel 10 (Sam Rosen, Chad Pennington); Radio: 92.3 KTAR-FM (Dave Pasch, Ron Wolfley), 710 KBMB-AM (Gabriel Trujillo, Rolando Cantu).

Noteworthy: The Cardinals and Seahawks meet for the 26th
time, with Arizona holding a 13-12 advantage in the all-time series. … Arizona enters this week’s contest looking to end a three-game losing streak to their division foe. … The Cardinals hold a 7-4 record at home against the Seahawks all-time, having won four of the past five games at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Arizona Republic

Given the short-term reward vs. the potential long-term risk, most Cardinals fans might assume that coach Ken Whisenhunt will tell quarterback Kevin Kolb to just sit this next one out, that there’s nothing to be gained by having him play in the regular-season finale against the visiting Seattle Seahawks.

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Photos from Cards-Bengals game | Replay: Game chat | Box score

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If Kolb still is dealing with concussion symptoms, he won’t play, Whisenhunt confirmed Monday when he addressed the media for the first time since Arizona’s 23-16 loss Saturday at Cincinnati.

But if Kolb is cleared to go, Whisenhunt said he won’t sit him for protective measures — even though the Cardinals (7-8) have been eliminated from the playoff race.

“We’re not approaching this as the last week. That’s not the way we’re going to approach it with our team or how we play,” Whisenhunt said. “We want to win this game. It’s a pretty significant achievement for this team, after starting 1-6, to get back to 8-8. I think it means a lot, and that’s the way we’re gong to approach it.

“I think back to ’07 when we finished 8-8, and it gave us some momentum going into the off-season we had a pretty decent year the next year. To have the opportunity to go 8-8, even though we strive for better than that and we want to get into the playoffs, it’s a pretty significant turnaround, and we want to make sure we continue to work for that.”

Whisenhunt said it will continue to be a “day-to-day thing” with Kolb, who suffered a head injury when he was inadvertently kneed in the back of the head two weeks ago in a win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Since then, Kolb has had good days and bad days. He will feel little to no symptoms one day, and the next day he might have problems in a meeting or on the practice field. Such was the case Saturday.

Whisenhunt said Kolb handled the plane ride in from Phoenix all right, but that once the quarterback got to the stadium, the sun and the noise from the crowd began to get to him.

“We just have to make sure he’s completely healthy before you let him get back out there,” Whisenhunt said.

The play

It’s already being hailed as the Play of the Year in the NFL, and it figures to live in replay history to haunt the Cardinals for decades.

Jerome Simpson’s improbable, head-over-toes touchdown flip into the end zone over Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington, however, still isn’t sitting too well with Whisenhunt.

“It’s a great athletic play by the guy,” the coach said. “Am I impressed with that? I’m impressed every day with what I see these guys do. I don’t like it that it happened against us, obviously. But the guy’s a tremendous athlete, and he made a good play.

“Listen, it’s great that people are excited about it. It’s great for our sport in that it gets more interest in it. But hopefully somebody will make a (more exciting) play and we won’t have to see that going forward, because it certainly doesn’t bring back good memories of the game.”

Extra points

Whisenhunt said watching receiver Early Doucet stumble and fall when he was wide open in the end zone for a potential tying touchdown Saturday was something “you think about a million times, especially sitting on the plane coming back home.”

However, he said he talked with Doucet and reminded him that had the team not fumbled at the goal line on first down, Doucet’s stumble never would have come into play.

“Early’s a tough competitor, and he’s bounced back from a lot of things,” Whisenhunt said. “… I respect him for that.”

Deuce Lutui finally saw his first playing time of the season at right guard during the second half of Saturday’s game.

Whisenhunt said it was primarily because starter Rex Hadnot has been dealing with knee and back problems and is starting to “wear down a little bit.”

“Deuce did all right,” Whisenhunt said.

“He got in there and competed.”

CLEVELAND (4-9) AT ARIZONA (6-7)

» When 4:15 p.m. today

» Where University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

» TV/Radio Ch. 10; WBWR-FM (105.7)

» Of note Browns backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, who will start today’s game, has thrown two passes all season, completing both for 17 yards. Cleveland rookie defensive lineman Jabaal Sheard has 5 1/2 forced fumbles, the third most in the NFL. Cleveland has scored 20 or more points in a game twice this season. The Browns have scored 178 points. Only Kansas City (173) has scored less among AFC teams.

Sunday | 2:15 p.m. | University of Phoenix Stadium

TV: Channel 5 (Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker); Radio: 92.3 KTAR-FM (Dave Pasch, Ron Wolfley), 710 KBMB-AM (Gabriel Trujillo, Rolando Cantu).

Noteworthy: The Cardinals and Browns played 40 games between 1950-1969, but since 1974 they’ve met only eight times. Arizona won the previous meeting, 27-21, in 2007. … Larry Fitzgerald was inactive for that ’07 game, and following Sunday’s game, he will have played against every NFL team (except, of course, the Cardinals). Since missing the ’07 game, Fitzgerald has played in 65 consecutive regular-season outings. … Ken Whisenhunt was Cleveland’s special-teams coach in 1999.

The Arizona Republic

By MIKE KEATING

The Review

Providing more drama off the field than points on the scoreboard, the Cleveland Browns meet the Arizona Cardinals in Phoenix Stadium Sunday at 4:15 p.m.

The Browns (4-9) have lost dropped eight of their last 10 games and have only scored 178 points. The Cardinals (6-7) have won five of their last six matchups.

“They (Arizona) got some very talented players,” Cleveland head coach Pat Shurmur said at his press conference Wednesday evening. “They’ve injected some youth into their team, which we all know takes a little to get them up and running.”

Arizona fifth-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt has a Browns tie, serving as an assistant under Chris Palmer in Cleveland’s first year as an expansion team in 1999.

Both teams have starting quarterbacks battling concussion issues. Arizona starter Kevin Kolb, who is familiar with Shurmur dating back to their Philadelphia days, practiced on a limited basis Wednesday. Cleveland starter Colt McCoy, recovering from a concussion he suffered at Pittsburgh last week, did not practice Wednesday or Thursday.

“Kevin was trained in our system, going through his progressions and getting the ball out on time,”Shurmur critiqued. “I see the same thing for Skelton, but I do see a taller guy that kind of pushes the pocket.”

Kolb is 146-of-253 passing for 1,955 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. Skelton, who has seen significant action, is 78-of-145 passing for 1,032 yards with seven touchdowns and nine picks.

Whoever quarterbacks the Cardinals, they have offensive weapons. Wideout Larry Fitzgerald has size, speed and 62 catches for 1,092 yards with seven touchdowns. Running back Chris Wells, the former Ohio State standout, has 943 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Veteran tight end Todd Heap, who migrated from Baltimore, gives the Cardinals a veteran presence on possession downs.

The Browns played physical defense in a 14-3 loss to the Steelers. Tackle Scott Paxson recorded a sack and safety Mike Adams picked off a pass.

 the unit forced two other

Pittsburgh turnovers and executed a four-down, goal-line

stand, sparked by outside linebacker Chris Gocong.

Gocong and middle linebacker D’Qwell Jackson led the Browns

with seven tackles apiece. Adams had six tackles.

Cleveland punter Brad Maynard dropped four punts inside the

10-yard line against the Steelers, giving the Browns an

edge in field position.

McCoy has taken the majority of snaps for the Browns, but

Wallace is 2-for-2 in a relief role. Shurmur says both

Cleveland quarterbacks have similar characteristics.

“They’re both good from the pocket, but they both tend to

be mobile,” he explained. “If they get outside the pocket,

they can extend the play. They are similar in stature and

throw the ball well.”

Wallace, whose last start was against Atlanta last season

before he suffered an ankle injury, ran the same offense

while he was at Seattle.

McCoy isn’t the only offensive starter with a concussion.

Tight end Benjamin Watson suffered his third concussion of

the season against the Steelers and is expected to miss the

game, opening the door for backups Evan Moore and Alex

Smith.

Wideouts Mohammed Massaquoi and Josh Cribbs made big

catches on Cleveland’s opening drive that resulted in a

field goal, but there were too many drops and poorly thrown

passes. Third-string running back Chris Ogbonnaya ripped

off a 28-yard run, while Peyton Hillis and Montario

Hardesty struggled against the Steelers.

The Browns face a Cardinal defensive unit intermixed with

youth and veterans. Rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson has

been a lockdown defender, making 57 tackles and picking off

two passes. Inside linebackers Daryl Washington and Paris

Lenon lead the team with 78 and 77 tackles, respectively.

They also have a combined seven sacks. Veteran safety

Adrian Wilson adds 42 stops, while veteran tackle Darnell

Dockett contributes 38 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Arizona is solid in special teams with former Cleveland

punter Dave Zastudil, who is averaging over 45 yards an

attempt, and Peterson as a punt returner. Peterson has

taken four punts back for scores, including two

game-winning touchdowns against St. Louis.

Zastudil is one ex-Brown on the Arizona roster. The others

are starting right guard Rex Hadnot, starting nose tackle

Nick Eason, backup wideout Chansi Stuckey and injured guard

Floyd Womack.

Read More: Kerry Rhodes (S – ARI), Chansi Stuckey (WR – ARI), Joey Porter (LB – ARI), Moran Norris (FB – SFX), D’Anthony Batiste (OT – ARI), Patrick Willis (LB – SFX), Jaymar Johnson (WR – ARI), Daniel Kilgore (G – SFX), Ian Williams (DT – SFX), Mike Person (G – SFX), Scott Tolzien (QB – SFX), Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams

As the Arizona Cardinals get set to host their division rival San Francisco 49ers at University of Phoenix Stadium, they will be without the services of a couple of important pieces to their defense in Kerry Rhodes and Joey Porter. 

The Cardinals will be without a few players this week, highlighted by linebacker Joey Porter and safety Kerry Rhodes, who both made their return to practice this week dealing with knee and foot injuries respectfully. Wide receivers Chansi Stuckey Bartel, Stephen Williams and Jaymar Johnson will not be suiting up for Arizona either,  neither will offensive tackle D’Anthony Batiste.

For the 49ers, they will be without All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis who suffered a hamtrain strain early in their last game against the St. Louis Rams. San Francisco will also be without  QB Scott Tolzien, WR Brett Swain, FB Moran Norris,  offensive guards Daniel Kilgore and Mike Person and defensive tackle Ian Williams. 

For more in depth discussion and analysis on the Cardinals, head over to Revenge of the Birds to get your fix. 

Nov. 20, 2011 – San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith (11) is pressured by Arizona Cardinals defensive end Nick Eason.

More on this topic

Cardinals 19, Cowboys 13 (OT) | Box score

UP NEXT: 49ers (10-2) at Cardinals (5-7)
When: Sunday @ 2:05 p.m. | Full 2011 schedule | Fans
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale
TV: Channel 10 (Dick Stockton, John Lynch)
Radio KTAR 92.3 (Dave Pasch, Ron Wolfley)
Spanish: KBMB 710 AM (Gabriel Trujillo, Rolandu Cantu)
Roof hotline: 623-433-ROOF (7663)
Notes: The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 23-7 on Nov. 20 in San Francisco… the 49ers have clinched NFC West Division, as they lead by five games with four games to play… since 2004, one of these teams has swept the season series. In 2004, ’07, ’09, ’10, in was the 49ers who swept the Cardinals; in 2005, ’06, ’08, it was the Cardinals who swept.

More Cardinals with Kent Somers

NFL power rankings – Week 14

Read More: Frank Gore (RB – SFX), Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers

As the San Francisco 49ers take on the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium this Sunday, running back Frank Gore looks to earn his fifth 1,000 yard rushing season, sitting only 18 yards share of the mark coming into the game. Numberfire.com projects him to earn a lot more than 18 yards this week, and should be a start in most fantasy leagues this weekend. 

Frank the Tank is projected to earn around 78 yards on 13 carries for San Francisco, including 1 reception for 11 yards and 0.72 touchdowns for a total of around 13.38 points. Gore ran the ball 24 times for 88 yards last time against the Cards, though didn’t score a touchdown. Hopefully Frank can break the plane in Arizona, the place where he suffered a fracture in his hip last season. 

If the Niners can get Gore going early, then watch out the rest of the way. 

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

The Arizona Cardinals have been playing very well as of late, winners of four of their last five matchups who now host the division leading San Francisco 49ers at University of Phoenix stadium. Unfortunately the the Cards the Niners were there last loss, and according to Numberfire.com, quarterback Kevin Kolb likely won’t be leading the charge against them this Sunday for Arizona. 

Kolb is projected to scored a shade under 12 points at 11.94, throwing 1.02 touchdowns, 0.76 INT’s and 187 yards passing, nothing to write home to Mommy about that’s for sure. THe 49ers defense has been stifling to most this season, holding Arizona to only seven points their last time out. They do give up a decent amount of yards in the air, currently ranking 29th in the league in that regard, but are filled with ball-hawks and have racked up 16 interceptions already this season. 

If you have no one else, than Kolb is your guy, but another option would probably be a good idea. Here’s a look at how the rest of the notable Cardinals will fare. 

The Arizona Cardinals will begin to use handheld metal detectors Sunday to screen people entering University of Phoenix Stadium for NFL games.

The National Football League has requested that teams change their procedures from limited pat-downs to using the metal detectors, the Cardinals said in a release on Thursday.

The Cardinals said they will begin using the metal detectors Sunday for Arizona’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Cardinals officials said the complete change-over will be a gradual process over the four remaining regular season home games. The procedures will be in place for ticket holders and stadium security staff.

The Cardinals issues these points for fans, employees and media to heed:

• The security lanes with handheld metal detectors will be indicated with signage and a stadium security member explaining the process in advance.
• Guests will be asked to remove all metal from their pockets and hold the items in their hands during the screening.
• If a guest has medical concerns about the use of a metal detector, the limited pat-down screening can be substituted.
• Fans are asked to give themselves enough time to pass through security; stadium gates open 90 minutes prior to kickoff (12:45 p.m. for Sunday’s game vs. the Cowboys) and the 30-minute period immediately prior to kickoff is the busiest at the security screening points.

Everyone entering the stadium on game day should be aware of this new screening method, the Cardinals said.

Copyright 2011 KPHO. All rights reserved.

More on this topic

Cardinals 23, Rams 20 | Box score

UP NEXT: Cowboys (7-4) at Cardinals (4-7)
When: Sunday @ 2:15 p.m. | Full 2011 schedule | Fans
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale
TV: Channel 10 (Dick Stockton, John Lynch)
Radio KTAR 92.3 (Dave Pasch, Ron Wolfley)
Spanish: KBMB 710 AM (Gabriel Trujillo, Rolandu Cantu)
Roof hotline: 623-433-ROOF (7663)
Noteworthy: This game is the 60th consecutive sellout for the Cardinals. Every game played in the stadium has been declared a sellout… this will be Dallas’ fourth trip to Arizona in the last six seasons… the Cowboys lead the all-time series 55-29-1… the Cardinals first regular season game in Arizona was against the Cowboys on Sept. 12, 1988.

More Cardinals with Kent Somers

NFL power rankings – Week 13

After five weeks of answering questions about his big right toe, Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb is ready for people to ask him about his performance in a game.

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Cardinals-Cowboys injury report

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That might come this week against the Cowboys at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Kolb took every snap with the starters in practice on Wednesday, he said, and expects to play for the first time since suffering the injury in Baltimore on Oct. 30.

“I feel really good,” Kolb said. “Obviously, we’ll see tomorrow how it feels after a full day like that, but I have full intention of playing.”

Kolb has missed four games with a right foot injury that included turf toe, a ligament sprain and a bone bruise. He practiced on a limited basis last week but experienced soreness afterward.

“We didn’t know for sure if I could play, then you start holding back the other guy,” Kolb said. “They just made a decision to go ahead and give John (Skelton) the start, and that was probably the smartest thing to do.”

Coach Ken Whisenhunt was conservative when asked on Wednesday if he was confident Kolb would play on Sunday: “The way it’s gone this season for us with different guys, I’m not going to say anything like that today. We’ll see how it is tomorrow.”

Rounding out his game

With four punt returns for touchdowns, Patrick Peterson has proved his worth on special teams. The rookie is still developing as a cornerback, however, and especially as an offensive threat.

Peterson has participated in three offensive plays this season. On the first, the Cardinals called a timeout because of an alignment problem. On the second, Peterson didn’t get the ball.

And last week, Peterson took a snap in the Wildcat formation, only to fumble it before he ran. He recovered for no gain.

“Right when I was securing the ball into my right hand, my knee hit the tail end of the ball and that kind of popped it out,” he said. “But, man, if I had the opportunity to hang on to that ball, I believe I was going the distance.”

Coaches tried to show him evidence that the play would have been big.

“I was like ‘Trust me. I know. I know what could have happened.’ “

Peterson was named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Month. He had two punt returns for touchdowns in November.

Injury update

Overall, the Cardinals injury report was shorter than it has been in some time.

In addition to Kolb, tight end Rob Housler (groin) practiced fully after missing the past four games. Running back Beanie Wells (knee), cornerback Michael Adams (hamstring) and tight end Todd Heap (hamstring) were limited.

Outside linebacker Joey Porter (knee) and free safety Kerry Rhodes (foot) were out.

For the Cowboys, receiver Miles Austin (hamstring) was one of six players who did not practice.