Cardinals Gab

All the rumors about the Cardinals and signing players is about trying to get WR Anquan Boldin locked up, but as Scout.com reports, another player on the short list is LB Karlos Dansby.

While WR Anquan Boldin and Darnell Dockett’s contract demands are justified due to their tremendous performance, the Arizona Cardinals’ front office has every right to hold them to their current contracts. Both players have already received restructured deals after outplaying their rookie contracts and upping the ante every time further success is experienced is an unpractical business procedure for an NFL team.

Also working against Boldin and Dockett is the fact that they went through the same process a year ago, yet wound up being major contributors towards the Cardinals’ first ever Super Bowl berth. Arizona has focused its resources on other players this offseason, such as QB Kurt Warner and SS Adrian Wilson, and is still seeking a long-term deal for LB Karlos Dansby.

Dansby was slapped with the franchise tag for the second consecutive year and this could be his final season in the desert if a multi-year deal isn’t agreed upon.

Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com has come out with his annual list of the Top 50 NFL players, and the Cards have four players on the list, including the number six overall - Larry Fitzgerald. Here’s the Cards on the list:

6. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals: His playoff run stamped him as one of the top two receivers in the league. He’s only scratching his potential, which is scary.

29. Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals: At his age, he remains a big-time passer. His ability to stand in against the rush is as good as any. It’s a treat watching him carve up defenses, but it’s even better talking to him.

30. Adrian Wilson, S, Cardinals: He showed his value to the nation last year during the Cardinals’ Super run. He’s a violent tackler and excels in the blitz game. He is Mr. Cardinal.

34. Darnell Dockett, DT, Cardinals: He is quick and relentless and was a big reason the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl. His contract issue is clouding things heading into this season, but he’ll play.

From: Fox Sports

Cardinals second-year WR Lance Long was impressive this offseason, catching nearly everything thrown his way, but he did that last year as an undrafted rookie. It was good enough to earn him a spot on the practice squad. The club is deep at receiver so it’s going to be difficult for Long to crack this roster, unless he excels on special teams in the preseason.

It’s good to be back in a football mindset after the offseason. It felt really good to see all my teammates again. I’m still so proud of how we responded to everything to get to the Super Bowl.

I think I handled the situation leading up to the Super Bowl pretty well. I tried not to let myself get overwhelmed by the situation and just focus on what was going to be the biggest game of my life. I kept my routines the same. Now that I’ve been there I know what to expect.

I think we proved a lot to the doubters last year. Fluke teams don’t make it to the Super Bowl, but if we need to prove ourselves again then we will. But I feel that we’re here to prove to ourselves that we’re a good football team. Having a good regular season and hopefully going into the playoffs with a winning record is our goal.

Click HERE to read the rest

ProFootballWeekly reports that the Cards are excited about TE Ben Patrick and what he could bring to the team in 2009:

Our Cardinals sources believe third-year pro Ben Patrick was shaping up as the leading contender for the team’s starting TE job before getting hit with a four-game suspension to start the 2009 season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. “When you consider all the attributes, he looked like the top guy,” a daily team observer said of Patrick, who tested positive for the amphetamine Adderall after taking the drug last October.

“He’s got good receiving skills — he made that great TD catch in the Super Bowl — his blocking has steadily improved and he’s smart. His only problem was his inability to stay healthy.” There’s reason to believe the recent signing of ex-Rams TE Dominique Byrd was in part due to Patrick’s suspension, which the team might have seen coming.

Mike Florio of SportingNews.com wrote the top 10 moves of the offseason, and has the Cards keeping QB Kurt Warner comes in at number nine. Read below:

9. Warner stays with the Arizona Cardinals

Quarterback Kurt Warner arguably needs two more solid seasons of passing production in order to justify entry into the Hall of Fame.

And he apparently realizes that the best place to spend those two seasons is in Arizona, with receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Sure, Warner flirted with the 49ers. And though he denies that he visited San Fran in order to leverage the Cardinals into upping their offer, the move walks, talks, quacks, swims, flies, sleeps, and breathes like a play for more cash.

Regardless of how it got accomplished, Warner surely knew that plenty of other quarterbacks could register MVP-caliber seasons with Fitzgerald and Boldin as their primary targets. Warner was wise enough to realize it and decided to stay put.

There’s plenty of chatter about who is going to run the ball full-time for the Cardinals, rookie Chris Wells or Tim Hightower? The team also has Jason Wright, a free agent pickup from the Cleveland Browns this past offseason.

Last season the team ranked 29th in the run game, so if they want to get back to the Super Bowl, it’s an area that coach Ken Whisenhunt knows has to improve. Today Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com reports that the nod very well could be the starter come opening day.

Hightower only 2.8 yards-per-carry last season, and the fans are going to want to see Wells a lot more, as the prized first-round rookie coming in. The big question will be if Wells can take that leap over Hightower in preseason, and also do something that hasn’t been done in his college career - stay healthy.

The Cards run game getting better is a big offseason priority, and the battle between Hightower and Wells is going to be one to watch in 2009.

Scout.com reports that the Cards have signed 4th round pick CB Greg Toler:

The Arizona Cardinals have signed fourth-round pick CB Greg Toler to a three-year, $1.5 million deal which includes a signing bonus of $316,000, a league source told Scout.com. Toler (6-0, 193) earned All-CIAA and Little All-American first-team honors as well as being named Virginia small school Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2008 after collecting a career-high 51 tackles (37 solos), seven interceptions, and three blocked kicks. The first player from Saint Paul’s ever to be drafted, Toler set school records with 16 interceptions and 38 passes defensed during his four seasons.

It looks as if new Cards D-coordinator Bill Davis may employ more blitzing in his new defense. Today’s Arizona Republic reports on Davis and what he is doing so far in practices:

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt would prefer an attacking, blitzing defense on the order of the Steelers, his old team. Whisenhunt, however, isn’t ready to say he wants Davis to adopt the playbook of Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, whom Whisenhunt admires. Davis isn’t willing to slap a nameplate on this defense just yet, either.

His staff’s goal in the off-season was to expand the playbook, evaluate how the players handled it, then trim away what didn’t work. That job remains incomplete. The main goal in 2009 is to keep the other team from scoring, said Davis, who wasn’t being flip. The Cardinals finished 28th in points allowed last season.

Cards TE Ben Patrick says that he knew a four-game suspension for violating the NFL policy on banned substances was coming, and that he’s ready to deal with it. The suspension was first reported by Adam Caplan of Scout.com, and was going to be handed down eventually by the league office. Patrick was suspended for taking Adderall.

“I’ve had this cloud hanging over my head all offseason,” said Patrick, according to Darren Urban of the Cardinals’ official Web site. “It’s been really hard to come in and smile with the guys, knowing what was going to happen. I’m just going to try to do my best to work hard.”

Patrick, who’s eligible to practice during training camp and play in the preseason games, claims that he ingested the Adderall to remain awake during a drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix during the season. “It was an honest mistake and it wasn’t something that was a recreational use-type thing or a drug or a narcotic. It was simply a mistake on my part. I accept that responsibility.”

Per the report, Patrick’s suspension will run from September 5th to October 12th.