Arizona Cardinals

Some of the discussion at Tuesday’s league meeting is expected to focus on the resurrected USFL, which is being reconstituted as a “feeder” or minor league, and on how involved the NFL should be with it. Former NFL executive Jim Steeg, who once presided over Super Bowl preparations, is chairman of the USFL’s board of advisors, and that could give it some entre with the NFL.

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Around the League: USFL to become NFL minor leagues? (The SportsXchange)

What we noticed while wondering just how much we could take away from non-contact minicamps involving nothing but rookies, and a few veterans per team who were allowed to participate because they didn’t get a vested year last season: 49ers … Continue reading →

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Deep Posts: Rookie Minicamp Roundup (Shutdown Corner)

According to the odds-makers, the Seattle Seahawks are not going to have a particularly good season in 2012. Based on recently released point spreads for the 2012 season, the Seahawks are projected to go 5-10 through Week 16, with the final week to be determined.

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The 2012 Seahawks According to Las Vegas: Fan Reaction (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

RENTON, Wash. — The news first hit when Seattle Seahawks head Pete Carroll revealed it during Seattle’s first post-draft practice session of the new NFL season. Guard Deuce Lutui, who played for Carroll at USC and started 72 games for … Continue reading →

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Deuce Lutui’s vegan diet led to serious weight loss and another NFL chance (Shutdown Corner)

Two things stand out looking at the 10 best rookie quarterback seasons in modern (post-merger) NFL history: one, that there aren’t very many great ones; and two, that most of those are recent. If the trend continues, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III  could wind up positioned well on lists like this one in the future. For now, though, here’s who they’re chasing. These are the quarterbacks who have gotten off to great starts

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The 10 best rookie quarterback seasons in modern NFL history (Shutdown Corner)

The NFL continued doling out punishment for the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program on Wednesday, suspending linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the entire 2012 season for his role in the team’s pay-for-hits system. Defensive end Will Smith will sit out four games. Anthony Hargrove, a former Saints defensive end who signed with the Green Bay Packers in March, was given an eight-game suspension. Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita was suspended for three games.

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Jonathan Vilma suspended for 2012 season for role in Saints bounty system (Shutdown Corner)

Each year, there are players who fall in the draft for a number of reasons. We all remember the sight of Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn waiting far beyond expectations for their names to be called, and the divergent paths their careers have taken give us one more reason to say that the draft is, in the end, pretty much a total crapshoot. Here are this year’s latecomers, with Nebraska’s Alfonzo Dennard as the all-time cautionary tale regarding taking it easy the week before the draft. [ Michael Silver's rankings: Gus Frerotte gives Kirk Cousins advice in Redskins quarterback race ] Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama (35th overall pick, Baltimore Ravens) — Upshaw, a dynamic pass rusher who was expected by most pundits to go in the mid-to-late first round, apparently started to drop when he showed up to his Pro Day weighing 279 pounds .

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Why they fell: Draft prospects picked later than expected (Shutdown Corner)

New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese is fond of saying that beyond the NFL draft’s third round is when team personnel really start earning their paychecks, and quite a few people in front offices around the league got a good start on that in a fourth round that featured a great deal of talent. Of course, various dings pushed these prospects to the third day of the draft, but there are a lot of rotational players in this round as well as a few potential foundation starters. Here are the best values as we see them. Houston Texans — Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska (126th pick overall) — Probably a second-round pick had he not lost a great deal of the 2011 season to injury, but Crick was medically cleared at the scouting combine, and he’s a perfect movable chess piece for Wade Phillips’ defensive fronts

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Jared Crick, Nick Toon, Kirk Cousins among best fourth-round value picks (Shutdown Corner)

Larry Fitzgerald will have a new partner in the Arizona Cardinals receiving corps as the Arizona Cardinals used the 13th overall pick to take Michael Floyd out of Notre Dame. Here’s what our scouting reports have to say about Floyd: Floyd has the skill set to be a go-to, all purpose receiver. His size and ability to shield defenders on slants makes him a great West Coast Offense fit.

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Arizona takes Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd (Shutdown Corner)

You know why the NFL draft is so popular? Because it’s the NFL’s season for optimism. Everyone can feel good, because hey, you’re about to get a future Pro Bowler, right? At the very least, a starter?

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Sad, miserable, first-round draft flops for all 32 teams (Shutdown Corner)