Arizona Cardinals Blog

Press Conference:

We have been more aggressive this offseason than in the previous ones. The trade for QB Peter Newcomer stands out. We believe Newcomer is a young dynamic athlete and a proven play-maker with the potential to be a franchise QB. We were looking to add some depth and competition at the QB position with the trade in order to address the lack of production of our offense.

Defensively we added pieces through the draft and free-agency. We have a healthy mix of youth and veteran presence in the locker room that should translate well into the field. We are looking to build upon last season and continue making strides towards being the football team that we know we have the potential to be.

What about QB Kevin Kolb and his role as a backup?

Kolb understands his role in this offense and has a clear grasp of our offensive scheme. He is an capable QB that will provide veteran presence and depth at the position.

How is 1st round pick CB Cherry progressing?

We firmly believe in drafting best player available. On draft day we felt that Cherry had the physical and mental tools to be a stand out player in the league. Still, he is a work in progress and will have to put in the hard work to make the transition to the pros.

On trading Adrian Wilson to the Raiders.

We sat down and had a conversation with Adrian, we all agreed that this move would be beneficial for both the team and for him as a player. Obviously, it wont be easy watching him play in a different uniform and his leadership in the locker room will be missed. However, we feel like we did what we needed to do to make this team competitive to the highest level.

On Newcomer's sudden outing from Oakland.

Newcomer is a competitor. You have to be a competitor in order to play the game at this level and that is what he is here to do. Oakland decided to make some changes on their staff and roster. The opportunity presented itself to get Newcomer. We believe Newcomer is a solid QB that has not yet hit his ceiling. We traded for Newcomer and that is all we know.

On Fitzgerald returning from injury.

Fitzgerald missed most of last season due to injury. He has been working hard on rehabbing. From the progress we have seen he is running at 100% now. I believe we all know what we can come to expect from Fitzgerald. He will put in the work, the effort and the passion to be the best.

I open up the forum for further questions.

Coach, any truth to the rumor that Patrick Peterson has been involved in trade talks with the Tennessee Titans? What are some of the hurdles your facing in completing this deal?

Patrick Peterson came out in the media last week, and stated that San Diego has the best weather in the county...when he shops he Charges everything...his favorite weather symbol is a lightning bolt. Can you comment on these statements and do you read anything into these subtle comments from your star CB?

Is Fitz worried that when he lines up vs The Clamps, that they might end his season again?

Regarding PP...

Patrick Peterson is an outstanding athlete with great instinct. He is coming off a pro-bowl year and we are looking to build upon it. He is, without a doubt, one of the top corners in the league and a foundation of our defense.

Regarding San Diego...

Its a good thing San Diego has the best weather in the country. We all need to be the best at something and last I heard great weather doesn't win football games.

Regarding Fitz...

Fitz is a consummate professional and the ultimate competitor. He is a physical receiver that does not shy away from contact. We expect that attitude to continue as he steps on the field.

The Arizona Cardinals faced off against the New Orleans Saints. The Cardinals drove the ball down the field effectively on their first drive, culminating in a 5 yard TD scramble by QB Newcomer. The remaining of the half became a defensive face off. The Cardinals struggled sustaining drives and the Saints were able to move the ball but struggled getting points on the board. The Saints controlled field position and were able to score a field goal three minutes before halftime. Followed by a 35 yard TD pass from Brees to Henderson.

The 3rd quarter continued the defensive stand. The saints finally opened the scoreboard with an 8 yard TD rush by Sproles that was immediately answered with a 66 yard TD pass from QB Newcomer to WR Roberts. The Saints scored another field goal with 2:50 remaining on the 4th quarter. The Cardinals received the ball back, losing by six. Newcomer connected on a 58 yard pass with Larry Fitzgerald to place the Cardinals on the redzone. The Cardinals drove the ball down to the 5 yard line but were ultimately unable to punch it in for the winning TD. The Saints defensive stood strong forcing the 3rd interception of the game to secure the win.

Saints win, 20-14

Word out of South beach is that the Fins are heavily interested in CB Patrick Peterson

Newcomer had a rough start on his third outing under center for the Cardinals. The Cardinals struggled moving the ball on the 1st quarter and Newcomer threw a pick six to close the quarter. Newcomer came out on the next drive and regained his composure with a 94 yard TD pass to Waugh. The Seahawks scored a TD on an extended drive with an 8yard rush by Steward. With under 2 minutes to go before half, Newcomer delivered an 80 yard pass to Heap for the tying TD. Seahawks turned over the ball on their next drive, culminating in a TD pass to Waugh to close out the half. The Cardinals built up on their lead on the 4th quarter, adding 10 points to the scoreboard. The 4th quarter closed out the game with another TD pass to Waugh, putting it out of reach for the Seahawks who managed to score a TD towards the end of the game.

Newcomer had a shaky start with the pick 6, but bounced back to throw for 344 yards, 4 TD's, 25 rushing yards and completing 66% of his passes. Kaiser struggled behind center, throwing 6 interceptions, completing 50% of his passes for 282 yards and 1 TD.

Cardinals win 38-21

Cardinals recover from their 3 game losing streak with a win against the Jaguars. Newcomer; who has struggled the past couple weeks, was able to manufacture the winning drive on the closing minutes of game.

The losing streak started with a demoralizing defeat against division rivals 49ers. Newcomer threw a crucial interception inside the opponent's 30 yard line of what could of been the go ahead touchdown in a 4 point deficit. "The 49ers have a good defense" said coach Simil. "and their defense was able to make a play on the ball to close out the game."

The next week was followed with a 1 point loss against fellow division rivals Rams. Newcomer threw a completion to TE Housler in the closing seconds of the game that put them in position for the go head Field Goal. However, the remaining seconds of the clock ran out, not giving the Cardinals enough time to close out the game. "That was a tough loss to take" Newcomer explains. "It was a division rival and we were one second away from winning."

The next game the demoralized Cardinals faced the Chicago Bears. Despite a spirited defensive stand that culminated in a pick 6, the team imploded, Newcomer threw 5 picks, the defense allowed 37 points, many of which came the way of turnovers. Many fans were starting to question Newcomer's choice making skills and his ability to bounce back from the slump.

The Cardinals went down by 11 on the 1st half of their game against the Jaguar's explosive passing game orchestrated by Gabbert. The Jaguars were poised to extend the Cardinals losing streak. Newcomer looked uncomfortable on the pocket after being sacked 3 times. After an unremarkable first 3 quarter, Newcomer was able to find his rhythm on the 4th quarter, with the help of HB Williams, who had been out with an injury for the past 3 games, they were able to tie the score at 21 with a 2 point conversion. The Defense played a physical game, forcing a crucial 3 and out and putting some big hits on rookie WR Randolph, who struggled hanging on to the ball on the 2nd half. The Cardinals received the ball back with 3 minutes to go, the Jaguars would not get it back. The Cardinals drove the ball down the field to set themselves for a 31 yard field goal to close the game.

"It was a relief" explains Newcomer. "You put in all this work and effort, it feels great to see it translate to victories on the field." The question remains if it can translate to consistent winning. The Cardinals fighting spirit will be tested yet again when they face their division rivals 49ers once again.

The Cardinals win an ugly week 9 match up against the 49ers. The game started on a bad note with Newcomer throwing an early interception that lead to a TD drive by the 49ers. Newcomer was able to settle down and drive the ball down the field to set up a 50yard FG that was missed just wide by Buehler. Buehler got a second opportunity to put up points on the board and made it count. The 49ers were able to put up a 3 points heading into the end of the half.

The Cardinals came out renewed on the 2nd half. The Defense was able to hold CJ to under 100 rushing yards and 0 TDs."I felt like once i got settled in the pocket things started to flow smoothly and we were able to drive the ball down the field better" said Newcomer, who was coming off a controversial 5 interception performance against the Bears on week 7.

"The 49ers have a physical big play defense" said Coach Simil "we did a good job taking the plays that were there and making them count while being consistent in defense. Newcomer showed great poise and good decision making against a quality opponent." Newcomer showed great resiliency and was able to make big plays, although the numbers; 8 of 15 for 68 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT, didn't show it.

The Cardinals followed up their week 9 win with a week 11 win against the Colts. Newcomer came out playing with more confidence, avoiding his 1st quarter woes. The Cardinals opened up with a 22 yard pass to Waugh for a TD, followed by a QB fumble returned for a TD. Buehler added 2 points to the lead with a 34yard FG. The Colts managed to shorten it by 7 with a 9 yard TD pass in the closing seconds of the half.

The Colts were able to mount back a comeback with an extended 3rd quarter drive culminating in a 1 yard TD rush by Bennett. However, the air was quickly knocked out of them by a104 yard kickoff return for a TD by Stephen Howling. Eli Manning was able to orchestrate another extended drive and run it in for a TD to shorten the lead by 3 with one minute remaining and one timeout left. The Cardinals would get the ball back and hang on to it until the end of the game.

"I feel the team is gaining confidence" said coach Simil. "they are starting to find their identity as a team. This allows them to play without over-thinking the gameplan and make things happen while minimizing the mistakes. We had a couple games slip away from us in the closing minutes in the first half of the season, the team has improved on finishing those close games, not defeating themselves both mentally and on the field. If they continue developing like this and playing with this consistency they will turn some heads around the league."

The Cardinals next challenge comes in week 12 against division rival Rams. Against whom they lost a 1 point game in the closing seconds. The Cardinals will have another shot of showing their resiliency and capacity to bounce back when knocked down.