Patrick Peterson On Offense, Coming Soon To The Cardinals

Beanie Wells Injury Update: Neck Stinger And Nagging Knee Injury Hamper Wells In Week 9

Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells has been playing a lot of this season with one ailment or another. The major story of the last few weeks with regard to Wells has of course been his nagging knee injury, but a whole new wrinkle popped up in Sunday's win against the St. Louis Rams.

After a largely uneventful game for Wells, he exited in the third quarter after suffering a neck stinger. Although he returned to the game on the next possession, there is no telling how this new injury will effect Wells in the near future. The stinger could indeed have been nothing serious at all, just a momentary issue that caused concern and then went away. Given that Wells is currently playing with a knee injury that is limiting his ability, the stinger might raise a few more eyebrows than it normally would.

Wells is clearly having issues turning the corner and kicking things into high gear due to his sketchy knee. He managed to pick his game up a bit after returning from the neck stinger, and finished the game with 20 yards on 10 carries and an additional 13 yards on two receptions. It will be interesting to see if his knee improves at all over the next week or if he gets some rest next Sunday. (Via Rotoworld)

You can always discuss all things Arizona Cardinals by visiting Revenge of the Birds.

Patrick Peterson: The Skills Of A Great Return Man

When Patrick Peterson came to the post-game press conference, he was still out of breath. And why should't he be? In one play, he ran 99-yards into Cardinal history and he ran the Cardinals out of a six-game losing streak.

He instantly became Ken Whisenhunt's new favorite player. "He's my new son, I just adopted him," said Whisenhunt about the rookie cornerback. Peterson said that Whisenhunt had some kind words to say to him after the thrilling OT victory. "He told me he loved me!" Said Peterson. "I told him that I loved him too!"

Most average NFL fans do not know what goes into a punt return touchdown. Peterson does not just simply take the ball and run around till he is in the endzone. "I always try to locate the ball and get a glimpse of both gunners," said Peterson. In overtime against the Rams, this was no different.

"I always look at the gunners first, and they were wide, and I knew the guys in the middle have to wait for the ball to be punted, and they are the slowest guys on the field, then I saw I had a chance."

Ken Whisenhunt knows when the ball is in Peterson's hands good things can happen. "He's just done too many things special," said Whisenhunt. The head coach knows that Peterson is a gifted return man. "He's got such great hand-eye coordination," said Whisenhunt. "He's got such a great feel, and he is definitely a force."

Whisenhunt still will not give Peterson the green light to field all punts at the one-yard line. "I want to be clear, we still got rules," said Whisenhunt. "It's not just Patrick go back there and field whatever you want to catch."

"It was gutsy," said Peterson about his choice to field a punt at his 1 in overtime. Peterson made a big play for a team that was desperately looking for something good to go its way. "Once I get the ball in my hands, I'm just trying to make a play for this team."

Cardinals Vs. Rams Recap By The Numbers: Patrick Peterson Helps Ease The Pain Of Two Safeties On John Skelton

The Arizona Cardinals picked up an exciting overtime victory against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Well..the majority of the game wasn't particularly exciting, but you can't argue with results. The final numbers in this one weren't pretty, but let's take a look at some key stats.

If you're just looking at passing numbers, quarterback John Skelton had a pretty solid game. He was 20-for-35 on pass attempts and finished with 222 passing yards and the only touchdown of the game: a 13 yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald in the fourth quarter to help the Cardinals tie it up at 13-13 and send the game to overtime. Add another 38 rushing yards and no interceptions and that line doesn't look half bad. In fact, Arizona's ground attack was so bad that Skelton led the team in rushing yardage. Still, any game where you're responsible for two safeties in one quarter can't really be one that you'll think back on fondly when your career is all over with. (If you wanted to relive the thrill of two nearly-consecutive safeties, click here.)

Over on the receiving side, Early Doucet led the Arizona receivers with six catches for 78 yards.

But of course, the play that everyone is going to remember from this game is really the only one that counts. Patrick Peterson returned an overtime punt 99 yards for a touchdown and the Arizona victory. Peterson had four returns in the game for 127 yards. He also managed to snag the only interception of the game.

If you wanted to run more numbers with your fellow Cardinals fans, you can always visit Revenge Of The Birds.

Calais Campbell Comes Up Huge In Cardinals Win

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell is a big, big man. Of course, most NFL linemen are big but standing six-feet-eight, Campbell towers above them all. What sets Campbell apart is more than his height, it's his ability to move well in the trenches and use his arm length to tip passes and make tackles.

Campbell had a fantastic game in the Cardinals 19-13 win over the St. Louis Rams. The biggest play of the day came at the end of regulation when Campbell recorded his fourth-career blocked field goal on a 42-yard attempt that would have won the game for the Rams.

"My mindset was like, find a way to get a block," Campbell explained. "I told Darnell Dockett, 'If you give me a good push I might get a block.' He gave me the best push I've ever seen ever. In four years of playing with him, that's the best push he ever gave me."

There wasn't any extra trickery or stunts run on the block. Just Dockett clearing space Campbell getting a big paw high in the air. (Here's the video.)

The blocked field goal was obviously huge, but Campbell also recorded 1.5 sacks in the game, three QB hits and had five tackles, the most of any lineman.

The Cardinals defense as a whole was the difference in the game. They kept the Rams out of the red zone and forced them into three field goals which was their only offensive points of the day. 

"The defense all day, they bailed us out time and time again," Larry Fitzgerald said.

It wasn't a pretty win with John Skelton looking shaky in his first start of the season (20-25, 222 yards) and Beanie Wells completely shut down (20 yards, 10 carries). The offensive line was responsible for one safety and Skelton took the blame for the second which gave the Rams four extra points.

Despite all that, the Cardinals got huge stops when they needed to and found a way to pull out a much needed win. Patrick Peterson will get a lot of recognition for his walk-off punt return TD, but the defense led by Calais Campbell were also heroes in the game.

VIDEO: Patrick Peterson, Cardinals Special Teams Power Arizona To OT Victory

Patrick Peterson Punt Return TD Get Cardinals 19-13 OT Win Over Rams

In a game that lived up to the 1-6 record of both teams for four quarters, overtime gave this game a highlight. Patrick Peterson set a franchise record by returning a punt for a touchdown for the third time this season, taking it 99 yards in overtime to give the Cardinals a 19-13 overtime win, snapping their six-game losing streak.

The first half of the game was a story of complete ineffectiveness for the Cardinals. John Skelton marched them down the field in their first drive into the red zone, but the drive halted and they had to settle for a 27-yard Jay Feely field goal. 

From there, it was about the Rams moving the ball well but stalling. They relied on Josh Brown for three field goals to lead 9-3 at the half. The Rams held the ball on offense for over 20 minutes in the half.

The second half, Arizona's defense improved, but the offense had only one really good drive. The offense for the Rams consisted of the defense. Thanks to a sack of John Skelton in the end zone and, in their next drive, a Skelton intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, St. Louis scored four points on two safeties. 

They scored three on a Feely field goal in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, Skelton was able to put it together for one drive. The Cardinals drove 84 yards in nine plays to score a touchdown. Skelton hit Larry Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 13.

The drama didn't end there. The Rams were stuffed in field goal range on fourth down, giving the Cardinals a chance to win the game, as they have had chances several times this season. After a sack and fumble of John Skelton that he recovered and a short completion, they punted it back to St. Louis. 

The Rams moved down the field into field goal range, in part because of a questionable pass interference call on Peterson. Josh Brown came in to kick the game-winning 42-yard field goal, but had it blocked by Calais Campbell, which sent the game into overtime.

The Rams started OT with the ball but were forced to punt. That's where the magic happened. 

Peterson caught the ball inside his own ten to return it (going against conventional football wisdom), got past the first wave of coverage, then broke tackles, spinning around, running backwards and taking it to the house for the 99-yard score. 

The Rams fall to 1-7 on the year. Sam Bradford threw for 255 yards on 23/36 and a pick (also by Peterson). Steven Jackson rushed 29 times for 130 yards. 

For the Cardinals, Skelton was 20/35 for 222 yards and a TD. Beanie Well rushed for only 20 yards. Skelton led the team in rushing with 38 scrambling yards. 

On defense, Sam Acho had a sack for the third game in a row and Calais Campbell had 1.5 sacks and six totals tackles to go with his blocked field goal.

Cardinals Vs. Rams Safety Update: One Is Bad, Two Is Very Bad (VIDEO)

The Arizona Cardinals have problems on all sides of the ball but their inability to avoid getting tackled in the end zone and giving up safeties was not one we focused on before the game. But there you have it, twice on two straight possessions the St. Louis Rams defense sacked John Skelton in the end zone and scored four points. At the end of the third quarter the total score in this 13-6 game is five field goals and two safeties. 

In other words, this is an ugly football game.

The Arizona Cardinals have a total of 150 yards offense with just 14 yards on the ground as the Rams defense is loading up in the box. Defensively, the Cardinals are giving up long drives but somehow finding a way to keep Sam Bradford and the Rams out of the end zone thanks in part to timely sacks. Calais Campbell has two sacks in the game himself.

Here's video of the first safety allowed by the Cardinals offensive line. Note how both Daryn Colledge and Levi Brown get beat by a guy they are double teaming. Well done, boys!

And here's safety number two. This time the pressure comes from the right side of the line.

Cardinals Vs. Rams Score Update: St. Louis Leading Battle Of Field Goals at Halftime 9-3

After a 3-3 first quarter, the Arizona Cardinals failed to muster any more offense, but kept the St. Louis Rams out of the end zone. The Rams did get two more scores from the leg of Josh Brown. He hit both field goal attempts he had in the second quarter to give the Rams a 9-3 halftime. 

But don't think that this game is a defensive struggle, a la the Alabama/LSU game from Saturday night. It is mostly two struggling teams playing one another. 

The Cardinals only had the ball for two drives. The first was a three-and-out and the other ended on a sack around midfield. For the half, John Skelton has done nothing to give fans the QB controversy they were hoping. He is 6/11 for 65 yards. 45 of those yards have been to Andre Roberts, who has three catches.

Beanie Wells has looked hampered by his knee injury. He has two yards rushing on seven carries.

For the Rams, Sam Bradford is 11/15 for 135 yards and a pick. Steven Jackson has been punishing the Cardinals on the ground. He has carried the ball 14 times for 53 yards. 

Someone is going to have to find the end zone at some point. Whoever does will likely be the team that wins the game. Stay tuned.

Join the conversation with other Cardinals fans over at Revenge of the Birds.

Cardinals vs. Rams Video: Patrick Peterson Interception

Cardinals Vs. Rams Score Update: All Tied Up In Arizona; Patrick Peterson Getting His Tiger On

The Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams starting their battle for last place in the NFC West showing why they are battling for last place in the NFC West. The Rams went three and out on their first drive while the Cardinals started with great field position but had to settle for a field after John Skelton missed on two pass plays from the Rams nine yard line.

On their second drive, however, the Rams were able to take advantage of a porous Arizona defense and move 55 yards down the field to set up a game tying field goal. Bradford was able to find receivers for short routes and Steven Jackson ran the ball effectively. 

The only bright spot for the Cardinals on the drive came on the final third down when rookie Sam Acho recorded his third sack of the season. Acho bull rushed the inside lineman and collapsed the pocket. We normally think of Acho as a speed rusher from the edge so that was fun to see.

The first quarter ended with rookie Patrick Peterson picking off a flea-flicker attempt from Bradford. Peterson recovered quickly and won the jump ball in the air channeling a big play by LSU safety Eric Reid in the Tigers win over Alabama.

The score is tied 3-3 going into the second quarter. The Cardinals have the ball at their own 14 yard line. Arizona has 39 total yards of offense compared to 93 for the Rams.

For more on the Cardinals, visit Revenge of the Birds blog.

Cardinals Vs. Rams Injury Report: Kevin Kolb Inactive, Sam Bradford Starting

The Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams wasn't ever going to be a marquis match up for NFL Week 9. The two teams have a combined two wins on the season and will be fighting for last place in the NFC West. Making matters worse (or perhaps better), the Cardinals will be without their starting quarterback as Kevin Kolb (toe) is inactive for this game. Sam Bradford will return after missing the last two games due to an ankle injury.

The Kolb injury will give John Skelton his first start since he finished out last season going 2-2 in four starts but completing just 48 percent of his throws. Skelton is confident, however, that he will do much better this season and said his comfort level is "night and day" compared to his rookie year.

For the Cardinals, RB Beanie Wells (knee) and TE (Todd Heap) are active and expected to play. No surprises there. OLB Joey Porter (knee) is not active along with TE Rob Housler (groin), FB Anthony Sherman (ankle), S Kerry Rhodes (foot), and WR Stephen Williams. The biggest surprise on the inactive list of the Cardinals (pun intended) is RG Deuce Lutui. 

The Rams inactive list includes CB Rod Hood, RB Jerious Norwood, LB Bryan Kehl, starting RT Jason Smith, TE Stephen Spach, starting WR Danario Alexander and DT Darell Scott.

For more on the Cardinals, visit Revenge of the Birds blog.

Cardinals Vs. Rams: Time, TV Schedule, Radio And More

On Sunday, the St. Louis Rams will visit the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West divisional battle. One of the two teams will pick up their second win of the season. The other will leave Arizona as the sole holder of last place in the division.

The Cardinals are slight favorites in this one, and you can be certain that they'd do just about anything to avoid the ignominy of being handed last place at home, especially against such a laughable team as the Rams. This game could end up being anything. It could be a slop-fest, a blowout, or an exciting, hotly contested game between two fairly evenly-matched teams. There's a chance this could end up being  the sleeper game of the week. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

All of your viewing information is right here, waiting for you.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, November 6; 1:15 pm PT

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium; Glendale, AZ

Roof / Weather: The roof is scheduled to be open thanks to a beautiful, sunny 65 degree forecast for game time.

Records: Cardinals (1-6); Rams (1-6)

TV: FOX. Announcers: Sam Rosen (play-by-play), Chad Pennington (analyst), Josy Jackson (sideline)

Radio: Arizona Sports 620. Announcers: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Ron Wolfley (analyst), Paul Calvisi (sideline)

Spanish Radio: KMIA 710 AM. Announcers: Gabriel Trujillo (play-by-play), Rolando Cantu (analyst)

Betting Line: According to our friends over at OddsShark, the Cardinals are favored by anywhere from 1.5 to 3 points.

Online Coverage: You can always find your fellow Cardinals fans at Revenge of the Birds. The Rams contingent is likewise located at Turf Show Times.

Cardinals Vs Rams Injury Report: Kevin Kolb Doubtful, Sam Bradford Questionable for Sunday's Game

Not entirely surprising, as both Kevin Kolb and Sam Bradford's injuries have been well publicized for the last week, but it's looking more and more like both the Rams and Cardinals will go into Sunday's game starting their backup quarterbacks. Bradford has been listed as questionable and Kolb as doubtful, but from most accounts it's looking likely that neither will play (Rams coach Steve Spagnolo noting that Bradford is "questionable as can be"). That leaves John Skelton picking up the slack for the Cardinals and A.J. Feeley doing the same for St. Louis. 

Apart from that, each team is experiencing, to an extent, the mid-season injury bug. Arizona will be without Rob Housler, Joey Porter, Kerry Rhodes, Anthony Sherman, and as stated above, probably Kevin Kolb. In addition to that, they've got five players listed as questionable - Todd Heap and Beanie Wells among them. 

The Rams are faring a little better, but will be without the services of Danario Alexander, Jerious Norwood, Darell Scott, and Jason Smith. 

Below are the official injury reports for Friday for each team. 

Arizona Cardinals:

OUT - TE Rob Housler (groin), LB Joey Porter (knee), S Kerry Rhodes (foot), RB Anthony Sherman (ankle)

DOUBTFUL - QB Kevin Kolb (toe)

QUESTIONABLE - TE Jim Dray (pectoral), DT Nick Eason (achilles), TE Todd Heap (hamstring), KR LaRod Stephens-Howling (shoulder), RB Chris Wells (knee)

St. Louis Rams:

OUT - WR Danario Alexander (hamstring), RB Jerious Norwood (hamstring), DT Darell Scott (head), T Jason Smith (head)

QUESTIONABLE - QB Sam Bradford (ankle), LB Bryan Kehl (ankle), LB Brady Poppinga (calf)

PROBABLE - C Tony Wragge (knee)

John Skelton Ready And Willing To Start For Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals haven't announced anything about Kevin Kolb's status for Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams and they likely won't until the last possible minute. All signs, however, point to backup John Skelton getting the fifth start of his career.

"As far as I heard, Kevin's still a possibility," Skelton said on Friday. "(Kolb) hasn't practiced at all because of his toe but he's in there getting treatment. We'll see what happens Saturday night or even Sunday morning."

If Skelton does get the start, he certainly thinks he's ready to perform and at a much higher level than last season when he closed out the year going 2-2 in the final four games. In those four starts and in part of a fifth game, Skelton went 60-126 (48 percent) for 662 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 62.3.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Skelton has looked good in practice this week and had looked good in training camp and preseason prior to suffering a high ankle sprain in the game against Green Bay.

"There's no question he's more comfortable now with the offense and hopefully that will allow him to play faster or see things better in the game Sunday," Whisenhunt said.

Skelton agrees. He admits that last year even with a watered down "vanilla" offensive game plan, he was having to think too much about the play in between calling it and executing it. Now he's able to "read and react" faster and is excited about the opportunity to "show what I got". He's have the full playbook at his disposal against the Rams.

Skelton obviously doesn't wish injury on anyone and is rooting for Kolb to get healthy but at the same time he understand that it's part of the game. "All you can do is make the most of it," he said about the position he's found himself in.

Whisenhunt said that Kolb, who was not in a walking boot again on Friday but was sporting a much shorter haircut, is making "really good progress" with the injury. The decision about him playing will be based on the amount of swelling in his right foot and his ability to push off the foot and make throws.

Overtime:

• Ken Whisenhunt was surprisingly blunt when asked about second-year nose tackle Dan Williams: 
• "I wish that he (Williams) hadn't been in such poor shape when we started camp because that set him back. It seems like now he's just catching up to where we hoped he would be. It's obvious he's in better shape (now). His weight's down. He's making some of those plays that we got to see a little bit at the end of the year last year and got so excited about. Disappointing that it didn't start earlier for him but I'm glad that he has gotten better."
• Defensive coordinator is impressed with rookie OLB Sam Acho:
• "Fresh legs, enthusiasm, some youth, some speed. He's a very a very smart player and he came up with a big play in the game last week. His role will keep expanding and we'll try and give him as much as he can handle which seems to be a lot right now."
• Horton thinks the next step for the defense is learning how to finish games and realize that opponents aren't going to quit.

For more on the Cardinals, visit Revenge of the Birds blog.

Cardinals Vs. Rams Injury Update: Kolb And Bradford Both DNP, Wells Limited

The Arizona Cardinals might have been hoping for more progress on Kevin Kolb's toe and foot injury but he didn't make enough progress to allow him to practice on Thursday. Kolb was out of the walking boot, which he didn't have on Wednesday either, but was observed limping on Thursday which calls into question his availability for Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams.

The official line from the team was (and likely will remain) that a decision won't be made until Sunday. The injury, while sounding benign with the name "turf toe", is a fairly serious sprain to the toe and foot that limits Kolb's ability to generate power on this throws.

Beanie Wells was upgrade from not practicing on Wednesday due to his on-going knee issue to "limited" status on Thursday. Coach Ken Whisenhunt indicated on Wednesday that this would be a normal process for Wells who he called a "tough sucker" for playing through the injury.

Other injury holdouts from practice on Thursday include Rob Housler (groin), Anthony Sherman (ankle), and Kerry Rhodes (foot). It's unlikely any of those guys will play on Sunday. Joey Porter (knee) was also limited.

For the Rams, QB Sam Bradford (ankle) was technically a non-participant in practice on Thursday but according to local report, he did throw the ball in individual drills but didn't participate in any team work.

For more on the Cardinals, visit Revenge of the Birds blog.

No Cardinals Make Midseason All-Pro Team, But Joey Porter is a Great Smack Talker

Patrick Peterson Prepares For Two Big Games This Weekend

Patrick Peterson is going to be a busy man this weekend. On Sunday, Peterson will try to help the Cardinals end their six-game losing streak against the St. Louis Rams. Peterson will most likely draw a matchup against Rams number one receiver Brandon Lloyd.

However Peterson will have his his eye on another match up this weekend, as his alma-mater LSU takes on Alabama Saturday night in a match up of undefeated SEC rivals. "it's an LSU week," Peterson told reporters yesterday. "I'm all LSU all this week." 

Peterson started for the Tigers from 2008-2010 and was a consensus first team All-American in 2010. He finished is career with 135 tackles, 22 pass breakups and seven interceptions and took home the Jim Thorpe (Top Defensive Back) and Chuck Bendarik (Top Defender) awards his junior season at LSU. 

There has been a rivalry all week between Peterson and safety Rashad Johnson, who played three seasons with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Johnson got Peterson's attention earlier this week when he made the bold statement that Alabama women are better looking than Louisiana women.

"I don't know many women in Alabama, so I believe LSU and the state of Louisiana has the best looking women, and the best food as well," Peterson said. Peterson told reporters he may go over and watch the game at Johnson's house on Saturday night. Cardinals fans are hoping that tensions won't be as high at the Johnson house as they will be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where the No. 1 vs No. 2 showdown takes place.

Cardinals Vs. Rams: Kolb And Bradford Both Miss Practice, Questionable For Sunday

The Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams were two teams picked to compete for the NFC West title this season. Instead, it's the San Francisco 49ers (6-1) who are running away with the division while the Cardinals and Rams each are struggling with a 1-6 record going into their first of two meetings. Unfortunately for both teams who desperately need a Week 9 win, each could be without their starting quarterback due to injury.

Sam Bradford (ankle) didn't practice on Wednesday and is questionable for Sunday. According to Rams running back Steven Jackson, the team won't change its game plan even if backup A.J. Feeley gets his third-straight start. Feeley led the Rams to a 31-21 win over the New Orleans Saints last week so the team is feeling confident either way.

Kevin Kolb reported on Wednesday that he's making progress with his toe injury suffered early in last Sunday's game in Baltimore. Kolb didn't practice on Wednesday either but is no long wearing a walking boot to protect the toe that he and teammates reported was very swollen and discolored after the game.

If Kolb can't go, look for John Skelton to get the start.

"Those four games I got to play last year really help towards this year," Skelton said.

He reported that he is preparing as if he's going to get the start but that's no different than any other week. The only change is getting the reps in practice on Wednesday while Kolb rehabs the toe.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said they would continue to evaluate Kolb throughout the week and likely wouldn't make a final determination until Sunday. His ability to play is a combination of pain tolerance and how much he's able to push off the right foot while making throws.

"You just don't want to get out there and the ball starts sailing and doing things that it normally hasn't done," Kolb explained.

Other Cardinals injuries include TE Rob Housler (groin) who said this was a new injury and not a re-aggravation of his injury from training camp. Housler is unlikely to play Sunday but the Cardinals should have TE Todd Heap (hamstring) back although Whisenhunt indicated he could be used in a limited role Sunday. TE Jim Dray (pectoral) is back as well and played well last Sunday.

Whisenhunt reported that Beanie Wells is OK but will have soreness and have to work himself back each week for the next few weeks as his knee slowly recovers. It certainly sounds as if Wells will play against the Rams but could be limited in the number of snaps he's available as was the case last Sunday.

Arizona Cardinals Bring Back 'Juggernaut' To Fill In For Injured FB Sherman

The Arizona Cardinals decided to make a move to their roster with the latest wave of injuries from their game on Sunday with the Baltimore Ravens. With rookie fullback Anthony Sherman in a walking boot nursing an ankle injury, the Cardinals signed fullback Reagan Maui'a, who was one of the team's last cuts at the end of the preseason. 

To make room for Maui'a on the 53-man roster, defensive lineman Ron Talley was waived. Talley has been every game so far and was a surprise to make the roster. 

Maui'a, who is famous for running through a wall, is known as "Juggernaut," played very well in training camp and in the preseason but was outplayed by the rookie Sherman, who was drafted in the fifth round of this year's draft. 

He was also suspended for three weeks for violating the league's substance abuse policy, but it was for the first three weeks of the season and not the first three weeks that he was on a roster. 

It is unknown how long Sherman will be sidelined with his ankle injury, but it is certainly looking like he will not play this week against the Rams.

To get more Cardinals coverage, visit Revenge of the Birds.

Darnell Dockett Confident Despite Cardinals Struggles; Whisenhunt Out Of Excuses

The Arizona Cardinals continue to fight and work hard this season despite being 1-6 on the year. The team is confident that things will turn around once they get off their current six-game losing streak.

Kevin Kolb, Beanie Wells And Other Cardinals Injury News

The Arizona Cardinals are 1-6 and the season has officially (not actually official) turned towards the future. The goal (unofficially) isn't getting into the playoffs as much as it is getting better and building for next season. A big part of that -- really the biggest part -- is Kevin Kolb.

The Cardinals invested a lot in Kolb and so far he's not delivering. They are far from giving up on him but with nine games left in the season it sure would be nice to see some improvement. Unfortunately, an injury to his big toe might limit that.

Kolb suffered "turf toe" on the first play off Sunday's game in Baltimore. Turf toe is just another name for a sprain to the big toe that often happens to athletes when they are tackled and their shoe catches in the turf and the toe is bent backwards too far. 

Like most ligament sprains, it comes with swelling and pain and reduced mobility. Kolb played through it and according to coach Ken Whisenhunt likely felt pain when trying to push off and throw. Kolb isn't sure about his status for next Sunday's game against the Rams.

"Just day by day...Right now just try and get the swelling out and the pain a little bit. As the week goes on get more and more movement and see what my body allows me to do," Kolb said Monday.

In addition to Kolb's big toe, running back Beanie Wells is dealing with a knee injury that neither he, nor the team are willing to put a name to. Wells had 22 caries for 83 yards against the very good Ravens defense on Sunday. He said after the game his knee would likely be an issue for the rest of the season which makes us wonder if he will end up needing surgery once the season is over.

Other injuries coming out of Sunday's game were to rookies FB Anthony Sherman (ankle) and TE Rob Housler (groin).

The lack of Housler's speed on offense was missed and his status for next week is unknown. Whisenhunt was confident that TE Todd Heap (hamstring) would be back and called him "close" and indicated that he almost was able to play this past Sunday in Baltimore.

With so much defensive attention paid to Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals need Heap back in for the offense.