Cardinals Vs. Cowboys Rewind: Faking The Icing Of The Kicker

The Arizona Cardinals came out of Sunday's win over the Dallas Cowboys with a lot of positive momentum. Not only did they emerge with no (known) new injury concerns, they finally beat a good team and proved that their improvements on defense are not a fluke of playing the St. Louis Rams twice.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said at his Monday press conference that he was very pleased with the way his team responded to the challenge of playing a very good opponent and they had generated a lot of confidence heading into next week's challenge, the 10-2 San Francisco 49ers. 

Whisenhunt even addressed the large contingent of Cowboys fans who for the third-straight year left disappointed.

"I know they had a few fans there yesterday. Hopefully, we'll play more like yesterday and take care of that in the future," he said.

Kevin Kolb showed positive signs

Whisenhunt reported that after a shaky first half, quarterback Kevin Kolb showed a lot of promise. He made some athletic plays and nice throws and his mobility wasn't limited by the foot injury. Kolb also showed progress on something that plagued him early in the season.

"We didn't see any running out of the pockets or having to throw it away that we saw earlier this year and that's a credit to Kevin and getting more comfortable in our offense and working at it," Whisenhunt said.

To ice or to fake the ice?

Whisenhunt admitted that he was considering calling a timeout to "ice" the Cowboys kicker on their field goal attempt late in the game. In the end, he decided not to call the timeout but he was near the official pretending that he might.

Icing or not, the Cardinals recent success blocking kicks is in the minds of opposing teams.

"No question about it. And let's be honest, I think those other teams have seen what our guys have done and it's no question they are aware of that as well," Whisenhunt said.

Darnell Dockett said the same thing after the game: "Now matter how many yards they get, just keep them out the endzone. Doesn't matter if they drive all the way from the one-yard line to the two-yard line. Make them kick a field goal and we will have a good chance of blocking it."

According to Whisenhunt, Patrick Peterson almost blocked the point after try after the Dallas touchdown. His team is confident they can impact the other team's kicking game even if they don't get to every ball. So far, that seems like a far more effective strategy than calling a time out to ice a kicker.

The national media seems fixated on the Cowboys clock management late in the game and decision to call a timeout right before the final field goal attempt. That focus does a disservice to the Cardinals defense that allowed just one touchdown all game and to the offense that played well in the second half and in overtime. 

The Cardinals might have been helped by a bit of luck, but a 49-yard field goal is no sure thing under any circumstances and Arizona still moved the ball 80 yards for a game-winning overtime touchdown. All the icing talk in the world can't change that.

Change in offensive identity with better defense

Twice now we've heard Kevin Kolb talk about the Cardinals defense and how important it is for him as the QB not to turn the ball over so they can have a chance to be effective. While no team wants to turn the ball over, Kolb seems to be saying that with a stronger defensive unit, he can afford to take some sacks and not try and force plays.

"You know our defense is playing great," Kolb said after the game. "You try to keep all those things in your head as you're going...The defense has told us on the offense, 'Hey, just don't turn that thing over, we're playing good right now.' You don't want to get out there and try to do too much."

Coach Whisenhunt, perhaps employing "coach speak", wouldn't go that far. 

"It's always been our intention to be a good defense. In this league, championships are won with having a good defense. If we can get to that level that we appear to be moving towards as a defense, and get back to the way we've played around here as an offense, we'll be a pretty good football team. We'll be a tough team to beat and that's really what we're striving to do."

He wouldn't even admit to a change in play-calling based on having a defense that can be trusted to limit the opposition. One might think that such a luxury would allow the offense to be more conservative, which is what Kolb implied, but Whisenhunt doesn't like to give away anything that might help an opponent game plan against him so we are left only to observe and speculate.

Injury notes

Todd Heap missed Sunday's game with the lingering hamstring injury but Whisenhunt said he believes that Heap has "turned a corner" with the injury. We'll see.

Safety Kerry Rhodes returned to practice in a limited fashion last week doing individual drills. He status will depend on how he looks in practice this week. In his place, the Cardinals have used CB Richard Marshall as a safety in some situations and Rashad Johnson has shown consistent improvement as well.

NFL Monday Morning Recap: Arizona Show Growth, Road Map To Cardinals Playoff Berth

Coach Whisenhunt has the Arizona Cardinals on the right track and it is unlikely, but playoffs isn't completely out of the question for the Cardinals.

Beanie Wells Week 13 Fantasy Update

The Arizona Cardinals managed to pull off another big upset win on Sunday, this time against the Dallas Cowboys. Their season record improves to 5-7 with the victory, with four of those five wins coming their last five games.

Running back Beanie Wells had another solid game for the Cardinals, although nowhere near the record-setting career game he displayed in Week 12. He finished with 67 yards on 20 carries, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. He picked up a touchdown, but was denied another on a fourth-and-goal drive.

Wells has been consistent for weeks, usually managing many short carries per game. He looks to be on the other side of his injuries, but it remains to be seen how well his multitude of short runs matches up against his Week 14 opponents, the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners are notoriously tough on the running game. Wells may be facing a brick wall in the San Francisco defensive line.

For all news and information regarding the Cardinals, please visit Revenge of the Birds.

Kevin Kolb Week 13 Fantasy Update

The Arizona Cardinals picked up a huge upset win on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb made his return to the Cardinals for the first time since Week 8 following his bout with turf toe, and turned in a solid game, helping the offense along throughout the game.

Kolb racked up some numbers that perhaps look better than he performed. He finished with 247 passing yards and 20 rushing yards, going 16-for-25 with a touchdown and no interceptions. He'll be remembered for his screen pass to LaRod Stephens-Howling that ended up being the game-winning touchdown.

Kolb was extremely inaccurate throughout the first half and looked as if he held the ball too long the entire game. He doesn't figure to be a very effective choice next week, going up against the San Francisco 49ers and their punishing defense.

For all news and information regarding the Cardinals, please visit Revenge of the Birds.

Andre Roberts Week 13 Fantasy Update

The Arizona Cardinals scored a huge upset win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in dramatic fashion.

One of Arizona's biggest offensive stars for the day was wide receiver Andre Roberts, who led all receivers with 111 yard on six catches. He averaged 18.5 yards with a long of 40. He was six-for-six on catch chances, which could be a good sign moving forward.

Both of Roberts' career 100-yard games have come against the Cowboys, so the game was something of an anomaly. This is the first game this season where he has even come close to reaching the 100-yard mark, and the secondary he'll face next week in San Francisco figures to be much tougher. He may be able to beat single coverage against the Cowboys, but the 49ers defense is the main reason that team is 10-2.

For all news and information regarding the Cardinals, please visit Revenge of the Birds.

LaRod Stephens-Howling Game-Winning Ironic Screen Play Touchdown (VIDEO)

Cardinals Win Over Cowboys, Keys To The Game: Kolb Trusting His Defense, The Defense Delivering

The Arizona Cardinals won their fifth game of the season and for the second-straight time at home survived an opponent's game-winning field goal attempt and won in overtime with a walk-off big play. The "Cardiac Cards" might not be all the way back, but they sure did make an appearance at University of Phoenix Stadium these last two games.

The big picture story of the win over the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday was the Arizona defense and the confidence they gave Kevin Kolb not to feel like he had to make all the plays. Early in the season, he seemed to try and do too much where as now he seems much more comfortable taking a sack and living to fight another day.

Kolb admitted to being rusty in the first half and to a certain degree overwhelmed by the speed of the game, but he still made good decisions and was patient until things settled down for him. The defense kept the game close until the offense could get going. They put up 287 out of a total 336 yards and scored 16 of 19 points once Kolb as able to settle in and clean up some mistakes.

While the second half is where the numbers stand out, the first half demonstrated his maturity and understanding of the situation. The key was not forcing throws and risking turnovers. He took four sacks for 21 yards in the first half and just one sack for two yards in the second. Several of those sacks came late in the play after the initial protection stood up and he had held the ball too long.

"You know our defense is playing great," Kolb said. "You try to keep all those things in your head as you're going. As I become more comfortable, as I did in the second half, you can try and make a few more plays. The defense has told us on the offense, 'Hey, just don't turn that thing over, we're playing good right now.' You don't want to get out there and try to do too much."

It was a very positive game for Kolb and he showed his maturity and confidence in the way he "managed the game". His teammates certainly seem to trust him which is very important.

Defense turning legit

The Cardinals' defense allowed just 13 points to a Dallas team that's averaging 24 per game and held the Cowboys to 54 yards below their season average. Over the past five games the Cardinals have allowed an average of just 17 points per game which would be in the top three in the league if spread out over the full season. 

Making that number even more impressive, they did it despite ten turnovers from the offense in a three-game span. You can see why they would tell Kolb to take care of the ball and give them a chance to win the game.

The credit for the improvement on the defensive side is nothing sexy. Like many things, it's a combination of hard work and having the right people in place.

"I think time; getting more comfortable with the defense and being able to play faster...It's a shame earlier in the season we didn't have a little bit more success in some of those games. This speaks a lot of our players that we are able to finish the the last four or five games the way our defense has played, so it's really good to see our guys believing in what we are doing and playing good ball."

It's helped having the impressive rookie Sam Acho playing in-place of Joey Porter at OLB but but the biggest difference has been the cohesion of the front seven in stopping the run and the communication in the secondary that's prevented the big plays that haunted the team early in the season.

It's a bit too soon to say, but it appears the Cardinals are finally developing an identity as a football team that relies on their defense and strives to control the ball and not make mistakes on offense. The big play might still be there at times but team isn't dependent on winning shootouts like they used to be.

Arizona has won four of their last five games playing that way and will get another crack at the 10-2 San Francisco 49ers next week. The Niners have already clinched the NFC West but there's no doubt the Cardinals will be amped up for another shot at them.

Arizona Cardinals Beat Dallas Cowboys In OT 19-13 On 52-yard TD Catch By Hyphen

In Kevin Kolb's return after four weeks off, the Arizona Cardinals defense played very strong and hoped to continue their current run of good play. They did just that and the offense, led by Kolb, found their rhythm in the second half and beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-13 in overtime. The deciding score was a 52-yard screen play from Kevin Kolb to LaRod Stephens-Howling.

The game started slowly. The two teams traded punts in their first drives. Dallas had the first shot at scoring, but Dan Bailey had his consecutive field goals streak come to an end when he missed from 53 yards. Arizona responded by going 27 yards and getting a 48-yard kick by Jay Feely to take a 3-0 lead. 

The score stayed the same until late in the second quarter, when Dan Bailey started a new streak, hitting a 50-yard field goal to tie the game. A three-and-out by the Arizona offense gave the ball back to Dallas quickly and Tony Romo hit Jason Witten and then Dez Bryant for a touchdown to give Dallas a 10-3 lead. 

In the first half, it was a story of the Arizona defense holding strong while Kevin Kolb and the offense struggled to get a rhythm. They managed only 53 yards in the first half. 

"It was fighting an uphill battle all day but our defense really kept us in the game and then our offense woke up in the second half," Ken Whisenhunt said.

The second half was a different story. The Cardinals offense marched the ball down the field to the one-yard line. On fourth and goal, the team was set to go for it, but a false start penalty by right tackle Brandon Keith pushed them back and Feely hit the field goal to make the cam 10-6. 

Dallas answered responded with a 13-play drive of their own that led to another Bailey field goal. 

Arizona answered yet again. In six plays, they drove 79 yards, led by a 40-yard pass play from Kevin Kolb to Andre Roberts. Beanie Wells scored the touchdown from four yards our to tie the game.

Both defenses clamped down and Arizona had a chance late in the game like so many other games with Kolb early in the season. Starting at their own five-yard line, they went three and out, but Early Doucet dropped a critical third  down throw that hit him in the numbers that would have been a first down. 

Dallas took over and with a big third down reception by Dez Bryant, were in position to win the game with a 49-yard Dan Bailey field goal. He kicked it and it was good, but Dallas coach Jason Garrett called time out and it took the points off the board. Bailey promptly missed the redo to send the game into overtime. 

"We felt like the play clock was running down. We just wanted to make sure he had a real clean opportunity at it," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "We were at about six seconds and we were still getting settled in, so we banged the timeout just to get an opportunity to snap well and get the kick as clean as possible."

The Cardinals won the toss and elected to receive. They took over at the 20-yard line.

Dallas never got the ball back. After the Cowboys were called for pass interference to give the Cardinals a first down, Beanie Wells, ran for three yards and Andre Roberts caught a 16-yard pass from Kolb. Levi Brown got called for a false start, but the next play ended it.

Kevin Kolb dropped back to pass and avoided a sack running to his left and hit LaRod Stephens-Howling on a screen pass that he took 52 yards for the winning score (video of the play).

"It was a great call by (offensive coordinator) Mike Miller. There at the end, we know Rex's (Ryan) style and personality. We talked on the sidelines to alert everybody that here comes the pressure. Mike dialed it up at hte right time. LaRod (Stephens-Howling) did a good job of feeling it bottle up because the pressure came up the middle and he just dialed it out wide. I tried to hold onto it as long as possible and give him enough room. That's what he does best, making people miss in the open field."

On the day, Kolb finished 16/25 for 247 yards and the score to LSH. Beanie Wells carried the ball 20 times for 67 yards and a score. Andre Roberts had a great day. He had six catches for 111 yards. Larry Fitzgerald, in a relatively quiet game, had four receptions for 55 yards. 

The Arizona defense sacked Tony Romo five times. They also held rookie phenom DeMarco Murray to only 38 yards rushing on 12 carries. 

Nobody turned the ball over. 

For the Cowboys, Tony Romo passed for 299 yards and a score. Dez Bryant had eight catches for 86 yards. 

With the win, Arizona improves to 5-7, while Dallas falls to 7-5. The Cardinals have now won four of their last five games and things are looking much better than at the start of the season. 

Had they not started so poorly, they would be in the thick of things in the wild card race to the playoffs. 

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys Score Update: Kevin Kolb Finding Rhythm, Arizona Trails 13-6 As Fourth Quarter Begins

The Arizona Cardinals generated very little offense in the first half as the Dallas Cowboys took a 10-3 lead into halftime. Kevin Kolb and the offense made sure not to put on an encore of another poor offensive performance in the third quarter, but ultimately come away down 13-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals started the third quarter with possession and stormed 78 yards down the field all the way down to the Dallas one-yard line. Between Kolb hitting receivers- including Larry Fitzgerald, thankfully- and Beanie Wells showing the burst that had been absent in the first half, the Cardinals managed to get 4^th-and-1 at the Dallas one-yard line. Unfortunately, a false start penalty pushed Arizona back and Jay Feely came away with a 23-yard field goal to bring the Cardinals within 10-6.

Dallas responded behind quarterback Tony Romo with a long drive of its own, beginning at 8:21 in the period and stretching out for just under eight minutes to nearly end the quarter. The Cowboys got into the redzone, but the Cardinals were able to tackle well and get a key sack on Romo to ensure that the Cowboys registered nothing more than a field goal. Kicker Dan Bailey kicked a 37-yard field goal to push the Dallas lead to 13-6.

The Cardinals will have the ball to begin the fourth quarter at their own 26-yard line. Kolb and Wells will have to score at least one touchdown to give Arizona a chance to win the game.

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys Score Update: Dallas Up 10-3 In Defensive Tussle

The Arizona Cardinals defense, particularly the front seven, continue to demonstrate the improvement we've been seeing for the last several weeks. The front line got pressure on Tony Romo (three sacks) and did a solid job against the run which helped keep the game close while the Arizona offense tried to find its footing.

The Cowboys were the first team to get into scoring position but missed a 53-yard field goal on a kick that went wide left. The Cardinals used the good starting field position to drive 27 yards and put their own three points on the board.

Neither side was able to do much offensively although the Cowboys did tie the game with a 50-yard kick with about six minutes left in the half. From there a series of poor possessions twice forced the Cardinals to punt from their end zone. 

On the second sequence, the Cowboys started their drive from the Arizona 33 and eventually scored on a 15-yard pass from Romo to Dez Bryant for the first touchdown of the game which game Dallas a 10-3 lead which is where the first half ended.

Kevin Kolb made a few decent throws in his first game back but he also missed open receivers and was sacked four times. He hasn't shown his previous propensity to flush himself out of the pocket and he's not forcing passes that aren't there. Unfortunately, that's led to him holding the ball longer than his protection can hold up.

Kolb is 7-11 on mostly short passes with a total of 44 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. The Cardinals have a total 49 yards offense. Romo went 11-20 for 135 yards with one TD pass. Defensively, Arizona held Dallas to 48 yards on the ground.

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

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys Score Update: Jay Feely Field Goal Gives Arizona 3-0 Lead At End Of First Quarter

The Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys kicked things off on Sunday with very little offense in the opening quarter. The Cardinals enter the second quarter with possession and a 3-0 lead.

The Cowboys received the game's opening kickoff and managed to drive 38 yards down the field before punting. Quarterback Tony Romo looked deep for receiver Dez Bryant a couple of times but only managed to connect with his speedy wideout once for a 24-yard gain.

The Cardinals went three-and-out and gave the ball right back to the Cowboys. Dallas, faced with a 4^th-and-2 at the Arizona 36-yard line, initially decided to go for it before calling a timeout and opting for a field goal instead. Kicker Dan Bailey, who had made 26 consecutive field goal attempts, missed a 51-yard attempt that would have given the Cowboys an early lead.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb, who is making his first start in five games, led the Cardinals down the field but missed an open receiver in the redzone to give Arizona the game's first touchdown. Cardinals kicker Jay Feely capitalized on a 48-yard field goal to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.

Felix Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yard to give Dallas great position in Cardinal territory, but the Arizona defense came alive to prevent any Cowboys offense. The Cardinals regained possession following a punt and will start the second quarter with possession.

The Cardinals have to be happy with the way the first quarter went and will need to build on their lead in the second quarter. Kolb has made several good throws but needs to settle into a rhythm more to engineer Arizona's pass attack to victory.

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys: Kolb Active, Heap's Injury Struggles Continue

The Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys are a few hours from kicking off their Sunday afternoon NFL Week 13 contest. Both sides have released their lists of 46 active and seven inactive players. As expected, quarterback Kevin Kolb will make his first start since suffering a foot injury in the Cardinals game in Baltimore on October 30.

What was not expect is the continued issues with Todd Heap's hamstring. Heap played in the first four games of the season before the injury which has now kept him out of seven games as of this Sunday. He was activated last week against the Rams but was limited in his role and had no receptions. He has just 13 catches on the season.

Fortunately for the Cardinals offense, rookie TE Rob Housler will play. Housler has shown that he can be an effective weapon in the passing game but has missed the last four games with a groin injury.

Other roster news for the Cardinals is WR Jaymar Johnson getting a chance to be on the active roster for the first time since being promoted from the practice squad. With Johnson active, receivers Stephen Williams and Rodney Stuckey are inactive. 

Johnson was a sixth-round pick for the Vikings in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played in just six games since. Johnson has been impressive in practice and reportedly has blazing speed. If Johnson can use that speed to beat single coverage it might force defenses to commit a safety which in turn could open things up for Larry Fitzgerald. We'll see.

According to the team web site, Jeremy Bridges will get the start in place of Brandon Keith at right tackle. Keith has struggled with knee issues and suffered a concussion a few weeks ago. Bridges has played adequately at times.

Other inactives for the Cardinals includes S Kerry Rhodes (foot), OLB Joey Porter (knee), T D'Anthony Bastiste, QB Rich Bartell.

For the Cowboys, inactives include: WR Miles Austin is out along with QB Jon Kitna, FB Tony Fiammetta, RB Philip Tanner, G David Arkin, G Daniel Loper, NT Josh Brent.

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys: Game Time, TV Schedule, Odds And More

The Arizona Cardinals are set to host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The Cardinals are once again the underdogs in this game, although perhaps not by as many points as you might expect. Quarterback Kevin Kolb is expected to start after missing the past four weeks, and the Cardinals hope to field their healthiest team of the season behind him. Arizona has won three of their last four games.

We have all the pertinent information for following Sunday's game right here.

Kickoff: Sunday's game is scheduled to begin at 2:15 PM MST.

TV Broadcast: The game will be televised on FOX KSAZ FOX 10. Your commentators will be Dick Stockton and John Lynch.

Radio: The game will be broadcast on KTAR 620AM and Sirius 128.

Odds: Dallas is currently favored at between 4.5 and 5 points, according to our friends over at OddsShark.

Online Coverage: As always, your home for all news and info regarding the Cardinals can be located at Revenge of the Birds.

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys Injury Report: Miles Austin Out For Dallas, Arizona Healthy

The Arizona Cardinals are approaching the point where they are as healthy as they've been all season. Knock on wood or rub your rabbit feet or whatever you want to do to prevent that previous sentences from turning into a jinx. 

Quarterback Kevin Kolb reported that this foot felt better than at anytime since the injury almost five weeks ago and the Cardinals even had two veteran defender back on the practice field in a limited basis this week.

Safety Kerry Rhodes is recovering from foot surgery and linebacker Joey Porter had his knee scoped. Both are listed as doubtful for Sunday's game but that's an upgrade and shows signs of progress. It's hard to imagine that Porter, however, will win back his starting job from rookie Sam Acho even when he is fully ready to play.

Other Cardinals wounded, TE Todd Heap (hamstring) and LB Reggie Walker (hamstring) are listed as questionable. The probables include CB Michael Adams, TE Rob Housler, KR/RB LaRod Stephens-Howling, RB Beanie Wells. 

For the Cowboys, the picture isn't so rosy. They will be without WR Miles Austin (hamstring) along with RB Tony Fiammetta (illness), QB Jon Kitna (back), DT Josh Price-Brent (knee) and RB Phillip Tanner (hamstring).

Questions include CB Mike Jenkins (hamstring), G Kyle Kosier (foot) and S Gerald Sensabaugh (foot).

Austin is fourth on the Cowboys in receptions with 28 behind TE Jason Witten (56), WR Dez Bryant (38) and WR Laurent Robinson (38). 

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys Injury Report: Arizona Is A Fine Place To Get Well

The Arizona Cardinals continue to prepare for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. The game is sold out which marks the 60th straight time the fans have stepped up and saved the city from a TV blackout. Here's the updated injury report from Thursday practice and a note from Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.

Twitter / @kentsomers: Kevin Kolb took most of th ...
Kevin Kolb took most of the snaps with the starters today, still on schedule to start against the Cowboys on Sunday

For the Cardinals, S Kerry Rhodes was the only player who didn't practice. He has his foot out of the walking boot but there hasn't been any stated timeline for his return.

Limited in practice were: CB Michael Adams (hamstring), TE Todd Heap (hamstring),  LB Joey Porter (knee), LB Reggie Walker (hamstring), RB Chris Wells (knee).

Kevin Kolb along with TE Rob Housler and KR/RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (shoulder) were full participants in Thursday's practice.

The Cowboys have a much more extensive injury report:

Did not practice: WR Miles Austin (hamstring), RB Tony Fiammetta (illness), QB Jon Kitna (back), DT Josh Price-Brent (knee), RB Phillip Tanner (hamstring)

Limited: CB Mike Jenkins (hamstring), G Kyle Kosier (foot), S Gerald Sensabaugh (foot)

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

Sam Acho Making Cardinals' 2011 Rookie Class Look Better

If not for the impact Patrick Peterson has made for the Arizona Cardinals this season, Sam Acho might be the team's most talked-about rookie this year.

In a season where there hasn't been a whole lot to cheer about in Arizona, Acho is giving the Cardinals and their fans reason to have hope for the future for a defense that is now showing signs of coming together. 

The linebacker from Texas, a fourth-round pick, is coming off his best game to date as a Cardinal. He had two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in the team's 23-20 win at St. Louis last Sunday. Acho became the first rookie to record multiple sacks in a game since Karlos Dansby got two against the New York Giants in 2004.

Since moving into the starting lineup in Week 8, Acho has 20 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles, three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery in five starts. 

"It's a testament to the coaches putting me in the right places," Acho said Wednesday after Cardinals practice. 

Acho said he had a lot to learn when he arrived for his first training camp. He admitted he was overwhelmed at first. "I've never seen a playbook this big and I know my playbook at Texas was huge," Acho said. 

But veteran Adrian Wilson was there to walk Acho through the playbook and go over concepts. Since then, Acho has wisely sought advice and asked questions of veterans like Joey Porter -- whom Acho replaced -- and Clark Haggans. 

A defensive end in college, Acho needed time to convert to outside linebacker. 

"Sam's a smart guy. He's been studying and working hard since he's been here," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "He made a lot of mistakes early, and when you do that, you have a tendency to lose your confidence. Sam wasn't thrown into the fire where he had to do it in games, so he got a chance to come along the right way. When he got his opportunity he was very confident. That's probably the best thing Sam does right now, he doesn't make mistakes."

Acho thanks his parents, Sonni and Christie, for a positive upbringing the in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He got it done in the classroom at Texas with seven appearances on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and was part of medical missions to his parents' homeland of Nigeria even as a teenager. He also volunteered as an English language teacher.

Acho's younger brother Emmanuel is a finalist for the Ronnie Lott Trophy in college football. Sam is proud because the award stands for not just good play but exemplary service in the community and high character and high character.

"You could tell pretty quick with Sam that he was a very intelligent young man, very focused," Whisenhunt said, recalling when he met Acho's parents. "The human part of it is that people root for Sam because of who he is, because he doesn't have the ego. He'll do anything that you ask him... one those unselfsh kind of attitudes."

Acho recalls getting only limited snaps in games at the outset of the season and admitted feeling anxious about wanting to tell his coaches to put him in. But he was told to be patient and diligent, and said that paid off.

"Nothing's ever going to be handed to you, nothing's going to come easy," Acho said, remembering words of wisdom from his parents. "if you work and you have faith, then things are eventually going to be OK."

They seem to be right now.

"As long as I'm sacking somebody I'm happy," Acho said. 

Teammates have found Acho to be quite a chatterbox with his questions and enthusiasm. Defensive lineman Darnell Dockett hears it often.

"The best thing for him is to stop talking back to me before I put him in a headlock and kill him," Dockett kidded. "Other than that he's going to be all right."

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys Injury Report: Miles Austin Still Not Practicing

Nothing much is different for the Arizona Cardinals in their latest injury report. Both Kerry Rhodes and Joey Porter are out as expected, but Kevin Kolb does appear to be on his way back. The Cardinals should have as many hands on deck needed to try and score an upset against Dallas.

The Dallas Cowboys have a few more injuries, but still nothing out of the ordinary. Wide receiver Miles Austin is still not practicing and looking like he could be doubtful for Sunday's game. If you have Austin on your fantasy team, you might have to wait a little longer and try relying on alternative options like Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson. This should ease the burden on the Cardinals secondary, who won't have to worry about one of Tony Romo's favorite targets.

Here's the entire injury report.

DALLAS COWBOYS   

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE: WR Miles Austin (hamstring), RB Tony Fiammetta (illness), QB Jon Kitna (back), G Kyle Kosier (foot), DT Josh Price-Brent (knee), RB Phillip Tanner (hamstring)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE: LB Bruce Carter (knee), CB Mike Jenkins (hamstring), S Gerald Sensabaugh (foot)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE: LB Sean Lee (wrist), P Mat McBriar (left foot)


ARIZONA Cardinals

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE: LB Joey Porter (knee), S Kerry Rhodes (foot)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE: CB Michael Adams (hamstring), TE Todd Heap (hamstring), RB Chris Wells (knee)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE: TE Rob Housler (groin), QB Kevin Kolb (toe), KR LaRod Stephens-Howling (shoulder)

To discuss the Cardinals, head to Revenge of the Birds. To discuss the Cowboys, check out Blogging the Boys.

Kevin Kolb Is Back, Arizona Cardinals Expect Their Prize QB To Finally Start Again

Kevin Kolb is back. After missing four weeks due to a bad case of turf toe complicated by a bone bruise in his foot, the Arizona Cardinals will have their prize quarterback taking snaps Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. At least that's plan barring any set backs and none are expected (which is why they are called "set backs").

"Yeah, I feel really good," Kolb said Wednesday after taking all the reps in practice for the first time since the injury. "Obviously, we'll see tomorrow how it feels after a full day, but I have full intention of playing."

Kolb was nearing ready to go last week, but the team had enough doubt about Kolb's foot they decided early on that John Skelton would get the start so he could get the full benefit of practicing with the first team.  

As to be expected, Coach Ken Whisenhunt was his normally evasive self on such matters.

"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," Whiz said, adding with about as much of a definitive answer as you will get from him, "But I said Sunday after the (Rams) game that we're a lot more optimistic that he'll have a chance to play this week."

Kolb is anxious to get back out on the field and understands how important it is for him and the entire offense to play well in these final five games of the season. 

"We still don't feel like offensively we've played an entire game yet as a complete unit. That's a big goal of ours," Kolb said, adding the offense needs to figure out "who we are".

He did seem to indicate that with the way the defense and special teams are playing, the role of the Cardinals' quarterback is to not screw up.

"I think if you look back on a lot of games, if us as quarterbacks just did our part and just took care of the ball and played a good, solid game then we would have won quite a few of them. That's my mentality and that needs to be our mentality every time we hit the field. Just do your job (then) we'll take care of business."

It will be interesting to see if that becomes the new norm in Arizona. That model has certainly worked in San Francisco and Baltimore, but under Ken Whisenhunt the Cardinals have followed the "Kurt Warner Plan" of letting the QB make big plays to the star receiver. 

That plan didn't work last year with the Derek Anderson Max Hall John Skelton monster and as the team has found out this year, it's not likely to work with Kevin Kolb any time soon. Fortunately, the defense is getting better and Beanie Wells has stepped up his game. That allows Whisenhunt to be more conservative on offense and let's the QB "manage the game", to use that infamous NFL phrase.

We'll see how that plays out, if at all. When you have No. 11 on your team, there's a lot of pressure to throw him the ball and a lot of comes from Larry Fitzgerald himself lobbying for targets. He does make a pretty compelling case. 

Other Injury News

In other Cardinals injury news, TE Rob Housler (groin) was back practicing in full while TE Todd Heap remains limited. As expected Joey Porter (knee) and Kerry Rhodes (foot) are still out with no time table for return.

Beanie Well was limited in practice as has been the norm for him on Wednesday as he gives his knee more time to recover from the last game and prepare for the next one.

Patrick Peterson Enters Hall Of Fame, At Least His Shoes Do

Patrick Peterson may some day be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. It's a tad early yet to call the Arizona Cardinals rookie a "lock" for the prestigious honor but he's already got one foot in the door. Or two shoes to be factually correct. 

The Hall of Fame announced  they have inducted Peterson's cleats that he wore during his 99-yard game winning punt return touchdown against the St. Louis Rams on November 6. The shoes commemorate Peterson as the only player ever to have four punt return touchdowns of 80 yards more. The four also ties an NFL record for the most punt return TDs in a season.

Peterson has five more games to break and own the record and will surely do so if opposing teams continue to kick him the ball in the middle of the field. 

The size 12, Nike cleats are now part of the Hall's permanent collection. The look great and probably even smell like winning.

Now, the next trick for Peterson will be to get his jersey in the Hall for setting some records as a cornerback. 

And oh, by the way, Peterson was named (for the second time) the NFL Special Teams Player of the Week thanks to this play. Ho hum.

Arizona Cardinals Roster Moves: WR Jaymar Johnson Added To 53-Man Squad, FB Reagan Maui'a Released

As the Arizona Cardinals prepare to face old rival the Dallas Cowboys the Cards have made a few roster moves on Tuesday. According to a press release from the team, the Cardinals have released fullback Reagan Maui'a and they have signed wide receiver Jaymar Johnson to the 53-man roster. Maui'a was originally cut coming out of training camp but made the team when Anthony Sherman was injured. Now that Sherman is back, there is little need for Maui'a on the active roster.

Johnson has not played in an NFL game since 2009, when he had one reception in six games for the Minnesota Vikings. Johnson has been on the practice squad, and he had a very successful career at Jackson State in college. He was originally a 6th round draft choice of the Vikings in the 2008 NFL Draft, but he was unable to catch on permanently during his career in Minnesota.

Cardinals Vs. Cowboys, Renewed Battle Of NFC East Foes: History And Odds Favor Dallas

The Arizona Cardinals are back home and hosting (again) the Dallas Cowboys. Can the Cardinals pull off another upset?

Cardinals Monday Review: Beanie Wells Response; Kevin Kolb Looking Good For Cowboys Game

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt was clearly pleased at his Monday morning press conference. He was encouraged by the road win, only the second of the season, and was happy with the way his team finished the game late.

The Cardinals broke a tie with a field goal, got a defensive hold, and were able to run out the clock on offense. These are the types of late-game sequences that went against the Cardinals in several early season losses.

Obviously, a lot of praise went to Beanie Wells for his franchise record-breaking 228-yard game which is also the second-highest rushing game in the NFL this season (behind only 253 yards from the Cowboy's DeMarco Murray which was also against the Rams).

"Beanie (Wells) is sore today (with) a little swelling but not as bad as we thought it might be," Whisenhunt said.

"When he got his knee bent back, it looked horrible. At that point I'm sure most of us assumed that was it, he's done, because he was already fighting the knee. But to his credit, he fought through and came back in and had a couple of big runs. Kudos to Beanie."

Whisenhunt said that Wells has shown a lot of growth this season in his understanding of what it takes to succeed in the NFL.

Other than a few little nicks and bruises, the Cardinals came out of the game with no new injuries.

Kevin Kolb is expected to play this coming week against the Dallas Cowboys. He made a lot of progress last week and was able to participate in practice in a limited way and could have been activated and used later in the game. Whisenhunt said the artificial turf at the Edward Jones Dome caused concerns about his ability to warm up the foot after sitting on the sidelines.

"We are certainly a lot more optimistic about him going this week. It's really going to depend on where he is Wednesday and as that progresses but he made enough progress last week that you feel good about him doing it this week," Whisenhunt said

John Skelton had another poor game with two interceptions and a 12-for-23 completion rate. Whisenhunt said a change in protection call that lead to an early sack got in his head and that he appeared uncomfortable. When Skelton sets his feet and has good technique he throws the ball well. Otherwise, as we saw, the ball can sail.

Other Notes:

• In the past few games where the Cardinals haven't ran the ball well, Whisenhunt stressed other teams loading up in the box to take away the run. Against the Rams, Whisenhunt said they saw a mix. He credited the wide receivers for blocking well against the St. Louis pressure defense.
• Whisenhunt challenged his team to run the ball well. He had read comments from some Rams players saying they had shut down the Cardinals in their last game and would do so again. The offensive line and Wells responded well.
• Sam Acho made a difficult transition to stand up linebacker with no offseason. He's always talking to veterans when he comes off field.
• "He's (Acho) worked hard and I think he's got a very bright future at that position. Obviously, two sacks (Sunday), causing the fumbles, he came up big for us. It's really exciting to see young guys, especially a player like Sam where we drafted him, making that kind of contribution." -- Whisenhunt
• Whisenhunt would push for Patrick Peterson for the Rookie of the Year. "What's he's done is special." 
• Teams try to kick away from Peterson but sometimes the punter doesn't get it right. By kicking to the sidelines, the Cardinals also have an improved chance at getting better field position.
• Wells was allowed to run one final time to set the rushing record thanks to team PR guy, Mark Dalton, who informed Whisenhunt during the two-minute warning that he was close. Breaking the record was important for the entire team, not just Beanie.