Categories
Arizona Cardinals

Antrel Rolle says Sean Taylor’s death was deliberate


Sean Taylor’s body didn’t even have time to get cold before people started speculating about the circumstances surrounding the home intrusion and eventual murder of the rising NFL star. And a lot of the assumptions the mainstream media outlets were distributing tended to be rather harsh, basing their claims on his Hurricanes heritage and previous run-ins with the law. Well, the presumptions aren’t limited to the media. Despite the police accounts of a botched burglary; one of Taylor’s best friends thinks it was a deliberate hit.

He really didn’t say too much,” Antrel Rolle said, “but I know he was pretty much scared every time he was down in Miami.”

Rolle and Taylor, whose fathers were policemen in Homestead, Fla., started playing football together when they were six years old. They went on to become University of Miami teammates and NFL first-round draft picks. Both wore No. 21, Rolle for the Cardinals, Taylor for the Washington Redskins.

“There was so much surrounding him,” Rolle said. “Everyone was talking about him bad, so he just had to distance himself from everyone and live a life of his own. … Within the last year, I’ve never seen anyone make such a dramatic change.”

Withdrawing from a bad crowd isn’t easy, though, Rolle said.

“They say it was a burglary. It absolutely was not a burglary,” he said. “Down South, where we’re from, there were many people talking to Sean, a lot of jealousy, a lot of angry people.

“Sean, he had a large group of friends, and he no longer hung out with those friends, so you never know where this came from.

Rolle also said that “They’ve been targeting him for three years now,” and that “At least, he has peace now.”

We kind of thought Taylor was getting a bum rap because he was from the U and got slapped with the “hoodlum” label, but if his own long-time friend is calling it a deliberate murder then the media’s hype might be sincere. But Antrel can say what he wants; he’s not supposed to be unbiased. It just seems a bit callous to us that despite the authorities’ contradictory account, news outlets were determined to create a sensational story.

Links:

[The Canadian Press]: Cardinals’ Rolle vows to honour childhood friend, says death was no burglary
[Rocky Mountain News]: Rolle: Taylor was targeted

Categories
Arizona Cardinals

Trick Play Catches Anderson Off Guard


Looks like Richie Anderson is giving George O’Leary a run for his money when it comes to holding down a job. That’s because less than two months since being hired as the Arizona Cardinals wide receivers coach, Anderson was fired by the organization after being arrested on Monday in Phoenix when he fell for the old cop dressed as a ho trick. Anderson was charged with solicitation of prostitution which is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Arizona and could result in up to six months in prison and a $2,500 fine for the 13 year NFL vet.


I gathered a lot of information over the weekend, and I’ve talked with Richie a couple of times,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday night. “I just felt like at this point, it was in the best interest of Richie and the team that we went this direction.

That’s probably a good decision coach. We don’t think you want to be following the Mike Price road to success, now do you?

Links:

[AZCentral.com]: CARDS FIRE ASSISTANT AFTER ARREST
[The Jets Blog]: The Grass Isn’t Always Greener . . .

Categories
Arizona Cardinals

Top 10 Dumbest in-game Injuries: #1 Bill Gramatica


[Sportscolumn is running down the ten dumbest in-game injuries in sports. And here it is folks, the all time dumbest in-game injury in sports history.]

While it certainly is debatable whether #2 Gus Frerotte really should get the honor of the dumbest in-game injury of all time, the fact that he’s a kicker and it was with the laughingstock Cardinals puts Bill Gramatica over the top. Gramatica got injured celebrating a made field goal in the first quarter. While jumping and contorting in typical Gramatica fashion, he landed awkwardly and tore ligaments and cartilage in his right knee.

Bill was placed on injured reserve and missed the remainder of the season. Arizona went on to lose the game to the New York Giants 17-13 but Gramatica won his way into the dumbass hall of fame. Sadly, Bill’s days in the NFL are over and we can only cringe at the thought of a similar performance from his overly enthusiastic brother Martin.

Back to #2 | See all 10 Dumbest in-game Injuries

Categories
Arizona Cardinals

Denny Green makes no sense

Now that you’ve seen the video of his press conference, can we ask what exactly Denny Green is saying?


We played them in the preseason. Who the hell plays the third game in the preseason like it’s bull—-? Bull—-! We played them in the third game. Everybody played three quarters.

If anyone can explain this quote to us, please let us know. Who the hell gives a press conference like it’s bullshit! bullshit! This will go into the record books as one of the best post game pressers of all time. It gets funnier with every viewing.

Instead of talking about the Bears being who they thought they were and crowning them, can someone tell Denny Green that he should perhaps concentrate on the Arizona Cardinals who don’t deserve to be an NFL franchise. Can we ship em up north to Canada? Better yet, can we create a broomball league with the Cardinals, the Texans, the Royals, the Devil Rays, and the Raptors and watch hilarity ensue?

Links:
[AZ Central]: Monday Meltdown

[AZ Central]: FanBoy’s game blog (oh the humanity)
[4th and Inches]: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Arizona Cardinals

Categories
Arizona Cardinals

Odds and Ends: No Pink Taco in Arizona


Sorry Arizona residents, the Arizona Tourism and Sports Authority has nixed the $30M proposal by the Pink Taco restaurant group for naming rights to the Cardinals’ new stadium. This shouldn’t be a suprise as there was no chance of a stadium called The Pink Taco. It just couldn’t be done. When the Eagles lost their first two games in the new home, the newspaper headlines said “Stink at the Linc”. Imagine what it would’ve been if the Cardinals lost at home to, say, the Raiders or the Giants.

In other news…

[Yahoo]: FIFA threatens all Italian clubs with ban if Juventus challenges ruling

[The Prometheus Institute]: Five lessons on politics and economics to be learned from the world of sports

[Reuters]: Remember the NHL Agent a player tried to kill? Yep. Sexual assault

[MSNBC]: Justin Gatlin gets 8 year ban

[Physorg.com]: A Russian cosmonaut will whack a golf ball from the international space station

Categories
Arizona Cardinals

Now is SI calling Nick Lachey or Matt Leinart a douche?



Who is the douche?

It’s not often that a national website will come out and call someone a douche so it’s rather surprising that SI.com included this photo of Matt Leinart and Nick Lachey with the filename “douche.jpg”. Was this photo labeled before or after the news that he might have nailed Paris Hilton? Cause then the filename antiobiotics.jpg is more in order.

(Thanks to the folks at Fark who have way too much time on their hands.)

Categories
Arizona Cardinals

Edgerrin James loves money, hates winning



C.R.E.A.M.

That’s the only conclusion I can draw from Edge signing a $30M contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Now, I realize that he wasn’t going to win anything in Indy either because they have that choking problem, but he’s guaranteed not to win anything in Arizona.

Every year, we hear about a resurgence in the desert and how the Cardinals are for real this year. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 15 times and I’m dumber than Vince Young. The Cardinals have never been and will never be a championship team. I realize I stand to upset the 37 Arizona fans in the world but they know I’m right.


We’re serious about winning,” Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill said. “The new stadium allows us to do some things that we haven’t been able to do before.

Like what, Bidwell, losing in a brand new stadium?

Edge can spin this any way he wants. It’s clear as the stuff that Barry Bonds used that he went to Arizona for the cash.

[Yahoo]: Cardinals nab star running back in early free-agent splurge