Howard Balzer
@HBalzer721
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Cardinals/NFL reporter for CardsWire; Hall of Fame selector, co-host of weekly HOF radio show on Sirius/XM NFL Radio; Lindy's Pro Football preview magazine
Joined April 2009
QB AJ McCarron asked to be released by the Bengals (team announced it today) so he can re-sign with the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks, where he played last season when they were in the XFL. Hearing that he will officially sign Thursday.
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Heard from league source that Josh Gordon has filed for reinstatement from suspension.
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Texans owner Bob McNair signs off on workout for Colin Kaepernick.
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BREAKING: Sources tell me Sean Payton meeting with Cardinals Thursday.
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Hard to believe it was 8 years ago today that the NFL, despite a stadium plan in place, kicked St. Louis to the curb and approved the move to L.A. For the way they went about it, that cost the league $790 million. And it might have been a lot more if STL hadn't agreed to settle.
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MORE BREAKING NEWS: Source told me Denver interview delayed with Payton; interview with Cardinals is here in Arizona.
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The people in St. Louis surely aren’t surprised the NFL elected not to follow its own rules today.
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Interesting those who defend Antonio Brown's behavior and minimize teammates' thoughts. Never forget teammates voted WR JuJu Smith-Schuster team MVP for 2018 season.
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Confirmed that Marvin Harrison Jr. told Cardinals of his plan not to work out at his Pro Day unless the team said they wanted to see something or wanted him to. They were fine with him continuing to work out at Ohio State to prepare for football rather than drills/timing.
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Kyler Murray said Marvin Harrison Jr. wasn't offside on first play of the game. I didn't think he was at the time and just watched the replay. Wasn't even close. Official said he was in the neutral zone. He wasn't. His toe was short of the line of scrimmage.
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Cardinals TE Trey McBride has been fined by the NFL for continuing to block a 49ers player out of bounds Sunday. Will find out the dollar amount tomorrow. McBride is appealing. Out of uniform Dre Greenlaw pushed McBride. He and the team could be fined.
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It's official: Former St. Louis BattleHawks kicker Taylor Russolino will be kicking for the Broncos tomorrow in their game against the Bills.
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It’s great to see the Rams commitment to win in LA, their same approach in the owner’s final 6 seasons in St. Louis. Will always remember the key signing of WR Michael Sims-Walker as a free agent in 2011.
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If the Cardinals aren’t competitive with a contract for Kyzir White and he leaves, it would go against what this team preaches about what they want in the locker room.
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Ryan Clark is one of the best analysts in the NFL and tonight he is well above that. Truly outstanding words from the heart and mind.
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And now the piling on of Kyler Murray commences again. As if no one else on the field had a hand in this loss or any of the losses.
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It's a strange night. Ready to hit the pillow for last time in St. Louis after 42+ amazing years. I'll have more to say in the days ahead, but headed to Phoenix with the family: devoted wife Bernie, Sage the dog and Cubby the cat. Should be an adventurous trip. Great days ahead.
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Orlando Pace rightly stirred up a hornet's nest when Rams assigned No. 76 to 7th-round pick Tremayne Anchrum. Pace said it "speaks to the disconnect between the organization and Rams tradition." Well, team has "quietly" changed Anchrum's number to 72.
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Teams without anyone on reserve/COVID-19 so far: Bears, Bengals, Cowboys, Vikings, Saints, Steelers, Seahawks.
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Breaking: Cardinals activated DL Darius Robinson from injured reserve today.
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CB Marco Wilson on field at open portion of practice. DEs J.J. Watt, Zach Allen, DT Jordan Phillips working on the side.
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The NFL sends out a release each week called Seven From Sunday that notes key statistics. In today's, there were 12 teams mentioned and 13 players, but not a word about the Cardinals, an 8-1 team. Somewhat shocking.
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Cardinals TV viewers get Gus Johnson and Aqib Talib again this week.
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Do people feel a bit differently about Cardinals loss seeing what Bills are doing to the Dolphins?.
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Alvin Kamara had a great game, but Kyler Murray's jersey and game ball is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yet, Kamara is the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Not important in the scheme of things, but odd.
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Damn. Hall of Famer Chris Doleman passed away Tuesday night following a valiant fight against brain cancer. During his battle, he still made sure to come to Canton for the enshrinement ceremony. We were all better for having known Chris. RIP.
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Eagles have seven African-Americans on their coaching staff. What's Chip thinking, Stephen A.?.
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Notable: Cardinals are currently one of only two teams in the NFL that had no players fail physicals to start training camp, thus having no one on active/NFI or PUP. The other one is Buffalo.
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No revelation here, but some of these officiating crews are ruining the game. Crew in Texans-Eagles game is brutal.
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Hearing Nick Rallis and Mike Zimmer could have spots on Jonathan Gannon's defensive staff. Rallis will be 30 in July. Five years as assistant with Vikings, last two as LB coach. He might be DC or assistant head coach/LBs with Zimmer possibly DC or senior defensive assistant.
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Just saw FOX camera catch Jordan Love looking sullen with towel on his head and sitting on bench alone. I thought only Kyler Murray did that.
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I will simply say this: Anyone who thinks a line of Beachum, Brown, Froholdt, Adams and Barton is capable of providing consistency for an offense is delusional.
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Mostly short passes because no confidence Murray can be protected. Yet, no one talks about that.
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Kei'Trel Clark tells Arizona reporters being drafted by Cardinals "was God's plan." Said he thought Cardinals would be "great fit" during 30-visit. Jonathan Gannon also went to Louisville. He added, "It's destiny. Once a Cardinal, always a Cardinal.".
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Many might say I’m crazy, but so be it. This season was about creating a way of doing things and establishing a winning culture. Draft position be damned. If you have confidence in talent evaluators, Cardinals will be fine wherever they select.
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Once again, NFL's Sunday From Sunday is laughable. Colt McCoy 35-for-44 for 328 yards, Zach Ertz 8-88 with two TDs, team has best record in league with 6-0 road record, 4-0 in division and won all road games by at least 10 points and gets no mention!.
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Marvin Harrison Jr. broke open down the middle for a TD and entire OL plus Kyler Murray ran down the field to embrace him. Paris Johnson Jr. lifted up his former college teammate.
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Even with Joshua Dobbs being benched, Cardinals get their 7th-round pick back because Dobbs started four games for the Vikings.
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Sources say NFL agreed not to have Rams on Hard Knocks in 2014 if they drafted Michael Sam.
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Bills have re-signed WR Robert Foster and CB Levi Wallace, who were both exclusive-rights free agents.
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Cardinals pick from Texans is 27. To the naysayers, here are some No. 27 choices: Jordyn Brooks, Tre’Davious White, Ken Clark, DeAndre Hopkins, Kevin Zeitler, Devin McCourty, Roddy White, Anton Harrison.
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Asked about rookie CB Kei'Trel Clark, Cardinals S Budda Baker said, "This whole rookie class; they’re very mature. Way more mature then I feel like other rookie classes have been. These guys; they want to listen, they want to get better, they want to work hard.
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At practice today for the Cardinals will be K Matt Prater, CB Garrett Williams, WR Zay Jones, DL Darius Robinson. Wearing the Pat Tillman No. 40 as Scout Team Player of the Week will be rookie WR Xavier Weaver.
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New Cardinals QB Clayton Tune says, "I'm the best quarterback in this class." Asked why he believes that, he said, "Look at my body of work. I elevate everyone around me." Said he is "a natural leader" with a "no-flinch mentality." He played at Hebron HS in Carrollton, Texas.
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Patriots source on rumored interest in DeAndre Hopkins: “If they are going to give him away and Hopkins is willing to play on a reduced contract, I could see it. But that seems unlikely to me.”.
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Hard to believe Dortch was hit twice on two plays and no calls.
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It's official: I'm beyond thrilled to be part of a new team and to now be reporting on the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL for @phnx_sports/@phnx_cardinals. Looking forward to another roller-coaster ride of an NFL season.
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Thanks to many selectors that supplemented my presentation with great things to say about Isaac Bruce. A true team effort just like Isaac, the ultimate team player.
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Another inflated initial contract. It was reported that Cardinals DT Dalvin Tomlinson received $16M guaranteed. It's actually $13.5M.
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Hearing that an announcement is coming this week regarding USFL-XFL merger that will be 12-team league.
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Hearing Stan Kroenke told owners this morning not to cross him; believes there would be collusion if chose Carson with Chargers-Raiders.
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Hearing that Troy Polamalu, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, will be here tomorrow to be enshrined in Hall of Fame.
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The average temp in PHNX was just under 116 last year. So why do the weather people on TV insist on claiming it’s “unbelievable” how hot it is?.
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There are no official league transactions until Tuesday, so the Cardinals announcement that DeAndre Hopkins has been released is a direct message that it's time for teams that would be interested in making a deal to step up.
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What the NFL also should have done. Spearheaded by Jerry Jones, they wanted Kroenke's money in LA. I get it. But STL shouldn't have been collateral damage and trashed by the Rams. They should have simply figured out a way for a team to still be in St. Louis. Not. That. Difficult.
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If the Cowboys truly had such "high regard" for Dez Bryant, they would have released him a month ago.
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Stay tuned tomorrow for a big announcement involving one of Cardinals football’s all-time greats.
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Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Jim Hanifan. A true classic.
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David Blough reveals Cardinals let Broncos score TD to get the ball back with 1:30 to play.
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U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear request from Rams and NFL to have St. Louis lawsuit decided by arbitration, not in jury trial in court. It was last-ditch effort to prevent what really happened from being aired in public.
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Not a revelation, but hearing Jonathan Gannon will be Cardinals new head coach. Strong possibility Drew Petzing will be OC.
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Funny: Kevin Demoff said goal is to "deliver a Super Bowl trophy back to Los Angeles." SB was won in St. Louis and that will never change.
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BREAKING NEWS from multiple outlets: Cardinals making calls to improve pass rush! Reality: It would be breaking news if they weren’t! That happens a lot, especially currently with deadline approaching. Many say trade for depth. Makes sense, but has to better than what’s there.
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No XFL players will be able to sign with NFL teams until April 27, the day after the league championship game, even if they are on teams that don’t qualify for the team playoffs.
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On LA radio Jeff Fisher admits that when he took the Rams job in Jan. 2012, "I knew there was going to be a pending move.".
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Trumaine Johnson contract worth $72.5M for 5 yrs with $34M fully guaranteed plus $11M in injury guarantees.
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I’m always amazed at all the amateur GMs that probably haven’t seen guys play, much less watched tape, and believe they know more than GMs and personnel staffs. Monti’s so bad, which is why they’re 5-4 and one of 14 teams with a winning record.
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Interesting to hear Fox announcers proclaim Stallions and Brahmas as clearly best teams in UFL when both had multiple cheap shots on Battlehawks QB AJ McCarron that affected him in crucial games.
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Rams TV rating in LA last week was 6.9. Last season, average rating in STL for four games was 9.4 and worst game (7.9) was better.
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@JJWatt Most underrated assistant of last couple decades is . Steve Spagnuolo, whose name Tom Brady mispronounced today!.
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Awful news. Cliff Branch has died. Reports he was at an appearance and passed in his hotel room.
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Should Andrew Luck at least be in the conversation as MVP.
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@Frank_Cusumano @NFL @ksdknews Love all the responses. Absolutely go for broke. There was fraud committed and that needs to come out in court. Only settlement should be a replacement team in which the league pays for the stadium.
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WR Daniel Arias has switched from No. 81 to 38 on Cardinals roster. Does that pave the way for Marvin Harrison Jr. to be 81 instead of 18, flipping the numbers? LB BJ Ojulari is 18, and that number has special meaning for him from his days at LSU.
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According to league source, Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson will have imaging Friday for an injury that occurred today.
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Just got word from NY Times best-seller list: Rams relocation application now No. 5 on fiction list and rising.
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I have watched and rewatched Sunday's game, and it's clear the reason for the offensive issues was that OC Drew Petzing couldn't block the Seattle front. It was a physical mismatch.
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Here at Don Coryell celebration with Don’s bust, Mindy Coryell Lewis and brother Mike.
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Cardinals DL Darius Robinson was trying to tell it like it is, but there were some contradictory comments when he spoke to the media today for the first time since hide Aug. 22 injury.
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TV guys saying how great Jalen Hurts played? He passed for 121 yards, team had 269, 3.8 per play. 49ers had 164 with 22:34 TOP totally compromised at QB. 49ers 3 turnovers, Eagles none; 11 penalties, Eagles 4.
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An eye-opening comment from Kliff Kingsbury when asked by Ron Wolfley on 98.7 FM about the feeling the team lacked urgency: “I think that they knew Week 1 was coming. But I think the level of play that the Chiefs played at was a step above probably what they anticipated.
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Lions UFA QB Nate Sudfeld visited with the team today. Texans UFA S Kareem Jackson visited the Colts, while Ravens UFA RB J.K. Dobbins visited the Chargers.
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My story on STL stadium situation: NFL played bait-and-switch?
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St. Louis No. 1 with 8.1 rating for Saturday's game against Seattle on FOX and over 27,000 fans were at the game! Seattle next with 3.7. Next four cities: Memphis 2.6, Dallas 2.0, Atlanta 2.0, Cleveland 2.0.
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Rams are trying to set the record for most consecutive years without a first round pick.
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Chiefs termination of T Mitchell Schwartz's contract became official Monday. It came with designation failed physical.
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Latest on fluid USFL-XFL from source. Looks like 12 teams w/ 2-team hubs, 4 XFL teams departing (ORL, LV, SEA, HOUS). Meetings this week to hopefully finalize with announcement anytime prior to Thanksgiving. Some other cities could change. Goal is to have owners in 2025.
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In my story earlier this week, I listed RB Michael Carter as a restricted free agent in 2025. After further checking, learned that when he was signed to the roster recently, it also included 2025, so he is under contract.
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We won't know part of the why until later, but Cardinals RB Trey Benson wasn't on the field Saturday morning in the portion of practice open to the media. Might we see Michael Carter Monday night?.
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Cardinals should have had 40 more seconds on final possession vs. Giants when officials erred by not returning timeout after previous play when Saquon Barkley was injured. Injury timeout should have been charged to Giants. They got the ball after go-ahead FG with 15 seconds left.
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Maybe after Jalen Ramsey trade, people will be a tad more realistic of what Cardinals can get for DeAndre Hopkins.
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Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort will be present at today's Oregon-Stanford game. Here we go; let's begin the talk that he's there to see quarterback Bo Nix.
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