The Arizona Cardinals are 3-8 after being dominated on Monday Night Football by the 49ers. They were owned on both sides of the ball and did not show one glance of a winning team. They have now lost six straight games.

The Cards are now in sole possession of last place in the NFC West. A division that could send a 7-9 team to the playoffs.

If a winning Buccaneers, Packers or Giants team gets left out of the playoffs because a 7-9 division winner makes it, the NFL has run into a problem.

Controversy stirred after the Cardinals loss, not only from being blown out, but for a tirade put on by quarterback Derek Anderson.

Anderson was seen laughing with Deuce Lutui on the sidelines near the end of the game Monday.  This angered many fans that tweeted and sent texts to reporters with questions about why the quarterback of a pathetic, struggling team was laughing on the sideline at the end of a loss.

Anderson was asked about the situation caught on camera in a post-game interview by Cardinals beat writer Kent Somers. After prying for an answer several times, Anderson got angry and left the podium stating, “You know what, I’m done.”

Anderson later apologized stating that it was inappropriate for him to act out that and way and that he was not raised to act in such a manner.

The Cardinals are at a point in their season where they need to try something new. Coach Whisenhunt continuously states that the team will keep working hard and implementing their system and that it will eventually work.

Well Coach Whisenhunt, it hasn’t worked and it isn’t going to work. It is time to try something different. Give the rookies a chance, change the game plan, anything.

Yet, Derek Anderson has already been appointed starting quarterback for this weeks game. At this point in the season losing teams either lobby for high draft picks and lose out, or battle through adversity and begin planning ahead to next season.

The Cardinals are 30^th in passing in the NFL, 31^st in rushing, 25^th in opponents passing yards and 31^st in opponents rushing yards.

After losing Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle the Cardinals have obvious holes on the team, not just at quarterback. The Cards running game can be considered garbage at this point in the season.

Cardinals fans are beginning to wonder if the Cardinals have packed it in this season. According to many players tweets the last couple days, that is definitely not the case.

Defensive end Darnell Dockett tweeted, “I don’t think there is a Guy on my team wants to lose! We all work hard as hell every day to win and! (explicative) anybody else who thinks diffrent!”

The Cardinals (3-8) host the division leading St. Louis Rams (5-6) this Sunday. The Cardinals beat the Rams in their first meeting of the season 17-13.

Early season predictions had the Suns going 54-28 (12^th in power rankings and 7^th in the Western Conference). After a measly pre-season performance and a tough schedule to begin the season the Suns were dropped to 15^th in the power rankings but still predicted 7^th in the West.

The Suns opened the season 1-2 with losses against the Trail Blazers and Lakers and a win against the Jazz in Utah.  They routinely scored over 100 points but played lack luster defense.

The following week the Suns were 3-3 after a loss to the Spurs and wins against the Grizzlies and Hawks. The Suns beat the Grizz in an exciting overtime game and beat the Hawks after trading baskets and playing no defense in the 4^th quarter.

Get this: You have to go back to 1999-2000 for the last time Nash began a season with five straight games with fewer than 10 assists. Nash has new players around him and has taking over a lot of the scoring duties to start the season. Look for his point totals to go down and his assists to go up as the team chemistry builds.

After week three the Suns posted a record of 5-4 with a loss to the Gizzlies, a convincing win against the Kings and a 3-point clinic victory over the Lakers. The Suns obviously aren’t going to drill 22 triples every night like they did in Lakerland. But, they showed they clearly have some grit left over from last season judging by how they coped with their brutal early schedule and new roster.

After four weeks of the NBA season have passed the Phoenix Suns have started 6-7.  They capped off a 3-game win streak with a win against the Nuggets at home and then dropped 3 straight to the Heat, Magic and Bobcats after the injury bug hit the team.

Losing Robin Lopez made an already tiny Suns team even smaller and an injured Steve Nash left the Suns without their leader and facilitator, which means a whole lot of bad losses.

The Suns are currently ranked 13^th in ESPN’s NBA Power Rankings (9^th in the West) after previously being ranked 8^th.

The Suns end their road trip with a game in Houston tonight. They are at home Wednesday against the Bulls and Friday against the Clippers. They travel to Denver on Sunday.

The problem for the Suns remains to be defense. Their off-season roster changes were made to help improve their defense, but have failed to prove they can be a defensive force to both their coach and their opponents. Who lets the Bobcats drop 123?

Lopez will be out for several weeks leaving it up to Warrick, Frye and Siler to step up and help with the interior defense and rebounding. Nash will be a game time decision against the Rockets and is expected to be back Wednesday night against the Bulls at the US Airways Center.

The Suns still have a lot to prove with their new roster in a tough Western Conference. The city of Phoenix needs a team to cheer for after a wretched season from the Diamondbacks and a disappointing Cardinals season thus far.

Undrafted Rookie Max Hall will start at quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals against the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt gave the nod to the former BYU star after Derek Anderson struggled through his four starts (without much help from his offensive line). Anderson was often pressured and would make the mistake of staring down his targets.

Anderson also threw two first-half interceptions in last Sunday’s 41-10 loss at San Diego. Hall, a Mesa native, completed 8 of 14 passes for 82 yards without an interception, but was sacked six times (again, with no help from the offensive line).

In his four starts, Anderson has completed 52 percent (58 of 112) of his passes for three touchdowns with five interceptions. Of his two interceptions on Sunday, one ended a scoring threat and the other was returned for a touchdown.

The Cardinals are tied for the NFC West lead at 2-2 but have been outscored 82-17 in their two losses.

A couple of undrafted rookies hooking up for their first NFL touchdowns? Max to Max

The San Diego Chargers dominated both sides of the ball, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 41-10. Undrafted Rookie Max Hall replaced starter Derek Anderson late in the second quarter, making the loss a possible training run for the new offense. The starting quarterback for next Sunday’s home game against the Saints is still undecided.

The change at quarterback came after Derek Anderson threw his second interception, staring down Rookie wide receiver Max Komar and throwing a pick-six to Shaun Philips in the second quarter and giving the Chargers a 28-7 lead.

The Chargers (2-2) outgained the Cards, racking up 419 yards to 124, while running for 180 of those yards and sacking Anderson and Hall a combined nine times.

The Cardinals problems have stretched well beyond the quarterback position and have radiated over the entire team. “If we don’t cut down on our mistakes and cut them down quickly, we are going to have a very disappointing season,” defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said.

The Cardinals had problems covering Charger tight-end Antonio Gates on multiples possessions, they could not stop the run game, and they failed to score any touchdowns with their offensive unit.

Though it may not seem this way to Cardinals fans, their season in far from over. This week will consist of many key decisions by the Cardinals staff that will affect the rest of the season. A little confidence can go a far way and Derek Anderson may be one good game away from getting into rhythm with his teammates. The same could go for Max Hall, but there is never a good time to start a rookie quarterback.

The good news is, there is room for improvement. The Cardinals have a solid defense, led by many veteran players, and have the ability to bounce back immediately. They will be tested by the Saints offense next Sunday. The offensive line must also improve and give whoever their quarterback might be more time to make some plays.

The NFL has had a fairly even first four weeks with only three teams with losing records in the AFC (out of 16 total) and five teams with losing records in the NFC (out of 16 total). Two of those teams are the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, both pre-season NFC Superbowl hopefuls.

The Arizona Cardinals are tied for first in their division with the St. Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. The San Francisco 49ers are off to an NFL worst 0-4 start. The Cardinals are in the driver seat in the NFC West, but must start to improve immediately.

The Cardinals have the second-worst point differential in the NFL, in front of only the Buffalo Bills, being outscored by their opponents by 60 points thus far. Look for the Cardinals to make changes this week against the Saints. If they don’t, this may very well be the last week the starters from the beginning of the season get a chance to prove themselves.

Derek Anderson will be the starting quarterback Saturday night against the Chicago Bears in the Cardinals third preseason game. Coach Whisenhunt has been more than disappointed with the offensive production in the first two preseason games, particularly with the starting unit. The change is not permanent just yet and is dependent on how both Anderson and Leinart do in their new roles. Leinart is set to play the second quarter and start the second half.

“I don’t think we performed the way we want to perform on offense this preseason and we’re going to look at a number of different players in different spots,” Whisenhunt said.

Other changes in the depth chart include Greg Toler Starting at cornerback in place of Trumaine McBride and rookie Daryl Washington out of TCU starting at inside linebacker in place of Pago Togafau. These changes are not official changes of the depth chart but more of a chance for different players to get time in with the first team and to get more practice.

With the receiving core depleted by the injuries of Larry Fitzgerald, Early Doucet, and rookie Andre Roberts along with very poor protection from the line, it is not baffling that Leinart has struggled. Similar to a basketball player seeing a free throw go in to get his shot back, Leinart may need just one successful drive to get his confidence, rhythm, and timing back. Leinart has only thrown one touchdown pass since October 2007 and his timing is running out with the Cardinals. Teammates and fans have been reluctant to accept Leinart as Kurt Warner’s replacement.

ESPN analyst and former Vikings wide receiver Chris Carter commented on Leinart during halftime of the Cardinals 24-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans  saying, “I’m a little disappointed in Matt Leinart because, if you think (about it), the club went out five years ago and made him a top-10 pick and when you do that, you’re saying you have a franchise quarterback. And a franchise quarterback, there are a lot of things you look for.”

“Does the team feel like they can win any football game?” Carter continued. “Because those are the franchise quarterbacks that we see around the league. When they step in the huddle, their teammates are encouraged. Their teammates play better because they’re with a franchise quarterbacks. Matt Leinart doesn’t look like that. Forget about him throwing the ball. I just don’t like his overall body posture and the vibe he’s going to give his teammates.”

Chris Carter is right. Leinart has looked awful. If Derek Anderson can get his arm behind him and start making some plays, there may be a serious QB battle in the desert. Leinart needs to find his old USC roots and start delivering like he did on big plays in big games against opponents like Notre Dame. If not, Leinart will have wasted a perfect opportunity and may see the end of his career as a potential starter.

The Cardinals play the Chicago Bears Saturday night at Soldier Field. Look for both quarterbacks to come out looking to impress and other position players looking to make noise as well.

Shout out to wide receiver Max Komar who caught his first NFL touchdown against the Titans Monday and was the only Cardinal to score a touchdown in the game. Look for Komar to keep making big plays and fight for a well-deserved spot on the Cardinals roster.

The Suns begin their season on Oct. 26^th at Portland (the 5^th season in a row opening on the road). The Suns play their first home game on Oct. 29^th against the Los Angeles Lakers. Words of advice: Don’t forget to box out Ron Artest, especially if the game is close and pending his Psychiatrist is in the building. God bless whoever that is. And good luck guarding Pau Gasol without Amar’e in the middle. Oh wait, Amar’e didn’t play defense.

Speaking of, the Suns host Amar’e Stoudemire and the New York Knicks on Jan. 7^th for a game on ESPN. I doubt the Knicks can make a play for coveted Carmelo Anthony, so this should be a fun game to see if Amar’e and former Suns coach D’Antoni can beat Nash and his Suns.

The Miami Heat and their “3 Kings” of LeBron, D Wade, and Bosh come to Phoenix once on Dec. 23. It will be like buying tickets to the Circus. Very expensive tickets. Until the Circus eventually breaks down and forfeits to a deeper, more talented team.

The Suns end the regular season at home on April 13 vs. San Antonio. This will hopefully not be the end of their season.

Murder by the Numbers:

-        The Suns play 14 Friday night home games (a plus for many) but have 0 (zero) home games on Saturday night.

-        The Suns are on national television 25 times with 10 of the games being on ESPN, 7 on TNT, 6 on NBA-TV, and 2 on ABC.

-        The Suns only play 5 of their first 14 games at home.

-        The Suns have 3 road trips of at least 5 games after New Years.

-        The Suns play 16 back-to-back sets this season, 4 fewer than last season.

Team Roster:

PG – Steve Nash / Goran Dragic

SG – Jason Richardson / Josh Childress

SF  – Grant Hill / Hedo Turkoglu

PF – Channing Frye / Hakim Warrick

C – Robin Lopez

The bench consists of Earl Clark (fresh off his rookie season), Jared Dudley (hope he kept his 3-ball clean, I know he got his Twitter game up), rookie guard Matt Janning out of Northeastern, rookie forward Gani Lawal out of Georgia Tech, and free agents Jarron Collins and Louis Almondson (who isn’t going to re-sign with the Suns).

If Turkoglu, Childress and Warrick can produce enough points each game to match Stoudemire’s production and mesh with Steve Nash, the Suns have a good chance to be a playoff contending team. Only problem is, Turkoglu fell off pretty bad last year. The Michael Jordan of Turkey played well in Orlando a couple seasons ago and then took his career to Toronto and nearly killed it. Let’s hope his ball control and floor spacing abilities will help the Suns out this year. Childress will offer solid perimeter defense, which the Suns lacked last year, and tremendous athletic ability. Warrick might be the new pick-and-roll favorite with Steve Nash, matching the skills of Amar’e with aggressive inside scoring and a strong short perimeter shot.

The ESPN NBA Summer Forecast has the Suns finishing 9^th in the Western Conference next year. Seems accurate with the teams in front of them and the teams behind them, though the Suns could battle the Rockets for the 8 spot. The Suns front office has had a very big shakedown with Steve Kerr leaving and Lon Babby coming in. The former player agent should be an interesting mix, though my opinion is he will not last long.

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Mike Sundvik and I recently moved to the Phoenix area via Idaho (Yeah, I said Idaho). And no, I did not live on a potato farm. I am from Boise which sports fans recognize as the home of the Boise State Broncos and their blue turf. I however attended the University of Idaho, the rival school of Boise State. I am not a fan of any particular NFL team and never have been. I am writing about the Arizona Cardinals because that is the team I will be watching this year.

Shout out: University of Idaho graduate and WR for the Arizona Cardinals #18 Max Komar. Komar is a friend of mine from Idaho who signed as an undrafted free agent. He led the Cardinals in receiving yards with 42 yards on two catches in their first pre-season game against the Houston Texans and is most remembered for his 36-yard diving catch from John Skelton to set up a Cardinal win in the 4^th quarter.

It’s a good thing too because before that game Komar was really only known falling down the stairs during the Cardinals red and white scrimmage. http://bit.ly/ctIRVB (Sorry Max, had to do it!) My only question is why didn’t XTRA Sports 910 host Mike Jurecki catch him or slow him down? What’s behind door number 1? A set of stairs. My bad, #18.

The Cardinals defeated the Texans 19-16 after trailing 16-0. Things improved in the second half when many young players stepped up to help the team rally and recover. Coach Whisenhunt was not happy with the starter’s sloppy play. On the Cardinals first offensive possession they lost 21 total yards after a 2-yard run, an 11-yard fumble and a 12-yard sack.

Quarterback Matt Leinart ended up passing 6 of 7 for 49 yards, but did not show any significant polished skill. Derek Anderson took over in the second quarter and threw two interceptions (nearly three) before leading the Cardinals to their first score on a 2-yard pass to Beanie Wells. Rookie quarterback John Skelton shined going 5/6 for 84 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side, rookie second-round draft pick out of TCU #58 Daryl Washington played an outstanding game leading the defense with 13 tackles and a fumble recovery. Washington put his speed on display and has potential to step into Karlos Dansby’s shoes.

This big concern right now is getting a stable quarterback, amping up the defense, and getting Larry Fitzgerald healthy. He is expected to be ready by week 1.

The Cardinals are in their final week of training camp in Flagstaff and play at the Tennessee Titans in their next pre-season game on Monday, August 23.