There's a little more swagger and a lot more pride being displayed by the Cardinals' stable of linebackers this year.

"You're dang right," outside linebacker Karlos Dansby said Wednesday. "And now we've got a championship belt on the line to keep it that way."

He isn't kidding.

It seems the linebackers, many of them new and some of them returning from injuries, have an in-house competition. When defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast told them he planned to tweak his system to allow for even more pass-rushing packages for the linebackers, they came up with a contest to reward the week-by-week sacks leader. READ MORE

Vortex's Matt Caddell first Tide player to sign free agent contract

Matt Caddell became the first University of Alabama player to sign a free agent contract in 2008 when he inked an agreement with the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. A 5-11, 185 pound wide receiver, Caddell finished his collegiate career with the Crimson Tide by turning in 475 yards on 40 catches and 2 touchdowns his senior season.  One of those touchdowns received national attention as a candidate for Pontiac’s Game Changing Performance of the year when Caddell hauled in the game winning touchdown with 8 seconds to play to give Alabama a 41-38 win over Arkansas.

In 49 career games , he had 82 receptions for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns. Caddell caught at least one pass in each of his last 10 games and had a career high in 2007 with 9 catches for 91 yards against Arkansas.

A native of McCalla, Alabama, Caddell redshirted in 2003 before starting 8 games his freshman season of 2004 and compiling 17 receptions for 331 yards and 1 touchdown. In 2005 he saw action in all 12 games for the Tide and totaled 13 receptions for 179 yards. He started 1 game his junior season and racked up 150 yards on 16 attempts.

Caddell will begin his professional career later this week when the Rams host their first Rookie Mini-Camp.