TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona Cardinals have taken another big injury hit, but it could have been worse.Coach Bruce Arians said Friday that quarterback Drew Stanton will not require surgery on his injured right knee.We feel he definitely has a chance to be back this season, the coach said. We just dont know when.Asked if there was any chance Stanton could play in the next game, a crucial NFC West showdown against Seattle on Dec. 21, Arians said, I wouldnt put it past him but I would be surprised.He would not specify what the injury is but multiple reports said Stanton has a sprained knee.Arians said he hasnt decided whether Ryan Lindley or rookie Logan Thomas would start in Stantons place.Ill just sit down and think about which one I want, Arians said.Lindley finished the game after Stanton was hurt in the third quarter of Thursday nights 12-6 win at St. Louis, a victory that virtually guaranteed Arizona a spot in the playoffs.Lindley, the fourth quarterback to play for the Cardinals this season, was the No. 3 quarterback for Arizona last season but was released in favour of Thomas at the end of this preseason. The Cardinals signed him off the San Diego practice squad after starter Carson Palmer went down with a season-ending knee injury, also against the Rams, on Nov. 9.Arians said Lindley had the poise and confidence I knew he would have after he went in against St. Louis.They had some exotic blitzes, Arians said. He was on top of his protections and his hots and sights. ... If Logan had gone in, he would have got some stuff hed never seen before. Ryan, I knew, would handle that part of it better.Stanton, who had not taken a regular-season snap in four years before this season, is 5-3 as a starter in relief of Palmer.Arizona was leading 9-3 Thursday night when Stanton was sacked and stayed on the ground in pain. He hopped off the field on his left leg and, a short time later, was carted away, getting a high-five from Lindley as he left.Arizona has the best record in the NFL and would have the No. 1 seed in the NFC by winning out because the Cardinals have a better conference record than Green Bay (10-3). The Cardinals, who hadnt won 11 games in a season since 1975, have assured themselves a playoff spot except in the highly unlikely even that Sundays Dallas-Philadelphia game ends in a tie.They have succeeded despite injuries that have knocked out some of their best players — such as defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, outside linebacker John Abraham and, most recently, running back Andre Ellington — for the season and sidelined others for a few games, among them wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, defensive end Calais Campbell and safety Tyrann Mathieu.The prospect of sending Lindley or Thomas against the fierce defence of surging Seattle is an ominous one, and it looks to be a supremely significant game.If the Seahawks win at home against San Francisco on Sunday, they will be 10-4 and a game behind Arizona. If Seattle then beats Arizona, there would be a tie atop the NFC West with a game to play and the Seahawks would hold the tiebreaker by virtue of two wins over the Cardinals.Arizonas hopes would seem to ride on its strong defence and its recently improved running game.Right now thats us, Arians said. Weve got to run the football. Weve set a nice little pattern. This is going to be a great challenge because these guys are very good against the run and always have been. I think the biggest thing is not turning it over, and our defence continues to take it away. Thats going to be our recipe for success.The coach said that whichever quarterback plays, its just a matter of having him comfortable.Whether its 10 plays or 50 plays, the menu doesnt have to be that large, Arians said, as long as he understands where the ball should go and why it should go there.Arians knows his team will be an underdog against Seattle. But the Cardinals are 7-0 at home, and this team has defied forecasts of doom before.I dont think theres a doubt in anybodys mind in that locker room, Arians said, that we can win every game.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Vans Store Near Me . - Dominika Cibulkova erased three match points in the second set Wednesday and beat Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open. Vans Old Skool Black Sale . JOHNS, N. http://www.vanssalestore.com/ . Jurrjens signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati in May, and was 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA at Triple-A Louisville. He has a 53-37 record with a 3.63 ERA in seven major league seasons, including five with Atlanta. Vans Slip On Clearance . Then he got back at the team that released him five days before the start of last season, hitting a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning of the first game at Fenway Park since Boston won the World Series last October. Vans Shoes Sale . "Im very pleased to be able to add a quarterback with Adrians experience and skill set," Calgary head coach and general manager John Hufnagel said in a statement.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss Russias mens hockey team, the ineptitude of the IOC handling the Nicklas Backstrom situation, John Tortorellas many apologies, and Canadas strong showing in curling. Bruce Arthur, National Post My thumb is down to Russias national mens hockey program, which is still making reverberations a week after Sochi. After falling in the quarter-finals for the second straight Olympics, Russias NHL stars came back angry. As Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin were unhappy for many reasons, but most of all resented the programs bias towards KHL players, which greatly distorted playing time, pairings, strategy, and felt like a punishment to Russian stars who dont play at home. Russia was one of the worlds great hockey powers, and a worthy rival to Canada; now its a mess, riven by petty rivalries. Its a shame, really. The Russians havent won a best-on-best tournament since the 1981 Canada Cup, and somehow they feel further away than ever. Steve Simmons, SUN Media My thumb is down to the International Olympic Committee for the mess it made of the Nicklas Backstrom gold medal game allergy pill fiasco. As a member of Swedens hockey delegation said, the IOC destroyed one of the greatest days in Olympic hockey history for the country. Backstrom, who did test positive for pseudo-ephedrine, didnt disagree with that assessment. The IOC first tested Backstrom last Wednesday. In the three days that followed, they never did do a second test. The Swedish team was not informed of Backstroms status until two hours before game time. Now dont get me wrong, the Swedes could have had Nicklas Baackstrom, Ralph Backstrom, and all the Backstroms you can name available for the gold medal game and the result wouldnt have been different.dddddddddddd What they didnt need was an unnecessary disruption, born of IOC ineptitude. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated My thumb is down to John Tortorella, not for his most recent apology but for the continual need to apologize. This time, the Canucks coach launched into a mea culpa after saying he favored Sweden in the Sochi final because he wanted his Swedish Olympians - Daniel Sedin and Alex Edler - to return with smiles on their faces. Tortorella wears blinders. Professionally, he sees the small picture, nothing beyond his team. Belatedly, of course, he grasped context - Vancouver … Canada. So four weeks after apologizing for losing his mind between periods against Calgary, he again was at a microphone wearing a hair shirt and a tight expression. Thats Tortorella, the never-ending sorry. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is up to the excellence shown by Canadas Gold-medalists in curling - Jennifer Jones and her rink from Winnipeg and Brad Jacobs and his rink from Sault Ste. Marie. We used to take for granted Canadas worldwide dominance in curling, and then we didnt, because as good as the Canadians continued to be, several other countries showed they were capable of winning world titles. Not that Jones and Jacobs allow Canada to rest on its laurels, but the Sochi results were very impressive, and hows this for proof of Canadas wealth of curling talent - the Brier is underway in Kamloops and the field is strong with Jeff Stoughton, Kevin Koe, John Morris, and Brad Gushue. And imagine talking about a strong field that doesnt include Jacobs, Glenn Howard and Kevin Martin. ' ' '