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TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizonas Ryan Lindley says hes ready for the challenge of starting in a playoff game after an at least somewhat successful performance in the regular-season finale.Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said Tuesday that Drew Stanton would have to complete at least one practice to be able to play Saturday in the wild card game at Carolina.And since Stanton had his injured knee scoped just last Wednesday, such a comeback seems improbable, even if Arians wont say so.That leaves the job to Lindley, who completed 23 of 39 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted three times in Sundays 20-17 loss at San Francisco.Guys made catches for him, Arians said. Thats what we talked about. No matter who is playing quarterback, you put it out there, somebodys got to make a play. And theyre all capable of making whatever play.Lindley wasnt on the Arizona roster this season until he was signed off the San Diego practice squad after Carson Palmer went down with a season-ending knee injury.Now hes on the brink of starting at quarterback in a playoff game for an Arizona team that released him at the end of the preseason.Asked what he would have said six weeks ago if he was told that would be the case, Lindley said, I would probably have told you that was a dream, but Im excited now that its a reality.Arians said that the players gained confidence in Lindley based on his play against San Francisco, particularly in the first half, when he threw for 260 yards.Thats as good a half of football as weve had anybody play quarterback this year, Arians said.Lindley said added preparation was the main reason he was able to play so much better than he did in a blowout loss at Seattle the previous week.I think that if you know what youre doing, you stay within the game, he said. You kind of just let it flow the way it will and you feel more comfortable.Largely because of their issues at quarterback, the Cardinals (11-5) are 5 1/2-point underdogs against the Panthers (7-8-1), who won the NFC South despite a losing record.Lindley had an NFL-record 229 pass attempts without a touchdown before he threw a 20-yarder to Michael Floyd on a flea-flicker play on Arizonas opening possession in San Francisco.It was good to get the monkey off my back a little bit, he said, but Im glad I got it out of the way in the beginning and just finished up the game and let it roll.Looking back, Lindley said, the streak without a TD was slightly bothering him.In a sense, its like, When am I finally going to get one? he said. The biggest thing this week is that I really just said, Calm down. Its going to come when it comes.The second touchdown pass also went to Floyd, who had eight catches for 159 yards in easily his best game of the season.Lindley said the San Francisco game taught him to just to go out there and have fun.Just play with confidence, he said. One thing that (quarterbacks coach) Freddie (Kitchens) told me jokingly during the game was, Its fun and easy when you know what youre doing. Its funny how simple, yet complex, the game is in the NFL. If you do everything you can to prepare, and you know what youre doing and youre confident, then you can go out there and have fun.Not many teams can succeed in the playoffs with a third-string quarterback, but Arians said thats not the way the Cardinals look at it.We dont look at it as a team with a third-string quarterback, its our starting quarterback, he said. Hes a Cardinal so wed look for the same level of efficience that wed see if Carson or Drew were out there. I think last week gave everybody, defensively and offensively, more confidence that theyre ready to go this week.Notes: The Cardinals moved their schedule up a day and will travel to Charlotte on Thursday, then have a walk-through practice on Friday. ... Inside linebacker Larry Foote proudly sported a University of Michigan T-shirt in the locker room, joking that hed picked Jim Harbaugh up at the airport the previous day.___Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Mitch Richmond Kings Jersey . The Red Wings hadnt played the night before. The Boston Bruins had. A month from now, or two months from now, it doesnt matter. But right now it does matter, when you start and you play back to back, its wear and tear on you for sure, Babcock said. 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Ellis hit an RBI single in the ninth inning, Hanley Ramirez hit a tape-measure, three-run homer in the first against Cliff Lee and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Saturday night.AUSTIN, Texas -- A day before he was scheduled to give sworn testimony about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, Lance Armstrong reached a settlement on Wednesday with an insurance company that was seeking $3 million in performance bonuses it paid him from 1999 to 2001. Nebraska-based Acceptance Insurance sued Armstrong in Texas earlier this year after he admitted he doped during a career in which he won the Tour de France seven times. Acceptance attorney Mark Kincaid and Armstrong attorney Tim Herman declined to disclose details of the settlement, but both said the case was "resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties." The settlement means Armstrong will not need to show up for a Thursday deposition in Austin, where he was expected to be asked to detail drug use throughout his career. Although Armstrong has acknowledged drug use in interviews with Oprah Winfrey and other media, he has yet to provide sworn testimony. In an interview published by Britains Daily Mail earlier this week, Armstrong said former International Cycling Union president Hein Verbruggen helped him cover up doping at the 1999 Tour de France, a charge Verbruggen dismissed as a "ridiculous story." Armstrongs statements have otherwise lacked many details anti-doping authorities want to hear. Armstrong has said he would consider taking part in international efforts to address drug use, and International Cycling Union President Brian Cookson has said hell be invited to a joint investigation between UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency. Armstrong has so far refused to provide swornn testimony to the U.ddddddddddddS. Anti-Doping Agency. It was USADAs detailed report in 2012 of drug use by Armstrongs U.S. Postal Service team that led to him being stripped of the seven Tour de France titles he won from 1999 to 2005. The agency, which also banned Armstrong from Olympic sports for life, has said the only chance to lessen the penalty is to answer questions under oath. Betsy Andreu, a key witness against Armstrong and the wife of former Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu, was frustrated that Armstrong avoided Thursdays deposition. "This gets him out of doing what he fears the most, which is going under oath," Betsy Andreu said. "He has never answered the questions in depth. Hes always skirted." Acceptance had wanted Armstrong to detail his doping back to the 1995, including who was paid for delivering performance-enhancing drugs, who determined what amount to use and administered them, and who was aware of his drug use. The insurance company also wanted information on when and how Armstrongs closest friends, advisers, ex-wife Kristin Armstrong and his business partners learned of his doping. Armstrong still faces a similar $12 million lawsuit from Dallas-based SCA Promotions company, a case that is now in arbitration. He also faces a federal whistle-blower lawsuit over his teams previous sponsorship with the U.S. Postal Service that could lead to fines in excess of $100 million. Armstrong was questioned under oath by SCA in a 2005 lawsuit, but denied doping and the case was then settled with a $7 million payment to Armstrong. ' ' '