As we continue to spin the position wheel heading into camp, we finally land on the position that everyone loves to talk about, quarterbacks. It's no secret that one of the biggest question marks on the 2008 season is who will play quarterback and how successful will they be. We've covered tight ends, wide receivers, running backs and full backs, but no position could be the difference between a top ten draft pick in 2009 or a trip to the playoffs like the quarterback position. Off the field story lines abound, but we know most of them so I'll do my best to stick to which quarterback is best for the Arizona Cardinals in 2008 and beyond.

Matt Leinart: It doesn't take a genius to look at Leinart stat lines and see that he's at the proverbial 'cross-roads' in his young career. One way to look at it is that he vastly underperformed his sophomore season after a promising rookie campaign and that he dangerously close to toeing the line of being tagged a draft bust. The other school of thought, and for the record the one that I subscribe to, is that he struggled learning a new offense, didn't handle the 'QB rotational' well and got injured before he could pull his season out of a nose dive. So what does that mean for 2008? Well basically it means that he's now had a full season to get accustomed to and become well-versed in the Whiz/Haley offense. That combined with the best offensive line to wear a Cardinals' jersey in quite a while, a dynamic group of receivers and a competent running game should give Matt every opportunity to shine in his third season. We'll likely know what we've got in Leinart several games into the season but for now I'm confident that he's not only the future, but the QB of the present as well. 

Kurt Warner: There's no doubt that Warner's play in 2007 was something that Cardinals fans don't see very often. He threw for the most touchdowns and highest QB rating since 1984 (Neil Lomax), the most yards since 2001 (Plummer) and he did it all in just 14 games (11 starts). He also led the Cardinals to their first non-losing season in ten years. So why isn't he the quarterback of the present and the future? Well, Kurt has two big blemishes on his resume right now. The first is obvious and inevitable, he's 37 years old. Rarely to teams give an older player a big contract or the 'keys' to their franchise. The second is a problem that Warner has always had, he turns the ball over at an alarming rate. As amazing as his season was in 2007, he still threw 17 interceptions and had 12 fumbles (six of which where lost). Needless to say, 23 turnovers in 14 games is reprehensible and for a team that borders on mediocrity, turnovers are often the difference between a win and a loss. To make matters worse his high turnover rate has plagued him his entire career (100 interceptions and 80 fumbles in 93 games). Warner's a very capable quarterback of leading a team to victory but he's also had plenty of maddening 'throw your beer at the TV' moments as well.

Brian St. Pierre: St. Pierre is another former Steeler who has followed Whisenhunt and Grimm to Arizona and St Pierre has the advantage of being very familiar with not only the offensive coaching staff but also the offense in general. His upside is limited though considering that he'll turn 29 during the season and hasn't appeared in an NFL game since 2004. In fact, the six year veteran has never completed a pass in a regular season game and has never really made any push to become much more than a 3rd string 'emergency QB.' Basically I'd imagine that the coaching staff views St. Pierre as a $600K insurance policy just in case something should happen to both Leinart and Warner. Other than the fact that he knows the offense though, he doesn't have much upside or potential. 

Anthony Morelli: The undrafted free agent from Penn State would certainly seem to have a long way to go to even make an NFL roster, much less make an impact. Morelli's scouting report basically says he's got the size (6'4 231), arm strength, toughness and athleticism to play but that he's also inaccurate, inconsistent and that he lacks even the most basic 'football IQ' (stares down receivers, doesn't read coverages, regularly make bad decisions). Penn State fans certainly don't sing his praises and in fact don't think much of the kid at all. Still though, it's worth mentioning that Morelli set records as a junior and broke his own records as a senior and remains the only Penn State QB in their history to post multiple 2,000 yard seasons. He also won 18 games the past two seasons, including two bowl wins and consecutive top 25 finishes. I'd imagine that he'll show enough during camp during the preseason that the coaching staff enough will keep him around on the practice squad. He's still got a lot of growing to do though and I'd imagine that even in injuries decimated the QB position, we'd hear names like Vinny Testaverde or Drew Bledsoe before they called upon Morelli.

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The play at the quarterback position will no doubt be pivotal to the Cardinals success in 2008, as it is every year. For now I'm putting my faith in Leinart but I do think that if he falters, Whiz will have a short leash and we'll see the Warner lighting it up early and often. It's not uncommon for a quarterback, or any player for that matter, to struggle in their first two seasons, especially when the have to learn an entirely new scheme. Warner is a more than capable player and could arguably be the best backup quarterback in the league. Thoughts? Have I been drinking too much 'Matt Leinart Kool-Aid' or do you still have faith in him as well? Anyone out there think Morelli is anything more than a live arm with nothing between the ears?

The Cardinals have made a consistent habit of picking up former Pittsburgh Steelers since Coach Whisenhunt moved to Arizona from the Burgh. The list includes the likes of Sean Morey, Chukky Okobi, Brian St. Pierre, Clark Haggans and Jerame Tuman among others. Their dedication to becoming the 'Steelers of the West' could be tested with the Steelers most recent cuts though. The Steelers made news over the weekend when they cut backup running back Najeh Davenport, along with three other rarely used players. Since we've looked at nearly every other free agent running back, here's a quick look at whether or not Davenport would thrive in Arizona.

Why he'd be the right guy: Make no mistake about it, Najeh Davenport is the definition of a career backup. In six NFL seasons, he's started a total of 3 regular season games (one playoff game) and hasn't ever really even pushed a starter for playing time. He's almost a 'tweener' type of back because of his mix of size (nearly 250 pounds) and his speed (had at least one 40 yard carry in 5 of 6 seasons). During the 2007 season, he flourished as the Steelers change of pace back and short yardage/goal line specialist. He ended the season with a career highs in carries (107), yards (499), rushing  touchdowns (5), receptions (18), and receiving touchdowns (2). He also contributes on special teams and was even was the Steelers top kickoff returner in 2006. All of that and he's still not 30 years old (turned 29 in February). I'll grant you that nothing he does is spectacular but just consider that the backup duo of Shipp and Arrington have combined for 179 yards in 2007 & 2006 combined.

Why he'd be square peg in this round hole: Even though Davenport would be an upgrade over either Shipp or Arrington, the problem with him coming to the desert is that his game closely resembles both Edge and Hightower. He excels when running between the tackles and has the size to get two yards when you need one, but that's also what Edge and Hightower do well. Najeh excelled in Pittsburgh because he was a complimentary change of pace back to 'Fast' Willie Parker, but that wouldn't be his role here. The Cardinals may also want to keep away from Davenport because him coming in would take snaps away from Tim Hightower and at least to this point, they sound very encouraged by his abilities. 

In the end, I doubt that the Cardinals make a serious run at Davenport, but if they did it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Signing Davenport would mean that either Shipp or Arrington would simultaneously have to be cut (which I'd be all for), but I'd want his role to be clearly defined and somewhat limited. If they brought him in I'd hope that his role would be limited to kickoff returns (partnered with Breaston) and a third down back. That wouldn't cut into Hightower's development too much and would allow the Cardinals to upgrade their running back stable. So I pose the question to you, are you interested in yet another Steeler? Would he be a good fit here and where would rank on your 'wish list' of free agent backs?

Much is often made of a team 'learning how to win' and even though I typically think that is used too often as an excuse for mediocrity, the Cardinals have been stockpiling guys from one of the most successful franchises of the past 15 years or so. It's gotten to the point where some are starting to nickname the Arizona Cardinals, the 'Steelers of the West.'

In the past two seasons Coach Whisenhunt has brought a handful of former players with him to the desert including Chukki Okobi, Keydrick Vincent, Sean Morey, Brian St. Pierre, Jerame Tuman and most recently, Clark Haggans. Three of those guys are owners of a Super Bowl ring and even though nearly every one of them isn't much more than a role player, Whisenhunt thinks that bringing in proven professionals will help mentor younger players. Not to mention they can provide some much needed playoff experience, should the Cardinals finally kick that door down. Clark Haggans is ready to bring that culture to Arizona:

"I have been fortunate to be in the playoffs a lot and I know that’s what Whiz wants here," Haggans said. "I know everyone wants that here. Mr. Bidwill wants that. The state of Arizona wants that. We’re just trying to plug in."

Tuman on the other hand is ready to help his new teammates learn the 'little things' that go into to being a perennial playoff contender:

"The thing you bring from a program that has been successful is a lot of the little things," said Tuman, a tight end in his 10th season. "The biggest thing I took away from Pittsburgh was the group of guys we had and the way we got along. When you have a group of guys who want to be here and want to work, you can get a lot of things accomplished. All the years we were good, that’s what we had."

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What does the addition of players who've been part of a winning tradition mean in the long run? Probably not a whole lot but these guys are familiar with the system and if nothing else can lead the younger players down the right path. Tuman Haggans and Morey may never start a game for the Arizona Cardinals but should the Cardinals happen to find themselves playing a game in the middle of January, they'll be there to help keep everyone focused on the prize.

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What better way to spice up an otherwise mundane organized team practice? How about a punt catching competition between the offensive and defensive linemen or a field goal kicking competition between various members of the team. Granted in September no one will care which 300 pound lineman caught the punts or which receiver or running back had the best kick, but for now Coach Whisenhunt is using every opportunity to breed not only competition but also camaraderie. Given how long the season and off season are, it's encouraging to see the team having so much fun at a relatively meaningless practice.

The Cardinals felt comfortable enough with their QB situation to pass on drafting a quarterback. The top three of the depth chart seems set with Leinart and Warner as 1 & 1a with St. Pierre a distant third. It's not uncommon though for a team to bring in an extra QB for training camp in order to keep the guys higher on the depth chart from taking too many reps. Sometimes these guys make the practice squad and sometimes they're just released. That makes me wonder how the Cardinals coaching staff feels about undrafted free agent signee, Anthony Morelli.

The former Penn State signal caller is a guy that has all the physical tools to succeed in any league. He's big (6'3 230), has decent athleticism and a strong arm that allows him to make all the throws, but the big red flag hanging from his resume is his ability to operate under pressure, read defenses and basically handle the mental aspects of playing QB in this league. The question that will face the coaching staff at the end of the season will be very clear, because every teams needs to have 3 quarterbacks somewhere on their team. The Cardinals can either keep 3 on their 53 man roster since St Pierre is not eligible for the practice squad or they can keep 2 on the active roster and Morelli on the practice squad. The problem for Morelli in that case is that he'll have to show the coaching staff quite a bit to unseat St Pierre who has a considerable amount of familiarity with the coaching staff from numerous days in Pittsburgh.

The Good: Joe Paterno called him the most talented quarterback he'd ever coached based on his superior arm strength, quick release and above average accuracy. Morelli's got a propensity for standing in the pocket and taking a hit while still remaining very durable. He's confident in his abilities and has shown he can be a leader.

The Bad: The book on Morelli's negative tendencies is everything having to do with the mental side of the game. He stares down receivers, has problems reading defenses, can't sense backside pressure well and crumbles under pressure. His confidence can also lead to problems as he forces to ball into tight areas too often and has a fumbling problem from holding onto ball to long.

Bottom Line: Every scouting report you read on Morelli is about the same and concludes something along the lines of "he could be a diamond in the rough but will need some serious development." Whether or not he sticks with the Cardinals in 2008, some team will give him a look and try and bring him along slowly. If a good quarterbacks coach can every connect his physical attributes to a solid mental game, he can be a great quarterback. Call me crazy but he reminds me of Tony Romo coming out of school, I'm not saying.......I'm just saying. Anybody see what I see or is this kid just another 'toolsy' player who doesn't have the head for the pros?

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There are always positional battles in training camp and in early May there are just too many variables to figure it all out. But we can preview the positions heading into camp.

Quarterback: The top two spots are set. Leinart would have to lose the job in camp to not be the opening day starter, but Warner is ready and waiting should Matt experience any hiccups. The spot to watch though is the #3 job. If the Cardinals chose to carry a third QB on the 53 man rosters it'll be St. Pierre (some teams carry just two). If they chose to carry only two, St Pierre would have to be released because the former Steeler has too much service time to be relegated to the practice squad. In that case, undrafted free agent rookie, Anthony Morelli would be the third QB but wouldn't count against the 53 because he'd be on the practice squad.

Running Back/Fullback: The drafting of Hightower and the projection of Castille (spent last season on the practice squad) means at least one of the current players has to go, if not two. At RB, the group includes Edge, Arrington, Shipp and Hightower. It is possible that the team could keep all four but it would be odd. Arrington offers something in the return game not to mention that he's younger (25) and cheaper than Shipp (30 years old). If the team decides to keep just three running backs, Shipp would look like the lowest on the totem pole. At fullback, Castille is a second year, undrafted free agent who's been praised by the coaching staff for bulking up in the off season. The coaching staff could have a difficult decision on their hands if it comes down to cutting veteran Terrelle Smith in favor of Castille. Smith hit 30 years old this year and he's considerably more expensive his counterpart. I'd look for Shipp and Smith to cut released before the start of the season.

Wide Reciever: We've already talked about the battle for the #3 WR job, but the competition will likely stretch all the way to the #5 job as well. The guys that stick around will have to contribute on special teams. Steve Breaston's roster spot should be safe considering he was one of the best punt returners in the league in 2007. Jerheme Urban is the most accomplished receiver outside of Fitz and Q, and he'll have to show continued improvement to keep his job. The group of Sean Morey (special teams standout), Ahmad Merritt (missed all of 2007 with injury), Jamaica Rector (speedster from Dallas), and undrafted free agent rookie, Lance Long will have to stand out above the rest in order to stick around. Obviously Fitz, Q, and Doucet's jobs are safe, so that leaves probably three other jobs among the six. Breaston will have fall on his face in order to not make the roster and Urban would have to prove he doesn't belong. That really leaves just one spot for the Morey, Merritt, Rector, and Long.

Picture via azcardinals.com

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