The Good News: Everyone is present and accounted for. Not only did Boldin and Dockett both show up as expected but Dockett added that he's ready to focus on football instead of his desire for a new contract. Boldin didn't meet with the media but he's expected to talk tomorrow. The other good news is that Leonard Pope and Adrian Wilson shouldn't be limited in camp.

The Bad News: The injury situation is a litlte worse that orginally anticipated. Gabe Watson's knee isn't ready to go yet but we all knew he'd be limited. He currently weighs 323, the smallest amount he's weighed since his junior year in high school, and appears to be in great shape. He's kept the weight off with a small amount of running but mostly by biking, swimming and walking. His knee though is quite a way from being 100% though and Coach Whiz even said that it would be 'tight' to get him many practice reps in training camp. Linebacker, Monty Beisel had surgery on his ailing back and will miss a couple of weeks. At one point in the past couple of weeks he had problems even sitting down but overall the injury isn't considered serious and he should be fully recovered in a couple of weeks. The other injury is undrafted free agent, Keilen Dykes. He's pulled a quad earlier and will be limited for a short amount of time. For a UDFA though a couple of practices could be the difference between the practice squad and an outright release.

Remember that the conditioning test is tomorrow and I'll update as soon as I can.

The meat and potatoes of any defense is it's linebackers and most importantly the middle linebacker(s). They're expected to lead the team in tackles and be an overall leader for the defense. The Cardinals have two experienced tackling machines in the middle of their defense and the depth behind the starters should be enough to keep everyone fresh and quell any panic that should arise if a starter goes down for a game or two. This unit could have the least amount of question marks of the entire defense but are they strong enough to cover the deficiencies in other areas?

Karlos Dansby: Dansby's been a starter since his rookie season and he's gotten better every season even though he's yet to play a full 16 games. It's not a stretch to say that his best football is still ahead of him though. Everyone knows his contract status and how that should motivate him this season. Anything short of a career year would have to be judged as a disappoint. He won't top the eight sacks that he had in 2006 but he should be able to easily top 120 tackles and pick up a handful of sacks. He may not be a Pro Bowl caliber player but he's a balanced player who plays equally well against the run and pass. 

Gerald Hayes: The outside linbackers get the love and Dansby gets the pub but Hayes is the only Cardinal who had 90 tackles in each of the past two seasons. He's not flashy or dynamic but he's been consistent and reliable in his two seasons as a starter. He's a take-down tackler and excels at stopping the run and is developing as a pass rushers. As long as he's healthy you can pencil Hayes in for another season of nearly 100 tackles, a handful of sacks and a play or two that changes a game (first Seattle game). The best thing is that he's still young (27) and, like Dansby, is still getting better. He's under contract through 2011 and the Cardinals will get the best out him throughout his prime.

Monty Beisel: Beisel's the top backup and he's got plenty of experience to get the job done if the Cardinals need a spot-starter for a game or two. He's never started a full season but he's started nearly 20 games over the past four seasons and averaged nearly six tackles a start. He totaled 42 tackles in 2007 despite only starting two games and is a valuable special teams player. He's a solid tackler who is better against the run and he's at his best when running 'down hill' to the ball carrier. Beisel's entering the final year of his current contract and should be motivated to prove to the team that he'll remain a productive player into his early thirties (turns 30 next month).

Matt Stewart: Stewart signed a one year deal in the offseason and comes to the Cardinals with 60 games of starting experience with the Browns and Falcons. He's not the biggest or most athletic player in the league but he's got a great work ethic, awareness and instincts. His strength is dropping back in coverage and could see most of his playing time on passing downs. He'll get his share of time on special teams coverage units as well.

Ali Highsmith: The deck is always stacked against an undrafted free agent and while that's the case with Highsmith, there is still a chance that he could win a roster spot. If he can learn both the inside and outside backer spots, he'd have a better chance of making the team out of camp. The biggest knock on him has been his lack of both height (just under 6'0) and size (230) and he's already put on some weight from playing days (223) at LSU. He's an instinctive player though who plays faster than his forty time (4.7) would indicate. It'll be a while before we know if he can shed blocks at the professional level but for now he should be able to star on special teams.

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The Cardinals don't have a superstar at inside linebacker but they do have a talented, experienced, deep group of guys who can shut down the run and defend the pass. Their all decently young and it wouldn't be a surprise if Dansby and Hayes had career years and led a surprisingly good defensive front seven. Beisel and Stewart should star on special teams and Highsmith will open some eyes during camp.

Since the Arizona Cardinals have several players who want new deals, I thought it would be a good idea to look ahead to the 2009 offseason to see just how much work the front office will have in front of them.

Kurt Warner - As we've already mentioned, the team is already working on an extension. It's reportedly to be a two year extension, which isn't too bad as long as the cap number isn't too exorbitant.

JJ Arrington - He's never lived up to his second round draft status and with the emergence of Steve Breaston on kickoff returns, his role was reduced in 2007. As a running back he's pedestrian at best with less than 1,000 combined yards in three seasons and a career yards per carry of 3.1. Arrington's is still young, but he's not anything more than a situational role player who can contribute on special teams.

Tim Castille - If he does end up beating out Terrelle Smith for the starting fullback job, he'll likely get an extension sometime during the season. Since he's was undrafted out of Alabama, he'll be cheap and he's a restricted free agent anyways.

Terrelle Smith - Smith's day in Arizona are likely numbered. Teams rarely carry two fullbacks and Castille seems to have a leg up in the early competition. If Smith does make it through camp without being cut, it will certainly be his final season in the desert.

Ahmad Merritt - Merritt signed a one year deal since he was restricted free agent heading into this offseason. He turned 31 earlier this year and hasn't had a reception in the NFL since 2003, but Merritt has stuck around because he's a decent special teams player. I can't imagine they'd resign him again after this season. At some point a 32 year old special teams player seems like a waste.

Ben Patrick -The seventh round pick just one season ago ended up starting several games at the end of the year and he'll only be a restricted free agent. He'll be back in 2009, even it's only on a one year deal.

Leonard Pope - The incumbent starter at tight end, will be a restricted free agent if he isn't extended before the end of the season. Pope still has some areas of his game that need improvement, most importantly blocking, but the Cardinals finally utilized his size in the red zone in 2007 and this season should see an expansion of his role in the passing game.

Elton Brown - He's been an admirable backup (14 starts in 3 season) since being a 4th round pick out of Virginia. Whether or not he returns depends on several things: do the Cardinals view him as a future starter and is Brown willing to wait until a spot opens up?

Lyle Sendlein - The previously undrafted free agent will be an exclusive rights free agent after 2008, so he'll be back in 2009. The backup center made two starts in 2007.

Bertrand Berry - Berry restructured his contract in order to give the Cardinals some cap relief and lessen the chance of being cut. The 32 year old is trying to play his first full season since 2003 when he had 14.5 sacks. At his age it'll be interesting to see if there's a market for his services after this season.

Antonio Smith - Smith should be a big name in the free agent market after this season. He had his best season as a pro in 2007 totaling over 40 tackles and 5.5 sacks in his first season as a starter. I can't imagine that he's in the Cardinals future plans considering that they drafted Campbell in the second and another DE in the fourth round.

Clark Haggans - The former Steeler signed a one year contract this offseason but he'll be 32 after this season. He should provide some veteran depth but I wouldn't think that they'd be very interested in bringing him back next season.

Monty Beisel -  Beisel's a decent backup linebacker who's performed well in spot starts but his age may be the biggest factor in him not being brought back after this season. He'll be 31 before the start of the 2009 season.

Karlos Dansby - The man playing for big money this season is Dansby. He was franchised this offseason and as much as the Cardinals have tried to work out a long term deal, he seems content with testing the market. He's in his prime and I'd expect nothing less than his best season as a pro in the expectations of breaking the bank.

Eric Green -  This is quite possibly a make or break season for the fourth year pro. Green struggled in his first season as a starter and if he's beaten out early in the season by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie it'll be interesting to see if how the rest of the NFL sees him. I'm still wondering if he'd be a decent nickel back, but I'm not sure he'd accept a backup role.

Obviously it looks like the biggest question marks next offseason will be on the defensive side of the ball. Is there any way that Dansby can be signed to a long term deal? Will Campbell be ready to step in at defensive end position or will the Cards have to franchise Smith? Replacing Dansby, if a deal can't be worked out, could be the biggest problem facing the next season, but there are some concerns about depth at running back and outside linebacker. So what concerns you the most about next offseason and who would you most like to see resigned?

No major surprises here as Anquan Boldin and Darnell Dockett were among the notable absences from today's opening day of organized team activities. Neither was really expected to show since they've both voiced complaints about their contract situation. Chike Okeafor was also absent but, according to Coach Whisenhunt, his absence was for a personal matter, of which the staff knew about ahead of time. Whis was very careful to throw the key word voluntary into his statement about Q and Dockett, even though everyone knows that every player if fully expected to be in attendance.

"I'm excited about the guys who are, (here)," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "I would be less than honest if I said if I wasn't disappointed that Anquan and Darnell weren't here. But once again, these are voluntary."

Of the players who were in attendance receiver Jerheme Urban (right foot), safety Adrian Wilson (heel), linebacker Monty Beisel (back), tight end Leonard Pope (ankle),  cornerback DeMario Minter (sports hernia), DE/OLB Bertrand Berry (triceps), and center Al Johnson (knee) did not practice. The only real surprise of the group is Johnson who recently had surgery to clear up some pain and swelling that he experienced during the off season. He will likely not practice during OTAs but should be back to 100% by training camp. Johnson's absence isn't a monumental loss in OTAs considering offensive and defensive linemen can't do much more than learn the play book since contact is prohibited.

Perhaps the surprise of the first day was that Edgerrin James was actually in attendance. He said that he's planning to attend the first and third weeks of organized team activities (there are four total).

Last week we looked at the offensive depth chart and potential positional battles. The defensive side of the ball has far more question marks than the offense though. The Cardinals employed a 'hybrid 3-4' defense in 2007 and it should become a bigger part of the base defense in 2008. The big question though is what does the transition mean to the players that are currently here? Normally a team will go through a one or two year transition period in which they start adding players that fit the new scheme. The Cardinals seem to be doing that when you look at their free agent additions and draft picks. Their additions include, Clark Haggans former Titan defensive end, Travis LaBoy, Calais Campbell (2nd round) Kenny Iwebema (4th round), (6'4 267) and Chris Harrington (6th round). Here's how the front seven currently looks in a 3-4:

Defensive Line: The cornerstone of every successful 3-4 defense is a wide-bodied nose tackle who is stout against the run and can consume multiple blockers. The Cardinals have two young, promising guys who fit that role very well in 24 year old, Gabe Watson (6'3 332) and 23 year old, Alan Branch (6'5 332). With fire plugs like these two and a successful rotation, these two should be able to clog up the middle of the field. At defensive end the left side is a lock with Pro Bowler and former defensive tackle Darnell Dockett sliding over. He's young (26) and has the right size (6'4 285) and athleticism to excel on the outside (9 sacks in 2007). The other end should be in place this year with 26 year old, Antonio Smith (6'4 282). He's only on a one year deal though so the drafting of Campbell could signal that Smith needs use this season to raise his free agent value. They also have former Bengal Bryan Robinson (6'4 304). Robinson is a veteran player (33) that can play anywhere on the line and can be a solid member of the rotation, but will need limited snaps to be effective. The remainder of depth should come from rookies, Campbell and Iwebema.

Outside Line Backers: This group will be responsible for pressuring the quarterback and they again should have plenty of depth to keep everyone fresh. They have four guys with starting experience competing for two spots in Bertrand Berry (6' 264), Chike Okeafor (6'5 265), Clark Haggans (6'4 243), and Travis LaBoy (6'3 260). Berry's a very good player when he's healthy but he missed 21 games the past three seasons and he's in the final year of his current contract. At 32 years old and a $2 million dollar price tag, he'll have to prove he's healthy and can be productive in a switch from DE to OLB in order to make an impact on the team. Okeafor (32), another veteran DE who'll be moved to outside line backer, is a dynamic pass rusher who's averaged over 7.5 sacks the past six seasons, not counting 2007 when he missed the entire season due to an injury in preseason. Haggans is the only true outside linebacker of the bunch and yet another former Steeler on the roster. Haggans (31) has been a starter for the past four seasons and has averaged over 50 tackles and 6 sacks a season during that span. He's better when his snaps are limited so the depth around him will be key. Free agent signee, Travis LaBoy is the future of this group (26 years old) and another defensive end who'll be making a transition to outside linebacker. LaBoy had a a breakout season in 2007 when he recorded 6 sacks despite not starting a single game. Harrington will compete for a roster spot but could up on the practice squad so that he'll have a year to adjust to the position change.

Inside Line Backer: The starting inside linebackers are as close to set in stone as they can be in mid-May with Gerald Hayes (6'1 249) and Karlos Dansby (6'4 250). Hayes (27) is coming off his second solid season as a starter and despite not being a dynamic player, he could register his first 100 tackle season of his career in 2008. Dansby (26) is as close to a star as there is in this linebacking core. He's recorded over 20 sacks and over 300 tackles during his first four seasons and 2007 was his best year to date. The franchise tag kept him in Arizona for one more season, but make no mistake about it, he's playing for a pay day after the season. Behind them are veterans Monty Beisel (6'3 240) and Matt Stewart (6'3 239), both of whom are under 30 years old and have starting experience. Also keep an eye out for undrafted free agent signee Ali Highsmith. It was a surprise that he wasn't drafted but his non-stop motor should keep in the running for a roster spot.

Looking back at this front seven, I come to this conclusion: If the outside linebackers can assimilate their new positions, this unit can be really good. The defensive line should be able to stuff the run and they have some dynamic pass rushers to pressure the quarterback. Hayes and Dansby have the experience and ability to make plays all over field. If the foursome of Berry, Okeafor, Haggans, and LaBoy can put pressure on the quarterback and do a decent job in pass coverage, they'd go a long way to helping out a secondary that really struggled in 2007. Anyone else see this kind of potential or have I been drinking too much Red Kool-Aid?