The Cardinals could finish off with the preseason with a win as the Broncos stormed back with 18 points in the fourth quarter, but the silver lining to this preseason loss is that the team got through the preseason with no major injuries. There were a big scare though when starting left tackle went down hard favoring a knee and at first it didn't look good at all. He was able to get up and walk off the field though and amazingly, only missed two plays. The only injury of any concern sustained last night was a sprained ankle to Alan Branch, who looked very good before going down. With the preseason coming to an end and roster cuts looming (by 4pm EST today), here's a quick look at some positives from the game:

• Matt Leinart looked really good. I don't know if he made up for last week's performance but if Whisenhunt was on the fence going into the game, his decision only got tougher. Matt led two scoring drives and ended up 10 of 14 for 177 and a touchdown.
• JJ Arrington continues to impress. He's finally running with some authority and if he keeps this up he could end up pushing Edge and Hightower for a handful of carries a game.
• I continue to be impressed by how well the young players are playing. Guys like Calais Campbell, Kenny Iwebema, Lance Long and Elliot Vallejo all had great games. Campbell and Iwebema got quite a bit of playing time and they handled the rush as well as the pass. Lance Long finally got significant snaps in a game and the little man hauled in four passes for 48 yards. I really tried to zero in on Vallejo while he was on the field and I continue to like what I see in him. Granted he wasn't playing against anyone of note but he stands out when he's with the second group.
• When was the last time you watched an entire Cardinals game and only saw two flags against the Cards? Well that was the case last night as they only got flagged twice for 15 yards. It's too early to tell if this is a trend or an abberation but for one night it was good to see.

Obviously you cant' have a loss without some negatives though:

• Five turnovers is a killer no matter who you're playing. For the second consecutive game, Hightower had a fumble and this time the Cardinals didn't recover. Matt and Steve Blaylark also chipped in with fumbles but the real buzz-kill was two interceptions by Anthony Morelli. One of the picks was returned for a touchdown and sealed the loss.

That's all I've really got right now. What did you guys see and did anyone's performance win them a job or roster spot?

The first round of cuts is less than a week away and in ten days the rosters will be trimmed all the way down to the final 53 players. With that in mind here's a look at some of the 'bubble' players and how whether they've helped or hurt they're chances of making the team:

Ali Highsmith: The undrafted rookie has played very well through to this point and he's proving that his forty time at the combine was more of a farce than an inability to play this game. He's got nine tackles through two games and it seems like no matter where the play ends up, he's around the ball. An even better indication that he'll have a chance to stick has been his prowess on special teams. He'll have to continue to impress because of the depth at inside line backer.

Michael Adams: The second year pro has looked much better than last year. Adams is vastly undersized but he makes up for his lack of stature with pure determination. He's been a terror on special teams, especially as a gunner on the punt team. He just missed out a "pick-six" against the Chiefs when he read a route perfectly but let an easy pick bounce off of his hands. He might not ever become a solid backup corner back but right now he's an asset on special teams and his coverage skills have improved.

Joe Tafoya: Tafoya's entering his seventh season and his biggest problem is that he doesn't fit into the new 'hybrid 3-4' defense that Clancy Pendergast is running. That hasn't stopped Tafoya from recording a sack in both preseason games and racking up seven tackles. In the end, he's still likely to get caught in a numbers game at defensive end but he's making a solid case for the team to find room for him somewhere.

J.J. Arrington: Everyone's favorite whipping boy has shown a new drive this year, that frankly I haven't seen from him before. He's not only running with the speed and quickness that he's always had, but he's also showing some new toughness. He hasn't gotten any extensive snaps in the regular offense but when he does have the ball he doesn't seem to be shying away from contact as in years past. He likely still won't live up to his second round draft status but at least through two games, he looks like a guy that can help this team win.

Jerheme Urban: If the regular season started today, Urban would be the number five receiver, if not the number four. He's certainly outperformed the likes of Morey and Rector and if Doucet can't get healthy he might just slip into the number four slot. Urban has kept the momentum going from last season and he's shown the ability to fill in as a kick returner.

Sean Morey: Morey's a 'Whiz guy' and he's made a career out of being a standout on special teams. So far though he's yet to record a single tackle on the coverage units and his two catches for ten yards won't be enough to keep him from getting cut. I'm sure that Whiz will give him every chance to make the squad he really needs to make an impact on special teams in the next two games because he's not much of a receiver.

Jamaica Rector: Rector had a pretty good opening game against the Saints (4 receptions for 34 yards), but he looked completely lost and overwhelmed against the Chiefs. He had a drop and was the cause of confusion when he went in motion before a play causing the team to take a timeout. There was some hope that Rector's speed could become an asset for a Cardinals offense that lacks 'game-changing speed' but so far he hasn't shown any signs of becoming a consistent player.

Anthony Morelli: Morrelli hasn't gotten many snaps so far but when he dropped back to pass against the Saints it was obvious that he didn't have what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. He lacks the ability to feel pressure or the ability to get rid of the ball quickly. He might not get any snaps this week but if he survives the initial cuts, he could see much more playing time in the final preseason game. The best case scenario for him is the practice squad but he needs to play better.

Monty Beisel: Beisel's slide isn't related to his play on the field because he hasn't been able to get on the field yet. He finally returned to practice this week, on a limited basis, and it's not clear whether or not he'll play against the Raiders. He's a solid veteran backup but the competition at inside linebacker is fierce and he'll have to prove that he's healthy before opening day.

The Cardinals got off to a slow start yesterday but exploded for 14 points in the third quarter to get their first win of the Ken Whisenhunt era. Here's a quick summary of the game according to various reports.

The Good

Travis LaBoy and Defensive Pressure - LaBoy led the team in tackles and added two sacks. Considering that he backs up Bertrand Berry who didn't record a single tackle, LaBoy could be making a serious push for the starting job. Also picking up a sack for the second week in a row was Joe Tafoya. He was considered a 'bubble guy' coming in but if he continues to make plays, they might have to find a spot for him. Clark Haggans also picked up his first sack as a Cardinal.

Penalties - After last weeks performance (6 for 52) the coaching staff has to be pleased with just three penalties for 20 yards. The penalties consisted of a two offsides/neutral zone infractions and a holding. The only penalty that was committed by a starter was an offside penalty by Calais Campbell, who was starting in place of Darnell Dockett.

Quarterback Play - Warner got the start and eventually overcame a slow start (2 incompletions on the first drive) to finish with solid numbers (6 of 9 for 54 yards). He looked a little rusty but shook it off and led the Cardinals to their first touchdown. Leinart would take over on the third offensive series and would almost be picked off on his third pass attempt but a challenge flag overturned the call. He'd continue his slow start for the rest of the first half and his three series of the first half would end up totaling just two of six passing for 13 yards. He'd come out of halftime on fire though (5 of 5 for 49 yards) and his only drive would end in the first passing touchdown of the preseason. St. Pierre and Morelli would play the rest of the game without throwing an incompletion (5 for 5) and St. Pierre would add a TD.

JJ Arrington & Tim Castille - Arrington didn't do a whole lot for the offensive unit with just 18 total yards (13 rushing and 5 receiving) but his 78 yard kickoff return in the 3rd quarter set up the offense with great field position. The beneficiary of Arrington's kickoff return was Tim Castille who would catch the first pass after the return and take in 24 yards in the endzone.

Dennis Keyes - Keyes put the nail in the Chiefs coffin last night.  With Kansas City driving deep into Cardinal territory in the fourth, looking to pull within a score, Keyes picked off a Tyler Thigpen pass and returned it 84 yards for a touchdown.

The Bad

Running Game - The running game never really got going last night. Edge fumbled his first attempt, although it was recovered by Lyle Sendlein, and he'd end up carrying three times on the next drive for 20 yards before giving way to Tim Hightower. Hightower would score the first touchdown of the game from four yards out but his final numbers wouldn't look great (9 carries for 28 yards). The Cardinals as a whole finished up with 76 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.6 yards per carry), but with the lack of depth in the offensive line it's not surprising that the running game struggles once the starters leave the game.

Run Defense - We knew that the front seven would get tested more this week and the results weren't overly promising. They got off to a decent start against Larry Johnson (7 carries for 19 yards on the first three drives), but on the fourth offensive drive for the Chiefs the running game took off with eight carries for 57 yards. The final rushing numbers for the first half, not including the Chiefs' backup QB who scrambled all over the defense, was 76 yards on 15 carries (5.06 avg).

Kickoff Coverage - For the second week in a row the kickoff coverage units allowed the opposing returners to run wild. Last week against the Saints they allowed five returns for 111 yards and this week the Chiefs racked up 139 yards on four returns (34.8 avg). The average starting field position for the Chiefs after a kick off was their own 32 yard line.

The Ugly

Special Teams - Any time a team can say that they missed an extra point and kicked a kickoff out of bounds, they're certainly not bragging. Rackers had a poor game although punter/holder Dirk Johnson said that a bad hold caused the missed extra point. Johnson had a decent game punting though and ended up with a 47.7 yard average and a net average of 41.3. He could have been even better had two punts not gone out of bounds at the 30 yard line. 

We've broken down the first and second half of the loss to the Saints but you may be asking, what about individual players? Well here's who stood up and had a good game and who stood out as having a sub-par game, in my opinion. The players aren't listed in any particular order other than the order that they popped into my head. Disclaimer: I re-watched the first half after the game last night but couldn't force myself to sit through the second half again. So if I say something about a guy who played predominately in the second half that you don't agree with, feel free to jump in and correct me if you didn't see it the same way.

-----------------------------Players Who Stood Up:-----------------------------

Matt Leinart: I have to start with Matt because I thought he had a really good game. Granted he only threw eight passes and took mostly checkdowns, but I thought he looked patient in the pocket and was comfortable enough to take a short gain instead of holding onto the ball and trying to force something or taking a sack. I've heard some people downplay his performance because he 'just threw short passes' but such a big part of the game is putting the ball in the hands of  your playmakers so that they can make plays. His yards per attempt was an amazing 11.4 and it's worth pointing out that no quarterback has broken ten yards per attempt since 1954.

Tim Hightower: What can I say the kid, other than he looked pretty good. He ran between the tackles with authority and showed a nice burst to the outside on his touchdown run. He showed good vision on a couple of cutbacks and does a good job keeping his feet under him when he runs so that he can make quick cuts. He whiffed at a blitzer in pass protection allowing a sack on St. Pierre. His pass protection will need some work but he didn't do anything last night to take the shine off his impressive training camp.

Terrelle Smith: Smith is supposed to be the blocking fullback who can't contribute in other areas but he made a nice adjustment on a pass above his numbers and turned the short pass into a 15 yard gain. Smith is in a battle with Tim Castille for the starting fullback job but if can contribute a play or two a game like that he just might hold onto the job for another season.

Steve Breaston: Breaston certainly made the reports of his progression ring true with his performance. He looked quick and elusive with the ball in his hands and he showed some feisty-ness by getting in a shoving match with Aaron Glenn after a short reception. His 34 yard reception on a shallow crossing route was a promising sign of things to come. Only time will tell if he develops into a complete receiver but he seems capable becoming a weapon out of the slot.

Ali Highsmith: Highsmith not only led the team in tackles and caused a fumble but
he was all over the field. He showed some toughness during the goal line stand and also was decent in pass coverage. He's up against a lot of depth at linebacker but if he continues to perform like this, they'll be forced to find a spot for him on this roster.

Rookie Defensive Ends: Calais Campbell and Kenny Iwebema combined for six tackles and a sack. Iwebema showed some decent agility avoiding a cut block to bring down Brunell for his sack. Campbell's four tackles included two for no gain and one tackle for loss. Iwebema also added a special teams tackle.

Safeties: Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson both showed up with big plays during their limited playing time. Rolle had one of the bigger hits during the game with a hard shot to tight end Mark Campbell and he weaved through some traffic to make a nice tackle on a screen pass. Wilson's one tackle in limited playing time was to drop Reggie Bush for a one yard loss on the first drive of the game.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: There's no way that this list couldn't include DRC. He didn't have a pick or a pass defense but he did have the biggest hits in the game when he flattened Mark Campbell. Campbell held onto the pass but had to be helped off the field.

-----------------------------Players Who Stood Out-----------------------------

Alan Branch: A "flickering light" as described by Coach Whisenhunt, looked completely off last night. Somehow he still managed two tackles but for the most part he looked like very lackadaisical. He, at times, seemed quite content just standing up and leaning against whichever blocker engaged him. It's way to early to write him off but if you watch him closely, you can see why the coaching staff is down on him right now.

J.J. Arrington: Arrington didn't really have a bad game, especially by his standards, but he didn't do anything in my opinion to prove that deserves to play ahead of Tim Hightower. He still can't break a tackle and his just isn't the dynamic force out the backfield that you'd expect for a guy with his speed. Now that I think about it, he might be best described as a "poor-mans" Reggie Bush.

Aaron Francisco: Francisco had a rough game and one of the most visible Cardinals who struggled. He was the point man on two deep passes and was also the closest defender on the first touchdown scored by the Saints. He had trouble adjusting to the ball in air, but he'll have better games because he's a better player than he showed last night.

Brian St. Pierre: St. Pierre started out decent and at halftime had a decent line of 6 of 8 for 46 yards but after halftime he really struggled He would go 6 of 10 for just 28 yards in the second half. He knows Whisenhunt's system but that's about all he brings to the table. He's an average to below average athlete and his arm strength and accuracy are not anything to get excited about. Hopefully he'll spend another season the sidelines wearing a baseball cap and collecting a paycheck.

Sean Morey: He only had one catch for five yards so it's hard to pick his game apart but for that four or five seconds that he had the ball in his hands, I was pretty unimpressed. In fact, I thought it was a tight end running with the ball at first. I know he makes his living on special teams but if Rector and Urban continue to stand out, he could be on the outside looking in.

Anthony Morelli: He only played two series at the end of the game but it was pretty clear that he doesn't have the mental part of the game down. He wasn't able to dial back his big arm on a dump off pass to Baylark and he doesn't have a sense of when to get rid of the ball. These are things that we already knew but it'll be interesting if he's able to get any better over the next four weeks.

Tight Ends: I was hoping that both tight ends would come out and have really good games considering that they're both fighting to be the starter, but they both disappointed. Pope jumped offsides on the touchdown drive and his only catch was Leinart's first pass, a one yard dump off pass. Patrick had a better game when you compare the two but he dropped a short pass from St. Pierre at the start of the second half. His one reception did go for 16 yards though. They'll both have better games considering that Pope is still trying to get back to 100% and Patrick is still fine tuning his craft.

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So what do you guys think? Agree/Disagree? Who else stood up or out to you guys?

We covered the first half earlier today and while it wasn't amazing, there were plenty of areas that should give fans some hope. The Cardinals come out of the lockerroom with a 10-7 lead and for the most part, they're down to third team players and a good deal of these players are fighting for a roster spot instead of playing time. Here's a look at the second half action and we'll look at the who excelled and who struggled later this afternoon.

3rd Quarter:

  Cards 5th Drive: The Cardinals got the ball coming out of halftime and get a decent return from Jerheme Urban (23 yards) but they wouldn't keep it very long. A quick three-and-out would consist of a six yard run by Arrington, a drop by Ben Patrick and a one yard pass from St. Pierre to Rector.

Saints 5th Drive: The Saints offense got off to a fast start in the second half with the combination of Aaron Stecker running and Mark Brunell throwing. Stecker gained 37 yards on 6 carries and a touchdown on the drive but he also fumbled when Ali Highsmith wrapped him up (the Saints recovered obviously). Brunell only threw three passes but they were all complete and went for 29 yards. The highlight of the series though would be Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie lighting up tight end Mark Campbell. Campbell held onto the pass but had to be helped off the field.

Cards 6th Drive: The Cardinals would come out and have their second consecutive three-and-out series. Pierre would complete the first down pass for six yards and Arrington would pick up two more on second down but a third down incompletion would lead to another punt.

Saints 6th Drive: The Saints would bring in their 3rd string QB, Tyler Palko, and he'd lead the Saints to another three points. The big play of the drive was another long pass that Aaron Francisco couldn't stop Adrian Arrington from bringing down for a 33 yard gain. Calais Campbell was also flagged for 15 yard, roughing the passer, penalty but Joe Tafoya stalled the Saints drive when he sacked Palko for a 10 yard loss. 

Cards 7th Drive: First downs were hard to come by for the Cardinals in the second half but St. Pierre completed a 16 yard pass to Ben Patrick to pick up the first one of the half. Unfortunately a sack, an imcomplete pass and a dump off pass to Hightower would lead to another punt.

Saints 7th Drive: Palko couldn't duplicate his success on his second drive and three quick incompletion led to a three-and-out. Linebacker, Chris Harrington almost recorded his second pick of  the season though when he broke up a pass intended for Lynell Hamilton.

Cards 8th Drive: St. Pierre came back out for his final drive but couldn't do anything more than another three-and-out. Steve Baylark got his first carry of the preseason, picking up a yard, but an incompletion and a four yard pass to Rector would lead to yet another punt.

Saints 8th Drive: Two Saints runs netted four yards before Palko found Robert Meachem over the middle and a horrible display of tackling allowed Meacham to take the pass 60 yards to pay dirt. Several Cardinals had a chance to bring him down but the most blatant missed tackle was Michael Adams who had the last chance but dove into Meachem's legs instead of attempting an actual tackle.

Saints 9th Drive: Anthony Morelli was brought into the game in place of St. Pierre but the results would be pretty much the same. After a short run by Baylark, an incompletion and a sack, Dirk Johnson would be back out for another punt.

Saints 9th Drive: Palko would come back out and lead the Saints to a first down with a short pass and a seven yard gain from Hamilton. After a holding penalty on the Saints though, Palko would bobble the snap and Keilen Dykes would recover for the first turnover of the game.

Cards 10th Drive: Morelli's second drive would be a bit more successful but ultimately the result would be the same. After a false start penalty and an incompletion, Morelli completed his only two passes of the game for a total of 13 yards. Facing a fourth and two, the Cardinals went for it and Baylark rattled off his best run of the night with a seven yard gain. Three bad plays later though (2 incomplete passes and a sack) Dirk Johnson would be back out for his seventh and final punt of the game.

Saints 10th Drive: Eh, Palko and the Saints picked up two first downs then kneeled on the ball.

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All in all, not great but it could have been much worse. The Cardinals didn't have a single injury or turnover and that is enough of a reason to be thankful.

The Cardinals went through two practices on Monday and while the first practice was relatively  un-noteworthy, the same can not be said about the second practice. It was a full-padded practice that included an 11-on-11, that's always entertaining, as well as various position drills.

Rookies Making an Impression Early: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie got off to a slow start getting burned by Sean Morey but he bounced back with a couple of interceptions later in practice. He's raw and still has a long way to go before he's game ready, but his quickness and more importantly, his closing speed is simply amazing. There haven't been many mentions of Calais Campbell yet other than the note that he's working inside at tackle in nickel situations. The same (lack of news) can be said for Kenny Iwebema, although Al Johnson did mention in an interview how strong he was and that he should be able to excel against the run. Tim Hightower is living up to his early hype to this point and is taking a significant amount of reps with the second group. Several reports have mentioned that he's awfully quick for a man of his size. Early Doucet is/has benefited from Boldin's absence and has held his own so far and has looked hungry. The comparison's to Boldin won't stop either, this time with Leinart chiming in:

"I think he is a perfect mold of Anquan, same type of body, same type of play," Leinart said. "I think it is perfect for him to learn from a guy like that."

Tight End Situation: We thought just a couple of weeks ago that the tight end
position was one of the deepest positions on the roster and full of potential, but just four days into camp the mood has changed. Leonard Pope is still not 100%, although he did make a couple of acrobatic catches yesterday, and Troy Bienemann is still nursing an injured toe. The uncertainly regarding the health of those two led the staff to spend part of the day working out former Arizona State tight end, Brent Miller. With the depth, I doubt they'd sign another guy, but this could a way to motivate Pope and/or Bienemann to work harder to get back to 100% more quickly. Ben Patrick has made the most of Pope limitations thus far in camp. He got all of the reps with the first team while Pope was sidelined and seems ready to build off a promising rookie season.

Injuries: Nothing to worry about yet but there were still some notable names on the sidelines. Starting center, Al Johnson missed both practices on Monday after having his knee drained, but there is hope that he'll be back today. Anquan Boldin and rookie, Marcus Brown sat out for the second consecutive day and were classified as day-to-day by Coach Whisenhunt. If Boldin misses considerable time it won't be that big of a deal but for Brown, a promising prospect, he needs to be on the field to make the team. As I said eiarlier, Troy Bienemann has yet to practice and the same can be said for Gabe Watson and Monty Beisel. Keilen Dykes missed the first couple of days but I think he is back in practice now.

Quick Practice Notes:

• The QB's have a new drill that the fans seem to love in which they try to hit flags hanging from a stand. By most accounts, Leinart looked much more accurate during the second practice on Monday and even looked to be the most accurate, followed closely by Warner and much further back were St. Pierre and Morelli.
  
• Fitzgerald and Hood had a spirited practice, especially in position drills. They went back and forth trying to be physical with each other and both had some success with Fitz getting a TD in the corner of the end zone and Hood picking off the very next pass on a slant route. Competition like this makes everyone a better player and is certainly encouraging to see.
  
• Adrian Wilson is starting to irk some reporters because he's refused to talk to any media outlets so far.
  

Just one afternoon practice today and it should help some players who are saying that soreness is starting to set in. Today's practice is supposed to be full pads so there should be some good battles today. Thoughts? Encouraging camp so far?

This mornings practice was a light one that consisted of shoulder pads and shorts. Special teams seemed to be the focus of the practice although there was a 7-on-7 session towards the end. If you're looking for a continuous QB update, it looks like Warner is the sharper QB right now. Leinart is still missing some open receivers but hopefully his accuracy will come as camp progresses. He's still miles ahead of where he was last year though, both in terms of accuracy and decision making. As for St. Pierre and Morelli, both took snaps in practice and neither was overly impressive although Morelli has plenty of zip on his passes (although he always had, it's the mental part of the game that is questioned).

Other quicks hits: Tim Hightower may not have top end speed but he certainly flashes a burst heading through the hole. Jerheme Urban and Ralph Brown each had an great play during practice. Al Johnson also sat out the practice after having his knee drained but there is still a chance that he could be ready to go for the afternoon practice. Lyle Sendlein took reps with the first team in his absence. I'd imagine that this afternoon's practice will in full pads and thus far more entertaining.

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?

In a continued effort to look at each undrafted rookie, today brings up the unlikely story of Mississippi State wide receiver, Lance Long. We looked at Anthony Morelli, Ali Highsmith and Keilen Dykes in the past but Long is a name that many fans had never heard of entering the draft. Long's numbers at Mississippi State aren't anything that will turn heads considering he totaled 46 receptions for 321 yards (7 yard average) and one touchdown (yea that's a total of three seasons not just one). Long was so far down on most draft lists that Pro Football Weekly profiled 127 receivers and long wasn't one of them. NFL draft scout ranked 300 potential wide receivers and Lance Long still wasn't one of them. So why were the Cardinals interested enough to sign him?

 
Long has always been as his name would suggest, a long shot (yea I know that's a very cheap play on words, but I just couldn't resist). He walked onto Mississippi State after a year at the University of Toledo and eventually was awarded a scholarship by his junior season. Long never stared at Mississippi State and never started more than 3 games in any single season but he did a little bit of everything including punt and kicks returns as well as playing on both coverage units. Long did turn some heads at Mississippi State's pro day though when he reeled off a 4.38 forty and had the fastest shuttle time of anyone in the country. That performance combined with some in-house familiarity (Arizona tight end coach was a coach of Long's in 2005) was enough for the Cardinals to take a look at the 5'11 186 pound receiver.

If Long hopes to stick around at the NFL level, he'll have to continue to be a versatile player who's willing to whatever a team asks of him. With the depth at wide receiver, it seems nearly impossible that he'll make the roster in 2008 but he is definitely a candidate for the practice squad because he's got the kind of athleticism that makes coaches drool. It should be very interesting to see how he's used in the preseason as well. Who's seen this kid play and what do you think of his chances to become an NFL player? Does he have a chance to stick around in the desert?

Rookies have reported, veterans are on the way and the Arizona Cardinals are about to open 'organized team activities.' Today will start a stretch of 14 OTAs over the course of the next four weeks. The coaching staff will be implementing the play book including blitz, red zone, and two minute packages as well as the no-huddle offense. OTAs are pretty low intensity practices considering that contact is prohibited, but it is a chance for coaches to test how much rookies can retain in a relatively short amount of time.

"This is the next step in the process," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "It’s just a chance to further evaluate young players, as well as work on some of things we have learned about ourselves through the first year."

I'll be updating as we hear word of who failed to show up. Roll call could be interesting considering the number of players who have stated a desire for new contracts.  Boldin and Dockett seem like the biggest question marks although it's worth also mentioning that Edge regularly misses at least some of these activities in order to continue to work out in Miami.

"If we want to look at a certain player at a certain position, that will be the only time you don’t get that look (if players are absent)," Whisenhunt said. "But it’s just like in a game, the next guy has to step up."

Picture via azcardinals.com