Well the Arizona Cardinals players, coaches and staff have left Flagstaff meaning that another training camp is officially in our rear view mirror. This will ultimately go down as a training camp that was dominated by the Boldin's trade demands but for now we can't forget that many other things were accomplished and some questions still need to be answered.

Compliment to Edge: Edgerrin James hasn't been the elite back that the Cardinals thought they were getting when the signed him as a free agent but he hasn't had much help either. His first year in the desert he ran behind a horrible offensive line and he's never had a legitimate backup to give him a break and share the load. The Cardinals seem to have given him some help this year though with rookie Tim Hightower. At the very least Hightower should take over the short yardage and goal line carries and he could be on the fast track to a future starting role. Hightower's shown quick feet, good vision and an unexpected burst that that has caused quite the stir among coaches and fans alike.

Defensive Depth: We all know that the defense fell of a cliff last year after injuries to several key players robbed the unit of their explosive play makers. They didn't have the depth to be competitive last year but things have changed in 2008. The front seven looks to have solid players two deep at nearly every position. The offseason acquisitions of Travis LaBoy, Clark Haggans, Bryan Robinson and Matt Stewart have infused quality depth in to a front seven that desperately needed it. All four of them have starting experience in the this league and their mix of youth and veteran leadership could help vault this defense into the upper half of the league.

BJ's Replacement: Heading into the offseason we weren't quite sure who would replace Bryant Johnson as the third receiver and the options included as many as five names. By the first preseason game though, the competition was all but over. Steve Breaston followed up an impressive mini-camp with an equally, if not more impressive training camp and preseason. He brings the kind of speed and quickness to the wide receiver corps that they haven't had in a while. He looks like he's poised for a great sophomore season and provide a unique compliment to the Pro Bowl duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Where's the Tight Ends?: Before camp the tight end group looked deep, talented and poise for a breakout, but with camp over and the pre-season halfway over we've seen very little the group. Leonard Pope was recovering from an ankle injury and even though he hasn't missed any practices, he hasn't shown much in game time to convince anyone that he's truly 100%. Ben Patrick looked like he was ready to challenge Pope for the starting job but a high ankle sprain against the Chiefs will keep him out until at least the opener. They even had to sign a tight end of the streets after Troy Bienemann couldn't get healthy. Through two games the tight ends have combined for 3 receptions for 23 yards and that kind of production won't get the job done.

Are the Special Teams really special?: The Cardinals lost four games by less than a touchdown and in those games Neil Rackers missed 3 field goals, including losses to Baltimore, Washington, and San Francisco. When the season ended the Cardinals were 31st in the league in field goal percentage and one of only ten teams to miss an extra point. There was some thought that Rackers would have a better year in 2008 because he likes Dirk Johnson as his holder and he's finally recovered from a sports hernia that plagued him in 2007, but Rackers hasn't been terribly good in the preseason with a missed extra point and kickoff that ended up out of bounds. The Cardinals need Rackers to return to the kicker who made over 93% of his field goals (including 6 of 7 from over 50) in 2005.

Who's on the Nose?: We knew going in that Gabe Watson would probably miss most of camp and we thought that Alan Branch would come into camp and perform well enough to stake some claim to keeping the job permanently. Much to our surprise though free agent veteran Bryan Robinson opened camp as the starter at nose tackle and he's been good enough to keep Alan Branch running with the second string. Robinson is not exactly to type of player that the coaching staff would want as the center of the defense so him starting is more of a result of what Branch has not done than what Robinson has done. Hopefully Watson will be ready to go by the start of the regular season because if he isn't the center of the defense could end up being a weakness for opposing offenses to exploit. Branch also needs to step up and show the ability that made the Cardinals trade up to snag him just one year ago.

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What do you guys think? Did camp make your expectations higher or lower heading into September 7th? Who else exceeded or fell below your expectations?

With half of the preseason behind us and just one more week in Flagstaff, the Cardinals coaching staff doesn't have much more time to make decisions concerning position battles. This weeks game is often considered the 'dress rehearsal' for starters and most of them will play into the second half meaning that playing time for those further down the depth chart will be limited. This will also be the final week of practice and game for a handful of players because teams must cut their roster down to 75 players next week (Aug 26th). Here's how the position battles are shaping up heading into the final week of training camp:

Quarterback: Before last week, I probably wouldn't even have listed this as a battle and I'm still not convinced that it is a legitimate competition, but last week put it back on the radar screen. Warner and Leinart looked awful close in terms of performance Saturday night, but if I had to give an edge to one guy it would probably be Warner. Leinart looked very sharp in the first game and if he continues to perform he should be the starter on September 7th. It'll be very interesting to see who takes the field first this week and how long they play. If one guy plays the entire first half or a little more then the battle is over, but if they both play in the first half, that's an indication that the coaching staff is still undecided.

Fullback: Terrelle Smith started the first preseason game and had a couple of very good plays including a nice catch and run. Tim Castille started the second game and also had a couple of good plays including a touchdown reception. It's possible that both could make the final 53, but teams don't normally carry two fullbacks. Smith is the better blocker but Castille is younger, cheaper and more versatile. Just like with the quarterbacks, keep an eye on who starts this week and how long they play.

3rd Wide Receiver: Steve Breaston has grabbed a hold of this job and he doesn't look like he'll relinquish it anytime soon. He hasn't had much competition because Doucet has been out with a hamstring injury but Breaston has looked explosive and elusive out of the slot and could end up being the perfect compliment to Fitz and Q.

Free Safety: We weren't sure how much competition there would be between Rolle and Francisco, but it looks like the Rolle is entrenched as the starter. Francisco will get on the field quite a bit though in nickel and dime situations. Instead of bringing in a nickel back the Cardinals are going to bring in Francisco and move Rolle into the third corner position. DRC's development throughout the season could change that but for now Rolle and Fransisco will each see significant playing time.

Outside Linebacker: Before Saturday's game, this didn't really register as a competition and truth be told both Bertrand Berry and Travis LaBoy will see plenty of snaps regardless of who starts. LaBoy made a case for himself on Saturday though with six tackles and two sacks. Berry doesn't have much to show for in the preseason yet but his playing time has been pretty limited. LaBoy is still learning the position but if he can continue to rush the passer like he did Saturday, they'll have to find a way to get him on the field early and often.

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That's just about every position battle that I can think of but did I miss any? How do you see these playing out and how will they impact the Cardinals in 2008?

Last night was another lively practice as the team moved over the Lumberjack Stadium to practice under the lights. These practices are always capped off by a live goal line or 11-on-11 drill and this practice was no different. The red zone 11-on-11 produced a couple of scrums and was the hardest hitting part of training camp to date.

Round One: The first 'dust-up' of the night was a smaller one and was a result of Travis LaBoy putting a hit on Brian St. Pierre. Since hitting any quarterback in practice is a definite no-no, Whisenhunt was quick to pull LaBoy aside. Kurt Warner though took exception to the hit though and looked visibly aggravated and tried to talk to LaBoy himself, to no avail.

Round Two: Towards the end of practice, emotions ran even higher. During a Hightower run, he and Aaron Francisco got tied up and A-dub came in and knocked Hightower to the ground. Levi Brown instantly shoved Wilson back and within seconds most of the team was in the middle of a scuffle.

In the end coaches may say that they don't like seeing fights or skirmishes during practice but I look it as a good sign and I'd be surprised if most coaches didn't secretly like them as well. These guys are ultra-competitive and practicing against the same guys for a couple of weeks often wears on your patience.

Injury Update: The good news is that DRC returned to practice yesterday but didn't do much in the night session. That's a good sign considering that nearly every news outlet was reporting that he was carted off the field earlier in the week.  Roderick Hood and Brandon Keith also returned to practice but Darnell Dockett (shoulder) was held out. Antrel Rolle (ankle) was also held out of practice again and he's probably not going to play in Saturday's game.

If you signed up for the Revenge of the Birds fantasy league be sure to check you e-mail, AOL Fanhouse has finally completed the random drawing and has sent an email to those who registered. If anyone hasn't signed up but is still interested, email me and I'll try and get you into the league. For everyone else who's already in, stay tuned and we'll talk about draft details (when & how) very soon.

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The Cardinals had Friday and Saturday off after Thursday nights' game but they have had three practices in the past two days. Sunday's practice had to be moved indoors because of rain but both practices yesterday were outside. They have four practices over the next three days (two practices tommorrow) and a walk-thru on Friday before  traveling to Kansas City for Saturday's game against the Chiefs.

Rookies Getting Praised: I honestly can't remember a draft class ever getting praised as much as this year's class. Some of the people who cover the team are already talking that it might be the best class ever and they didn't do anything on Thursday to slow that wildfire. The jewel of the class, Tim Hightower, continues to impress in practice and is getting plenty of reps considering that Edge's reps are somewhat limited. Both rookie defensive ends and DRC continue to perform well and Brandon Keith is making some noise for his solid performance at guard. He continues to impress just about everyone in practice, especially in one-on-one drills against the linebackers and defensive lineman where he's been stone-walling Chike Okeafor on a regular basis. The forgotten man has been Chris Harrington but Darren Urban says that the coaching staff has been encouraged by his progression from defensive end to linebacker but that the depth at the position will make it difficult for him to make the roster. We can't forget about Ali Highsmith either, and just about everyone has written a story on his performance against the Saints and how he's making a push for a roster spot, and if he does, I'll gloat as one of first ones to make that prediction.

Blitzing the Offense: Clancy Pendergast started installing his blitz packages this week and he's been putting constant pressure on whoever lines up at quarterback. The defense has a deep unit of pass rushers and it should be very interesting to see how Pendergast utilizes his resources. He's trying different way of getting more of them on the field, but unfortunately we probably won't see any exotic blitz packages until the regular season, after all there's no reason to show your hand until the bullets are flying for real.

Q Back on the Field: Anquan Boldin returned to practice on Sunday and continued to practice on Monday. He's still not participating in every single drill but he seems to be fully recovered and any limitations are just a precaution at this point. He's should play on Saturday and the team is also hopeful that Early Doucet will be able to suit up. He hasn't returned to practice yet but he's thought to be close. The only other new injury is Antrel Rolle's ankle but it's not considered serious (not the dreaded high ankle sprain) and he hasn't been ruled out of Saturday's game.

Rotating Quarterbacks: After not playing at all against the Saints, Kurt Warner opened Sunday's practice by running with the first team and he continued to rotate with Leinart during Monday's practice. Of course, we all know that they'll continue to rotate during practice all preseason and probably even during the regular season, but it doesn't mean anything. It's still Matt's job to lose and he took the first step towards writing his name atop the depth chart in something other than a pencil on Thursday.

Cap Position: Kent Somer's latest blog updates the Cardinals current cap position and by his accounts they're currently 3.75 million under the cap. He thinks that they probably won't make any significant moves until other teams start making cuts in order to see if an interesting offensive tackle hits the market.

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Thoughts? That's all I've got for now, but check back later as we'll try to update the projected 53-man roster. Gather your thoughts and post  your own, if you feel like it, or just blast mine for being completely wrong.

For all of you Arizona State fans out there, be sure to check out one of SB Nation's newest blogs, House of Sparky. Check them out for everything you need to know about the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The big news from yesterday was the release of veteran running back Marcel Shipp and we'll take a look back at his seven year career with the Cardinals later today. The Cardinals did make some other news though so here's a quick overview:

Not Playing on Thursday: We found out that Boldin won't play in the preseason opener, which wasn't a big surprise considering that he hasn't practiced in a week and a half. It was a mild surprise that Doucet also won't be suiting up because of his gimpy hamstring. Neither of the injuries are considered very serious but there's not much point in rushing guys back for an early preseason game. There is no word yet on how much other starters will play, although Matt Leinart did say that he expect to play a series or two.

Another Offensive Lineman Goes Down: Another practice and another offensive lineman carted off the field as Cartlon Medder injured his left elbow. Medder had been running with the second team at left guard, but Coach Whisenhunt did say that he doesn't think the injury is serious. There is some hope that he'll be able to return to the practice field soon even if he has to wear a protective brace. Peter Clifford, who had been practicing at left tackle, moved into Medder's spot and newly acquired Kelly Butler took over at left tackle.

Rookies Changing Numbers: A couple of rookies are swapping numbers before the preseason gets underway. Fourth round pick, Kenny Iwebema  traded in #79 for #91 with newcomer Jasper Harvey taking #79. Undrafted rookie, Ali Highsmith traded in #37 for #95.

Newest Cardinal: The player who took Marcel Shipp's roster spot is Jasper Harvey. Harvey was undrafted out of San Diego State in 2006 and was signed by the Washington Redskins. He spent the next two seasons split between the Redskins and Eagles' practice squads. Harvey was a three year starter for the Aztecs, although he did have to sit out a season (2004) for a campus hazing incident. He was a very good pass blocker at SD State and didn't allow a single sack in 2003 in 502 passing plays. He played for the Orlando Predators of the AFL in 2007 where he started at center for the entire year. Most of his experience has been at center but he's got the ability to compete at both guard and center.

The weekend was pretty active considering that it only included one practice on Saturday and a rare off day on Sunday. Saturday was a busy day though with Fan Day and the Red and White Practice before players and coaches alike jetted off to enjoy a day away from camp. The day off couldn't have come at a better time with tweaks, pulls, bumps and bruises had started piling up in recent days. Dockett was added to the list although his sprained ankle isn't considered serious and he should miss any time.

Another Roster Move: Scott Peters was officially moved the IR and the Cards claimed Pat Ross on waivers from the Carolina Panthers. Ross was undrafted in 2006 and has spent time with the Colts, Seahawks and Patriots as well as the Panthers. He's was a bit undersized but he's added ten pounds since the 2006 draft. He (6'3 305) was a three year starter at Boston College and is considered a smart player but a marginal athlete. He'll be in the mix at center but unless Al Johnson is going to miss significant time during the regular season, he'll be a long shot to make the roster.

Boldin Injury Update: Q's MRI came back with good results, showing no further problems with the sore hamstring. He tested the hammy over the weekend and will attempt to practice today. They'll probably take it slow with him and Whisenhunt still listed him as day-to-day. It's unknown if he'll try to play in Thursday's game against the Saints, but to be honest I'd prefer they hold him out so that we can see more of the youngsters. Q is a known commodity and there's no reason to rush him back for a preseason game, especially if he's not 100%.

Red and White Practice Recap: All in all, this practice reads just like any other so far during camp. Tim Hightower continues to impress (TD while running with the first team) and even Steve Baylark had a good TD run while taking reps with the second team. Fitz made an acrobatic catch to end the session and Matt Leinart looked very sharp.

First Depth Chart Released: The team has released the first depth chart of the season but before anyone gets too excited, it's very vanilla. It's basically last year's depth chart with the rookies added to the bottom.

The next three days will include four practices (although Wednesday's is just a walk through) but the real salvation will come Thursday night when the Cardinals take the field against the Saints on national TV. I for one can not wait to see this team during a real game situation against an actual opponent.

Darren Urban updates the injury situation:

• Al Johnson had to have surgery to clean out his knee but they hope that he'll be back by the start of the regular season. Personally I wouldn't hold my breath on that one and I'd be pretty surprised if Lyle Sendlien isn't the starting center when the Niners come to town on September 7th. It'll be the second time this offseason that Big Al's knee has been under the knife in the past couple of months.
• Whiz said that Scott Peter's injury is believed to be serious and he's not expected back anytime soon. They'll have to look at signing another center pretty quickly unless they feel comfortable with Hercules Satele as the primary backup. I'd keep an eye out on LeCharles Bentley's name to pop up in Arizona pretty quickly. Or is there another center out there that catches your eye?
• The minor tweaks and pulls are starting to mount and the list now includes Doucet (hamstring) and Haggans (groin) in addition to the list of guys that are already limited. As a precaution several veterans will not practice this afternoon including A-dub, Okeafor, Berry and Edge.
  
• Still no word on Boldin's MRI results but they did say he'd test it again this afternoon to see if it's getting better.

With one week of camp in the books, there have been some encouraging news from both young and veteran players, but injuries are starting to mount and could quickly become a concern. It's still early and there is a full month before the regular season starts, so it's too early to hit the panic button but it's something worth keeping an eye on.

Injuries Mount for Centers: Yesterday we learned that starting center, Al Johnson, left camp to get his ailing knee checked out. There hasn't been any news released on the status of that knee yet, but yesterday another center went down. With Lyle Sendlein moving into the starting role, the new backup is Scott Peters. Peters,a former fourth round pick out of Arizona State, went down in pain yesterday and had to be carted off the field. The extent of his injury isn't known yet but if it's anything serious, the backup center would probably be undrafted rookie, Hercules Satele. Depending on the severity of Johnson's and Peters injuries, the Cardinals could be in the market for a veteran center.

Other Injury News: There aren't any other significant injuries to report but there are a couple small ones. Clark Haggans didn't practice yesterday but he didn't appear to have an injury so it could just be a case of a older veteran getting a rest. Rookie fullback, Dionte Johnson also had a walking boot on his foot. The extent of the injury isn't known because Whisenhunt didn't meet with the media yesterday. For Johnson though, any significant injury would probably seal his fate with the Cards. It's hard enough for an undrafted free agent to make the an impact and missing an extended amount of time is normally a precursor to being cut. Another undrafted rookie, Keilen Dykes, returned to the practice field on Thursday.

New Offensive Tackle: I was hopeful that Thaddeus Coleman would be a promising prospect and that Russ Grimm would be able to mold him into a serious player, but it wasn't meant to be. Coleman was released yesterday to make room for veteran tackle, Kelly Butler. Bulter (6'7 320, 26 years old) was a sixth round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2003 and he's had 21 career starts, although he didn't appear in a single game last year. It'll be interesting to see if Butler is the veteran tackle that the Cardinals have been looking for or if they'll continue to wait for another veteran to be cut.

Other Random Camp Notes:

• Don't forget the name Lance Long. Every single practice is highlighted by him making a spectacular catch and his name is starting to get mentioned on a daily basis. Darren Urban even said that he hasn't seen him drop a single pass so far during camp. If he can perform as well during the preseason, he'll make a serious push for a roster spot.
  
• Starting cornerback, Eric Green missed practice yesterday for personal reasons and starting in his place was Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. DRC had a good practice in which he broke up a deep pass intended for Fitz and had another interception. It's still clear that he's raw but there's no doubt about potential.
• Seventh round pick Brandon Keith has been getting some pretty good praise from the coaching staff the past couple of days. He's been playing primarily at right tackle but Whiz has said that he's got the ability to play both tackles and could also slide inside to guard. They won't likely throw all of the positions at him at once but they're encouraged by his quick feet, especially since dropping 25 pounds from the time he was drafted. Keith's best practice was Wednesday when he held his own on multiple drills against pass rush specialist, Chike Okeafor.

In what can only be described as depressing news, Al Johnson is headed back to Phoenix today after missing the past two days of practice. He had fluid drained from his knee early in camp, after having off season surgery and it was orginally thought that he would only miss Monday's morning practice. Obviously things haven't gone as planned and he's left camp to get it checked out. A 'glass half empty' view would be that a knee that accumulates fluid after just a couple of light practices and then doesn't heal as quickly as expected sounds like a debilitating injury that could be an issue all season long. On the other hand, a 'glass half full' guy, like myself, would say that Johnson's got plenty of time before the season starts to rest and get the knee as close to 100%. He's a veteran player who won't need much practice time to get 'game ready.' For now I'll keep my Cardinal-colored glasses on and look at the silver lining instead of the rain clouds.

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Update on Al Johnson: It's not looking good as Darren Urban is reporting that Coach Whisenhunt hinted that Al Johnson might need surgery on his ailing knee. He wouldn't give a definitive answer but said the possibilities are either surgery or rehab and then proclaimed his confidence in backup Lyle Sendlein. It's not looking good and I don't think he would have mentioned Sendlein unless there are a good chance that Johnson will miss at least part of the season.

Update on Anquan Boldin: Boldin will undergo an MRI on Friday morning to make sure that there isn't any major problems with his strained hamstring. While it's probably too early to get worried about this, players don't have MRI for no reason. There must be some concern that it's not healing properly or quickly enough, and that news is bad enough in itself.

Wednesday nights practice was supposed to be a lively, hard-hitting affair, and while it wasn't quite as spirited as last year, it was the best we'd seen this so far this year. The practice was dominated by special teams walk-throughs and individual drills, but the highlight of the evening was of course the live goal-line session. The lack of overly-physical practices could be a result of the injuries sustained last year and the lack of depth at some key positions, namely offensive line.

Goal Line Session: There weren't any massive hits that or devastating tackles that stood out but that doesn't mean that it wasn't physical. Edge didn't participate in the drill, which gave even more carries to rookie, Tim Hightower, who scored the first touchdown for the offense. JJ Arrington was also given a chance to a chance to shine as he took some reps with the first squad.

Rookie on the Ropes: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had a great practice earlier in the week that included a couple of pick-sixes but yesterday's practice was one that he'll want to forget pretty quickly. He was beaten deep a couple of times yesterday, once by Doucet and once by Breaston. Doucet's route really fooled DRC and he was no where near the fellow rookie when the caught the ball. Breaston got a step on DRC and the speed versus speed matchup was won by Breaston.

Patrick Making a Push: With Leonard Pope still not completely healthy, Ben Patrick has gotten plenty of reps with the first team and he's making the most of his opportunity. Nearly every practice is highlighted by a great catch and yesterday was no different as he pulled in an acrobatic catch from St. Pierre for a touchdown. Pope has also been impressive and it seems pretty clear that the tight position will be in very good hands no matter who ends up being the starter.

Dime Defense: Clancy Pendergast has showed off a new look dime-defense early in camp that includes Adrian Wilson moving down to linebacker and Antrel Rolle moves to the third corner. Matt Ware and Aaron Francisco move into the vacant safety spots and ensures that there is plenty of speed on the field. If that defense sticks around in the regular season, it could be a fun one to watch.

Injury Update: As we found out yesterday, the worst injury is that Al Johnson went back to Phoenix to have his knee examined. Other lingering injuries include Boldin (hamstring), Beisel (back), Watson (knee) and Dykes (quad). Cornerback, Marcus Brown was back on the practice field for the first time.