The Cardinals have made some drastic changes in their scouting department in the past two weeks. In total they've fired/not renewed the contracts of three scouts, Lonnie Young, Bill Dekraker and Rashaan Curry and one pro scout has retired (Jim Stanley). Young is the surprise firing because he was considered by some to be an up and comer and rumors were circulating that he'd be promoted rather than fired. He was the supervisor of the western part of the country but not he's supposedly in line for a job with the Ravens. The big winner of the shake-up is Steve Keim who was promoted from director of college scouting to director of playing personnel. They also promoted Malik Boyd from area scout to regional scout and Don Corzine from combine scout to area scout.

Keim's new role will include coordinating the activities of both college and pro scouting departments and reports directly to Rod Graves. Boyd, who is entering his fourth season with the team, is now responsible for cross-checking players in the western half of the country. Corzine, also in his fourth season, will scout players from the eastern part of the country. General Manager, Rod Graves, is currently conducting interviews to fill four positions, two on the college side and two pro jobs, and hirings are expected by the end of the month. I haven't found any postings on hotjobs.com or monster.com yet, but if anyone knows where we can go to fill out an application make sure to let us know (I'm sure we're all qualified).

Update: Lonnie Young's departure seems to be related to a disagreement over compensation. Young was being considered for a promotion but the two sides couldn't agree on money. Young, who was well regarded within the organization, is reported to be headed to the Ravens. Young had been with the team for 5 years after being a Cardinal player for a six seasons from 1985 to 1990.

The Cardinals were an 8-8 team in 2007 and just a single game out of the playoffs. For a team on the brink like that, every little bit either adds up to a playoff berth or another season at home in January. Four of their eight losses were by less than a touchdown and in those four games 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. So the question begs to be asked, is Neil Rackers part of the problem or part of the solution?

First let's be clear about one thing, Neil Rackers will be the kicker for the 2008 season. He's signed through 2009 and the team didn't draft or sign another kicker to compete anyone to compete with him. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing though. Rackers hasn't been the model of efficiency throughout his career. His career field goal percentage ranks 31st among active kickers (out of 32) at 75.58% and his extra point percentage ranks 22nd at 98.12%. The really troubling thing is that Rackers 2007 season was among the worst in his career when his percentage was a putrid 70% and was an even more shameful 75% from 30-39 yards. Some have pointed to a change in Rackers' holder for his '07 struggles, since the Cardinals gave new punter Mike Barr a chance to hold. The team is also hoping that his struggles are partially a result of a sports hernia, which he had surgery to repair after the season. The best case scenario for both the Cardinals and Rackers would be for him to rebound to his 2005 levels, which was by far the best season of his career when he hit 95.2% of his field goals and was perfect from inside 40 yards. That type of performance from their kicker might be enough to get Cardinals over the proverbial "playoff hump." Another sub-par season could have the Cardinals scouting college kickers for the 2009 draft and Rackers looking for a new job.

So since we've all seen Rackers cost the Cardinals a handful of games the past two seasons, would you rather give him another season to straighten it out or are you ready for some new blood? If you are ready to give up on him, who is out there on the street to replace him?

Now that we've looked at how the offensive depth chart breaks down for the Cardinals in 2008, I started wondering will the Cardinals offense be better or worse in 2008? The offense was a clear cut Jekyll & Hyde case in 2007. The passing game was among league leaders with 254.1 yards per game (5th), but the running game left quite a bit to be desired with just 90 yards per game (29th). Overall the offense ranked 12th in total yards (344.1 yards per game) and 7th in points (404). For the sake of simplicity we'll look at these two aspects separately then tie them together at the conclusion.

Running Game: First we'll lay the bad news on you. The Cardinals were in the bottom five in yards per rush (3.6),  runs that resulted in first downs (70) and fumbles. They didn't have a single rush over 30 yards for the second consecutive season and they're leading rusher for the past two seasons (Edgerrin James) hasn't had one since October 23rd, 2005 when he was a member of the Colts.  The problem isn't just with Edge though because the Cards didn't have a running back average over 3.8 yards per carry in 2007. The good news though is that Edge was much better in 2007 than he was in 2006. He raised his yards per carry by nearly half a yard and had four carries of at least 20 yards (his long was 18 in 2006). Edge's bounce back year is at least partially related to a revamped offensive line that included three new starters and to make things even better those same five starters will be back in 2007. Edge will turn 30 years old shortly before the season starts and that's got to have something to do with the drafting of power back Tim Hightower. Hopefully Hightower can flash some skills in the preseason and take some of the load off of Edge, especially in short yardage and goal line situations. The bottom line is that it may seem like a bad sign that the same starters are coming back from a season in which the running game finished 29th in the league but with a more experienced offensive line and a back to keep Edge fresh, they might have just enough fire power to keep this offense balanced.

Passing Game: Well in my mind I was going to start with the negatives of the passing game but it's hard to find too many problems with the unit that ranked in the top five of the league in passing yards and touchdowns. They were also above league average in completion percentage and sacks allowed. Couple all those stats with the idea that each and every receiver hasn't reached their peak level of production in this league yet and it's hard not to image this unit not striking fear into opposing defenses. Ok, now I'll put down my Cardinal Kool-Aid and mention what everyone is thinking, what about the quarterback? Leinart will be the starter from day one even though he took a huge step back from his rookie season last year. His "sophomore slump" season was made even worse by a injury that ended his season just five games into it. Some mention should also be made that he was a young quarterback trying to learn and adjust to a new system in just his second season. He has the tools to succeed in this league and with an entire year and a half to learn and grow in this system, I expect a much better season in 2008. If all else fails and Matt stumbles out of the gate and the coaching staff gives up on him, they have arguably the best #2 QB in the league in Kurt Warner. Warner had his best season since his day in St Louis in 2007 and even with his age, he should be able to take over for another season if need be.The bottom line, in my opinion, is that while there may be some debate over who the starting QB should be, it should play itself out and one of them will prove capable of leading this unit to another successful season.

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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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The top 3 names on the wide receiver depth chart has been the same since 2004, but that all changed when Bryant Johnson signed with division-rival San Fransisco. The hole at the #3 spot seemed to be filled when Arizona took Early Doucet in the third round of the draft, but receivers coach Mike Miller is quick to say, not so fast. Doucet won't be handed anything and there's quite a list of guys competing for roster spots at receiver. The list includes the likes of second year Steve Breaston, veteran Jerheme Urban and a couple of other guys, if you believe the coaching staff (Sean Morey, Ahmad Merritt and Jamaica Rector).

Steve Breaston - He didn't provide much in terms of receiving in 2007, but he was one of the better return men in the league. Breaston averaged 9.4 yards per return and took one back for a score, not bad for a rookie drafted in the 5th round. According to reports, Breaston used the off season work on his receiving skills and seems dedicated to becoming more than a return specialist.

Jerheme Urban - The most accomplished of the candidates for #3, Urban grabbed 22 passes in 2007 for 329 yards. Last season was by far his best in the league, after two seasons in Seattle. He was un-drafted in 2004.

Sean Morey - Morey hangs his hat on special teams and is one of many former Steelers on the current roster. Morey is an unaccomplished receiver but does a bit of everything, returning kicks and playing special teams.

Ahmad Merritt - He missed all of 2007, his first year with the Cardinals, after dislocating his ankle in the pre-season. Merritt hasn't had an NFL reception since 2003, but the highlight of his career was a 47 yard run for a touchdown on a reverse for the Bears in a playoff loss to the Eagles. It was the last offensive touchdown scored in the old Soldier Field (yea you can win a ton of bets at your local bar with that little known fact).

Jamaica Rector - A speedster who has yet to record his first NFL reception. Rector was with Dallas for the previous two seasons, as was offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Granted, it would be a significant surprise if Doucet doesn't win the #3 job, but competition always brings the best out of players and that seems to be the case with Early:

“That’s why you come to the NFL and play football, is to get a chance to get on the field,” Doucet said. “I don’t expect them to give me that third-receiver spot but I want to show I am capable of being that third guy.”

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Also if you're looking for some sunshine this weekend, check out Bleacher Report and see why they think the Cardinals will win the NFC West.

In general, I love rankings and regularly get sucked into any top 5 QBs or RBs conversation, but power rankings are one of my many kryptonite. To make things even worse, power rankings in May really make my head hurt. So why you ask am I passing along useless yet equally painful information? Well probably for the same reason that these guys did the rankings, it’s early May and we’ve already covered the draft. We’ll get into training camp battles to keep an eye on and a projected 53 man roster soon but for now, I’ll just poke fun at the national media.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated starts the ball rolling with his power rankings and has the Cardinals under the header “They Could Win Ten or Six.” While I can’t argue with that logic, I can argue with some of the teams ranked above the Cardinals including the Jets (at 14) who are coming off a 4-12 season. I’d also wonder why each of these teams are ranked so high: Buffalo (13th), Carolina (10th), Minnesota (7th – did they draft a QB that I just missed). Anyways, I sure he made some picks just to cause a stir and get people complaining, mission accomplished.

21. Arizona. Paul Zimmerman wanted me to put the Cards higher. But I don't know who's playing quarterback, nor how good that quarterback will be. I don't know how much Edgerrin James has left coming off a 3.8-yards-per-carry season. I do know a defense that allowed a gaudy 399 points will be a little better because of the arrival of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at corner. But every year for the past three or four, some wise man in the media (I think it was me two years ago) says, "This is Arizona's year.'' And in the last four of those Arizona years, the Cards have gone 6-10, 5-11, 5-11 and 8-8.

If you ever want to read an article where it is painfully obvious that the writer didn’t want to write, this is it. Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News starts off by saying he doesn’t like doing power rankings four months before the season starts but this was his assignment so he basically makes a joke out of it. He goes on to explain each team's pick with some vague comic book reference (most of which I didn’t get). He’s got some teams ranked higher that I don’t understand as well like the Bears (19th), Bills (13th), and Vikings (12th) but oh well.

20. Cardinals. They have as many weapons on offense as Tony Stark, but they will need to sling some people around on defense to contend for a wild card.

The good news though, the two teams that I have the most problem with on these rankings (Minny & Buffalo) are both on the schedule this year. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Thoughts?

With the escalating rookie salaries, everyone seems to be keeping a closer eye on the rookie pool this year. The rookie pool is basically a cap within the overall salary cap, meaning that the combined first-year cap numbers of the drafted rookies cannot exceed $3.919 million, according to ESPN. Teams rarely have problems staying under the pool but it is one of the reasons that later round picks sign earlier. If the first couple of picks sign early and absorb all of the pool money, then a team might not have the ability to sign later picks.

Kent Somers of azcentral.com also looks at the contracts of last years' draft picks who were selected at the same slot as this years' Cardinals picks. While there are more variables than just last year's price, it is an interesting comparison. Some things to remember is that premium positions will get paid more than non-premium positions. Such as, expect DRC's contract to be well over the simple inflation adjusted contract of last years' Justin Harrell. That's the only one that should be a significant difference although I'd expect Early Doucet's contract and Brandon Keith's contract to be higher than the expected 5-8% increase from last year.

First round -- Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, No. 16

Last year - Green Bay defensive lineman Justin Harrell. Six years (last year is voidable), $14.5 million, $8.1 million guaranteed. This deal is structured a bit differently. Harrell received no signing bonus, but he did receive a roster bonus of about $1 million, and a $5.3 million option bonus this spring.

Second round -- Defensive end Calais Campbell, No. 50.

Last year --  Titans running back Chris Henry. Four years, $2.90 million, $1.23 million signing bonus.

Third round -- Receiver Early Doucet, No. 81.

Last year  -- Giants defensive tackle Jay Alford. Four years, $2.4 million, $718,000 signing bonus.

Fourth round -- Defensive end Kenny Iwebema, No. 116.

Last year --  Giants LB Zak DeOssie. Four years, $2.1 million, $442,500 signing bonus.

Fifth round -- Running back Tim Hightower, No. 149.

Last year -- Jacksonville guard Uche Nwaneri. Four years, $1.84 million, $175,600 signing bonus.

Sixth round -- OLB Chris Harrington, No. 185

Last year -- Falcons defensive tackle Trey Lewis. Four years, $1.76 million. $97,600 signing bonus

Seventh round -- OT Brandon Keith, No. 225.

Last year -- Miami punter Brandon Fields. Four years, $1.72 million, $54,000 signing bonus.

Now that we've rolled all the way through the Cardinals draft and reviewed each pick, it's time for a little prognostication. Normally not every draft pick makes the 53 man roster, especially when a team has all 7 picks or more. It doesn't necessarily mean that a player who doesn't make the roster isn't any good but come on, you don't normally turn over 7.5 % (7/53) of your roster every year. Guys who are picked late in the draft, 6th or 7th rounders, can sometimes be slipped through to the practice squad. That way they can stick with the team and get a year of practice or being ready to play in case of injuries.

All that being said, who won't make the cut this year. The guys picked at the end of the draft are always the first candidates so we'll start with the 7th round and work backwards:

7th Rounder - Brandon Keith: Keith is a guy who has all the tools to play in this league. He's huge and athletic but he's got a spotty history at best. He's quit on teams in the past and was arrested shortly before the draft. It's not impossible that he could get to camp and prove that he simply doesn't have the mental capability to make it in this league.

6th Rounder - Chris Harrington: Guys going through a position change are always candidates for the practice squad. Harrington wasn't the normal pass rush specialist that teams convert to OLB so he might not make the transition as quickly as others. Not to mention the team is legitimately two deep at both OLB spots.

5th Rounder - Tim Hightower: He was a significant reach in the 5th round but the coaching staff loves this kid. He's got questions about his speed and there's already plenty of experienced depth (yet far from dynamic) at the running back position. He'll have to show something in camp to make the team b/c if he does another back will be cut.

4th Rounder - Kenny Iwebema: The only reason he wouldn't make it is if he just proves very quickly that he can't play. There's depth at the position so his spot isn't guaranteed but he'll have to lose his spot to not make the team.

The 2008 schedule will no doubt provide some obstacles for the Cardinals. The divisional carousel lands on the NFC & AFC East this year. The NFC East was one of only two divisions that sent three teams to the playoffs in 2007 and the Eagles (the one team that didn't make the playoffs) has only had one losing season since 2000. The AFC East consists of the only undefeated team since 1972 (New England), the upstart Bills and the struggling Jets and Dolphins. The rest of the schedule is filled out with fellow second place finishers Carolina and Minnesota. There are several stretches of the season that jump out at me as critical portions to a (hopefully) successful season.

Quick Start:

The start to the season looks primed for a quick start. The first five games includes just one playoff team from 2007 (Washington), and the overall combined record of the five teams is a paltry 26-54. The toughest two weeks of these five games will be back to back road games in Washington and New York. I would imagine the team will stay in the north east in between those two games instead of flying cross country twice in a week. While it may seem like a tough task to expect a quick start with 3 road games in the first 5 weeks, but there are some things working in the Cards favor. The Jets will be coming off a short week and a long cross country trip after they play a Monday Night game at San Diego before the Cards. The Bills could also have an odd travel schedule before they play in Arizona because they have a road game in St. Louis the previous week. The sixth week of the season will bring Dallas to town and it could be a long season if the Cardinals aren't at least 3-2 if not 4-1 going into that game.

November:

The month of November includes 3 divisional games, two of which are on the road. It's also a month that'll include both of the Cardinals' prime time games.  It starts with a road game in St. Louis who will be coming off a brutal two game stretch with Dallas at home and a road game in New England. The Cardinals then get San Francisco at home in the only Monday Night game of the season for both teams.  San Francisco will be coming off bye but they could already be buried by that point considering that they'll have played 4 playoff teams from 2007 (in eight games).  The third straight divisional game is a road affair with the Seahawks. Seattle could be a little road weary though as they'll have just returned from a road game in Miami. With Seattle the clear cut favorite in the West, and a road win in their house would go a long way to helping the Cardinals surprise the division. Starting with the Seahawks game, the Cardinals play 3 games in 11 days since they drew the Thanksgiving Day game this year. After a road trip to Seattle the Cardinals come home to play the Giants and then have a four day turnaround to play at Philly. The Eagles will have a much shorter trip since they're previous week includes a road game at Baltimore. It's tough anytime a team has to play 5 games in a month, especially when 3 of them are on the road. Needless to say, if the Cardinals can pull out a 3-2 record in November it would have to be considered a great success.

It's nearly impossible to predict how difficult a team's schedule is before the season begins but there are no doubt some stretches that are critical to the success of the season. Thoughts?

We all know that Whisenhunt stated almost as soon as the season ended that Leinart was the starter for the 2008 season even though Kurt Warner had just finished his best season since he was winning Super Bowls in St Louis. Warner ended the season with 27 touchdowns versus only 17 interceptions, 3,400 yards, a 62.3% completion percentage and a respectable QB rating of 89.8, but he's still not considered the future of the organization or even a challenger for the starting job. How does he feel about that? That's exactly what Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports decided to find out:

“Why can’t a veteran guy become the face of a franchise? Why can’t he be the guy?” Warner asked. “I would love for it to be that way….The indications are that I’m going to get a shot – that the best player is going to play,” Warner said. “I’ve been there before and had coaches who tell me one thing and do another, so you’re always skeptical. You know how this business works with draft picks and money and all of those things. But until the people here prove me wrong as far as what they say, I’ve got no reason to doubt it. … They told me the best player is going to play come the first Sunday of the fall. That’s what I hang my hat on.”

Warner certainly doesn't sound like a guy who's ready to take a back seat to anyone. He's confident in his abilities even at 37 years old and in the final year of his contract. I'll say that I would always want my quarterback to be confident in his abilities but, I don't want Warner to be the starter at the beginning of the season or to become the starter at any point.

Let me explain myself, before I get blasted with "Leinart sucks and will get hurt" or "Warner's the better QB right now." I'll admit that Warner is very likely the better quarterback today and may be on September 7th when the Cardinals go to San Francisco. Warner might in fact be able to lead the Cardinals to a better record in 2008 than Leinart, but then what? Then we enter the 2008 off season still not knowing what we have in Leinart and Warner is a 38 year old free agent. Does the organization really sign a 38 year old quarterback to a new contract hoping that Leinart learns from the sidelines and is ready to start in 2009? The bottom line, as I see it, is I'm not interested in being good one season just to dive back into the doldrums of the NFL. They've built a solid foundation around the quarterback position and now it's time to develop the quarterback to take that foundation and build something great.

If Leinart starts the season and proves that he simply doesn't have the goods to play in this league, then I can accept Warner finishing the season. They can try to find another quarterback in the off season or through the draft again. Until they've figured out exactly what Leinart is though, I want him to be the quarterback of this team. Let the kid sink or swim. His future directly mirrors the future of this franchise.

Agree or disagree? Would you rather see how far Warner can take this team with an improved defense?