The Cardinals played well in the first half of this football game before the roof caved in.  Kurt Warner was effective in his brief time on the field as he completed all four of his pass attempts for 48 yards.  Matt Leinart was also sharp as he completed 10 of 14 passes for 177 yards with a TD pass.  Brian St. Pierre had by far his worst game of the preseason as he only completed 1 of 7 passes for 13 yards.  Anthony Morelli also had a night to forget as he completed 6 of 12 passes for 78 yards with 2 interceptions.  J.J. Arrington led the Cardinals in rushing in this game with 5 carries for 31 yards (6.2 ypc) with a TD run.  WR Jerheme Urban led the Cards in receiving in this game with 94 yards on 4 grabs (23.5 avg).  Fellow WR Lance Long pitched in with 4 catches for 46 yards (11.5 avg) against the Broncos.  The Cardinals finished up with 71 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 37 passes for 288 yards.

DE Calais Campbell led a poor effort by the Cards’ defense with 7 tackles.  The Broncos finished up with 187 yards rushing on 42 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 26 passes for 206 yards.  The Cardinals finished up the preseason with a 2-2 record.

The Cardinals won this game due to a solid running game on offense and a stout defense.  Matt Leinart might have lost his starting job based on his lousy performance in this football game.  He completed 4 of 12 passes for 24 yards with a stunning 3 interceptions.  Kurt Warner was solid in relief of Leinart hitting 2 of 4 passes for 40 yards.  Brian St. Pierre was razor sharp in this game completing 7 of 8 passes for 96 yards.  He also hit TE Leonard Pope on a 18-yard TD pass.  J.J. Arrington led the Cardinals in rushing in this game with 71 yards on only 2 carries (35.5 ypc) as one of his runs was good for a 67-yard TD.  Rookie Tim Hightower has another very impressive game as he carried the football 10 times for 52 yards (5.2 ypc) and he scored on a 13-yard TD run.  Chris Vincent pitched in with 43 yards rushing on 8 carries (5.4 ypc).  Anquan Boldin led the Cardinals in receiving with 54 yards on 3 catches (18.0 avg).  The Cardinals finished up with 215 yards rushing on 39 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 25 passes for 158 yards.  The Cardinals had possession of the football for 34:25 in this football game and that really makes it easy for the defense.

Linebacker Gerald Hayes led a solid effort by the defense with 5 tackles.  The Raiders finished up with 54 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 33 passes for 111 yards.  It’s too bad this game didn’t count as the Cardinals looked dominating.

Brian St. Pierre has been really good in the preseason for the Cardinals solidifying his role as the #3 QB on the team.  St. Pierre has completed 16 of 22 passes (72.7%) this preseason for 124 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 interceptions (101.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc).  St. Pierre was brought over last season by head coach Ken Whisenhunt who coached him in Pittsburgh so the coach thinks he can do a good job if Leinart and Warner both went down to injury.

The Cardinals have been waiting for Matt Leinart to live up to his potential and he’s doing so this preseason.  Leinart has completed 14 of 19 passes (73.7%) for 153 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 interceptions (114.6 QB Rating) in his first two preseason games.  Veteran Kurt Warner has also been effective in limited playing time this preseason as he has completed 6 of 9 passes (66.7%) for 54 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 interceptions (82.6 QB Rating).  If the goal is to win this season then the Cardinals should seriously consider starting Kurt Warner who clearly outplayed Leinart last season.  But, if the Cardinals are looking towards the future than Leinart should be the pick to start this season.

Tim Hightower has made a big impression on the Arizona Cardinals this preseason.  He has carried the football 14 times for 51 yards (3.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs this preseason and he has also caught 4 passes for 14 yards (3.5 avg).  Hightower has bumped J.J. Arrington down the depth chart and Marcel Shipp off of the team.  Hightower now has his sites on Edgerrin James but he likely won’t overtake him before the season starts, but, look for him to get a few carries that were earmarked for James this season.

The Arizona Cardinals were very efficient in putting away the hapless Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday Night.  Matt Leinart looked sharp completing 7 of 11 passes for 62 yards with a 14-yard TD srtike to WR Steve Breaston.  Kurt Warner also looked good in completing 6 of 9 passes for 54 yards.  Brian St. Pierre had another outstanding game as he completed all 4 of his pass attempts for 40 yards including a 24-yard TD pass for fullback Tim Castille.  Anthony Morelli completed his only pass attempt for 7 yards Saturday Night.  Rookie RB Tim Hightower was impressive again for the Cardinals against the Chiefs with 28 yards rushing on 9 carries (3.1 ypc) with a 4-yard TD run.  Edgerrin James pitched in with 20 yards rushing on 4 carries (5.0 ypc).  Larry Fitzgerald led the way for the Cardinals with 46 yards receiving on 4 catches (11.5 avg).  Fullback Tim Castille was impressive against the Chiefs with 4 grabs for 45 yards (11.3 avg) with a TD grab.  WR Steve Breaston pitched in with 3 catches for 35 yards (11.7 avg) with a TD grab.  The Cardinals only finished up with 76 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.6 ypc).  They also completed 18 of 25 passes for 139 yards as they only finished up with possession of the football for 25:53.

DE Travis LaBoy was unstoppable for the Cardinals against the Chiefs as he led them with 7 tackles and he also had 2 sacks.  CB Dennis Keyes also had a solid game with 2 tackles and a interception of a Tyler Thigpen pass that he returned 84 yards for a TD.  The Chiefs finished up with 153 yards rushing on 29 carries (5.3 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 40 passes for 192 yards. 

Ken Whisenhunt seemed to work a miracle in the desert last season as he led the Cardinals to a 8-8 record.  That doesn’t sound like much but it was the Cardinals best season since 1998 when Vince Tobin led them to a 9-7 record.  The Cardinals appear to be well equipped to succeed in 2008 as long as they keep the team healthy.  The most interesting thing that Whisehunt will have to decide on is his starting QB.  Matt Leinart might have an early edge but if the goal is winning right now then Kurt Warner should be the choice based on how he played last season.  Regardless of who Whisenhunt picks as the starting QB I have a feeling that they might make the playoffs.  Whisenhunt was a good choice to be the head coach for the Cardinals and the best is yet to come.

The Cardinals have signed 29-year old linebacker Brandon Moore.  Moore played in 16 games (1 start) with the 49ers last season and he made 22 tackles, had 2.5 sacks and he defensed 1 pass.  Look for Moore to get a chance to earn some playing time on defense and special teams with the Cardinals this season.  Moore has now played in 88 games (26 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 242 tackles, has 15 sacks, defensed 8 passes and he has a interception.  The bonus is that Moore might be able to give the Cardinals’ coaches some secrets about the Niners defense as they play them twice.  This was a good move for the Cardinals.

31-year old Neil Rackers was not too accurate last season for the Cardinals and they need him to improve as they can’t afford to leave many points on the field this season.  Rackers played in all 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he connected on 21 of 30 (70%) field goals last season.  He also made 47 of 48 extra points last season for the Cards.  It’s beginning to look like Rackers’ big season in Arizona a couple of years ago was a fluke.  Rackers has now played in 118 games in his NFL career and he has made 164 of 217 field goals (75.6%).  He has also connected on 209 of 213 extra points (98.1%) in his career to date.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

The Arizona Cardinals have two young players with some upside and a veteran signed away from the Steelers.  It will be interesting to see how much production the Cardinals get out of this position.  24-year old Leonard Pope is a huge man at 6’8″, 258 pounds and he can cause mis-matches especially near the goal line. He played in 13 games for the Cardinals last season and he caught 23 passes for 238 yards (10.3 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  The Cardinals still expect more out of Pope and it will be interesting to see if he can improve or not.  Pope has now played in 29 games in his NFL career and he has caught 39 passes for 399 yards (10.2 avg) with 5 TD grabs.

23-year old Ben Patrick was a rookie last season and he didn’t get a lot of playing time.  Still, he showed some promise as a receiver and the Cardinals hope he can improve.  Patrick played in 8 games last season for the Cardinals and he caught 7 passes for 73 yards (10.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

32-year old Jerame Tuman was brought in from the Pittsburgh Pipeline and he’s a good run blocker.  Tuman played in 6 games for the Steelers last season and he caught 1 pass for 9 yards and it was a TD.  Look for Tuman to get a lot of playing time in 2008 for the Cardinals on running downs.  Tuman has now played in 120 games in his NFL career and he has caught 43 passes for 500 yards (11.6 avg) with 7 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-