Veteran QB Kurt Warner has decided to hang up his cleats and call it a career.  Warner played in 62 games for the Cardinals and he completed 1,371 of 2,105 passes (65.1%) for 15,843 yards with 100 TD passes and 59 INTs (91.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 82 times for 54 yards (0.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Warner is the Cardinals’ all-time leader in completion percentage (65.1%) and QB Rating (91.9).  He also ranks #4 in both pass yardage (15,843) and TD passes (100) in team history.  Look for the Cardinals to bring in some form of competition for Matt Leinart as they can’t feel too confident in him as a starting QB.

1st round pick Beanie Wells (RB) was very solid for the Cardinals sharing time with Tim Hightower.  He played in 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he carried the ball 176 times for 793 yards (4.5 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  Wells also caught 12 passes for 143 yards (11.9 avg) as a rookie.  The sky is the limit for Wells as he can do it all.  The 2nd best pick for the Cardinals last April didn’t come until the 7th round (#240 overall) which is where they selected RB/KR LaRod Stephens-Howling.  Stephens-Howling played in all 16 games for the Cardinals last season in which he carried the ball 6 times for 15 yards (2.5 ypc) and he caught 10 passes for 83 yards (8.3 avg) with a TD.  He also returned 52 kickoffs for 1,257 yards (24.2 avg) with a 99-yard TD return.  He also had 22 tackles on special teams for the Cardinals.  Safety Rashard Johnson was picked in the 3rd round (#95 overall) out of Alabama.  He played in 10 games for the Cardinals and he made 20 tackles and defensed 1 pass.  CB Greg Toler was selected in the 4th round (#131 overall) out of St. Paul’s (VA).  He played in 13 games for the Cardinals last season and he made 11 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he had 1 interception.  Linebacker Will Davis was selected in the sixth round out of Illinois (#204 overall).  He played in 11 games for the Cardinals last season and he made 19 tackles and he also had 2 sacks.  Linebacker Cody Brown (2nd round, #63 overall) out of U.Conn. missed last season due to injury but the Cardinals like him a lot.  Guards Herman Johnson (5th round, #167 overall) out of LSU and Trevor Canfield (7th round, #254 overall) out of Cincinnati didn’t play in any games last season for the Cardinals.

GRADE FOR 2009:  B-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B+

The Arizona Cardinals were depleted and more fatigued than the New Orleans Saints in their NFC Divisional Round game, but I was still expecting a much closer outcome.  The Cardinals defense just could not stop Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and the rest of the Saints offense.  One main reason was that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartrie (knee) and Antrel Rolle (concussion) both got injured in the first half and Drew Brees took advantage.  Brees finished with 3 touchdowns and 247 yards on 23/32 passes.  Reggie Bush hurt the Cardinals the most though.  He rushed for 84 yards and 1 touchdown on only 5 carries, including a 46-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to put the Cardinals in a 21-7 hole.  Bush hurt the Cardinals in special teams too, returning a punt for 83 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to put the game out of reach for the Cards.

Kurt Warner and the offense did their best early in the game to try and keep up, but the Saints made some huge plays and the Cardinals were in a hole early.  In what might have been Warner’s final game, he got really banged up, getting blindsided on a block after being intercepted, and looked a little gingerly from then on.  He finished with 205 yards, no touchdowns, and 1 interception on 17/26 passes.  Justin Hightower had a huge 70-yard touchdown run on the first play for the Cardinals, but after that the Cardinals only got 30 rushing yards the rest of the game.  Beanie Wells only had 7 yards on 5 carries.  The Saints overpowered and outplayed the Cardinals on both sides of the ball and it may be the end of the Kurt Warner era in Arizona.

The Arizona Cardinals offense was more than impressive in their 51-45 win over the Packers in the Wild Card round, but their defense was very weak.  They did get a great defensive play to win the game, but they gave up 45 points.  The Packers had a good offense, but they don’t have the weapons that the New Orleans Saints have.  The Saints have lost three straight going into this game, and they didn’t score more than 24 points in any of those games.  These are the playoffs though, so I am expecting the Saints to be much sharper in this game against the Cardinals.  They averaged 404 total yards per game this season, and they have a great quarterback in Drew Brees.  Brees has a great running game to go to as well, using three different running backs that gave the Saints an a rushing average of 132 yards per game.  This is going to be a very tough matchup for the Cardinals defense.

Kurt Warner has proven he is one of the best postseason quarterbacks ever and his 379 yard, 5 touchdown performance last week was amazing.  He had more touchdowns than he did incomplete passes (4).  The Saints defense is nothing spectacular too, so Warner should be able to find a lot of success.  They held teams to 235 passing yards per game in the regular season, but I expect Warner to easily surpass that with Larry Fitzgerald to throw to.  Anquan Boldin also may be able to suit up, giving Warner another huge weapon to go to.  The Cardinals ran the ball well against the Packers too, and with the Saints giving up 122 rushing yards per game they should continue a strong running game.  They are definitely going to need another huge game out of their offense, since I don’t see the Cardinals defense slowing down the Saints enough.  It could be another exciting, high-scoring affair but I think the Saints will be too much for the Cardinals to keep up with the whole game and I’m taking the Saints by a touchdown.

PREDICTION:  Arizona Cardinals 31, New Orleans Saints 38

Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals got into a gun-slinging offensive shootout against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.  Warner had one of the best games in postseason history, throwing for 379 yards and 5 touchdowns on 29/33 (88%) passes.  Warner has had more than a few great postseason games, and he is looking more and more like a Hall-of-Fame candidate.  His favorite targets were Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald.  Breaston had 7 catches for 125 yards and 1 touchdown, while Fitzgerald had 6 catches for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The running game was great as well, which was an added bonus to such a stellar passing game.  Beanie Wells ran hard, gaining 91 yards on 14 carries for an average of 6.5 yards per carry.  Breaston had one big rush for 28 yards, and the Cardinals finished with 156 rushing yards as a team.

The Cardinals defense was going up against a passing game almost as good as their own.  Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers nearly matched Warner’s phenomenal passing stats, going 28/42 for 422 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  The Packers had 493 total yards, while the Cardinals had 531 total yards.  It was also the highest scoring game in postseason history.  The defense was torn apart by Rodgers most of the game, but they made two huge plays on the first and final play of the game.  Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie picked off Rodgers on the first play of the game, giving the Cardinals some big momentum on their way to a 17-0 first quarter.  Rodgers brought the Packers back into the game, but in overtime Karlos Dansby grabbed a Rodgers fumble out of the air and ran 17 yards for a game-winning touchdown.  Michael Adams had the big hit that forced the fumble, and in a game dominated by offense it was the Cardinals defense that ultimately decided the outcome.

The Arizona Cardinals decided to rest their starters against the Green Bay Packers last week, and they were blown out 33-7 because of it.  We will see if the extra rest paid off for the Cardinals in their rematch against the Packers this weekend in the NFC Wild Card game.  The Cardinals got hot at the right time last year, winning the NFC Championship and making a trip to the Super Bowl.  They are looking to get hot again in this year’s playoffs, and the offense should be able to find success and get on the right track against the Packers.  They have a great quarterback in Kurt Warner, who has two huge weapons in the passing game with All-Pro wide-receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.  The Packers have a very solid defense though, giving up only 284 yards per game this season.  They are great at stopping the run, so if Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower can get some things going in the running game it would be huge for Warner and the passing game.  It’s not likely they will rack up that many rushing yards though, so Warner will have to do most of the work with his arm.

The Cardinals defense will be facing a very good quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers has a great season this year, throwing for 4,434 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions.  He completed 65% of his passes and has a very strong arm.  He also gets a lot of help from his running backs, with the Packers averaging 118 rushing yards this season.  The big weakness for the Packers is their pass protection, as they gave up 50 sacks this season.  The Cardinals front line should have some opportunities to get to Rodgers and they need to make the most of them.  If the Cardinals can’t slow Rodgers down, they will likely lose the game.  I want to go with the former NFC Champs in this game, but with Rodgers playing so well and the Packers coming off a big win over the Cardinals, I am going with the Packers in this game.

PREDICTION:  Arizona Cardinals 24, Green Bay Packers 27

38-year old Kurt Warner has been hinting that this playoff run is it for him and that should scare the hell out of Cardinals’ fans because Matt Leinart stinks.  Warner played in 15 games for the Cardinals this season and he completed 339 of 513 passes (66.1%) for 3,753 yards with 26 TD passes and 14 INTs (93.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 21 times for 10 yards (0.5 ypc) this year.  Warner has now played in 124 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,666 of 4,070 passes (65.5%) for 32,344 yards with 208 TD passes and 128 INTs (93.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 173 times for 286 yards (1.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  The Cardinals should get on bended knee and beg Warner to come back in 2010.

26-year old Matt Leinart was awful again this season as usual for the Cardinals.  He played in 8 games for the Cardinals this season and he completed 51 of 77 passes (66.2%) for 435 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs (64.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 9 times for -6 yards (-0.7 ypc) this year.  Leinart has now played in 29 games in his NFL career and he has completed 340 of 595 passes (57.1%) for 3,893 yards with 14 TD passes and 20 INTs (70.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 46 times for 90 yards (2.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  The Cardinals better bring in someone to at least compete with Leinart for the starting job in 2010 if Warner retires.

30-year old Brian St. Pierre is still around as the #3 QB.  He played in 1 game for the Cardinals this season and he completed 2 of 4 passes (50%) for 12 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INTs (56.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 1 time for 2 yards this year.  He has now played in 2 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2 of 5 passes (40%) for 12 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (47.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for -1 yards (-0.2 ypc) in his career.  The Cardinals might keep St. Pierre around as the #3 QB next season as he is a favorite of Ken Whisenhunt.

The Arizona Cardinals (10-6) will be facing off against the Green Bay Packers (11-5) in the first round of the playoffs, and this game was a small preview of that matchup.  I say small because the Cardinals decided to rest most of their key players, while the Packers did mostly the opposite.  That is why the Packers routed the Cardinals, and hopefully this approach by Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t disrupt the Cards rhythm going into their rematch in the playoffs.

The offense only managed 187 total yards, with Matt Leinart going 13/21 for 96 yards and 2 interceptions.  One of those interceptions was taken back 45 yards by Charles Woodson for a touchdown.  Leinart has not looked good at all while replacing Warner, and the Cardinals will need a healthy Warner in the playoffs.  That is one of the reasons Whisenhunt held Warner out most of the game.  The defense could not do much to stop the Packers’ offense, with Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers leading the Packers to a 26-0 halftime lead.  The Cards’ defense gave up 345 total yards to the Packers, but this game shouldn’t have too much meaning when it comes to their rematch in the first round.

The Arizona Cardinals (10-5) and Green Bay Packers (10-5) are facing off on Sunday and it looks like it will be a preview of the first round of the playoffs.  Both teams have clinched a spot in the playoffs, and it is very likely that the NFC West champion Cardinals will be playing the Wild Card Packers in the first round.  The Cardinals have an outside shot of getting a bye, but a lot of things need to happen including a tie between the Cowboys and Eagles so it is very unlikely.  That means Ken Whisenhunt may be resting his starters, especially the 38-year-old Kurt Warner.  Whisenhunt has not really said whether or not he will be resting his starters, so I am expecting them to play a decent amount.  Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin have had success all season in the passing game, but they would like some help from Beanie Wells, Tim Hightower, and the rest of the Cardinals’ running game that averages just 96 rushing yards per game.

The Packers have a pretty good offense, which is led by their talented young quarterback Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers has done very well for the Packers after replacing Brett Favre last season, and has passed for over 4,000 yards for the second straight season.  That means the Cardinals secondary needs to be ready for a lot of passing plays and they cannot get beat deep.  Rodgers has a very strong arm and is a good quarterback, so the Packers do have the ability to keep up with Warner and the Cardinals offense.  The Cardinals defense will really need to step up.  The Packers have a solid running game too, so the Cardinals need to hold the Packers under the 113 yard average they are giving up on the ground.  Although the Cardinals have clinched the NFC West, they cannot afford to have a let-down going into the playoffs and need to get hot like they did last year which brought them to the Super Bowl.  With an older team, Whisenhunt will likely rest them some though, so I will give the Packers a slight edge.

PREDICTION:  Arizona Cardinals 28, Green Bay Packers 31

The Cardinals are only sending one offensive player to the Pro Bowl and three defensive players which is somewhat of a surprise for a team with a high flying offensive reputation.  26-year old WR Larry Fitzgerald is the lone offensive player making the trip.  He has played in 15 games this season for the Cardinals and he has caught 94 passes for 1,075 yards (11.4 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  30-year old strong safety Adrian Wilson really had another strong season.  He has played in 15 games for the Cardinals this season and he has made 74 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, defensed 13 passes, has 2 sacks, forced a fumble and he picked off 5 passes.  28-year old DT Darnell Dockett really made a huge impact on the interior of the defense for the Cardinals.  He has played in 15 games for the Cardinals this season and he has made 51 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, defensed 2 passes, picked off 1 pass and he has 7 sacks.  CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was a true shut down corner for the Cardinals this season.  He has played in 15 games for the Cardinals this season and he has made 50 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, forced 3 fumbles, defensed an amazing 25 passes and he has 6 interceptions (one of which he returned for a TD).  The Cardinals want to return to the Super Bowl which would make these four guys have to cancel going to the Pro Bowl but I think they would all be o.k. with that.