23-year old running back LaRod Stephens-Howling made the Cardinals as a rookie last season as the kickoff returner.  The 5′7″, 180 pound Stephens-Howling has all kinds of moves and he often gets right up the field rather than running east and west.  He played in 16 games last season for the Cardinals in which he returned 52 kickoffs for 1,257 yards (24.2 avg) with 1 TD return (it was a 99-yarder).  Look for the Cardinals to have good starting position quite often in 2010 due to LaRod Stephens-Howling.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CARDINALS KICKOFF RETURNERS IN 2010:  A-

The Cardinals look to have a very physical offensive line as they shift from a finsesse pass blocking team to more of an attacking run blocking team.  On the left side will be tackle Levi Brown and guard Alan Faneca.  Brown was a Pro Bowl alternate as a right tackle for the Cardinals last season but he will be shifting to the left.  But he won’t be the blind side protector as long as Matt Leinart is starting.  Faneca is a brawler in the running game which is his specialty from his Pro Bowl days with the Steelers.  Center Lyle Sendlein has come a long way since being a undrafted player out of college.  He has a nice upside and rarely makes mistakes.  Right guard Deuce Lutui is a lot like Faneca as he’s a solid run blocker.  Jeremy Bridges will battle Brandon Keith for the right to be the blind side tackle for Leinart in 2010.  Both Bridges and Keith are capable of handling the job at right tackle with the loser in the competition providing depth.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CARDINALS’ O-LINE in 2010:  C+

48-year old head coach learned his trade under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh.  Whisenhunt brought a lot of his qualities along with him to Arizona and that is a good thing.  He led the Cardinals to a 10-6 record last season and the Cards went 1-1 in the playoffs.  The Cardinals are now 27-21 (56.3%) during Whisenhunt’s three years in charge and they are 4-2 (66.7%) in the post season.  The Cardinals narrowly lost the 2008 Super Bowl and it remains their goal to get back to that game and win it this time around.

34-year old kicker Jay Feely will likely be a very solid kicker for the Cardinals in 2010.  He played in 16 games for the Jets last season and he connected on 30 of 36 field goals (83.3%).  He also made all 32 of his extra points as he finished up with 122 points for the Jets.  Feely has now played in 143 games in his NFL career and he has made 303 of 373 field goals (81.6%) and 320 of 322 extra points good for 1,013 points.  I think he will excel kicking for the Cardinals without having to deal with the elements outside.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CARDINALS KICKERS in 2010:  B+

26-year old Larry Fitzgerald will definitely be the go-to man with Anquan Boldin off to Baltimore.  Fitzgerald played in 16 games (all starts) for the Cardinals last season and he caught 97 passes for 1,092 yards (11.3 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  He has now played in 92 games (all starts) in his six years with the Cardinals and he has caught 523 passes for 7,067 yards (13.5 avg) with 59 TD grabs.  Fitzgerald has also carried the ball 16 times for 55 yards (3.4 ypc) in his NFL career.  Fitzgerald has been to 4 Pro Bowls in his young NFL career but he will only make it to a fifth one in 2010 if the Cardinals get solid play from either Matt Leinart or Derek Anderson at QB.

26-year old Steve Breaston will be stepping into Boldin’s old role in the starting lineup.  Breaston played in 15 games (6 starts) last season for the Cardinals and he caught 55 passes for 712 yards (12.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 47 games (15 starts) in his three years with the Cardinals and he has caught 140 passes for 1,810 yards (12.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball six times for 60 yards (10.0 ypc) in his NFL career.  I think Breaston will have a solid year for the Cardinals in 2010.

24-year old Early Doucet has the edge heading into training camp to be the #3 WR for the Cardinals in 2010.  Doucet played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he caught 17 passes for 214 yards (12.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 16 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Cardinals and he has caught 31 passes for 304 yards (9.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Rookie 3rd round pick Andre Roberts out of The Citadel will battle Early Doucet in training camp for the #3 WR job.  He is a solid receiver but this will be a huge step up in competition for him.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CARDINALS WRs in 2010:  B+