Kurt Warner retired this spring leaving the Cardinals without much of a safety net if 27-year old Matt Leinart fails as the starter as he has in the past.  The Cardinals will probably run a lot more than they have in recent years to attempt to protect Leinart.  Leinart played in 8 games for the Cardinals last 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) last year.  Leinart has now played in 29 games in his career with the Cardinals 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 to date.  The Cardinals have a 7-10 record (41.2%) in games started by Matt Leinart.  He will have to improve his overall game or Derek Anderson will replace him at some point.

26-year old Derek Anderson has had two rough years in a row with the Browns.  But he was a Pro Bowl QB in 2007 and he definitely has big time ability as he has a strong arm and good feet to buy time.  He often throws the ball where he shouldn’t though and that’s the reason the Browns gave up on him.  If he can protect the football he could beat out Matt Leinart for the starting job in 2010.  Anderson played in 8 games for the Browns last season and he completed 81 of 182 passes (44.5%) for 888 yards with 3 TD passes and 10 INTs (42.1 QB Rating).  Anderson also carried the ball 10 times for 8 yards (0.8 ypc) last season.  Anderson has now played in 39 games in his NFL career and he has completed 587 of 1,109 passes (52.9%) for 7,083 yards with 46 TD passes and 45 INTs (69.7 QB Rating).  Anderson also has carried the ball 71 times for 180 yards (2.5 ypc) with 5 TD runs in his career to date.  Anderson has a 16-18 (47.1%) record as a starting QB in the NFL.

22-year old John Skelton was picked in the fifth round out of Fordham this past April and he will be the Cardinals’ #3 QB in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CARDINALS QBs in 2010:  C-

Kurt Warner proved last season that he still has a lot left in the gas tank.  Warner still has a lightning quick release and he has uncanny touch on passes despite not having a rifle.  But Warner’s greatest asset is that he’s a leader on the field and you could see that in the Super Bowl last season when he almost brought the Cardinals all the way back against the Steelers.  Look for Warner to have another outstanding season for the Cardinals in 2009.  Lefty Matt Leinart might still be the QB of the future for the Cardinals but he will be holding a clipboard until Warner slows down.  Leinart often looks a little puzzled on the field so here’s to hoping that Warner can teach him a few tricks before he retires.  Brian St. Pierre (a Ken Whisenhunt favorite) will battle lefty Tyler Palko for the #3 job in training camp.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B+

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-

The Cardinals have a very potent WR corps and teams better watch out for these guys.  24-year old Larry Fitzgerald is a big guy at 6’3″, 226 pounds and he has a great set of hands.  Fitzgerald played in 15 games for the Cardinals last season and he caught 100 passes for 1,409 yards (14.1 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Fitzgerald might even have a better season in 2008 if Anquan Boldin doesn’t give it his all this season due to a dispute over his contract.  Fitzgerald has now played in 60 games in his NFL career and he has caught 330 passes for 4,544 yards (13.8 avg) with 34 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 16 times for 55 yards (3.4 ypc) in his career.

27-year old Anquan Boldin is also a very physical receiver as he stands at 6’1″, 217 pounds and like Fitzgerald he has a good set of hands.  Boldin is fearless when going over the middle but it sometimes gets him injured.  Boldin played in 12 games for the Cardinals last season and he caught 71 passes for 853 yards (12.0 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 1 time for 14 yards last year.  Look for Boldin to increase his numbers in 2008 as he will be playing with dollar signs going through his head.  Boldin has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has caught 413 passes for 5,458 yards (13.2 avg) with 29 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 24 times for 130 yards (5.4 ypc) in his career.

The Cardinals expect 2nd year receiver Steve Breaston to battle for the #3 WR job during training camp.  He played in all 16 games last season and he only caught 8 passes for 92 yards (11.5 avg).  He also carried the football 2 times for 8 yards (4.0 ypc) last year.  Breaston is a outstanding special teams player but he looks to be ready to help out on offense too.

27-year old Jerheme Urban stepped up last season and he should challenge Breaston for the #3 WR job in 2008.  Urban played in 10 games for the Cardinals last season and he caught 22 passes for 329 yards (15.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Urban will also have to hold off rookie Early Doucet if he wants to get a few grabs in 2008.  Urban has now played in 21 games in his NFL career and he has caught 35 passes for 597 yards (17.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

22-year old Early Doucet reminds a lot of people of Anquan Boldin and the Cardinals hope he can be that good.  Doucet played in 10 games (9 starts) for LSU last season and he caught 57 passes for 525 yards (9.2 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Doucet should have a good career with the Cardinals but he will have to earn his way up the depth chart starting in training camp.  Doucet played in 47 games (23 starts) at LSU and he caught 160 passes for 1,943 yards (12.1 avg) with 20 TD grabs.

32-year old Sean Morey is part of the ex-Steeler pipeline to Arizona.  He is a great special teams player who can help out a little bit on offense.  Morey played in 15 games with the Cardinals last season and he caught 8 passes for 131 yards (16.4 avg).  He also carried the football 1 time for 13 yards last season.  Morey will likely get most of his playing time on special teams unless the Cardinals suffer a few injuries at WR.  Morey has now played in 62 games in his NFL career and he has caught 11 passes for 168 yards (15.3 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A+

Veteran Terrelle Smith will likely be the starting fullback for the Cardinals in 2008 and his game is blocking.  Smith stands at 6’0″, 250 pounds and he lives to pound linebackers in the running game.  Smith played in 16 games (10 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he carried the ball 1 time for 3 yards.  He also caught 7 passes for 59 yards (8.4 avg) last season.  Don’t look for Smith to get the ball much in 2008 as he never does.  Smith has now played in 123 games (78 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 58 times for 185 yards (3.2 ypc).  He also has caught 65 passes for 330 yards (5.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.

Tim Castille was on the practice squad last season but the Cardinals like him a little bit.  He is a little smaller than Smith as he is 5’11″, 234 pounds but he might cut into Smith’s time a little bit in 2008.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Cardinals decided on draft day to essentially stick with what they have for the 2008 season.  Edgerrin James will be the main man in the running game for the Cardinals in 2008 without a doubt.  He doesn’t have the speed he used to but he’s still a tough inside runner.  James played in 16 games (all starts) last season for the Cardinals and he carried the ball 324 times for 1,222 yards (3.8 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also caught 24 passes for 204 yards (8.5 avg) in 2007.  Look for James to remain effective as long as the Cardinals have a good passing game to keep the pressure off of him.  James has now played in 128 games (all starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 2,849 times for 11,607 yards (4.1 ypc) with 77 TD runs.  He also has caught 418 passes for 3,260 yards (7.8 avg) with 11 TD grabs in his NFL career.

Marcel Shipp will likely be James’ caddy again this season for the Cardinals.  He has a little bit of power and a little bit of speed but the Cardinals running game will crawl to a halt if anything happens to James.  Shipp played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals this season and he has carried the ball 15 times for 41 yards (2.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 4 passes for 25 yards (6.3 avg).  Shipp had a chance as a feature back a couple of years ago and he failed.  Shipp has now played in 88 games (28 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 605 times for 2,197 yards (3.6 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He also has caught 113 passes for 937 yards (8.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.

J.J. Arrington was the third down back for the Cardinals last season and it’s likely the role he will serve again in 2008.  Arrington is a fast guy but he doesn’t have the size or power to handle an every down job in the NFL.  Arrington played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals in 2007 and he carried the ball 26 times for 78 yards (3.0 ypc).  He also caught 29 passes for 241 yards (8.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Arrington likely will never amount to anything more than he is right now.  Arrington has now played in 47 games (5 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 152 times for 467 yards (3.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 62 passes for 438 yards (7.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Rookie Tim Hightower from Richmond was a power runner in college but we’ll see how well that translates when he’s playing against the big boys of the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner will be in a duel for the starting QB job in 2008.  Based on the QBs play the last two years it shouldn’t be that hard of a decision.  If the Cardinals are smart they will start the cagey veteran…..Kurt Warner.  Warner took over for the injured Matt Leinart last season and the Cardinals’ offense took flight.  Sure, Warner does throw quite a few pickoffs but he nullified those by racking up many more TD passes.  He still has enough arm to make all of the throws needed in the Cardinals’ offense but he often looks like a statue in the pocket.  Warner played in 14 games (11 starts) for the Cardinals last season and he completed 281 of 451 passes (62.3%) for 3,417 yards with 27 TD passes and 17 interceptions (89.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 17 times for 15 yards (0.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Warner has come a long way since packing groceries before the Rams called him all of those years ago and he has very impressive career numbers that he should add to this season.  Warner has now played in 93 games (85 starts) and he has completed 1,926 of 2,959 passes (65.1%) for 24,008 yards with 152 TD passes and 100 interceptions (93.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 134 times for 278 yards (2.1 ypc) with 3 TD runs.

Matt Leinart was supposed to be the savior of the Arizona Cardinals when they drafted him out of USC two years ago but he has not improved one bit as a football player.  He has a strong enough arm to succeed but he often holds the ball too long and throws it into spaces that he shouldn’t resulting in turnovers.  Leinart also doesn’t have much mobility in the pocket making him often a sitting duck.  Leinart will have a hard time beating out Kurt Warner unless he really improves in training camp.   He played in 5 games (all starts) last season for the Cardinals and he completed 60 of 112 passes (53.6%) for 647 yards with 2 TD passes and 4 interceptions (71.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 11 times for 42 yards (3.8 ypc).  Leinart’s career numbers look awful and it will be interesting to see if he can improve on them this season.  Leinart has now played in 17 games (16 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 274 of 489 passes (56%) for 3,194 yards with 13 TD passes and 16 interceptions (71.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 33 times for 91 yards (2.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

Brian St. Pierre will be the #3 QB for the Cardinals this season and he has ties to Ken Whisenhunt’s days in Pittsburgh so he knows the offense.  He doesn’t have a strong arm and the Cardinals would likely have to take some plays out of the playbook if St. Pierre were forced into the starting lineup.   He only has played in 1 game (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has thrown 1 incomplete pass and he has carried the ball 4 times for -3 yards (-0.8 ypc).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-