It’s the $63 million question.

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Cardinals vs. Seahawks | Cardinals fans | Box score | NFL scoreboard

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When the Cardinals report to training camp next fall, will coach Ken Whisenhunt put the starting-quarterback position up for grabs between Kevin Kolb and John Skelton?

Kolb signed a five-year, $63million contract with Arizona upon being acquired from Philadelphia for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round draft pick.

But injuries and ineffectiveness left him 2-6 in his eight full games as a starter this season. Skelton, meanwhile, went 6-2 when he started or played most of the game.

After Sunday’s season-ending 23-20 overtime victory over Seattle, Skelton was asked if he felt he deserved a fair shot to unseat Kolb as the Cardinals’ starter next year.

“I hope I do. That is for the coaching staff to determine,” he said, adding, “Kevin and I have a great relationship. We push each other, and we always help each other out. We will see what happens this off-season.”

As the Cardinals cleared out their lockers Monday, Kolb told reporters he fully expects to be in a battle with Skelton for the starting job, saying it only would be fair given how things played out.

He also looks forward to putting this season behind him and getting a clean slate with which to work in 2012.

“I’m looking forward to the fruits of the labor and having a great season next year,” he said.

But Whisenhunt will decide who starts next season and on Monday, he reminded reporters that he’s always had open competitions for starting positions and that won’t be different at quarterback.

“That’s the way we’ve always been,” he said.

When informed of Kolb’s comments about having to earn the starting job again, Whisenhunt nodded appreciatively.

“I would hope that every player thinks he has to earn it,” he said. “… I think you’ve got to have that with your team. You can go back and look at all the spots, and that’s the way we’ve operated no matter what the situation has been.”

Health scares

News surfaced after Sunday’s game that Skelton and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald each were dealing with some health concerns.

Skelton, who passed for 271 yards and a touchdown, fainted and fell before the game shortly after having his knee drained in the training room.

Fitzgerald took a hit in the third quarter and suffered a bruised lung, which reportedly made him spit up blood at one point.

Doctors checked out both players thoroughly, Whisenhunt said, and allowed them to play.

Whisenhunt said Skelton joked with him about the fainting spell, calling him “Mike,” as in offensive coordinator Mike Miller.

“I knew he was OK after that,” Whisenhunt said.

Skelton said he’s never passed out before and called it a “a freak thing.” He added, “I think everyone was more worried than I was.”

As for Fitzgerald, who caught nine passes for 149 yards, including three big receptions on the team’s winning drive in overtime, he was re-evaluated by doctors after the game and again Monday.

Whisenhunt said everything checked out fine.

Free-agency talk

The Cardinals have several players set to become free agents, including defensive end Calais Campbell, defensive back Richard Marshall, left tackle Levi Brown and kicker Jay Feely.

Campbell likely will be given a multi-year extension or be presented with the franchise tag. Marshall and Feely each said Monday they would prefer to return. And Whisenhunt said he hopes Brown will be back as well, although given what it likely will cost the team to retain him, that might not occur.

What’s next

Whisenhunt said he and his staff will meet for the next week evaluating the team and grading players and each position as well as every play. After that, they will take a break and do it all over again, so as not to make any judgments based on emotion from the season just having ended.

As for any potential coaching changes, Whisenhunt said Monday that it was too early to make any decisions, adding that he must sit down with his own bosses and be evaluated first.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll needs to test receiver Deon Butler on Sunday (Jan. 1). Butler is healthy again after suffering a broken leg in a game against the San Francisco 49ers last December. He has played a little bit in the last four games, but hasn’t really been tested by quarterback Tarvaris Jackson or the Seahawks . Now is the perfect opportunity to line him up against the first-string defense of the Arizona Cardinals and see what he can do.

Butler was a third-round draft choice in the 2009 N FL Draft coming out of Penn State University. He played in all 16 games during his rookie year, catching 15 passes for 175 yards. Before he got hurt in 2010, he had played in 13 games, catching 36 passes for 385 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had shown flashes of talent on deep routes , including a very nice 63-yard touchdown reception on one game. When he broke his leg though, his progression was de-railed for a bit.

Butler may have just 5 catches for 40 yards this season, but he still shows that same passion for the game in practices. Only Butler truly knows what he could provide for the Seahawks at receiver though, and I would like the coaching staff to really give him the chance to have a breakout game. There is no harm in letting him become a primary target for Jackson on Sunday (Jan .1) and what if they end up being a perfect tandem on the field? That can only benefit the team for the 2012 season.

The receiver positions have been a void of injuries this year, and heading into Week 17 both Doug Baldwin and Ben Obomanu are recovering from injuries. With Mike Williams and Sidney Rice also residing on injured-reserves, it’s time to let Baldwin get in on the action. I think he could become a really good complimentary receiver for the Seahawks again, and that could really come in handy in multiple-receiver spreads on third down plays. Now it’s time to see what his speed can do in a game situation and the Seahawks have nothing to lose by doing so against Arizona on Sunday (Jan. 1).

More From YCN:

Seahawks Week 17 Injury Report

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Sources:

NFL_Defensive_Statistics

Seahawks_2011_Stats

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*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a lifelong fan of the Seattle Seahawks that continues to hold out hope that the team is heading in the right direction with a new coach, a weak NFC West, and some great young players on defense.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals have seasons that mirror each — an awful beginning and strong finish.

They will meet in their season finale on Sunday, the winner finishing at 8-8, a satisfying result considering what things looked like a couple of months ago.

“It’s enough incentive to be jacked up to end your season with .500 at least,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “That’s not anywhere near where we wanted to be, but it’s what we have available and we’re going for it. I know that those guys feel the same way. That’s just a natural way for all of us, so it’s going to be a big battle.”

John Skelton, who probably will be back at quarterback for Arizona, said the difference between 7-9 and 8-8 is far more than just one game.

“No one wants to have a losing record going into the off-season,” he said. “It kind of puts a bad taste in your mouth. 8-8 is kind of something to build on for the future.”

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt reminds his players of what happened in 2007, his first season in Arizona. The Cardinals won their final two to finish 8-8. The next season, Arizona won the NFC West and made it to the Super Bowl.

“No guarantees that if we win this game we are going to the Super Bowl next year, but I do believe that it’s something that you want to do,” he said. “You strive to do that, because you always want to end on a high note and it really propels you into the off-season.”

Seattle was 2-6 after a loss to Dallas on Nov. 6. Arizona was 1-6 after a 30-27 loss at Baltimore on Oct. 30. Seattle won five of six, capped by an impressive 34-14 road win over Chicago, to climb to 7-7. The Cardinals won six of seven, including home wins over Dallas and San Francisco, to hit 7-7 with a 20-17 overtime win at home over Cleveland leaving them 7-7.

The slim playoff hopes of both teams were dashed a week ago when the Seahawks lost at home to NFC West champ San Francisco 19-17 and the Cardinals were beaten at Cincinnati 23-16. That the teams were in it that long is remarkable considering the way they started.

The Cardinals have lived on the edge in nearly every game.

Five of their losses were by seven points or less. They have trailed at the half in all seven of their victories. They have won six of their last eight, three in overtime, the other three by four points, three points and two points. Last week, they trailed the Bengals 23-0 entering the fourth quarter but had a chance to win it late. Wide receiver Early Doucet broke wide open on a fourth-and-five play and was surely headed for a touchdown when he slipped and fell, Skelton’s pass sailing harmlessly over his head.

Slow starts have plagued Arizona all season. Over the last eight games, the Cardinals have been outscored 94-30 in the first two quarters, then have outscored opponents 116-51 in the second half and overtimes. Skelton isn’t sure why he has had so much trouble early in games.

“There are mistakes that even a rookie shouldn’t be making that I’m making out there sometimes. I think it is just consistency,” he said. “We’ll have maybe the first two plays of a drive go well and then the third one someone messes up. Those are the things that we have to eliminate, the mistake here and the mistake there. Eventually those add up and they hurt an offence.”

Kevin Kolb, brought in to be the Cardinals’ franchise quarterback, struggled through the team’s six-game losing streak early in the season, then was sidelined for four games with a right turf toe. He returned and directed the team to a comeback victory over Dallas, only to go down with a concussion when he took a knee to the head on Arizona’s first play the following week against San Francisco.

Skelton came on to lead the team to a 21-19 victory over the 49ers. The second-year pro from Fordham is 4-2 as a starter this season, 5-2 if the San Francisco victory is counted.

The No. 1 challenge for Arizona’s vastly improved defence will be slowing down Marshawn Lynch, who has topped 100 yards rushing in six of his last eight games. But Whisenhunt reminded everyone that he has a pretty good back in Beanie Wells. Lynch has rushed for 1,118 yards and averaged 4.2 yards per carry. Wells, despite a season-long knee problem, has 1,047 yards, picking up 4.3 per attempt.

“If you look at Beanie vs. Marshawn, they’re almost identical statistically,” Whisenhunt said.

The Seahawks led 17-16 entering the fourth quarter last week against San Francisco only to lose on David Akers’ 39-yard field goal with 3:44 to play. Jackson’s fumble on Seattle’s next possession sealed the 49ers’ win.

The Seahawks believe they are a better team than they were a year ago, when their 7-9 record was good enough to win the NFC West, then they stunned New Orleans in the first round of the playoffs.

“Even though we have a similar record as last year, I think we took stuff forward this year — defence, offence, running game, and special teams,” Seattle strong safety Kam Chancellor said. “There are new guys on the team now and we just have to take time to feel each other out and see where we’re going.”

Given the short-term reward vs. the potential long-term risk, most Cardinals fans might assume that coach Ken Whisenhunt will tell quarterback Kevin Kolb to just sit this next one out, that there’s nothing to be gained by having him play in the regular-season finale against the visiting Seattle Seahawks.

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Photos from Cards-Bengals game | Replay: Game chat | Box score

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If Kolb still is dealing with concussion symptoms, he won’t play, Whisenhunt confirmed Monday when he addressed the media for the first time since Arizona’s 23-16 loss Saturday at Cincinnati.

But if Kolb is cleared to go, Whisenhunt said he won’t sit him for protective measures — even though the Cardinals (7-8) have been eliminated from the playoff race.

“We’re not approaching this as the last week. That’s not the way we’re going to approach it with our team or how we play,” Whisenhunt said. “We want to win this game. It’s a pretty significant achievement for this team, after starting 1-6, to get back to 8-8. I think it means a lot, and that’s the way we’re gong to approach it.

“I think back to ’07 when we finished 8-8, and it gave us some momentum going into the off-season we had a pretty decent year the next year. To have the opportunity to go 8-8, even though we strive for better than that and we want to get into the playoffs, it’s a pretty significant turnaround, and we want to make sure we continue to work for that.”

Whisenhunt said it will continue to be a “day-to-day thing” with Kolb, who suffered a head injury when he was inadvertently kneed in the back of the head two weeks ago in a win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Since then, Kolb has had good days and bad days. He will feel little to no symptoms one day, and the next day he might have problems in a meeting or on the practice field. Such was the case Saturday.

Whisenhunt said Kolb handled the plane ride in from Phoenix all right, but that once the quarterback got to the stadium, the sun and the noise from the crowd began to get to him.

“We just have to make sure he’s completely healthy before you let him get back out there,” Whisenhunt said.

The play

It’s already being hailed as the Play of the Year in the NFL, and it figures to live in replay history to haunt the Cardinals for decades.

Jerome Simpson’s improbable, head-over-toes touchdown flip into the end zone over Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington, however, still isn’t sitting too well with Whisenhunt.

“It’s a great athletic play by the guy,” the coach said. “Am I impressed with that? I’m impressed every day with what I see these guys do. I don’t like it that it happened against us, obviously. But the guy’s a tremendous athlete, and he made a good play.

“Listen, it’s great that people are excited about it. It’s great for our sport in that it gets more interest in it. But hopefully somebody will make a (more exciting) play and we won’t have to see that going forward, because it certainly doesn’t bring back good memories of the game.”

Extra points

Whisenhunt said watching receiver Early Doucet stumble and fall when he was wide open in the end zone for a potential tying touchdown Saturday was something “you think about a million times, especially sitting on the plane coming back home.”

However, he said he talked with Doucet and reminded him that had the team not fumbled at the goal line on first down, Doucet’s stumble never would have come into play.

“Early’s a tough competitor, and he’s bounced back from a lot of things,” Whisenhunt said. “… I respect him for that.”

Deuce Lutui finally saw his first playing time of the season at right guard during the second half of Saturday’s game.

Whisenhunt said it was primarily because starter Rex Hadnot has been dealing with knee and back problems and is starting to “wear down a little bit.”

“Deuce did all right,” Whisenhunt said.

“He got in there and competed.”

The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals will square off in the desert January 1 in what will be the last game of the season for both teams, as neither will be playing in the playoffs. The game will serve as a reminder to players and fans of both teams of how far they came in their seasons, and where they need to improve.

The cliche thing is to say they are only playing for pride, but of course there should be more to it than that. They are very highly paid professionals, and are getting paid to play their best ball. The emotions involved need to be put aside and the task at hand taken care of. That’s not always how sports plays out, though, is it? The emotions of the moment are always part of the equation.

Fighting for .500

The battle between the two 7-8 teams means one will end at .500 and be second place in the division, and if it’s the Seahawks, they will have beaten the Cardinals in both meetings on the year. That’s important when it comes to bragging rights in the NFC West, but will have little practical impact.

More than finishing out the year at .500 will be establishing a base to build on for next season. The Seahawks’ offensive line took a beating and still managed to turn into a cohesive and effective unit. A great performance in the last game of the season will only work to cement that even more.

The ones that got away

A side effect of a big win for the Seahawks in their last game could be feelings of remorse over games that got away over the course of the season. While there’s nothing to be done about it now, that won’t stop us from lamenting the close games. The late comeback against the Falcons, the embarrassing outing by Charlie Whitehurst versus the Cleveland Browns, and giving up the lead over the Redskins come to mind.

Ending on a positive note

I think the Seahawks will beat the Cardinals and end their season on an up note. While the players get some time off, management needs to begin preparations for obtaining a franchise quarterback and working out a way to keep Marshawn Lynch in a Seattle uniform. With the way the team has been playing on defense and the offense stepping up, with just a few tweaks 2012 will see a Seahawks team going deep into the playoffs. The bittersweet ending of this season can lead to a sweet 2012.

Jeff Musall has been a fan of the Seahawks since he was a kid living in a small Idaho town, watching Jim Zorn lead the team down the field.

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