Cardinals rookies went through their first practice as professionals Friday, and accordingly, miracles were neither expected nor produced.

“They get a gold star if they can line up right today,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

There were two practices Friday, two more scheduled for Saturday and another Sunday. The idea is to teach the 47 players in attendance, mostly rookies, enough that they can compete for jobs when the entire team begins practicing in a few weeks.

“The thing that you tell them is you are not going to make the team this weekend,” Whisenhunt said. “If you want to make a good impression, don’t make mistakes and do it right from a technique standpoint. If you can work on those things and get better over the course of the days, then you’ll stand out and you’ll have a chance to get reps when the vets get in here. And that will give you a chance to make the team.”

In attendance were all seven draft picks, 16 rookie free agents, 16 players trying out and eight others who spent time on the practice squad last season.

The practices were filled with the basics, such as play calls and alignments. Some players had easier times with it than others.

For receiver Michael Floyd, the first-round pick, the practice seemed familiar because there are similarities between the Cardinals’ offense and the one used by coach Charlie Weis in Floyd’s first two years at Notre Dame.

“I’m adjusting to it,” he said. “It’s different from college to here and I have to make sure I’m crisp with everything.”

Whisenhunt called the workouts interesting.

“It was, in a lot of ways, fun,” he said. “The enthusiasm was great. The effort was great. Didn’t quite know what they were doing all the time.

“But it really makes you appreciate being on the field again. We didn’t have this last year because of the lockout and boy, this is a lot of fun, being out there with the guys, working on football stuff.”

It’s the first rookie camp in Whisenhunt’s five years with the team. Usually, rookies and veterans practice together, but the new collective-bargaining agreement changed some off-season practices.

This camp is for rookies and other young players. Everyone will participate in organized team activities, which start in two weeks, and the off-season concludes with a team minicamp in mid-June.

“You can devote more time to them, they’re getting more reps and you’re getting to see how they react to some situations,” Whisenhunt said. “Some of the instinctive things and what they’ve been coached on. Like a receiver when he beats a defensive back, is he going to get over the top, is he going to the run to the sideline?”

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) The Arizona Cardinals could be thinking big in this year’s draft.

That’s big as in some mountainous offensive lineman to fill the team’s biggest need.

The Cardinals need someone to play right tackle, or at least right guard, and conventional wisdom has them going in that direction with the 13th overall pick on Thursday night.

Yet it’s no foregone conclusion, with the team still searching for a reliable No. 2 receiver behind Larry Fitzgerald. That could tempt Arizona to go for Notre Dame‘s Michael Floyd.

”He’s a good young player,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. ”We got the chance to sit down and meet him and talk with him. That’s probably one of the most rejuvenating parts of this whole process is to talk to them about their challenges, what they’ve gone through, how they’ve progressed in their careers, and we really enjoyed our time with him.”

Floyd’s stock has risen steadily since the college season ended, with strong showings at the NFL combine and in his pro day workout.

At 6-foot-2, Floyd says he wants to model his play after Fitzgerald. The two, both from the Minneapolis area, are friends and reportedly plan to work out together this offseason. A question Floyd has had to deal with is about off-field issues.

A year ago, he was suspended from the Notre Dame team after a drunken-driving arrest on campus but was reinstated after he met the conditions set by the university and by coach Brian Kelly for his return. Floyd says he has learned from the situation and has taken steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

As always, much depends on what happens before the Cardinals get their pick.

Reilly Reif, a 6-foot-6, 313-pound tackle from Iowa, could still be on the board, although there is a considerable school of thought that he will be taken by the Buffalo Bills at No. 10. Guard-tackle Cordy Glenn of Georgia, 6-5 and 345 pounds, also is a possible choice, with Buffalo again a possibility. If the team decides to go with a guard, though, Stanford’s David DeCastro, 6-5, 316, has drawn raves. For that reason, he could be gone by No. 13, too.

Any other offensive lineman might be a reach at No. 13. The Cardinals have studiously avoided such moves in Whisenhunt‘s years with the team.

”What we don’t want to do is draft a lineman just to draft a lineman because that’s what you think you have to do,” Whisenhunt said. ”You’ve got to trust your process and you’ve got to pick the best player available that fits your team.”

Complicating matters is the absence of a second-round pick. That was sent to Philadelphia as part of the trade for quarterback Kevin Kolb.

Arizona would consider a trade to move down in the draft, and perhaps get a second-round selection, but it seems a good share of the teams ahead of the Cardinals are willing to do so as well.

‘We would certainly like to be able to have multiple picks beyond the ordinary seven rounds, and this year we’re minus a second,” general manager Rod Graves said, ”but we’ll see what happens. We may end up getting back into a second, but if not then we’ll work with what we have and try to optimize it the best we can.”

The Cardinals addressed some of the line issues in free agency, re-signing left tackle Levi Brown and signing free agent and former San Francisco 49er Adam Snyder. Snyder can play both guard and tackle but the Cardinals probably would rather slide him in at guard.

”Obviously, getting Levi and Adam was big for us,” Whisenhunt said. ”We made no bones about the fact that we wanted to address our line. To think that you were going to be able to get three or four guys in free agency, that’s just not going to happen. However it came out, we felt like we made two strong additions in getting Levi back and getting Adam.”

Unless there’s some kind of trade, Arizona’s second pick won’t come until the third round, the 80th selection overall.

But the Cardinals have been known to find success in the later rounds.

Last year’s draft, considered to be a highly successful one for the team, had cornerback-punt returner Patrick Peterson as the no-brainer top of the list at No. 5 overall. But the Cardinals love their second-round pick, running back Ryan Williams, despite losing him to injury for the entire season. Fourth-round pick Sam Acho became the team’s starting outside linebacker and led the team in sacks with seven. The third-round pick, tight end Rob Housler, and sixth-round pick, nose tackle David Carter, became significant contributors.

”The teams that have been the most successful have had a history of strong drafts,” Graves said, ”back to back drafts, and a record of having historical success in drafting. That’s certainly what we’re working for.”

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona Cardinals could be thinking big in this year’s draft.

That’s big as in some mountainous offensive lineman to fill the team’s biggest need.

The Cardinals need someone to play right tackle, or at least right guard, and conventional wisdom has them going in that direction with the 13th overall pick on Thursday night.

Yet it’s no foregone conclusion, with the team still searching for a reliable No. 2 receiver behind Larry Fitzgerald. That could tempt Arizona to go for Notre Dame‘s Michael Floyd.

“He’s a good young player,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We got the chance to sit down and meet him and talk with him. That’s probably one of the most rejuvenating parts of this whole process is to talk to them about their challenges, what they’ve gone through, how they’ve progressed in their careers, and we really enjoyed our time with him.”

Floyd’s stock has risen steadily since the college season ended, with strong showings at the NFL combine and in his pro day workout.

At 6-foot-2, Floyd says he wants to model his play after Fitzgerald. The two, both from the Minneapolis area, are friends and reportedly plan to work out together this off-season. A question Floyd has had to deal with is about off-field issues.

A year ago, he was suspended from the Notre Dame team after a drunken-driving arrest on campus but was reinstated after he met the conditions set by the university and by coach Brian Kelly for his return. Floyd says he has learned from the situation and has taken steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

As always, much depends on what happens before the Cardinals get their pick.

Reilly Reif, a 6-foot-6, 313-pound tackle from Iowa, could still be on the board, although there is a considerable school of thought that he will be taken by the Buffalo Bills at No. 10. Guard-tackle Cordy Glenn of Georgia, 6-5 and 345 pounds, also is a possible choice, with Buffalo again a possibility. If the team decides to go with a guard, though, Stanford’s David DeCastro, 6-5, 316, has drawn raves. For that reason, he could be gone by No. 13, too.

Any other offensive lineman might be a reach at No. 13. The Cardinals have studiously avoided such moves in Whisenhunt‘s years with the team.

“What we don’t want to do is draft a lineman just to draft a lineman because that’s what you think you have to do,” Whisenhunt said. “You’ve got to trust your process and you’ve got to pick the best player available that fits your team.”

Complicating matters is the absence of a second-round pick. That was sent to Philadelphia as part of the trade for quarterback Kevin Kolb.

Arizona would consider a trade to move down in the draft, and perhaps get a second-round selection, but it seems a good share of the teams ahead of the Cardinals are willing to do so as well.

‘We would certainly like to be able to have multiple picks beyond the ordinary seven rounds, and this year we’re minus a second,” general manager Rod Graves said, “but we’ll see what happens. We may end up getting back into a second, but if not then we’ll work with what we have and try to optimize it the best we can.”

The Cardinals addressed some of the line issues in free agency, re-signing left tackle Levi Brown and signing free agent and former San Francisco 49er Adam Snyder. Snyder can play both guard and tackle but the Cardinals probably would rather slide him in at guard.

“Obviously, getting Levi and Adam was big for us,” Whisenhunt said. “We made no bones about the fact that we wanted to address our line. To think that you were going to be able to get three or four guys in free agency, that’s just not going to happen. However it came out, we felt like we made two strong additions in getting Levi back and getting Adam.”

Unless there’s some kind of trade, Arizona’s second pick won’t come until the third round, the 80th selection overall.

But the Cardinals have been known to find success in the later rounds.

Last year’s draft, considered to be a highly successful one for the team, had cornerback-punt returner Patrick Peterson as the no-brainer top of the list at No. 5 overall. But the Cardinals love their second-round pick, running back Ryan Williams, despite losing him to injury for the entire season. Fourth-round pick Sam Acho became the team’s starting outside linebacker and led the team in sacks with seven. The third-round pick, tight end Rob Housler, and sixth-round pick, nose tackle David Carter, became significant contributors.

“The teams that have been the most successful have had a history of strong drafts,” Graves said, “back to back drafts, and a record of having historical success in drafting. That’s certainly what we’re working for.”

The iPhones and Blackberrys started buzzing and tweeting days, if not weeks, ago: NFL general managers and other personnel executives phoning, texting and e-mailing their counterparts in other cities, trying to get a feel for their willingness to trade up, or down, in the draft.

“We’ve gotten a few (calls) already,” Cardinals General Manager Rod Graves said last week.

When it comes to draft-day trades, those involving first-round picks garner the most attention. Already this year, the Washington Redskins have swapped picks with the St. Louis Rams, moving up to second, where they are expected to select Robert Griffin III.

For many years, the Cardinals didn’t do much but listen to those calls; they rarely made trades during the draft weekend. From 2001-06, they made just four draft-day trades.

Dennis Green, who coached the team from 2004-06, preferred to stay rooted in the team’s original draft slot. His mantra was to never fall in love with players.

But since 2007, coincidentally the year Ken Whisenhunt became coach, the Cardinals have been more active during draft week. That year, they made two trades on draft week. In 2010, they made three during the draft in addition to two others that came before.

The results have been mixed, but the Cardinals have shown they won’t always sit still during the three days of the draft.

“I do believe we take more into consideration now in terms of evaluating what we have to do, or what we’re willing to do to improve our football team,” Graves said. “So much more now depends on where you get the greatest value … whether it’s in (keeping) the pick, whether it’s in moving up to select a player, or whether it’s moving back to gain things that may have a great impact on our team.”

The Cardinals enter the draft this week with seven selections. But they have no second-round pick because they traded it last summer to Philadelphia for quarterback Kevin Kolb. They have an additional sixth-round pick, obtained in a trade that sent running back Tim Hightower to Washington.

The Cardinals have no compensatory picks, which are awarded based on the quality of free agents signed and lost the previous season. So, currently, the Cardinals don’t have a lot of currency to use for draft-day trades.

“We would certainly like to be able to have multiple picks beyond the ordinary seven rounds,” Graves said, “and this year we’re minus a second, but we’ll see what happens.

“We may end up getting back into a second, but if not, then we’ll work with what we have and try to optimize it as best we can.”

In pre-draft news conferences, general managers reveal nothing and rule out even less. That was the case with the Graves.

Though general managers are talking to each other often this week, few commitments are being made because no one knows how a draft will play out.

“A lot of it’s on the fly,” 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke told reporters last week. “You try to put scenarios together in your mind that may work. You might do some of that, some phone calls pre-draft.

“There were several ones that we did last year that we were on the clock when we made the decision … it’s tight, because time is limited. I feel if you’re prepared, those decisions are very easy to make on draft day.”

Those trades, like most other personnel decisions, take time to judge. In 2007, the Cardinals were congratulated for their boldness when they sent a fourth-round pick to the Raiders to move up in the second round to select Alan Branch.

Branch, it was hoped, would become the nose tackle so vital to the 3-4 defense they wanted to install. But Branch was slow to develop, and when he did, he proved more suited to playing end. He is now with Seattle.

The trades the Cardinals made in 2010 appear far more successful. They sent a third-round pick to the Patriots to move up to Round 2 and take linebacker Daryl Washington. It was a heavy price to pay, but Washington appears to be an emerging star.

In the fourth round that year, they were able to move down and still select O’Brien Schofield, who is expected to start at left outside linebacker this year.

In the fifth round, they traded their sixth-round pick and cornerback Bryant McFadden to the Steelers for a fifth-round pick. With that, they selected quarterback John Skelton, who has a promising future.

They made other trades involving picks, too, such as receiving a sixth-round pick in 2011 from the Eagles for offensive lineman Reggie Wells. The Cardinals used that to take nose tackle David Carter, who was a pleasant surprise in his rookie season.

And sometimes the best trades are the ones teams avoid. Deciding to trade up for a player is filled with nuance. Do you think a team ahead of you is likely to draft the player you covet? Is there a team behind you in the draft that’s willing to move ahead and take him? Are there comparable players at other positions that can be selected if a trade isn’t made?

And if you have a limited number of picks, as the Cardinals do this year, is it smart to send one to another team to move up?

“There are so many extenuating circumstances,” Graves said. “And a lot depends on who is on the board. And if you miss a certain player you have an eye on, what are the chances of us getting to address that position at a later point?”

Last year, for instance, the Cardinals wanted to take a tight end. They had their eye on Rob Housler as the third round ticked away, but there were other players around there that they like, too. They decided not to trade up to get Housler.

“We were on the edge of our seat waiting,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We had him rated a little bit higher than that (third round).”

The Cardinals’ considerations in the first round were much easier last year when they had the fifth overall pick. Taking cornerback Patrick Peterson did not require much internal debate.

Things are different this year, because 12, not four, teams select ahead of the Cardinals.

“There have already been a couple of teams that said they are looking to move back,” Whisenhunt said. “When that’s the case, you never know what another team is looking at and who it’s going to throw to you or who it’s going to pull away from you.

“That’s this period, what we’ve been doing up here (in Cardinals offices), is all about, preparing yourself so that when it … gets close, you know where you stand with guys and what you’re looking for.”

Rod Graves has been involved in scouting professional football players for 30 years, but not once has he thought to figure out the total man hours devoted to preparing for the NFL draft.

“But that would be a good intern project,” said Graves, the Cardinals’ general manager.

Many Cardinals fans don’t think it looks that hard. Judging by opinions voiced through message boards, social media and other means, the Cardinals should take the best available offensive lineman with the 13th overall pick.

Graves and company can then dust off their hands and wait until they are scheduled to pick next, in the third round.

If only life as a general manager or coach were so simple. And the people in those jobs don’t necessarily agree that the Cardinals absolutely have to take a lineman — specifically a tackle — in the first round.

“What we don’t want to do is draft a lineman just to draft a lineman because that’s what you think you have to do,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I think you have to continue to try to trust your process and what you believe in, getting the right players at the right time, and it’s got to be the right kind of players.”

With the 13th selection, the Cardinals will have a chance at an elite offensive lineman. Tackle Matt Kalil from USC is expected to be taken in the top five, but after that, little seems certain.

Stanford guard David DeCastro and Iowa tackle Riley Reiff could be there when the Cardinals pick. Do they take one of those offensive linemen and pass on the opportunity to select Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd or South Carolina defensive end/linebacker Melvin Ingram?

The Cardinals, of course, aren’t providing answers. They are resting behind closed lips and locked doors.

Whisenhunt called it a “good draft” for linemen. Many draft gurus, such as the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, think it’s especially deep in guards and centers.

“I think there will be opportunities, whether it’s early, middle, you never know who’s going to be available at what position and how that fits for you,” Whisenhunt said.

The Cardinals already have addressed the offensive line this off-season. They re-signed left tackle Levi Brown, giving him a $7 million signing bonus. They signed guard Adam Snyder from the 49ers, paying him a $5 million bonus.

Four of the five projected starters on the offensive line are under contract for at least four more seasons.

“I think obviously getting Levi and Adam was big for us,” Whisenhunt said. “We made no bones about the fact that we wanted to address our line. To think that you were going to be able to get three or four guys in free agency, that’s not going to happen.”

A fifth spot, right tackle, is open. Iowa’s Reiff could plug in there, or a rookie could play the left side with Brown moving to right tackle. Or, if DeCastro is the choice, Snyder could slide to right tackle.

Addressing the offensive line in the first round makes considerable sense. The Cardinals haven’t drafted a lineman the past two seasons. They haven’t taken one above the fifth round since selecting Brown fifth overall in 2007.

They have tried to plug holes with veterans at the end of their careers (guard Alan Faneca) and low-round picks they hoped would develop (right tackle Brandon Keith). The results have been mixed at best.

“Opportunities in the draft to get another player that could potentially start for us, that’s what you’re always looking for,” Whisenhunt said. “But we don’t know if we’re going to have that opportunity.”

Top offensive linemen

1. Tackle Matt Kalil, 6-61/2, 306, USC: He’s regarded as the best left tackle in the draft and is likely to be taken in the top five, perhaps third behind quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Kalil’s brother, Ryan, is the starting center for the Panthers.

2. Guard David DeCastro, 6-5, 315, Stanford: Three-year starter who left school with a year of eligibility remaining is smart, has a nasty streak and is a powerful run blocker.

3. Tackle Riley Reiff, 6-51/2, 313, Iowa: The Hawkeyes turn out some solid offensive linemen, and Reiff appears to be another. He’s athletic, strong and has been coached well. His arms are shorter than ideal for the position, about 33 inches. Reiff can play the right side, too. He could be the ideal pick for the Cardinals if available at No. 13.

4. Tackle/guard Cordy Glenn, 6-51/2, 343, Georgia: He started at guard in Georgia, but some pro scouts think he could play right tackle. He might be a bit slow for that spot, but he could do some serious damage as a guard.

5. Tackle Jonathan Martin, 6-51/4, 313, Stanford: Like his teammate DeCastro, Martin left school with a year of eligibility remaining. Some scouts think he should have stayed in school to get stronger, especially in the upper body. But he’s athletic and is likely to go in the first round.

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to terms on a five-year contract with Levi Brown just three days after he was released by the team in a salary cap move.

Brown, the fifth overall draft pick in 2007, was cut loose because he would count nearly $17 million on this year’s salary cap.

Brown has been a starter since his rookie season, moving from right to left tackle in 2010. While he has struggled at times, he was praised by coach Ken Whisenhunt for improvement as Arizona finished last season 7-2.

He is the second offensive lineman to agree to terms with the Cardinals this week. Free agent guard-tackle Adam Snyder did so on Wednesday.

By SportsDirect

POSTED: 5:19 pm MST March 10, 2012

 Arizona Cardinals update:

Here are some of the stories/opinions/tidbits gleaned over a few hours of skimming this morning.

– ESPN is reporting that 12 teams have contacted Peyton Manning’s representative. The Cardinals are among them. I have no confirmation of that but don’t doubt it.

– ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Manning would rather play in the AFC than the NFC. 

– ESPN’s John Clayton, via NFC West blogger Mike Sando, reports the Cardinals have about $3 million in cap space. That’s a surprisingly low figure but as Sando points out, it doesn’t preclude the Cardinals from signing Manning. I assume that figure includes Levi Brown’s current $17 million cap number. That will be eliminated/decreased soon. Teams can easily clear space to do what they need to do at this time of year. It’s an indication, however, that signing Manning would mean the team would not be a big player in free agency.

Not that I expected the Cardinals to be. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said after the season that he didn’t see much roster turnover coming.

– Adam Schein on msn.foxports.com says the Cardinals-Manning infatuation is not one-sided. Manning has put out feelers to the Cardinals, Schein says. And the Cardinals have had discussions about signing Manning’s former teammate, receiver Reggie Wayne. I would caution that teams have a lot of internal discussions about players at this time of year. But it’s an interesting note.

– If you hear word that coach Ken Whisenhunt is in Florida this week, don’t automatically think it’s because Manning is also there. Whisenhunt is partaking in NFL competition committee meetings. It’s a coincidence.

Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 07:56 AM

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The Cardinals preseason will be longer than usual if coach Ken Whisenhunt has something to say about it.

The Cardinals reportedly are under consideration to play in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 5. That means they would open training camp earlier than usual and play a fifth preseason game. Whisenhunt doesn’t want to do that every year, but he thinks 2012 would be a good one for it.

The Cardinals are still trying to find themselves offensively, especially at quarterback. Extra time in training camp and the preseason would aid that.

Mike Jurecki of XTRA-910 reported that he had heard the Cardinals are under consideration. And the Saints reportedly have accepted an offer to play in the game.

The Cardinals haven’t played in the Hall of Fame game since 1986, when they were in St. Louis. The Cardinals played in the very first Hall of Fame game in 1962.

Arizona Cardinals update:

The Cardinals preseason will be longer than usual if coach Ken Whisenhunt has something to say about it.

The Cardinals reportedly are under consideration to play in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 5. That means they would open training camp earlier than usual and play a fifth preseason game. Whisenhunt doesn’t want to do that every year, but he thinks 2012 would be a good one for it.

The Cardinals are still trying to find themselves offensively, especially at quarterback. Extra time in training camp and the preseason would aid that.

Mike Jurecki of XTRA-910 reported that he had heard the Cardinals are under consideration. And the Saints reportedly have accepted an offer to play in the game.

The Cardinals haven’t played in the Hall of Fame game since 1986, when they were in St. Louis. The Cardinals played in the very first Hall of Fame game in 1962.

Friday, February 24, 2012 at 12:17 PM

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Read More: Kevin Kolb (QB – ARI), Peyton Manning (QB – IND), Calais Campbell (DE – ARI), John Skelton (QB – ARI), Arizona Cardinals

AZCentral.com’s Kent Somers was on hand for the Arizona Cardinals press conference with head coach Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Rod Graves on Thursday as both men spoke about the Cardinals’ current situation with a quarterback, and talks with key free agents Levi Brown and Calais Campbell.

Whisenhunt noted that Kevin Kolb remains the team’s starting QB but will have certainly have competition. Both Whisenhunt and Graves maintained that they are open to “opportunities to get better,” which could come in the from of Peyton Manning. Graves believes Arizona can win the trio quarterbacks they already have in Kolb, John Skelton and Rich Bartel.

Somers feels that If Peyton Manning is cut, the Cardinals will definitely be interested, but a lot of things have to ‘come together’ for Manning come to Arizona. The team will pay Kolb his $7 million roster bonus by the St. Patrick’s Day due date as Manning’s health status will not be fully developed by then, and the team needs a signal caller.

As for Levi Brown, talks are on-going, though Graves noted that Brown has expressed an interest to return to Arizona, and the Cards would certainly like him back. Graves described talks with Calais Campbell as “fruitful,” though nothing has come of them yet.

For more on the Cardinals, make sure you check out Revenge of the Birds.

Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt has maintained since the end of last season he wants competition for every position on his team.

That includes quarterback, where Whisenhunt said last week he will let Kevin Kolb and John Skelton compete for the starting job.

Whisenhunt believes that eventually a front-runner will emerge.

“Both guys are going to get opportunities because John certainly deserves it from the way that he played over the back half of the season and Kevin certainly deserves it from the reason that we went out, got him, and brought him in,” Whisenhunt told KTAR-AM in Phoenix.

Kolb started nine games last season, leading the Cardinals to a 3-6 record while completing 57.7 percent of his passes for 1,955 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He missed significant time with a foot injury and then a concussion, which held him out the final three games of the season.

Arizona went 5-2 with Skelton under center, including wins in two of its final three games. Skelton, though, had similar numbers to Kolb, completing 54.9 percent of his passes for 1,913 yards with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

“Well, the easiest thing to say right now is that we are in a heck of a lot better position at the quarterback position right now than we were a year ago today,” Whisenhunt said. “We’ve got two guys that we feel like can play. They’ve shown at times that they can do things very well, they’ve shown at times that they are knuckleheads and it’s our job to get the players that are there on our team to play better. That’s what we’re going to do and we’re excited about that.”

Kolb, who has recently said he is feeling healthy and confident in his status with the team, will receive a $7 million bonus if he is still on the team’s roster on March 17. General manager Rod Graves has said Kolb will likely be back with the team.

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.

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 offseason,” 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 offseason.”

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 offense.”

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 defense 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 – defense, offense, 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.”