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.

This unit has a nice mix of youth and experience. Sam Acho, a rookie, finished the season with seven sacks. Inside linebacker Daryl Washington, in his second year, is a star in the making. So is cornerback Patrick Peterson. Another good draft, and this unit should be set for next season. Oh, re-signing Calais Campbell would be a good thing.

Kent Somers/The Arizona Republic

GLENDALE, Ariz. – What a fitting way for the Arizona Cardinals to finish their season.

They win, in overtime of course, with Larry Fitzgerald’s spectacular plays making the difference.

Fitzgerald had two such catches in the game-winning drive, leading to a 28-yard field goal by Jay Feely that gave the Cardinals a 23-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Arizona’s fourth overtime victory — all at home — in the last nine weeks of the season. The four overtime wins in a season are an NFL record.

“I wish we could play more games in overtime,” Fitzgerald said. “If we play 16 games in overtime next year, we might go 16-0.”

Fitzgerald made a leaping grab against two defenders early in the drive for a 26-yard gain, but he saved the best for last, a diving, one-handed catch for eight yards that got the team within field goal range and eventually set up the winning score.

“I actually thought it was too far,” quarterback John Skelton said of his throw. “I just saw his arm stick out, stick it, and stick the landing. We come to expect that from Larry. It’s almost like it’s not even a shocker anymore because he does it so often.”

Skelton didn’t mention it, but he fainted in the locker-room before the game after getting fluid drained from a knee.

“Pre-game he scared us all. He fell out and he had a little fainting issue in the locker-room,” Fitzgerald said. “We were all nervous about him being able to play today and he fought through that and was able to go out there and perform and get our team a win. That shows the kind of toughness he has.”

Arizona (8-8) finished the season 7-2 after a six-game losing streak left it 1-6.

“We’re 1-0 in 2012,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said, hoping that the strong second half of the season will propel the team into a successful 2012 campaign.

Seattle (7-9) had rallied to tie the game after trailing 20-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 149 yards after one reception for two yards in the first half. It was his 32nd career 100-yard receiving game, sixth this season.

“The performance of Larry Fitzgerald, he is an incredible football player,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He is as good as you can get in this game and he showed it. I just marvel at the things he does. He has done it before and he did it again and it proves who he is.”

Fitzgerald joined Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison as the only players to top 1,400 yards receiving in four seasons.

Skelton completed 22 of 40 for 271 yards and a touchdown with one interception for Arizona. Tarvaris Jackson was 21 of 35 for 222 yards and a touchdown with one pick for the Seahawks.

The Cardinals earlier had overtime victories over St. Louis, Dallas and Cleveland. The Seahawks finished with the same record as a year ago, when 7-9 was good enough to win the NFC West.

“We know we have a better team this year,” Seattle safety Earl Thomas said. “We are young but the experience that we got this year and all the plays we made we can build on that next year.”

Arizona’s Patrick Peterson, who made the Pro Bowl on special teams as a rookie, returned a punt 42 yards to set up a field goal, then blocked Steven Hauschka’s 24-yard field goal attempt. It was the NFL-leading fifth blocked field goal for the Cardinals, two of them by Peterson.

Seattle won the toss heading into overtime, and Leon Washington’s 47-yard kickoff return gave the Seahawks the ball at their own 40, but they failed to move it and had to punt.

Arizona’s game-winning drive started at the 19. On third-and-3 at the 26, Skelton threw over the middle to Fitzgerald, who caught it between two defenders for a 26-yard gain to the Seahawks 48. Skelton’s quarterback sneak on fourth and less than a yard gave Arizona a first down at the Seattle 37.

Arizona had it second-and-9 at the 36 when Skelton threw toward but not particularly close to Fitzgerald, who somehow gathered in the ball with one hand and cradled it as he fell to the ground. A review confirmed that it was a catch. LaRod Stephens-Howling, filling in for the injured Beanie Wells, rushed three times to the Seattle nine, and Feely’s third field goal of the game gave the Cardinals the win.

Down 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, Seattle tied with a pair of big plays by two rookies, Richard Sherman and Lockette. First, Sherman stepped in front of intended receiver Andre Roberts for an interception that set up a chip shot field goal by Hauschka, then Jackson lofted the long pass to Lockette, who beat cornerback Marshay Green, and it was 20-20 with 7:47 remaining. Green had just been activated from the practice squad on Saturday.

After Washington’s 48-yard touchdown run tied it at 10-10 with 10:56 to go in the third quarter, the Cardinals went 80 yards in eight plays. Skelton was 6 for 6 for 70 yards, capped by a 13-yard TD toss to Todd Heap, the tight end’s first score in an injury-plagued first season with Arizona, putting the Cardinals up 17-10.

Skelton’s 42-yard pass to Fitzgerald led to Feely’s 43-yard field goal that boosted the lead to 20-10 12:18 to play.

Seattle responded, driving from its 20 to the Arizona 6. But the offence stalled, and Peterson rushed untouched from the end to block the short field goal try.

Peterson, who had been slowed in practice all week by a strained Achilles tendon, nearly broke free for what would have been an NFL record fifth punt return for a touchdown. Instead, punter Jon Ryan tripped him up at the Seattle 31. Still, the 42-yard return set up Feely’s 41-yard field goal that put Arizona up 10-3 with 3:28 left in the first half.

Wells was a surprise inactive. He had been listed as questionable but had played through the pain in his left knee through the season.

Skelton finished 5-2 as a starter, 6-2 if you count the San Francisco game.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb missed the final three games of his frustrating first season with Arizona because of a concussion, the result of a knee to the head on the Cardinals’ third play of the game against San Francisco on Dec. 11. He missed four games earlier in the season with a right turf toe injury.

Notes: Marshawn Lynch’s string of 11 straight games with a touchdown came to an end. … Peterson set an NFL rookie record for punt return yards (699), the second-most of any player in league history. … Seattle’s Doug Baldwin became the first undrafted rookie free agent to lead his team in receptions and yards receiving since Bill Groman of did it for the Houston Oilers in 1960. … The University of Phoenix Stadium roof was closed even though it was sunny and 28 C outside. … The stadium already had extra seats installed for Monday night’s Fiesta Bowl matchup between Oklahoma State and Stanford.

About the only thing that separates the Cardinals from the Seahawks these days is that one of them practiced in sunny, 70-degree weather to prepare for Sunday’s season finale.

Both are not only 7-8, they took similar paths to get there. Both teams were 2-6 at the halfway point of the season. Both pulled themselves up to ground level and took a peek at the playoffs before losing last week.

Both have defenses featuring young, dynamic players and offenses that are works in progress, often minus the progress part.

“We both have done things that we are excited about,” Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We have won some games against good opponents. We’ve done a good job at home. They’ve done a good job at home. There is a little bit of a difference as far as they’ve had success running the ball lately. We’ve had a little bit more success throwing the football lately, especially in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a good matchup of two teams in a division that have played good football over the back half of the season.”

Both teams have a chance to finish .500 Sunday. The one that does will claim second place in the NFC West, a small consolation for teams out of the playoffs. But you find motivation wherever you can.

“It’s really important,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said of finishing .500. “That’s what we have to play for at this time. 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.”

The Seahawks have won three consecutive games over Arizona, including 13-10 in Week 3 in Seattle. The Cardinals scored just 38 points in those three losses, which all came after Carroll became coach in 2010.

Turnovers have been the biggest problem for the Cardinals in those games. They committed nine to Seattle’s three.

In the loss earlier this year, Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb had two passes intercepted deep in Seattle territory, and kicker Jay Feely missed field-goal attempts of 51 and 49 yards.

The Seahawks were no offensive juggernaut, gaining 261 yards and scoring one touchdown, but they were far more efficient than the Cardinals.

Seattle’s offensive attack has changed since that game, while the Cardinals are much different defensively.

The Seahawks gradually came to rely more upon a physical running game, spearheaded by Marshawn Lynch, who has gained at least 100 yards in six of the past eight games. In Week 3, it was a mystery why Lynch (19 carries, 73 yards) didn’t get the ball more.

“I think we have improved in big areas, particularly after we made it through the first half and just struggled growing with the young guys up front,” Carroll said. “We started getting better and we just improved to where we can win some football games finally.”

The Cardinals had won six of seven games before last week’s loss in Cincinnati. They did it with a defense that played consistently well throughout games, and an offense that came alive in the second half, especially the fourth quarter.

Both teams will begin their off-season on Monday with questions at quarterback. Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson has displayed toughness in playing through a pectoral injury, but it’s questionable whether he will remain the Seahawks starter beyond Sunday.

“We will go into the off-season with Tarvaris as our quarterback, and we will see what the off-season brings,” Carroll said. “He was absolutely hurt and found a way to play and gave us everything he had. He gave us a chance to turn this thing around. I’ll always be proud of him for that.”

For the Cardinals, Kolb is expected to miss his third game because of concussion and his seventh overall due to injuries. The trade that brought him from Philadelphia to Arizona has not yet paid dividends.

His backup, John Skelton, has shown the ability to bring the Cardinals from behind in the fourth quarter. The problem is, his poor play early in games is a big reason they have been behind in the fourth quarter.

“I’m sure, like anything, with experience and time it will come,” Skelton said of playing better in the first half. “At the same time, there are mistakes that even a rookie shouldn’t be making that I’m making out there sometimes.”

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:

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Sources:

NFL_Defensive_Statistics

Seahawks_2011_Stats

Seattle_Seahawks_Roster

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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.

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