Voice of The Cardinals

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This was a post by Mark on MVN.com

In what was inevitable, the Cardinals lack of power at nose tackle was utterly exposed today as the Washington Redskins picked apart the Arizona Cardinals defense. There was zero pass rush or push up the middle, Darnell Dockett was once again double teamed and held most of the day and Alan Branch and Bryan Robinson were non-factors on the D-line.

The time of possession favored the Redskins despite their total lack of a down field passing game, but with Cooley catching passes underneath and Portis running just well enough to keep the defense honest, the Cardinals couldn’t make a stop when they needed too. I’ve said it before but until Gabe Watson gets back on the field and is able to give the defensive line the interior push and hustle he provides, Dockett is going to be consistently double teamed and Bertrand Berry and Chike Okeafor will be a step late on the edge. I can only imagine what Brett Favre will do to the Cardinals defense if they continue to play like they did today.

Some observations in the loss:

1. As already noted, this team desperately needs Gabe Watson back on the field at NT. It’s not like they are getting black topped up the middle but as one of the TD runs exposed on replay, they are vulnerable between the tackles on short yardage situations. Also the lack of any interior pass rush is killing Dockett’s ability to get to the QB effectively, allowing opposing QB’s to step up against the pass rush or run up the middle as Jason Campbell did at least three times today, running for first downs on passing situations.

2. Deuce Lutui killed two drives with a bad pass blocking technique on one drive and a penalty on the other. I wouldn’t be surprised if we are less then a week away from Elton Brown possibly taking the starting spot. He plays well but those few key mistakes just kill you in a close game like we had today.

3. Steve Breaston isn’t quite there as the third receiver yet. On one key play he broke the wrong way and missed a big opportunity when Warner expected him to break up the field and in the crucial play of the game, he was physically out muscled on the interception that turned the game around. Sure it might have been pass interference but he was out played by the defense in that situation. Hopefully he learns and continues to improve, they are going to need him.

4. Way too many flags and mistakes. The most glaring was the lost touchdown on the play clock running out on 4th down to Ben Patrick. Warner was irate and said it was a quick whistle and Fox Sports didn’t even have the good sense to run a replay showing the play clock to see if he was right. Either way it shouldn’t have happened and it killed the Cardinals.

5. The defense has gone 9 quarters with out forcing a turn over, which isn’t going to win you too many ball games. I’m a big fan of Clancy Pendergast, but in this game I feel like he was out coached by the Redskins who seemed to have an answer for every thing he dialed up.

6. Punting with 2:33 left on the clock at mid field was basically the worst coaching call I’ve seen Coach Whisenhunt make since he got to the desert. I’m not sure what defense he was watching today but they had zero shot of stopping the Redskins from getting that first down and burning the clock which was exactly what they did. When I saw them go to punt formation I basically said, Game Over, and it certainly was. Just a completely chicken move on his part and one I hope I don’t see again this year.

In summary, a really annoying game that the Cardinals only have themselves to blame for losing. The Redskins are good, but not better then the Cardinals and they simply wanted it more, were better coached, and didn’t make stupid mistakes. The Cardinals deserved to lose this game and they did.

Voice of the Cardinals host Eli Wahlstrom interviews former Arizona Cardinal, Washington Redskin, and 4 time Pro Bowler Ken Harvey. Eli and Ken discuss the up and coming game between the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins, along with strategy and predictions for the game.  Mr Harvey also talks about the his past memories with the Cardinals organization and his future job with the Redskins.

Ken Harvey was drafted with the 7th pick overall by the Phoenix Cardinals where he played 6 seasons before heading to the Washington Redskins for 5 season where he was voted to four Pro Bowls. Ken recorded 89 sacks in his 11 year career including a career high of 13.5 in 1994. Ken was named one of the 70 greatest Washington Redskins of all time. 

To Listen To the Interview Click Here

Kurt Warner has been named the NFC’s Offensive Player of The Week. As most of us already know, Kurt had a perfect QB rating 158.3 and threw for 361 yards and 3 touchdowns.

But on top of being named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, Warner is also nominated for the FedEx air & ground player of the week. If Warner wins, $1000 goes to the Safe Kids USA Foundation in Kurt’s name.

So make sure you click on the link below and vote for Kurt instead of those other bums, Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers. Just kidding, but seriously Kurt had a better week than those guys and you should go take a second and vote for the Cardinals quarterback.

Click Here For Link

On this weeks edition of Voice of the Cardinals radio, we have guest Charles Golden on from Revenge of the Birds to talk about the recent success of the Arizona Cardinals. We discuss topics such as last weeks win against the Miami Dolphins and do a little preview for the up and coming game against the Washington Redskins.

To Listen To The Show Click Here

I’m feeling really really good right now and I know I’m not the only one. There’s been a few occasions where the Cardinals have blown out a team in their history but none have been as sweet as this one. This 31-10 dismantling of the Dolphins was just a thing of beauty, and just what Arizona needed.

I mentioned in my most recent post that this game was a “Make or Break Game” for the Cardinals. I know not everyone agreed with that statement but if the Cardinals lost to the Dolphins it would have been a bad omen of things to come. Most importantly perhaps it would have devastated the fan base (There’d be no more sell outs which means no more home games on TV which means no more fans). Well what happened was the opposite Thank God, the people of Arizona are now packing things up and jumping on the bandwagon instead of the usual quitting on the team before the season gets going.

Not only did the Cardinals win in convincing fashion but the rest of the NFC West is falling apart. The St.Louis Rams look like the worst team in the NFL right now losing by more than 4 touchdowns for the second straight week. The not so impressive San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks pushing them to 0-2 for the season. I know I’m not alone in my thinking when I say this has to be the year Arizona wins the division. Right? How could they possibly lose it this year?

The Big 3 were amazing of course. I know this was the Miami Dolphins and a JV secondary that was extremely over matched, but Warner, Boldin, and Fitzgerald showed why they are 3 of the best in the game at their positions. Kurt Warner had a perfect QB passer rating of 158.3 being the first Cardinal to do that since Jim Hart in 1975. Anquan Boldin scored 3 touchdowns being the first Cardinal wide receiver to do that since Rob Moore in 1997, and Larry Fitzgerald finished with 6 catches for 153 yards. They didn’t even really play in the 4th quarter either.

I should mention since I’m talking about the offense that the Cardinals have had zero turnovers this season. If a team does that then it’s obviously hard to lose, especially given how explosive the Cardinals offense is. Kurt is not only attacking and making plays, he’s protecting the ball and not letting the Cardinals beat themselves. So forget Brett Farve, Kurt Warner’s the guy everyone should be talking about!

Unfortunately on the other side of things the Cardinals defense didn’t force any turnovers, but that doesn’t matter when your not letting the other team score. I have to admit I was surprised that the Cardinals were able to hold both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to under 30 yards. I expected one of those guys to have a good game, but the depth on the D-line prevailed and shut down the only threat for the Dolphins. What’s great is Gabe Watson who is the key to the defensive line hasn’t even played a game yet, so this defensive could still be improving.

Some other notes… Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie hasn’t been talked about much and that’s a good thing perhaps. He hasn’t aloud many catches or made mistakes. You can’t say that about a lot of rookies in the NFL. Tim Hightower scored another touchdown and continues to look like the RB of the future. Tim still needs to learn how to carry the ball, he fumbles way too often and it could be killer later on in the season unless he fixes it. But still Hightower looks very impressive.

The Cardinals are now 2-0 for the first time since 1991. Well I guess now the question is how long has it been since the Cardinals were 3-0? From my research I believe 1974 was the last time the Cardinals were 3-0. In fact they started that season 7-0 that season and went to the playoffs. I don’t think 7-0 will happen again but the playoffs is starting to seem very likely this season.

A lot of people use the term “must win game” too loosely in sports. A must win game means if a team loses their season or playoff run is over. I don’t think a loss in week 2 ends any teams season but it can be a “make or break game”, and that’s what I’m calling this one. Make or Break.

• This becomes a “make or break game” for a couple of reasons. If the Cardinals lose the confidence of the team has to slide a bit, especially if they lose to the worst team in the NFL last year. That feeling that they might look like the best team in the division will go away, and all of a sudden they will be right back in the mix with a bunch of bad teams in a bad division.  Even though the Cardinals wins would be against two less than average teams, A win this week would solidify them as the team to beat in the NFC West this season. Huge game for confidence.

• Maybe most importantly the Cardinals fans would lose interest in the team once again if they were to lose. It’s bad enough the Cardinals could barely sell out their home opener. How do you think the fans would react if they lost to the Dolphins at home? There probably wouldn’t be a season full of sell outs like they had the previous two years. That obviously means the Cardinals wouldn’t be on TV for those games which would hurt their popularity even more. So a loss here could be detrimental to the Cardinals fan base in a fairly large way.

• The Arizona Cardinals haven’t started a season 2-0 since 1991. Every other team in the NFL has started 2-0 at least once since 1992 except for the Cardinals. That stat makes me wonder why I haven’t been like so many other Arizonians and stop cheering for the Cardinals. But then I remember that a true fan has unconditional love for their team, and I stress the word unconditional. It’s a depressing stat but I won’t let it get to my head. I think the Cardinals will win their second game and be off and running to their season of destiny.

• Keys to the game… First the Cardinals defense needs to somehow stop the run. Gabe Watson and Alan Branch are still not at full strength. This means Bryan Robinson, Kenny Iwebema, and Calais Campbell are going to need to step up and contain Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. If the Dolphins can establish the run then this game might get ugly. If the Cardinals can find a way to stop the run then I don’t think this game will be close. The other key to the game is protect Kurt Warner. Kurt is as good as any quarterback in history if you give him time in the pocket, but if a team can get pressure on him he becomes a sitting duck. If the O-line can just give Warner a few seconds it should become a track meet. The Dolphins cornerbacks can’t handle the Cardinals wide receivers.

My prediction in this one is the Cardinals win their second game in a row 31-17.

On this edition of Voice of the Cardinals radio, Eli and Mark discuss the up and coming week 2 football game against the Miami Dolphins.

Click Here to Listen to the show.

If you have any questions or comments email us at voiceofthecardinals@gmail.com

As we all know the Arizona Cardinals are playing the Miami Dolphins at home this week. I wanted to get to know the team a little better so I asked Miami Dolphins expert Ted Hill from TED GINN & TONIC blog a few questions...

1. What are the realistic expectations for the Dolphins this season? Most fans envision a season with between 4-6 wins. It is really more about how the team progresses and the overall improvement rather than wins and losses. For once it seems the fans are willing to write off whatever the final record will be and focus instead on hoping the team shows improvement and hits on most of their recent draft choices.

2. If you were the Cardinals coaches, how would you attack the Dolphins defensively and offensively? The Dolphins front seven is young and active. They are good rushing the passer and look more capable at stopping the run than last years team. The secondary is the weaker link. I'd start with a mix of runs and short passes and then later exploit the suspect secondary. The Cardinals receivers facing the Dolphins defensive backs is clearly the biggest mismatch in this game.

3. How did Chad Pennington look in his first game? Do you see him keeping the job throughout the year? I would say Pennington looked slightly above average and about what you'd expect. He's not going to go out there and light the world on fire, a la Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. He is a game manager who will not lose the game by making silly mistakes or bad decisions. His final stats were about where I expected

4. What's one player the Cardinals should watch out for when playing Miami? I would say Ronnie Brown. He didn't get the start in week one and only ended up with six carries and three receptions. The team needs to get him more involved and he may be getting the starting nod this week He looked good in the preseason and even though he's not 100% recovered from last years ACL injury, is still the best and most dangerous player on the team. If he finds a rhythm early in the game it could ignite Miami's offense for the rest of the day.

5. What's your prediction for the game? It should be a good game. The Dolphins are no push over like they were many times last year. I think it will be close for the first three quarters and then a Cardinals 4th quarter touchdown will eliminate hopes of a Miami comeback. Cardinals win 27-16.

My thoughts are that Ted is right, the Cardinals will win but are going to make it tougher than most might expect. Thanks for your time Ted.

There's only been one game, but the Arizona Cardinals are in sole possession of first place in the NFC West. We haven't been able to say that too often but it appears that we could be saying that a whole lot more.

Week one obviously showed that the Cardinals are the better team between Arizona and San Francisco. The 49ers have a very tough schedule over the next 5 weeks and could easily start the season 1-5 or maybe even 0-6. So I don't look to San Francisco to contend in the division this season. 

The St.Louis Rams after one game appeared to digress from a 3-13 season last year with a 38-3 blow out in Philadelphia. (Click here for Jim Mora's for the commentary on the Rams). I expect the Rams to get it together a little bit but it would be hard to consider them contenders in the NFC West this year. 

The Seattle Seahawks didn't look much better than the 49ers or Rams getting beat by the Buffalo Bills 34-10. Not only did Seattle look bad, they lost two key players. RB Maurice Morris is going to be out a couple weeks with a knee sprain, and the number one and only recognizable WR on Seattle Nate Burleson is done for the year with an ACL tear. 

So overall things couldn't be more custom made for the Cardinals to make it their year to win this division. The offense started out a little slow but they'll come around and the defense looked good even without Gabe Watson and Alan Branch suiting up. I like the way things look, I'm excited that after 20 years of saying this is our year that this actually could be our year. O and yes I know there's only been one game but still things are looking up for the Cardinals and there's plenty to be excited about.

Some quick thoughts on the Cardinals opening game victory over the S.F. 49′ers.

1. Gabe Watson and Alan Branch better get healthy in a hurry. It didn’t take Mike Martz long to figure out that the way to attack the Cardinals was the center of the offense as Dockett was double teamed most of the day, and the game, but over matched, Bryan Robinson had trouble stopping runs between the tackles. If this was any team besides the 49′ers, who had trouble making any down field throws, this could have been ugly.

2. It took awhile but the offense play calling got into a nice rhythm in the second half. The first half was way too conservative and the 49′ers were working hard to double Boldin and Fitzgerald, but once they got Q involved in the second half the entire complexion of the game changed. Hopefully each week as the team gets stronger and forms an offensive identity, they will combine the amazing passing game they can have, with what looks to be a competent power rushing attack when they need it.

3. The time of possession in the second half and game management was outstanding. No turnovers, a smart special teams play that led to a fumble recovery and a fresh defense, added up to a very solid second half. Edge looked good, Hightower gave them a true change of pace back and the offensive line did a great job of grinding it out in the second half.

4. Turn over differential was outstanding. No turnovers by the Cardinals, which is great, plus the defense forced 5 SF turnovers. The game shouldn’t have even been this close, but for a shanked Rackers field goal attempt in the first quarter and a mindlessly stupid penalty by Gandy when the Cardinals had what would have been a first down inside the one yard line. Still, this is the kind of game the Cardinals have managed to lose in crazy fashion in the last few years, so seeing them just grinding it out and getting the win was more then enough for this long suffering fan.

5. Could we please sign Anquan Boldin? This is a totally different team with him then it is with out him. He is the core of the offense and he needs to be signed. Stop screwing around and get it done please. You will have the salary room of Al Johnson and the reduced salary of Oliver Celestin to work with now, so don’t be idiots and let this drag on. His price tag will go up by the game.

6. Warner managed the game perfectly. He was taking what the defense gave him, protecting the ball and making smart decisions and avoiding reckless throws when he was under pressure. Clearly it was the right choice to start him and each week the offense should only improve.

All in all an annoying first half of missed opportunities when the defense was playing great and giving them superior field position, but they did what good teams do and they adjusted at half time and got it done in the second half. All we need are our nose tackles back on the field and we should be just fine. A great way to start the season with the Cardinals having a one game lead over the Rams, Seahawks and 49′ers as each of them lost big. I’m not getting too excited just yet but this just might be the year where the Cardinals are clearly the superior team in the NFC west.

This was a post by Mark on MVN.com

It’s time again for me to write down my awards predictions for the 2008 NFL season. I have a great past record with this stuff so I take a lot of pride in my predictions. I won’t go through every award but I’ll do the most important ones.

League MVP: Kurt Warner!

I know I’m crazy but I don’t want to go with the popular choice here. Tomlinson is going to get his touchdowns and plenty of yards so he is tempting, but I don’t think it will be him. I guessed correctly last season making Tom Brady the MVP and wanted to again, but I’m concerned about him being healthy for the whole season, Tom is due for an injury. Kurt’s going to have the stats and the going to lead the Cardinals to the playoffs. I bet he might be in the running IF, and I stress IF he stays healthy.

Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees

It just makes sense to me. Drew Brees will have a lot of yards and touchdowns and I bet he will be in the running. LT is probably going to score between 15 and 20 touchdowns this year with around 1500 yards so he could be close to. But who knows maybe Kurt Warner will make a run at this also. Seriously, if Kurt can play like he did last year to finish the season it could happen.

Defensive Player of the Year: Patrick Willis

Last year I guesses correctly when I said he would be defensive ROY and I think this season he will have an even better year and win the NFL’s defensive player of the year.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Darren McFadden

McFadden is going to get the carries to gain enough yards to win this award. A thousand yard season could be in store for McFadden despite having a less than average offensive line.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jerod Mayo

Mayo, like Willis last year, will have an opportunity to get a lot of tackles playing linebacker for the Patriots. It also helps that he will be on the most popular team in the league this season and get a lot of TV exposure.

Coach of the Year: Ken Whisenhunt

Picking the coach of the year is a crap shoot. Some might think this is unlikely but who knows, if the Cardinals finish 10-6 and make the playoffs, that will look pretty good in a debate for Whisenhunt being coach of the year. I was tempted to go with one of the rookie coaches but I figure I’ll just go with Whiz on this one.

Cardinals Pro Bowlers: Anquan Boldin, Karlos Dansby, Adrian Wilson, Kurt Warner and Darnell Dockett.

It’s hard to get both Boldin and Fitz in the Pro Bowl because they steal each others votes. Usually one will get in and I say it’s Boldin this year due to the fact that he’s going to play hard to prove that he deserves a new and improved contract. For the same reason I’m picking Karlos Dansby. Karlos has never made it to a Pro Bowl but is always close. If he stays healthy for the whole season I say he’s in, particularly during a contract year. Adrian Wilson is still underrated and will just simply outplay the other safeties in the NFC.  Darnell Dockett is the real deal and will be a Pro Bowler for the second straight year. Yes, I do think Kurt Warner is going to be a Pro Bowler. I think this could be that year of destiny for the Cardinals and who better to lead a team of destiny than Kurt Warner. Kurt’s stats will be good as long as he’s healthy and the team will make the playoffs so why not Warner. Plus Brett Favre is in the AFC now, so the only real competition is Tony Romo and Drew Brees.

So those are my picks for the year. I’ll check back at the end of the season to see how things turned out.

The 2008 NFL season is officially kicking off tonight! So I needed to get my predictions in before the game starts.  I went through the entire NFL schedule game by game to try and figure out each teams exact record. Well I'm confident I will get it exactly right so you don't even have to watch the games this season.

As far as the playoffs go... I'd like to pick the Cardinals in the Super Bowl but I can't put them there yet. I have the Cowboys being the NFC representative and the Patriots being the AFC's once again. So there will be no upsets this year and the Patriots will redeem themselves and win the Super Bowl.

NFC

       NFC East            Win       Loss

1. X-Dallas              13            3
2. Y-NY Giants        10           6
3. Y-Philadelphia     9           7
4. Washington          8           8

NFC North           Win      Loss

1. X-Minnesota        10           6
2. Green Bay              8            8
3. Chicago                   7            9
4. Detroit                    6            10

NFC South           Win       Loss

1. X-Carolina            10           6
2. New Orleans         9            7
3. Tampa Bay            7            9
4. Atlanta                   3           13

NFC West             Win       Loss

1. X-Arizona           10          6
2. Seattle                     9            7
3. St. Louis                 6            10
4. San Francisco       5            10

AFC

AFC East               Win       Loss

1. X-New England   14             2
2. NY Jets                  8              8
3. Buffalo                  6               10
4. Miami                    4              12

       AFC North           Win        Loss

1. X-Pittsburgh         11             5
2. Cincinnati              8             8
3. Cleveland               7             9
4. Baltimore               3            13

  AFC South          Win        Loss

1. X-Indianapolis      12             4
2. Y-Jacksonville       11             5
3. Houston                  7              9
4. Tennessee               6             10

        AFC West            Win       Loss

1. X-San Diego          11            5
2. Y-Denver               9             7
3. Kansas City           6             10
4. Oakland                 4             12

X-Division Winner

Y-Wild Card

Well this interesting preseason is finally over after a 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos. Most importantly the Arizona Cardinals got out of there without any serious injuries. So maybe that's a good omen for the rest of the season.

But lets get to the exciting stuff...

Matt Leinart tore it up out there tonight. He was 10 of 14 for 177 yards with 1 touchdown. He looked like a real professional football player and that makes things even tougher on coach Whisenhunt when making his final decision on who the starting quarterback is. Warner on the other hand was no slouch himself. Kurt was 4 for 4 for 48 yards and looked very solid as usual. So who's the starting quarterback for the season opener in San Francisco?

I agree with Whisenhunt when he says that they need to look at the body of work when picking the quarterback. Well the body of work clearly favors Warner, I don't even think it's close. Kurt is better right now and that's when I want to win, RIGHT NOW! I've been talking about the future with the Cardinals for 20 years and I'm running out of patients, I'd like to go to the playoffs this year and not make a project out of the season. I'm still impressed with Matt and still think he has a future in this league and possibly with the Cardinals.

What's amazing to me is how you can go to all the Cardinals fan forums last week and see everyone saying Kurt needs to start and Matt's career is over. Then after a good week for Leinart, those same fans are saying Kurt needs to ride the pine. Are these the same people that flip flop from candidate to candidate based on a stupid political commercial? It just blows my mind how often people keep changing their opinions with this Warner and Leinart thing. It's just obvious, one guy is NFL ready and can move the ball up the field. The other has shown flashes of doing that but is way too inconsistent. I don't think the Cardinals can afford that. 

I'd like to stress once again that I think Kurt should be the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. But I am not giving up on Matt at all. I think if Kurt does go down with an injury or is starting to struggle, that Leinart is a very capable player to step in and hold down the fort. For the time being though Matt still seems like he has plenty to learn and some more time on the bench might not be the worst thing for him. Even though he's at his best when coaches are showing confidence in him and letting him play.

A couple quick notes about the last preseason game against Denver...

Calais Campbell is the real deal. I know a lot of what he's done is against back ups but he man handles everyone that gets in his way. It looks like the Cardinals have found one of their future defensive ends. On the topic of future defensive ends Kenny Iwebema is looking very good himself and is a player I could see starting one day for sure. Not only starting but being a very solid contributor to the team. 

I don't want to be negative but the offensive and defensive lines looked awful last night. What was more disappointing was both starting lines for the Cardinals were going up against the Broncos back ups.  Hopefully this was because the Cardinals were missing a few starters themselves. 

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie looks like the real deal. DRC is starting to look like he's figuring it all out. He clearly has the physical tools to play against the best wide recievers out there. I'm very pleased with what I've seen out of him.

There's plenty more I could talk about but I'm tired and want to go to bed. So forgive me for gramatical errors. I'll be doing another podcast soon once the final rosters come out so watch for that. Now the real football begins!

On this weeks Voice of The Cardinals Radio, Eli and Mark talk about the 3rd preseason football game against the Oakland Raiders and also talk a little about the current Quarterback drama between Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner.

To listen to this Podcast Click Here

The Arizona Cardinals have cut down to 75 players as of Monday. No Matt Leinart is not declining fast enough to be cut from the 75 man roster. But here are the four players that were unfortunately cut from the team...

CB Marcus Brown

WR Jemalle Cornelius

C Hercules Satale

DL Bryan Robinson- Not the Bryan Robinson that is fighting for a starting spot on the defensive line. It's the Bryan Robinson that was an undrafted free agent. 

So no surprises here, It will get interesting after next weeks game against the Denver Broncos. 

Arizona Cardinals sources told ESPN that Kurt Warner will be named the starting quarterback over Matt Leinart. This comes a night after Leinart’s 3 interception half against the Oakland Raiders, which was topped off with a 2.8 overall quarterback rating for the game.

The possibility of Kurt Warner becoming the starting quarterback over Matt Leinart was talked about among Cardinal fans, but I just don’t know how many of us really thought it would happen before the season. I give Whisenhunt credit for wanting to play the better player now and not give into the marketing machine and hollywood star of the Cardinals. I know there’s a bunch of Cardinal fans that couldn’t be happier with this decision. But on the flip side there’s just as many frustrated with Whisenhunt for putting the future of the franchise on the bench. The only thing I can say is we’re all Cardinals fans first and we should be supporting and rooting for whoever is quarterback. We know Kurt is slow and sometimes fumbles the ball, but I’d like to think he makes up for that with his ability to hang in the pocket on other plays and deliver the football where it needs to be. He’s a proven winner and I feel confident with him throwing the ball.

For all of you who wanted Matt to be the Cardinals quarterback I ask what did Matt do to earn the starting quarterback job? Be popular and show up to red carpet events in Hollywood? What did Kurt do to earn the job? He played 11 of the best games of his career to finished out the 2007 season and has looked great in training camp. Being young doesn’t just give you the job especially if the guy your fighting is a two time MVP and Super Bowl Champ.

Whether your a Matt Leinart supporter or a Kurt Warner fan, you have to admit this is a disappointing day in Arizona Cardinals football.  I wouldn’t say it’s tragic because Matt is still young and maybe at some point if Kurt is injured or isn’t playing well, Leinart can come fill in and take the team where it needs to go. But for the time being we have to accept that our first round pick a couple years ago isn’t living up to the hype and is being payed $50 million to be a back up. Hopefully Matt can get back on track someday and be the guy everyone expected him to be.

This was a post by Eli on MVN.com

On the inaugural 2008 Voice of The Cardinals podcast, Host Eli Wahlstrom brings on guest Ryan Gaumont to talk a little about the Arizona Cardinals preseason along with other issues such as the quarterback controversy between Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner along with the feud between Anquan Boldin and the Arizona Cardinals front office.

If you have any questions or comments for Eli or Mark, email them at voiceofthecardinals@gmail.com

Click Here to Listen to the Show

The Anquan Boldin drama is starting to heat up once again. A large part of this is thanks to agent Drew Rosenhaus. Drew is shopping Anquan and talking to teams about trades. It's a very common tactic that Drew uses for all his clients. Hopefully it's not as bad as it seems and hopefully the there's a reasonable way to resolve this. But things are starting to get a bit more heated.

Boldin said he believes coach Ken Whisenhunt is getting too involved with the negotiation process.

"At this point we have no relationship, and I don't see that changing," Boldin told NFL Network on Monday. "It's just gotten to a point where I think lines were crossed. If you ask me, coaches should be coaches, management should be management, and I don't think those lines should be crossed. But when you cross those lines, you put yourself in position for things like this to happen."

Profootballtalk.com reported that there was a "full-blown cold war" between the Cardinals and Boldin and that Whisenhunt and Anquan are not speaking. Whisenhunt denied this and said their relationship is fine. 

Apparently the latest offer the Cardinals made to Anquan was half of what Larry Fitzgerald received in his recent contract signing. It's tough for me or any other fan that is outside the negotiation process to sit here and act like we know exactly what's going on. That's why I have trouble giving an opinion on this. It's tough to tell what's a rumor and what's not and who's at fault with a lot of the situation.

Mark saw this whole situation coming months before it ever happened. I know Mark well enough to know he absolutely loves both Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. But he loves the Cardinals even more. He had been saying in many post, including this one about how the Cardinals needed to trade Fitzgerald, that the Cardinals can't afford to sign Larry for a huge contract because it will devastate the teams salary cap and cause jealousy in the locker room. Mark before anyone else has said the Cardinals can't sign Fitz because of the jealously it will cause with Boldin and other players in the organization. Well he was right about that, Fitzgerald's contract opened both Anquan's and Drew Rosenhaus's eyes and made them realize they could get so much more. When Mark wrote that the Cardinals needed to trade Larry I was not too happy with him. But I'm starting to see that he might have had a point. 

The thought of Larry Fitzgerald or Anquan Boldin not being an Arizona Cardinal sickens me. Literally I will be miserable if they were to ever lose either of those players, obviously it won't be Fitz at this point. What I'm getting at is that I love both these guys, I just don't know if they can afford two of the best receivers in the league. I hope there's a way things can work out but I just don't see it happening at this point. 

I'm sure if the Cardinals wanted they could make Anquan and every Cardinal fan happy by giving him the huge contract. But it would just hurt the rest of the team too much in the years to come especially with salary cap and depth which is something we all complain about. I don't exactly know what the Cardinals should do, but I know one way or another I'm probably going to be upset. 

 Before I quit rambling I have to say this... I in a heterosexual way LOVE Anquan Boldin! NO ONE in the NFL deserves a big contract more than Anquan. He works harder and plays tougher than any football player I've ever seen. I know he isn't exactly eating plumpy'nut in some small shack trying to stay alive because of the lack of money and food he has, but he deserves Fitzgerald type money.

I guess deep down I hope the Cardinals give him a new contract even though it could hurt the team in the long run. I just won't be able to stand seeing Boldin in another teams uniform. Hopefully somehow this whole thing can work out. I've gotta say I'm glad I'm not the one making the decision on this. 

This was written by Eli Wahlstrom on MVN.com

The Arizona Cardinals won their first preseason game under Ken Whisenhunt by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 27-17. Well lets get right into it…

Kurt Warner got the start and I think he made the most of it. Kurt was 6 of 9 passing for 54 yards while leading the Cards down the field for a touchdown. Warner hasn’t lost anything from his great 2007 season and didn’t do anything to lose his job, so it’s unfortunate that he won’t be the starter. When you look at most quarterbacks that start hitting the wall at an old age they’re guys that lose their athletic ability and lose their arm. Kurt was never a good athlete to begin with so he hasn’t lost much in that area, and his arm looks as strong and as accurate as ever. It’s frustrating to watch a guy that deserves the starting job sit on the bench. Which is what will be happening unless Leinart gets off to a start like he did last season.

Matt Leinart did play well yesterday, well enough to at least keep his starting job. Matt was 7 of 11 for 62 yards with one nice touchdown pass to Steve Breaston. Like I said before, Matt is going to have to lose the starting job, because at this point Kurt can’t do enough to win it. The problem with that is I think Leinart will be just good enough to not lose his job this season, but not do good enough to lead the Cardinals to the playoffs. But hopefully Matt lives up to the hype and potential and can get the job done.

The defense held Kansas City to no touchdowns till the final seconds of the game but they still have lots of room for improvement.  The run defense is just awful and it really reminds me of the Cardinals old. Darnell Dockett didn’t play and Gabe Watson was still out but there is still no excuse for some of the runs Arizona allowed yesterday. It’s starting to become a legit concern, Alan Branch keeps showing flashes but he’s going to need to get it done on every down while Gabe Watson is out. 2nd round pick Calais Campell started at DT yesterday and he did a very nice job. The problem is he’s more of defensive end than a defensive tackle but it was good the Cardinals tried him out in the position. Campell looks like he could make an immediate impact on the team both on defense and special teams. But it still might not solve the problem the Cardinals have with their run defense.

I know this is something on a lot of Cardinals fans mind and I think it’s even more important than we think it is. Neil Rackers kicked a ball out of bounds last night and missed a PAT. This wouldn’t be too concerning had Rackers not single handily cost the Cardinals any chance of making the playoffs last season by missing multiple game winning kicks. I’ve been more patient than anyone when it comes to Neil but at this point it’s just ridiculous. How could the Cardinals not draft or pick up a kick in free agency to at least compete with Neil during training camp? How many times can a guy cost you a game before you cut him? It’s really blowing my mind right now and I pray that Neil can find his 2005 form. If he doesn’t we could be seeing some more heartbreak.

A few players deserve to be talked about…

Tim Hightower is really showing us something. This guy was a AA college football player which means it should take him a long time to get use to the speed of the professional level. But Hightower continues to show great burst of speed good vision. I was somewhat sceptical that he could be the back of the future for the Cardinals but he might be the real deal.

Travis LaBoy had a great game recording 8 tackles and 2 sacks. This is very comforting knowing that we have a back up that can come in and make some plays on defense.

Ali Highsmith had another great game. I’d be very surprised if this undrafted free agent didn’t make the 53 man roster. Speaking of undrafted free agents, last years undrafted free agent center Lyle Sendlein has been doing as good if not better than Al Johnson. Sendlein had to go up against first round pick Glenn Dorsey and the massive Tank Tyler in yesterdays game and he was pushing those guys all over the field. He’s very impressive and I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes the starter eventually.

Fullback Tim Castille had a breakout game. Well as much of a breakout game you can have while playing FB. Castille caught 4 balls for 45 yards including a touchdown from Briand St.Pierre. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Cardinals cut Terrelle Smith and made Castille the starter. Tim has looked great in training camp and now during the preseason games. Cutting Smith would save some money that could go towards an Anquan Boldin contract.

J.J. Arrington had the best game he’s had in a while. Maybe Arrington is starting to realize his career was in jeopardy and decided to make some plays. Who knows maybe J.J. will actually make the team and be the 3rd running back behind Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower. If you would have asked me a couple months ago if Arrington was going to be a Cardinal this season I would have definitely said no.

Alright, another solid game but much to improve on. Next week the Cardinals get the Raiders in Oakland. It should be another thrilling preseason game!