Well, FOOTBALL SEASON is almost here. We’ve been suffering with baseball, basketball, hockey, and even tennis and cycling. Now, football season is approaching!!!

There is high optimism in Cardinal country that the trip up the mountain (to Flagstaff) will result in being ready to play starting with game one this season and a season long chase for the playoffs. It has been since 1998 that the Cardinals have been to the playoffs and won a playoff game. The fans would like to see a serious step towards making or at least threatening to make the playoffs year in and year out. I see some good steps toward making this happen. Let’s start by looking at all the position matchups and fights for jobs at camp.

QB: QB Matt Leinart and QB Kurt Warner will be deciding if the going in position of QB Matt Leinart #1 and QB Kurt Warner #2 will be the season starting position. I have heard that QB Kurt Warner is in the best shape of his life and throwing the ball lights out! I have also heard that QB Matt Leinart is demonstrating that he does deserve the #1 position. This will be handled in the pre-season. As for the #3 slot, QB Brian St. Pierre was brought in from Pittsburgh and QB Anthony Morelli Penn State (undrafted rookie signing) will battle for the #3 position and maybe Morelli can land on the practice squad if he shows some promise. Look for the starting season lineup to be: QB Matt Leinart #1, QB Kurt Warner #2, and QB B. St. Pierre #3.

RB: Obviously RB Edgerrin James is the #1 back in Arizona. The next running backs they have are: RB Marcel Shipp, RB JJ Arrington, RB S. Baylark (UMASS), RB Tim Hightower (Richmond), and RB Chris Vincent (Oregon). None of those runners will strike fear in the hearts of a defensive coordinator. I would really like the Cardinals to go get RB Shawn Alexander in FA. He knows the offense of their main competition for the NFC West Division Title (and a playoff game at home!!). Sure, he may not be a feature running back, but a 1-2 tandem of RB E. James and RB S. Alexander could pose issues and wear teams down in the 4^th quarter. This would seem to be to the liking of Coach K. Whisenhunt. I also see RB Tim Hightower taking some of the workload and perhaps gaining the confidence of the coaching staff to become the goal-line running back for the Cardinals. Look for RB Marcel Shipp and RB JJ Arrington to make the team on special teams alone. Maybe Vincent or Baylark can surprise?

WR: The main question is will WR Anquan Boldin go to training camp. Yes, he’ll show up at sometime. So your #1 and #1A WRs are WR Larry Fitzgerald and WR Anquan Boldin. So let’s concentrate on who’s #3 and #4 shall we? The remaining WR’s currently on the roster are: WR Steve Breaston, WR Jemalle Cornelius, WR Early Doucet, WR Lance Long, WR Ahmad Merritt, WR Sean Morey, WR Jamaica Rector, and WR Jerheme Urban. So far, the reports I’ve heard from OTA’s is that WR Steve Breaston is looking more likely to take the #3 spot with an upcoming camp battle against WR Early Doucet. Look for WR Morey and WR Urban to fight for the last spot on the roster.

TE: Currently on the roster are: TE Troy Bienemann, TE Ben Patrick, TE Leonard Pope, TE Alex Shor, TE Jerame Tuman. TE Leonard Pope was beginning to become a major red zone target when his season was cut short with a broken ankle against Seattle in game #14 last year. Look for TE Leonard Pope to start with TE Jerame Tuman starting as a blocking TE. The #3 and depending upon how many they keep #4 TE will probably come from Patrick or Bienemann.

OL: Fantasy-wise, this is a lesser impact, but still a good impact. OL Levi Brown, OL Deuce Lutui, OL Al Johnson, OL Al Johnson, and OL Reggie Wells are your projected starters. Behind that, the team needs to build some quality depth. We’ll have more on that as we go through training camp.

Special Teams: K Neil Rackers will have some competition, but as of yet, I do not know who. P Mitch Berger was less than spectacular as well. Look for open competition in all phases of the special teams except KR Steve Breaston. I think he has solidified his position on the team.

We’ll get into the defensive side in early August as things progress. The Cardinals still have not signed their first three draft choices. They are: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (1^st Round), DE Calais Campbell (2^nd Round) and WR Early Doucet (3^rd Round). I can’t imagine any of these guys holding out at camp. Get them signed Cardinals.

The two worries about holding out are: WR Anquan Boldin (3 years left on his current contract) and DT Darnell Dockett (4 years left on his current contract). Now while I believe both players have earned new contracts in the near future, get in camp, get ready, and show it on the field.