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Josh McCown Jeff Gross/Getty Projected starting lineup Offense No. Player Pos. 81 Anquan Boldin WR 11 Larry Fitzgerald WR 85 Freddie Jones TE 70 L.J. Shelton LT 75 Leonard Davis LG 66 Pete Kendall C 76 Cameron Spikes RG 65 Anthony Clement RT 12 Josh McCown QB 42 James Hodgins FB 31 Marcel Shipp RB 1 Neil Rackers K Defense No. Player Pos. 92 Bertrand Berry RDE 98 Russell Davis DT 95 Kenny King DT 97 Fred Wakefield LDE 55 Raynoch Thompson RLB 57 Ron McKinnon MLB 52 Levar Fisher LLB 28 Duane Starks CB 21 Renaldo Hill CB 24 Adrian Wilson SS 34 Dexter Jackson FS 10 Scott Player P 2004 Draft Rd. Player Pos. School 1 Larry Fitzgerald WR Pittsburgh 2 Karlos Dansby LB Auburn 3 Darnell Dockett DT Florida St. 4 Alex Stepanovich OL Ohio St. 5 Antonio Smith DE Oklahoma St. 6 Nick Leckey OL Kansas St. 7 John Navarre QB Michigan Outside the Huddle Hello, Larry Wide receiver Anquan Boldin tied the team record with 101 receptions last season as a rookie, matching the mark set by running back Larry Centers and rescuing what otherwise was a weak draft class. Yet with the addition of Larry Fitzgerald, Boldin's numbers likely will drop even if he has a better year overall. Co-existing VP of football operations Rod Graves is confident that he and Dennis Green can work together effectively. "The fact of the matter is we hired Dennis Green for a reason, for the success that he has and the vision that he has," Graves says. "He has as much influence [as me] in what we are doing and how we go about it. And however we do it, it is not a heavy-handed affair." Berry nice Free-agent defensive end Bertrand Berry had 11 1/2 sacks last season. Cardinal defensive linemen had just 10 total last season, led by end Dennis Johnson's three. Dubious distinction The Cardinals became only the third team (in a non-strike year) since the merger to finish last in the NFL in both scoring and points allowed. Yet Green believes he can get the offense into the top 10 this season. Road kill The Cardinals have lost 13 consecutive road games, dating to October 2002, by an average of 23.5 points. 2003 Revisited The Prophecy: "Realistically, though, [Emmitt] Smith won't have a big impact -- and the fight at the end of the season will be [Dave] McGinnis fighting for his job." The Lie: "Emmitt Smith says he's the same guy today as he was winning rings." --Athlon Sports Pro Football 2003

Perhaps the mere fact the Arizona Cardinals were able to lure Dennis Green to the desert to be their new head coach signifies that the franchise is moving to a better place. Green is a winner, a fact underscored by the poster the team put up at his introductory press conference, showing his 97–62 coaching record (regular season) and how the winning percentage ranked near the top among current head coaches.

"I am a program-builder," Green says. "You look at the Cardinals' record the past six years, maybe they have been in the bottom third [of the league], but I don't think they have been thought of as the worst team. There are pieces there."

The Cardinals are hoping Green, by far the highest paid coach in team history at $2.5 million per year, can finally be the one to fit those pieces together.

When Josh McCown completed his miracle pass to beat Minnesota and moved the Cardinals from the No. 1 draft pick to No. 3, he joked how he saved his job. With the arrival of Green, McCown turned out to be right.

The Cards missed out on a chance at Eli Manning and passed up a chance to draft Ben Roethlisberger or Philip Rivers because Green has decided to make McCown his starter. It was a surprise given the inexperience of the third-year pro.

"Josh McCown -- I think he is going to be a great one," Green says. "I think people have a hard time believing it, but when I buy into a quarterback, I really do."

McCown is far from a finished product, but he will be the starter as Green tries to shape his serious athletic ability. Even McCown is amazed at how far he's come in such a short time. "It's amazing when you look where I was at the beginning of December," he says. "If I don't start those three games, we're not talking whether I can start long term; we're talking whether I can start for Barcelona [in NFL Europe]."

Shaun King will serve as McCown's backup.

Marcel Shipp has been patient. He outplayed Thomas Jones two years ago, but needed Jones to get hurt before he got the starting job. Then the Cards signed Emmitt Smith last offseason, pushing Shipp to a backup role again.

But after outplaying Smith last season, Shipp, a former undrafted free agent from UMass, seemingly had finally earned the starting job. He had the first back-to-back 100-yard rushing games for the Cardinals last season since Johnny Johnson did it in 1992. Green believes Shipp's ability to run and catch can make him a big-time back in his high-powered offense. However, Smith decided not to retire and was tabbed the Cardinals' starter. Damien Anderson is coming off a serious offseason car accident, which could hurt him in his battle with Josh Scobey as the third back.

James Hodgins is entrenched at fullback, although he may play less frequently in Green's three-receiver sets.

Green is going for a new version of Randy Moss and Cris Carter with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, and a position that was in shambles at this time last year suddenly looks very solid. Last year's first-rounder, Bryant Johnson, should be a solid No. 3 receiver, and he can expect plenty of action in Green's three-receiver sets. Nathan Poole, who made the miracle catch to beat Minnesota on the last play of the season, might find his way to the No. 4 receiver spot.

"I think [Fitzgerald] is ideally suited for our offense," Green says. "We have said from the start we are going to be a playoff team in 2004, and if you're going to do that, then you have to have a playmaker."

Green has already called out tight end Freddie Jones publicly, a warning sign Jones better up his game in the final year of his contract.

The line was supposed to be the strength of this team, but the major players have come to a crossroads in their tenure now that Green has arrived. Left tackle L.J. Shelton is in place after signing an extension last season. But underachieving guard Leonard Davis has been moved from the right to the left side in hopes he can live up to his No. 2 overall draft status. Center Pete Kendall was very good making the switch from guard, but he has been injured late in the year in each of the past three seasons. Right tackle Anthony Clement had a horrible season and must rebound. Cameron Spikes is the right guard, but he could be replaced if Green finds someone better.

Depth is a problem, but the addition of Alex Stepanovich in the draft helps at guard and center. There remains a question whether there is enough at backup tackle, since Raleigh Roundtree or Reggie Wells wouldn't be suitable for a long-term fill-in.

The Cardinals needed a pass rusher and found one in free agency with former Bronco Bertrand Berry, who has become a good player on the field and is a solid leader in the locker room. But the rest of the nondescript bunch must prosper under Green, or the line will have to be overhauled yet again. The starters for now are Berry and Fred Wakefield at end and Kenny King and Russell Davis at the tackles. Darnell Dockett was added in the draft and could quickly fight for a starting spot, if he can keep his nose clean and work hard.

The Cards are hoping 2002 first-round pick Wendell Bryant, a tackle, and 2003 first-rounder Calvin Pace, an end, don't turn out to be busts. Both are second-stringers right now. Kyle Vanden Bosch could push Wakefield if he has recovered from his second major knee surgery in three years.

If the Cardinals don't get more production out of the line -- they have been at the bottom or near the bottom in sacks three consecutive years -- they have little chance at the postseason.

This is the group that faces the most serious overhaul as Green puts his stamp on the team. Raynoch Thompson, who was suspended for the final four games last year for violation of the league's substance abuse policy, returns as the top guy and will be moved to the weak side to take advantage of his blitzing ability. Ron McKinnon is in the middle, but Gerald Hayes should push him. Disappointing Levar Fisher is the other starter, but second-round pick Karlos Dansby might be able to take away the job.

Surprisingly, no high picks were spent to upgrade what seems to be a weaker area. Duane Starks is the No. 1 cornerback, but he missed all of last season with torn knee ligaments. Free agent David Macklin and Renaldo Hill (who is better suited in a nickel role) will fight to see who is the other starter. At free safety, Dexter Jackson had a solid season after signing as a free agent, but strong safety Adrian Wilson goes into his contract year needing to fulfill his potential to earn a long-term deal.

Punt returning has been a problem for two years, and for now, the Cardinals are counting on aging Karl Williams, unless someone better can be found. Josh Scobey had a good year as a kick returner last season.

Neil Rackers solidified his spot as a kicker, improving the team's kickoffs after replacing Bill Gramatica. Scott Player has been a steady punter for a few seasons.

Green might have the Cardinals going in the right direction, but given a difficult schedule and the youth of the offensive playmakers, instant success is going to be difficult.

Defensive playmakers are still absent, and the Cards surprisingly didn't get cornerback help in the draft. Winning will mostly be about outscoring teams, much like Green used to do in Minnesota.

This will likely have to be a stepping stone year, as the Cardinals are likely to fall short of Green's announced goal of making the playoffs. He's got time, though, since the team is being positioned to blossom when it moves into its new stadium in 2006.

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