4 Arizona Cardinals

WHAT'S NEW

> Russ Grimm, Arizona's first-year offensive line coach, doesn't do grades. When he played for the Redskins, Grimm hated how some position coaches assigned percentages or handed out letter grades to each player, based on such factors as the number of mistake-free snaps. It isn't professional, Grimm believes, and it also doesn't serve the larger purpose. "The misnomer about the offensive line is that you can grade a person individually," says Grimm, an 11-year NFL guard who was the Steelers' line coach for six years. "If there are 75�snaps in a game and the left tackle had five bad plays, he would grade out at above 90%. But if he had five and the left guard had five and the center had five and everyone on the line had five . . . well, they all graded out fine, but we got our butts kicked."

Beyond the overall change in tone wrought by new coach Ken Whisenhunt, formerly Grimm's offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, the new philosophy on the O-line and the drafting of Penn State offensive tackle Levi Brown with the fifth pick in April are the most significant additions to the Cardinals. Optimism in Arizona stems mostly from the belief that a motivated and rebuilt line (which also added free-agent center Al Johnson from Dallas) can open holes for Edgerrin James, the former Colt who failed to have the hoped-for impact after he signed the largest free-agent deal in Cardinals history last year. A boost in the ground game would lend some balance to an offense with an already potent passing attack. "There is not a lack of talent [on the line]," Grimm says, despite the likely loss of left tackle Oliver Ross for the season with a torn left triceps, "but there has been a lack of consistency."

WHERE THEY'RE HEADED

> If Grimm can coax even a modicum of improvement from a rushing attack that finished ahead of only Cleveland's and Detroit's last season (and had the worst yards-per-carry figure, 3.2, in the league), the Cardinals' offense could roll. Quarterback Matt Leinart figures to get better in his second season; coaches tinkered with his drop back, teaching him to take a deeper first step to get him more in sync with star wideouts Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. And though tight end remains a weak spot after second-year man Leonard Pope struggled in camp--no small concern since Whisenhunt likes two-tight-end sets--the Cardinals should not want for points. "It's all there," Johnson says. "We don't have any excuses. [Grimm] has simplified everything, made it easy for us to understand what we have to do. If we don't do our job consistently, then it is our fault."

Defensively, the secondary has been strengthened by the addition of free-agent free safety Terrence Holt (Pro�Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson's college roommate at N.C. State) and the improvement of young corners Antrel Rolle, Eric Green and Roderick Hood. The defensive backfield will be more involved in blitzing in the aggressive scheme of holdover defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, who like Grimm lost out to Whisenhunt for the head job but decided to work under him. "We've got a young secondary, but they're learning the nuances of the position," Wilson says. "It's exciting to think about going out there to make plays rather than [just] doing a job so others can make them."

Wilson and mates will be busier now that the front seven likely lost strongside linebacker Chike Okeafor for the season because of a torn biceps. He had been moved from end to outside linebacker in Arizona's hybrid 3-4 defense. His versatility, along with that of Bertrand Berry (both started their careers as linebackers), was critical to the Cardinals' defensive plans. The drop-off from Okeafor to Darryl Blackstock or Calvin Pace is steep, and it's likely to alter everything Pendergast does. Fourth-year linebacker Karlos Dansby, who teammates believe is poised to have a breakout season like Wilson's last year, might need to rush the passer more, though his plate is full as is. "Karlos, like a lot of the guys up front, is versatile," Holt says. "He can play inside or outside, rush the passer, cover the slot. Guys like him are the reason I think we can be successful, because we can throw a lot of different looks at you."

Success, however, is not expected, at least not to the level forecast last season, when the Cardinals were the trendy pick to go from futility to the playoffs. Arizona's division rival San Francisco now has that burden, and it has provided the Cardinals with some cover while they adapt to Whisenhunt, Grimm and the "Steeler mentality" they're trying to bring to the desert.

"It's that blue-collar attitude where you don't talk about what you're going to do but you go out and do it," Wilson says. "We want to be known as a team that plays tough, man-on-man football, a team that just goes and gets it done." --G.D.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
WITH 2006 STATISTICS
COACH KEN WHISENHUNT (0-0 in NFL), first season with Cardinals