A goal as a franchise is always to progress in all areas. In the NFL that’s easier said than done. The steps taken forward can back track double time with the simplest of wrong moves. Having poor drafts, letting a key free agent go or not addressing veteran players have all been catastrophic problems for the past Cardinals. In the last few seasons though, they have remarkably made a turn around in those same departments. How long can they keep it up or will it continue?

The Cardinals possess likely the best trio of young receivers in the league in Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Bryant Johnson. While many teams like to go after wide receivers in free agency, not too many of those receivers do well with the big dollar contracts. So Arizona decided to attack that area in two drafts, and wound up with all three as steals. That can not be completely said yet for Bryant Johnson, but he is a receiver that can hold his own. The only problem for Arizona is how long will they be able to keep this unit together and happy?

The Cardinals three big play receivers should be grinning with the addition Edgerrin James. If winning becomes a factor next season maybe one of the receivers will be willing to take a pay cut so the Cardinals can sign a couple of extra free agents. After all the state of Arizona does have the benefit of hosting the 2008 Super Bowl.

A year ago the Cardinals had the smarts to bring in two time MVP Kurt Warner for a last shot in his career. He managed the team well throughout last season only to go down to a season ending injury. His play was enough for the Cardinals to bring him back this upcoming season, but not for a long term status. With the drafting of Matt Leinart, Warner is almost in as bad a situation as he was with the Giants when they took Eli Manning. Unless Warner carries the Arizona Cardinals to an unprecedented start, he’ll likely be seated on the bench at some point in October or November.

Nonetheless having Warner around Matt Leinart will only benefit Leinart. He has the luxury of learning and being tutored from Warner, and not being thrown right into the fire as a quarterback. Many people think Leinart took a huge hit in his wallet by not leaving his junior season, but trust us he didn’t. That extra year in college added more big game experience on his shoulders, and now he’ll gain more mentally on the sidelines.

Addressing the Cardinals offensive line issues may not be as bad as it seems. They were horrific as a run blocking team but decently adequate as a pass blocking unit. Dennis Green believes that the team just needs extra time as a unit to develop as a solid run blocking unit. Perhaps the addition of an All Pro running back will get that line to improve its tenacity.

The defense is an area where the Cardinals have already been flourishing. The young unit was great last season and should only soar to the top ten in the NFL. Antrell Rolle missed a big portion of last season due to injury, and will be ready at 100 percent. Also, don’t forget about linebacker Karlos Dansby who is the NFL’s best kept secret at that position. He is a top five linebacker that doesn’t get his credit due to the overall poor display of the Cardinals in the past.

Bill Bidwell always used to get nagged for the poor moves that the Cardinals would constantly do; boy has he turned it around. In less than three years he has brought in Dennis Green, and retooled both sides of the football into a red hot optimistic arrow. The perfect timing for a team that is moving into a brand new state of the art facility and playing its first Monday Night game since 1999.