FanHouse NFL Season Preview: Arizona Cardinals - Is This the Year Leinart Gets It?

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Matt Leinart enters his third year and he finally seems to understand that football is actually more important than bonging beers with Nick Lachey. If he struggles early, though, head coach Ken Whisenhunt won't hesitate to go with 37-year-old Kurt Warner. Heat Index: 5

Running backs: Edgerrin James' best days are (way) behind him, and Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington and rookie Tim Hightower are all "just guys." Which is to say: defenses will continue to play the pass until the running game proves otherwise. Heat Index: 3

Receivers: Larry Fitzgerald is extremely happy; Anquan Boldin, not so much. Still, they are two of the best wideouts in the league. No one will miss Bryant Johnson, and rookie Early Doucet will get every chance to win the slot receiver job. Assuming Leinart doesn't regress in '08, both Fitzgerald and Boldin should have 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Heat Index: 8

Offensive line: On paper, the front five look pretty good, starting with 2007 first-round pick, right tackle Levi Brown. And unlike previous incarnations, the o-line was pretty good in practice, too. From '06 to '07, they improved in both run-blocking and pass protection, and with another year in Whisenhunt's system, there's no reason to think they won't get better in '08. Heat Index: 6

Defensive line: Avoiding injuries would be a good start for a unit that saw two of its three starters sidelined for most of last season. Second-round pick Calais Campbell adds depth, but the unit will need to improve on stopping the run in third-and-short situations (they ranked dead last in that category in '07). Heat Index: 4

Linebackers: Gerald Hayes makes a lot of tackles, but usually four or five yards past the line of scrimmage. Karlos Dansby is solid, but offseason acquisition Clark Haggans provides nothing more than depth. On the upside, he gets the Cards one player closer to officially having the team renamed Pittsburgh West. Heat Index: 5

Secondary: Former top-10 pick Antrel Rolle has been moved to safety, but in the long run, it'll be for the best. In the short term, rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is the future. And until he's ready for full-time duty, Roderick Hood and Eric Green will man the cornerback positions. The other safety, Adrian Wilson, is one of the best in the league, but since he can't be everywhere, this unit could struggle at times. Heat Index: 6

Special teams: Pro Football Prospectus 2008 says it all: "Once again, the Cardinals were terrible on special teams in 2007." On the upside, Neil Rackers seems to have fully recovered from the whole "Crown Their Asses!" fiasco (he honked the field goal that led to Dennis Green losing his mind), but otherwise, well, special teams isn't very good. Heat Index: 3

Coaching: Whisenhunt enters his second season in the Valley of the Sun and the team's 8-8 record raised expectations. The NFC West is winnable, but only if Leinart makes the leap from college hero to adequate NFL starter. So far, that hasn't happened. Heat Index: 5

Intangibles: With the Cardinals now playing in an climate-controlled stadium, the heat can no longer be used to their advantage (oh, wait, it never really was an advantage). On the other hand, thanks to fan interest, the team has homefield advantage for the first time, well, ever. Heat Index: 5

Total Heat Index: 53
Every year, preseason magazines declare the Cardinals dark horse candidates, and a team capable of a deep postseason run. So far, bupkes on that front. And in all likelihood, it'll be more of the same in 2008. But, hey, maybe next year will finally be the year.