Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Cardinals are 17th in our power rankings, which sounds about right (I voted them 16th). Matt Leinart is back in the starting role, but we still don't know what that means. Will he become better than Kurt Warner, or will he become another first-round disappointment at the position?
Leinart tossed two touchdown passes with four interceptions in his five starts last season. The Cardinals pushed him to improve his mechanics and prove himself as a student of the game. Coach Ken Whisenhunt says
Leinart has impressed on both fronts. We need to see more.
The Cardinals won three of Leinart's five starts in 2007, but Kurt Warner was the more effective quarterback in two of those victories.
Arizona's No. 17 ranking reflects uncertainties at quarterback and elsewhere. The defense will need aging pass rushers Bert Berry and Chike Okeafor to bounce back from injury-shortened seasons. The team also lost a potential defensive playmaker when Calvin Pace signed with the Jets.
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
