After Cal's take down of Washington and the debacle that was technically considered a game between Arizona and a JV school from somewhere in the northwest, the Pac-10 tournament is in full swing.

#1- UCLA

#9- Cal

A rematch that could not have been written better. After a controversial 1 point victory for the Bruins last week, Cal has a chance for redemption. So how does a 16-14 team in Cal present a legit problem for the Bruins?

This may be the toughest position to play in the NFL. Injuries are frequent so depth is critical. Self-confidence is easily lost and hard to recover. No position is harder to draft or successfully fill.

Cornerbacks

Overview No group took a bigger beating than these guys. The fact that Antrel Rolle was a safety was clear after his second year, but he continued to be played out of position. He will move there this year. Green likely will make it through free agency and start opposite Hood unless a corner is chosen in round 1 of the draft.

CB Antrel Rolle

WR Bryant Johnson

Well, I had anticipated this a being an area of major need, but I have become convinced that will not be the case.

Tight Ends

Whisenhunt was a tight end himself. He likes the short passing game and he likes to use his tight ends in the red zone. Strength at this position has eluded the Cards in recent years, but it is critical to have weapons at this spot if you want to control the ball and be effective in the red zone.

This shapes up to be a very intriguing off-season for the Arizona Cardinals. All initial indications are that Rod Graves, the Cardinals' GM, is focussing the off-season on re-signing the current players. Graves has already stipulated that the Cardinals won't be big players in free agency. That is, don't expect the Cardinals to sign one of the top name free agents. For many Cardinal fans, this news is a real bummer, especially in light of the fact that there are some outstanding free agents on the market, such as perennial Pro Bowl LG Alan Faneca (Steelers) and RB Michael Turner (Chargers), who fit the precise mold of what the Cardinals need to be absolutely dynamic on offense and take the pressure off of 3rd year QB

This should be a very interesting off-season for the Arizona Cardinals. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt has now had a year to analyze the current personnel--and make no mistake about it--changes are going to made. Whiz is not going to stand pat. He knows what he needs to do to and the type of players he needs to add. Let's take a look at each offensive position and discuss what Whiz's thoughts and options may be.

Yeah, yeah, I know that Rod Graves has stated that the Cardinals won't be all that active in free agency this off-season, as they focus their energies and cap space on re-signingtheir current players. But...there HAS to be a way to put all the puzzle pieces together this off-season. So, we Cardinal fans can start doing what we are all accustomed to doing this time of year: we can dream. Thus, this is my dream, position by position.

Following today's excellent 48-19 win over the Rams, the Cardinals have posted their third non-losing season since moving to Arizona. Their 48 point single game total is an Arizona Cardinal record. Without question, especially in terms of putting points on the scoreboard (how abouteight straight games with 20 or more points?) and taking close games down to the wire, the Cardinals, under first year head coach, Ken Whisenhunt,madesignificant progress this year. Now it's time to hand out the year-end grades and look ahead to next year...and...as the huge banner in Arizona today proclaimed: NEXT YEAR FOR SURE!

Yesterday's dramatic 30-27 OT win for the Cardinals over the Falcons has given the franchise, with a win versus the Rams next week,an opportunity to post its second non-losing season since its move to Arizona. Despiteanother 4th quarter defensive meltdown yesterday (save the nice three stops they made inside the 10 on the Falcons' last drive), the Cardinal offense and Neil Rackers saved the day, providing a series of clutch plays in the waning seconds of regulation and the first possession of overtime. Kurt Warner passed well, throwing regulary to an unstoppableAnquan Boldin (13/162/2TDs). Yet most importantly,Warner did not turn the ball over. In the process, Boldin set an NFL record as the fastest WR to snag 400 passes. Boldin has done so in 67 games, eclipsing Kellen Winslow's mark of 72. In addition, the Cardinals committed a season-low 4 penalties yesterday...and remained highly efficient in the red zone...more signs of the tangible progress the team has manifested under Ken Whisenhunt in his first year as head coach. With the off-season fast approaching and Santa Claus traveling the friendly skies on this glorious eve, it's time for sending out some Cardinal wishes...