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Patrick Peterson should become the best cornerback in the NFC West and beyond. The talent is obviously there. Coaches and teammates rave about Peterson's commitment.

"If we have this discussion in a year, he is top three in the league and if not, No. 1," ESPN.com NFL scout Matt Williamson predicted Monday.

Peterson's ability shined through in Cian Fahey's recently published game-by-game analysis using the all-22 coaches' video made available to the public last year.

Some background: Last week, Fahey came away impressed after taking an in-depth look at Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. When I expressed an interest in seeing something similar for Peterson, Fahey said on the spot he'd put one together within a week. Here we are.

Fahey's analysis showed Peterson at his best against wide receivers such as Sidney Rice, Julio Jones and Roddy White. Peterson struggled some against smaller, quicker wide receivers such as Steve Johnson, Danny Amendola and Davone Bess. Michael Crabtree's physical play around the goal line was also a problem. Physical play is one area where Sherman in particular excels among corners.

"There is no shame in spending time as a prince learning the role of the king before you take his seat," Fahey concluded. "For most, it is a necessary step. Peterson is an exceptional talent and athlete, but he is no exception when it comes to developing as a pro. He must refine his talent, but once he does he may have no equal."

Unlike Sherman, Peterson often tracked the opponent's best wide receiver all over the field, play after play. That made Peterson's job tougher than Sherman's job, a key distinction when evaluating the best cornerbacks. Darrelle Revis, widely regarded as the NFL's top corner before suffering a knee injury last season, has set the standard recently for eliminating opponents' top wideouts.

"Peterson can be a Hall of Fame corner," Williamson said. "In a league full of superb athletes, he is in the top 1 percent. He is not yet half the technician of Revis, but he is learning and his upside is higher than the upside for any corner in the league."

Peterson's relative difficulties against slot corners might not be a problem to the same extent in the future. One, Peterson will most likely continue to improve. Two, Arizona added slot corners Javier Arenas and Tyrann Mathieu to match up with some of those smaller, shiftier wideouts.

"Slot corner is really its own position," Williamson said. "A slot receiver like Wes Welker has a two-way go and there's no sideline as the helper for the corner. I could see Peterson being a bit of a fish out of water against some of those guys."

Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald said last offseason he thought Peterson was quickly on his way to becoming the best cornerback around.

"From a physical standpoint, he has no weaknesses at all," Fitzgerald said. "Most guys you go against, bigger guys, I can manipulate them on the field or physically. Patrick is just so different. He has the game-changing speed. He can run with anybody in the league. His ball skills are like playing with another receiver. He can tackle you in the run game. He knows what’s going on, is a student of the game.

"You want to draft a guy to carry the torch for your team, Patrick Peterson epitomizes that. Just his maturity. He’s 22 years old [now 23]. He just got married. His outlook on life, the way he carries himself, the way he performs, it’s like a 30-year old. He just gets it. To get it at that young of age, that is a scary combination when you couple that with elite talent."

The St. Louis Rams said they would rather sign a couple big-money free agents than several mid-priced ones.

Quality over quantity was the rationale.



That approach helps explain why the Rams rank sixth among NFL teams in contractual commitments for unrestricted free agents signed from other teams this offseason despite landing just two of them in Jake Long and Jared Cook.

Maximum potential contract value can be misleading, but in general, the more aggressive teams will commit larger total dollar values toward free agents. As the chart shows, St. Louis ranks relatively high in total dollar values despite signing fewer UFAs than any other team ranked among the top 10.

ESPN.com's John Clayton takes a closer look in his column Sunday. While the Rams focused their UFA resources narrowly, the Arizona Cardinals added a long list of players at relatively low cost. Clayton liked the approach from a value standpoint.

"Three winners emerged from the post-frenzy shopping market -- Arizona, Chicago and Tennessee," Clayton writes. "Based on playing time from last year, I'd give the Cardinals the slight edge from the post-March 17 market."

The chart below, updated from the version published here March 27, lists playing time and contract information for all the UFA players Arizona has signed or re-signed this offseason.

Note: I added Karlos Dansby to the chart below. Most of the additions were unrestricted free agents. Dansby was not. The Miami Dolphins released him.

A quick look at how recent developments affect 2013 regular-season openers, which are now just 111 days away:

• Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers. Bruce Irvin's suspension from the Seahawks to open the season removes from this game a player whose contributions proved pivotal to Seattle's victory at Carolina last season. Irvin's fourth-quarter sack and forced fumble allowed the Seahawks to run out the clock. He finished the game with two sacks as the Seahawks shut down Cam Newton.
• Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers. Colin Kaepernick's 181-yard rushing performance for the 49ers against Green Bay in the playoffs last season sent the Packers scrambling for ways to defend rushing attempts from quarterbacks. The team even showed interest in hiring Kaepernick's former college coach, Chris Ault. However, Ault wound up taking a job with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kaepernick-Packers storyline will command tons of attention when the opener is near. Imagine if Ault had taken a job with the 49ers' Week 1 opponent.
• Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams. Daryl Washington had one sack in each of the Cardinals' two games against the Rams last season. A suspension will prevent him from factoring this time. Side note: In years past, Arizona could almost always count on borderline-dominant performances from Adrian Wilson against the Rams. To hear Wilson tell it, the Rams angered him during the 2001 draft when they repeatedly called him to say they planned to select him, only to select three other defensive players instead. Wilson will miss this game after signing with New England following his release from the Cardinals. The Rams will not miss him.

The Seattle Seahawks lead the NFL in suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs since Pete Carroll became coach in 2010, research by ESPN Stats & Information shows.

Defensive end Bruce Irvin's four-game suspension, announced Friday, was the fifth during that span, according to research ESPN's Steve Martinez conducted using STATS PASS.



The total does not include the 2012 suspension implicating cornerback Richard Sherman, who overturned a four-game ban on appeal. The botched handling of a leaky collection cup proved critical to the successful appeal.

Seven other teams have incurred three or four substance-abuse suspensions for PEDs over that span, including the Denver Broncos and New York Giants with four apiece, according to STATS PASS. The San Francisco 49ers are among 10 teams with zero.

Since 2010, the NFL suspended Seattle's Irvin, Brandon Browner, Winston Guy, Allen Barbre and John Moffitt for PED usage under its policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Moffitt said he took Adderall, a psychostimulant prescribed for attention-deficit disorders, under a doctor's prescription without knowing he needed a special exemption from the NFL.

Sherman, who denied violating the policy, has suggested doctor-approved Adderall use is widespread. He called for the NFL to lift its ban on the substance.

The chart ranks NFL teams by most PED-related suspensions since Carroll arrived as the Seahawks' head coach on Jan. 12, 2010.

Carroll and the NFL denied a 2009 report linking former USC players to positive steroid tests. One of the players named in that disputed report, Brian Cushing, later served a four-game NFL suspension for violating the policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

First-time violators of the policy receive four-game suspensions. The penalty doubles for second-time violators. Third-time violators face suspensions of at least 12 months, subject to reinstatement at the commissioner's discretion. Players suspended under the policy for any length become ineligible for the Pro Bowl or any other NFL or NFL Players Association honors.

NFL policy requires annual testing for steroids and related substances when training camps begin or whenever a player reports to the team after camps begin. Preseason and regular-season protocol calls for 10 players per team to be tested at random each week. That protocol continues into the postseason for playoff teams. Players under contract can be tested up to six times during an offseason, subject to increases following a positive test.

Good morning, NFC West. Here's hoping you made it through the weekend without testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.



Alas, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin's four-game suspension remains the No. 1 topic for conversation around here.

The timing of the announcement -- Friday afternoon on the West Coast -- appeared straight from the old public-relations handbook for minimizing a negative story. It also provided time over the weekend to dig a little deeper. I'll be back in a bit with a piece providing context for the sizable list of PED-related suspensions affecting the Seahawks in recent seasons.

For now, let's take a walk on the lighter side with Michael Crabtree of the San Francisco 49ers. David Fucillo of Niners Nation recently found on 49ersspin.com and re-posted video showing the NFC West's leading receiver from 2012 getting taken for a ride -- in a good way.

This is pretty funny stuff from Crabtree and host Dave Dameshek of NFL.com. Crabtree hasn't always seemed comfortable in interview settings. Dameshek's light, irreverent approach had Crabtree laughing along. Crabtree sang portions of the theme song from "The Jeffersons" at one point while riding along in a car driven by Dameshek.

Recommended video: ESPN's Merril Hoge sat down recently with new Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians for a discussion covering Carson Palmer, Tyrann Mathieu, calling plays and taking over for Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano on an interim basis last season.

Jim Irsay, the Colts' owner, asked Arians to take over once doctors diagnosed Pagano with cancer. Arians agreed, with one stipulation: that the Colts leave on the light in Pagano's office until the coach returned.

"Christmas Eve, we had our normal game-plan meetings and I was walking out of the building and all of a sudden I looked and the light was off," Arians recalled. "I had to get in the car and dry up some tears before I could drive home. It was an extremely emotional night -- the best Christmas I've ever had."

Kent Somers' piece about NFL rookies combining to start more games than in the past caught my attention Friday.

I wanted to know how many games NFC West players have started as rookies in recent seasons. I wanted to break down the numbers by team and position.

The charts provide answers on those fronts. Weaker teams select earlier in the draft order and should have more openings in their lineups, inflating their numbers. That has been the case to a degree in the NFC West, one reason quotation marks surround the word "leads" in the headline above.

Seattle is an interesting study, however. The Seahawks have been pretty competitive while amassing more rookie starts than any team in the division, with those starts distributed rather evenly across offense and defense. That affirms perceptions about Seattle drafting well recently despite using relatively few early picks. Of course, the 16 starts Seattle got from rookie quarterback Russell Wilson last season were disproportionately valuable. Having two first-round picks in 2010 helped the overall numbers.

The San Francisco 49ers have fielded a dominant, veteran defense. They've gotten -- "needed" might be a better word -- only seven starts from rookies on defense over the past three seasons. While Aldon Smith played in a situational role, the 49ers rank a distant fourth among NFC West teams in defensive snaps played by rookies. Seattle leads with 4,536 snaps, followed by Arizona (3,090), St. Louis (2,965) and San Francisco (1,565).

The 49ers could get rookie starts from 2013 first-round pick Eric Reid, a favorite to start at safety.

The Rams have gotten 4,593 snaps from offensive rookies over the three seasons. The Cardinals are next with 3,568, followed by the Seahawks (3,280) and 49ers (2,858).

Offensive linemen have made the most starts as rookies. That makes sense because there are at least five of them on the field every snap. NFC West teams have also drafted four offensive linemen in the first round over that span, plus one with the first pick of the second round. The Cardinals relied heavily on rookie tackles last season out of necessity.

The Rams' rookie starts are distributed more evenly across the specific positions in the chart below. That makes sense. They've had the weakest roster. They've had earlier picks.

Each team in the NFC West has had two rookies start all 16 games: Patrick Peterson and Bobby Massie for Arizona; Wilson and Earl Thomas for Seattle; Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis for San Francisco; and Sam Bradford and Rodger Saffold for St. Louis. Bobby Wagner (15 starts for Seattle) and Janoris Jenkins (14 for St. Louis) were the only others with more than 12 starts as rookies.

K.J. Wright (Seattle), Michael Brockers (St. Louis), Chris Givens (St. Louis), Daryl Washington (Arizona), Sam Acho (Arizona), Richard Sherman (Seattle), Okung (Seattle) and Lance Kendricks (St. Louis) started between 10 and 12 games as NFC West rookies since 2010.

Jonathan Cooper (Arizona), Kevin Minter (Arizona), Jesse Williams (Seattle), Tavon Austin (St. Louis), Alec Ogletree (St. Louis) and T.J. McDonald (St. Louis) appear best positioned among NFC West rookies to start in 2013. Cardinals cornerback Tyrann Mathieu could figure prominently in sub packages if he does not start.

Earlier: Late-round picks with a shot at playing in 2013.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A look at key players for each NFC West team who are coming back from injuries:

Arizona Cardinals: Levi Brown, left tackle. A torn triceps sidelined Brown last season, but the Cardinals expect him to be at full strength for 2013. A healthy Brown makes a happy Bruce Arians, it appears. Former coach Ken Whisenhunt was always quick to defend Brown from critics who expected more from a player drafted fifth overall. Arians, entering his first season as the Cardinals' coach, has taken the pro-Brown rhetoric to another level, calling the seventh-year tackle an "elite" player. Arizona improved its depth on the line. The team could conceivably get through the upcoming season with Nate Potter at left tackle. However, the Cardinals don't want to merely "get through" the season. They want Brown to play a key role on a line that now features first-round pick Jonathan Cooper.

St. Louis Rams: Jake Long, left tackle. The Rams ran Long through a thorough physical examination before signing the Pro Bowl left tackle in free agency. They are banking that a return to health will restore Long to his previously dominant ways. Long, like Brown in Arizona, is coming off triceps surgery. Injuries have slowed Long the past couple of seasons. The Rams think a healthy Long can stabilize their line, putting quarterback Sam Bradford at ease after three often-difficult seasons for the offense. Having Long in the lineup would allow incumbent left tackle Rodger Saffold to play on the right side, upgrading two positions. That's important for the Rams in a division featuring top defenses.

San Francisco 49ers: Justin Smith, defensive end. The 49ers' defense sagged considerably once Smith suffered a partially torn triceps during a late-season game against New England. Smith, who had surgery this offseason, has worked well in tandem with outside linebacker Aldon Smith. Both were hurting late last season, and the defense suffered as a result. The 49ers tried to address the issue in the draft by loading up on front-seven players. That made sense for the long term. More immediately, the team could use one more season of dominance from Justin Smith, one of their most important players on either side of the ball.

Seattle Seahawks: Chris Clemons, defensive end. The Seahawks' defense wasn't the same in the playoffs after Clemons suffered a torn ACL against Washington in the wild-card round. Seattle addressed the issue this offseason by adding Cliff Avril in free agency from the Detroit Lions. Avril's addition could put the Seahawks in position to bring along Clemons at a measured pace. Whatever the case, Seattle will want -- and possibly need -- Clemons near full strength for a playoff run, if not sooner. No other defensive end on the roster plays the run and pass as well as Clemons plays both. He's been a big part of Seattle's defensive success.

Good morning, NFC West.

We've spent more time this week discussing St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford than we've spent discussing his NFC West counterparts at the position. It's been a refreshing change, frankly, and the discussion has carried over elsewhere as well.

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch generally defends Bradford in his "Breakfast with Bernie" video, while also acknowledging the high stakes in 2013.

D. Hawkins at Turf Show Times questions whether "make-or-break" seasons exist at all. They're often imaginary, but not always. Kevin Kolb's situation comes to mind. He just had his make-or-break season in Arizona, with "break" prevailing over "make" by several million dollars. The situation in St. Louis is different, and as we discussed here Wednesday, Bradford would have to play horrendously bad -- way worse than he has played to this point -- for anything drastic to happen after the 2013 season.

Hawkins' teammate, 3k, makes a few additional points while linking to additional resources.

We'll continue this discussion through the blog, hopefully advancing it from time to time. I'll close by passing along one of the key variables when it comes to Bradford: the Rams' obvious belief in him. I've gathered the following quotes through offseason interview transcripts:

• Jake Long, newly signed tackle: "Watched him from afar these last few years in the NFL, just a big fan of his. Big guy, strong guy, tough, has a rocket for an arm and I’m really excited to play for him. He’s a hell of a quarterback and young. He’s only going to get better and just a tough guy. I’ve heard a lot of great things about him."
• Jared Cook, newly signed tight end: "He’s a great quarterback. He has a great arm, great accuracy. What more could you want?"
• Tavon Austin, newly drafted receiver: "As soon as I came into the building, [Bradford] came in and met me and just said he was happy to meet with me. I said, 'No, I’m happy to meet with you.' He’s a taller quarterback. He’s a little bigger than (West Virginia quarterback) Geno (Smith). I’m just proud that I’m here and he took me in. I’m just ready to come now."
• Coach Jeff Fisher on Austin's small stature: "It’s not [a problem] when you’re dealing with a quarterback like Sam. Sam’s got excellent vision, he’s got a quick trigger and he’s very accurate. That creates opportunities for a receiver with that kind of quickness and stature. A shorter quarterback’s going to have a little more difficult time getting the ball to him on time."
• Stedman Bailey, newly drafted receiver: "I know that Sam Bradford is a very good quarterback and I’m looking forward to getting up there whenever we have to report and just working with him. I understand that he’s a young, great quarterback in this league. I feel that I can get with him and probably try to develop into his favorite target, just grow with him."
• Barrett Jones, newly drafted center: "I know Sam Bradford, obviously, is a good, up-and-coming quarterback, but other than that I don’t have a ton. I’m excited. Ask me in a few weeks and I will have a lot of familiarity with them."

Rolando McClain's early retirement from the NFL comes three years after the Oakland Raiders made him the eighth overall choice in the 2010 draft.

While McClain is inviting derision, I wondered whether he was even the most disappointing choice from the first round of that 2010 class. He would fit right in with the 2009 group, for sure.

A quick check of games started by 2010 first-rounders showed four players with 48 starts in 48 possible regular-season games. Three of those four players were from the NFC West: Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis of the San Francisco 49ers, and Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks.

Tyson Alualu, the player Jacksonville controversially selected 10th overall, rounds out the quartet.

St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (42) and Seattle Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung (37) were relatively close behind. Dan Williams, chosen 26th overall by the Arizona Cardinals that year, ranked 26th on the list with 21 starts over the past three seasons.

All starts aren't quality starts, of course. McClain ranks relatively high on the list with 38 starts despite his bust status. Anyone familiar with the NFL would rather have Denver Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas (23 starts) than Alualu, who has struggled with knee trouble and generally been just OK.

First-round picks from 2010 have combined for 21 Pro Bowl honors.

Maurkice Pouncey leads the way with three. Thomas is one of five players with two. Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul, Eric Berry and Jermaine Gresham are the others.

Iupati and Okung are part of an eight-man grouping with one Pro Bowl. Ryan Mathews, Thomas, Devin McCourty, Gerald McCoy, C.J. Spiller and Trent Williams are the others.

Iupati, Pouncey, Suh, Thomas and Pierre-Paul have been first-team Associated Press All-Pro once apiece.

Bradford was offensive rookie of the year. Suh won defensive rookie of the year.

Some of the complications associated with evaluating St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford also apply to the team's offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer.

A weak supporting cast bears some responsibility for each man's struggles, but how much responsibility? That can be a difficult question to answer. My feel is that Schottenheimer got what he could from quarterback Mark Sanchez when the two were together with the Jets, and that Sanchez's limitations were more responsible for the offensive decline precipitating Schottenheimer's firing from the team.

Matt Williamson, NFL scout for ESPN.com, touched on the subject as part of our recent Bradford discussion.

"How much was Schottenheimer limited by his quarterback, the Jets' lack of weapons and a defensive-minded head coach?" Williamson asked. "A lot. One thing he did well with Sanchez, I thought, was get pretty good production in the red zone, from what I recall. He should get much more from the Rams as St. Louis improves its weapons for Bradford."

Sanchez had 21 touchdown passes with three interceptions and a 75.0 Total QBR score in the red zone during the 2011 season, Schottenheimer's final one with the Jets. That red-zone QBR score ranked eighth in the NFL. Sanchez was at 68.5 (ninth) in red-zone QBR for the 2010 season.

In 2011, an injured Bradford ranked 33rd out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks -- only Curtis Painter was worse -- with a 6.0 QBR score in the red zone. His 37.3 QBR score in the red zone last season ranked 25th -- still not anywhere close to where a quarterback with Bradford's talent should rank. Bradford had a 21.2 QBR score (28th) in the red zone as a rookie in 2010.

There are more ways to measure quarterbacks and coordinators, of course. But if the Rams have succeeded in upgrading their talent around Bradford, those figures in the red zone should improve markedly.

Good morning, NFC West. This is your four-hour warning to drop everything and head on over to our next chat, set for 1 p.m. ET.

We can continue discussing what's at stake for St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, how teams from this division approach the draft, what's gone right (and wrong) for each team this offseason or whatever else might occur to us on this third Thursday in May.

The video above features Tank Johnson, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless discussing Tavon Austin's recent comments about friends and family reaching for the freshly minted first-round draft choice's wallet. That subject is fair game as well. The eighth overall choice a year ago, Ryan Tannehill, received more than $12.5 million in guaranteed money. Austin stands to collect a similar payout. He certainly isn't the first NFL player to feel those around him changing in the presence of a pending financial windfall.

You might recall our March discussion from the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference regarding NFC West team-building strategies.

St. Louis Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff, addressing conference attendees, noted that his team expected to stock its roster with young, affordable talent.



"When we did the RG III trade a year ago, we looked out and said, 'In 2014, we will have 12 players who were first- or second-round picks under the new rookie wage scale,' " Demoff said at the conference. "Twelve of our best players will make less than $25 million combined in 2014, which meant on the remainder of our team, we could overpay a few guys in free agency, we could make a few mistakes here or there and we would have a pretty good nucleus."

The thinking is sound. And as the chart shows, the Rams have selected eight players in the first two rounds since the wage scale went into effect for 2011. That figure ranks tied for the NFL lead with the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.

The Rams' plan to have 12 such players on their roster in 2014 requires a slight revision. The team is scheduled to have 11 such players on its roster after trading its 2013 second-round choice to the Buffalo Bills in the move to acquire Tavon Austin with the eighth overall choice.

I find it interesting to see the Seattle Seahawks listed so low in the chart, with only four players selected in the first two rounds since 2011. They're known for building effectively through the draft, but they have selected players with only two first-round picks and two second-rounders under the new labor agreement.

Seattle has used a league-high 26 picks in the final five rounds during the period in question. Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright and Russell Wilson were among the players they selected with those choices.

Can a team beat the system by stockpiling later-round picks? I don't know if that's a sustainable strategy. It might not even be a strategy in this case. The trades Seattle made could have appealed to the team for unrelated reasons. Either way, it's pretty tough to question the Seahawks' drafting results.

Whatever the case, the contrast between Seattle and two of its division rivals, St. Louis and San Francisco, has been pronounced.

The 49ers have still managed to use 21 picks in the final five rounds over this span, allowing them to have it both ways, in some respects. The Rams have used 17 picks and the Arizona Cardinals 19 of them over the final five rounds since 2011.

Seattle traded its 2013 first-rounder to the Minnesota Vikings in the Percy Harvin deal. The Seahawks traded their 2011 second-rounder to Detroit with the 157th and 209th picks for the 75th, 107th, 154th and 205th choices. They took John Moffitt, Kris Durham, Sherman and Pep Levingston with those selections.

We'll think through this one a little more. First, though, a diversion courtesy of Sherman, who has outlived his fifth-round status on the field and on Facebook.

James from Mesa, Ariz., has heard the Arizona Cardinals signed Karlos Dansby to a team-friendly contract.

"I am looking forward to finding out how much he wanted to be here," James writes.

Dansby signed a one-year deal worth $2.25 million. He gets a $1 million signing bonus and a $1.25 million base salary, of which $750,000 is guaranteed. The total guarantee is $1.75 million (signing bonus plus the portion of guaranteed base salary).

The deal Dansby had signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2010 carried $22 million in guaranteed money. Dansby was scheduled to receive $6.05 million in base salary with a $200,000 workout bonus from the Dolphins in 2013. He will not receive that money after Miami released him.

On the surface, then, we could say Dansby's deal with Arizona reflects an eagerness to rejoin the Cardinals. He appears to be playing for a discount. However, there is no evidence other teams were lining up to pay Dansby more than the Cardinals are going to pay him.

Dansby's deal, though relatively modest in the bigger picture, makes him one of the highest-paid linebackers on the team. Daryl Washington's deal has a higher annual annual average. Washington and Lorenzo Alexander have more guaranteed money in their deals.

Reports from the Arizona Cardinals' organized team activities point to an expanded coaching staff as one difference from the recent past.



"Bruce Arians has 21 coaches on his staff, so it makes sense to put them to work," Kent Somers writes. "In full-team drills, the 90-man squad was divided into two. Part of the staff, including Arians, stayed with the first- and second-team players. Other coaches went to the other field with the other group."

If and when the Cardinals enjoy sustained on-field success, they probably will point to quarterback play, not staff size, as the primary reason. But with every head coach seeking even the slightest advantage wherever he can get it, staff size is worth some consideration.

The Cardinals and St. Louis Rams each have 19 assistants, plus two coaches assigned to strength and conditioning. The San Francisco 49ers have 17 assistants and two strength coaches. The Seattle Seahawks have 20 assistants and three strength coaches.

With Arians directing the offense and calling plays, offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin coaches the offensive line. Larry Zierlein serves as assistant line coach, giving Arizona two coaches for the line, a change from last season. Every other team in the division has two coaches assigned to handle the offensive line.

The Cardinals under Arians have closed the numbers gap with other staffs in the division. We'll take a closer look at other staff considerations another time.