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A few thoughts on known contract offers for restricted free agents in the NFC West:

• The Hyphen: The Cardinals announced a second-round tender for running back LaRod Stephens-Howling, meaning any team signing Stephens-Howling would have to give Arizona a 2012 second-round choice if the Cardinals declined to match the offer. Stephens-Howling was a seventh-round pick. The fact that Arizona values him at a second-round level reflects well on him, and on the team for drafting him.
• Amendola valued: Jim Thomas' report of a second-round tender for Danny Amendola suggests the Rams' new staff wants to keep the slot receiver. Amendola caught 85 passes in 2010, then suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the 2011 opener. He is 26 years old, has a good rapport with quarterback Sam Bradford and can contribute in the return game.
• Secondary values: Arizona safety Rashad Johnson and cornerback Greg Toler received original-round tenders. That means Johnson would fetch a third-round pick and Toler a fourth-rounder. The knee injury Toler suffered before last season suppressed his value.
• No Max Hall: The Cardinals retained rights to exclusive-rights free agents Rich Bartel, Alfonso Smith, Ronald Talley and Brandon Williams. They made no offer to Max Hall, a forgotten man in the team's quarterback race. Hall was once a player the Cardinals liked for his toughness and leadership, but his days in Arizona appear finished.
• 49ers' LB depth: San Francisco had only two RFA candidates, linebacker Larry Grant and receiver Brett Swain. The team has made no announcement on its tenders, but Grant appears likely to receive an original-round offer, pegging his value to a seventh-round pick, Matt Maiocco notes. Grant played extensively on special teams and filled it pretty well at linebacker when Patrick Willis was out. The 49ers should be able to match any offers, or they could look for depth in the draft. Looks like Swain is head headed for free agency.
• Seahawks have three: NFL Players Association records show Seattle extending a $1.26 million tender to kicker Steven Hauschka, allowing Seattle the right of first refusal. Guard Mike Gibson and cornerback Roy Lewis are the team's other RFAs. Lewis' agent said he has not yet received word from the team, which has until Tuesday to make RFA offers.

Looks like I've finally made it through a blog post without mentioning -- wait, who wrote that headline?

The San Francisco 49ers have become the hunted in the NFC West.

Having already take aim at their 2011 turnover differential, let us consider another reason for a potential 2012 regression from 13-3.

"Repeating the 2011 relative lack of injuries on the 49ers may be as hard as replicating the turnover ratio," Michael Rally contended via Twitter.

Injuries did slow and/or sideline some of the 49ers' most important players, including running back Frank Gore and linebacker Patrick Willis. Starting receiver Josh Morgan missed most of the season. A freak jaw injury sidelined tight end Delanie Walker late in the season. A hamstring injury slowed defensive end Ray McDonald.

But in looking at injured-reserve lists, the 49ers definitely fared better than their division rivals. They finished the regular season with five players on IR. The other three NFC West teams had a combined 39.

I've broken out the IR lists by team and position, based on where teams stood after Week 17. In some cases, teams released and/or reached injury settlements with players placed on IR previously. Teams usually keep on IR the players they value the most, however. The players listed below are the most relevant ones.

St. Louis Rams (16)

Fullback: Brit Miller

Receiver: Danny Amendola, Mark Clayton, Greg Salas

Tight end: Mike Hoomanawanui

Offensive line: guard Jacob Bell, Rodger Saffold, Jason Smith

Defensive line: Jermelle Cudjo

Linebacker: Josh Hull

Cornerback: Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Al Harris, Brian Jackson, Marquis Johnson, Jerome Murphy

Comment: Quarterback Sam Bradford was injured much of the year without landing on IR. The Rams ran through several unlisted cornerbacks as well. That position was hit hard. Losing both starting offensive tackles is never good, but Smith wasn't a huge positive factor on the right side. The team was arguably better off without him in the lineup.

Seattle Seahawks (15)

Receiver: Kris Durham, Mike Williams, Sidney Rice

Tight end: John Carlson

Offensive line: John Moffitt, James Carpenter, Russell Okung

Defensive line: Jimmy Wilkerson

Linebacker: Jameson Konz, Matt McCoy, David Vobora, Dexter Davis

Cornerback: Marcus Trufant, Walter Thurmond, Ron Parker

Comment: The Seahawks remained strong against the run largely because their line was healthier this season. Losing three-fifths of the starting offensive line could not stop Marshawn Lynch from producing at a high level. Rookie Richard Sherman capitalized on injuries at cornerback. Good, young depth helped Seattle weather injuries well.

Arizona Cardinals (8)

Quarterback: Max Hall

Running back: Ryan Williams

Offensive line: Brandon Keith, Floyd Womack

Defensive line: Dan Williams

Linebacker: Joey Porter

Cornerback: Crezdon Butler, Greg Toler

Comment: Ryan Williams' knee injury affected the team significantly. The injury situation was worse overall than the list would indicate. Quarterback Kevin Kolb missed seven starts with foot and concussion problems. Running back Beanie Wells played hurt much of the year and had a hard time producing late in the season. Adrian Wilson played through a torn biceps and got better as the season progressed.

San Francisco 49ers (5)

Receiver: Dontavia Bogan, Josh Morgan

Tight end: Nate Byham

Defensive line: Will Tukuafu

Cornerback: Curtis Holcomb

Comment: Byham was a solid blocking tight end. The team missed Morgan, especially late in the year. Gore's production diminished after he suffered an apparent knee injury in Week 10. Overall, though, the 49ers were healthy. They inflicted more injuries than they suffered, knocking out several opposing runners, including Felix Jones, LeGarrette Blount, Jahvid Best, Steven Jackson and Pierre Thomas.

Good morning. I've been a poor steward of the mailbag lately. Apologies for that.

Our regular interaction in the comments sections, on Facebook and via Twitter has steered me away from the NFC West post office for too long.

Let's do something about it on this Saturday, one day before the San Francisco 49ers play the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park.

Yohanny from the San Fernando Valley recalls Atlanta Falcons receiver Roddy White ripping the 49ers back in April for showing interest in bringing back Alex Smith as their starting quarterback. Sure enough, as White tweeted back then, "Why is the 49ers wasting their time with Alex Smith?"

Mike Sando: Thanks for the reminder, Yohanny. I'd forgotten about that. For the record, White caught five passes for 52 yards and no touchdowns during the Falcons' 24-2 wild-card playoff defeat against the Giants. Smith became the first quarterback in NFL history to participate in two lead-changing drives in the final three minutes of a playoff game.

The 2012 scheduling rotation does pit the NFC West and NFC South champions against each other. The Falcons' inability to win their division in 2011 means the 49ers will face the Saints instead next season. Too bad. I wouldn't mind a 49ers-Falcons game with White's comments as a backdrop.

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mahndrsn from San Francisco, upon reading Dan Graziano's piece referencing better-than-expected weather for the NFC Championship Game, noted that the field at Candlestick Park is going to be wet anyway. He says high tide is scheduled for four hours before kickoff, roughly when officials would be removing tarps protecting the field. That could leave nowhere for the water to go, creating soggy conditions even in the absence of rain.

Mike Sando: Always good to hear from our lead meteorologist here on the NFC West blog. Weather forecasts change, of course, but the one I consulted late Friday night suggested there would be rain Sunday afternoon.

While I think weather is a relevant factor, I reject the notion, implied by others, that the 49ers need poor field conditions to prevail. The implication carried some weight before New Orleans visited last week. Everyone knows the Saints have had a tougher time winning outdoors. They would obviously prefer perfect conditions.

I don't think the 49ers need to play in a mud bog to beat the Giants. The game against New Orleans showed they can beat the NFL's most prolific offense on a relatively fast track.

Quarterbacks prefer good weather to bad weather. Teams relying more heavily on their passing games definitely prefer better weather. The 49ers have stopped just about everyone from running the ball. It's reasonable to think they'll contain the Giants' ground game, putting more pressure on Eli Manning. The worse the conditions for passing, the tougher life becomes for those most reliant upon passing.

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Will from Dix Hills, N.Y., respects my opinion while taking issue with the reasoning behind my prediction that the 49ers would defeat the Giants. He points to the Giants' convincing victories over what he called four playoff-caliber opponents in recent weeks. He also said the Giants played in a much tougher division than the 49ers.

Mike Sando: First off, thanks for the civility. Always appreciated.

Your perception of the NFC West might need some updating.

The 49ers went 3-1 against the NFC East this season. The lone defeat came in overtime against Dallas in Week 2 after the 49ers blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Seattle and Arizona each went 2-2 against the NFC East. The Seahawks beat the Giants on the road. The Cardinals led them by double digits in the fourth quarter before losing a tough one despite a monster day from Beanie Wells.

The NFC West went 2-2 against the NFC North, compared to 0-4 for the NFC East against that division. The NFC West went 3-1 against the NFC South, compared to 1-3 for the NFC East against that division.

As for the Giants improving lately, there's no doubt about it. They're a dangerous team. They could beat the 49ers or any team in the league. I still felt comfortable taking a consistent, rugged 13-3 team at home against a less consistent, less rugged 9-7 team traveling across the country.

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Hopeless from "The Wasteland" asks whether the St. Louis Rams could "be any more incompetent" after giving away home-field advantage for upcoming games that will be moved to London during the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Mike Sando: There is no way to spin this as a competitive advantage on the field for 2012. I give Rams executive Kevin Demoff credit for participating in a chat that subjected him to a beating as bad as any the Rams took on the field last season. He gets paid to think long term, and the franchise does stand to benefit from this arrangement down the line. But there are also some short-term battles for the organization to win. Some sort of credible assurance that the team hopes to remain in St. Louis might help.

"We all care if St. Louis buys tickets this year," Demoff said during the chat. "If we didn't, we wouldn't be hosting sessions like this, going on radio and TV today to explain our thinking or sending an email to season ticket holders before the news was announced."

Demoff promised to "be open and honest and communicate throughout the process."

The Rams know they appear indifferent to their fans. Owner Stan Kroenke was as noncommittal as could be when asked about the team's stadium lease situation during the Jeff Fisher news conference. Following that performance with the London announcement isn't helping.

I'd have a hard time feeling good about paying for Rams season tickets in the current environment.

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Travis from Scottsdale, Ariz., asks whether the 49ers' success with Smith puts pressure on Ken Whisenhunt and the Cardinals to better handle the quarterback situation. He wonders whether Matt Leinart could have succeeded with the coaching Smith has gotten.

Mike Sando: That is a fair question. The Cardinals have so far failed to develop any of their young quarterbacks into established starters. Leinart flamed out. The staff's excitement over Max Hall was badly misplaced. John Skelton has shown positive signs, but we still can't be sure he'll develop into anything more than a decent No. 2 quarterback. Kevin Kolb has been a disappointment so far.

Meanwhile, Smith turns into a playoff quarterback the first year Harbaugh shows up.

In fairness, though, the tough times Smith went through also gave him seasoning. He's been around a while. He's started games. He has a feel for the game. He's smart and diligent. The quarterbacks Arizona has tried out post-Kurt Warner lacked seasoning. They had not played much.

I'd wrap up this discussion by saying the pressure is on Whisenhunt and the Cardinals to develop Kolb in 2012, no matter what happens with Smith in San Francisco from this point forward.

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Joe from Phoenix wanted my thoughts on St. Louis' Lance Kendricks and Arizona's Rob Housler in light of the success tight ends are having around the league.

Mike Sando: Kendricks struggled more than I expected once the season got going. He still finished with more receptions (23) than any rookie tight end in the league. Now he'll have to change offensive systems. He'll no longer be playing for Josh McDaniels, who was a driving force behind the team's decision to draft him. We'll need to reassess on him once the Rams' install their next offense.

Housler had some problems with injuries. His 12 receptions ranked third among rookie tight ends. I know the coaching staff thought he needed a full offseason to make the transition quickly. The lockout prevented that from happening.

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Adam from Berkeley, Calif., calls himself a Seattle Seahawks fan behind enemy lines. He wanted my thoughts on cornerback Richard Sherman and what to expect at the position with Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond coming off injuries.

Mike Sando: Sherman was arguably the best rookie cornerback in the league this season. Teammate Brandon Browner was a first-alternate to the Pro Bowl, but I thought Sherman surpassed him as the season progressed. There's so much to like about what Seattle is establishing in its secondary. The corners are big, physical and confident. The safeties are already Pro Bowl-caliber.

Trufant has quite possibly played his final down as a Seahawk. The team has moved on with younger players. I do not think the Seahawks would value Trufant enough to keep him around at the expense of a younger prospect. Their philosophy is to continually seek younger upgrades.

Thurmond figures to come back, but the injuries he has suffered put him at a disadvantage. The hope should be for Thurmond to return and factor into sub packages. He's going to have a hard time cracking the starting lineup.

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Daniel from Lebanon, Ore., asks what the Seahawks have planned at quarterback. He wonders whether there's any chance the team would make a play for Peyton Manning. He thinks the team is a consistent QB away from contending.

Mike Sando: The Seahawks want to add a quarterback through the draft, but we all know they could have a hard time doing that realistically in the first round. I see no easy solution here. I could see the Seahawks drafting a quarterback in the second or third round, then returning with Tarvaris Jackson as the starter.

If Manning is healthy, I suspect he'll play for Indianapolis. The odds of him landing in Seattle would be slim -- certainly nothing the Seahawks could bank on.

The Seahawks have been better on the field than they probably anticipated. This has hurt their draft status and made it tough to select a quarterback early. In retrospect, the case for Seattle drafting Andy Dalton appears stronger.

Kevin Kolb did not meet expectations during his first season with the Arizona Cardinals.

Looks like quarterbacks coach Chris Miller will pay the price.

The bigger question is whether or not Miller's firing Monday clears the way for Todd Haley's rehiring three years after Haley left the Cardinals to become head coach in Kansas City. Firing Miller makes less sense on the surface unless the team has other plans for its staff.

Haley could have opportunities outside Arizona. It's also not clear whether or not Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt wants to shuffle his staff beyond firing Miller. The team promoted Mike Miller to offensive coordinator a year ago. Haley presumably would not take a job as a position coach. He would need to be coordinator. That would affect Mike Miller.

Wedging in the sometimes brash Haley at the expense of two assistants would affect broader staff dynamics as well.

Miller, 46, became the Cardinals' quarterbacks coach in 2009, Kurt Warner's final season with the team. He was a finalist to become head coach at Southern Oregon University a year ago. Miller played extensively in the NFL, but he did not have coaching experience in the league until the Cardinals hired him as a coaching intern in 2007.

Chris Miller obviously wasn't solely to blame for the Cardinals' issues at quarterback or for their offensive decline.

Warner retired and the team parted with receivers Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. Derek Anderson and Max Hall were not necessarily viable quarterback alternatives in 2010. The team went into 2011 with the unproven Kolb and John Skelton atop its QB depth chart. A lockout prevented Kolb from working with the team much before the season.

The Cardinals have done little to improve their offensive line through the draft. Injuries affected Kolb and both top running backs, Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams.

Here's a nightmare scenario for Arizona Cardinals fans: Kevin Kolb flounders while a reborn Matt Leinart leads the Houston Texans deep into the playoffs.

The 7-3 Texans' outlook minus injured starting quarterback Matt Schaub framed the biggest debate our voters faced in putting together ESPN's NFL Power Rankings through Week 10.

John Clayton ranked them fourth and Ashley Fox had them fifth. Paul Kuharsky ranked them eighth. I had Houston 11th and James Walker voted them 14th despite four consecutive double-digit victories and a No. 8 ranking last week.

"I was conflicted on the Texans," Fox said, "and decided to rank them based on past performance, rather than the potential for future failure. We will see."

Kuharsky, our AFC South blogger, suspects Leinart could outperform expectations fewer than two years after the Cardinals decided they were better off with Derek Anderson, John Skelton and Max Hall.

"I'm not going to jump to write off the Texans with the Schaub news," Kuharsky said. "Gary Kubiak knows quarterbacks and he loves Leinart."

Cardinals fans would be happy to offer their Leinart video collections. But as ESPN Stats & Information pointed out, Leinart has a slightly above average 52.9 Total QBR on 147 plays since 2008, counting playoffs. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 220 yards and a 73.9 QBR against Tennessee in his last regular-season start in 2009.

"The Texans missed on their last try at a quality backup with Dan Orlovsky," Kuharsky said. "I don't think they'll miss twice in a row. I expect they have enough to win with Leinart playing. But, like everyone, I need to see him play."

And now, a closer look at the rankings heading into Week 11 ...

Rising (12): Arizona Cardinals (+6), Oakland Raiders (+5), Tennessee Titans (+5), Chicago Bears (+4), Denver Broncos (+4), New England Patriots (+4), Seattle Seahawks (+4), Dallas Cowboys (+3), Jacksonville Jaguars (+2), Miami Dolphins (+2), New Orleans Saints (+1), Pittsburgh Steelers (+1)

Falling (15): Philadelphia Eagles (-6), Carolina Panthers (-5), Washington Redskins (-4), Baltimore Ravens (-3), Buffalo Bills (-3), Cleveland Browns (-3), Detroit Lions (-3), Minnesota Vikings (-3), New York Jets (-3), Kansas City Chiefs (-2), Tampa Bay Bucs (-2), Cincinnati Bengals (-1), Houston Texans (-1), New York Giants (-1), San Diego Chargers (-1)

Unchanged (5): Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams.

Deadlocked: We broke two ties this week. Cincinnati prevailed over Dallas at No. 11 based on the second tiebreaker, overall record. Denver prevailed over Tampa Bay at No. 19 on the third tiebreaker, which team won most recently. The first tiebreaker, head-to-head results, did not come into play.

Like minds: All five panelists ranked the Packers first, the 49ers second and the Colts last.

Agree to disagree: Last week, eight spots separated the highest and lowest votes for the Bears. That margin shrunk to five this week, with Chicago moving into the top five for the first time this season. Walker and I ranked the Bears fourth. I've had them in the top eight for a month after admittedly underrating them earlier in the season.

"The Bears are going to be the playoff team no one wants to face in January," Walker said. "They’re not catching the Packers in the standings, so Chicago will be a dangerous wild card. The Bears match up with anyone because they can beat you with offense, defense or special teams."

A look at the eight teams, including Chicago, producing disparities of at least five spots between highest and lowest votes:

• Texans (10): Clayton fourth, Walker 14th.
• Browns (7): Clayton 24th, Sando and Walker 31st.
• Redskins (6): Clayton 23rd, Walker and Fox 29th.
• Bears (5): Sando and Walker fourth, Fox ninth.
• Chiefs (5): Fox 19th, Sando 24th.
• Cardinals (5): Sando, Kuharsky and Fox 22nd, Clayton 27th.
• Seahawks (5): Sando 21st, Clayton and Kuharsky 26th.
• Vikings (5): Kuharsky and Walker 25th, Clayton and Fox 30th.

Power rankings histories: These colorful layered graphs show where each NFL team has ranked every week since the 2002 season.

Ranking the divisions: Teams from the NFC North fell from 10.7 to 11.3 in average ranking, but that was still good enough to keep the top spot among divisions, well ahead of the AFC North (12.5 average ranking). The NFC West, coming off its first 4-0 week since realignment in 2002, stands seventh this week, ahead of the AFC South.


A voter-by-voter look at changes of at least five spots since last week:

• Sando: Browns (-9), Eagles (-5), Cardinals (+7), Cowboys (+7), Raiders (+7), Seahawks (+7).
• Clayton: Ravens (-5), Panthers (-5), Lions (-5), Vikings (-5), Eagles (-5), Bears (+6), Titans (+6).
• Kuharsky: Eagles (-8), Panthers (-5), Lions (-5), Cardinals (+5), Bears (+6), Patriots (+8), Cowboys (+9), Broncos (+9).
• Walker: Eagles (-8), Redskins (-7), Cardinals (+5), Broncos (+5), Bears (+6), Raiders (+6), Seahawks (+7).
• Fox: Panthers (-6), Vikings (-6), Jets (-6), Redskins (-6), Cowboys (+5), Cardinals (+7).

For download: An Excel file -- available here -- showing how each voter voted this week and in past weeks.

The file includes a "powerflaws" sheet pointing out potential flaws in voters' thinking by showing how many higher-ranked opponents each team defeated this season.

Baltimore is the only one of our top eight teams with a victory over a team ranked higher this week. The sixth-ranked Ravens own two victories over the fourth-ranked Steelers. The Chargers are 18th and have not defeated any of the teams ranked higher than them. They are the only team ranked between 12th and 31st without at least one victory over a higher-ranked team.

A quick primer on the "powerflaws" sheet:

• Column Y features team rankings.
• Column Z shows how many times a team has defeated higher-ranked teams.
• Change the rankings in Column Y as you see fit.
• Re-sort Column Y in ascending order (1 to 32) using the standard Excel pull-down menu atop the column.
• The information in Column Z, which reflects potential ranking errors, will change (with the adjusted total highlighted in yellow atop the column).
• The lower the figure in that yellow box, the fewer conflicts.

The Arizona Cardinals aren't going to win many games playing offense the way they played it Sunday.

They managed only 58 yards by halftime and needed the second-longest punt return in NFL history to beat the previously 1-6 St. Louis Rams in overtime.

But if you're interested in bottom-line results without regard for sustainability, prepare to arch an eyebrow upon reviewing won-lost records for the Cardinals' starting quarterbacks under coach Ken Whisenhunt.

The chart shows win percentages for regular-season games only. Kurt Warner's percentage would climb to .583 if we counted his 4-2 starting record during postseason.

This is not a ranking of the Cardinals' best quarterbacks since 2007, obviously. Warner would be the runaway winner by that measure, and Kevin Kolb might still rank second based on potential.

LANDOVER, Md. -- Sunday wasn't the first time a long touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald gave the Arizona Cardinals a fourth-quarter lead they could not hold.

They lost Super Bowl XLIII when their defense let Pittsburgh go 78 yards for the winning touchdown with 42 seconds left.

Three years and two defensive coordinators later, the Cardinals' defense is statistically worse through two games than at any point since at least 1940. While Arizona's 22-21 defeat to the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field reflected shortcomings in all facets of the game, nowhere were the problems more glaring than on defense.

If new quarterback Kevin Kolb makes the Cardinals exciting again, their defense makes them a little too exciting.

The 21-13 lead Arizona took on Fitzgerald's 73-yard touchdown reception from Kolb was no match for a defense that has now allowed 932 yards through two games, including 455 to the Rex Grossman-led Redskins. Only 14 teams in the previous 70 NFL seasons have allowed as many yards through two games, according to Pro Football Reference (Green Bay has joined Arizona on the list this season).

And what about those late-game defensive struggles?

"When did we play defense the whole day, as opposed to late in the game?" coach Ken Whisenhunt responded.

Fair point.

Indeed, the inability to make critical stops late in the game followed an inability to make them earlier, save for a couple interceptions off Grossman in the first quarter.

Ex-Cardinal Tim Hightower had more first-half total yards (93) than the Cardinals (83).

The Redskins controlled the ball for more than 21 minutes of the first half, amassing a 253-85 lead in total yardage. Arizona trailed only 10-7 at that point because Grossman tossed two picks and the Cardinals' defense held up in the red zone, allowing only one touchdown in four series inside its own 20.

The defense did mix in a few glimpses of hope amid the overall carnage.

Arizona stopped the Redskins on the tying two-point conversion try with 5:17 remaining. Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson and veteran corner Richard Marshall picked off passes on Washington's first two drives. Jefferson made a diving breakup on a third-down play. Safety Kerry Rhodes collected a sack.

Yet, it's clear the Cardinals will get worse on defense before they get better. The stats say they already have. The 477 and 455 yards Arizona has allowed exceed all but two of the team's single-game totals from last season. That wasn't what the team had in mind when it named Ray Horton defensive coordinator during the offseason.

Outside linebacker Clark Haggans and Joey Porter combined for one quarterback hit, according to the NFL gamebook, and the Cardinals had only two for the game despite 44 drop-backs by Grossman. Rhodes' sack was the only one for Arizona.

A trip to 0-2 Seattle in Week 3 should stop some of the defensive bleeding, and the usual disclaimers apply after only two games.

The Cardinals are learning a new defensive scheme after a lockout-shortened offseason. They'll presumably overcome some of the communication issues that have given them problems during their 1-1 start. But there's also a good chance their aging outside linebackers will wear down over the course of the season. If the outside pass-rush isn't very good now, what about then?

The Cardinals' young cornerbacks, Patrick Peterson and A.J. Jefferson, are just beginning to learn what it's like to start every week in the NFL. Does a wall await them after 10 or 12 games?

The secondary appeared out of sorts when Grossman found Santana Moss for an 18-yard touchdown to pull the Redskins within 21-19 with 5:17 remaining.

What happened there?

"Just the corners, a miscommunication down low," Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson said. "We practiced the play probably 100 times. Whenever games and situations like that come up, we just have to make the play. We're going to live and die with those corners, regardless of what happens. We're not going to change who we have. We have what we have and we're going to roll with it."

Kolb's addition gives the Cardinals hope where there would have been none with Derek Anderson, John Skelton or Max Hall starting at quarterback last season.

After passing for 309 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, Kolb sometimes overstepped the line between playing aggressively and taking undue chances. He invited at least two sacks when holding the ball too long. The Cardinals were fortunate to recover his fumble following one of them. Kolb also threw into coverage for an interception on a second-and-18 play from the Washington 24 while trailing by a field goal midway through the third quarter.

But when Fitzgerald hauled in Kolb's deep pass down the right sideline for a 73-yard touchdown and a 21-13 lead with 11:09 remaining, the Cardinals had to be feeling good about moving boldly to acquire a quarterback. Kolb knew he was going to take a hard shot to the back because one Redskins defender was unaccounted for on the play. Kolb, aided immensely by Beanie Wells' physical second-half running, held the ball long enough for Fitzgerald to get deep on a slant-and-go the team had been setting up for some time.

It was the sort of play the Cardinals will need frequently this season, particularly if their defense continues to set the wrong kinds of records.

Cool note from ESPN Stats & Information: First-year San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is the last quarterback other than Peyton Manning to start a regular-season game for the Indianapolis Colts.

That will change when Kerry Collins replaces an injured Manning in the Colts' lineup for Week 1.

The first preseason game I covered as an NFL beat reporter featured Manning making his first start against the Seattle Seahawks in the Kingdome. His very first pass found Marvin Harrison for a 49-yard touchdown. Preseason games are generally without much meaning, but could there have been a more fitting beginning for Manning?

For a fuller appreciation of Manning's durability and consistency in starting 227 consecutive games, I went through Pro Football Reference counting how many quarterbacks had started for current NFC West teams since Manning made his regular-season debut. There have been 48. That figure includes 14 for the St. Louis Rams, 13 for the 49ers, 11 for the Arizona Cardinals and 10 for the Seahawks.

A few notes on the 48 players to start for current NFC West teams since 1998:

• There have been two Brocks (Berlin, Huard), two Charlies (Frye, Whitehurst), two named Chris (Chandler, Weinke), two Jeffs (Plummer, Martin), three Johns (Friesz, Navarre, Skelton), one Jon (Kitna), two Matts (Hasselbeck, Leinart), two Shauns (Hill, King), three Steves (Young, Bono, Stenstrom) and two Trents (Dilfer, Green).
• Two, Young and Warren Moon, have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame since Manning's streak began.
• Dilfer and Warner started for more than one current NFC West team since Manning's streak began. Warner started 57 games for Arizona and 50 for St. Louis. Dilfer started 12 for Seattle and six for San Francisco.
• Hasselbeck has the most total starts for current NFC West teams with 131, followed by Marc Bulger (95 for St. Louis), Jake Plummer (73 for the Cardinals) and Jeff Garcia (71 for the 49ers).
• Smith -- Alex, not Troy -- owns the most starts among current NFC West players with 50, all for San Francisco.
• Eight of the 48 were one-and-done as starters: Berlin, Scott Covington, Ty Detmer, Glenn Foley, Friesz, Frye, Navarre and Weinke. Nineteen have made at least 10 starts.

The NFC West will have two starters new to the division in Week 1: Tarvaris Jackson and Kevin Kolb.

The chart shows start totals by team for the 48. The NFC West changed membership with realignment in 2002. I'm going back to 1998 for the four teams currently in the division.

Three things to watch for in the Arizona Cardinals' preseason home game against the Denver Broncos at 10 p.m. ET:

1. Patrick Peterson's impact: The Cardinals' first-round draft choice returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown in Arizona's most recent exhibition game. He slipped twice on another play, allowing a big gain. Sometimes it's tough to tell how players in the secondary are faring, particularly when watching on TV. Depending on the coverage, someone unfamiliar with the team's playbook will have a hard time saying with much certainty whether a cornerback handled his responsibilities correctly. Sometimes, a safety is to blame when a cornerback appears most culpable. Big plays are tough to miss, however.

2. Quarterback depth: Backups John Skelton (ankle) and Max Hall (shoulder) will not play. Hall is out for the season. The Cardinals will be happy at the position as long as starter Kevin Kolb remains healthy. But depth is a concern. Rich Bartel figures to play more extensively against the Broncos. He has improved his standing this summer and could be a candidate to unseat Skelton for the No. 2 role. The Broncos are coming off a strong pass-rushing game against Seattle. How well will the Cardinals' quarterbacks hold up?

3. Young pass-rushers. The Cardinals went into the 2011 draft thinking they might have a shot at pass-rusher Von Miller. That shot went away quickly when the Broncos made Miller the second overall choice. The Cardinals didn't value any of the other college pass-rushers enough to draft them fifth overall. As a result, Arizona is heading into its final game of the preseason trying to develop young pass-rushers with less impressive pedigrees. Second-year outside linebacker O'Brien Schofield is one of those younger prospects. Schofield has one of the Cardinals' six sacks in three exhibition games.

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic says the Cardinals continue to take things slowly with Patrick Peterson even though the first-round pick thinks he's ready to start. Coach Ken Whisenhunt: "I'm glad we still have more time before the regular season, but Patrick's worked hard. He's an intelligent young man, he's very serious about getting better. We can learn a lot of things from the live situations like we saw in the game the other night and he'll get better. I don't think it's a question of 'if,' it's just a question of when it all clicks for him and it certainly seems to be moving in that direction." Whisehnunt said he wants Peterson to get a better feel for zone coverage. Peterson, the fifth player chosen in the draft, is the only player among the top six choices with no starts to this point in preseason. The two other first-round corners this year, Prince Amukamara and Jimmy Smith, have one start between them. Amukamara is injured.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic updates Max Hall's shoulder injury. The quarterback needs surgery and will spend the season on injured reserve.

Also from Somers: Whisenhunt remains coy regarding plans for the final preseason game.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com expects the Cardinals' starters to play in the team's final preseason game. Select players could get extended looks heading into mandatory reduction to the 53-man limit Saturday.

Also from Urban: Larry Fitzgerald isn't the only wide receiver on the Cardinals' roster. Some of the other guys take pride in their work as well.

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com says the Seahawks are giving Breno Giacomini a look at right tackle in case rookie James Carpenter isn't ready for the starting role by Week 1. The two are splitting reps with the first and second units.

Also from Farnsworth: thoughts on John Carlson's season-ending injury. Farnsworth: "The Seahawks now seem set at the position entering Friday night’s preseason finale against the Raiders at CenturyLink Field, as well as the roster cut to 53 players on Saturday. Miller is the starter, with the former USC duo of Anthony McCoy and Dominique Byrd as the second and third options. McCoy is the better blocker, Byrd the better receiver."

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times passes along Pete Carroll's explanation for the Carpenter-Giacomini time-share: "There's a lot to learn and there's a short time to learn it. We have to make sure that we're looking out after him, and preparing him as well as we can. He has been thrown right in, his feet are in the fire right from the first game against San Diego. He has done a lot of really good things, but it's still in progress, a process for us to figure it out and see if he will be ready for the opener."

Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times says the Seahawks' final preseason finale carries added meaning for the team given issues on the offensive line.

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune displays a photo showing Walter Jones' bronze statue at the Seattle airport. Jones: "It’s cool. You go around to a lot of the airports and you see a lot of athletes being honored in the airports. So for me to be honored in Seattle is a great feeling."

Kathleen Nelson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says James Laurinaitis returned to Rams practice after resting a pectoral injury.

Also from Nelson: Versatility is key for Rams backup offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka. Nelson: "Ojinnaka, 27, has played center, guard and tackle in the Rams' first three preseason games and said the coaches told him to be ready to play at tackle Thursday, when the Rams face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the preseason finale."

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Steven Jackson's dreadlocks have been on hiatus while his hairdresser is on maternity leave.

Also from Thomas: Mike Sims-Walker is grateful to play for the Rams. Thomas: "As a newly signed veteran, Sims-Walker had to wait until the collective bargaining agreement was approved Aug. 4 before he could practice with his new team. And then he missed a couple of days after tweaking his groin in the preseason opener against Indianapolis. Time is running out for the veteran wide receiver to get tuned up for the regular season, and as fate would have it, Thursday's final tuneup is in Jacksonville, where Sims-Walker spent his first four NFL seasons."

Nick Wagoner of stlouisrams.com checks in with rookie defensive end Robert Quinn.

Also from Wagoner: Al Harris didn't want to go out following an injury-plagued season.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com quotes 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh this way regarding Frank Gore: "Frank is a true 49er. I've said that from when I first got here. That's how I thought I would feel about Frank Gore. Now, I know how I feel about Frank Gore. The guy is awesome. Somebody should do a movie. Somebody should do the Frank Gore story, because it's an awesome story."

Also from Maiocco: The NFL has cleared the 49ers of any wrongdoing regarding Michael Crabtree's return to the practice field. Maiocco: "Crabtree has not taken part in any exhibition games in his first three NFL seasons. As a rookie, Crabtree did not sign his first contract until the first week in October. He sat out the first game, studied the playbook during the bye week and then started his first NFL game 18 day after signing his deal."

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says Jonathan Goodwin will start over Adam Snyder at center for the 49ers.

Eric Branch of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat says Crabtree did not appear close to full speed yet.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says Alex Smith is picking up where he left off with Mike McCarthy in 2005. Smith on Jim Harbaugh: "Meeting with him this offseason, I was excited to get coached like that, getting coached hands on and how he was talking about the quarterback position, the offense. No question, you guys can see it out there. We sure get it every day -- the detail coaching on every level, not just in the film room but on the field. It never ends. That's what I wanted. No question it's intense at times and it can be a lot, but that's what I wanted and the way you want it as a player." It's never been easier to write off Smith simply because he's had so many chances to this point. It's also probably true that 2011 represents his best chance at succeeding -- not as a franchise quarterback, but simply as a competent one. Can he throw with touch and accuracy on the shorter throws in Harbaugh's system? Does he have a good enough feel for the game to play effectively when acting instinctively?

Also from Barrows: a look at the most competitive camp battles for the 49ers. On Adam Snyder's battle with Jonathan Goodwin at center: "When the 49ers signed Goodwin, it seemed as if the Snyder experiment would end very quickly. After all, Snyder hadn't played center before in his career while Goodwin was the starting center on the Saints' Super Bowl team. That Snyder has remained the first option at the position shows how much faith the coaching staff has in him there. Goodwin also has been working with the first-team offensive line, but not as much as Snyder. It will be interesting to count the snaps for each in Saturday's game. My guess is that Goodwin ultimately will start at the position, but the 49ers seem in no hurry to move Snyder out of the lineup."

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com projects which players have the best shot at sticking on the 49ers' initial 53-man roster. Maiocco: "Seven offensive linemen will suit up on game days, and this group appears pretty solid, regardless of the winner of the center competition."

Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News says Patrick Willis cautions against reading too much into how the 49ers have played during preseason.

Also from Inman: a transcript from Willis' interview session.

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle handicaps the Snyder-Goodwin battle.

Grant Cohn of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat describes Michael Crabtree's routine during the 49ers' media-availability session.

Also from Cohn: music prevails in the 49ers' locker room. Speak up, Vernon Davis.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times updates Mike Williams' career with the Seahawks. Great quote from Williams, who continually downplays his achievements: ""If there's a getting-tackled-at-the-1 Pro Bowl, I definitely would have been first ballot for that."

Also from O'Neil: thoughts on cornerback Walter Thurmond. O'Neil: "Thurmond is not an exceptionally tall cornerback like 6-foot-4 Brandon Browner or 6-3 rookie Richard Sherman. He is 5-11, but has a large wingspan, and is an explosive athlete. Seattle chose Thurmond in the fourth round of the 2010 as he was coming off a knee injury in which he suffered three torn knee ligaments during his senior season of 2009. Prior to the injury, he was regarded as a second, perhaps even late first-round choice."

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune says rookie Byron Maxwell had the play of the day for Seattle.

Also from Williams: checking in with new Seahawks linebacker David Vobora, formerly of the Rams. Williams: "Vobora also rolls in an interesting car. Last summer he bought a 1984 Chrysler LeBaron convertible 'Woody' edition off Craig’s List for $1,500. The car’s still in St. Louis, so he has to have it shipped back to Seattle. He said the only accessories he bought for the car was some fuzzy dice and Bob-a-Hula Girl, along with a car tree air freshener decorated in wood paneling."

More from Williams: Free-agent receiver Doug Baldwin continues to impress for Seattle. Baldwin: "One (of) my strengths is my creativity in the slot, being able to be witty and creative matched up against a nickel corner or a (weakside) linebacker, so just being able to be creative in there, getting open and getting separation."

Liz Mathews of 710ESPN Seattle checks in with Seahawks fullback Mike Robinson, who covers the team for which he plays.

Also from Mathews: Thurmond expects to play against Denver.

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com recaps the practice day for Seattle. Thurmond stood out.

Also from Farnsworth: Maurice Fountain is making the most of his latest NFL opportunity. Farnsworth: "Despite not practicing with the team since January – or any team, for that matter – the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Fountain tackled Vikings running back Lorenzo Booker for a 5-yard loss in the third quarter and then teamed with rookie middle linebacker K.J. Wright to make another tackle in the fourth quarter."

John Boyle of the Everett Herald provides a Seahawks injury update. Boyle: "Linebacker Aaron Curry returned to action after missing Tuesday's practice with a sore knee. Seattle's other two starting linebackers, Leroy Hill and David Hawthorne, remained out for a second straight day, however, also with knee injuries. Carroll didn't meet with the media today, however he did tell 710 ESPN Seattle that Hawthorne has a knee strain, and that Hill's injury is an old issue, but that he should be OK."

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says catching up with Adrian Wilson can be an adventure. Somers: "When motivated, Wilson can be a great interview. In bad years, he's been brutally honest about teammates who didn't care enough about the game. In good years, he's been one to pump the brakes on excitement, pointing out that the team hadn't done anything. There have been times in one-on-one interviews when he's opened up about how much his wife and kids mean to him, when he's talked about his changing definition of leadership. And there have been times when he has been begged to talk, when team's media relations people have been asked to intercede and remind him that NFL players are required to be available to reporters at least once a week."

Also from Somers: It's unlikely Max Hall will the see the field again for Arizona.

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic says Hall was never the same after taking a huge hit against New Orleans.

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com offers thoughts on Hall's status and Brodie Croyle's arrival. Croyle should have a decent feel for the Cardinals' first regular-season opponent, Carolina. Panthers coach Ron Rivera was running the Chargers' defense when Croyle was quarterback for the AFC West-rival Chiefs.

Also from Urban: Kevin Kolb looks forward to his first home game as a member of the Cardinals.

More from Urban: Injuries affected Stewart Bradley's career with the Eagles. He's healthier now. Urban: "The Cardinals are counting on that. Bradley got a five-year deal worth up to $30 million for Bradley to come in and solidify the middle of the linebacking corps after the team released Gerald Hayes. Playing behind fellow veteran Paris Lenon for now, Bradley should team with Lenon and Daryl Washington for a three-man rotation."

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch visits with Rams quarterbacks Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley. Feeley: "Sam's a really bright guy and an amazing quarterback; you could see that from day one when he came in here. He's mature beyond his years, he's got all the physical tools, he's got the charisma, he's got the moxie. He's got everything you could possibly want in a quarterback."

Also from Coats: The Rams want to size up their new outside linebackers in game situations.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Bradford wants more consistency from the first-team offense.

Roger Hensley of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asks colleagues whether they think the Rams have improved at wide receiver. Thomas: "Well, if you could tell me that the group was healthy – and could stay healthy – it would be an emphatic yes. But who knows if Donnie Avery and Danario Alexander can stay healthy for 16 games – or close to it. Same goes for Mardy Gilyard. Mike-Sims Walker will help, but he’s had only a couple weeks of practice time and still needs to get in sync with Sam Bradford. The rookies, Austin Pettis and Greg Salas, haven’t shown a whole lot. Salas was out with a hamstring injury for a while, but made a couple of nice catches on the fourth-quarter field goal drive against Tennessee." Pettis looked pretty good when I visited Rams camp.

Nick Wagoner of stlouisrams.com says Mike Hoomanawanui, Mikail Baker, Jermelle Cudjo and Fred Robbins will not play in the Rams' next preseason game.

Also from Wagoner: Darian Stewart's push for playing time in the Rams' secondary.

More from Wagoner: Mike Sims-Walker's expectations for the season.

Howard Balzer of 101ESPN St. Louis appreciates what Bradford offers the Rams.

No one even remotely in touch with what matters in this world would track snap counts during an NFL preseason.

For the rest of us, I've put together an updated chart showing how much NFC West quarterbacks have played through the first two weeks. First, a few observations:

• The St. Louis Rams' Sam Bradford is the only starter to lead a touchdown drive. He has been the quarterback of record for three of them. The other starters have come oh-so-close. Arizona's Kevin Kolb led the Cardinals to the Oakland 1-yard line without finding the end zone. San Francisco's Alex Smith led drives to the Oakland 2 and 5 without getting touchdowns. Seattle's Tarvaris Jackson was the quarterback of record when the Seahawks stalled at the Minnesota 1. Every starting quarterback in the division has guided an extended drive at some point.
• We should expect starters to play longer in the games this weekend. Teams generally like to take longer looks at their starters in the third preseason game. Every offense in the division has a new quarterback, new offensive coordinator or both. These teams' starters need the reps on offense. Bradford wasn't happy with the Rams' performance against Tennessee following an 83-yard touchdown pass to open the game.
• Seattle has the closest thing to a quarterback competition in the division, but Jackson is the starter. Coming into camp, the team felt as though Jackson would benefit from stability and support. His career had hit bumps in Minnesota as the team continually courted Brett Favre. Jackson hadn't shown much improvement. The Seahawks thought he had potential to grow as a quarterback in the right environment. They don't want to jerk him around this early in the process even though Charlie Whitehurst has made strides. Jackson could use better pass protection as much as anything right now.
• The 49ers appear to be in little rush to move rookie Colin Kaepernick into the starting lineup. They might as well see what Smith offers in a new offense, letting him absorb whatever rough spots await. The team can always turn to Kaepernick if necessary, when there won't be much pressure on him.
• The high-ankle sprain John Skelton suffered in the Cardinals' preseason game at Green Bay opens the door for Richard Bartel to get valuable experience. Bartel jumped past the since-waived Max Hall for the third spot. As Kent Somers noted, this week will mark the first time Bartel has played in a third preseason game. I've seen no indication the team sees Bartel as a future No. 2 quarterback, but if we've learned anything about coach Ken Whisenhunt and quarterbacks, it's that he's not afraid to shake up a depth chart. The No. 1 job was set once Kolb signed a lucrative long-term deal. Kolb gives Whisenhunt his own hand-picked starting quarterback for the first time in Arizona.

OK, time to go. Need to crunch some numbers on preseason kick-coverage team lineups.

There was a time, way back in 2010, when the Arizona Cardinals thought Max Hall's leadership qualities and feel for the game might translate to success as a starting quarterback.

Three regular-season starts proved disastrous.

Now, with Hall suffering from a second injury to his non-throwing shoulder, the team waived him with an injury designation. Hall will revert to injured reserve once he clears waivers. He would also become eligible for an injury settlement if the Cardinals chose to cut ties with him.

Undrafted out of BYU, Hall impressed coaches during practices as a rookie. The Cardinals weren't anticipating needing Hall as a starter, however. But with Derek Anderson faltering and Matt Leinart no longer an option, the team made Hall its starter for a Week 5 game against New Orleans. The Cardinals, fueled by turnovers, won the game, but Hall absorbed a brutal hit near the goal line and fumbled.

Opponents couldn't wait to come after Hall, rushing him fearlessly. Hall never took all of the snaps at quarterback during his three starts.

John Skelton finished the 2010 season as the Cardinals' starter, entering this season as the No. 2 quarterback behind Kevin Kolb. Richard Bartel jumped past Hall into the third spot on the depth chart. With Skelton recovering from an ankle injury and Hall out, the team signed Brodie Croyle. I would expect Kolb, Skelton and Bartel to be the top three quarterbacks this season, health permitting.

Thoughts on the Arizona Cardinals after checking out ESPN's 300 highest-rated fantasy players for the 2011 season:

Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells became more valuable from a fantasy standpoint once a knee injury knocked out Ryan Williams for the season. Wells figures to get most rushing attempts for Arizona if healthy.

Larry Fitzgerald was only the sixth-ranked receiver from a fantasy standpoint, trailing Andre Johnson, Roddy White, Greg Jennings, Hakeem Nicks and Calvin Johnson. I could see Fitzgerald's touchdown total spiking now that Derek Anderson, John Skelton and Max Hall are not his primary quarterbacks.

Kevin Kolb ranked only 18th among fantasy quarterbacks, just ahead of the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez. He's already shown an eagerness to force the ball to Fitzgerald, with encouraging results.

The No. 18 ranking seems a bit low for a quarterback with Fitzgerald at the ready, but in looking at the names above Kolb on the list, the ranking seems about right.

Aaron Rodgers, Michael Vick, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, Matt Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger, Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, Sam Bradford, Jay Cutler, Matt Cassell and Matthew Stafford rank ahead of Kolb.

Unranked Cardinals sleeper: Rookie tight end Rob Housler. The third-round draft choice needs seasoning as a blocker. He has flashed ability as a receiver through two preseason games. Crowding at the position will hurt him, however. Todd Heap and Jeff King give the Cardinals veteran options. They have a combined 16 touchdown receptions over the last two seasons.

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Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says Adrian Wilson was back on the Cardinals' practice field in a limited capacity, his first on-field work since suffering an injured biceps tendon. Wilson still hopes to play in the regular-season opener. The injury news at quarterback wasn't so good for Arizona. John Skelton has a high-ankle sprain. Max Hall is out with a shoulder injury and has probably seen any chance of making a run for a roster spot disappear as a result. Wilson's toughness is pretty legendary. I have to think he'll be on the field for Week 1 if it's possible. But what happens when he extends his arms to deflect a pass or make a tackle? As tough as it is to envision Wilson missing the opener, it's just as tough to envision that biceps holding up for a full season.

Also from Somers: The Cardinals have options at inside linebacker. Somers on Stewart Bradley's talent relative to that of former inside linebacker Gerald Hayes: "Bradley's size and athleticism make him versatile. At 6-4, 258 pounds, Bradley gives the Cardinals a physical presence in the middle that they've lacked since Hayes was healthy. At his peak, Bradley is a better player than Hayes at his best. But Bradley can do more than take on offensive linemen. His speed makes him an asset in coverage and a capable blitzer."

More from Somers: O'Brien Schofield took to heart his demotion and criticisms from the Cardinals' coaching staff. Somers: "Schofield, a fourth-round pick in 2010 from Wisconsin, dedicated himself to studying last week. He made flash cards of formations and his responsibilities, and had Sam Acho and fellow linebacker Reggie Walker grilling him constantly. Schofield skipped pre-practice naps to study. He studied as he was receiving medical treatment and before he went to sleep. If other guys were joking during practice, he moved away from them to concentrate."

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com links to video from Wilson's return.

Also from Urban: seeking continuity on the Cardinals' offensive line.

More from Urban: on receiver Stephen Williams' progress in Cardinals camp.

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Darian Stewart is getting some work with the first-team defense ahead of Craig Dahl at strong safety. Thomas: "Stewart saw most of his action as a rookie on special teams. But late in the season he was worked in on defense, coming in on certain packages in passing situations. Stewart acknowledged that he was a bit overwhelmed at times during his rookie season. He was trying to learn both safety positions as well as his responsibilities on special teams." Dahl has a $1.6 million salary this season. Stewart's salary is $450,000.

Also from Coats: Mike Hoomanawanui could be out for a while, but Danario Alexander is practicing again.

Jeff Gordon of stltoday.com says Week 3 of the preseason is when the Rams' offense needs to pick up the pace.

Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explores football's harsh realities through the eyes of a few Rams players.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers thoughts on the Rams' roster during a recent chat.

Also from Thomas: The Rams are counting on Quintin Mikell. Thomas: "Mikell earned his spurs as a special teams player, twice being named the Eagles' special teams MVP. For most of those early years in Philly, Mikell bided his time at safety, backing up Pro Bowlers Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis. As a young player, Mikell looked up to Dawkins in particular, watching everything he did."

Nick Wagoner of stlouisrams.com says the coaching staff "loves" Stewart's potential at safety.

Also from Wagoner: an appreciation for former snapper Chris Massey. Wagoner: "He was an absolute beast in the weight room, regularly registering lifting records that placed him even with or above the biggest and strongest linemen. He was a diligent student in the classroom as he’d be off the practice field and in the film room watching that day’s practice within minutes of the end of the workout."

More from Wagoner: Alexander's fight for a roster spot.

More yet from Wagoner: Mikell's impact. Wagoner: "Mikell went to the Pro Bowl following the 2009 season after he posted 90 tackles, 13 passes defended and two interceptions. Oddly enough, he did not go last year despite bettering that performance with 111 tackles, 14 passes defended, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. For his career, Mikell has 444 tackles, four sacks, 46 passes defended, 10 interceptions, seven forced fumble and seven fumble recoveries."

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com reports from the team's annual closest-to-the-pin competition precipitating the Champions Tour event sponsored in part by the team. Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who recently defended his title in the Seahawks' annual home-run derby, defended his title in this event as well. But it wasn't quite good enough to beat professional Jay Don Blake. Farnsworth: "For the record, Blake’s winning shot was 2 feet, 4 inches from the pin, while Whitehurst was second at 8 feet, 4 inches. Mike Goodes, another Senior Tour golfer who’s also in town for the Champions Tour’s Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge this weekend, was next at 12 feet, 3 inches. Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate’s best effort was 15 feet, 4 inches."

Also from Farnsworth: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll acknowledges Whitehurst's progress while recommitting to Tarvaris Jackson as the team's starting quarterback.

More from Farnsworth: The Seahawks see David Vobora as a versatile backup with special-teams value. Farnsworth: "The coaches envision Vobora possibly filling the same role Will Herring did last season, when Herring was the backup at all three linebacker spots but capable of stepping in to start at any of them – and also a big contributor of special teams."

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times updates the Seahawks' injury situation. Kam Chancellor missed practice.

Also from O'Neil: thoughts on Aaron Curry's new contract. O'Neil: "Seattle was not going to cut Curry. Not with the amount of money that was guaranteed under the terms of that contract both in 2011 and 2012. So why did this get done? Well, Curry was willing to give up the provision that his 2012 base salary was guaranteed in order to have the final two seasons of the contract removed. Seattle may have seen that like selling the sleeves off a vest as Curry was unlikely to remain on the team for the final two years of the contract as it was. But this kind of forces the issue with Curry's future and creates a clearer timeline that Curry may be able to find a new role -- likely with a different team -- after this season and certainly after 2012."

More from O'Neil: Brandon Browner and Josh Pinkard are making an impact in the Seahawks' secondary.

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune offers updates from Seahawks practice. On the injury front, Ben Obomanu and Chris Clemons were back on the field.

Also from Williams: Whitehurst appears to have taken Jackson's promotion as a wake-up call.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee revisits Greg Cosell's scouting report on Taylor Mays to help explain why the safety didn't stick with the 49ers. Cosell now: "The NFL game is about lateral movement and change of direction, and he doesn't have that. ... I thought he was overall a big-time stiff, and I thought he was very lucky to be picked in the second round." Mays most likely would still be on the 49ers' roster if Mike Singletary were the team's head coach. But that would not have assured success for Mays over time. The hard feelings Mays expressed toward Carroll when the Seahawks selected Earl Thomas instead of Mays appeared misplaced at the time, and more now.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says injury issues have prevented Shawntae Spencer from tightening his grip on the starting job at right cornerback. Spencer: "There's no use in being frustrated because it's something you can't control. It's out of my control. All I can do is what Fergie [Jeff Ferguson, director of football operations and sports medicine] tells me to do every day and try to get back as soon as I can."

Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News says coach Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers aren't making any bold proclamations about Alex Smith as their starting quarterback for the regular season. Inman: "Smith has started both exhibition games and is on target to secure the job ahead of rookie Colin Kaepernick and veteran Josh McCown. Smith started the first seven games last season and has a 19-31 record as a starter since being drafted first overall in 2005. Asked when he planned to announce his starting quarterback, Harbaugh replied: 'Before the first game.' That would be Sept. 11 against the Seattle Seahawks at Candlestick Park." Smith is the starter whether or not Harbaugh makes an announcement, based simply on the fact that he continues to start preseason games.

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle says rookie tight end Konrad Reuland is making a strong push for a roster spot. Harbaugh: "He's really having a great camp. I coached him in college and I've always had great respect for Konrad's game and he's elevated here ... He is doing real well, giving himself a great chance to be in the mix and potentially make the team."

Al Sarasevic of the San Francisco Chronicle passes along Carmen Policy's thoughts on recent violence at Candlestick Park.