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Can the Arizona Cardinals' defense maintain the growth it showed late last season, outpacing whatever gains the San Francisco 49ers make on offense?

Joshua Steuter asked that question and a few others via Facebook as part of our ongoing discussion. We could have asked about Kevin Kolb, John Skelton and the quarterback situation, but we've been having that discussion for nine months already.

The answer to Joshua's question could hinge on a few variables:

• NFC West Big Question

  •  Arizona Cardinals
  •  St. Louis Rams
  •  San Francisco 49ers
  •  Seattle Seahawks

  Dan Williams' recovery: Williams, the Cardinals' first-round draft pick in 2010, is returning from a nasty arm injury suffered against the 49ers late last season. Arizona should remain strong at both defensive end spots. Darnell Dockett and franchise player Calais Campbell are established players. Williams was showing signs of becoming one before the injury. Conditioning can be a concern for him. As a first-round talent, he holds the key to determining whether the Cardinals field one of the best 3-4 fronts in the game.
• Stewart Bradley's transition: Arizona's coaches had big plans for Bradley heading into last season. They envisioned pairing him with Daryl Washington to get pressure with inside blitzes. Do those dreams live? Bradley struggled with the transition from a 4-3 defense to the 3-4. Paris Lenon beat him out and played well enough to keep the job. Were the Cardinals really that wrong on Bradley? Did the lockout-affected offseason merely delay the transition? The Cardinals will find out for sure this season. They have a full offseason to make this work. And Bradley did take a pay cut.
• Acho/Schofield progression. The Cardinals were the only NFL team to go through the 2012 draft without selecting a player for their front seven. They had needs on offense but showed faith in some of their emerging defensive players, including outside linebackers Sam Acho and O'Brien Schofield. Acho had seven sacks last season. Schofield had 4.5 sacks. Getting one of those players into double digits would signal the continued development Arizona needs to keep its defense on the upswing.
• Next step for Peterson: Cornerback Patrick Peterson should take a significant step forward, improving the Cardinals' ability to match up with a reconfigured 49ers receiving corps featuring Randy Moss and Mario Manningham. Peterson scored four touchdowns on punt returns last season. I like his chances to score on defense this season as well. He'll relish a chance to match up with Moss.

The Cardinals' defense held San Francisco to 23 and 19 points last season despite occasionally horrible play from Arizona's offense. The 49ers converted 11 of 38 times on third down against Arizona, including 3 of 17 times during the Cardinals' Dec. 11 victory over San Francisco.

I'm expecting Arizona's defense to keep pace in this matchup.

What are the St. Louis Rams going to do at outside linebacker?

The team faces other questions coming off a 2-14 season, but that position went largely unaddressed in the draft. St. Louis emerged from the draft with five linebackers on its roster, leaving roughly six or seven spots to fill for training camp.

The Rams used a seventh-round choice for Aaron Brown, a weakside linebacker from Hawaii, but linebackers selected that late would generally project as special-teams contributors only if they earn roster spots at all.

Veteran Jo-Lonn Dunbar, signed from New Orleans in free agency, projects as one starter. Josh Hull, a seventh-round choice in 2010, projects as the other starter until the Rams can further address the position.

James Laurinaitis is a solid starter in the middle. He should fare better in 2012 playing behind recently acquired Kendall Langford (Miami Dolphins) and Michael Brockers (first-round draft choice). He cannot make every play from sideline to sideline, however. He needs help. The Rams desperately need speed on the outside.

After struggling through last season with aging stopgap options such as Ben Leber and Brady Poppinga, the Rams have gotten younger at the position, but they have not gotten appreciably better. Some of the players they cast aside in previous seasons -- Paris Lenon, Pisa Tinoisamoa and Will Witherspoon come to mind -- would have been better than the players St. Louis wound up relying on.

At one point in the draft, the Rams traded down from the 45th spot, coming away with running back Isaiah Pead and the 150th choice. Philadelphia and Seattle took inside linebackers with the 46th and 47th overall picks. The Rams could have drafted Nebraska's Lavonte David, who went to Tampa Bay at No. 58, but they thought Pead would bring greater value at another position of need.

Teams running 4-3 defenses selected only four projected outside linebackers from the third through fifth rounds, with Jacksonville selecting Nevada's Brandon Marshall at No. 142, eight spots before the Rams chose South Carolina guard Rokevious Watkins.

The bottom line was that St. Louis entered this draft with more needs than it could address with the available picks. Outside linebacker moves closer to the top of their priority list as the roster rebuild enters its next phase.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Paris Lenon earned a $500,000 boost to his 2012 base salary after meeting incentives for playing time last season.

The Cardinals took back five times that much from the player Lenon outperformed.

That was a primary takeaway Tuesday upon learning that Stewart Bradley accepted a reduction in scheduled salary from $5 million to half that amount for 2012.

The cut comes amid what should be renewed expectations for Bradley, who signed with the Cardinals in free agency and struggled with his conversion to a 3-4 defense during a lockout-shortened 2011 offseason.

Bradley, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, should have a better chance at adapting with a full offseason to prepare. He made one start and played 21 percent of the defensive snaps last season. Lenon, 34, has proven he'll be tough to unseat. He played 95 percent of the defensive snaps, most among Cardinals linebackers.

The St. Louis Rams thought they could upgrade from veteran linebacker Paris Lenon following the 2009 season.

Three years later, they still have not adequately replaced him.

The Arizona Cardinals sought to upgrade from Lenon last offseason when they invested $6 million a year in free-agent linebacker Stewart Bradley.

Lenon wound up playing more than 95 percent of the defensive snaps in 2011. He was a team captain, played through multiple injuries (including a cracked tailbone) and triggered a $500,000 salary increase for the 2012 season. His name jumped off the chart below showing NFC West players who have earned 2012 pay raises by meeting incentives.

Lenon, 34, will not go away. He has done what solid, unspectacular veterans must do to remain viable: stay on the field at all costs.

"His story is amazing," Lenon's agent, Jonathan Persch, said Friday. "He is the only XFL player still even remotely around. What makes him amazing is not just his resiliency on the field, but he is a normal soccer dad when he goes home to his wife and kids."

Undrafted from Richmond in 2000, Lenon went to camp with Carolina as a rookie, then caught on with the XFL's Memphis Maniax. He was briefly with Seattle and Green Bay before joining the Packers' practice squad in 2001.

Lenon played for the Amsterdam Adrmirals in NFL Europe and has subsequently played in 159 of 160 regular-season NFL games for the Packers, Detroit Lions, Rams and Cardinals. He has never missed a game to injury. Lenon did not play the 2009 opener only because the Rams had not yet signed him.

"He doesn't verbalize this," Persch said, "but dear God, don't tell him what he cannot do."

The Cardinals credited Lenon with 127 tackles in 2010 and 103 last season. Those totals, combined with playing time, helped Lenon achieve the $500,000 raise. Lenon also set a career high with three sacks. He has five sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble in two seasons with Arizona.

Will Lenon start again in 2012? There are never guarantees, but it's tough betting against him. Coach Ken Whisenhunt has emphasized playing the best players at every position, even when it wasn't convenient to him. That explained why Lenon stayed on the field last season even though the team had more invested in Bradley.

Note: Thanks to Brian McIntyre for putting together the information in the chart below. He has posted a broader NFL list of salary increases here.

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Referee Gene Steratore and crew oversaw a hotly contested Seattle-Arizona game featuring seven penalties for personal fouls.

Cameras showed Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch upset after Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson appeared to pull off Lynch's helmet at the end of a play.

Those fouls and the Lynch-Wilson incident led to no NFL fines this week, a mild surprise given the league's emphasis on punishing players for roughness and related acts.

Steratore and crew flagged Levi Brown, Early Doucet, Vonnie Holliday, Paris Lenon, Brandon Browner, Zach Miller and Richard Sherman for personal fouls during a game the Cardinals won in overtime, 23-20.

There were likewise no fines against St. Louis or San Francisco players for personal fouls called against Chris Culliver, Dashon Goldson and Quintin Mikell.

Five things I noticed while watching the Arizona Cardinals during their 19-13 overtime victory against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13:

• Field goal confusion benefited Arizona. The Cowboys twice called timeouts before failed field goal attempts. Dallas snapped the ball and was running a fourth-and-2 play midway through the first quarter when officials whistled the play dead. Tony Romo threw incomplete after the whistle, making it tough to know if he might have done anything different had there been no whistle. The Cowboys had called timeout. They then attempted a 53-yard field goal, which missed. The second pre-kick timeout made headlines because Dan Bailey, having connected from 49 yards for the apparent game-winner, had to re-kick following a late Cowboys timeout call, only to miss.
• LaRod Stephens-Howling's return to health. The Cardinals' offense wasn't the same when a hand injury sidelined and then limited the third-year running back and utility player. He helped beat Philadelphia with a 30-yard reception on fourth-and-2 a few weeks ago. He finished this game with a 15-yard run, three kick returns, one special-teams tackle and the winning 52-yard touchdown reception in overtime.
• Defense better against tight ends. The Cardinals' defense has too often struggled against tight ends, especially last season. Arizona fared well against the Cowboys' tight ends. Jason Witten caught five passes for 47 yards. Two plays on one drive in the first half stood out. Safety Adrian Wilson rocked tight end John Phillips at the line of scrimmage, cutting into the backfield to help bring down DeMarco Murray for a 3-yard loss. Two plays later, Paris Lenon and Rashad Johnson blanketed Witten to force an incomplete pass on first down. The drive ended with Darnell Dockett getting a sack on third down. (Arizona turned loose its defensive linemen effectively, including when Calais Campbell rushed inside to stop Murray for a loss, with outside linebacker O'Brien Schofield responsible for outside run containment to Campbell's side.)
• Matching Cowboys' OLB sack counts. The teams combined for nine sacks, five by Dallas. The Cardinals' outside linebackers matched the Cowboys' outside linebackers in sacks, 2-2. Arizona will happily accept that trade-off. Clark Haggans and Schofield had one apiece. DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer each had one for Dallas. This game featured quite a few coverage sacks and/or sacks when quarterbacks held the ball too long. Arizona also unleashed some of the inside linebacker blitzes the team envisioned using this season. Lenon had a sack.
• Kolb protects the ball. Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb played a turnover-free game for the first time since the Cardinals acquired him. He had eight interceptions and three lost fumbles in seven previous starts for the team. If taking an extra sack or two meant suffering no turnovers while scrambling or forcing balls into coverage, the Cardinals were better off. Taking sacks instead of throwing higher-risk passes also helped Kolb complete 64 percent of his passes, ending a streak of four consecutive games with completion rates between 47-59 percent.

This victory was only a mild upset, in my view. The Cardinals have a chance at home against 10-2 San Francisco in Week 14 if their defense continues playing well and Kolb protects the ball.

The Arizona Cardinals, for all their struggles at quarterback and on defense in recent seasons, have done a good job collecting playmakers over the years.

That paid off Sunday when one of those playmakers, LaRod Stephens-Howling, turned a short pass from Kevin Kolb into a weaving 52-yard touchdown in overtime against the Dallas Cowboys. As much as Arizona wouldn't mind following a more conventional path to winning, the team has matched its victory total from last season largely through the spectacular.

Patrick Peterson's punt returns were critical in victories against Carolina and St. Louis (twice). Stephens-Howling, owner of three career kickoff-return touchdowns, helped beat Philadelphia with a late over-the-shoulder grab for a 30-yard gain on fourth down -- the type of play few running backs could make. The play Stephens-Howling made Sunday was even better.

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic says Stephens-Howling couldn't remember how many would-be tackles he avoided on the game-winning reception. McManaman: "Once Stephens-Howling caught an outside screen pass from Kolb and turned around to look downfield, he saw a handful of teammates plowing the road in front of him with an assortment of blocks. One of them was a huge containment block by receiver Andre Roberts against linebacker Terence Newman." Noted: Roberts showed up huge in this game as a receiver and, in this case, as a blocker. Looks like he has a chance to finish strong for a second consecutive season.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic says there was more to the Cardinals' victory than big plays on offense. Somers: "It would be easy to concentrate on the startling offensive turnaround. But the Cardinals won because their defense played well throughout, even though it was presented with terrible field position time and again. The Cardinals sacked quarterback Tony Romo five times, and while the Cowboys didn't have a turnover, they scored just one touchdown, and they had to go only 33 yards for that one."

Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic says Kolb took a significant step forward Sunday. Bickley: "Kolb, who was returning from a four-game absence because of a foot injury, amassed 203 of his 247 passing yards in the final 30 minutes. He did not commit a turnover. He made plays with his feet. He made nice throws in overtime, when the Cardinals offense actually won the game. Finally, Kolb felt part of the team and looked like part of the solution. It was his first win since opening day. It relieved the growing pressure between his ears. It will mute some national experts who believe the Cardinals flushed away good money trading for the former Eagles backup."

From Somers and McManaman: What were the Cowboys doing when they called timeout, effectively icing their own kicker?

Also from Somers: thoughts on all aspects of the Cardinals' performance. Somers: "I think for the first time in five seasons, the Cardinals defense is playing the way Ken Whisenhunt envisioned. The Cardinals defense has yielded five touchdowns in its last five games. The parts are fitting together now, and the group is a nice mixture of experience veterans and productive youngsters. There has been a lot of focus on the contributions of young players (deservedly so) but some veterans have been big factors, too. Strong safety Adrian Wilson, linebacker Paris Lenon and cornerback/safety Richard Marshall, have played well."

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com offers postgame thoughts, including one from Darnell Dockett, who supports a run-oriented offense.

Also from Urban: Cardinals notes.

If the headline above this item sounds confusing, that was the point.

The Arizona Cardinals are at once a young, emerging team and an old, declining one.

As discussed earlier Wednesday in the Arizona section of this item, the Cardinals have the 15th-oldest players on offense and the second-oldest players on defense. No team in the NFL has older defensive backups in terms of average age. But that is only part of the story.

The Cardinals' five youngest players are starting. Their eight youngest players all own at least two starts this season. Their ninth-, 10th- and 11th-youngest players -- David Carter, LaRod Stephens-Howling and O'Brien Schofield -- are getting significant playing time and making positive contributions.

By my calculations, the Cardinals would go from third-oldest to roughly 15th-oldest in average age (not counting specialists) simply by replacing Vonnie Holliday, Clark Haggans, Joey Porter and Paris Lenon with players averaging 25 years old.

Haggans and Lenon remain productive players, but the team hopes to replace them with younger players. Schofield could realistically step in for Haggans next season. Free-agent addition Stewart Bradley, 28, will presumably play more next season as well.

Porter appears on his way out now that rookie Sam Acho is starting and producing (two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery against St. Louis). Acho has started the last five games. He has four sacks in those five starts, plus a fifth sack one game before he replaced Porter in the lineup. The 2011 fourth-round draft choice looks like a keeper.

The Cardinals will also get younger next season by welcoming back Ryan Williams from injured reserve. The team signed 32-year-old Chester Taylor as an emergency replacement when Williams, still not yet 22, landed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Nose tackle Dan Williams, 24, went on injured reserve more recently. His return will also make the Cardinals younger on average.

The goal should be to get better, not just younger. But if you're going to suffer through losing seasons, it's best to develop young talent along the way. The Cardinals are doing that. They could still stand to add young players throughout their roster.

For example, Arizona's backup offensive linemen are 28, 29 and 31 years old when 27-year-old Brandon Keith is healthy enough to start at right tackle. That gives the Cardinals the oldest backup offensive linemen in the league, by my calculations.

Plugging in an experienced player can be more comforting than turning to a raw rookie, but teams hire coaches to develop talent, not just manage it. Drafting for the offensive line (there's a thought) and defense would go a long way toward changing the overall makeup of the Cardinals' roster.

The Arizona Cardinals weren't convinced the St. Louis Rams planned to punt on fourth-and-1 with 4:05 remaining in the third quarter Sunday.

They left their regular defensive personnel on the field -- Clark Haggans, Darnell Dockett, Daryl Washington, Adrian Wilson, David Carter, Paris Lenon and Calais Campbell among them -- just in case the Rams planned a fake.

But when officials flagged the Rams' C.J. Ah You for a false-start penalty, setting up fourth-and-6, the Cardinals subbed their full punt-return team onto the field. Cameras showed Wilson and Washington running off the field immediately. The next wide-angle shot available showed the punt-coverage team aligned in standard fashion, different from how the regular defense had lined up before the penalty.

Patrick Peterson returned the ensuing punt 80-yards for a game-breaking touchdown. The Cardinals won the game, 23-20. Would Peterson have scored without his usual blocking contingent on the field? It's impossible to know, but the odds would be against it, in my view.

Five things I noticed while watching the Arizona Cardinals during their 19-13 overtime victory against the St. Louis Rams in Week 9:

• Still no Fitzgerald on third down. The Cardinals targeted Larry Fitzgerald for passes 12 times in 35 attempts. That included eight of 17 times on first down, three of 11 times on second down and only once in seven chances on third down. Fitzgerald had no yardage on third down. He has four receptions for 60 yards on third down all season. Early Doucet has accounted for 248 of the team's 467 third-down receiving yardage. Even Andre Roberts has more third-down yardage (65) than Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has generally finished past seasons with closer to 20 receptions on third down. The team's overall third-down struggles could be to blame. Arizona's third-down conversion rate over the past two seasons has fallen to levels the team has not seen since 2001.
• Too many missed tackles. On one play, Adrian Wilson threw his body at Steven Jackson without wrapping up. On another, Rashad Johnson bounced off Jackson. Linebacker Paris Lenon couldn't bring down receiver Greg Salas. Plays such as those helped the Rams possess the ball for more than 20 minutes of the first half.
• About that running game. The Cardinals' running backs rushed for 32 yards, including only four yards on first down from starter Beanie Wells. That was probably the most disappointing aspect of the game from a Cardinals standpoint. Arizona is a vastly different team from a temperament standpoint when Wells is healthy enough to run hard. Wells, slowed by knee trouble, had been more productive playing hurt the week before.
• General thoughts on Skelton. Coach Ken Whisenhunt qualified praise for John Skelton by saying the Cardinals' backup quarterback missed some basic plays. Whisenhunt would know all the particulars. my general feel watching the game was that Skelton seemed more comfortable than injured starter Kevin Kolb. A second-and-9 play early in the third quarter stood out. The Cardinals lined up in an offset-I formation with base personnel. The Rams rushed six and got immediate pressure with safety Quintin Mikell. Skelton dodged Mikell, moved purposefully to his left and threw a perfect touch pass to Roberts between defenders. Roberts dropped the ball or else this would have been a first down. A delay penalty set up third-and-14, but Skelton kept his poise, firing another perfect pass, this one to Doucet for a first down. Skelton has 48 yards on three attempts when facing third-and-11 or longer. Kolb has 95 yards on 19 such attempts.
• Daryl Washington on the cusp. The second-year inside linebacker often looks like one of the better young defensive players in the league. He's exceptionally active against run and pass alike. He had a chance to make a game-changing play with four minutes left in the third quarter. Arizona trailed, 11-6, when Sam Bradford threw a pass to Salas underneath the coverage. Washington recognized the pass right away, accelerated into position and should have scored a touchdown on the play. Washington did everything but catch the pass. This was a good play that should have been a great one -- emblematic of the team's missed chances this season.

Time ran out on last week before I could finish five observations from the Cardinals' game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. I'll pass along the notes I did take:

• Humble beginnings. The first offensive play of a road game can be a tough one. The opposing crowd is at its loudest. I've wondered more than once why coaches don't run the ball a little more frequently on first plays, particularly in hostile conditions. The San Francisco 49ers took a sack on their first play at Detroit, for example. Why invite trouble? In this case, the Cardinals came out passing and gave up pressure right away. Terrell Suggs bull-rushed left tackle Levi Brown into Kolb's face before Kolb had time to react. Kolb had room if he would have stepped forward to his right, but in turning back to his left, he ran right into Suggs and fumbled. After a penalty gave the Cardinals a first down, the Cardinals ran the ball three times in a row, moving the chains. Much safer, smarter football under the circumstances.
• Low man wins. Even the greatest players relearn tough lessons. That seemed to be the case when Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis absorbed a big hit from Cardinals right tackle Brandon Keith, forcing Lewis from the game with a stinger. Lewis was standing a little too upright near the line of scrimmage when Keith blasted him on a Beanie Wells running play to the right side. How much did the Ravens miss Lewis? It's tough to say, but Kolb completed a 66-yard pass over the middle to Fitzgerald on the first play Lewis missed.
• Missed chance for Wilson. Wilson nearly picked off a pass in the end zone before Baltimore kicked a field goal to tie the game, 3-3. This would have been a difficult play to make because the ball was on Wilson quickly. Wilson, who made an athletic play to pick off Rex Grossman at Washington in Week 2, missed chances against Seattle, the New York Giants and now Baltimore. The Cardinals lost to the Seahawks by three, the Giants by four and the Ravens by three. They were a play or two away.

A few notes on how the Arizona Cardinals use their defensive personnel, followed by an ESPN Stats & Information chart with playing-time percentages:

• The Cardinals would like to develop linebackers O'Brien Schofield and Sam Acho. Schofield played a season-high 25 snaps in Week 7. Acho, a rookie fourth-round choice, played a season-high 24 snaps. Schofield's playing time fell during the third, fourth and fifth games. The team wants both to play more as the season progresses. Snaps for Clark Haggans and Joey Porter have fallen as a result.
• Inside linebacker Stewart Bradley played 21 snaps against Pittsburgh, his highest count since Week 2. He hardly played in the previous two games, however, and that explains why his percentage has fallen since the first three games. Week 7 snap counts for inside linebackers: Paris Lenon 70, Daryl Washington 47, Reggie Walker 23, Bradley 21.

On to the chart ...

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The Arizona Cardinals' efforts to develop young players and integrate new ones on defense continues to stagnate.

The reasons are simple to understand.
First-year coordinator Ray Horton is installing a complex new system that would be tough for young players to absorb even with a full offseason. And the team's highest-priced defensive addition in free agency, inside linebacker Stewart Bradley, came from a vastly different system, so he was going to face a transition period as well.

Finally, the Cardinals haven't done a great job drafting young personnel to fit their new system.

I found useful comments New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick made recently in explaining why his team has leaned less heavily on a pure 3-4 defense:

"We've played a mixture of odd fronts and even fronts, but I just felt like from a starting point -- given the lack of spring opportunities to practice and meet, and the shortened training camp in terms of actual number of practices -- that from a teaching standpoint, we felt like there would be more carryover teaching our base defense and nickel defense really as one front.

"We wanted a lot of carryover between our run responsibilities and run fits, and some of our pressure defenses and things like that. We'll transition and build into some of our odds fronts, but we felt like in trying to evaluate young players, asking them to learn one system in a 3-4 and then learn another system in nickel [was too much].

"As you know, we were in nickel defense just as much as we were 3-4 defense because of teams using multiple receivers on early downs and two-minute and all those kind of things. So, we felt like it would be a better opportunity to evaluate our players and not try to over-install and put in a ton of defense.

"There are so many intricacies to a 3-4 defense that I just didn't know if we'd be ready to handle them this year."

The Cardinals have scaled back. And, unlike the Patriots, they have not had Belichick teaching and overseeing their defense since 2000. Horton is finding his way as a coordinator and still getting a feel for the personnel he inherited. He also doesn't benefit from a Tom Brady-led offense putting points on the board and pulling out victories even when the defense falters.

What the Cardinals do have in their favor, at least this week, is great familiarity with the upcoming opponent, Pittsburgh. Horton coached the Steelers' secondary, so he should know how to scheme for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Arizona coaches Ken Whisehunt and Russ Grimm, among others, also have roots with the Steelers. And Arizona is coming off a bye week, which gave coaches needed time to reassess.

The first chart shows snap counts and percentages for the Cardinals' defensive players, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Younger players such as O'Brien Schofield and Sam Acho will presumably get more playing time as the season progresses. Bradley's snap counts are also much lower than I would have anticipated coming into the season.

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The Arizona Cardinals worry about Joey Porter playing too many snaps at age 34 and after 186 career regular-season games.

So far, they haven't done much about it.

Porter has already played 250 defensive snaps in four games this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That works out to 62.5 snaps per game, making Porter pretty much an every-down player.

O'Brien Schofield, the outside linebacker Arizona hopes to groom as Porter's successor, has 63 snaps all season.

The basic problem: Porter has vast experience in the defensive system new coordinator Ray Horton brought from Pittsburgh, where Porter spent his first eight seasons.

Schofield, 24, has very little NFL experience of any kind. He was rehabbing a knee injury when the Cardinals drafted him, recovering in time to play the final 10 games last season. The lockout left him playing catchup once the Cardinals finally reported for training camp. With regular-season games on the line, the coaching staff must balance doing everything it can to win against getting needed work for a young player finding his way.

On the other hand, Seattle has found a starting role for rookie middle linebacker K.J. Wright, a fourth-round choice with 97 snaps in the three games he has played. San Francisco has found considerable playing time for rookie first-round pick Aldon Smith, who played a season-high 39 snaps in Week 4 and has played at least 20 every week.

"O’Brien is a young player and we are trying to get him to where he can play fast," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt told reporters during the week. "That’s a process with young guys. You have to remember about O’Brien, he had eight weeks last year and no offseason. ... We are working to get the rotation right for all those guys so we can keep them where we can play at a high level."

The Cardinals' defense has been on the field extensively this season. Arizona, St. Louis and Indianapolis are the only teams with at least 65 plays on defense in every game this season, according to the NFL.

Porter has six sacks in 18 games with the Cardinals. He had 26.5 sacks in 30 games with the Miami Dolphins over the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

"We brought Joey in because we thought he had enough left, especially in certain situations to be able to rush the passer, and to give us some leadership," Whisenhunt said. "Things haven’t gone the way we wanted them to defensively. Joey is accountable. He understands what it takes to be successful. We’re going to continue to work to try to put him in the best situations and not overburden him by giving him too many snaps."

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Five things I noticed while watching the Seattle Seahawks' 13-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3:

• Tarvaris Jackson is no Matt Hasselbeck. The Seahawks have ample offensive weapons now that Sidney Rice is back from a shoulder injury. Jackson's ability to make use of those weapons will determine whether the Seahawks outperform almost universally low outside expectations for them. Seattle is keeping things conservative from a scheming standpoint. Jackson obviously trusts Rice more than his other receivers, notably Mike Williams, after playing with Rice in Minnesota. Watching this game and then watching Hasselbeck play for Tennessee, I kept thinking the Seahawks would have won this game by double digits had their former quarterback been behind center. Then again, Jackson has weathered the physical punishment better than I suspect Hasselbeck would have. In addition to surviving teeth-chattering sacks from Calais Campbell, Jackson ran into and through Adrian Wilson at the goal line on his 11-yard touchdown run.
• Carroll's personnel profile on display. Pete Carroll values players with unusual physical characteristics. Rookie K.J. Wright fits the profile as a 6-foot-4 linebacker. That height came into play on the pass safety Earl Thomas intercepted. A penalty negated the pick, but replays showed Wright leaping high to redirect Kevin Kolb's pass. Thomas, who possesses unusual speed for a safety, then made an athletic play on the ball. Kam Chancellor, unusually large even for a strong safety, then blasted Cardinals tight end Todd Heap during the return. This play showcased three Seattle players with unusual physical attributes for their positions. The thinking has advantages, but also drawbacks. It's tougher finding injury replacements, as Seattle found out last season when trying to replace Red Bryant, who has unusual traits for a defensive end.
• Center Max Unger is looking better. Unger, back in the lineup this season after missing nearly all of 2010 with an injury, seemed to be searching for his bearings during preseason. He fared well after a shaky start. Unger directed Darnell Dockett out of the play during Leon Washington's 21-yard run in the second quarter. Unger also appeared determined to make sure the Cardinals didn't bully Seattle. Unger is the Seahawks' only remaining starter from the 2009 line that drew criticism for letting Dockett rough up Matt Hasselbeck with an elbow to the throat.
• Browner did not always see the ball. The Seahawks generally fared well defending Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Brandon Browner, their new starting corner, matches up well against bigger receivers. But as Browner found out early in the game, it's nearly impossible to defend Fitzgerald when the perennial Pro Bowl wideout gets a head start on tracking the ball. For years, Seattle's Marcus Trufant has stressed this point. Fitzgerald had been tracking the ball for 3-4 yards before Browner could turn to see the sideline pass Fitzgerald would catch for a 28-yard gain. Rice's sideline reception for Seattle against the Cardinals' Wilson demonstrated the same principle. Big receivers with good hands will find ways to catch the ball when defenders are late in tracking it.
• McCoy's split-second reaction key. Tight end Anthony McCoy was setting up in pass protection against the Cardinals' Joey Porter when Jackson mishandled a high shotgun snap from Unger with 12:37 remaining. Porter knocked the ball from the Seattle 42-yard line to the 29, where McCoy recovered even though Arizona's Richard Marshall beat him to the area. The play was impressive because McCoy, unlike Porter, had his back to the ball initially. He was the only Seattle player with a chance for recovery. The Cardinals' Marshall, Paris Lenon and Dockett were in pursuit, as were Clark Haggans and Porter. Had McCoy taken even a split second to express frustration over the fumble, Arizona would have recovered, changing the game. McCoy showed up again on the Seahawks' next drive. His block on Cardinals safety Kerry Rhodes helped Rice get around the corner for a first down when Seattle was protecting a 13-10 lead with 4:34 to play.

I'll break out Cardinals observations separately as time permits.

SEATTLE -- Thoughts on the Seattle Seahawks' 13-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field in Week 3:

What it means: The Cardinals and Seahawks are tied with1-2 records, one game behind the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West.

What I liked: Both offensive lines generally fared well clearing lanes in the ground game. Seattle was markedly improved in this area. Arizona fared better than expected, save for short-yardage situations, given Beanie Wells' unavailability stemming from a hamstring injury suffered Friday. Seattle quarterback Tarvaris Jackson did a much better job using his mobility to scramble. He finally found a passing rhythm during a 14-play, 72-yard drive that ended with Jackson diving into defenders and across the goal line. Sidney Rice topped 100 yards in his Seattle debut, and the secondary made timely plays, including interceptions by Marcus Trufant and safety Kam Chancellor. For the Cardinals, quarterback Kevin Kolb found receiver Larry Fitzgerald for a memorable 28-yard scoring reception against double coverage. Kolb was retreating to his left and threw a jump ball off his back foot from the Seattle 27-yard line. Fitzgerald made his leaping grab about five yards deep in the end zone.

What I didn't like: Kolb couldn't get much going for too long during the second half. He also blew a scoring chance before halftime when throwing aggressively to Fitzgerald, only to have Seattle's Trufant break on the ball for an interception. He threw another interception with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. Turnovers in those situations were costly because the game was so close. For Seattle, the offense continued to struggle despite occasional signs of life. Procedural penalties kept setting back Seattle. Jackson's fumbled shotgun snap in the fourth quarter was costly and could have been disastrous if Arizona had recovered. Neither team got the ball to its 2010 receiving leaders enough. Fitzgerald had five catches for 64 yards. Mike Williams, who caught 22 passes against Arizona last season, had none Sunday.

For the record: Fitzgerald's first-half touchdown reception was the 67th of his career, breaking Roy Green's franchise record. Also, Cardinals tight end Todd Heap moved past Ben Coates into 14th place on the NFL's all-time receiving yardage list for tight ends. Jeremy Shockey, Riley Odoms and Mike Ditka stand immediately ahead of Heap on the list and within striking distance this season, although Shockey continues to improve his totals.

Okung's infractions: Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung entered Week 3 leading NFL players in most penalties, accepted or declined. He continued to have penalty problems in this game, possibly an indication he isn't playing with full confidence after suffering repeated ankle injuries.



Injuries of note: Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington returned from a calf injury and started. Teammates Richard Marshall, Heap and Levi Brown returned to the game after suffering injuries. Cardinals linebacker Paris Lenon aggravated a groin injury and left the game.

What's next: The Cardinals are home against the New York Giants. The Seahawks are home against the Atlanta Falcons.