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Our post-draft amendments to pre-draft positional rankings continue with Matt Williamson, NFL scout for ESPN.com.

Up next: defensive linemen.

NFC West teams drafted four of them if we count the San Francisco 49ers' Corey Lemonier and the Arizona Cardinals' Alex Okafor as 3-4 outside linebackers, which we will do for the purposes of this exercise.

The four draftees: Tank Carradine (40th overall choice) and Quinton Dial (157th) to the 49ers; and Jordan Hill (87th) and Jesse Williams (137th) to the Seattle Seahawks.

Williamson moved up the 49ers from fourth to second in his defensive line rankings following the draft. Seattle remains No. 1. The St. Louis Rams and Cardinals each dropped one spot to accommodate the 49ers' rise.

Then as now, the rankings are close. There's no shame in having the fourth-best line in the NFC West. We pick up the conversation from there.

Williamson: I love Tank Carradine. Dial, the kid from Alabama, is a worthy addition. Carradine seemed like a really curious fit to me at first because I thought of him more as an outside linebacker, an edge player. But people were calling me out during our draft chat and saying he is going to be a defensive end for them.

Sando: Yeah, Carradine is in that 275-pound range. Justin Smith and Ray McDonald were in that range, and they projected to defensive end with the 49ers. All 3-4s are not the same and we know defensive coordinator Vic Fangio likes an active defensive front.

Williamson: Smith and McDonald are not a whole lot different. The 49ers' defensive ends aren't like Aaron Smith was in Pittsburgh. Justin Smith was 4-3 end. I buy that, but I also think like we talked about before, it wouldn't blow me away if we saw more 4-3 from them.

Sando: Yeah, when they added Glenn Dorsey, the first thought was that he would be best suited in a 4-3 defense, not a 3-4. And I know the 49ers move around their guys up front. I know they play with a four-man line a decent percentage of the time.

Williamson: They don't have the pure nose on the team any more. We will see more multiple fronts, which gets more bodies involved. One problem with that defense is they played only 12 guys, 13 guys most of the time. That hurts them late in the season with too many people worn down.

Sando: That was the case late last season. It's why the 49ers addressed their front seven more than they addressed their cornerback situation. They think the corners can be fine if the front is healthy and deeper. Shifting gears, you left Seattle at No. 1 along the line. The Seahawks also added two defensive linemen in this draft.

Williamson: Jesse Williams can be a great player. If his knee had checked out better, I had him penciled in for the 49ers in the first round. Hill is a shorter guy, a leverage and quickness player. I'm not sure they really have anyone else like him. Brandon Mebane is bigger and stronger. Hill plays the Mebane position or is just an interior pass-rusher. I think Hill is an energy guy. Get him out there 20-30 snaps a game. He is like a curveball. You're used to playing against power with Mebane and then they change it up. Mebane would be much stouter.

Sando: Hill was drafted before Williams, but he's getting a lot less attention.

Williamson: Williams is the wild card of this draft. On tape, he is a later first-round player. Big, really strong, moves really well. There have to be legitimate concerns about his health, but we don't always find out the extent of those before the draft. Every year, guys fall two or three rounds further than they should. We sit there saying all these teams should take Jesse Williams, but then after a while, something must be wrong with Jesse Williams.

Sando: The Seahawks did not sound concerned, but teams don't really express concerns on draft day, either.

Williamson: Alabama plays a 3-4 and Williams was a defensive end for them when they had Josh Chapman. He can play all over the line. He played the nose, but he is not a Casey Hampton. He can be Red Bryant, but he could also be Alan Branch and maybe Mebane, too.

Sando: The Rams and Cardinals did not draft defensive linemen given that we're counting Okafor at linebacker for now. The Cardinals said they could add a defensive tackle in free agency. Some in the media have linked them to Sedrick Ellis.

Williamson: If they do sign Ellis, that is yet another indication we’ll see more 4-3 there as well. The guys they are adding are not true 3-4 guys. Calais Campbell can do both. Darnell Dockett is better in a 4-3. Frostee Rucker and Matt Shaughnessy don't really have 3-4 experience. They are better as 4-3 ends. Okafor can be as much 3-4 outside linebacker as 4-3 end if Campbell is your heavier 4-3 end, Dockett is your three-technique and then Dan Williams or Ellis would be your one-technique. Okafor would be your open-side guy.

Sando: The scheme uncertainties in Arizona could lead us to revisit the rankings as we learn more and get a better feel for how specific players fit.

» NFC draft analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

The NFC West has been gaining on the two-time defending division champion San Francisco 49ers.

The Seattle Seahawks nearly caught the 49ers in the division race last season before adding Percy Harvin. The St. Louis Rams more than tripled their victory total from 2011 while going 1-0-1 against San Francisco. The Arizona Cardinals will almost certainly get better after acquiring quarterback Carson Palmer.

The 49ers, with arguably the NFL's strongest roster and best coaching staff, had nowhere to go but down. How general manager Trent Baalke used the 49ers' NFL-high 13 draft choices was going to be critical for the 49ers to maintain their standing atop the NFC West.

"Trent Baalke has to be on his 'A' game," coach Jim Harbaugh had said. "This could make you. You could be the next Bill Polian, the next Ozzie Newsome. It all hinges on this draft. So, it's exciting."

So, how did Baalke do? With all those picks and relatively few openings in the lineup, Baalke needed to be aggressive. He needed to move up for specific players when appropriate and parlay picks into 2014 capital.

Baalke did those things. He moved up 13 spots to select LSU safety Eric Reid with the 18th overall pick. There's more than one way to judge whether the 49ers fared well in getting the 18th pick from Dallas for the 31st and 74th selections. A rival executive told me he thought the 49ers got a great deal. In 1995, Jacksonville packaged the 31st, 97th and 134th picks with a future fourth-rounder to acquire No. 19 -- a higher price.

The 49ers had the capital to move around the board and target needs. San Francisco addressed its top three needs with its top three picks, landing a safety (Reid), defensive lineman (Tank Carradine) and tight end (Vance McDonald). Baalke acquired a 2014 third-rounder from Tennessee as well.

So, the 49ers got what they wanted now while planning for the future with that 2014 pick and Marcus Lattimore, the running back they hope can contribute in 2014. Carradine could be needed to take over for Justin Smith in another year. The 49ers added receiver Quinton Patton in the fourth round -- no big deal, perhaps, but with a decision on Michael Crabtree's contract looming, insurance at that position made sense longer term as well.

BEST MOVE

There were a few worthy candidates. A double move the St. Louis Rams pulled off in the first round stands out. We cannot say with any certainty whether the players St. Louis or any team selected will become outstanding ones, but we can evaluate the process, at least. The Rams had more at stake in the first round than any team in the NFC West. Their thinking and execution through that portion of the draft appeared sound.

Moving up eight spots to select wide receiver Tavon Austin delivered to St. Louis the skill that player evaluators were most excited about in this draft. The cost was high, however, and the Rams had lots of needs. Their move to recoup picks by trading back eight spots to No. 30 with their other first-round selection gave them the best of both worlds.

The Rams entered this draft with eight total picks and what seemed to be primary needs at safety, receiver, guard and outside linebacker. They needed depth at corner, too.

Sending the 16th, 46th, 78th and 222nd picks to the Buffalo Bills for the eighth and 71st picks left the Rams with just six selections in the draft. That wasn't going to be enough for coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead to build sufficient depth. But with Snead having come to the Rams from Atlanta, the second-year GM put to use his relationship with Falcons counterpart Thomas Dimitroff, restoring needed picks to St. Louis.

The Rams then sent the 22nd overall choice and a 2015 seventh-rounder to the Falcons for the 30th, 92nd and 198th choices. That left St. Louis with its original pick count, eight, and the same number of first-rounders. Note that the picks St. Louis wound up using in the first round -- Nos. 8 and 30 -- averaged out to the picks the Rams held originally (16 and 22).

The Rams emerged from the first round with the first skill-position player selected and the first 4-3 outside linebacker selected.

RISKIEST MOVE

Risk can be good sometimes, and I'd say the Arizona Cardinals made a calculated one by using their third-round choice for Tyrann Mathieu, the LSU defensive back Bill Polian had called a "poor teammate and a poor risk" during ESPN's draft coverage. Polian, a six-time NFL executive of the year, made those comments before the Cardinals selected Mathieu (Polian and Cardinals coach Bruce Arians worked together in Indianapolis years ago).

Mathieu, nicknamed "Honey Badger" for his aggressive coverage tactics, had been kicked off the team at LSU for violating substance-abuse rules. He had admitted to having a problem eliminating marijuana use from his life. A strong endorsement from Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson helped Arizona feel better about selecting Mathieu. The two starred together at LSU and are looking forward to reuniting.

"We will probably start him at weak safety and then with our defense, with the way it’s structured, he can slide into the slot as a free safety -- basically playing with three corners, but one of them is also a safety," Arians said. "He gives that flexibility where we wouldn’t have to substitute."

Mathieu said he'll submit to regular testing, counseling or anything else the Cardinals might have in mind. He sounded sincere.

Meanwhile, general manager Steve Keim pointed to strong leadership in the Cardinals' locker room as another reason the team might be able to keep Mathieu on the right side of the NFL's policies. Keim singled out Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell and Daryl Washington as players "you feel can help keep some structure in place."

Those players might indeed serve as fine leaders. However, the Cardinals did reportedly levy a six-figure fine against Dockett for insubordination last season. Washington is scheduled to serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

"We made two selections, our first two selections, with guys that have impeccable character," Keim said of Jonathan Cooper and Kevin Minter. "You don't want to build your locker room of 53 players with risk.

"If you feel like you have a strong core of solid veteran leaders -- guys like Dockett, Calais Campbell, Daryl Washington -- who you feel can help keep some structure in place, I think that you have a chance to occasionally take a risk. That's if you have that instinct or that gut feeling that this player is committed to making a change."

MOST SURPRISING MOVE

The Seattle Seahawks used the last choice of the second round to select running back Christine Michael even though the depth chart was stacked with Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin, both of whom are signed for the long term.

The Seahawks did not have glaring needs entering this draft. They had flexibility to make a move such as this one. They also had an opening at running back after releasing Leon Washington. Unlike Washington, however, Michael doesn't factor as an explosive kickoff returner. He doesn't qualify as a change-of-pace back. He would seem to give the Seahawks more of the power running they already have in abundance.

The most surprising move in the division could still be a good one. As coach Pete Carroll pointed out, the team used a third-round choice for quarterback Russell Wilson last year shortly after signing Matt Flynn to a three-year, $19.5 million deal. The team found a starting quarterback when no one thought it needed one.

FILE IT AWAY

The landscape at running back continues to change in the NFC West. Every team in the division selected at least one in this draft.

The clock ticks loudly for older backs in the NFL.

Steven Jackson was one established back to depart the NFC West this offseason, leaving the Rams in free agency after eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the team.

St. Louis traded into the fifth round to select Vanderbilt's Zac Stacy, a power back standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 216 pounds. Stacy will join Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson in the committee setup Jackson resisted.

Frank Gore's time with the San Francisco 49ers is not yet up. He remains effective and hasn't shown obvious signs of slowing. He's one of the most productive and respected players on the team. He also turns 30 next month, a bad number for running backs.

The 49ers used a 2011 fourth-round pick for Kendall Hunter and a 2012 second-rounder for LaMichael James before using a 2013 fourth-rounder for South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore. The team is preparing for life without Gore.

The Cardinals already released 2009 first-round pick Beanie Wells. They signed Rashard Mendenhall before drafting Stanford career rushing leader Stepfan Taylor in the fifth round and another back, Andre Ellington of Clemson, in the sixth.

Michael's addition in Seattle wouldn't appear to change much over the next year or two. I wonder what it says, if anything, about the team's faith in Lynch holding up through the remainder of his contract, which runs through 2015.

Seattle added another running back, Spencer Ware of LSU, late in the sixth round.

The San Francisco 49ers have fielded an effective, sometimes dominant defensive line recently, even without factoring outside linebacker Aldon Smith into the line equation.

That's why it was shocking to see ESPN's NFL scout, Matt Williamson, rank the 49ers' defensive line fourth among those in the NFC West.

The No. 4 ranking could be misleading, however. Williamson explained why in kicking off the latest conversation in our series ranking NFC West teams at each position.

Williamson: I could make an argument to put these defensive lines in almost any order.

Sando: So, you're not necessarily downgrading Justin Smith and the rest of that 49ers line.

Williamson: I still think Smith is the best defensive lineman in the division and that is really saying something. But I wonder if his best days were in 2011. Those were very good days. He was the best defensive player in the league. You wonder if he is 90 percent of his best days, which is still a great player and the best defensive lineman in the division, but he might not be quite the same. I like Ray McDonald. Glenn Dorsey will be a nose tackle/McDonald type. They will move him around. He'll be a better version of Ricky Jean-Francois. That is who he is replacing, not Isaac Sopoaga.

Sando: The 49ers could have significant plans for Dorsey, although those remain a little vague.

Williamson: Dorsey was my favorite player in the '08 draft as a Warren Sapp type and a perfect fit for the scheme the Chiefs had at the time, but then everyone got fired, they turned him into a 3-4 defensive end and it was a totally wasted resource of a high pick. The 49ers will be smarter about how they use him than Kansas City was, but I don't think he is the same player because he has added weight and has been a slight bust.

Sando: Looking at the division overall, I might have put the Rams ahead of the Seahawks. For Seattle, Chris Clemons is hurt, Alan Branch departed, Tony McDaniel was arguably a so-so replacement and Red Bryant is coming off a tough year. Michael Brockers looks like a star in the making for the Rams. Chris Long and Robert Quinn can easily combine for 20-plus sacks. William Hayes is in there too.

Williamson: I didn’t penalize the Seahawks in the rankings for Clemons' injury. He is still a really good player who will factor in at some point. He was really good on last viewing. Bruce Irvin will be better. Michael Bennett is a great addition. Cliff Avril is a phenomenal addition. They will put that NASCAR package out there when Clemons is healthy. Brandon Mebane is really good. I believe in Red Bryant. That is six quality defensive linemen and they can add somebody. McDaniel can hold his own. They can go eight deep with quality players and some fringe Pro Bowlers.

Sando: The depth is impressive. That is one area where I think the 49ers are lacking. They don't need as large of a rotation because Aldon Smith plays in their four-man line packages. Still, the Seahawks are stacked up front to a degree that came into clearer focus the way you spelled it out.

Williamson: They have a wide skill set, which I like, too. Irvin and Bryant are totally different players at defensive end. Irvin, Clemons, Avril and Bryant give you versatility. For the Rams, Hayes is an important part of that equation. He had seven sacks last year. Quinn and Long are questionable against the run. Hayes can be a base run defensive end. Plus, he moves inside and can be a quality rusher there.

Sando: I hadn't really thought of Long as a liability against the run.

Williamson: You can run at Long. Part of that is scheme. Sort of like in the Dwight Freeney-Robert Mathis days, they play the run on the way to the quarterback. With the Rams, a lot of it is ahead of them. I'd draft Quinn very high if I were building a team, but he is not as good as Cliff Avril right now. Brockers is going to be a total stud. I didn't love him coming out of LSU, but he far exceeded my expectations. I think he'll be a multiple Pro Bowl player.

Sando: We haven't even mentioned the Cardinals, who have, by the way, Calais Campbell -- arguably the best defensive lineman in the division at any given time. There are some unanswered questions about scheme as the team transitions to a new staff, however.

Williamson: Even though they ran a 3-4 defense under former coordinator Ray Horton, they allowed those defensive ends to penetrate. If they were to go to a 4-3, it would be great for Darnell Dockett. He could compete for being the best three-technique in the league. The old scheme hurt Dockett. He is a great player and a better player than people realize because he hasn't been used properly.

Sando: We'll have a better feel for the Cardinals' line once we learn more about how new coordinator Todd Bowles plans to use everyone. Dan Williams is a key variable, too. He was drafted as a 3-4 nose tackle, a position pretty specific to the Horton scheme.

Williamson: Williams has come along and is an above average 3-4 starting nose tackle.

Sando: The Cardinals also added Frostee Rucker and Matt Shaughnessy for depth, but their line's ranking probably hinges on whether the new scheme maximizes Dockett. There are also some questions about the outside pass rush. Some of those questions will arise again when we look at the Cardinals' linebackers.

Williamson: Overall, I don't love their depth on the line. They don't have that guy off the bench like Hayes or all those defensive ends in Seattle or even Dorsey in San Francisco.

Sando: Great discussion, Matt. The takeaway is pretty clear to me. This division should be strong along its defensive lines. Keeping a straight face while ranking the 49ers' line fourth drives home the point.

The Arizona Cardinals' defensive line depth is taking shape with Frostee Rucker joining Matt Shaughnessy among free-agent additions this month.

Rucker, 29, agreed to terms on a one-year contract, the team announced.

Rucker, 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, played 50 percent of the Cleveland Browns' defensive snaps across 16 starts last season. He had four sacks.

The chart shows stats for Rucker and Shaugnessy along with those for the Cardinals' defensive linemen last season.

The Arizona Cardinals' contract agreement with Oakland Raiders unrestricted free agent Matt Shaughnessy adds quality depth to the team's line rotation, presumably behind Calais Campbell in particular.

Shaughnessy, 26, played about two-thirds of the defensive snaps for the Raiders last season. He was a third-round choice (71st overall) from Wisconsin in 2009. A shoulder injury sidelined him for much of the 2011 season after Shaughnessy collected a career-high seven sacks in 2010.

As Kent Somers noted, Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour pointed to Shaughnessy's injury as the No. 1 reason Oakland's defense faltered in 2011.

"I think he's the best (end) in the NFL against the run," Seymour said at the time, according to the San Jose Mercury News. "It was a big blow for us when he went down. It messed up our rotation a lot. Guys that weren't normally in there were trying to understand what we were trying to do."

The chart ranks the Cardinals' defensive linemen from 2012 by snaps played. I've added Shaughnessy to the list for reference.

The Arizona Cardinals were good enough early last season to win a road game against New England on their way to a 4-0 record. They were bad enough later to lose nine in a row and 11 of their final 12 overall.

Despite the rough finish, new coach Bruce Arians and staff sound more optimistic about the roster than general manager Steve Keim would have expected.

"They came in and did a nice job studying our team, looked at all the tape, and when we had our initial meeting with them to talk about our players, I was pleasantly surprised with how many of our guys they really liked," Keim told reporters at the NFL scouting combine.

The Cardinals rank tied with Jacksonville and St. Louis for 29th in total number of players with Pro Bowls on their resumes. The number is five for those teams, four for Cleveland and 9.5 on average for the other 28 teams in the NFL.

Calais Campbell and Daryl Washington are among the Arizona players in line for such honors, but two of the five that have gone in the past will be at least 32 years old this season (Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson).

Arizona, despite some promising young talent, has the NFL eighth-oldest roster on average. Some of that stems from having older specialists such as kicker Jay Feely (36), snapper Mike Leach (36), and punter Dave Zastudil (34). Churning some of the depth along both lines would make the Cardinals younger in a hurry. Vonnie Holliday (37), Nick Eason (32), and D'Anthony Batiste (30) are veteran backups.

"Now, again, I'm not naïve," Keim said. "There are certain areas where we need to vastly improve. But at the same time, those (coaches) had a very, very optimistic outlook on our team. Whether it was the offensive linemen, some of them who were maligned throughout the year, guys like Bobby Massie, Nate Potter, who if you watch them early and watch them late, they improved considerably."

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic passes along a comment from Cardinals free safety Kerry Rhodes denying a report that teammate Darnell Dockett spit in his face during the team's 7-6 defeat to the New York Jets.

From Rhodes: "Yes, we had a disagreement on the field but, no he did NOT spit in my face. I'm not going to get into all the details because I think those are things you keep within the team. But Darnell and I talked after the game, we’re both moving on and I’ll leave it at that."

The disagreement was apparently over the Cardinals' decision to let the Jets score late in the game as a means toward getting the ball back for the Arizona offense. The Jets fell on the ball short of the goal line and ran out the clock.

Thoughts on the Arizona Cardinals' 23-19 defeat against the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome on Sunday:

What it means: The Cardinals have now lost six consecutive games following a 4-0 start. This game was a bit like their season. Arizona started quickly thanks to a strong defense, but quarterback issues dragged them down over time. Coach Ken Whisenhunt emphasized accountability during the bye week. He backed it up by benching quarterback John Skelton while the Cardinals held a 13-3 lead. Skelton missed a wide-open Larry Fitzgerald in the end zone as the Cardinals failed to fully capitalize on three first-quarter interceptions off Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. The fact that Arizona picked off five passes and still lost highlighted the team's glaring issues at quarterback.

What I liked: The defense was fantastic and did enough to win this game with only average play from the quarterback position. Defensive end Darnell Dockett was disruptive. He batted one pass to set up an interception. He blew up running plays. The bye week seemed to restore Dockett's health and productivity. William Gay, Kerry Rhodes and Greg Toler had first-quarter interceptions. Inside linebacker Daryl Washington added a fourth pick in the second half. Sam Acho produced a fifth, collecting a pass that bounced off teammate Dan Williams' helmet as Williams leaped to defend the pass. LaRod Stephens-Howling gained 127 yards on 22 rushes. He had 52- and 40-yard runs in the half. The 52-yarder featured a jump cut for the ages. William Powell had a 65-yard kickoff return. Punter Dave Zastudil and the coverage units positively affected field position as the Cardinals jumped to their early lead. Toler made an outstanding effort at throwing a loose ball back inbounds so Arizona could recover for a turnover.

What I didn't like: The quarterback play was horrendous by NFL standards. Skelton had completed 2 of 7 passes for 6 yards when the Cardinals benched him. Rookie Ryan Lindley completed 2 of 7 passes for 18 yards on his first seven attempts. He completed 9 of 20 passes for 64 yards (3.2 per attempt) overall. The Cardinals ran the ball well and have talent at wide receiver. They needed more production from their passing game under the circumstances. The offense wasn't alert enough when the Falcons picked up a loose ball and returned it for a touchdown. The whistle had never blown. Arizona gave away free points on that play. Washington, though outstanding this season, committed a 15-yard penalty after the Cardinals stopped the Falcons on third-and-15. The Cardinals, after holding firm defensively much of the day, gave up a quick touchdown drive to lose the lead late. Fitzgerald could not finish a fourth-and-2 reception in Falcons territory as the team made its final push to retake the lead.

Notable: Minus the one game he had missed to injury, veteran safety Adrian Wilson had played a higher percentage of defensive snaps than any Cardinal other than cornerback Patrick Peterson. Wilson wasn't on the field early in the game. His snaps were down overall. Was this one of the switches Whisenhunt had alluded to when he said during the bye that changes would be made? The quick hook for Skelton had to be one. Also, the Cardinals went away from rookie receiver Michael Floyd after he appeared to line up incorrectly, leading to a turnover.

Coaching gaffe: Falcons coach Mike Smith threw his challenge flag before officials initiated a mandatory review following the third-quarter turnover Toler helped to force. Smith's challenge was in violation of the rules. And because he threw the flag before booth officials initiated their review, the play became unreviewable. The Cardinals took over possession, short-circuiting a Falcons drive deep in Cardinals territory. Everyone makes mistakes, but coaches earning millions should know basic rules regarding challenges.

Key injury: Peterson suffered a hamstring injury, apparently in the fourth quarter.

What's next: The Cardinals are home against the Rams in Week 12.

Back on Sept. 24, eight days after the Arizona Cardinals' Todd Heap suffered a knee injury at New England, coach Ken Whisenhunt sounded optimistic about the veteran tight end returning right away.

"I know that Todd was really close last week and it was just more of a decision to let him rest that week with the idea of getting him back," Whisenhunt said at the time.

Heap has missed another six games, apparently without suffering any additional injuries. The team has listed him as questionable on its injury report.

Now, a report from Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic suggests Whisenhunt and defensive lineman Darnell Dockett think Heap should have returned some time ago. Whisenhunt and Heap declined to discuss the matter. The comments Dockett made about players needing to get back on the field more quickly did not name Heap or even hint that Heap was his intended target.

We do know the Cardinals waited until training camp before asking Heap to reduce his $2.15 million salary by $1 million. The timing made it difficult for Heap, 32, to explore other options. He accepted the reduction.

Might the pay issue be affecting Heap's willingness to return quickly or play through pain?

Heap missed six games to injury with Baltimore last season. He has played in 146 games since entering the NFL in 2001. He has six seasons with 16 regular-season starts.

Whisenhunt, asked Oct. 17 about Heap possibly playing at Minnesota in Week 7, kept his comments short.

"Well, I think Todd is a good football player," he said. "There's always a chance, so I hope so."

More recently, on Oct. 31, a reporter asked Whisenhunt whether the team remained "in the same place" regarding Heap.

"Yes," Whisenhunt responded, without elaboration.

Alex Smith is completing 69.5 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and one interception when opponents come after him with five or more pass-rushers.

That note, delivered from ESPN Stats & Information, stands as a positive indicator for the San Francisco 49ers as they prepare to face Arizona on "Monday Night Football" in Week 8.

That is only part of the picture, however.

The Cardinals are allowing a league-low 40.9 percent completion rate on these plays featuring added pressure. As the chart shows, Arizona's blitz packages gave Smith problems last season. Smith posted a 9.5 QBR score out of 100 on these plays against Arizona. That compares to 80.4 against the 49ers' first seven opponents this season.

The 49ers arguably have not faced a defense as good as Arizona's this season. I say "arguably" because I do expect arguments to break out over this in the comments section.

The Cardinals sacked Smith five times and held him to 4.7 yards per pass attempt during their Week 14 home victory over the 49ers last season. They have yet to allow more than 21 points in a game this season despite frequently getting little help from their offense. Arizona ranks third behind Chicago and Houston in ESPN's expected-points metric, which trumps traditional yardage-based measures for reasons explained here.

We can all agree on this: Arizona's defense leads the league in publicly disclosed disdain for the 49ers.

"I really felt like I could have had four sacks last week and I had zero," Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell told Sirius radio (via Matt Barrows). "So I gotta make up for that this week especially going against the 49ers who I really hate with a passion. I can't wait to go out there and stick it to them. Alex Smith I've gotten down a few times so I know he's thinking about me a little bit. So I can't wait to get out there ..."

Campell's teammates, Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson, have usually been the ones to speak out against the 49ers.

Perhaps the Cardinals have not yet dived into the video showing the 49ers' offensive line dominating opponents this season. Ben Stockwell of Pro Football Focus took note after watching San Francisco run the ball consistently well against Seattle.

"Each starter on the Seahawks’ defensive line recorded the lowest single-game run defense grade ever earned individually in the five years we have been grading games here at Pro Football Focus," Stockwell wrote. "This was dominance that we have simply never seen imposed on this Seahawks defense before."

Earlier: Gore, Cardinals on collision course

A few thoughts as the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams near their Thursday night matchup at the Edward Jones Dome:

• Trending: The Rams are 1-0 against the NFC West as they try to reverse the worst wrong turn in franchise history. St. Louis has lost seven in a row at home when facing the Cardinals. The Rams are 1-10 over their last 11 games against Arizona. As the chart shows, the Rams' division rivals went 26-4 against St. Louis and 86-124 against everyone else over the five-year period through last season. The Rams, at 2-2, have already matched their 2011 total for victories. A victory Thursday night would give them a winning record for the first time since 2006, a span of 93 games and the third-longest streak in NFL history. The Oakland Raiders went 101 games from 2004-2010. New Orleans went 97 games from 1971-77.
• Motivation to spare: Real and perceived slights motivate competitive people. Ray Horton, Adrian Wilson and Paris Lenon come to mind for the Cardinals. Horton, the Cardinals' defensive coordinator, interviewed with the Rams before St. Louis instead hired Jeff Fisher as head coach. Wilson has played some of his best games against the Rams and, as he once told XTRA Sports 910 AM's Mike Jurecki, that might not be coincidental. According to Wilson, the Rams called him repeatedly during the 2001 draft and said they hoped to select him each time, only to draft three other defensive players instead. Wilson hasn't forgotten. Lenon, meanwhile, has been reborn in Arizona after the Rams decided against bringing him back following the 2009 season. Lenon and fellow inside linebacker Daryl Washington present problems with their inside blitzes.

• Watch the (fake) handoff: Kevin Kolb completed 23 of 41 play-action passes for 389 yards with one touchdown, one interception, four sacks and an 86.3 NFL passer rating last season. He's been better than that through four games in 2012. Kolb completed all five play-action pass attempts for 115 yards and two scores against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4. He's been effective on play-action throws all season, as the chart indicates. The Rams have struggled against play-action throws this season. That's one area to watch Thursday night.
• Strength on strength: Arizona is strongest at wide receiver with Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Roberts and Early Doucet. St. Louis is strongest at cornerback with Cortland Finnegan, Janoris Jenkins and Bradley Fletcher. Can the Rams get enough pressure at home to force Kolb into riskier throws? The Cardinals have to like their matchups against the Rams' safeties in coverage, provided Kolb has time. Second-year tight end Rob Housler could be a factor that way. But if Arizona's ground game continues to falter, the Rams will have an easier time taking chances with their secondary.
• Mismatches on the lines: Both defenses have to like their matchups against the opposing offensive tackles. Rams defensive end Chris Long matches up against Cardinals rookie right tackle Bobby Massie, who allowed four sacks to Cameron Wake last week. Arizona's Calais Campbell and Sam Acho should have advantages against the left side of the Rams' offensive line. And if Darnell Dockett (hamstring) is near full strength, his quickness should be a problem for the right side of the Rams' line.

Back in a bit. We'll be chatting through this game.

Talk is cheap. But if you add up a whole bunch of small coins, do you have something valuable?

That's what we'll find out in the wake of the Green Bay Packers' 14-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night. Via Twitter, at least, NFL players are talking a pretty good game in expressing outrage over the call that gave the Seahawks' Golden Tate a 24-yard game-winning touchdown reception.

I'm not going to link to the tweets because many contain profanity, but you'll get the picture. Players are angry, embarrassed and incredulous that the situation has come to this. We've already noted what Packers guard T.J. Lang has said. Let's look at some other player reactions:

Packers guard Josh Sitton: "That was [expletive]. This is getting ridiculous! The NFL needs to get the refs back bfr we strike and they make no money! … The nfl needs to come to gb and apologize ..."

Packers tight end Jermichael Finley: "Come on @NFL this [expletive] is getting out of Control. Caused us a DAMN game. Horrible!"

Injured Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop: "Accountability: The moment a player does something to embarrass the shield, swift & immediate action takes place! WHY not now?! Jussayin … Honestly, It's not about winning or losing here, it's the integrity of this game we love to play/watch. Hate 2 question it! Pack still good!"

Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett: "This is what the NFL has come down to, &yet they tell you to respect the shield! Lol. But they'll try to fine us for everything thing we do."

Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez: "I've been saying give the refs a break but that TD call was ridicules. How do you miss that? Pop Warner refs would have gotten that right."

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees: "I love this league and love the game of football, but tonight’s debacle hurts me greatly. This is NOT the league we’re supposed to represent."

The Arizona Cardinals held a 17-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles with six seconds before halftime Sunday. What happened next sent Arizona on its way to a 27-6 victory and the Cardinals' first 3-0 start since 1974:

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Paul ConnorsJames Sanders (39) returned a Michael Vick fumble for a touchdown just before halftime.
• The Eagles went with three wide receivers, two to the left side of the formation. Tight end Brent Celek lined up to the right side, on the line. LeSean McCoy was alone in the backfield behind quarterback Michael Vick.
• Quentin Groves, Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell had a hand on the ground as defensive linemen for Arizona. Safety James Sanders, subbing for Adrian Wilson, stood up over Celek. Sam Acho and Kerry Rhodes stood at the line near the left offensive tackle.
• Vick took the snap and looked to his right, away from Acho and Rhodes. McCoy went to the strong side in pass protection even though Arizona had a numbers advantage on the weak side. The left guard and center blocked Campbell. The left tackle blocked Acho. That left Rhodes with a free path to Vick, who was looking the other way.
• Sanders engaged Celek initially. Vick apparently wanted to find DeSean Jackson in the end zone, but Patrick Peterson and linebacker Daryl Washington had tight coverage. Vick seemed to hold the ball too long, but the on-screen clock showed five seconds remaining when Rhodes first made contact with the quarterback.
• Sanders could see what was happening. Celek could not; his back was to Vick. Sanders shed Celek, scooped up the ball and raced up the left sideline. The Eagles would have tackled him had Washington not hustled down to block McCoy.
• Acho was also part of the escort. He noticed receiver Damaris Johnson closing from the outside. Acho accelerated and reached his right arm forward in an effort to grab Johnson's left arm. This was at the 25-yard line. The game clock had expired. Sanders was at the 18. Acho quickly disengaged and held up his hands as if to show he hadn't done anything wrong, but he did appear to make contact with Johnson. Was it a hold? That would have been a controversial call. The chase continued. Johnson tripped at about the 12. He and Acho might have had their feet tangle inadvertently.
• Larry Fitzgerald had picked up the chase along the sideline at this point. He was running along the sideline, helmet in hand, and actually beat Acho to Sanders in the end zone. Fitzgerald leaped and wrapped his right arm around Sanders' head.

That sequence turned a potential 17-7 halftime lead into a 24-0 blowout. I'll be interested in seeing where it ranks among impact plays for the week, as determined by the change in win probability for each team.

Thoughts after the Arizona Cardinals' 27-6 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at University of Phoenix Stadium in Week 3:

What it means: The Cardinals are 3-0 for the first time since relocating to Arizona. They are alone atop the NFC West after San Francisco lost at Minnesota. Beating Seattle, New England and Philadelphia to open the season forces a reassessment of almost universally negative preseason expectations for the Cardinals. Arizona is playing great defensively. The offense showed improvement Sunday. By all appearances, quarterback Kevin Kolb played well enough against the Eagles to remain the starter while John Skelton returns to health.

What I liked: The defense hit Eagles quarterback Michael Vick almost too many times to count. Play after play, the Cardinals put the hurt on Vick, a huge factor in the game. Daryl Washington had two sacks. The secondary played tight coverage down the field to take away Vick's deep options. Arizona's defense has now dominated against Tom Brady and Vick in successive weeks. The defense has been consistently strong while Arizona has won 10 of its 12 most recent games.

Kerry Rhodes played his best game since coming to the Cardinals, a welcome boost while fellow safety Adrian Wilson sat out with injury. Rhodes made a touchdown-saving tackle on one play, then forced a fumble Arizona returned for a pivotal touchdown right before halftime. That was the pivotal sequence in the game, one that allowed the Cardinals to take a 24-0 lead into the half. Rhodes also delivered big hits on Eagles tight end Brent Celek. Arizona was the more aggressive team throughout. The fumble Anthony Sherman forced on special teams provided another example.

Kolb completed 17 of 24 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns, no turnovers and a 127.4 NFL passer rating. He was able to get Larry Fitzgerald involved after a slow start to the season. Fitzgerald, who became the youngest player to reach 700 career receptions, caught nine passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. He now has 35 catches for 570 yards and nine touchdowns in five career games against Philadelphia. Rookie first-round choice Michael Floyd also caught a scoring pass from Kolb.

Ryan Williams, nearly the goat against New England last week, ran hard and with great effectiveness to help Arizona put away the game. Williams carried 13 times for 83 yards.

What I didn't like: Injuries are becoming a concern for the Cardinals. Skelton, Wilson and Todd Heap missed this game. Williams was shaken up in the final minutes and went to the sideline. Beanie Wells and Darnell Dockett also left the game for Arizona. Dockett had a hamstring injury.

There wasn't much else to complain about. The illegal block Fitzgerald delivered prevented Andre Roberts from getting credit for a 79-yard reception. The block helped spring Roberts, but it did not appear necessary.

What's next: The Cardinals face the Miami Dolphins in Week 4 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- One quarterback at Arizona Cardinals camp was fighting to win back the starting job he'd never really earned. The team had paid millions to him, but questions persisted over his toughness, durability and leadership.

Another quarterback at Cardinals camp had outperformed his status as a late-round draft choice. He was bigger and had a stronger arm. Teammates responded more favorably to his presence on the field, it seemed, but he wasn't the most accurate passer, which was a concern.

If those descriptions stirred thoughts of Kevin Kolb and John Skelton, respectively, you'd be correct. But the same passages applied to the Cardinals' ill-fated 2010 quarterback race between Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson. Back then, Arizona cut Leinart, struggled with Anderson and finished with a 5-11 record.

The comparison naturally did not sit well with Ken Whisenhunt, the Cardinals' sixth-year head coach. He sees a team that has won with both Kolb and especially Skelton behind center. He sees a team returning a 1,000-yard rusher, a fleet of perimeter playmakers featuring the incomparable Larry Fitzgerald and a defense that dominated during a 7-2 run to finish last season.

"The biggest difference, in 2009, we were a damn good football team at 10-6, but how many [key] players did we lose after that year, five?" Whisenhunt said.

Four, if we count Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Karlos Dansby and Antrel Rolle.

"This year, we didn’t lose that," Whisenhunt said. "That is the biggest difference in how I feel from 2010 and the way I feel in 2012."

How the quarterback situation plays out will largely determine whether Whisenhunt is right.

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Kolb's adjustment. Going from Philadelphia's West Coast system to the Cardinals' offense has been tougher than anticipated for the Cardinals' would-be starting quarterback. The goal seems so simple: Find ways for Kolb to remain in the pocket and trust the offense. But the instincts Kolb developed with the Eagles keep getting in the way. That could explain what Raiders defensive lineman Tommy Kelly indelicately called "skittishness" -- the tendency for Kolb to bail from the pocket at the first sign of trouble.

Learning the Cardinals' offense hasn't been a problem. Unlearning what he did in Philly? That's another story.

"It's just the way they create the pocket, there versus here," Kolb said. "They teach us to really push up in the pocket in Philly. Two, three hitches up in the pocket when you get up there. You can see that. If you watch Mike [Vick], he has got two really big hitches into his throws. If it’s not there, it’s go or throw, you know what I mean?

"Here, when you get to that 8-yard range [on a drop-back], they want you to hang in that vicinity and just stay there. It is just a different deal. A lot of it is rhythm. As a quarterback, you always want to be on rhythm."

Coaches would rather have Kolb throw the ball away immediately than take off running without clear purpose. The line has a hard enough time protecting Kolb when it knows the quarterback's location. Unscripted relocation has proved costly.

Kolb has a firm command of the offense. He's football savvy and fully capable of processing information at the line of scrimmage. That's what makes his difficulties confounding.

"There haven't been any problems mentally," quarterbacks coach John McNulty said. "He is on top of things, he anticipates things. I think sometimes it’s not as clean or as clear as he wants and then all of a sudden you start moving. And when you make those big, violent moves when the line is not expecting it, then you’re kind of on your own. If we’re not making plays out of it, they’re not worth doing, because all you’re going to do is get hit or go backwards."

2. Shaky offensive line. The Cardinals were auditioning left tackles as camp broke after Levi Brown suffered a potentially season-ending torn triceps tendon. For all the criticism Brown has taken over the years, he was clearly the best offensive tackle on the team. The line was a concern even before Brown's injury. Now, it's bordering on a crisis.

Jeremy Bridges, D'Anthony Batiste, Bobby Massie, D.J. Young and Nate Potter are the other tackles on the roster. Bridges has started 55 regular-season NFL games. Batiste has started four. Massie and Potter are rookies. Young has no starts after entering the NFL in 2011 as an undrafted free agent.

One more time: The Cardinals have drafted zero offensive linemen in the first three rounds over the past five drafts. They did not draft an offensive lineman in any round of the 2011 or 2010 draft. The 2012 draft didn't fall right for them when it came to adding a tackle early. They got Massie in the fourth round, which seemed like good value. He'll start at right tackle eventually, and perhaps right away.

3. Running back health. Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams are coming off knee surgeries. The Cardinals felt good enough about their prospects to sail through the offseason without addressing the position. That seemed a little risky.

Likely troubles in pass protection could lead the Cardinals to lean more heavily on their ground game, at least in theory. Wells and Williams would appear to carry greater injury risks than backs without recent knee troubles. Utility back LaRod Stephens-Howling was banged up during camp.

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM

The team showed dramatic improvement, particularly on defense, while finishing with that 7-2 record over the final nine games last season.

Sometimes momentum doesn't carry over. In the Cardinals' case, however, there are reasons to expect sustained improvement.

The 2011 team was breaking in a first-time defensive coordinator, Ray Horton, following a lockout-shortened offseason. Players needed time to grasp the concepts. They got better late in the season. They should be better yet following a full offseason.

Arizona has front-line talent at every level of its defense. End Calais Campbell, inside linebacker Daryl Washington and cornerback Patrick Peterson are dynamic young players on the rise. End Darnell Dockett and strong safety Adrian Wilson are in their 30s now, but both remain productive.

The team has gone 7-4 with Skelton as its starter. That figure doesn't even count Skelton's most impressive performance of the 2011 season, when he replaced an injured Kolb and helped Arizona upset San Francisco.

Skelton might not be pretty to watch, but six game-winning drives in 13 career appearances give him credibility in the locker room. Whisenhunt was with the Pittsburgh Steelers when the team won ugly with a young Ben Roethlisberger. Skelton is not Roethlisberger, but he is a big, strong quarterback with some moxie.

The Cardinals have big-play threats on offense. They finished last season with 15 pass plays of at least 40 yards, more than New England and every team but the New York Giants (18), Detroit Lions (16) and Green Bay Packers (16).

Greater consistency from the quarterback position isn't out of the question. If the Cardinals get it, they'll surprise skeptics.

REASONS FOR PESSIMISM

The team that finished last season on that 7-2 hot streak also went 1-6 to open the season.

And let's face it, the Cardinals, while unfortunate in a few instances early in the year, were fortunate to win seven of their final nine. They claimed four of those seven victories in overtime. Five came against teams with losing records at the time.

The young talent on defense is backed up with the oldest reserves in the league. The offensive line is solid at center and left guard, but the other three positions should strike more fear in the Cardinals' quarterbacks than in the opposition. Removing Brown from the equation was devastating, given the already tenuous nature of the tackle situation.

Kolb hasn't been able to stay healthy or produce when on the field. That isn't going to change with the floodgates likely opening at both tackle spots.

Skelton has shown greater ability to keep his wits against pressure. Whichever QB starts will need every bit of resourcefulness he can muster against a schedule featuring a long list of able pass-rushers: Jared Allen (22 sacks last season), Jason Babin (18), Aldon Smith (14), Chris Long (13), Chris Clemons (11), Julius Peppers (11), Cliff Avril (11), Trent Cole (11), Mark Anderson (10), John Abraham (9.5), Cameron Wake (8.5), Kyle Vanden Bosch (8), Justin Smith (7.5), Clay Matthews (6) and Mario Williams (5).

OBSERVATION DECK

• William Gay appears to be running unopposed at right cornerback. Opportunistic rookie Jamell Fleming, a third-round choice, will factor one way or another at the position. Fitzgerald: "[Fleming] is extremely talented. The thing I like about him is he can move around. They’ve got him playing inside a little bit, playing outside. What it shows you is that he is intelligent, he can pick up the defense. He understands terminology, what’s going on, and he plays fast. And the ball just seems to find him."
• Coaches noticed a big jump from the spring to June to training camp in Skelton's ability to handle pre-snap responsibilities. They hope that progress can help him fare better early in games. One theory holds that Skelton's grasp of a game would improve as he had a chance to study photos of opposing formations on the sideline between possessions. By the fourth quarter, he was up to speed. "We're trying to get to where we have the handle before the game," McNulty said.
• Losing Brown hurt, but center Lyle Sendlein is arguably the offensive lineman Arizona can least afford to lose. He has started every game over the past four seasons and, like many centers, holds everything together up front. Left guard Daryn Colledge: "If we had to replace one guy, he would be the worst one probably on the whole football team. He is the key cog, especially for this offensive line. He is the captain and he is our guy. Without him, the wheels just might come off."
• Sixth-round choice Justin Bethel, a free safety, looks like a keeper after making a positive impact on special teams.
• Inside linebacker Stewart Bradley appears more comfortable in the Cardinals' defensive scheme, but the team still appears to value Paris Lenon as the starter next to Washington. That arrangement is more palatable after Bradley, one of the team's big free-agent signings in 2011, took a pay reduction.
• First-round draft choice Michael Floyd hasn't stood out yet. Fitzgerald will continue to carry the passing game. Rob Housler will emerge as more of a threat at tight end. Andre Roberts and Early Doucet give the team two strong inside options. Getting Floyd going will be one key to unleashing Roberts from the slot. Roberts has good quickness and instincts. The Cardinals' quarterbacks like the way he moves within zones, but they need to do a better job locating him.
• The Cardinals think they have a great one in Peterson. The physical attributes are obvious. Peterson also has the necessary desire. Arizona saw it last season when Peterson played through an Achilles injury suffered at Cincinnati.
• This season as last, the Cardinals are counting on young outside pass-rushers O'Brien Schofield and Sam Acho. Schofield is fighting through knee problems, a potential concern given the career-altering surgery he underwent coming out of college. He played 38 percent of the defensive snaps last season. Arizona will need him to play a much higher percentage in 2012. Can Schofield hold up? Clark Haggans, 35, is the backup.
• Arizona should be strong at nose tackle with a leaner Dan Williams and underrated backup David Carter at the position.
• It's tough to envision Kolb emerging as the starter based on what we've seen to this point. There's no clear indication Kolb is close to breaking through. "The only thing I can do is stay patient, know that it’s all part of God’s plan," Kolb said. "My mentality is that I’m going to get through the bad to get to the good. Something good is going to come of it."