Cardinals to be a force

Something weird is going on in Arizona: The front-office appears intent on winning games.

Two weeks after hiring former Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt to be its head coach, the Cardinals plucked another member of the Steelers' coaching staff, hiring Russ Grimm on Monday to coach the offensive line and also serve as assistant head coach.

Grimm, a member of Washington's famed offensive line of the 1980s who is now widely considered to be one of the best line coaches in the game, is a major coup for a franchise which has had just two 1,000-yard rushers since moving to Arizona in 1988.

The Cardinals are expected to help out Grimm by addressing the offensive line in the off-season, either through free agency or the draft. Joe Thomas, a left-tackle from Wisconsin, is the top-rated linemen coming out, and there is a good chance he will be available when the Cardinals pick at no. 5.

The Cardinals will also have to consider the future of left tackle Leonard Davis, who will be become an unrestricted free-agent in March. The Cardinals could opt to place the franchise tag on Davis, but doing so would mean a one-year deal worth $11 million, quite a sum for a player who has failed to live up to expectations since being a top-5 pick six years ago.

The best plan might be to eat the one-year hit on Davis and move the 360-pounder inside to guard, where he should be more effective. Then, the team would be free to draft Thomas and put him in Davis' old position.