Rashad Johnson News

The Cardinals use four-receiver personnel more than any team in the league. That makes their fourth wideout more valuable than most.

No. 2 Alabama's sophomore free safety is settling into his relatively new position quite nicely after playing offense until his senior year in high school and backing up All-American Rashad Johnson last season.

Arizona Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin is among the team's eight inactive players, a bit of a surprise given how much Boldin practiced on Friday.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando The Cardinals' inactive list for Week 8 featured no surprises.

If you're looking for an unsung hero in the Cardinals' rapidly improving defense, look no further than sixth-year S Matt Ware , who team insiders believe has been a real diamond in the rough in the Cardinals' "dime" defense, which they estimate gets him on the field for about 40 percent of the team's defensive plays.

The Cardinals went to great lengths this past offseason to upgrade a porous pass defense, making ex-Steelers CB Bryant McFadden their only major free-agent addition and selecting a pair of defensive backs with two of their first four draft picks .

There seems to be a general consensus around Cardinal-land that, while early in the season, this week is a "good," or even "great," week for the struggling Cardinals to have their Bye Week.

Kent Somers' blog appears on azcentral.com. Kent covers the Arizona Cardinals for The Arizona Republic.

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Great, Pigskin Heaven 's Sascha Bartels is breaking down every single team in the NFL prior to the season.

Chris Mitchell passed for 242 yards and four touchdowns, leading Alabama State to a 38-33 win over Concordia on Saturday night.

The Cardinals drafted two defensive backs in April - safety Rashad Johnson from Alabama in the third round and cornerback Greg Toler from Saint Paul's College in the fourth.

Safety Rashad Johnson tries to make a play against the Packers last week. Defensive backs Rashad Johnson and Greg Toler probably aren't going to be able to help the Cardinals' defensive secondary much to begin with.

Today is the big day! I say that with both sarcasm and sincerity. A Super Bowl rematch against the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first pre season game isn't exactly dramatic or the first game I want to see played.