The Arizona Cardinals are a very confident team heading into the 2012 NFL Draft and free agency period. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt called it a "significant achievement" to finish the season 7-2 after the miserable start. He credited the turnaround to the culture on the team that doesn't tolerate players who are unwilling to put in the work and put the team ahead of themselves.
Those qualities, along with an exciting group of young players, led Whisenhunt to tell his team that they can expect to return largely intact next season.
"Usually, if you're not in the playoffs there's going to be a lot of changes with your team. With our team, you don't anticipate a lot of changes," Whiz said.
There are questions to be answered with the roster and of course, the draft will be a big focus in the coming months. The first step, however, is a two-part process of evaluating each player's performance and grading them based on film study.
That process will begin immediately and then the players will be regraded after a few weeks so the emotion and memories of specific situations are removed from equation. The combination of those grades will then determine the team's needs heading into the draft and free agency.
For the latest AZ sports, follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and "Like" us on Facebook. Visit Revenge of the Birds for more Cardinals discussion.