"The stakes are higher and draft picks lower when you have a pro football team that understands the month of January is not meant for vacations and golf courses.

It also means the offseasons are that much more pivotal.

That's where we are now with the Arizona Cardinals.

This season ended up two games short of last year's amazing Super Bowl run. Yet, you can make the case that this year's team was actually better.

Consider:

• They won 10 games in the regular season for the first time in 33 years, repeated as NFC West champs and were in every game except one (a 31-10 loss to the Colts) — unlike 2008 when they suffered four blowout losses by scores of 56-35, 35-14, 47-7 and 48-20.

• The running game with Beanie Wells was greatly improved over last season (and seemingly every other year since they moved to Arizona). That is important moving forward, especially if Kurt Warner is not around to navigate the passing game.

• Although you couldn't tell from the postseason, the Cardinals' defense was actually much better this season, allowing 20.3 points per game in the regular season (14th in the NFL) compared with 26.6 in 2008 (28th in the NFL).

True, the defense was atrocious in the playoffs. Part of that was due to the competition — the Packers' and Saints' offenses are about as good as they come. And part of it was due to injuries.

All teams suffer injuries, and good teams are able to plug holes and carry on. But sometimes, it's where those injuries occur that is more important. The Cardinals have depth at wide receiver, running back, defensive line and even outside linebacker. Losing a key player there wouldn't cripple the team, as we saw with Anquan Boldin.

But the Cardinals were thin in the secondary, so when top cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and safety Antrel Rolle went down with injuries against the Saints, the end result was fairly predictable."