Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner has not imposed a deadline for making his retirement decision, but the timing of it could be interesting, given his scheduled the next two weeks.

Warner is enjoying some down time with his family this week. Next week, he is scheduled to make appearances at the Super Bowl in Miami on Tuesday and Wednesday. Warner will be there on behalf of Disney and milk (apparently he couldn’t come to agreement with apple pie.)

In Miami, Warner will be making the rounds on radio row. On Thursday, Warner is scheduled to appear as a motivational speaker in Phoenix.

If Warner hasn’t announced a decision by then, he faces answering the retirement question a few hundred times.

Warner also is an alternate to the Pro Bowl, which is scheduled for Sunday, and could be asked to play, an opportunity he’s expected to reject.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was named to replace the Saints Drew Brees, and Vikings quarterback Brett Favre is expected to pull out. That could mean an invitation for Warner or the Cowboys’ Tony Romo.

Warner suffered bruised ribs in the divisional game against the Saints and probably will politely reject a chance to play in the Pro Bowl.

Information in this article first appeared in Kent Somers’ blog.

The IRS
says Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle owes $2.2 million in back taxes, interest and penalties, according to an article in Forbes.

Here’s the link. http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/26/irs-charity-nfl-cardinals-personal-finance-antrel-rolle-tax-audit.html?boxes=Homepagechannels

Rolle’s dispute with the agency was revealed in a lawsuit the player filed in U.S. Tax Court, accusing the IRS of not acting in a “fair, professional and courteous manner.”

Rolle was audited and the IRS disallowed substantial charitable and business expenses. The dispute centers around 2005 and 2005, Rolle’s first seasons in the league.

Cardinals free safety Antrel Rolle will play in the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday, replacing the Saints’ Darren Sharper.

Rolle suffered a concussion in the Saints game, but apparently has recovered sufficiently to commit to the Pro Bowl.

It is the first Pro Bowl for Rolle, who is from the Miami area.

Staff opening

Coach Ken Whisenhunt is expected to interview a handful of candidates to coach running backs.

The position opened last week when Curtis Modkins became the offensive coordinator for the Bills.

Whisenhunt and the rest of his staff are in Mobile, Ala., this week for the Senior Bowl this week. Whisenhunt is expected to interview a candidate or two there and another one or two candidates in Arizona later in the week.

Cardinals running backs coach Curtis Modkins has been hired as the Bills offensive coordinator, according to Mike Jurecki of XTRA-910.

Modkins worked for new Bills head coach Chan Gailey at Georgia Tech and then for a year with the Chiefs, where Gaily was the offensive coordinator.

Modkins joined the Cardinals in 2009, so it appears Ken Whisenhunt will be hiring his third running backs coach in three years.

Over the past three years, Coach Ken Whisenhunt and his offensive staff adjusted their philosophy to better suit the Cardinals talent. It would have been foolish to shape the system around a running game with Kurt Warner at quarterback and Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston at receiver.

It’s also true, however, that the Cardinals lacked the talent at running back to run the Steelers-like attack that everyone expected Whisenhunt to install. That all changed in 2009, however, and at running back, the Cardinals are talented enough to be dangerous running the ball for the next few years.

Tim Hightower retained the starting role throughout the season, but by mid-season Bennie Wells had become the team’s featured runner. Wells, the 31st pick in last year’s draft, proved to be a dynamic runner, possessing both speed and power. He can make linebackers and defensive backs miss tackles, something Edgerrin James couldn’t do.

Wells had a bit of trouble with fumbling, but his problems pale in comparison to, say, the Vikings Adrian Peterson. What struck me about Wells was his toughness. He fell in the draft because scouts questioned his durability and passion for the game, and that label seemed to fit when Wells suffered a sprained ankle in his first training camp practice.

Maybe that label irritated Wells. Whatever the motivation, he finished runs violently, punishing defensive backs. Wells improved as a pass blocker, although he still needs work, and proved that he could catch the ball.

Hightower showed growth in his second season. He was a smarter, more decisive runner. He developed into a great pass blocker, and he’s always had good hands. With Wells, Hightower gives Whisenhunt the duo of running backs he’s desired.

The weakness at running back, if you can call it that, was the lack of an impact third-down back. The Cardinals missed J.J. Arrington, who left via free agency. Jason Wright was versatile, filling in at fullback when needed, and rookie LaRod Stephens-Howling showed flashes of open-field ability. But neither was as dynamic as Arrington in 2008.

Whisenhunt thinks Stephens-Howling will grow into that role, and Wright, who is under contract for 2010, is a steady veteran. Both players are important special teams contributors.

The Cardinals don’t use a fullback a lot, but Dan Krieder proved his worth as the season developed. He was a very solid blocker, but his shoulder problems late in the year are a concern. The Cardinals added fullback Nehemiah Broughton late in the year.

Overall, this is one of the team’s strongest positions. It doesn’t need to be addressed in free agency, and I don’t see the club adding a back during the draft, unless the opportunity is too good to pass up. A rookie free agent is a possibility.

Glendale is dropping its lawsuit against the Arizona Cardinals over advertising restrictions and other disagreements on 95th Avenue near University of Phoenix Stadium.

The city now must pay the NFL team $213,187 for legal fees incurred during the three-year court battle, with the first installment of $128,765 due immediately. The balance will be paid over 11 months, at about $7,000 per month, according to a settlement between Glendale and the team.

The City Council approved the settlement this month.

But letters exchanged in August between City Manager Ed Beasley and Cardinals President Michael Bidwill show the city was open to settling even before it lost in a second court bout in September and filed initial paperwork for another appeal in October.

“I would propose moving forward with the terms and payment schedule you recommend in your letter,” Beasley wrote Aug. 21 to Bidwill. “We will move as quickly as possible to recommend to Council the settlement of this matter.”

It would take nearly six months for city staff to bring the settlement before the council for a vote.

City Attorney Craig Tindall said “procedural” delays held up the settlement process, such as reviewing property boundaries to fix typos on the deed and staff being gone for the holidays.

“There are higher priority items that took the place (on meeting agendas) before we could get it to council,” he said.

The city initiated a second appeal in October, surprising Cardinals officials, in order to keep Glendale’s legal options open, Tindall said.

“Until we talk to council, we need to preserve our legal rights,” he said, adding, “The procedures for the courts don’t always line up with the procedures for the governmental body.”

Glendale would have lost its right to appeal to a third judge if it didn’t file a preliminary notice within 30 days of losing the Maricopa County Superior Court case Sept. 15. With the council’s acceptance of the settlement, the city’s notice of appeal is withdrawn.

Cardinals spokesman Mark Dalton said the team is glad the lawsuit is over.

But he added, “Our contention from Day One was the entire exercise was unnecessary. . . . The time and energy and money expended certainly could have been better spent elsewhere.”

Glendale sued the Cardinals in 2006 to remove restrictions on the half-mile section of 95th between Maryland Avenue and Bethany Home Road west of the stadium.

The Cardinals, for instance, would not have allowed Pepsi billboards outside the stadium, because the team’s sponsor is Coco-Cola, according to limits the team placed on the deed. The city reimbursed the Cardinals for costs to build the road in return for the deed to the property.

Glendale officials believed the city’s less restrictive advertising ordinances should govern the road instead.

The city won the first round of the suit but lost when the Cardinals appealed. With the settlement, Glendale will yield to the team’s advertising limitations.

Tindall said the lawsuit was worth it, despite that setback.

“There was a significant achievement,” he said, noting that the team withdrew language requiring the city to build a canal bridge near the street and agreed to allow more access to the street on game days.

“It’s always easy to say, ‘You’ve spent all these legal fees,’ ” Tindall said. “That was money that was certainly justifiable in this circumstance.”

Dalton countered that the changes were made in 2007, with no new alterations between then and the settlement.

“To bring up the bridge as a compromise is completely disingenuous,” he said.

Three of the four Cardinals chosen for the Pro Bowl won’t play in the game, various sources confirmed Wednesday.

Strong safety Adrian Wilson and his wife, Alicia, are expecting their third child next week, and Wilson decided to stay home with his family.

Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is unable to play because of a knee injury suffered in Saturday’s divisional playoff game against the Saints.

Receiver Larry Fitzgerald won’t play, citing a knee injury suffered against San Francisco in December. Defensive lineman Darnell Dockett still is expected to play.

The Pro Bowl moves from Hawaii to Miami for this edition only. The game is Jan. 31, one week before the Super Bowl.

Cardinals outside linebacker Bertrand Berry announced his retirement Thursday night on a weekly radio show he co-hosts.

Berry played 12 seasons in the NFL, including the last six with the Cardinals. Berry finished his career with 65 sacks, including six this season in a part-time role.

Berry, 34, signed with the Cardinals in 2004 and made the Pro Bowl in his first season, finishing the year with 14 1/2 sacks. His next two seasons were cut short by injuries, but Berry played in 29 games over the past two seasons. He had 40 sacks with the Cardinals, ranking him sixth on the franchise’s all-time list.

Berry entered the league with the Colts in 1997, a third-round draft pick
out of Notre Dame. He spent three seasons with the Colts but was cut and spent the 2000 season out of football. He returned the next year with Denver and emerged as an elite pass rusher.

For the second year in a row, we have seen what life might be like for the Cardinals without Anquan Boldin.

And it doesn’t look all that bad.

Boldin was in street clothes Sunday, sidelined by a sprained knee and ankle, yet the Cardinals offense still put 45 points on the board.

And as an unexpected bonus, the Big Red defense made a play, too – and scored the game-winning touchdown as the Cardinals began defense of their NFC championship with a crazy 51-45 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Offensively, the game was reminiscent of last year’s divisional round victory, when the Cardinals went to Carolina without Boldin and smoked the Panthers to reach the NFC Championship Game.

Over the past two seasons, Arizona is 6-1 in games Boldin has missed because of injuries. The Cardinals are 2-0 in playoff games without him.

His day-to-day status is likely to continue through the week as the Cardinals prepare to travel to New Orleans for another shootout.

It will be hard to top Sunday’s show, even in the Big Easy.

Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner outdueled Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and accounted for one of the more astounding statistics you’ll ever see:

Five touchdown passes. Four incomplete passes.

And after giving the Packers nothing but vanilla in a preseason loss and a meaningless regular-season finale, the Cardinals served up the chocolate, strawberry and a couple scoops of Rocky Road when it mattered.

Warner completed 29 of 33 attempts with no interceptions and spread the ball around to seven different receivers, none of them named Boldin.

Larry Fitzgerald caught six passes, two of them for touchdowns.

One was a 33-yarder early in the second half that gave the Cardinals a 31-10 lead.

The second was an 11 on a degree-of-difficulty scale that only goes to 10.

Warner thought he was throwing the ball out of the back of the end zone. Fitzgerald thought otherwise and nabbed it out of the air.

We’ve come to expect that from Fitzgerald, especially after his breakout performance at this time last year.

But Steve Breaston added seven catches and a touchdown. And Early Doucet, who just caught his first career touchdown pass a few weeks ago against the Rams, hauled in his first playoff touchdown in the first quarter.

He liked it so much that he added another in the second quarter and finished with six catches and 77 yards.

“Early had a couple of huge plays, especially the second touchdown. Enormous,” Warner said.

“Steve Breaston . . . I told him early in the year, ‘I’d line up with you any day of the week.’ ”

Not surprisingly, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt repeated what he’s been saying for two seasons – the Cardinals are a better team with Boldin.

And that might be true.

Question is, can they become an even better team without him?

After all, Sunday’s performance didn’t just demonstrate that the Cardinals offense can operate just fine without Boldin.

It also exposed again how vulnerable the Cardinals defense can be because it lacks an elite pass rusher who can wreak havoc when the offense has a 21-point second-half lead like the Cardinals had against the Packers.

Boldin has wanted to be traded over a contract dispute. To his credit, once it has been time to play; he has put that aside.

But the Cardinals front office has to be seeing what everybody else is seeing.

Boldin is a luxury they might not need and probably can’t afford.

No matter how this playoff run turns out, it might be time to address other needs – like that pass rush – and go on without Boldin.

This time, for good.

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