Kolb will be under a lot of heat to get the Cardinals back to the postseason, at the least.

The closest to anything positive is Kolb telling the Tucson Citizen that he’s ready to prove himself this season and show that the Cardinals made the right move staying with him.

And presumably not pursuing Peyton Manning harder.

That was a huge mistake by Arizona — no, not the premature end to the courtship, but rather opening the pursuit in the first place.

Unless Manning was willing to sign for $1 million – and that was never going to happen – there was no way Arizona could pay Manning and sign anybody else, namely left tackle Levi Brown or free agent guard Adam Snyder.

By starting after – and then ending – the Peyton chase, the Cardinals put a lot of undue pressure on Kolb.

Now, they’ve drafted wide receiver Michael Floyd to go along with arguably the best wideout in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald.

Not only that, but running back Ryan Williams is close to coming back from a torn patella tendon he suffered during  the 2011 preseason and could form a formidable backfield with Beanie Wells.

Kolb has a plethora of weapons at his disposal – and “plethora” could be the right word; he might have too many weapons. Just more pressure on him to produce. The Cardinals were able to address at least some of their needs on the offensive line in the offseason.

Kolb almost has no excuses not to produce. And the minute he struggles, fans will be clamoring for John Skelton-.

Skelton did perform admirably in Kolb’s absence last season, but does anyone really think Skelton can be a franchise quarterback?

The word Kolb used in his quote to the Tucson Citizen was “anxious.” Right now, a whole lot of Cardinal fans are right there with him.

The hope is that Kolb will be as “Footloose” and fancy free as Bacon. Then again, Bacon only had to worry about six degrees.

The Cardinals hired New England Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht as their new director of player personnel on Wednesday.  As nesn.com’s Jeff Howe explained, the move was a promotion for Licht in that he now has the same duties as his former immediate boss Nick Caserio has with the Patriots.

Not only did Licht work twice for the Patriots – from 1999-2003 and from 2009-11, but he also served one year as a personnel assist during Arizona’s 2008 Super Bowl run.

The Cardinals promoted Steve Keim to vice president of player personnel to create the opportunity for Licht.

The nesn.com report explained that Licht evaluated every NFL player to help devise game-day scouting reports as well as determine how each player would fit if he were to become a free agent. Nesn.com also went on to say that Licht compiled a book of every team’s needs before the NFL draft, suggesting it was no coincidence that coach Bill Belichick moved up twice in the draft in the first round and selected defensive end Chandler Jones of Syracuse with the first of its two first-round picks at No. 21.

Arizona was criticized for its lack of activity in the offseason, and Licht’s work in New England suggests he will know whether the Cardinals should chase free agents during any given year.

The only baggage Licht has was his dismissal from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007 after a supposed falling out with the Eagles front office that included then Eagles general manager Tom Heckert. But getting a front-office executive that not only is familiar with the Cardinals but also has eight years’ experience with the best franchise in the league in New England is a pretty good equalizer.

Despite an 8-8 record last year, Arizona didn’t draft for needs at defensive end or linebacker. A bright Licht should help the Cardinals address their personnel needs in the future.

Other than the courtship of Peyton Manning, the Cardinals said they were not going to go wild pursing free agents. Then, they said they weren’t going to reach for a player in the NFL draft just to fit a need.

After passing on help on the offensive line the first two days of the draft, Arizona found some potential steals in the later rounds, starting with Mississippi offensive tackle Bobby Massie with the No. 17 pick in the fourth round of the draft on Saturday.

Some draft analysts had Massie going as high as the second round, and the Cardinals finally broke a two-year drought in getting help on the line.

Arizona kept up the offensive line parade, getting University of Washington guard Senio Kelemete in the fifth round and Boise State’ tackle Nate Potter in the seventh.

Presbyterian’s Justin Bethel wen to the Cardinals in the sixth round. He played safety in college but is listed as a cornerback at the NFL.

The Cards also signed quarterback Ryan Lindley out of San Diego State in the seventh round. Lindley left the Aztecs with the most career passing yards in school history.

About the only question about the final day of the draft was Arizona’s decision to take three offensive linemen, rather than use one of the picks at defensive end or rush outside linebacker.

It’s the same question raised about Oklahoma’s Jamell Fleming, the Cardinals’ second-round choice because he became the ninth cornerback on the Cardinals roster.

Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd, Arizona’s first-round pick and the No. 13 overall, filled a need and made veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald happy with his selection.

So give the Cardinals an A for their honesty about following through on their offseason plans, as well as catering to their best player’s wishes.

In the draft itself, Arizona gets a B-minus, with a chance to move up to the B-plus, A-minus area if one lineman or more finds a job on the starting line. The inability to produce a second-round pick through a draft-day deal prevents the Cards from improving their hindsight draft grade to the solid A range.

Having passed on Iowa’s Riley Reiff, and Stanford’s David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin in the first round of the draft Thursday night for Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd was understandable because the Cardinals have a need for a wide receiver.

Arizona then proved in round three on Friday night that it wasn’t going to reach for an offensive tackle when it drafted cornerback Jamell Fleming of Oklahoma.

That now gives the Cardinals nine cornerbacks – the same amount as the number of offensive linemen they have.

Reports indicate that most NFL teams start five offensive linemen . Those same reports suggest that only two cornerbacks start, but sometimes can play three or four – the technical terms are “nickel” and “dime.”

Nothing against Fleming, whom ESPN’s Todd McShay rated as the 13^th best cornerback in the draft. And the Cardinals management reiterated on the AZCardinals.com blog the need to take the best player available.

But the second-guessing already has begun. ESPN’s John Clayton called Arizona one of three losers among the franchises on Friday night.

Sure, Fleming can do more things in terms of special teams and provide depth if the Cardinals miss on him rather than an offensive lineman – say Oklahoma offensive tackle Donald Stephenson, who received the same 71 grade from Scouts.Inc as it gave Fleming.

So Cardinals fans must really hope that Arizona management has that much confidence in the offensive line it has now because the quality of tackles in the draft aren’t going to improve.

Perhaps, quarterback Kevin Kolb or John Skelton – or both – has or have made strides in their decision-making that will help Arziona cut down on the 54 sacks it allowed last season.

One thing’s for certain: Jamell Fleming won’t help the Cardinals’ offensive line needs.

That help may not come until next allergy season.

They better make sure they know how to use it properly.

The Cardinals, criticized for a boring offseason that was highlighted by the failed attempt to land quarterback Peyton Manning, made a splash Thursday night with the No. 13 pick in the NFL draft by selecting Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd.

All the sensible players were there for the Cardinals when it was their turn to pick: Iowa offensive tackle Riley Reiff, Stanford guard David DeCastro, North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples, South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram.

All would’ve been logical choices that would’ve helped Arizona up front on either side of the line. – kind of like getting a nice shirt, some durable pants at Christmas.

The Cardinal instead gave quarterback Kevin Kolb (or John Skelton) an early Christmas present by unwrapping the second best wide receiver in the draft-turned the second best wide receiver in Arizona.

The nearly 6-foot-3, 220-pound Floyd caught 100 passes for 1,147 yards last year for Notre Dame. He has the potential to give the Cards that second star wide receiver to complement Larry Fitzgerald that has been missing since Anquan Boldin signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2010.

Arizona, however, did put itself on a slippery slope when it seemingly catered to Fitzgerald’s wishes; he told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King he wanted the franchise to take Floyd. Even if Floyd was the player the Cards were targeting all along, they now will look like they were catering to their star wide receiver.

But the real question is how productive Floyd will be. When the Cardinals had Fitzgerald and Boldin, they also had a quarterback that should end up in the Hall of Fame in Kurt Warner. He knew how to distribute the ball to the two stars, and he knew how to get rid of the ball quickly.

The knock on both Kolb and Skelton is that they hold onto the ball too long, which contributed to the team allowing 54 sacks – the second highest total in the league in 2011. And neither will be mistaken for a player the caliber of Warner – at least in their current form.

On the other end of that is a suspect offensive line that showed signs of improvement during the second half of the season but still doesn’t evoke a whole lot of confidence. Arizona’s resigning of left tackle Levi Brown was met with resounding silence.

The signing of San Francisco free agent Adam Snyder upgraded the guard position, but it’s not as if the Cards’ offensive line shot up to the top 10 among the NFL’s best units.

The Cardinals still could address their line and other needs with the rest of the draft, but by taking Floyd, they’ve put pressure on their 2012 starting quarterback as well their rookie wideout to have breakout seasons.

Good luck with that new toy; make sure you have the owner’s manual.

General manager Rod Graves and coach Ken Whisenhunt say upgrading the overall talent will play a factor in their NFL draft strategy, and maybe that’s a hint as to who they covet with the No. 13 selection overall.

To do that, we need to put on our Star Wars thinking caps.

If the Cardinals trust their best-player-available feelings, then a certain player comes into focus:

“Luke … Luke!”

Boston College inside linebacker Luke Kuechly conceivably could be available at No. 13 if the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks fill other needs with the Nos. 11 and 12 selections respectively.

All Kuechly did during his college career was record 532 tackles in three seasons with the Eagles – that’s an average of 177.3 per season. Kuechly led the nation in tackles in 2010 (183 tackles) and 2011 (191) tackles and intercept three passes in each season for good measure.

The “force” is strong with this one.

Now if Riley Reiff, David DeCastro, Quinton Coples or Michael Floyd were available, conventional wisdom suggests that the Cardinals would draft to their needs.

Arizona, however, has not drafted an offensive lineman since 2008 and the last time it took an offensive lineman in the first round was Levi Brown in 2007 when running back Adrian Peterson still was available.

In 2010, the Cardinals selected nose tackle Dan Williams out of Tennessee with their first-round pick. He started 10 games last year before suffering a season-ending broken arm, but his 20 tackles on the season suggest he isn’t yet Jedi material as far as defensive linemen go.

A wide receiver to complement Larry Fitzgerald would get Cardinals fans reminiscing of the 2008 season when a Fitzgerald-Anquan Boldin combination led the team to the Super Bowl.

But look at the recent Super Bowl championships and their wide receivers. What WR tandems stand out among the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers? The Giants won thanks to spectacular catches by Mario Manningham (Super Bowl XLVI) and David Tyree (XLII), respectively. The Packers (XLV) had Greg Jennings, but it was Jordy Nelson who was the WR star with nine receptions for 140 yards and a TD. The Saints (XLIV) had Marques Colston, and the Steelers (XLIII) had Hines Ward but Santonio Holmes was MVP.

And speaking of dangerous duos, paring Kuechly with Daryl Washington at inside linebacker would make the Cardinals a salty unit that would make Darth Vader proud.

However the first-round draft wars go, it is becoming increasingly comforting to know that Arizona should have plenty of stars to choose from.

The first time happened during the first half of last year when opposing defensive ends blew by him as if he wasn’t there.

The second time is now as the Cardinals prepare for the NFL draft that takes place Thursday through Saturday.

The majority of NFL mock drafts indicate that Arizona’s biggest need still lies at tackle — specifically, left tackle – even though the Cardinals restructured Brown’s contract and have him signed for five years.

Suddenly the hot name in the Cardinals’ future has become Iowa’s Riley Reiff, who had been projected to go in the top 10 but now supposedly could be available at No. 13.

Reiff is considered a solid tackle that can start on the right side right away and eventually may be able to slide to left tackle.

It wouldn’t be a horrible pick, especially if Stanford guard David DeCastro is off the board. DeCastro is considered the second best lineman in the draft, and the Cardinals conceivably could move free-agent signee Adam Snyder from guard to right tackle.

In an interview with the Arizona Republic, coach Ken Whisenhunt said, “What we don’t want to do is draft a lineman just to draft a lineman because that’s what you think you have to do. I think you have to continue to try to trust your process and what you believe in, getting the right players at the right time, and it’s got to be the right kind of players.”

Whisenhunt added in the interview that he thought the draft was a good one for linemen. The Cardinals, who don’t have a second-round pick, still might be able to find a lineman to suit their needs.

That puts several defensive players in play, including North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples, Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus, South Carolina outside linebacker Melvin Ingram and Alabama outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw.

Don’t forget about wide receivers Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State and Michael Floyd from Notre Dame, although it would seem one or both likely will be gone before the Arizona’s turn at the party.

DeCastro still is the best of all worlds.

The Cardinals still will upgrade their line and protect Kevin Kolb, who has his own worries about living up to being the team’s starting quarterback in 2012, rather than that other guy who won a Super Bowl in Indianapolis, is a certain future Hall of Famer and who chose the Denver Broncos instead.

The top need is on the offensive line, and Brown might not be too keen if he thinks the Cardinals are drafting his replacement with Reiff.

The Cardinals don’t want Brown disappearing a third time.

Another 8-8 season, and the lament of Cardinals fans will be heard clearly in the upper Colorado area.

With the unveiling of the NFL schedule for the fall season, Arizona’s task appears much more manageable and balanced than it ended up being in 2011.

Early home games include the Seattle Seahawks (the opener on Sept. 9), the Miami Dolphins (Sept. 30) and the Buffalo Bills (Oct. 14) and a road game against the St. Louis Rams (Oct. 4) during the first half of the season, Arizona should stay in the hunt for a playoff berth entering week nine.

In fact, the Cardinals’ toughest stretch appears to be in the middle of the season when they play at the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 21, followed by a Monday night game at home vs. the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 29 and a road game at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 4.

After a bye in week 10, it’s back on the road vs. the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 18.

That four-game stretch could determine whether Kolb and Co. will be around to make the NFC playoff chase interesting in December.

If the game against Minnesota, 3-13 in 2011, seems out of place as part of the critical part of Arizona’s schedule, remember that the Vikings drilled the Cards 34-10 last year at the Metrodome on Oct. 9.

Arizona’s overall road schedule appears more daunting with away games at the New England Patriots (Sept. 16), at Minnesota, at Green Bay, at Atlanta, at the New York Jets (Dec. 2) and at San Francisco on Dec. 30 to end the regular season.

All those games, with the exception of the regular-season finale against the 49ers, will start at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Cardinals get the Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 23), the 49ers, the Detroit Lions (Dec. 16) and the Chicago Bears (Dec. 23) at home. The schedule gives the Cardinals a chance to take care of business at University of Phoenix Stadium and get in position to make a postseason run.

The Eagles game should be of particular interest to Kolb, who was Philadelphia’s starter to begin the 2010 season.

Kolb can make Arizona fans forget all about the organization’s pursuit of Peyton Manning if he can steer the Cardinals into the playoffs.

Anything short of that and Kolb might as well start looking at the next destination to resurrect his NFL career and the franchise can start playing the second-guessing game with its fans.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb addressed the media Monday about the Arizona Cardinals’ pursuit of free agent Peyton Manning. Monday was the first day NFL players could participate in their respective team’s offseason strength and conditioning programs.

The comments were the first by Kolb, whom the Cards signed last offseason to be their starting QB, since the Manning free agency tour started when the Indianapolis Colts released the future Hall of Famer on March 7.

Several media reports indicated that Kolb wasn’t upset that Arizona pursued Manning; instead Kolb talked about a lack of communication during the process that bothered him.

Exactly what Kolb knew – or didn’t know – is difficult to determine.

FoxSportsArizona.com reported that “Kolb said that while coach Ken Whisenhunt called him ‘right off the bat’ when the Cards entered the Manning sweepstakes, he felt a few things, namely communication, could have been handled better.”

CSNPhilly.com, however, reported that “Kolb reportedly learned the team was pursuing Manning from watching TV and seeing a news update on the bottom of the screen. On Monday, Kolb said he expressed his discontent to Whisenhunt, when the team began its off-season workouts.

‘I just said, in the future, if you can just communicate with me, I can take it, if this is the route you’re going,’ Kolb told the Cardinals’ website (via ProFootballTalk). ‘I’d just rather hear it from [Whisenhunt] than the ticker. And he agreed, and that’s how relationships grow.’ ”

Further hindering matters was the fact that comments from Whisenhunt on the matter were nowhere to be found on any media report.

FoxSports Arizona added later that “Kolb said in the days before his $7 million roster bonus was due (March 17), he turned off his phone and played a lot with his kids to keep his mind free of worry.”

Should Kolb be upset? And what should he be upset about? How does management keep Kolb abreast of the situation if he’s not answering calls?

Other reports Monday focused on the fact that Kolb felt concussion-like symptoms for three weeks after the 2011 season ended.

Here’s what we know: Whisenhunt may or may not have told Kolb immediately that the Cardinals were going to test the Manning waters, but he did talk to Kolb at some point. Arizona’s pursuit also started about a month after Kolb’s head stopped hurting.

Let’s put this in context.

Let’s assume I told my editors that I needed a three-week break from writing after last season because of carpal tunnel syndrome. Then a month later, Bob Costas suddenly is looking for a job and my editors contact him.

Should I be mad at my employer, which now has a right to wonder how much I can write?

And would I want them to tell me about every conversation my editors had with Costas? Apparently not, if I turned off my phone.

Sorry, Kevin. With the evidence – or lack of evidence – we have, when you were asked about what you thought of the Manning courtship, you should’ve just said you understood the organization inquiring about a Hall of Fame quarterback and you’d use it as motivation.

End of story. End of fuming.

Justin Blackmon’s stock is falling.

The wide receiver who grabbed 121 passes for 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns for Oklahoma State last season? The player who amassed 232 receptions for 3,304 yards and 38 TDs the last two years – that guy?

First of all, let me say that if the Cleveland Browns don’t pull the trigger on Blackmon with the No. 4 pick, there’s no way the St. Louis Rams pass him up at No. 6. In fact, another internet rumor suggests the Rams, who traded down from No. 2, are exploring the option of moving back up to ensure Blackmon wears the blue and gold in September.

But if Santa Claus does exist, Elvis is still alive and Sean Payton really didn’t know about the New Orleans Saints’ bounty system, then it could be fathomable that Blackmon can still be around when the Cardinals are on the clock with the No. 13 pick.

So Arizona, which has added just one new face – guard Adam Snyder – to a unit that surrendered 54 sacks in 2011, could have an interesting dilemma.

The Cardinals need an offensive tackle. If Iowa’s Riley Reiff, Stanford’s Jonathan Martin or Ohio State’s Mike Adams is available, what does Arizona do? Some NFL writers, present company included, have indicated that Stanford guard David DeCastro should be the pick.

The knocks on Blackmon are that he is listed at 6 feet, 7/8 inches, that he ran only a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and that he is of similar character to another Oklahoma State alum, Dez Bryant. Bryant, a can’t-miss prospect, hasn’t exactly lit up the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys.

Blackmon was arrested for driving under the influence in October of 2010. Bryant was suspended for the entire 2009 season at Oklahoma State for lying to the NCAA about meeting with Deion Sanders. So people assume both are flakes.

Scouts Inc. also reports that Blackmon is “Considered one of the best practice players on the team. … Gives back to the community. Also developed a close relationship with Olivia Hamilton, a young girl with Leukemia.”

And the fact that he’s not 6-1 and he doesn’t run a 4-3 40? Why is it that measurements always seem to be more important than statistics? Blackmon was the most productive wide receiver in the Football Bowl Subdivision the last two years combined.

For the first time since the recession hit, a stock falling is a good thing – at least in Arizona. So if a choice is to be made … say no to DeCastro and yes to de Justin.