Busy weekend at Cardinals camp

FLAGSTAFF -- Todd Heap should have owned the headlines Sunday in Phoenix. The Cardinals agreed to a two-year deal with the former Ravens tight end, fetching one of the area's most celebrated recent football products. Unfortunately for Heap, the Cardinals wouldn't stop moving long enough to let the local media dote on a native son. On Sunday alone, they also signed second-round pick Ryan Williams, brought back guard Deuce Lutui after he failed his physical with the Bengals, added Redskins defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday in a trade for running back Tim Hightower, and were in serious discussions with receiver Braylon Edwards, with key Cardinals players lobbying on his behalf. Covering the Cards the past two days has been a little like watching the CNN stock ticker. Blink and you miss something. "We kind of said we were going to do that," coach Ken Whisenhunt said, gently chiding a gathering of reporters. "We had a plan." We knew the lockout would ramp up the pressure to sign players. Arizona emerged from the offseason with just 41 players under contract. The new labor agreement also requires every team to spend at least 90 percent of the 120 million salary cap. But it's hard to ignore the aggressive nature of the Cards' moves. In the span of a week, they have also added former Packers guard Daryn Colledge, former Eagles linebacker Stewart Bradley, former Steelers defensive end Nick Eason, former Panthers tight end Jeff King, former Browns receiver Chansi Stuckey, former Panthers cornerback Richard Marshall and former Browns guard Floyd Womack. It's enough to talk Kurt Warner out of retirement, but no, that's not happening. "This is the most active I've seen the team in free agency since I've been here," receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. On Saturday! Throw in Heap and possibly Edwards and it's clear the Cards were serious when they talked about the master plan at the NFL Draft even if the fan base was hyperventilating in the first two days of free agency when the patient Cards did virtually nothing. The Cards entered the season about 37 million under the salary cap a reality for which they were roundly criticized last season. But the decision not to spend last season not to sign players to extensions combined with the condensed period for signing this year has created this controlled chaos. The Cards could not afford another season like last year's 5-11 debacle. It would erode the fan base, it would erode the job security of Whisenhunt and general manager Rod Graves and it would almost certainly cost them the services of Fitzgerald, who can become a free agent after this season. They needed to make a statement, so give the Cardinals credit for doing just that. There's no telling whether the moves will pan out. You can dissect each move (and potential move) and find flaws and strengths in each player. Heap and Colledge have mileage and enviable experience. Edwards has baggage and undeniable skill. As has been stated multiple times before, the NFL is a risk taking business. "There are no guarantees," Whisenhunt said. But in a division as winnable as the NFC West, the Cards may have enough to get back to the playoffs and restore the momentum created by the 2008-2009 Super Bowl run. "If you ask are we a better football team I feel like we've made a lot of progress," Whisenhunt said. "We'll see how it all plays out."