The Arizona Cardinals have had great receivers for half a decade, but it took coach Ken Wisenhunt to mold the team into a true contender. The perennial doormat of the NFC West used to be a good source of fantasy points, and that was about all. They offered no defense, no line play on either side of the ball, and a rollover down the stretch attitude.

Not any more. This is a different version of the Cards, and Coach Ken is a big reason for it. In their two playoff games so far, it is evident that they are playing tough, physical football. They are filling gaps and making tackles on defense, and they are blocking well and finishing runs on offense. Although Larry Fitzgerald took over the stat sheet via imposing his will on the Panthers last weekend, James and Hightower earned over 130 yards rushing between the two of them. Perhaps Wisenhunt learned a valuable lesson in two late season blowout losses to New England and Minnesota: Good teams will find a way to exploit an offense’s lack of balance.

Some are comparing this Arizona group to the Super Bowl Colts of two seasons ago – a good passing offense and a speedy defense that got hot during the playoff stretch. Yet, I think this Cardinals defense is much better than that. They might be one of the real up-and-coming units in the league.

The Cardinals have long been talented. How many NFL draft specials included the commentary, “The Arizona Cardinals had a great draft – this could be their year” ? The difference is now they are playing disciplined, as a unit, with sound fundamental blocking and tackling. Antrel Rolle, Rood Hood, Adrian Wilson, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are growing into one of the league’s more solid secondaries. Darnell Dockett and Gerald Hayes lead a physical and versatile front seven.

Ken is galvanizing Arizona's young talent. A former Pittsburgh offensive coordinator, he seems to have brought smashmouth football to the desert. The O-line, which did not scare anyone going into the 2008 season, is keeping Kurt Warner’s uniform clean. Give Warner and Fitzgerald time, and we just witnessed what they can do.

Philly will be a challenging matchup for Arizona, to say the least. And if anyone can hold down Larry Fitzgerald, it may be a secondary that features Asante Samuel, Brian Dawkins, and Sheldon Brown. And surely Jim Johnson’s mass blitzes will at least give Kurt’s jersey a few grass and mud stains. The question is, will a muddy Warner look up from the dirt to see his team celebrating a touchdown … or rather, will he see the punt unit preparing for duty?

Even if the Eagles defeat them this weekend, everyone is now on notice. The Cardinals, led by Ken Wisenhunt, are a team on the rise.