Whisenhunt keeps talk about Manning brief

The Cardinals were open about making a strong play for future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning but in the end the details released were vague.

--Cardinals officials kept a low profile during their pursuit of Peyton Manning and their only public comment since has been a statement released by coach Ken Whisenhunt.

"Obviously something very unique and unexpected presented itself. We've said it many times: if there's an opportunity to make our team better we'll explore it; we view the potential of adding a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback as one of those. The organization quickly put together an aggressive plan to go after it. We're proud of that and feel very strongly about what we have to offer as a team and as an organization."

--On a recent sunny day in Arizona, four players gathered on a field of dead grass at a Tempe city park next to the Cardinals facility. They weren't allowed to work out yet on the team's manicured fields. Quarterback John Skelton was joined by his brother, Steve, a tight end, Rob Housler, another tight end and receiver Jaymar Johnson.

--The Cardinals are banking on the abilities of quarterbacks coach John McNulty to help smooth out Kevin Kolb's and John Skelton's rough edges. McNulty moved over from receivers coach and is Whisenhunt's third quarterbacks coach in six seasons. He fired the other two, Jeff Rutledge and Chris Miller. McNulty would like to start working with his quarterbacks now but is prevented from doing so by the collective bargaining agreement.

--The Cardinals released starting right guard Rex Hadnot. While they think they have upgraded the position with the signing of Adam Snyder, Hadnot's presence in the locker room will be missed. He was a leader who tried his best to keep everyone in good spirits. That played a key role in the latter half of the season when the Cardinals overcame a 1-6 start.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "In the end it didn't work out but from our perspective it was very positive and we certainly don't have any regrets about it." -- Coach Ken Whisenhunt on the pursuit of Peyton Manning.