Cards count on Rolle, Green to play key roles in 2007

FLAGSTAFF ‑ You didn’t even have to watch the Cardinals’ first practice to figure out who was doing well and who was struggling.

All you had to do was listen.

Hundreds of the fans on hand Sunday roared their approval as team’s receivers made catch after catch, some of them on deep throws.

The team’s cornerbacks had a good view of all this, too.

From behind.

The cornerback situation is among the team’s most critical. And that means Antrel Rolle and Eric Green must produce.

Otherwise, you can pretty much relegate the 2005 draft to the trash can.

The biggest scrutiny no doubt will be on Rolle, who was the team’s No. 1 pick two years ago (No. 8 overall), a lofty status he has yet to justify.

Injuries limited him to five games in 2005. He started all 16 games last season, finished fourth on the team with 87 tackles but had only one interception.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt, asked on Monday if Rolle can play the position, said, “No doubt in my mind.

“He’s done a lot of things we’ve asked. I’m excited to see him work on some of his fundamentals, including backpedaling.

“When he’s disciplined in his technique, he’s a good football player.”

Rolle said he has a tendency to look back at the quarterback instead of looking at the receiver.

“If there’s one thing I’ll work on, it probably will be that.

“That’s the fine line between having the pass caught or getting an interception,” he said. “I’ll definitely have to work on that in training camp and the rest of the season.”

Green, taken in the third round in ’05, acknowledges that, “this is my make or break year,” and that he’s lacked consistency “whether it’s being healthy or my play on the field. I have five good games, then go down with two bad games.

“This is my third year. Either you rise or fall. I look at this year as the time to set what kind of player I want to be.”

Green says he has to avoid “thinking too much, looking at the quarterback, looking at the running backs, worried about the receivers.

“That’s how you get beat. That’s all it takes.

“A defensive lineman can miss an assignment and there’s a five-yard gain. A defensive back, you miss a step ‑ our game is played by inches ‑ it’s a touchdown and you lose the game.”

That’s what some observers were thinking when the corners were beaten frequently in the first practice.

Whisenhunt, naturally, downplayed this, saying the defensive backs were playing conservatively the first day.

Just in case, the Cards brought in free agent Rod Hood to battle for playing time.

He’s an overachiever, a guy who walked on at Auburn, then ‑ though he wasn’t drafted ‑ managed to hook up with Philadelphia the past four years.

They’ve also brought in rookie free agents such as Michael Adams and Travarous Bain.

“We have a lot of young cornerbacks,” Whisenhunt said. “I hope somebody will stand out from the group we’ve got.”

ERIC GREEN

VITALS: 5-foot-11, 194 pounds

AGE: 25

BORN: Pahokee, Fla.

COLLEGE: Virginia Tech (graduated with degree in retail property)

DRAFTED: Cardinals selected Green in third round of 2005 draft

ANTREL ROLLE

VITALS: 6-0, 208

AGE: 24

BORN: Homestead, Fla.

COLLEGE: Miami (Fla.)

DRAFTED: Cardinals selected Rolle in first round (eighth overall pick) in 2005 draft

NOTABLE: Has his own Web site, www.rockandrolle.com