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If the Arizona Cardinals claim their first playoff berth since 1998, historians might someday look back at the switch made by first-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt as the catalyst for the usually woebegone franchise's success.

INSIDE TIP SHEET

Here's what you will find in Tip Sheet notes. • Warner's bigger role • Alexander on the decline? • Johnson's great escape • Linebackers picking up the slack • Chad hanging on? • Lewis seeking help • QB decision on hold • Buffalo on the rebound • Woodson hurts himself • Moss-Owens overhyped • Huizenga playing waiting game • Ravens' O-line in disarray • Giants on the rise • Pacman still has issues • The List • Stat of the Week • Stat of the Weak • Punts • The Last Word

No, we're not referring to Whisenhunt's approach in using quarterback Kurt Warner as the engineer for his no-huddle package.

There's no denying that the unconventional experiment with Warner provided an obvious jump-start for the Arizona offense, and his elevation to starter because of the season-ending collarbone injury suffered by Matt Leinart last week certainly is worthy of the attention it has received. In reality, though, The Switch that might prove even more critical over the long haul is Whisenhunt's decision in the offseason to transform the Cardinals' defense into a 3-4 front.

Whisenhunt, of course, knew the 3-4 defense well from his tenure as an assistant in Pittsburgh, where innovative coordinator Dick LeBeau is a master of the front. So it might seem natural that in his first job as a head coach, and in a business that's best to incorporate those components with which you are most familiar and comfortable, Whisenhunt would want to convert the 4-3 Cardinals into a 3-4 defense.

But for a lot of the Arizona veterans, as well as holdover defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, the changeover might not have seemed all that natural.

Except that, through the first five games of the season, it has worked well.

"I think the essential thing for us was plugging our own [holdover] people into the right places and, in that regard, Darnell Dockett and Karlos Dansby were the biggest keys," said Pendergast, also a big innovator. "You want to put guys like that into the most advantageous positions, where they can make plays, and that's been the case so far."

Both fourth-year veterans are flourishing in the new system.

A former "under" tackle, Dockett has moved to left end in the 3-4 front. Dansby, who spent most of his first three seasons playing on the strong side, is now a weakside linebacker. The results: Dockett has been a monster, with 20 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles. His five sacks are just one fewer than his total for the first three seasons of his career. Dansby, who has been rushing from the interior of the 3-4 package, has 43 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and a forced fumble.

The scheme also has been beneficial to Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson, who until a couple years ago was arguably the best defensive back in the league that no one knew about. The 3-4 package hasn't yet evolved to the point that the Cardinals are asking Wilson to take on all the responsibilities that Troy Polamalu has in Pittsburgh, but he certainly has a similar skill-set.

When the conversion was broached by Whisenhunt in the spring, Pendergast, who has always been a 4-3 guy, didn't exactly run off to the video room and immerse himself poring over tapes of 3-4 defenses around the league. Instead, he and the staff invested more time reviewing their incumbent players, and trying to project how and where they would fit into the overhauled scheme. They then converted much of the verbiage from the former 4-3 defense to make it match up with the new one.

"The big thing is, we're not a two-gap team, even though we've gone to the 3-4," explained Pendergast. "We're still one-gap, able to turn guys loose and let them run, just like we did in the [4-3 defense]. So it's not like we're asking these guys to do things that are dramatically different from what they have been. And, again, we're just looking for ways to get people into position to make plays.

"Even in the old defense, Dockett, we noticed, seemed to make most of his big plays from the left side. So now, he's always [aligned] there, and he can use the same stance and things like that. Dansby played a little closer to the line when he was on the strong side, but always had good movement skills. So now we can drop him into the 'hook' and 'curl' areas in some of our coverages, and he's comfortable doing it. And Wilson, well, you're always trying to come up with ways to get him to the ball. So far, so good."

So far it's been a defensive change made by Whisenhunt, whose expertise principally lies on the offensive side of the ball, that has paid off most handsomely for his team.

•Warner's mobility: Given the uneven performances of Leinart, two-time NFL MVP Warner might have soon won the starting job with the Arizona Cardinals even if the team's 2006 first-round pick hadn't suffered a season-ending injury.

But for those fans who were eager to see how Warner might do if elevated to the starting lineup, instead of just playing when Whisenhunt wanted to add some spice by going to his no-huddle package, well, it could be one of those be-careful-what-you-wish-for deals. In recent seasons, Warner has been far more productive as a part-timer. He has been anything but durable, has been prone to turnovers and, at age 36, there is some concern in the organization about how well he'll hold up now that he's the full-time starter and not a change-of-pace relief pitcher.

But there is this encouraging statistic: Warner, who entered this season having been sacked once every 14.2 dropbacks, and whose mobility is limited, has suffered but one sack in 70 pass plays so far in 2007. As a unit, the Arizona offensive line has protected the quarterback admirably, allowing only five sacks altogether, an average of one every 37.2 dropbacks.

That's a remarkably low quota, one that demonstrates just how important it was for Whisenhunt to bring along his former Steelers colleague, offensive line coach Russ Grimm, to the Valley of the Sun. The blocking unit has long been the most glaring deficiency for an Arizona offense that has enough good skill-position players with which to win.

But even with injuries that have forced him to shuffle bodies, Grimm has cobbled together a group that is playing well, and will have to continue to perform at a high level. Warner can be like a China doll at times. There was a stretch, during his brief tenure with the New York Giants, when it seemed Warner fumbled every time a defender so much as breathed on him. But provide Warner some time in the comfort of a cocoon-like pocket, and the guy can pick apart defenses.

There is one other way the Cardinals can insulate Warner, of course, and that is by running more. Bank on Whisenhunt and Grimm to do just that. A big priority for Arizona in 2007 was to establish a tough inside running game and, on some occasions, the Cardinals have succeeded. Still, the play calling through five games has been skewed toward passing, with 58.1 percent of the snaps having been pass plays.

Bet the mortgage that will change. Tailback Edgerrin James has averaged 21.4 carries per game so far, and that number is going to get dramatically fatter in coming weeks. Whisenhunt and Grimm are smart guys. They understand that, in a diluted NFC West, they have a chance to steal a division championship. And they know, as well, that keeping Warner perpendicular is the key to claiming a playoff berth.

•Alexander on the downside? The tentative running style that tailback Shaun Alexander demonstrated during last week's shutout loss at Pittsburgh, in which he carried 11 times for just 25 yards, might be attributed to the cast on his broken left wrist. At least the Seahawks' brass better hope that's the case. Because the alternative -- that Alexander, at age 30, has lost a step -- isn't exactly a pretty one.

Alexander tried to tip-toe through a Steelers defense that was playing without two Pro Bowl performers, nose tackle Casey Hampton and strong safety Troy Polamalu, and looked awful. He certainly isn't finding the kind of holes he did two years ago, when he rushed for 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns, but Alexander's shortcomings right now aren't just limited to his offensive line.

The eighth-year veteran is averaging only 3.7 yards per carry, and has averaged more than 4 yards in just one of five games in 2007. In his past two outings, Alexander has averaged a microscopic 2.9 yards per attempt. Of his 102 carries for the year, Alexander has 38 rushes for one yard or less and 47 carries of two yards or less. He has only nine carries for more than 10 yards, three for 20 yards or more and a long run of 22 yards. Of his past 83 carries, only six have been for 10 yards or more. The clock starts ticking pretty loudly for any back once he reaches 30 years of age. But for Alexander, it seems like the clock is racing full speed ahead, even as he continues to slow down.

•Johnson-Green incident: Maybe the most perplexing event of the week was the decision by NFL vice president and resident finemeister Gene Washington to not sanction Houston defensive tackle Travis Johnson for the incident in which he stood over and taunted unconscious Miami Dolphins quarterback Trent Green. Game officials did penalize Johnson 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, but the fact Washington didn't dip into his bank account for the standard $7,500 fine was surprising. Granted, not every taunting incident deserves a fine. But Johnson's actions, even if marginally justified by the low block that Green delivered to his knee, displayed the lack of on-field decorum commissioner Roger Goodell typically doesn't abide.

To a man, league officials acknowledged that the block was legal. If so, then why reconcile Johnson's at having been blocked in a manner that is within the NFL guidelines for acceptable contact? About the only thing more confounding than Washington's failure to sanction Johnson was the public call from Houston coach Gary Kubiak for the league to ban low blocks. Confounding because Kubiak was the longtime offensive coordinator in Denver, where former Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs all but invented the cut-blocking system that was the scourge of NFL defensive linemen, who felt the system resulted in knee injuries.

The kind of block Trent Green used on Johnson last week isn't quite like the cut blocks the Denver linemen have employed for years, but the results are about the same. No one can remember Kubiak suggesting to Gibbs or Denver head coach Mike Shanahan that they ought to scrap the technique.

•Linebackers and interceptions: In the NFL's modern era, no linebacker has led the league in interceptions, and that streak is likely to continue this season. It is interesting to note, though, that of the six players tied for second in the league in interceptions, with three pickoffs each, three are linebackers. Keith Bulluck of Tennessee and Oakland's Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard are all just one pick behind Dallas cornerback Anthony Henry, the league leader. And Green Bay middle linebacker Nick Barnett has two interceptions.

The number of interceptions and sacks by linebackers this season reflects just how active players at the position have been in defending against the pass. More defenses, it seems, are doing a better job of developing solid two-way linebackers. And guys such as the Raiders' Morrison and Barrett Ruud of Tampa Bay are leading a group of young middle linebackers who are instinctive enough in coverage to remain on the field on third down.

Through the first five weeks of the season, linebackers have accounted for 36 interceptions. At the current pace, that projects to 121 interceptions for the season, which would be the most since linebackers registered 146 pickoffs in 1981.

"Our defense is a little unusual, in that you're counted on to play the pass first, then the run," Ruud said. "But that's how it is with a lot of the teams that play the Tampa-2 scheme. So, yeah, I think you are starting to see more linebackers now who are pretty good in coverage, and more guys making those kinds of [big] plays."

•Pennington on hot seat: Chad Pennington has never lost three straight starts. But a defeat on Sunday, when the New York Jets host the Philadelphia Eagles, and Pennington could lose his starting job to second-year veteran Kellen Clemens, the second-round draft choice in 2006 who is considered the team's future at quarterback.

The Jets' offense is struggling, having generated only 62 points in Pennington's four starts, and the eighth-year veteran conceded early this week that he is pressing. Several scouts who have seen the Jets play in-person this year told ESPN.com that Pennington's arm strength is such that he simply can't drill the ball into the seams anymore.

"He never had a bazooka," one scout assessed, "but his arm, always marginal, was at least good enough to win with in the past. But now, after those shoulder surgeries, it's like he has been reduced to pop-gun strength. You can see [defensive backs] just sitting back and waiting to jump [on his] passes."

Pennington has thrown five interceptions in the past two games, including three last week against the Giants.

After that game, Giants cornerback Sam Madison observed that Pennington throws a "light ball."

It doesn't help Pennington that, even with tailback Thomas Jones now in the backfield, the Jets can't run the ball. And there isn't much outside speed at wide receiver. Still, Pennington clearly has become more prone to pickoffs since undergoing his second shoulder surgery, to address a torn rotator cuff and labrum, after the 2005 season. In his 37 starts before the second surgery, Pennington posted only eight multiple-interception games. In his 20 starts since, he's had seven games with multiple interceptions. During the stewardship of coach Eric Mangini, Pennington has thrown 21 interceptions in 20 starts.

•A GM for Lewis in Cincy? The rumblings out of Cincinnati suggesting that coach Marvin Lewis would like to see Bengals ownership hire a general manager to oversee the team's personnel department are more than a little strange. While it's true that Cincinnati continues to operate with one of the NFL's smallest scouting staffs, even after bolstering its numbers in recent years, Lewis has a ton of input into all personnel decisions, including the draft. Sure, if he could handpick his own general manager, maybe that would help, but insiders insist Lewis already has more than sufficient influence.

Outside of signing a big-time veteran free agent to help the defense, there aren't many things ownership hasn't provided Lewis over the past few seasons. As for that big-time defensive addition, well, the guy Lewis really wanted to sign this spring was linebacker Joey Porter after Pittsburgh released him. Given the number of injuries the Bengals have absorbed at linebacker this year, Porter might have helped. But it's not like the loquacious Porter has made any game-altering plays in Miami, which overspent to sign him as a free agent.

•Bills QB situation: The Buffalo Bills have a bye this week, so coach Dick Jauron gets a pass on deciding who his quarterback will be for the rest of the season, fourth-year veteran and former first-round draft pick J.P. Losman or rookie Trent Edwards, who has played pretty well in the first two starts. Losman said he is ready to return from the knee injury that sidelined him for two weeks. But Edwards, a third-round selection from Stanford who has demonstrated moxie and solid decision-making skills, certainly has made a case for keeping the job.

Edwards isn't quite as athletic as Losman, and he doesn't possess the improvisational skills of the 2004 first-rounder, but the word from Buffalo is that he thinks well on his feet, gets the ball out of his hand a little quicker and makes excellent snap decisions. It was difficult in last Monday's heart-breaking loss to Dallas to get a good feel for Edwards, because the Buffalo offensive game plan was so conservative that he never threw the ball down the field.

By using a horizontal passing game that consisted of safe passes, the Bills hung in the game and should have pulled off the biggest upset of the first half of the season. Not once did Edwards throw the ball more than 25 yards down the field, and so observers seeing him play for the first time exited Ralph Wilson Stadium not knowing much about his arm strength. The Bills' coaches, of course, see Edwards every day in practice, so they know all about his arm strength. The choice figures to be a tough one for Jauron and his staff.

•Building block for Bills: Hard to say how the young Bills will respond, when they resume play against Baltimore on Oct. 21, to the gut-wrenching loss to the Cowboys. But there's little doubt that, had the Bills finished off the upset, it would have been a significant building block for the youthful roster.

Not necessarily a seminal victory that would have reversed the fortunes of a franchise that has not enjoyed only one winning season this millennium, but a big win nonetheless. Bills assistant general manager Tom Modrak noted before the Monday night game the importance of rewarding young players with wins. Buffalo has some good young talent, especially on defense, and the kids have played hard for the most part. And played hard under the duress of having suffered a crippling spate of injuries.

"You like to see that kind of play rewarded with positive reinforcement," Modrak said.

And nothing would have been more positive than upsetting the undefeated Cowboys in front of a national audience.

•QB Woodson stock down? Speaking of national television exposure, the Oct. 4 prime-time appearance of Kentucky, in its 38-23 loss to South Carolina, didn't do much to help the draft stock of quarterback Andre Woodson. The game exposed some of Woodson's shortcomings to NFL scouts who attended in person or tuned in to see a Wildcats' prospect many have projected as a top-10 selection in the 2008 draft.

Woodson completed 23-of-40 passes for 227 yards, with two touchdown passes and one interception in the key SEC matchup. But he appeared to make some poor decisions and looked too mechanical at times. Another highly rated senior quarterback whose stock could be dipping is Hawaii's Colt Brennan, who has been battling a badly sprained right ankle and, when he plays, throws too many interceptions. One senior signal-caller who is definitely on the rise with scouts is Matt Ryan of Boston College. Some scouts now feel Ryan is the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the draft, after Brian Brohm of Louisville.

•Moss vs. Owens: The last time we checked, neither Randy Moss of New England nor Dallas' Terrell Owens was planning to play cornerback in Sunday's showdown of undefeated teams. So, just like everything else about the game, the matchup of the two wide receivers has been over-hyped all week. After all, neither can affect, at least physically, the performance of the other in the game.

But in keeping with the spirit of the Duel in Dallas, we note, courtesy of the ESPN research machine, that the star wideouts have appeared on the same field in three games. Owens holds a 2-1 advantage in the outcome of those encounters. In 2004, his Philadelphia Eagles defeated Moss' Minnesota Vikings 27-16 and, in 2005, the Eagles beat the Oakland Raiders, 23-20. In 2003, it was Moss' team, Minnesota, that prevailed with a 35-7 waxing of San Francisco. The individual numbers in those three contests: Moss had 21 receptions for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Owens registered 18 catches for 214 yards and two scores.

•Stumbling in Miami: Miami owner Wayne Huizenga, characteristically, is exercising great patience in the face of a horrid start by his winless Dolphins. But one has to wonder how much longer Huizenga can take the losing. Huizenga is the kind of owner for whom most football executives and coaches would want to work. He signs the checks, invests in free agents, pours money into the practice facility and stadium, makes a genuine commitment to winning, and generally gets out of the way and allows his football people the latitude to make the football decisions.

In short, he's smart enough to know what he doesn't know, wise enough to not be looking over the shoulders of the folks he pays to run his team and is anything but meddlesome. His reward for his laissez faire management style? The Dolphins haven't been to the playoffs since 2001 and haven't won a postseason outing since 2000.

Huizenga isn't about to dump coach Cam Cameron in his rookie season. But this is a team regressing, the roster is old, and it's a franchise that is hardly providing Huizenga much return on his investment, at least on the field. If the Dolphins continue to stumble, one would think that someone must be held accountable and that the hands-off Huizenga is going to have to shake things up.

•Giants' 6-2 start? The people who have bashed Tom Coughlin, including some in his own locker room, might not want to think about this but, looking at the schedule, the surging New York Giants have a pretty good chance to be 6-2 at the halfway point of the season.

All but buried after an ugly 0-2 start, New York has won its past three games. On Monday, the Giants face an Atlanta team that is reeling and whose offensive line will feature two young offensive tackles making their first regular-season starts at the position. Then it's home for an Oct. 21 game against the San Francisco 49ers, whose offensive has been sputtering, before going to London for the historic Oct. 28 matchup against the winless Miami Dolphins. That sure looks like 6-2 for the Giants, heading into their Nov. 4 bye.

The schedule gets markedly more difficult after that, starting with a Nov. 11 game against Dallas. But that contest is a home game, so the Giants will have some advantage there. Bottom line: If the Giants keep winning, it will be tough to dump Coughlin, whose performance came under close review by ownership following the club's 8-8 record in 2006.

The defense seems to have gotten through some rough times and the scheme of first-year coordinator Steve Spagnuolo appears to have taken hold. Quarterback Eli Manning is playing with more confidence and consistency, and wide receiver Plaxico Burress, despite an ankle condition that figures to bother him all season, is having a monster season. Coughlin is a much better coach than his detractors will admit. The way things are going, he could be around for a while.

•Ravens' O-line in disarray: The Falcons don't have the only offensive line unit that could have a big shakeup this week. With regular starters Jonathan Ogden (hyperextended toe) and Adam Terry (sprained left ankle) ailing, the Baltimore Ravens figure to start two rookies at tackle, Jared Gaither on the left side and Marshal Yanda on the right. Also, center Mike Flynn has been slowed by a sprained medial collateral ligament and missed some practice time this week.

It's possible that, in Sunday's home game against St. Louis, the Ravens could start a line comprised of Gaither, left guard Jason Brown, Chris Chester at center, rookie first-rounder Ben Grubbs at right guard and Yanda. None of the five was even in high school when quarterback Steve McNair, who is still battling a groin injury, began his NFL career in 1995.

•The list: Rookie kicker Nick Folk, the hero of Dallas' last-second victory at Buffalo on Monday night, is the only placement specialist the Cowboys have drafted during the stewardship of owner Jerry Jones. A sixth-round pick from Arizona, Folk is also the 10th different kicker the Cowboys have employed over the past 10 years. Here are the Cowboys' nine other kickers since the start of the 1998 season: Richie Cunningham (1998-99), Eddie Murray (1999), Tim Seder (2000-2001), Jon Hilbert (2001), Billy Cundiff (2002-2005), Jose Cortez (2005), Shawn Suisham (2005), Mike Vanderjagt (2006) and Martin Gramatica (2006).

•Stat of the week: The first quarter of the New England-Dallas game on Sunday could be critical to the outcome of the much-hyped showdown between 5-0 teams. The Patriots have outscored opponents 44-7 in the first quarter. Leaguewide, only 10 other franchises have scored more than 20 first-quarter points and just two teams, Pittsburgh (34) and San Diego (31), have scored more than 30. On the flip side, Dallas has been outscored 19-6 in the opening quarters of its games. Kansas City (none), Chicago (three) and New Orleans (three) are the only clubs with fewer first-quarter points.

•Stat of the weak: Browns quarterback Derek Anderson has thrown at least one interception in each of his eight career starts, and 15 in all in those eight games.

•Punts: New England quarterback Tom Brady will reach a notable milestone Sunday when he makes his 100th consecutive start. Brady will becomes just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to start at least 100 straight games. ... Counting the first five games of this season, the Carolina Panthers have registered 6,229 pass attempts in the 12-year history of the franchise. Quarterback Vinny Testaverde, signed by the Panthers this week after the season-ending elbow surgery for Jake Delhomme, has 6,529 attempts. ... Buffalo offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild, who is highly regarded around the league, is being scrutinized for his play calling over the first five games of the season. There were certainly some questionable decisions in last Monday night's loss to the Cowboys and, apparently, in the opening day defeat to Denver.

The Raiders, who play at San Diego this weekend, have lost 15 straight games to AFC West rivals. ... San Diego tailback Michael Turner -- the much coveted backup to LaDainian Tomlinson and eligible for free agency next spring -- displayed once again last Sunday why he will be a hot commodity when he hits the unrestricted market. In the Chargers' victory over Denver, he rushed for 147 yards on just 10 carries. That's the most yards by a player with 10 carries or fewer since Steve Broussard of Seattle rushed for 138 yards on only six attempts in an Oct. 5, 1997, victory over Tennessee. ... Philadelphia is coming off a bye week and, under head coach Andy Reid, the Eagles are 8-0 in games following their bye.

Don't count Eagles kicker David Akers among the NFL placement specialists who claim to be unfazed by the latest fad of icing guys just before critical field goal attempts. "I think it takes something away from the integrity of the game," Akers said this week. ... Here's an oddity: In the Jets-Eagles game, both teams will feature punters who first made their mark in the Australian Football League before moving to the American game. Ben Graham of the Jets spent 11 seasons playing in the AFL and Philadelphia's Sav Rocca, the NFL's oldest rookie, at 33, played there for 14 seasons. ... Since 2001, New England is 23-4 in games against NFC teams.

With their running back ranks thinned by injuries, the Bucs figure to throw the ball a little more and will be looking for some big plays from wide receiver Joey Galloway. ... The bye for Pittsburgh came at a good time this week because the 4-1 Steelers need some time to get a few injured players healthy again. That said, coach Mike Tomlin, in an effort to assure that his team does not lose its physical edge, had the Steelers in full pads for a few days of practice this week. ... Published reports from the Twin Cities contend that a pair of Vikings players, tailback Chester Taylor and defensive end Erasmus James, engaged in a Wednesday locker room tiff. Team officials haven't confirmed the brief battle. But a day after the alleged fight, James, who has not played yet this season as he rehabilitates from knee surgery, showed up on the injury report with a sprained shoulder.

•The last word: "There really hasn't been a war. It's kind of been one-sided. I never lost to him. You've got to win some to make it a war. I mean, if I keep whooping you four times in a row, then it's not a war. Until you beat me, it's one-sided. So it's like me picking on my little brother. He still hasn't [beaten] me, so I'm going to go out there with my team, and until that happens, it's still one-sided. That's the mentality I'm going in with." -- Miami linebacker Joey Porter on his alleged "war of words" with Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow, whom he faces on Sunday.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.