6 Arizona Cardinals to Look Foward to in 2012

How quickly winning changes everything. Posting a 1-6 record in the first seven games of the 2011 season, the Arizona Cardinals were in the same breath as the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Redskins as front-runners in the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes.

The Cardinals went on to finish the season strong with a 7-2 record and showcased how they can be very dangerous when they’re clicking on all cylinders.

This is a list of some of the players Cardinals fans should be keeping a close eye on going into the 2012 season.

Greg Toler

Going into the 2011 season, third-year cornerback Greg Toler was ready to step up and prove himself as the No. 1 guy after Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was shipped to Philadelphia for Kevin Kolb.

He was ready to provide some stability to a position that has not had any in quite some time.

Then it happened: Toler tore his ACL and was placed on injured reserve.

The Cardinals struggled in the secondary all season with mediocre play from Michael Adams, A.J. Jefferson, Richard Marshall and rookie Patrick Peterson trying to find his footing all season.

Toler will hopefully come back in 2012 as the player the Cardinals needed him to be in 2011.

Ryan Williams

Another player who was lost for the season to a knee injury.

After Ryan Williams was drafted No. 38 overall, the Cardinals backfield was looking to be a strength for the team until a preseason game against the Packers. Williams ruptured his patella tendon and was placed on IR.

His loss wasn’t felt as hard as Toler's, however, as Beanie Wells had a career year.

Going into 2012, the Cardinals will now have two high draft picks at running back.

Some questions surround Williams heading into 2012.

How much playing time will he receive behind Beanie?

Will he overtake Beanie as the No. 1 guy?

Will coach Ken Whisenhunt trade one or the other, like he did with Tim Hightower?

Levi Brown

Although he performed better in the second half of the season, Levi Brown was still one of the worst starting left tackles in the league.

He has been a major disappointment at left tackle and has been easily overshadowed by Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, who was drafted only two spots ahead of Brown in 2007, and Vikings All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, who was drafted two spots below Brown.

His contract will have to be restructured if he wants to return to the Cardinals in 2012.

In 2012, will Brown be playing left tackle?

Will he be playing tackle at all?

Will he be on the bench?

Will he even be in a Cardinals uniform?

Rob Housler

The third-round pick for the Cardinals in 2011 was brought in to be another downfield target for the Cardinals' QB to be named later.

Although Rob Housler finished the year with only 12 receptions for 133 yards and no touchdowns, he did show flashes of being a good downfield target. His second year proves to be promising.

He will have more experience with the playbook, and another year of learning behind former Pro Bowler Todd Heap isn’t going to hurt.

2012 might not exactly be his breakout year, but he should see the field much more in 2012.

Sam Acho/O'Brien Schofield/Daryl Washington

The League of Extraordinary Young Linebackers: All three showed flashes of being Pro Bowlers throughout the 2011 season.

The linebacker trio finished the season with a combined 144 tackles, 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.

Sam Acho and O'Brien Schofield didn’t start to emerge until the latter half of the season, when the Cardinals went 7-2 in their last nine games.

In 2012, the trio should become an even stronger unit with Acho going into his second year, Schofield becoming more familiar with the playbook and Daryl Washington finally getting his Pro Bowl nod (prediction).

Kevin Kolb/John Skelton

Even though Kevin Kolb is making about $61 million more than John Skelton, it’s hard not to imagine that this isn’t an open competition going into 2012.

Kolb showed flashes of being a franchise quarterback in his first season with the Cardinals but was injured for the majority of the second half of the season.

“All he does is win” is a phrase that has become a staple when talking about Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow, but it could be just as easily applied to Skelton.

Though his stats weren't as good as Kolb's (completion percentage, TD-INT ratio, QB rating), he did finish the season 7-2. It should be interesting to see who gets the opening-day start.