Kurt Warner’s most recent team, Arizona, is the worst in the West and poor play at the QB position all season has been a major factor in the Cards’ demise. So were there ever any overtures from the team to see if Warner was interested in returning? “Not really,” he said. “There’s been comments from teammates or texts here and there, lighthearted comments that have been made. I think the bottom line with the organization and me is that they respect me too much to even approach me.” … And he said if he would have been contacted about a return, the answer would be easy – “No.” He said he gave much thought to the decision before it was made. “Retirement to me means retirement, and I wasn’t going to do it until it was the right time,” he said. “I haven’t looked back, I haven’t missed it. I remember the reasons I got out of the game, which was great to me.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Derek Anderson will remain the starter, coach Ken Whisenhunt said Tuesday, because he gives the Cardinals their best chance to win, something they haven’t done since Oct. 10. And it doesn’t sound as if Whisenhunt is ready to turn to Max Hall or John Skelton, both rookies, anytime soon. “As hard as it is to say, I have seen Derek in here working his tail off,” Whisenhunt said Tuesday morning. “I have seen improvement over the last few weeks. That’s really what you look for, and I think he gives us the best chance to win right now.” — Arizona Repbulic

Cardinals president Michael Bidwill did say he thinks the team has the organizational structure in place to fix what’s gone wrong. Of course, that’s what you would expect him to say, given that last year he extended the contracts of Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves through 2013. “This is the structure that got us success in years past,” Bidwill said. “I think when you step back from it and look at teams in the NFL, they will go through cycles, including good teams. “When it’s happening to you, it’s very frustrating. We’re trying to work our way through it and hope that we can get it rectified. I think the important thing is we stay focused . . . and not over-react. We’ve had some close games and made some mistakes. What we’ve got to do is work on fixing those and not getting ahead of ourselves.” — Arizona Republic

After four consecutive losses, Cardinals fans have gone from showing blind faith in coach Ken Whisenhunt (In Whiz We Trust) to blind anger (What is he thinking?). The loudest want apologies and answers on everything from the quarterback situation to the defensive coordinator’s job security. They want Whisenhunt to open a vein during his news conferences, maybe spank a microphone. They want a future Coors Light commercial. Failing that, the angriest fans appear in favor of forming a black ops team to take  The Cardinals defense ranks last in the NFL in average yards allowed (401.8) and last in average points (29). Overall, the Cardinals rank 31st in point differential (-9.6). — Arizona Republic

Through the struggles, Cardinals WR Fitzgerald has refused to complain, which seems unusual in this era of the petulant wide receiver. He’s frustrated, but Fitzgerald is sensitive to how his teammates and fans perceive him, so he has chosen his words carefully. “I’m not a complainer,” he said. “I’m not going to put my head down. I’m a man and when the good times come, I roll with them. When the bad times come, I roll with them.” — Arizona Republic

In the long view, the Cardinals must address this problem before the 2011 season. Donovan McNabb was benched by the Redskins on Sunday and will be a free agent after the season. Michael Vick also is slated for free agency.  — Arizona Republic

Max Hall or Derek Anderson? After a heartbreaking 38-35 loss to Tampa Bay at University of Phoenix Stadium, coach Ken Whisenhunt must commit to a quarterback and then convince his team it is still in a position to succeed. It won’t be easy. The postgame locker room was dead quiet. Players couldn’t wait to escape the stench of this one, and who could blame them? The Cardinals didn’t lose this game. They gave it away. This one is on the organization for not having a better Plan B, as in “backup.” OK, I’ll say it: You have to wonder about Plan L, as in, “Could Matt Leinart have done better?” Here’s the crazy part. The Cardinals, if they can get their act together, still are in decent shape. Of their nine remaining games, seven are against opponents with losing records. The group left on the schedule is a combined 23-44. They must resolve this quarterback mess first. It has to be Anderson. — Arizona Republic

Ron Jaworski told a Phoenix radio station that Max Hall is so bad, Larry Fitzgerald will leave the Arizona Cardinals: “I can’t see Larry Fitzgerald staying in Arizona with the present status of this football team,” he said. “I just can’t see it. It’s a team that in the preseason that was approaching becoming more of a power running team. We spoke in that preseason contest when we had the Cardinals and Tennessee about this being Pittsburgh West with Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt and the power running game with Beanie Wells. That just hasn’t happened. “Larry Fitzgerald with 29 catches is somewhat of an embarrassment for someone with that skill set. He’s gonna look at his team and say ‘hey this probably isn’t the place for me’ and you know what, he might just be right if this is the way it’s going to continue. They just don’t have any quarterback in waiting that you can say ‘this team is going to win right now’. We’re talking about Derek Anderson being the savior now and giving you the best chance, and I’m clearly not going to put him in that role. In all likelihood I think Larry Fitzgerald is going to be gone.” — Phoenix Examiner

Larry Fitzgerald’s contract expires after the 2011 season and the team would like to begin talks on a new deal no later than the spring. Because of the terms of the contract, the Cardinals can’t place a franchise tag on him. It will be Fitzgerald’s decision. How willing will he be to stay in the Valley if the right pieces aren’t in place offensively for him, and the team, to succeed? Cardinals, consider this your wake-up call. – Arizona Republic

For a guy who has only one sack through his first five games, Joey Porter didn’t want to sound like a hot dog. So naturally, he’d rather be considered a hamburger. “It’s like McDonald’s. You know what the Big Mac tastes like every time,” the Cardinals’ outside linebacker said Thursday. “It’s the same with me. You know what you’re going to get from me every time.” The Cardinals might be 3-2 and heading to Seattle for a first-place fight with the Seahawks on Sunday but their star free-agent acquisition has yet to live up to his beefy contract. For the $5.2 million the Cardinals are paying him this season – and the $5.75 million he is due in 2011 and 2012 – one might say Porter looks more like the Hamburglar. Go ahead and pile on him now, Porter said, because he vows his sack total will be there in the end. “I haven’t been able to cash in on my opportunities all the way yet, but I’ve got 11 games left,” he said, “and I will have double-digit sacks before it’s over. I don’t even stress about that issue. That will happen. “I know people are out there goin’, ‘Dang, we got Joey Porter in the off-season and he’s only got one sack.’ But listen, you can’t judge somebody at the beginning of the season. You’ve got to judge them when the season is over and when I’m sitting here with 12 sacks, well, then it’s time to talk.” — Arizona Republic

Cardinals running back Beanie Wells complained Monday about not getting enough carries and promised he was going to discuss the matter with coach Ken Whisenhunt. Wells found out the coach had a few things on his mind, too. “I understand Beanie’s frustration,” Whisenhunt said. “We’re all frustrated at the way things have gone for us. It would have been my preference that he would have talked to me about it before . . . but those things happen.” Wells said headlines made his comments look stronger and more controversial than he meant them. “I’m still a competitor. I want to be out there in crunch-time situations,” Wells said. “I think he understands that, and I think Coach wants that in his guys.” — Arizona Republic

The Cardinals produced only 124 yards of offense against the Chargers on Sunday and yielded nine sacks. Their problems go deeper than just the starting quarterback. “It doesn’t matter who is back there: If we don’t block for the quarterback up front, you could put my grandmother back there and she’s not going to do well,” center Lyle Sendlein said. “I’m not saying she would do well if we were blocking for her. (But) she’s pretty athletic. “The point is, we got to do a better job up front.” — Arizona Republic

Larry Fitzgerald’s done that, meaning his contract, which averages $10 million a year, will expire after the 2011 season. To avoid reaching that point, the Cardinals are expected to discuss a new contract with Fitzgerald no later than this spring, although a lockout could change the timeline. Fitzgerald has all the leverage. Under terms of the present deal, the Cardinals cannot trade Fitzgerald or place the franchise tag on him. Without those options, the Cardinals will want to reach agreement on an extension before Fitzgerald begins his final contract year. If a new deal isn’t reached by the start of the 2011 season, Fitzgerald could decide to see what the market will bear for a top receiver who will turn 29 in 2012. And it will bear a lot. In deciding whether to remain with the Cardinals, Fitzgerald will consider not only how much money the team is willing to throw at him, but who is throwing balls to him. — Arizona Republic

Not only do the Cardinals have a full-fledged quarterback controversy, but now they have a potential star running back who is upset about his own role. “I’m not really worried about the quarterback situation. I’m worried about my situation,” Beanie Wells told The Arizona Republic on Monday. “I didn’t get into the game until there were four minutes left in the second quarter (Sunday against the Chargers) and I have no clue as to why. I’d like to think I’m a big part of this thing, but right now, I don’t feel it.” Wells, who had just five carries for 19 yards in Arizona’s 41-10 loss, said he planned to meet privately with coach Ken Whisenhunt to discuss his displeasure. “Oh, we’re definitely going to have a talk,” Wells told The Republic. — Arizona Republic

Cardinals QB Derek Anderson was benched late in the first half after an interception, his second, was returned for a touchdown. Before that, Anderson had ended a promising drive with an interception and missed a receiver for a sure touchdown. His replacement, Max Hall, fared little better. He was sacked six times, and when he did have time to throw, he looked just like someone seeing his first extended NFL action. Ken Whisenhunt declined to name a starter for Sunday’s home game against the New Orleans Saints, saying he didn’t want to make an emotional decision. Asked if going to a rookie quarterback before a home game and an off week was opportune, Whisenhunt replied: “I don’t know if there’s ever a good time to go with a rookie quarterback, to be honest with you,” Whisenhunt said. “There’s a lot of things, I think. Until I see them on the tape, I don’t know. I don’t want to make a judgment off of what I think happened today, because there’s not a lot of things I think were very good.” — Arizona Republic

We’re told the Cardinals felt they had no choice but to part ways with OLB Cody Brown, the team’s second-round pick in 2009. “They just kept waiting and waiting, but he never flashed anything in games or practices,” one team insider said of Brown, who sat out his rookie season with a fractured wrist. “Plus, his personality rubbed a lot of people in the organization the wrong way, and he never meshed from a chemistry standpoint.” — Pro Football Weekly