It’s hard to get over the change in how the Cardinals operate.

Can you imagine anyone EVER criticizing them for maybe being TOO willing to negotiate with players demanding a new contract.

But that’s what I’m wondering about. Though they haven’t come close to a new deal, the Cardinals have negotiated with Anquan Boldin.

Did they goof in doing so?

After all, Boldin has three years left on his contract. There’s really no reason for the Cardinals to do a new deal.

Sure Larry Fitzgerald got a $10 million a year contract. But this year was his time.

The Cardinals could have politely declined to talk; but they took the plunge.

And sure enough, then Darnell Dockett wanted a new deal even though he has FOUR years left on his contract.

The Cardinals might want to say, “Our bad. Let’s forget any more negotiations with players who have more than two years to go.”

Notes from the Cardinals voluntary practices (also called organized team activities):

– Steve Breaston might be the hit of the off-season. He’s played so well that he’s got to be the favorite to move into Bryant Johnson’s old No. 3 receiver slot.

Breaston credits old-fashioned hard work, particularly in the weight room.

 – Quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner also look sharp.

 – The defense should have more depth this season, though the team could end up missing the late-blooming Calvin Pace at linebacker.

– Everyone should be ready to go when training camp starts in July in Flagstaff. The main players rehabbing now are safety Adrian Wilson (heel) and tight end Leonard Pope (ankle).

 If I’m a player rep on the Cardinals or any other NFL team, I’d push to do away with organized team activities, or at least limit them to players with only a year or two of experience.

 These voluntary practices with limited contact – they resemble flag football — didn’t come into existence until recent years. (In the past, some teams had passing camps.) The NFL seemed to survive quite nicely.

 The mandatory mini-camps, which take place right after the draft, make sense. But these additional practices seem like overkill. Do away with them and nobody would notice.

 That said, as long as these practices take place, it’s too bad Anquan Boldin and Darnell Dockett aren’t here.

It would be one thing if they just said “I’m a pro. I don’t need these practices. I’ll be ready to go at training camp.”

 But to pout over their contracts only makes themselves look like me-first types.

 And you have to wonder how this will affect the Cardinals. Boldin and Dockett are – or at least were – team leaders.

 Maybe Larry Fitzgerald and Adrian Wilson will become the team’s unquestioned leaders.

Everybody can’t have a huge contract. That’s the way it works in the NFL. Look at the New England Patriots. They didn’t get to the top of the heap by ladling on heavy contracts.No, they did the opposite, looking for heady role players with modest contracts.That brings us to a number of Cardinal players who would like to follow Larry Fitzgerald and get a big long-term deal.Count among these safety Adrian Wilson, linebacker Karlos Dansby and receiver Anquan Boldin.
The Cardinals have been willing to negotiate with all three.But do the Cardinals have the money available under the salary cap to satisfy all three? After all, we’re talking about the best players on an 8-8 team here, not a Super Bowl team.It’s possible the Cardinals will have to make some choices by the end of the 2008 season, and that perhaps one of these players will have to be traded or play out his current deal.Another Cardinal who has indicated discomfort with his contract situation has been defensive lineman Darnell Dockett. But his deal, signed in October, 2006, has four years to run. Demands for a new one would be seen as a knee-slapper.

As the Cardinals start their 2008 mini-camp in Tempe, I’m particularly curious about Calais Campbell, the team’s new defensive end.The Cardinals seemed to need a speed running back, but they took Campbell instead in Round 2.He had a fine 2006 season, but dipped last year, so you have to wonder whether he’s a reach or a guy who has a big upside.

The Cardinals say they had him rated in their top 30 players when they took him at No. 50…

You can check out Campbell and all the Cardinals at their public workout starting at 10:45 a.m. Saturday at their Tempe training complex at Warner and Hardy.