Two Quick Thoughts

1. I don't believe I've yet read a column or blog that has speculated that Charlie Frye might get cut. Among other reasons, this is probably because everyone (including me) assumes the Seahawks will keep three quarterbacks on their roster. What if, due to the roster crunch, the Seahawks kept a total of 12 running backs and wide receivers (one more than their normal 11) while going with two quarterbacks? I wouldn't expect this this scenario to last for the entire season, but what about for the first three weeks of the season? Consider:

• Teams will on occasion go with only two quarterbacks. The Colts have done this the past couple of years.
• After Frye's dismal showing last Saturday, how much better will he be than a generic backup given a week to prepare?
• If the Seahawks coaches feel they could use a few more weeks to evaluate their running back and wide receiver talent, this would give them such time, and when Branch and/or Engram return they could make cuts as necessary and bring in a new third-string quarter back.

2. I've been trying to get a feel for how good I think the other NFC West teams are going to be. The quarterback situation in San Francisco (plus their lack of quality receivers) has me thinking they won't score many points this year, and are probably set for a four or five win season. I thought St. Louis might be decent (6-8 wins), but they have a mess of problems, including another round of offensive line injuries, Steven Jackson's hold-out, and Chris Long's slow start. Furthermore, Marc Bulger looked awful when I watched him last week against San Diego. That team will be better than the 49ers, but only by a bit. The Cardinals, however, looked like they could be legitimate contenders if everything went right for them. Unfortunately for them, one of their main offensive weapons may be turned against them.

There is big trouble, perhaps along the lines of Terrell Owens vs. the Eagles, brewing in Arizona because of wide receiver Anquan Boldin's unhappiness over his contract with the Cardinals...
Boldin has asked, through agent Drew Rosenhaus, to be traded, and the Cardinals have refused. Now there are reports that Boldin isn't speaking to Coach Ken Whisenhunt, and there is speculation that Boldin even could walk out of training camp.
Boldin told the NFL Network on Monday that he has "no relationship" at this point with Whisenhunt, apparently believing that Whisenhunt became more involved in the contract negotiations than a coach should be.
Boldin also told the league-owned television channel: "As long as I'm here, I can't see myself as a happy member of this organization at all, not with this situation being what it is. I don't see it being rectified, either. The relationship with me and the organization is done. I'm here to uphold my contract. That's it." - Maske

T.O.-Eagles looks like a fair comparison. Earlier it looked like Boldin would handle his situation more like Bobby Engram than Owens. But, with Larry Fitzgerald getting a huge new contract, can you fault Boldin for being upset with the salary disparity while (historically) putting up only slightly worse stats than Fitzgerald? This is the fault of the Cardinals organization. (On a Seahawks note, we need to get Leroy Hill signed yesterday, because this is the same type of situation. The only reason it isn't blowing up now is that Hill will be a free agent next year, while Boldin is stuck with two years after this one). If Boldin ends up not playing for the Cardinals, be it from a hold-out or a trade, their offense is going to suffer severely. Larry Fitzgerald will be double-, if not triple-, teamed, with no serious second receiving threat for the defenses to worry about. Defenses will be able to stack the box, Leinart (Warner?) will be holding onto the ball longer, and that whole offense will suffer. It's not looking good for the Cardinals.

Update: TheBigLead comes to the same conclusion.