NOTEBOOK: Cardinals Have Questions

To begin the week, Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt answered questions by questioning himself.

He criticized himself for the Cardinals' inability to establish a running game in their 28-21 win over the Houston Texans in October 11 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Cardinals rushed for 44 yards on 16 attempts. Arizona saw an eight-man front from Houston for most of the game. The Cardinals,2-2, will probably see it again when they face the Seattle Seahawks Oct. 18 on the road. Whisenhunt said the front discouraged the Cardinals from sticking with designed running plays. Instead, Arizona had to check off into pass plays, which after time, made its offensive attack predictable.

"There were at least a half dozen plays that would have been huge plays had we connected on (passes), but that's probably the biggest regret I have, not calling more run plays that were just runs without checks," Whisenhunt told The Arizona Republic.

Whisenhunt also said the Cardinals could have used running back Beanie Wells more. He rushed for 24 yards on just seven carries. On the season, Wells has 23 carries for 85 yards and zero touchdowns.

"He'll continue to get more carries than he did (Sunday) because he really looked good in a couple situations," he said. "He was close to breaking out two times in that game for bigger runs. Obviously, if that dumb guy that's calling plays will call more runs, then Beanie will get more opportunities for carries."

Cardinals' Indentity: There's questions all around as the Cardinals head into a NFC West showdown with Seattle in Week 6. The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley wrote that the Cardinals don't have an answer for what is their true identity.

Bickley suggested the offense needed balance. For the season, Arizona has run the football 73 times and passed 318 times.

Secondary hoping to improve: The Arizona Cardinals' defense is wondering why it can be at the top and bottom at the same time. The Cardinals' defense is ranked first in the NFL in rushing defense, surrendering just 71 yards per a game. However, Arizona's pass defense ranks 32nd in the league, giving up 303 yards per a game in the air. Cardinals defensive coordinator Bill Davis said focus and a lack of a pass rush has been the Cardinals' problem in pass defense.

Teams are throwing the football 63 percent of the time against the Cardinals.

"In a couple of these games, we're getting two and three-touchdown leads, and the second half turns into all pass," Davis told The Arizona Republic. "You get more shots on goal. We've got to do a better job of getting ourselves off the field."