Rejoice!!! Anquan Boldin will remain with Cards in 2009
April 27, 2009
Fans of Anquan Boldin.
Get excited. The “Big Three” of Anquan Boldin, Kurt Warner, and Larry Fitzgerald will return in 2009. With the passing of the NFL draft and no trades involving top-flight veteran players, we can finally put the trade talks about Boldin to rest, and concentrate on winning the Superbowl in 2009.
Category: 2009 Season, News | Tags: Anquan Boldin, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
EA Sports “Madden” to feature Larry Fitzgerald?
April 16, 2009
Corporate sponsors are throwing themselves at #11. Do you blame them?
It’s official. The 2009 season may go entirely up in smoke. Rumors today say that Larry Fitzgerald will be featured on the cover of EA Sports Madden NFL 10 football game, which, with its accompanying well-documented curse, all but guarantees the Arizona Cardinals will miss the playoffs entirely in 2009.
Let’s just hope Coach Ken Whisenhunt and Rod Graves heed this sobering news and put the kibosh on any thoughts of trading Anquan Boldin.
If the Madden Curse holds true, they’ll certainly need Boldin’s wide receivering services!
Category: 2009 Season, Editorial | Tags: Anquan Boldin, Ken Whisenhunt, Larry Fitzgerald, Rod GravesOne more year: the case for keeping Boldin
February 13, 2009
Cardinals fans should be desperate to retain Anquan Boldin.
It’s laughable to me that people forget how quickly things change in today’s NFL. The Cleveland Browns were an up and coming team after the 2007 season; they’re not today. Back in 2005 the Bengals rode the hot arm of young Carson Palmer into the playoffs; Palmer suffered a season ending knee injury on his first pass of the game and the Bungles have never been the same.
It’s the NFL, it happens. A star player one year may not be a star player the next. Coaches leave. Free agents bolt. The schedule toughens. Heck, a team can even lose it’s star quarterback on the first few snaps of the first series of its first game. Just ask Bill Belichick about that one.
The 2008 Arizona Cardinals came within 2:37 seconds of winning Superbowl XLIII, but without their star wide receiver Anquan Boldin, a return to the playoffs in 2009 is unlikely. Here’s why:
1) Teams will figure out how to stop Larry Fitzgerald.
It’s just one of those things, but players don’t go crazy in the NFL (especially in the Superbowl, the NFL’s grandest stage) without every defensive coordinator out there losing sleep in the offseason muttering to himself, “Oh no he doesn’t. Not when we play him, not against us.” So for everyone out there that thinks Fitzgerald’s “special talent” will allow him to rise above the double-coverage, triple-coverage, etc. that he’ll face in 2009, I present to you the case of Randy Moss’s record breaking 2007 season: 98 receptions, 1493 receiving yards (15.2 yard average), 23 TDs, and no Superbowl rings.
Moss took the league by storm in 2007, but in certain games the opposing defense figured out how to take him away. Consider these 4 games from the regular season:
As you can see, there were 4 games (25%) during Randy Moss’s record setting 2007 campaign where he was relatively invisible. And guess what? The Patriots vaunted offense, the juggernaut that went 16-0 in the regular season (winning 14 games by an average margin of 22 points), only managed to beat Philadelphia and Baltimore by 3 points each when Moss was contained.
Even worse, look at Randy Moss’s stat line during the Patriot’s 2007 postseason:
Randy Moss was neutralized, and eventually the Patriots lost to the Giants in Superbowl XLII. I’m not saying Fitzgerald is or isn’t a better player than Moss, I’m just providing a cautionary tale about what works well one year in the NFL may not necessarily work well the next.
2) Kurt Warner won’t have the same year.
Maybe he’ll lose his arm strength like Brett Favre. Maybe he’ll throw a bunch of picks or struggle to adjust to the new schemes cooked up by whoever is the new incoming offensive coordinator, but for whatever reason, don’t expect Warner to come back in 2009 with another MVP-like year. If he does, more power to him, but I sure as heck think his chances and the Cardinals’ chances to return to the Superbowl in 2009 are vastly improved if they have TWO explosive WRs on the field with Boldin and Fitzgerald.
3) If Fitzgerald were to be hurt…
I know, it’s horrible to say, but how confident would you be if our starting WRs in 2009 were Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban, and Early Doucet? Injuries are a reality in the NFL, and although Breaston, Urban, and Doucet played vital roles on the 2008 Superbowl team, the reality is that together as starters they wouldn’t strike fear into opposing teams or alter defensive gameplans.
Look at it this way: if the Eagles and Giants rumored interest in acquiring Anquan Boldin indicates they believe they’re one superstar WR away from reaching the Superbowl, that would mean losing Anquan Boldin would leave the Cardinals with only one superstar WR on the roster, and one injury to Larry Fitzgerald away from falling out of the playoff picture altogether in 2009. Look at what happened to the Giants this year: they lost Plaxico Burress, were unable to fill the void, couldn’t spread the field, and lost in the playoffs.
4) Anquan Boldin can play.
Boy can he ever. I didn’t follow a lot of college football, so I had no idea who Anquan Boldin was when the Cardinals drafted him in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. I didn’t have to wait long to find out, as Boldin set a rookie receiving record with 10 catches for 217 yards and 2 TDs against Detroit in the Cardinals season opener. Nevermind they lost the game 42-24, or that they’d go on to finish Boldin’s rookie season 4-12, but suddenly Cardinals fans had hope, “Hey, we’re that team that found some awesome guy in the second round who’s going to be a superstar!” In his rookie 2003 season Boldin went on to grab 101 receptions (tying the Cardinals franchise record at the time) for 1377 yards and 8 TDs.
He’s been better ever since.
Boldin is the quarterback’s best friend, a guy who can turn a quick WR screen or crossing pattern into a 75-yard TD pass. Boldin takes the big hits and keeps on trucking. Over the past six seasons he’s averaged 83 receptions, 1082 receiving yards, 52 first downs (62.5% of catches), and 6.6 TDs per year.
Boldin’s injury shortened 2008 season was his best yet, where he overcame a horrific early season concussion to catch 89 receptions for 1038 yards and 11 TDs in only 12 games. When his 2008 stats are projected out over an entire 16 game NFL season, Boldin would have finished 2008 with 118 receptions for 1383 yards and 14 TDs.
Playoffs? Who could forget Boldin converting Warner’s short crossing pass into a 71-yard TD scamper down the sideline past Lawyer Milloy in the Cardinals 30-24 Wildcard victory over the Falcons. Certainly not the Eagles or Steelers, who were forced to respect Boldin’s big-play ability and allowed Larry Fitzgerald to have monster receiving games.
Boldin is a guy you want on your team. He’s the Hines Ward of the NFC, and that’s a compliment. Both guys are hard working, blue collar leaders on the practice field and in games, who aren’t afraid to get hit, and accept the punishment that follows the big catch over the middle or throwing a key block in the running game.
Affectionately called “Q”, Boldin is a consummate teammate, quiet leader in the Phoenix community (Anquan Boldin Foundation), and a guy I’d want on my team.
5) Reward your own.
Momentum is such a fickle thing. Suddenly the team that nobody thought was going to do anything won a few playoff games, and the next thing you know the 2008 Arizona Cardinals were confident and hungry and for all intents and purposes should have beat Pittsburgh in the Superbowl. Believe me, I loved every minute of it, but jeez, where did that come from?!
Everything came together perfectly: the leadership of a seasoned veteran quarterback, continuity on the offensive line, two superstar wide receivers hitting their prime, a rookie defensive back playing man-to-man defense out of his mind, a defensive front seven fighting for respect, and a capable coaching staff motivating the team to prove everyone wrong.
Will that happen again this year? Probably not. History shows that the losing team in the Superbowl has only made the playoffs once the following season since 2000, including the 18-1 Patriots team just one year removed from their last second loss to the Giants in Superbowl XLII.
Sure Tom Brady got hurt, but that’s the whole point. Something bad happens. Teams lose momentum. They lose coaches. Players leave via free agency.
Basically, it’s no cakewalk to get back the following year.
That’s why I’m saying reward Boldin now. Stem the tide that opened with the loss of offensive coordinator Todd Haley to the Chiefs (new head coach), the firing of defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, and all the negative talk revolving around Boldin’s contract and Warner’s potential retirement. Commit to putting a winner on the field by signing Boldin and unrestricted free agent Karlos Dansby and your odds of talking Warner out of retirement increase immensely.
Boldin wants to be part of a winner, but the Cardinals must commit to winning now. Beyond 2009, Warner will almost certainly retire, and who knows how successful the Matt Leinart era will be.
But with Boldin and Warner back next year, the stars could align again. The NFC West will be improved, but the Cardinals are still probably the team to beat. Warner probably won’t repeat his 2008 performance, but with Fitzgerald and Boldin hitting their prime while second year players Tim Hightower, Calais Campbell and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie improve, who knows, maybe the Cardinals can find the playoff magic again.
The Cardinals proved people wrong with great success in 2008. Let’s hope they do it again in 2009.
Category: 2009 Season, Editorial | Tags: Anquan Boldin, Calais Campbell, Clancy Penderg, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Early Doucet, J.J. Arrington, Jerheme Urban, Karlos Dansby, Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Matt Leinart, Steve Breaston, Todd HaleyHeartbreak hath no equal
February 2, 2009
It’s taking me a while to come to grips with the Cardinals heartbreaking last second loss to the Steelers in Superbowl XLIII. I will complete this post once it’s all sunk in a little more… but right now, I need some time.
Superbowl XLIII: Sunday, February 1, 2009, 6:28 PM ET
Steelers 27, 
Cardinals 23
Big Ben drives Steelers to Superbowl XLIII win
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
Postgame Interviews: Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
Road to the Superbowl: Years of futility led to success in the NFL Draft
January 24, 2009
Imagine you were building a NFL team. You’d want to mix in a few savvy veterans, but largely you’d look to build a foundation of success through the draft.
While drafting NFL players is an inexact science, generally speaking players drafted on the first day are better players than the guys drafted on the second day, and players drafted early in round one, say pick #7, are theoretically better football players than guys picked 28th.
Is it any surprise then, that the Arizona Cardinals, perennial losers who between 2000-2007 averaged only 5.4 wins per season (second worst in the league behind only Detroit’s 5.0 wins per season average) were able to build a Superbowl caliber team through the draft? Since 2000 the Cardinals have averaged a top-10 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft:
Year _ Record Pick Player:
2000 __ 6-10 _ #7 Thomas Jones RB (Jets)
2001 __ 3-13 _ #2 Leonard Davis OG (Cowboys)
2002 __ 7-9 __ #12 Wendell Bryant (no longer in football)
2003 __ 5-11 _ #17 Bryant Johnson WR (49ers)
2004 __ 4-12 _ #3 Larry Fitzgerald WR (Cardinals)
2005 __ 6-10 _ #8 Antrel Rolle FS (Cardinals)
2006 __ 5-11 _ #10 Matt Leinart QB (Cardinals)
2007 __ 5-11 _ #5 Levi Brown OT (Cardinals)
2008 __ 8-8 _ #16 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB (Cardinals)
Four out of the past five Cardinals’ 1st round draft picks will start against the Steelers in Superbowl XLIII in Tampa. Fitzgerald already set a NFL Record for receiving yards in a postseason (419 yards, surpassing Jerry Rice), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has 15.0 tackles, 2 INTs, and 7 passes defensed, Antrel Rolle has an INT and scored on a 27-yard fumble recovery in the NFC Wildcard win over Atlanta, and Levi Brown has helped pave the way toward a league best 333 rushing yards this postseason.
Len Pasquarelli sensed the shift in the Cardinals fortunes with his column titled Solid drafts move Cardinals, Vikings forward immediately following the 2005 NFL Draft:
You don’t want to look behind you very often, since someone could be quickly gaining ground. With what transpired this weekend in the NFL draft, the 2004 division champion Seattle Seahawks might consider heeding that advice and avoid swiveling too quickly. Stare too long into the rear-view mirror, and the Seahawks are going to find an ascendant Arizona Cardinals team creeping up from behind.
Green went into the draft wanting to get quicker, and he accomplished that with most of his early choices, in particular cornerback Antrel Rolle. The Cardinals are not shy about throwing rookies into the fray — four of their seven draft picks from a year ago started as rookies — and Rolle has already been penciled into the lineup. Second-round tailback J.J. Arrington, a player the sometimes transparent Green has been touting since the combine workouts, could start as well. Linebacker Darryl Blackstock and guard Elton Brown were flat-out steals, respectively, in the third and fourth rounds.
The following season, Todd McShay glowingly recaps the Cardinals 2006 draft:
Best pick: Matt Leinart, QB, USC. Leinart’s fall quickly became the Cardinals’ fortune as the tenth pick. The former Trojans southpaw will get a year to learn behind Kurt Warner before being given the keys to a car that is already fully loaded with running back Edgerrin James and wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Other great values include tight end Leonard Pope (Georgia) in the third round and defensive tackle Gabe Watson (Michigan) in the fourth round.
Worst pick: Deuce Lutui, OG, USC. This is the worst pick of an outstanding draft from top to bottom. Lutui was a good value in the second round but the Cardinals could have addressed another position of need here and got a quality guard later in the draft.
Work to do: One of the Cardinals’ top areas of need entering this year’s draft was in the defensive secondary, yet they failed to select a cornerback or safety with any of their seven picks. Depth is especially thin at safety behind strong safety Adrian Wilson and aging free safety Robert Griffith.
John Clayton identified the Cardinals as winners in the 2007 draft:
Cardinals assistant head coach Russ Grimm is one of the best offensive line teachers in the NFL and he usually doesn’t go into the personnel office asking for high draft picks. But Grimm believed Levi Brown of Penn State was a better fit for his offensive line than Joe Thomas. With the fifth pick, Grimm got his tackle. Remember, the Cardinals are a left-handed team because they have a left-handed quarterback in Matt Leinart. Brown can protect his blindside at right tackle. Plus, he gives Edgerrin James a bigger, more powerful blocking style to get some power runs to the right. Thomas might be the better long-term pass-blocker and probably would have beaten out Brown for the No. 5 pick if he was available. But Grimm got the guy he wanted. The Cardinals also came out ahead in getting defensive tackle Alan Branch in the second round. The team is moving to a 3-4 alignment in 2007 or 2008, and he can be the nose tackle to eat up space and draw extra blocking attention.
Recent draft success is mostly attibuted to general manager Rod Graves, who starting in 2004, has brought a succession of starting players to the Cardinals through the draft.
Category: 2008 Season, Editorial, NFL Draft | Tags: Adrian Wilson, Alan Branch, Anquan Boldin, Antrel Rolle, Calais Campbell, Deuce Lutui, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Edgerrin James, Elton Brown, Gabe Watson, J.J. Arrington, Ken Whisenhunt, Larry Fitzgerald, Leonard Pope, Levi Brown, Matt Leinart, NFL Draft, Rod Graves, Russ Grimm, Tim HightowerIn the line of people receiving credit for the Cardinals’ remarkable rise to Super Bowl status, one is at the rear. Low-key general manager Rod Graves seldom receives praise for much of anything. Yet it was Graves who:
• Ran the team’s 2004 draft along with coach Dennis Green, now inarguably the best in the team’s Arizona era.
• Grabbed quarterback Kurt Warner off the scrap heap when nobody else appeared to want him.
• Selected Ken Whisenhunt as the team’s head coach before the Steelers had a chance to wrap up their own coaching search that resulted in the hiring of Mike Tomlin.
• Ran this year’s draft, which landed cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromarite, already a star, and such promising players as defensive end Calais Campbell and running back Tim Hightower.
17 Weeks of Whisenhunt
January 20, 2009
Ken Whisenhunt’s postgame remarks from each 2008 regular season game, including press conferences after playoff victories over the Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles on the road to Superbowl XLIII to be held in Tampa on February 1st, 2009.
Week 1: Sunday, September 7, 2008, 4:15 PM ET
Cardinals 23, 
49ers 13
Warner, Cards strike in second half to take opener from 49ers
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (1-0)
Week 2: Sunday, September 14, 2008, 4:15 PM ET
Dolphins 10, Cardinals 31
Cards’ offense goes off as Boldin rips Dolphins for 3 TDs in Arizona win
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Anquan Boldin, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (2-0)
Week 3: Sunday, September 21, 2008, 1:00 PM ET
Cardinals 17, 
Redskins 24
Rogers’ interception puts Redskins in gear vs. Cardinals
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after loss: (2-1)
Week 4: Sunday, September 28, 2008, 1:00 PM ET
Cardinals 35, 
Jets 56
Favre’s career day carries Jets past Cardinals
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after loss: (2-2)
Week 5: Sunday, October 5, 2008, 4:15 PM ET
Bills 17, Cardinals 41
Bills lose Edwards early, fall to high-flying Cards
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (3-2)
Week 6: Sunday, October 12, 2008, 4:15 PM ET
Cowboys 24, Cardinals 30
Cowboys rally in fourth, but blocked punt gives Cards OT win
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (4-2)
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: Sunday, October 26, 2008, 1:00 PM ET
Cardinals 23, 
Panthers 27
Delhomme leads Panthers’ comeback as Cards continue road woes
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after loss: (4-3)
Week 9: Sunday, November 2, 2008, 1:00 PM ET
Cardinals 34, 
Rams 13
Cardinals take control of NFC West with win in St. Louis
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Tim Hightower, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (5-3)
Week 10: Monday, November 10, 2008, 8:30 PM ET
49ers 24, Cardinals 29
Warner throws for three scores, Cards’ D steps up big at end to beat 49ers
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (6-3)
Week 11: Sunday, November 16, 2008, 4:05 PM ET
Cardinals 26, 
Seahawks 20
Warner throws for 395 yards as Cards start 7-3 for 1st time since ‘77
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (7-3)
Week 12: Sunday, November 23, 2008, 4:15 PM ET
Giants 37, Cardinals 29
Manning, Giants beat Cardinals to improve to 10-1
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after loss: (7-4)
Week 13: Thursday, November 27, 2008, 8:15 PM ET
Cardinals 20, 
Eagles 48
McNabb throws for four scores, Westbrook ties team record in rout
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after loss: (7-5)
Week 14: Sunday, December 7, 2008, 5:30 PM ET
Rams 10, Cardinals 34
Cardinals’ defense scores two touchdowns to clinch division title
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Adrian Wilson, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (8-5)
Week 15: Sunday, December 14, 2008, 4:05 PM ET
Vikings 35, Cardinals 14
Jackson takes advantage of start with four TDs to help Vikes steamroll Cards
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after loss: (8-6)
Week 16: Sunday, December 21, 2008, 1:00 PM ET
Cardinals 7, 
Patriots 47
Pats keep playoff hopes alive with laugher
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt
Record after loss: (8-7)
Week 17: Sunday, December 28, 2008, 4:15 PM ET
Seahawks 21, Cardinals 34
Warner, Fitzgerald fly Cardinals past Seahawks
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner
Record after win: (9-7)
NFC Wildcard Playoff Game: Saturday, January 3, 2009, 4:30 PM ET
Falcons 24, Cardinals 30
Warner leads Cards past unsteady Ryan, Falcons
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
Record after win: (1-0)
NFC Divisional Playoff Game: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 8:15 PM ET
Cardinals 33, Panthers 13
Soaring Cardinals one game away from first Super Bowl berth
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
Record after win: (2-0)
NFC Championship Playoff Game: Sunday, January 18, 2009, 3:00 PM ET
Eagles 25, Cardinals 32
Fitzgerald shines as Warner leads Cardinals to franchise’s first Super Bowl
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Adrian Wilson, Larry Fitzgerald, Kurt Warner
Postgame Interviews: Adrian Wilson, Larry Fitzgerald, Kurt Warner, Edgerrin James
Record after win: (3-0)
NOTE: the below was added upon the completion of Superbowl XLIII.
Superbowl XLIII: Sunday, February 1, 2009, 6:28 PM ET
Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
Big Ben drives Steelers to Superbowl XLIII win
Box | Story | Video Highlights
Postgame with Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
Postgame Interviews: Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald
Record after loss: (3-1)
NFC Divisional Playoffs: Player Props/Player Knocks
January 15, 2009
This weekly segment focuses on players gettin’ props, and players gettin’ knocked for their hustle or lack thereof on the football field.
Player Props: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie #29
Why: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie held Steve Smith to 2 catches for 43 yards and 1 TD, baited Jake Delhomme into a red zone interception, and knocked down 4 other passes from Delhomme, including one ball to Smith that Rodgers-Cromartie tipped into Antrel Rolle’s arms for another interception.
Player Props Part II: Antonio Smith #94
Why: Smith changed the momentum of the game when Delhomme dropped back to pass on Carolina’s first offensive play after Tim Hightower’s 3-yard TD catch evened the score 7-7 in the first quarter. Smith spun off an offensively lineman, slapped the ball out of Delhomme’s hands, and fell on the loose ball at his feet. Two plays later, Edgerrin James scored on a 4-yard TD run to put the Cardinals ahead 14-7. They never relinquished the lead.
Honorable Mention: Larry Fitzgerald #11
Why: Kurt Warner is great, but Fitzgerald makes him look even better. Down 7-0 early and facing a 3rd and 1 from the Arizona 49, Warner threw deep into double coverage, a jump ball that a lesser receiver might not have come down with. Instead, Fitzgerald outjumped both defenders, and turned a possible interception into a 41-yard gain. Three plays later the Cardinals scored, tying the game, and destroying the Panther’s early game momentum.
Oh I’m a sinner…
January 11, 2009
I stopped updating my blog.
I have a perfectly valid excuse. Wife, job, bad economy, lack of job, etc. Oh what a mistake of Herculean proportions. How I wish I could turn back the clock and record each and every scintillating moment going through my head during this dream Arizona Cardinals season, but alas, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Oh sure, I watched every game. Truly I did. The only game I missed was the JETS game… I think I was traveling, but my dad sent me the tape, so I could have watched it, but something about Brett Favre’s six TDs and Anquan Boldin’s horrific injury didn’t appeal to me, so I found myself avoiding that tape.
But I tuned in for Buffalo, Dallas, the heartbreak in Carolina, three straight wins over division foes, an opportunity lost against the Giants, my ruined Thanksgiving (thank you Eagles), victory over St. Louis, embarrassed by the home loss to Minnesota, disgusted by the New England game, sceptical about the win over Seattle, and positively forlorn heading into the playoffs.
I mean, we’ve seen this before, right? How many times have our dreams been smashed? The Cardinals… excuse me, MY Cardinals have had a virtual leaguewide lock on devolving from the preseason “team to watch” into a 4-12 draft pick conversation by the end of the year.
But not this year. I drafted all Cardinals on my fantasy football team. Warner, Fitzgerald, and Tim Hightower in the 15th round. They didn’t disappoint, and I won my league.
Now, I’m sitting at home, surrounded by friends I’ve invited over to watch The Game, some of these people don’t even like football, but they KNOW how much the Cardinals mean to me, so they accept the invite and sit there trying to learn the game of football while I sit slack-jawed in front of the television screen, trying to make sense of the game in front of me.
Not only did the Cardinals beat Atlanta and Carolina, but they won CONVINCINGLY. No last minute heroics. No conversations that the other (and implicitly superior) team simply “ran out of time”.
Nope, for once in my life, for once in the past 20 years, I got to watch the end of a winning Cardinals football game and think, “I should have allowed myself to enjoy that a little more. I should have relaxed and enjoyed the fourth quarter.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, and whoever (and there have been many) front office administrators that have been assembling this team for the past ten years. I truly think the Cardinals have been making incremental improvements… but this… this gift. Truly, I’m at a loss for words, but I’m most grateful.
Thank you so much for allowing me to remember again what it’s like to dream. And guess what?
I believe.
Category: 2008 Season, Editorial | Tags: Anquan Boldin, Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Tim HightowerWhat’s up with THAT, Whisenhunt?
September 21, 2008
Penalties, turnovers, and a stupid punt with 2:37 left in regulation leads to a 17-24 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt has the Cardinals headed in the right direction, but Whisenhunt lost his way with an inexplicable decision to punt on 4th and 4 from the Arizona 42 yard line with 2:37 left in regulation. Coming on the heels of a clock-eating 6:32 drive by the Redskins, the call just didn’t make any sense. Oh sure, 6 costly penalties and 2 turnovers by the Cardinals ultimately caused the 17-24 loss, but there’s no more surefire way to kill a comeback than to give the other team the ball with less than 3 minutes to go.
Full video highlights on NFL.com here.
What went wrong:
* Turnovers - Edgerrin James fumbled in the first half and Kurt Warner was intercepted off a tipped ball, leading to 10 Redskins points. Defensively, the Cardinals were unable to pressure Jason Campbell into mistakes, or cause any momentum changing turnovers.
* No Defensive Stops - the Cardinals held Clinton Portis to 68 yards on 21 carries (3.2 yard avg) and 1 TD, but couldn’t stop Washington when they needed it most. Campbell had plenty of time in the pocket, and frustrated the Cardinals with a 73.3 completion % to seven different receivers, utilizing WRs (11-105-TD) and TEs (9-76-TD) almost equally.
* Offensive Predictability - Kurt Warner held the ball to long, Washington sat back in a zone, and the offense never looked explosive, despite a 62-yard TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald and a nifty 18-yard pass from WR Jerheme Urban to RB Tim Hightower to setup a short TD pass to Anquan Boldin.
Category: 2008 Season, Game Results | Tags: Anquan Boldin, Edgerrin James, Jerheme Urban, Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Losses, Tim HightowerHat trick!!!
September 16, 2008
Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin connected for 3 TDs in a convincing 31-10 home victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Kurt Warner described Sunday as “one of those days when everything’s clicking and you feel like you can’t be stopped”.
The aerial assault began with Warner’s first pass of the day, a 79-yard TD completion to Anquan Boldin, and they were just getting started. Watch video highlights on NFL.com here.
Keys to Victory:
* Offensive Rhythm - Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin in rhythm, which allowed the athletic wide receivers to run after the catch for huge gains. Warner spread the ball around with completions to 7 different receivers, which kept the Dolphins’ secondary from successfully double teaming any one player. Warner’s quarterback rating of 128.5 is second best in the NFL (Ben Roethlisberger leads with a 136.3 rating).
Arizona Receiving
* Offensive Line Play - the Cardinals have allowed 5.0 sacks this year through the first two games (compared with 1.0 total last year at this time), but thus far the offensive line has been fantastic in protecting Warner, it’s just that he refuses to throw the ball away and takes coverage sacks. Similarly, the team is averaging a paltry 2.7 yards per rushing attempt (31st in the league), but the line has only allowed 4 drive-stalling tackles for a loss on running plays in 2008 (combined -6 yards), compared to 6 tackles for a loss (combined -20 yards) through the first two games in 2007. That’s a huge improvement.
* Quarterback Pressure - Bertrand Barry (1 sack) and the Cardinals kept the opposing team’s quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket for the second straight game.
