Here we go again. Another season of heartbreak is inching closer with every passing moment. The Arizona Cardinals are the perfect torture machine. They, unbelievably, instill hope in their fan base every year only to crush it ever so effortlessly and sometimes seemingly intentionally. I, a lifelong Cardinals fan, am flabbergasted. I'm just not sure what the problem is anymore. You can theorize all day long and never come up with a correct cause. Bad ownership has played a major role, but that's no excuse for one winning season in twenty-two years. Some years they just didn't have the talent, but guess what? Some years they did. People reaching for reasons will point out the "losing culture" the Cards have created, but what does that really mean? Do you actually think the players are blowing games because they're thinking about that? If you do, then you probably never played sports and don't realize what kind of a mental zone 99% of players are in when they're in a game.
I won't pretend to know why they are so incredibly inept, but I will say this. I have been a die hard Cardinals fan since I was eleven years old. For those scoring at home, that's fifteen years. I've been in a stare down with this anemic franchise the entire time telling myself not to blink, telling myself things will get better. By now you might figure that most people in my position would say, "It's just not going to happen. They'll never be any better than terrible. It's not possible". But you know how the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me sixteen times..." That's right, I'm still all in. I still have hope. I still believe that this could be the year. So pack your bags, you lovable bastards, and start heading to training camp.
(It's time for a quick , "did you notice?"
Did you notice that in Michael Vick's official statement that his attorney read, but was supposedly in "Michael's own words", he referred to training camp as "spring training"? That trial is already corrupt. No NFL player would ever call training camp, "spring training". I promise you, it never happened.)
This years' team shows immense promise and will likely be a popular sleeper pick amongst analysts for the third straight season. I'm not saying they're a sleeper, just saying don't sleep on them. They're more dangerous than they were in previous years. Do you want to know why? Let me break it down for you Fearless style.
Matt Leinart now has his rookie season behind him. Last year, he was extremely successful as far as rookie qb's go. Leinart posted solid numbers, but much more importantly he showed great command of the offense. Now entering his second year (his first full season as a starter), he appears poised to take another big step forward. Bringing in a new coaching staff is usually tough on a young quarterback, but there are reasons to believe this change will do Leinart good. Ken Whisenhunt worked wonders with Roethlisberger right out of the gate when Big Ben was a rookie in Pittsburgh. Also, Russ Grimm is almost sure to have the offensive line in better shape than what we're used to in the valley of the sun. The Cards will likely run the ball more efficiently and be better in their pass protection. Those two things will allow Leinart to work more freely and gain a whole new level of comfort on the field. Whisenhunt is known for being extra creative with some of his play calling, but Leinart has an extremely sharp football mind and should receive those game plan wrinkles well. The bottom line, Leinart has the talent surrounding him and the talent within himself to have a very productive year.
Everyone knows who you're talking about when you say, "The Edge", but now there are two versions of him. There's the Edgerrin James that we saw dominate as a member of the Colts for years in an offense that ran like a well oiled machine. Then there's the Edge that, last year, was stuffed consistently at the line of scrimmage and was held to a career low 3.4 yards per carry. So which one will we get this year? I believe he'll be somewhat of a hybrid of the two. There's no doubt that it's easier to put up good numbers in Indy than in Arizona, but the new coaching staff did work some magic with Pittsburgh's running game over the last few years. If the offensive line gels early then Edge could end up around 4 yards per carry and the Cards could sniff double digits wins.
The Cardinals have what appears to be a dynamite pair of receivers. Anquan Bolding is big, fast and very strong. He also has deceptive moves that often confuse defenders. Boldin just seems to find a way to get away from guys in the open field. He's basically Terrell Owens with a good personality. Larry Fitzgerald is the perfect complement to Boldin. He's tall, he's got great leaping ability and he has what can only be described as glue hands. The guy catches everything. He's like a way less fast, way less crazy Randy Moss. I don't know about you, but I'd love to start a team with a cool T.O. and a slow, sane Moss.
If the new coaching staff can get some decent production out of the offensive line then the Cardinals are going to be controlling the clock and scoring twenty or more points a game. That would be exceedingly helpful to their defense which struggled often last year due to fatigue. The Cards have a chance to have a good, but not great defense. They have a bright defensive coordinator in Clancy Pendergast and they have some talented play makers to keep opposing offenses off balance. What Ken Whisenhunt and his staff are going to be able to accomplish in their first year still remains to be seen. But for the first time in years, it feels like the dark cloud hovering over this franchise is dissipating. I've lived in Phoenix, Arizona my whole life and I've never been so surprised to see the sun.
