What Cards did was pure magic
Maybe next year.
No longer is that the losers' mantra after another atrocious Arizona Cardinals season. These are the words of great expectation.
Maybe next year the Cards will win the Super Bowl. The bar is now that high.
The Cards' unexpected run to Super Bowl XLIII, however, was always about more than football. It was very much about this community coming together, uniting behind something positive that bears the Arizona name.
What the Cards did for the West Valley and elsewhere during the past few weeks was magical. Football fans and non-fans escaped from the pressures we all feel. It was the break we needed.
The historically forlorn Arizona Cardinals lost to the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. But our NFC champions lost like winners in what sports analysts instantly called a classic Super Bowl. At long last, we're proud of them.
Maybe next season every weekend will feel a little like a Super Bowl weekend, where enchanted fans, old and new, forget their troubles and have fun for a few hours. It was nice to see that happen last weekend: people shopping happily for groceries for Super Bowl parties; deep red popping up in the most unusual places, on the pate of a blond, middle-age businessman, for example; the hoots and hollers from houses in usually quiet neighborhoods on Sunday evening.
But we in the West Valley don't have to wait until next NFL season to keep a bit of the buzz going. The Phoenix Coyotes hockey team has a lot of life in it. Spring training for major-league baseball begins this month. These are great opportunities to enjoy ourselves through sports.
But about those Cards.
Perhaps a year from now the Lombardi Trophy will come to Arizona. Maybe a Super Bowl victory parade will course its way through Glendale streets in 2010.
Maybe next year?
We're counting on it.
Copyright (c) 2008, azcentral.com
'Disappointed' Dent falls short
TAMPA, Fla. -- On a day when defense was honored by voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there was nothing but disappointment for former Bears defensive end Richard Dent. The MVP of Super Bowl XX was left stranded at the gates of glory again while first-time eligible Bruce Smith and Rod Woodson led a six-man class that included the late Derrick Thomas, whom selectors chose over Dent. Guard Randall McDaniel, wide receiver Bob Hayes and Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson filled out the Class of 2009.
''Of course you are disappointed,'' Dent said. ''At some point I feel it will come. But the important thing for me is the calls I have gotten this day from people I haven't heard from who wanted to let me know they were thinking of me. That is what it is all about. It means so much to me.
''I hope one day I'll get a chance to thank the people who put me in a position to be in the Hall of Fame.''
If there is any good news for Dent, it's that the line is moving for pass rushers, with two elected for the second consecutive year. And there isn't another elite pass rusher for Dent to compete with until 2013, when Michael Strahan and Warren Sapp will be eligible. Dent figures to be securely a part of the Hall of Fame by that point.
''One of the all-time great pass rushers that ever played is Richard Dent,'' broadcaster John Madden said earlier this week. ''When he wanted to rush the passer and not get blocked, you could not block him. He was unblockable.''
Former Bears coach Mike Ditka said Dent has nothing to prove and belongs in the Hall of Fame.
''Unfortunately, sometimes it's a popularity contest and I hate that,'' Ditka said. ''It disgusts me.''
The six-man class will be inducted Aug. 8, a day before an exhibition game between Buffalo and Tennessee. It will be quite the party for the Bills with both Smith, the NFL's all-time sacks leader, and Wilson, 90, the oldest man ever inducted, being honored.
Woodson, the 1993 defensive player of the year, was a Pro Bowl selection with three teams, spending the majority of his career with Pittsburgh, but also starting with Baltimore and Oakland in a 17-year career. Thomas died nine years ago at 33 following an auto accident. He was an active player at the time and produced with 126.5 sacks.
McDaniel made 12 Pro Bowls in a row during the course of his 14-year career as a guard adept at pass protection and run-blocking.
Hayes, an Olympic gold medalist, went from being the world's fastest man to one of the fastest-ever football players. He averaged a touchdown every 5.2 catches and died of kidney failure in 2002 after a battle with prostate cancer. His sister, Luceille Hester, read a letter he wrote before he died thanking all the people who influenced his career.
Several members of the 44-man voting panel have said privately they believe Dent will get in eventually and that he's probably been made to wait because of all the great players he was with on the vaunted 46 defense, including Hall of Famers Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton, who are in the Hall.
''What about the Steelers from the '70s and all the guys from that team that are in the Hall of Fame? Or the Cowboys? That's what great teams are all about,'' Ditka said. ''You need great players, not just one great player. It wasn't because of one player, although Hampton and [Steve] McMichael and [Fridge] Perry and Singletary and all of those other guys, they were all great. Otis Wilson was great. But let me tell you something: Richard Dent was one of the main factors on that defense. Without him, if we don't have a guy coming off that right side like he was, it makes it hard to put pressure on the quarterback.''
Dent made the first cut from 15 modern-era players to 10 but was not among the five who were considered along with veterans committee choices Hayes and Claude Humphrey. Humphrey was the only one of the final seven who wasn't elected.
(c) Copyright 2009 Digital Chicago, Inc
Kurt Warner, faith and gridiron victory
Last Sunday I had the pleasure of watching the Cardinals-Eagles NFC championship game at Buffalo Wild Wings in Cape Girardeau. The atmosphere was electric as the crowd cheered overwhelmingly for the Cardinals. Why? Kurt Warner, of course. The former Rams quarterback retains a strong following in Missouri, in large part because of his success in St. Louis as a relative unknown.
His story from grocery store stock boy to Superbowl and league MVP probably need not be repeated here. You already know it.
But another buzz within the crowd centered on, simply, what a great guy Warner is. There aren't as many media stories about Warner's benevolence as there are about Terrell Owen's megalomania or Pacman Jones' indiscretions, but enough take place that people get a sense of the man. Recently, ESPN.com did a story that outlined some of Warner's good works - too numerous to list here - which have touched thousands of people.
A man unafraid to wear religion on his sleeve, Warner is quick to give credit for his success to teammates and, most importantly, to God. This oftentimes makes people uncomfortable. One complaint goes something like this: "Does Warner think players on the other side don't pray, too? It's ridiculous to think that God cares who wins a football game."
Perhaps. But if you listen to Kurt Warner talk about how religion transformed his life - or read his books - you'll notice that his prayers focus on forgiveness and gratitude, even when things seem bleak, rather than anything about victory.
Wins or losses in a football game, he understands, aren't the most important measures of a man.
NFL success did not come easily to Warner. And, after reaching the pinnacle in St. Louis, his career stalled and went backward as he lost his starting job to injury, coaching confusion and the perception that he was best used as a backup. Without question, Warner's fall from Superbowl MVP to journeyman QB and now back to Superbowl starter makes his message even more compelling.
"By understanding what my priorities are and never wavering, that's how you influence people," Warner told ESPN. "It isn't standing on my chair with a Bible and yelling out scripture or condemning people for being sinners. It's about living your life with a certain sense of excellence. And when people start to scratch their heads and wonder what it is that makes me different, that's when I tell them the answer is Jesus. And then I let him do the hard work."
Count me in as one of many who will continue to root for Warner, whether he wins or loses on the football field.
(c) 2009 Southeast Missourian
Cardinals' Warner and Fitzgerald star in fantastic tale with a surprise ending
GLENDALE, Ariz -- Once upon a time, in a hidden desert kingdom, there lived a little boy named Kurt, another named Larry and 51 other guys caught up in the most improbable fairy tale you'll ever hear. That's right, the Arizona Cardinals, that tragically fated football team that put the funk in dysfunction and the mad in nomad, somehow have made it to the Super Bowl.
What now, a World Series for the Cubs? A trip to the NBA Finals for the Clippers?
The dizzying thought that anything's possible was driven home Sunday in a 32-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles before 70,650 at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals got three first-half touchdowns from superstar wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and a late scoring drive directed by veteran quarterback Kurt Warner to earn a trip to Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
''No one has to believe in us. No one has to believe in me,'' Warner told the delirious crowd during the trophy presentation. ''But we're going to the Super Bowl.''
Warner has one of the unlikeliest back stories in NFL history as a supermarket bag boy who became a Super Bowl and league MVP nearly a decade ago with the St. Louis Rams. Now 37, he used all his veteran guile to engineer the winning drive in the fourth quarter after the Eagles came back from an 18-point halftime deficit to take the lead.
Former Mount Carmel star Donovan McNabb was sensational after the break, but in the end he only added to his legacy of frustration with yet another loss in a conference championship game -- his fourth in five chances to go with a Super Bowl loss.
In no way did McNabb choke, but you can bet his strong-willed second half will get a mixed reaction in Philadelphia, where he remains a lightning rod for criticism. Never mind that McNabb threw for 375 yards -- a postseason career high -- with three touchdowns and an interception.
After Warner capped a 14-play, 72-yard drive with an eight-yard scoring pass to rookie running back Tim Hightower with 2:53 left, McNabb drove the Eagles to midfield. They ran out of downs when Kevin Curtis dropped a potential first-down pass on fourth-and-10.
''It speaks a lot to our team and how we've grown as far as being able to respond,'' Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said of the winning drive. ''There was no panic. We had guys make plays.''
One of those guys was Fitzgerald, the nonpareil of the Arizona offense. If the Cardinals were a rock band, he's the guy who could write a hit in any era. The playoffs have been a coming-out party for Fitzgerald, who has 419 receiving yards to best Jerry Rice's NFL record for a single postseason.
Fitzgerald was at it again against the Eagles' indomitable defense, finishing with nine catches for 152 yards with touchdowns of one, nine and 62 yards. At the tender age of 25, the three-time Pro Bowl selection is emerging as the kind of talent who can single-handedly take control of a game.
''It feels good,'' Fitzgerald said. ''It's my job, and I want to make sure I'm accountable. And if I'm not, I get that death stare from Kurt, and I try to stay away from that as much as possible.''
The Cardinals -- founding members of the NFL from their early days on the South Side of Chicago -- finally have a chance to end 61 years of title-less futility. Derided as frauds before the playoffs began because of terrible form at the end of the season, they have been dismissed as underdogs in every round. They have responded by turning the disrespect factor into a form of collective dementia more than spirited motivation.
(c)Copyright 2009 Digital Chicago, Inc
Arizona Suddenly Has a Super Look
CHARLOTTE (Jan. 10) - As the fourth quarter wound down Saturday night here in Bank of America Stadium, it was hard to remember that the evening began with the hometown Panthers pouncing to a 7-0 lead on the visitors from Arizona. It was equally hard to recall as the game expired how the Cardinals arrived in this NFL playoff season just two weekends ago.
The Arizona Cardinals aren't who we thought they were.
They aren't the team that stumbled into the playoffs having lost four of their last six games.
They aren't one-dimensional on offense, having to rely on the magic arm of an aging Kurt Warner and his trio of terrific young receivers. Most notable, they aren't close to being the bend-and-bust defense that gave up an average of 40-plus points an outing in its last four losses of the regular season.
No, the Cardinals are, all of a sudden, the most explosive team in these playoffs and, quite possibly, the most complete.
They score.
They thwart the other guys from scoring.
They even demoralize, as they did for the remaining 56 minutes and 56 seconds after the Panthers scored their opening touchdown. They picked off Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme five times and stripped him of the football once -- cashing five of those takeaways in for 23 points en route to what was a remarkably easy 33-13 win over a 12-4 Panthers team that hadn't lost at home all season.
(There were no reports that Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith punched out Delhomme after the game. It was also not true that Southwest Airlines caught up with Delhomme afterward to film one of its "Want-to-Get-Away" commercials. It was not true, either, that Delhomme's teammates celebrated what was his 34th birthday Saturday by throwing, not a party for him, but a birthday cake -- in his lap.)
"What we did today (Saturday) was we hit the re-run button," Cardinals defensive end Antonio Smith said. "We checked our egos at the door and played disciplined defense."
In a sense, so many us who didn't see what happened Saturday coming should have. Just two and half months ago, the Cardinals came here and grabbed a big lead, but let it slip away after a turnover and some defensive mistakes.
"God set this thing up," Smith said. "We had some sort of fuel to motivate us."
Smith even went on to say that he hoped Philadelphia prevailed over the Giants on Sunday to give the Cardinals an opportunity to avenge a loss to the Eagles earlier this year. The Cardinals would get to host that matchup, and they were almost as unbeatable as the Panthers were at home.
The Cardinals showed the sort of promise they unleashed on defense Saturday earlier in the season. That was how they upset Dallas in overtime --with big hits and timely plays and an opportunistic offense.
That was the formula they applied Saturday. Kurt Warner seemed not to miss a beat when handed the ball by his defense.
It was the same formula the Cardinals used to open the playoffs against Atlanta, when they turned a fumble into a touchdown and revived Edgerrin James to establish a running game and chew up the clock.
The hottest team when this postseason commenced was Peyton Manning's Colts, winners of nine in a row until the Chargers shocked them last weekend in San Diego.
The hottest team surviving in these playoffs is, undoubtedly, these Cardinals. Baltimore and Pittsburgh have the marquee defenses in these playoffs, but neither is playing better defense right now than the Cardinals.
And neither has the offense to match the one being orchestrated by Warner, who is one of the Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks left in these playoffs other than Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers and Ravens don't have Larry Fitzgerald, either, the best offensive player in the postseason and Warner's main throwing target. They hooked up at will Saturday: eight times for 166 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals looked so good, in fact, that it was impossible to characterize them as we like to -- as an offensive team or a defensive team.
"Looked like both," Cardinals defensive tackle Bryan Robinson said. "We get turnovers and our offense can put it in the end zone.
"It doesn't matter what happens tomorrow (Sunday)," he said, "we'll be a tough team to beat."
They will probably even have their other super-talented receiver, Anquan Boldin, back, who missed Saturday with a hamstring injury.
Giants or Eagles, you have a problem.
(c)2009 AOL, LLC
The End to the Atlanta Falcons Great Season: The Clock Hits Midnight
When thinking about Matt Ryan, we all know the numbers - 16 touchdowns, 3440 yard, 11 wins etcetera - but the number that should be most paid attention to is 5 million. That's the population of the city of Atlanta.
Ryan's play has turned the Atlanta sports scene around 180 degrees, changing most fans from Vick supporters to Falcons fans. His main tool in this resurgence has been his maturity, which was in full effect on Saturday in his first playoff game, which was a loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
While, yes, he had his rookie moments, he also had his flashes of greatness to come. Even with those mistakes, there were no doubt in the fans' minds watching the game that if he would have gotten one more shot, he would have drove down the field for a game-winning score.
The first throw of Ryan's career was a 67-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins against the Detroit Lions. His first playoffs throw was an interception to Ralph Brown. But it's what happened after that folly that's most telling of how great he can be, and how mature he already is.
He then went on a nine-play drive, in which he was 6-6 passing, incorporating the no huddle and doing everything a playoff quarterback is supposed to do. Closing the half out with a 17- 14 lead.
The third quarter was one to forget. The team couldn't stop Arizona, and Michael Turner was held completely in check three rushes for zero yards. In the fourth, Ryan looked more like the player that was named AP rookie of the year, taking the Falcons right down the field and throwing a touch down pass to all-pro Roddy White.
Then the frustration really began. Leaving the outcome up to the defense; needing a stop on third, Kurt Warner had all day to throw to a wide open TE in the middle of the field after a blown assignment by Keith Brooking, who in his later years of a HOF career has been a passing situation liability.
With the Falcons having no more timeouts, the cards lined up in the victory formation, and we watched the end of the Falcons' Cinderella season as the seconds ticked away.
Even as surprisingly good as this season has been, there were no smiles and cheers in the Falcons' locker room after the game. In an interview Keith Brooking said it best, "there are not a lot of positives right now."
He, better than anyone, knows the ups and downs of the NFL. To be a great organization, you must think like a winner; there is no time for morale victories.
This season, while the end was a bit disappointing, has been great to watch, not just as an Atlanta fans but as a football enthusiast. I would like to thank the Falcons for a great year, and I look forward to watching "Matty Ice" and this team improve together.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc
Vikes get into playoffs with 20-19 win over Giants
With the New York Giants already comfortably in, the Minnesota Vikings pushed their way into the playoffs.
Ryan Longwell's 50-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Vikings to a 20-19 victory over the resting Giants on Sunday afternoon, making Minnesota NFC North champions for its first postseason appearance in four years.
David Carr took over at quarterback for Eli Manning after halftime and threw a touchdown pass to Domenik Hixon midway through the third quarter to take a 16-10 lead, but New York (12-4) was on cruise control from there with a bunch of backups on the field. The Giants clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs after last week's overtime win over Carolina.
The Vikings (10-6), who pulled within two points on a 54-yard touchdown pass by Tarvaris Jackson to a wide-open Bernard Berrian after third-string cornerback Terrell Thomas fell down, weren't complaining.
Jackson threw his first interception in 13 quarters since taking over for Gus Frerotte, a zinger into the end zone that James Butler grabbed and returned to near midfield. John Carney's fourth field goal stretched the lead to 19-10 early in the fourth, but his fifth attempt from 48 yards was wide right with 3:17 left.
The Vikings crawled through a frantic, unorganized final drive and got just close enough for Longwell to kick the winner.
Derrick Ward, who fueled last week's win over Carolina with a career-high 215 yards, gave the Giants a pair of 1,000-yard rushers - only the fourth running back tandem in NFL history - by finishing with 77 yards on 15 carries.
Brandon Jacobs got there earlier this month. The last set of teammates to do that in the same season was Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner of the Cleveland Browns in 1985. The Vikings entered the game with the league's stingiest run defense, trying to finish first in that category for the third straight season.
The Giants gave the Vikings a break well before the game started by beating the Panthers last week and locking up the NFC's top seed. They put four starters on the inactive list: Jacobs (knee), tight end Kevin Boss (ankle), cornerback Aaron Ross (concussion) and nose tackle Barry Cofield (knee). Manning was joined on the sideline by a steady stream of other regulars during the second half.
The crowd was loud at times, but a rather nervous vibe resonated throughout the building while fans undoubtedly fought off bad flashbacks of past late-season collapses by this star-crossed team. The Bears game was mysteriously missing from the scroll on the scoreboard, adding to the anxiety.
Peterson fumbled for the sixth time this month on third-and-1 late in the first quarter, but Jim Kleinsasser recovered for a first down. Peterson made up for his mishandle on the next possession by bursting through the line on another third-and-1 and using a block by Kleinsasser to race for the end zone and land in the first row of seats with a flying leap for a 10-0 lead.
The Giants didn't flinch, though. They're the defending champs, after all.
Ward wiggled his way through the middle with Vikings anchor Pat Williams still missing because of a shoulder injury, putting Carney in range for three first-half field goals.
Peterson began the game with a 166-yard lead over Atlanta's Michael Turner for the NFL rushing title, a remarkable accomplishment in his second season that has lost some luster with his recent trouble hanging onto the ball. He also became the fifth player in league history to reach 3,000 yards in his first two years, joining Eric Dickerson (Rams), Edgerrin James (Colts), Earl Campbell (Oilers) and Clinton Portis (Broncos).
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