Where did the Arizona Cardinals come from? No one on planet earth outside the state of Arizona could have predicted that the Arizona Cardinals could have made the kind of run the Cards made during the 08-09 season. And the Cardinals are living proof that the NFL season doesn’t really start until the playoffs. Teams can have the absolute worst season of their franchise’s history, but as long as they get enough wins to make the playoffs none of the faults they had in the regular season even matter.
The New York Giants are a sure sign of this. In the 2007-08 season they put the New England Patriots hopes of the first perfect in NFL history straight down the…well I think you can see where I’m going with this. I mean, come on! They where a 5 seed, New England was 18-0! And the Giants got hot at the right time and handed defeat to New England 17-14. And let’s not forget that 32-yard pass to David Tyree with just minutes left in the game, which then resulted in the game winning pass to Plaxico Burress ( I’m going to miss him). If a team can be a 5 seed and hand a loss to a team that’s 18-0 in the superbowl, then the regular season means nothing and all that matters is getting hot in the playoffs. Just keep things together, put a little glue here, a little duct tape there and MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!
Don’t count out the 2005-06 Pittsburg Steelers. They were the first 6 seed to win a super bowl, which could have been considered the most remarkable run in NFL playoff history. They played every game on the road, and they just held things together and got win after win until they put all together for a super bowl victory at Super Bowl XL in the Motor City. I remember that season not just because I am a Steelers fan, but because Indianapolis was the team I thought would put it all together. And yes, I was ready to crawl in a hole somewhere after the Steelers handed a 21-18 loss to the Colts. Indy was the top seed that year, they were 14-2 and yet Pittsburg brought their A-Game at the right time, marched into the Colts home turf and handed them a loss.
It’s because these runs by under-the-radar teams that I’ll step aside and give a hand clap in honor of those teams. Who, despite having mediocre regular seasons they have remarkable playoff runs.
I am personally not a fan of the Arizona Cardinals, but after what they did in the 2008-09 season, I must say…I’m impressed. Of course we all knew they would lose to Pittsburg but despite the odds stacked against them and the loss they received; the Cards can still say that they got there.
And to do so under 37 year old QB Kurt Warner, that’s even more remarkable. Warner, a guy who once went from bagging groceries to playing for a team that was once known as The Greatest Show on Turf, hasn’t been anything special since leaving the Rams. But at 37 years old he throws for 4,538 yards along with 30 TDs and a QB rating of 96.9! Where did the sudden change in play ability come from? When Warner first came to the Cardinals organization they weren’t even sure if he’d be their starter. He was getting up there in age and hadn’t had a solid season since 2001. Contributing and putting the kind of numbers Warner put up is nothing short of amazing. Let’s not forget the kind of weapons Warner had to pass the ball to.
Larry Fitzgerald. Enough said. The Cardinals finished the 2008-09 season with a 9-7 record which was enough to win the NFC West. They got hot at the right time in the playoffs and had the entire team consisted of Larry Fitzgeralds maybe the Cards would have had a shot at beating the Steelers. Of course the Steelers had the D and the Cards D was well…so so. Of course defense wins championships, but that is another story in itself. All these lower seeded regular season mediocre teams got to the super bowl because of their defense and timely offences. Sure the Cardinals lost, but they maintain the right to say that they got there.
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