azdad1978
Championship!!!!
For the Cardinals, the 2004 season was one of transition but also one of promise and opportunity, as evidenced by the fact that the team entered week 16 of the regular season with a playoff berth and division title still very much in reach. A three-point road loss at Seattle ended those postseason hopes but throughout the campaign it was clear that a foundation is in place from which the Cardinals look to build in 2005.
The final record reflected a two-game improvement in the win column but the more drastic upgrade from 2003 to ’04 was the overall competitiveness of the games. In 2003, the Cards were defeated by 17 or more points eight times and suffered their 12 losses by an average of 20 points, including three by more than 35. This past season, Arizona dropped five games by a touchdown or less, including four by a field goal. Their average margin of defeat halved from 20.0 to 10.3 points and on the road fell from 23.6 to 11.2. Overall, the Cards allowed just 38 more points than they scored in 2004 compared to ‘03 when they scored 227 points fewer than they surrendered. The Cardinals won two games by 24 points (Saints & Rams), something that they’d not done in over a decade. The team also finished 5-3 at home for the first time since the Cardinals last playoff season of 1998.
The most significant element of the transition process took place on January 7, 2004 with the hiring of Dennis Green as the 29th head coach in franchise history. A proven winner who had succeeded turning around programs as a head coach at both the college and professional levels, Green returned to the NFL head coaching ranks after a two-year absence. In 10 seasons as head coach of the Vikings (1992-2001), Green led Minnesota to the postseason eight times (with seven different QBS), won four division titles and advanced to the conference championship game twice.
Green and VP of Football Operations Rod Graves quickly began the process of re-shaping the Cardinals roster in a variety of ways. A strategic but aggressive approach to free agency yielded starters like cornerback David Macklin (team leader in INTs with a career-high four), fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo (career-best four TDs), and defensive end Bertrand Berry. Berry would prove to become the best free agent pick-up in team history by leading the conference in sacks (14.5) and earning his first career Pro Bowl berth. Next came an outstanding 2004 draft class that produced four full-time starters in receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Karlos Dansby, defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and center Alex Stepanovich. In the end, all seven draftees would find their way to the roster. The Cards were also active picking up veterans via the waiver wire and trades so not surprisingly, the opening day roster included 22 new players.
The offense was bitten early by injuries as running back Marcel Shipp suffered a broken leg in training camp that landed him on I.R. Just days later, all-pro receiver and reigning NFL offensive rookie of the year Anquan Boldin suffered a knee injury that would cause him to miss the season’s first six games. The young unit was bolstered by both the on-field play and off-field leadership of veteran back Emmitt Smith. In his second season in Arizona, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher led the team with 937 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. The offense struggled to find a rhythm and consistency and that led to numerous lineup changes throughout the year. The most notable was at the quarterback position where Josh McCown started the season’s first nine games before giving way to Shaun King for two and John Navarre for one. McCown returned to start the season’s final four games and overall was 6-7 as a starter in 2004 with 11 TDs and 10 INTs.
Defensively, Arizona displayed an aggressive and hard-hitting style throughout the year and improved its overall rank from 26th at the end of ’03 to 12th this past season. Coordinator Clancy Pendergast’s unit was particularly tough in the red zone where their 45.0 TD percentage ranked second-best in the NFL (up from 60.7 in ’03). Other key categories of defensive improvement were in third down defense (fourth in ’04 and 32nd in ’03); total sacks were up from 20 to 38; total touchdowns allowed dropped from 55 to 35; and total takeaways improved from 23 to 30. Overall, the Cards plus-minus improved from minus-13 in 2003 to plus-1 in ’04 and the team allowed 130 fewer total points (452 to 322). The defense didn't allow a touchdown in three games (Rams, Falcons and Saints) and allowed just one TD in three others (Rams, Jets and Bucs).
The Cardinals special teams were another area that stepped up in 2004. Kicker Neil Rackers missed just three field goals inside of 50 yards all season and nailed five of 50+. He also led the NFL with 23 touchbacks, the most in team history. Veteran punter Scott Player enjoyed another outstanding season and set a career-high with 32 punts downed inside the 20, one shy of the franchise record (Jeff Feagles, 33 in 1996). The coverage units were also very solid, giving up an average of just 8.7 yards per punt return (down from 11.5 in ‘03). After kickoffs, opponents’ average drive starts improved from the 29.5 (11th in NFC) to 23.8 (2nd in NFC).
The rebuilding of the Cardinals on the field in 2004 was paralleled by the continual construction taking place on the new Cardinals Stadium in the West Valley. Now more than halfway completed, the $370 million facility will be open in time for the 2006 season and host the Super Bowl in 2008. In addition to its distinctive high-design architecture, the state of the art venue will feature the latest innovations in stadium comfort, including a retractable roof and a unique rollout natural-grass playing field that is the first of its kind in North America.
Finally, the saddest point of 2004 clearly came on April 22 when news arrived that former Cardinals safety Pat Tillman was killed while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. A seventh-round draft pick in 1998 who would go on to set the franchise’s single-season tackle record, Tillman walked away from a lucrative contract in the spring of 2002 to enlist in the United States Army with his brother, Kevin. Shortly after his death, the team announced it was retiring his jersey #40 and that the area surrounding the new Cardinals Stadium would be named Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza in honor of one of the most extraordinary individuals ever to represent the Cardinals or the National Football League.
http://azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2574
The final record reflected a two-game improvement in the win column but the more drastic upgrade from 2003 to ’04 was the overall competitiveness of the games. In 2003, the Cards were defeated by 17 or more points eight times and suffered their 12 losses by an average of 20 points, including three by more than 35. This past season, Arizona dropped five games by a touchdown or less, including four by a field goal. Their average margin of defeat halved from 20.0 to 10.3 points and on the road fell from 23.6 to 11.2. Overall, the Cards allowed just 38 more points than they scored in 2004 compared to ‘03 when they scored 227 points fewer than they surrendered. The Cardinals won two games by 24 points (Saints & Rams), something that they’d not done in over a decade. The team also finished 5-3 at home for the first time since the Cardinals last playoff season of 1998.
The most significant element of the transition process took place on January 7, 2004 with the hiring of Dennis Green as the 29th head coach in franchise history. A proven winner who had succeeded turning around programs as a head coach at both the college and professional levels, Green returned to the NFL head coaching ranks after a two-year absence. In 10 seasons as head coach of the Vikings (1992-2001), Green led Minnesota to the postseason eight times (with seven different QBS), won four division titles and advanced to the conference championship game twice.
Green and VP of Football Operations Rod Graves quickly began the process of re-shaping the Cardinals roster in a variety of ways. A strategic but aggressive approach to free agency yielded starters like cornerback David Macklin (team leader in INTs with a career-high four), fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo (career-best four TDs), and defensive end Bertrand Berry. Berry would prove to become the best free agent pick-up in team history by leading the conference in sacks (14.5) and earning his first career Pro Bowl berth. Next came an outstanding 2004 draft class that produced four full-time starters in receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Karlos Dansby, defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and center Alex Stepanovich. In the end, all seven draftees would find their way to the roster. The Cards were also active picking up veterans via the waiver wire and trades so not surprisingly, the opening day roster included 22 new players.
The offense was bitten early by injuries as running back Marcel Shipp suffered a broken leg in training camp that landed him on I.R. Just days later, all-pro receiver and reigning NFL offensive rookie of the year Anquan Boldin suffered a knee injury that would cause him to miss the season’s first six games. The young unit was bolstered by both the on-field play and off-field leadership of veteran back Emmitt Smith. In his second season in Arizona, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher led the team with 937 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. The offense struggled to find a rhythm and consistency and that led to numerous lineup changes throughout the year. The most notable was at the quarterback position where Josh McCown started the season’s first nine games before giving way to Shaun King for two and John Navarre for one. McCown returned to start the season’s final four games and overall was 6-7 as a starter in 2004 with 11 TDs and 10 INTs.
Defensively, Arizona displayed an aggressive and hard-hitting style throughout the year and improved its overall rank from 26th at the end of ’03 to 12th this past season. Coordinator Clancy Pendergast’s unit was particularly tough in the red zone where their 45.0 TD percentage ranked second-best in the NFL (up from 60.7 in ’03). Other key categories of defensive improvement were in third down defense (fourth in ’04 and 32nd in ’03); total sacks were up from 20 to 38; total touchdowns allowed dropped from 55 to 35; and total takeaways improved from 23 to 30. Overall, the Cards plus-minus improved from minus-13 in 2003 to plus-1 in ’04 and the team allowed 130 fewer total points (452 to 322). The defense didn't allow a touchdown in three games (Rams, Falcons and Saints) and allowed just one TD in three others (Rams, Jets and Bucs).
The Cardinals special teams were another area that stepped up in 2004. Kicker Neil Rackers missed just three field goals inside of 50 yards all season and nailed five of 50+. He also led the NFL with 23 touchbacks, the most in team history. Veteran punter Scott Player enjoyed another outstanding season and set a career-high with 32 punts downed inside the 20, one shy of the franchise record (Jeff Feagles, 33 in 1996). The coverage units were also very solid, giving up an average of just 8.7 yards per punt return (down from 11.5 in ‘03). After kickoffs, opponents’ average drive starts improved from the 29.5 (11th in NFC) to 23.8 (2nd in NFC).
The rebuilding of the Cardinals on the field in 2004 was paralleled by the continual construction taking place on the new Cardinals Stadium in the West Valley. Now more than halfway completed, the $370 million facility will be open in time for the 2006 season and host the Super Bowl in 2008. In addition to its distinctive high-design architecture, the state of the art venue will feature the latest innovations in stadium comfort, including a retractable roof and a unique rollout natural-grass playing field that is the first of its kind in North America.
Finally, the saddest point of 2004 clearly came on April 22 when news arrived that former Cardinals safety Pat Tillman was killed while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. A seventh-round draft pick in 1998 who would go on to set the franchise’s single-season tackle record, Tillman walked away from a lucrative contract in the spring of 2002 to enlist in the United States Army with his brother, Kevin. Shortly after his death, the team announced it was retiring his jersey #40 and that the area surrounding the new Cardinals Stadium would be named Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza in honor of one of the most extraordinary individuals ever to represent the Cardinals or the National Football League.
http://azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2574
