That the Cardinals have won 16 games in three years didn't get in the way of the NFL showcasing them in the season opener.
The Cardinals open on Monday night - Sept. 10 - in an NFC West clash at San Francisco.
It can only be a leap of faith by the league in new coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff and on the young talent base that was assembled during the three years of former coach Dennis Green, although Green never could win with it.
"I think it's a credit to the organization and the players," Whisenhunt said. "To me, it's a little bit of recognition, and that's a good thing."
Whisenhunt's debut with the Big Red also marks the first time the franchise ever has opened a season on the big stage of Monday night.
By then, Whisenhunt no doubt will have a left tackle to replace free-agency loss Leonard Davis. If the draft gods are with the franchise, that player might be Joe Thomas of Wisconsin. The Cardinals pick fifth. Most mock drafts don't have Thomas sliding any deeper than third.
But then, very few had Matt Leinart dropping to 10th last year, either.
"It's awesome," Leinart said of opening on national TV. "It's fun they're showing the NFC West some love, showing the Cardinals some love. I love it. Monday Night Football really rivals my national championship games in college, just the atmosphere."
In 27 seasons the Cardinals have played on Monday night only 17 times, although the last one was memorable. They were leading undefeated Chicago by 20 points late in the third quarter before suffering a classic Big Red meltdown and losing. Afterward, Green, himself, engaged in one of the season's more memorable meltdowns during his post-game tirade.
It was the first time in seven years they'd played on Monday night.
In visiting the 49ers, it will mark the first time since 1985 the Cardinals have been in a road game on Monday night. That one was an NFC East clash at Washington when the franchise was still based in St. Louis.
The Cardinals opened vs. San Francisco last season, as well, in the debut game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., which will host the Super Bowl after the upcoming season.
"It is special to be on Monday Night Football, and to get an opening week Monday Night game is particularly exciting," Whisenhunt said. "Playing a strong and talented team like the 49ers right out of the block will certainly be a good early test for our team."
NOTES, QUOTES
-If the Cardinals are planning to change their base defense to a 3-4 they're doing a masterful job of keeping it under wraps.
What is no secret is that defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, retained by new coach Ken Whisenhunt from Dennis Green's staff, is a clever man with schemes and plans. Need to do more with less? Call Clancy.
Some of those ploys the past three seasons have involved the Cardinals moving into a 3-4 look, but they'd also done that during the runs of former coaches Dave McGinnis and Vince Tobin. Everybody does that from time to time.
Whisenhunt said, however, that the Cardinals might do it even more. But he also said the base defense will remain a 4-3.
To be a base 3-4 team, the Cardinals first would first have to find four linebackers who can play, when they've had a hard enough time finding three. Karlos Dansby has shown flashes of Pro Bowl ability when he's healthy. Gerald Hayes is an emerging stud at middle linebacker. But they don't have a reliable weak-side linebacker, where Orlando Huff has been the starter for a couple of years. And the group's depth is scary thin.
-K Neil Rackers is still living large after his record-breaking 2005 Pro Bowl run before taking a step back last season.
He modeled in the 15th annual charity fashion show "Swing into Spring" March 31.
Proceeds from the show support Assistance League of the East Valley, an all-volunteer philanthropic group that aids women and children.
Coincidentally, the show was at the same Phoenix resort where former receivers coach Richie Anderson's Cardinals career ended before it began. Anderson was fired two weeks ago before he'd coached a down for the team after his arrest on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute during a Phoenix police sting operation at the upscale resort not far from the team's training complex in Tempe.
-The Cardinals have been in the practice of parading draft prospects in front of the news media when they've brought them in for interviews, but that's about to end - largely because bringing them in for interviews is going the way of the dinosaur.
They're finding that they collect sufficient information on prospects during interview and evaluations at the Scouting Combine and during pro days the prospects might conduct.
The Cardinals are, however, about to bring in their entire scouting department to Tempe for meetings to begin setting their draft board as they enter their final month of preparation.
-Cardinals players and staff hosted a kids camp for 100 kids in Yuma, a small town in southwest Arizona just across from its borders with California and Mexico.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think the way he moves out of his stance, the way he uses his hands in combination with his feet. Some of that is instinct, some of that is technique. A lot of guys really have to work hard at it, and some guys are natural. I see a lot of the things that lead me to believe he's very natural at that position." - Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt, discussing whether Wisconsin T Joe Thomas, who would be hard for the Big Red to pass if Thomas slips to the fifth spot in the first round of the draft, can play LT in the NFL.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
-With a large salary-cap cushion now all but spent, the Cardinals still haven't given up on signing OL Mike Gandy, who last played for Buffalo.
Their plan at LT at the moment involves moving Oliver Ross from the right side. Ross has had two sub-par, injury-filled seasons with the team, but he was productive during his years in Pittsburgh and the Cardinals' new coaching staff - most of it from the Steelers, including line coach Russ Grimm - remember that.
The Cardinals also wouldn't be disappointed if either OT Joe Thomas or OT Levi Brown were to fall to them at No. 5 in the first round.
But if they were to sign Gandy before the draft, they then could use the high pick to address DE (Gaines Adams or Jamaal Anderson), perhaps S (LaRon Landry) or DT (Amobi Okoye or Alan Branch).
-Their one nagging shortcoming in free agency was their inability to land a veteran TE to play with Leonard Pope, who goes into his second pro season. The team whiffed on the best prospect, Reggie Kelly, who re-upped in Cincinnati.
-FB Terrelle Smith, cut by Cleveland despite being the lead blocker for 1,000-yard rushers in five of his seven pro season, was signed for two years as an unrestricted free agent to lead the way for Edgerrin James (terms undisclosed). Smith was New Orleans' fourth-round pick in 2000.
-DL Chris Cooper, a valuable, versatile veteran role-player, was re-signed for two years as an unrestricted free agent (terms undisclosed). He has 22 tackles and two sacks in 13 games as a backup last year. Cooper was Oakland's sixth-round pick in 2001 and made three tackles in the 2003 Super Bowl for the Raiders.
The Cardinals open on Monday night - Sept. 10 - in an NFC West clash at San Francisco.
It can only be a leap of faith by the league in new coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff and on the young talent base that was assembled during the three years of former coach Dennis Green, although Green never could win with it.
"I think it's a credit to the organization and the players," Whisenhunt said. "To me, it's a little bit of recognition, and that's a good thing."
Whisenhunt's debut with the Big Red also marks the first time the franchise ever has opened a season on the big stage of Monday night.
By then, Whisenhunt no doubt will have a left tackle to replace free-agency loss Leonard Davis. If the draft gods are with the franchise, that player might be Joe Thomas of Wisconsin. The Cardinals pick fifth. Most mock drafts don't have Thomas sliding any deeper than third.
But then, very few had Matt Leinart dropping to 10th last year, either.
"It's awesome," Leinart said of opening on national TV. "It's fun they're showing the NFC West some love, showing the Cardinals some love. I love it. Monday Night Football really rivals my national championship games in college, just the atmosphere."
In 27 seasons the Cardinals have played on Monday night only 17 times, although the last one was memorable. They were leading undefeated Chicago by 20 points late in the third quarter before suffering a classic Big Red meltdown and losing. Afterward, Green, himself, engaged in one of the season's more memorable meltdowns during his post-game tirade.
It was the first time in seven years they'd played on Monday night.
In visiting the 49ers, it will mark the first time since 1985 the Cardinals have been in a road game on Monday night. That one was an NFC East clash at Washington when the franchise was still based in St. Louis.
The Cardinals opened vs. San Francisco last season, as well, in the debut game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., which will host the Super Bowl after the upcoming season.
"It is special to be on Monday Night Football, and to get an opening week Monday Night game is particularly exciting," Whisenhunt said. "Playing a strong and talented team like the 49ers right out of the block will certainly be a good early test for our team."
NOTES, QUOTES
-If the Cardinals are planning to change their base defense to a 3-4 they're doing a masterful job of keeping it under wraps.
What is no secret is that defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, retained by new coach Ken Whisenhunt from Dennis Green's staff, is a clever man with schemes and plans. Need to do more with less? Call Clancy.
Some of those ploys the past three seasons have involved the Cardinals moving into a 3-4 look, but they'd also done that during the runs of former coaches Dave McGinnis and Vince Tobin. Everybody does that from time to time.
Whisenhunt said, however, that the Cardinals might do it even more. But he also said the base defense will remain a 4-3.
To be a base 3-4 team, the Cardinals first would first have to find four linebackers who can play, when they've had a hard enough time finding three. Karlos Dansby has shown flashes of Pro Bowl ability when he's healthy. Gerald Hayes is an emerging stud at middle linebacker. But they don't have a reliable weak-side linebacker, where Orlando Huff has been the starter for a couple of years. And the group's depth is scary thin.
-K Neil Rackers is still living large after his record-breaking 2005 Pro Bowl run before taking a step back last season.
He modeled in the 15th annual charity fashion show "Swing into Spring" March 31.
Proceeds from the show support Assistance League of the East Valley, an all-volunteer philanthropic group that aids women and children.
Coincidentally, the show was at the same Phoenix resort where former receivers coach Richie Anderson's Cardinals career ended before it began. Anderson was fired two weeks ago before he'd coached a down for the team after his arrest on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute during a Phoenix police sting operation at the upscale resort not far from the team's training complex in Tempe.
-The Cardinals have been in the practice of parading draft prospects in front of the news media when they've brought them in for interviews, but that's about to end - largely because bringing them in for interviews is going the way of the dinosaur.
They're finding that they collect sufficient information on prospects during interview and evaluations at the Scouting Combine and during pro days the prospects might conduct.
The Cardinals are, however, about to bring in their entire scouting department to Tempe for meetings to begin setting their draft board as they enter their final month of preparation.
-Cardinals players and staff hosted a kids camp for 100 kids in Yuma, a small town in southwest Arizona just across from its borders with California and Mexico.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think the way he moves out of his stance, the way he uses his hands in combination with his feet. Some of that is instinct, some of that is technique. A lot of guys really have to work hard at it, and some guys are natural. I see a lot of the things that lead me to believe he's very natural at that position." - Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt, discussing whether Wisconsin T Joe Thomas, who would be hard for the Big Red to pass if Thomas slips to the fifth spot in the first round of the draft, can play LT in the NFL.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
-With a large salary-cap cushion now all but spent, the Cardinals still haven't given up on signing OL Mike Gandy, who last played for Buffalo.
Their plan at LT at the moment involves moving Oliver Ross from the right side. Ross has had two sub-par, injury-filled seasons with the team, but he was productive during his years in Pittsburgh and the Cardinals' new coaching staff - most of it from the Steelers, including line coach Russ Grimm - remember that.
The Cardinals also wouldn't be disappointed if either OT Joe Thomas or OT Levi Brown were to fall to them at No. 5 in the first round.
But if they were to sign Gandy before the draft, they then could use the high pick to address DE (Gaines Adams or Jamaal Anderson), perhaps S (LaRon Landry) or DT (Amobi Okoye or Alan Branch).
-Their one nagging shortcoming in free agency was their inability to land a veteran TE to play with Leonard Pope, who goes into his second pro season. The team whiffed on the best prospect, Reggie Kelly, who re-upped in Cincinnati.
-FB Terrelle Smith, cut by Cleveland despite being the lead blocker for 1,000-yard rushers in five of his seven pro season, was signed for two years as an unrestricted free agent to lead the way for Edgerrin James (terms undisclosed). Smith was New Orleans' fourth-round pick in 2000.
-DL Chris Cooper, a valuable, versatile veteran role-player, was re-signed for two years as an unrestricted free agent (terms undisclosed). He has 22 tackles and two sacks in 13 games as a backup last year. Cooper was Oakland's sixth-round pick in 2001 and made three tackles in the 2003 Super Bowl for the Raiders.
