NeverSayDieFan
ASFN Lifer
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2004
- Posts
- 2,864
- Reaction score
- 210
Am I deluded?? Too much kool-aid?? Just plain ol' KRAZY?? I don't think so. Don't get me wrong. After (40) years of Cardinal football I'm very familar w/the sickening feeling we all felt after Sunday's game. Whether "new" or "old", Cardinal fans have all felt it. We keep hoping, trusting, waiting... I would describe our over-all emotional-state as frustrated, anxious, even desperate... In short, a world of negative feelings ready to come to the surface at the 1st sign of things not going our way. So, why am I encouraged?? Here's why.
1./ It's been quite awhile since I've read a "Bidwill is cheap, they don't care, etc." thread. In fact, I read in another post where the B's supposedly came into the locker-room boiling mad after the game, and let the players have it. If true, that seems a far cry from the days when I personally thought they viewed the game as just "business as usual". (ie; "Hey, we lost, BUT we had a good crowd." Ca-ching!!) So, I'm encouraged because I REALLY think there's a strong desire to "win" now.
2./ Whiz is the BEST coach we've had since Coryell. Has he made all the right calls?? Of course not but keep in mind this is year #1. New "terminology", etc.) He's learning about clock management, player personnel, etc. (I have to believe practice- evaluation of a player, etc. is far different from actual game experience. I suck at chess and it seems to me that each game is a "moving" chess game. In short, he's learning on the fly. BUT the players have to "play" smart. PERIOD!! BUT one thing I am encouraged about is that I keep hearing "positive" comments" from the players about him and the staff. ( ie;" He's letting us try and make the plays, etc." I WANT a coach who believes in his players! How many times have we been successful on 4th down this year?? How many times have we scored just before half-time?? I've always believed the game is about momentum.
3./ The fan-base. We are a DETERMINED, RESILIENT bunch!! BUT we carry a "fragile", often-challenged, hope. Hoping for the BEST, secretly expecting the worst. I'm sure that there was a feeling of dis-belief as the recent game un-folded. We were quickly down (10). How could this be happening?? We were supposed to win easily. We should be thinking about the excitement of making the play-offs. We should be thinking about "how we'll beat the Browns". BUT here we are in a see-saw struggle. We might, even, "LOSE". Again, I can almost imagine the disbelief and the "here we go again"-feeling permeating the crowd. ...And would that lend itself to a "quieter", more pensive, kinduv' in-shock" crowd?? (ie: noise-level, or lack there-of) As I read this board it's so extreme. We win, and we're excited and cautiously optimistic, but lose....and it's DOOMSDAY! We're cursed!, etc. Funny how no one talks about the Red Sox "curse" anymore. Good management & good players cancel out ANY curse it seems.
4./ Rod Graves-personnel. OK, I am NO capologist. I can only see who is still "in" Cardinal red and who is gone. ...And what I "see" is we're retaining our good, "core"-players. I can't think of any player recently (past few years) who has gone on to great success somewhere else. In the past, we were simply a "farm"-team for the rest of the league. ...And EVERYONE knew it. I'll also add that we are no longer "laughed" at on Draft Day. ...And to me the "draft" is the un-official start of the season. In those (2) frantic days you're team either gets better or worse.
So, there you have it. Some "reasons" why, overall, I'm encouraged. We're (5-6). We've scored (254) points and given up (259). That sounds like a .500 team to me. BUT we are headed in the right direction. GO CARDS!! I BELIEVE that in a year or two we're going to be something special. Believe it or not! ...And THIS year, may STILL hold a "surprise" or two.
One "last" note. I've been thinking about Neil Racker's "kicks". The ones I'm remembering that we're missed, all seem to be just wide-left, so here's my thought. When he "kicks" his body-language goes "left" and his little victory trot goes "left". Is there somehow a "connection" here?? Is he pulling away too soon?? I'm also wondering about the "hold". (ie; Barr) Man, for the days of Jim Bakken & Roger Wehrli. Ball snapped, ball placed, KICK GOOD! They made it look so easy, which it's not.
1./ It's been quite awhile since I've read a "Bidwill is cheap, they don't care, etc." thread. In fact, I read in another post where the B's supposedly came into the locker-room boiling mad after the game, and let the players have it. If true, that seems a far cry from the days when I personally thought they viewed the game as just "business as usual". (ie; "Hey, we lost, BUT we had a good crowd." Ca-ching!!) So, I'm encouraged because I REALLY think there's a strong desire to "win" now.
2./ Whiz is the BEST coach we've had since Coryell. Has he made all the right calls?? Of course not but keep in mind this is year #1. New "terminology", etc.) He's learning about clock management, player personnel, etc. (I have to believe practice- evaluation of a player, etc. is far different from actual game experience. I suck at chess and it seems to me that each game is a "moving" chess game. In short, he's learning on the fly. BUT the players have to "play" smart. PERIOD!! BUT one thing I am encouraged about is that I keep hearing "positive" comments" from the players about him and the staff. ( ie;" He's letting us try and make the plays, etc." I WANT a coach who believes in his players! How many times have we been successful on 4th down this year?? How many times have we scored just before half-time?? I've always believed the game is about momentum.
3./ The fan-base. We are a DETERMINED, RESILIENT bunch!! BUT we carry a "fragile", often-challenged, hope. Hoping for the BEST, secretly expecting the worst. I'm sure that there was a feeling of dis-belief as the recent game un-folded. We were quickly down (10). How could this be happening?? We were supposed to win easily. We should be thinking about the excitement of making the play-offs. We should be thinking about "how we'll beat the Browns". BUT here we are in a see-saw struggle. We might, even, "LOSE". Again, I can almost imagine the disbelief and the "here we go again"-feeling permeating the crowd. ...And would that lend itself to a "quieter", more pensive, kinduv' in-shock" crowd?? (ie: noise-level, or lack there-of) As I read this board it's so extreme. We win, and we're excited and cautiously optimistic, but lose....and it's DOOMSDAY! We're cursed!, etc. Funny how no one talks about the Red Sox "curse" anymore. Good management & good players cancel out ANY curse it seems.
4./ Rod Graves-personnel. OK, I am NO capologist. I can only see who is still "in" Cardinal red and who is gone. ...And what I "see" is we're retaining our good, "core"-players. I can't think of any player recently (past few years) who has gone on to great success somewhere else. In the past, we were simply a "farm"-team for the rest of the league. ...And EVERYONE knew it. I'll also add that we are no longer "laughed" at on Draft Day. ...And to me the "draft" is the un-official start of the season. In those (2) frantic days you're team either gets better or worse.
So, there you have it. Some "reasons" why, overall, I'm encouraged. We're (5-6). We've scored (254) points and given up (259). That sounds like a .500 team to me. BUT we are headed in the right direction. GO CARDS!! I BELIEVE that in a year or two we're going to be something special. Believe it or not! ...And THIS year, may STILL hold a "surprise" or two.
One "last" note. I've been thinking about Neil Racker's "kicks". The ones I'm remembering that we're missed, all seem to be just wide-left, so here's my thought. When he "kicks" his body-language goes "left" and his little victory trot goes "left". Is there somehow a "connection" here?? Is he pulling away too soon?? I'm also wondering about the "hold". (ie; Barr) Man, for the days of Jim Bakken & Roger Wehrli. Ball snapped, ball placed, KICK GOOD! They made it look so easy, which it's not.
