BACH
Superbowl, Homeboy!
Every year, there's a team that many of the so-called experts peg as the next perennial postseason outsider to become a playoff contender. With the Cincinnati Bengals finally busting through after several years of being the next rising team to reverse a long stretch of misfortune, the next logical candidate still has a long way to go.
And for now that squad comes in at the top end of the bottom half of the league's teams.
The Arizona Cardinals.
In an age of parity, which has entailed plenty of quick turnarounds and even faster falls from grace (e.g., the Super Bowl loser hasn't made it back to the playoffs in the next season for five straight years), the Cardinals have found a way to avoid playing beyond Week Seventeen since 1998.
That's the longest current drought for any NFL franchise.
How chronically bad have the Cardinals been? But for the 16-team tournament that the league threw together at the end of the strike-shortened 1982 season, the Cards have qualified for the playoffs only once in the last 30 years.
That's pathetic, and it's evidence of a problem that runs all the way to the top of the organization.
The flaws in this franchise have been so deep and profound that not even Denny Green has found a way to turn it around quickly. And we're talking about the same Denny Green that pulled the Vikings out of a two-year funk and thrust the team into consistent playoff contention, taking it to the playoffs in eight of his nine full seasons.
Instead, the Cards have been 6-10 and 5-11 in Green's first two years, and even with the addition of running back Edgerrin James and a brand new stadium that plenty of real, live human beings will be frequenting this year, we still think that a lot needs to be done to erase the stink of all of the years of ineptitude that have plagued one of the oldest franchises in pro football.
For now, the biggest trouble is in the trenches.
Though the guy known as E.J. might think he's on track to don an ugly mustard sports jacket and deliver a ten-minute speech on the temporary dais at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, he should give Ricky Williams a call regarding the realities of trying to gain yards on the ground without, you know, effective blocking.
So what did the Cards do in the offseason to improve an offensive line that paved the way for only 1,138 rushing yards in 2005, nearly 200 yards behind the No. 31 team? They signed a guy that the Texans gave up on. (They also selected Deuce Lutui in the second round of the draft, going with a guard at a time when it might have made more sense to take a tackle.)
On defense, the Cards signed tackle Kendrick Clancy, an underrated nose tackle who overachieved for the Giants in 2005. But Clancy isn't capable of carrying the entire line, and for a franchise that has rented a string of quality defensive ends over the past decade or so there's none of them left right now.
The strangest aspect of all of this is that the Cardinals' defense wasn't all that bad last year. Statistically, they finished in the top ten, allowing fewer yards per game than the Redskins, Colts, Broncos, Seahawks, and Patriots. Thanks to a high-octane passing game, the offense was in the top ten as well.
And yet they still found a way to lose six more games than they won.
Thus, we think the trend will continue, at least for another year, even as more and more league observers will take the position that it's time for the Cards to make the playoffs in a non-strike year for the second time since the Ford administration.
But barring a major injury to one or more key players, the Seahawks will win the division going away. So then the question will be whether the Cards can snag a wild card berth. Even though the NFC has generally become the AFC's eight-beer ******, the numbers don't favor Arizona. With four legitimate contenders in the East and three in the South, the Cardinals will need to rack up plenty of wins in a schedule that includes games against the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Cowboys, and Falcons.
Sorry, Cardinals fans. It'll inevitably happen for you. But not yet.
Next, the fantasy grades.
Quarterback: Kurt Warner still has plenty of name recognition, and with all of the hype surrounding the team this year he's certain to be drafted higher than his remaining ability merits. Don't fall for it -- he hasn't played 16 games since 2001, and this likely will be his last season as the Week One starter. He gets a C. (And it might be a good idea to throw a late-round lasso around Matt Leinart, especially in a keeper league.)
Running back: If Edgerrin James can churn out 1,500 yards behind the Arizona line, he deserves to be put in the Hall of Fame right now. We're skeptical, however. We think he'll get his 1,000 yards, but it won't be easy and he might get hurt. We give him a B-.
Wide receiver: The stats of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin were virtually identical in 2005. Both had over 100 catches, each had in excess of 1,400 yards. We like Fitzgerald a little bit more than Boldin, so we'll give Larry an A and Boldin an A-.
Tight end: With all of the balls that will be sailing toward the wideouts, there's no chance of this position generating decent numbers.
Defense: Another unit that isn't quite elite, but still a cut above the background noise of the so-so and the poor units out there. B-.
Kicker: Neil Rackers set a league record with 40 field goals in 2005. He gets a B+.
And for now that squad comes in at the top end of the bottom half of the league's teams.
The Arizona Cardinals.
In an age of parity, which has entailed plenty of quick turnarounds and even faster falls from grace (e.g., the Super Bowl loser hasn't made it back to the playoffs in the next season for five straight years), the Cardinals have found a way to avoid playing beyond Week Seventeen since 1998.
That's the longest current drought for any NFL franchise.
How chronically bad have the Cardinals been? But for the 16-team tournament that the league threw together at the end of the strike-shortened 1982 season, the Cards have qualified for the playoffs only once in the last 30 years.
That's pathetic, and it's evidence of a problem that runs all the way to the top of the organization.
The flaws in this franchise have been so deep and profound that not even Denny Green has found a way to turn it around quickly. And we're talking about the same Denny Green that pulled the Vikings out of a two-year funk and thrust the team into consistent playoff contention, taking it to the playoffs in eight of his nine full seasons.
Instead, the Cards have been 6-10 and 5-11 in Green's first two years, and even with the addition of running back Edgerrin James and a brand new stadium that plenty of real, live human beings will be frequenting this year, we still think that a lot needs to be done to erase the stink of all of the years of ineptitude that have plagued one of the oldest franchises in pro football.
For now, the biggest trouble is in the trenches.
Though the guy known as E.J. might think he's on track to don an ugly mustard sports jacket and deliver a ten-minute speech on the temporary dais at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, he should give Ricky Williams a call regarding the realities of trying to gain yards on the ground without, you know, effective blocking.
So what did the Cards do in the offseason to improve an offensive line that paved the way for only 1,138 rushing yards in 2005, nearly 200 yards behind the No. 31 team? They signed a guy that the Texans gave up on. (They also selected Deuce Lutui in the second round of the draft, going with a guard at a time when it might have made more sense to take a tackle.)
On defense, the Cards signed tackle Kendrick Clancy, an underrated nose tackle who overachieved for the Giants in 2005. But Clancy isn't capable of carrying the entire line, and for a franchise that has rented a string of quality defensive ends over the past decade or so there's none of them left right now.
The strangest aspect of all of this is that the Cardinals' defense wasn't all that bad last year. Statistically, they finished in the top ten, allowing fewer yards per game than the Redskins, Colts, Broncos, Seahawks, and Patriots. Thanks to a high-octane passing game, the offense was in the top ten as well.
And yet they still found a way to lose six more games than they won.
Thus, we think the trend will continue, at least for another year, even as more and more league observers will take the position that it's time for the Cards to make the playoffs in a non-strike year for the second time since the Ford administration.
But barring a major injury to one or more key players, the Seahawks will win the division going away. So then the question will be whether the Cards can snag a wild card berth. Even though the NFC has generally become the AFC's eight-beer ******, the numbers don't favor Arizona. With four legitimate contenders in the East and three in the South, the Cardinals will need to rack up plenty of wins in a schedule that includes games against the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Cowboys, and Falcons.
Sorry, Cardinals fans. It'll inevitably happen for you. But not yet.
Next, the fantasy grades.
Quarterback: Kurt Warner still has plenty of name recognition, and with all of the hype surrounding the team this year he's certain to be drafted higher than his remaining ability merits. Don't fall for it -- he hasn't played 16 games since 2001, and this likely will be his last season as the Week One starter. He gets a C. (And it might be a good idea to throw a late-round lasso around Matt Leinart, especially in a keeper league.)
Running back: If Edgerrin James can churn out 1,500 yards behind the Arizona line, he deserves to be put in the Hall of Fame right now. We're skeptical, however. We think he'll get his 1,000 yards, but it won't be easy and he might get hurt. We give him a B-.
Wide receiver: The stats of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin were virtually identical in 2005. Both had over 100 catches, each had in excess of 1,400 yards. We like Fitzgerald a little bit more than Boldin, so we'll give Larry an A and Boldin an A-.
Tight end: With all of the balls that will be sailing toward the wideouts, there's no chance of this position generating decent numbers.
Defense: Another unit that isn't quite elite, but still a cut above the background noise of the so-so and the poor units out there. B-.
Kicker: Neil Rackers set a league record with 40 field goals in 2005. He gets a B+.
Does this writer not know that Bertrand Berry plays DE for the Cardinals?
