Thank you Michael Bidwill Jr

[Jetstream Green]

Thank you Michael Bidwill

For caring. For having the insight to turn this over to Keim. Thank you for hiring Bruce Arians as a head coach. We have the foundation of what makes a good team, a competitive team for an extended period of time. We have a great coaching staff and front office

 

[unseenaz]

Signed

 

[ajcardfan]

I'll break out my one face-to-face talk with Bidwill Jr, ever.

It's 2002 or so. Late in a game at SDS, we are about to finish a win over the Bengals. The reported attendance was around 25,000, and I can tell you it was less than that. Yet, we were about to win, and Marcel Shipp had a big day.

I look by be as some secret service type is next to me in the aisle and, right behind him is Mike Bidwill Jr. They take one more step down and then stop for a few seconds."

I say, "Hey, Mike! Congrats on the stadium and congrats on getting the Super Bowl! (Just announced before that game.)

Mike: "Thank you very much." (Shakes my hand).

Me: "Good win today Mike. Can you imagine if the Cards played in the Super Bowl at the new stadium?"

Mike: "I hope we already have a trophy to put in the new stadium when it opens."


That little exchange has always meant a lot to me. There might be doubt about how much Bidwill Sr. wanted to win versus making money. But, I know Jr. wants to win and will spend to do it. The idea of a Cards team winning a Super Bowl in 2002 was basically a fairy tale at best. Yet, Bidwill Jr was so serious when he said he wanted a trophy to open the stadium, I couldn't laugh.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I'll break out my one face-to-face talk with Bidwill Jr, ever.

It's 2002 or so. Late in a game at SDS, we are about to finish a win over the Bengals. The reported attendance was around 25,000, and I can tell you it was less than that. Yet, we were about to win, and Marcel Shipp had a big day.

I look by be as some secret service type is next to me in the aisle and, right behind him is Mike Bidwill Jr. They take one more step down and then stop for a few seconds."

I say, "Hey, Mike! Congrats on the stadium and congrats on getting the Super Bowl! (Just announced before that game.)

Mike: "Thank you very much." (Shakes my hand).

Me: "Good win today Mike. Can you imagine if the Cards played in the Super Bowl at the new stadium?"

Mike: "I hope we already have a trophy to put in the new stadium when it opens."


That little exchange has always meant a lot to me. There might be doubt about how much Bidwill Sr. wanted to win versus making money. But, I know Jr. wants to win and will spend to do it. The idea of a Cards team winning a Super Bowl in 2002 was basically a fairy tale at best. Yet, Bidwill Jr was so serious when he said he wanted a trophy to open the stadium, I couldn't laugh.

The old man wanted to win for sure in my opinion, but he was from another era in his line of thought and the Cardinals never would have won with his old fashioned view of the modern game

 

[cardncubfan]

Signed

+1

 

[MrYeahBut]

When I got the picture for my avatar, I chatted with Michael and Kiem for a few minutes. He asked me when I became a fan and I said 1964. He told me that was the year he was born so he'd been a fan as long as me. We laughed really hard at that together. Nice moment.

 

[AZ Native]

I remember the first game in the new stadium. I was in line to buy a beer. It was a VERY long line. Michael walked by and I pointed at the line and he said "we will fix that" and they did. Michael, listening to the peons. It's the little things in life that matter.

 

[unseenaz]

All of these personal encounters with Michael are awesome. I'd love to chat with him some day. Seems like a great man, and a cardinal at heart

 

[Brak]

I just forwarded a link to this thread to MB Jr. Let's see if he acknowledges it.

 

[CoachKlein]

I agree he's done a great job. Letting Keim take control like a GM should. He doesn't seem to get in the way like some owners do, and he has trust which he should in the staff HE has hired. I remember him saying were going to put a winning team together when he fired the entire coaching staff and old gm a few seasons ago. So far so good Jr.

 

[arthurracoon]

 

[Jetstream Green]

When they were doing the new uniforms, I actually sent a design I came up with and sent it to them and Michael actually wrote me back personally and said they already had the design they wanted to go with but thanked me. He did not have to do that, but he took the time and he seems to take a personal approach whenever possible and when one does that, it means his feelings about the fans and team are sincere

 

[daves]

FYI, it's just Michael Bidwill, no "Jr." His brother Bill is "Jr." and the old man is Bill Sr.

http://www.azcardinals.com/roster/staff.html

...dbs

 

[Goldfield]

Kiem and Arians make this a real franchise. In the past were were run like a joke.

 

[Jetstream Green]

FYI, it's just Michael Bidwill, no "Jr." His brother Bill is "Jr." and the old man is Bill Sr.

http://www.azcardinals.com/roster/staff.html

...dbs

Thanks Daves

 

[Hollywood]

I have been saying for years that this team is one of the better run teams in the league....it started when the stadium vote passed. They were just so far behind everyone else that it has taken years for them to get to where they are now. I think the last big hurdle was getting rid of Graves. He was the last remnant of the 'same old cardinals'. I think we are in a mode of sustained success. We will continue to chip away at all the old records of futility.

Regular Season Record (all-time) : 516-717-39
Playoff Record (all-time) : 6-7 (Last appearance after 2009 season)

its going to take some time.

 

[BigRedRage]

Since the stadium opened:

2006 5-11
2007 8-8
2008 9-7
2009 10-6
2010 5-11
2011 8-8
2012 5-11
2013 10-6
2014 5-1

65-69

I was just curious how we have been and there is the answer, still sub 500 even with the super bowl year.

Hopefully Arians keeps us in the 2-1 ratio. 10-6 every year will be sufficient.

 

[Cardiac]

Michael has been a huge positive and even though he may have made some mistakes they will diminish as he gets more experience.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

Since the stadium opened:

2006 5-11
2007 8-8
2008 9-7
2009 10-6
2010 5-11
2011 8-8
2012 5-11
2013 10-6
2014 5-1

65-69

I was just curious how we have been and there is the answer, still sub 500 even with the super bowl year.

Hopefully Arians keeps us in the 2-1 ratio. 10-6 every year will be sufficient.

I prefer to look at it as only 3 losing seasons in the past 9! The 5-11s are really skewing the overall numbers. It tells a much better story!

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

Never mind...error!

 

[Crimson Warrior]

The old man wanted to win for sure in my opinion, but he was from another era in his line of thought and the Cardinals never would have won with his old fashioned view of the modern game

Good point Jetstream.

Bill Sr. remembers NOT being worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for a long time, the Franchise was their meal ticket. It was all they had in terms of family revenue. It HAD to turn a profit, even if attendance was only 25k.

We got the change in culture that we wanted though... Now we're run like a real NFL franchise, even if we do continue to endure the weirdness that has always seemed to accompany the cardiac cards...

 

[CardLogic]

I have also had a brief exchange with Michael Bidwill - it was at the training facility on Hardy Drive, during one of the Fan Fest days that used to be held there; years ago. He is very personable, and quite accomodating to fans. And appears to be a genuinely nice guy.

But don't underestimate him. He is also a smart and shrewd businessman. He realizes that more profit is to be made via a winning organization than a losing one.

Not that there is anything wrong with that!. . .

 

[Crimson Warrior]

I prefer to look at it as only 3 losing seasons in the past 9! The 5-11s are really skewing the overall numbers. It tells a much better story!

You're right though LIAC, and so is Hollywood.

On Sunday, anyone with two eyes could see there was huge disparity (by NFL standards), in terms of talent, and coaching, between the Cardinals and the Raiders.

I mean, it jumped out of the TV screen at me, that we were just so much better than Oakland.

Ultimately, the credit for this has to go to Ownership.

 

[football karma]

the team has an owner committed to winning. They have entered what i think of as the NFL's middle class. Enough resources that they have to be smart with contracts, draft well, etc to win ---

the team is no longer the default "will finish with 5 wins" every year kind of team

we also have an owner that has come up the learning curve ---