Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
The Cards were on the cusp of becoming a perennially competent team. Then they decided that the price of leadership was too high. So they dumped Larry Centers, Jamir Miller and Lomas Brown. They had just made the playoffs in 1998 and looked to all the world ready to challenge again in 1999. It’s true Lomas Brown had slowed a little. Centers had some wear on his tires and Miller could be a handful.
There was talent around these three but undirected talent rarely leads to success. These three were leaders by example and vision. To a man they believed the Cards could play with anybody. Once this trio was allowed to leave the team floundered despite still having quality players
This was not the last time the Cards would deflate the team by losing leaders. The list is sadly extensive. Names like Dansby, Boldin and Campbell quickly spring to mind. More than any other reason I believe undervaluing leadership has cost the Cards a chance to be a quality franchise.
It now seems the Cards have realized this deficiency. More than any other characteristic, this offseason the Cards focused on acquiring leaders. While the public focused on age the Cards focused on inspiration. Yes, it’s a gamble. The idea is that these older players can rise to the challenge and inspire the Cards to be a playoff team. False leaders, like Patrick Peterson were allowed to leave. Proven leaders were added.
Good leaders don’t guarantee success. People will point out these leaders didn’t come from universally successful teams. Quality personnel must be present. Clearly the first half of last season demonstrated the Cards have talent. However, once the grind of playoff pressure hit the team, no one was able to get them refocused on getting the job done.
So the Cards have gambled that these slightly damaged players can pull this team together and lead them to success. I like the gamble. These guys won’t panic. These guys can inspire. These guys may not be Pro Bowl players any longer, but they’ve been there. They’ve seen what it takes. They have been strategically added to offense, defense and even special teams. They won’t crack under pressure. That’s where diamonds are made.
Therefore I’m hopeful the Cards finally get it. They’ve identified the missing element. They’ve had the talent. Now they’ve added the will. They have as many special players as any team in the league. They can now get those players all pointed in the right direction. I believe at the least this is a playoff team. Depending on Murray’s and Kingsbury’s growth they may be more than just a participant. This should be a tense season, but fun!
There was talent around these three but undirected talent rarely leads to success. These three were leaders by example and vision. To a man they believed the Cards could play with anybody. Once this trio was allowed to leave the team floundered despite still having quality players
This was not the last time the Cards would deflate the team by losing leaders. The list is sadly extensive. Names like Dansby, Boldin and Campbell quickly spring to mind. More than any other reason I believe undervaluing leadership has cost the Cards a chance to be a quality franchise.
It now seems the Cards have realized this deficiency. More than any other characteristic, this offseason the Cards focused on acquiring leaders. While the public focused on age the Cards focused on inspiration. Yes, it’s a gamble. The idea is that these older players can rise to the challenge and inspire the Cards to be a playoff team. False leaders, like Patrick Peterson were allowed to leave. Proven leaders were added.
Good leaders don’t guarantee success. People will point out these leaders didn’t come from universally successful teams. Quality personnel must be present. Clearly the first half of last season demonstrated the Cards have talent. However, once the grind of playoff pressure hit the team, no one was able to get them refocused on getting the job done.
So the Cards have gambled that these slightly damaged players can pull this team together and lead them to success. I like the gamble. These guys won’t panic. These guys can inspire. These guys may not be Pro Bowl players any longer, but they’ve been there. They’ve seen what it takes. They have been strategically added to offense, defense and even special teams. They won’t crack under pressure. That’s where diamonds are made.
Therefore I’m hopeful the Cards finally get it. They’ve identified the missing element. They’ve had the talent. Now they’ve added the will. They have as many special players as any team in the league. They can now get those players all pointed in the right direction. I believe at the least this is a playoff team. Depending on Murray’s and Kingsbury’s growth they may be more than just a participant. This should be a tense season, but fun!
