Monday, January 19, 2009

Congratulations to the Redbirds


No team in NFL history has been more star-crossed than these guys. Glad that they finally get their chance in the Big Game.

8 comments:

Mike said...

I don't know that I would call a franchise that operated on the cheap for decades star-crossed.

Be that as it may, the Cardinals gave Packers fans the best non-Packer moment in recent football history...NOOOOOOOOO!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!! For that, I say go Cards!!

Gino said...

i'll be rooting for the underdog Cardinals.

maybe the west may get just a little more respect if they win.
that, and they were once from chicago.
and anything from chicago cant be all bad.

Brad Carlson said...

Be that as it may, the Cardinals gave Packers fans the best non-Packer moment in recent football history...

And for the incessant gloating by Packer fans after said moment, you got your comeuppance two weeks later. Does "Fourth and 26" ring a bell??

Mr. D said...

Comeuppance? Well, it wasn't quite that simple. The reason it was so sweet wasn't that the Vikings got knocked out, but because that particular Packers team was a very good one and by the end of the season was probably the best team of the Mike Sherman era. They got off to a slow start but roared down the stretch and really were dominating their opponents at the end of the season. For Packers fans, 2003 probably hurt more than 2007 did.

The problem was that, because of the tie-breaking system and the 3-way scenario involved for wild card berths, the Seahawks were going to get in the playoffs ahead of the Packers, even though the Packers had beaten the Seahawks badly in a head-to-head matchup. It was a lousy scenario that meant that the Packers had to win their game against the Broncos (which they did, something like 41-3, if I remember correctly), and the Vikings had to lose, since the only way the Packers could make the playoffs was as a division champion. It was too bad it came to that. The villains in the scenario were the bizarre tie-breaker system (which I believe was changed after that season to prevent such a scenario developing) and the Seahawks, who didn't deserve the berth they got. It wasn't the Vikings or the Packers, who were frankly victims of circumstance.

What makes it funny in retrospect was the reaction of Paul Allen, who is such an annoying homer. I was at a party that day with a bunch of Vikings fans and I really did feel bad for them, because it was a lousy way to lose a game. But I'll admit, I didn't feel bad for Paul Allen. Not at all.

As for 4th and 26, that's a different kettle of fish. You can put that one directly on Darren Sharper, but he's your problem now, Brad. :)

Brad Carlson said...

You can put that one directly on Darren Sharper, but he's your problem now, Brad.

Not after this season. He'll not be re-signed, that's for sure.

But we got our use out of him with his two Pro Bowl appearances in his first three seasons here.

Anonymous said...

Lets give credit where credit is due. The Cardinals are only here because of the solid work, team building, and football genius of one man: Denny Green.

I'm sure the Vikings would have won the big one by now had Denny been allowed to stick around.

Yes, I'm laughing through all this. I'm sure the Sheriff will be looking for some credit though.

Brad Carlson said...

I'm sure the Sheriff will be looking for some credit though.

Just like he was looking for some credit during Super Bowl 37. After all, Denny's QB friendly system allowed Rich Gannon and Brad Johnson to become Super Bowl quarterbacks.

Mr. D said...

After all, Denny's QB friendly system allowed Rich Gannon and Brad Johnson to become Super Bowl quarterbacks.

He took the high road. Denny always took the high road.