On the NFL’s biggest stage, the Arizona Cardinals will take on the underdog role and face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a second consecutive year of NFC David versus AFC Goliath. Last year of course, the New York Giants did the unthinkable and defeated the 18–0 New England Patriots.
For much of their existence, the Cardinals have been one of the NFL’s worst teams. The team hasn’t won anything of significance since 1947 when they won the NFL Championship as the Chicago Cardinals.
Since that time, the franchise moved twice—to St. Louis in 1960 and to Phoenix in 1988—hired 23 head coaches, and had a record of 349 wins, 509 losses, and 15 ties. But their luck would change.
In 2006, the Cardinals moved from Sun Devil Stadium, the official home of Arizona State University’s football team, into their new $500 million stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Since the stadium move, things have gone well for the team. They acquired Pro Bowl wideout Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Karlos Dansby, and free-agents Kurt Warner and former Colts running back Edgerrin James.
The Return of Kurt
Warner, of course, is famous for leading the “Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory in 1999 against the Tennessee Titans. In that game, Warner threw for a record 414 passing yards with two touchdowns and was named MVP.
Warner’s comeback wasn’t an easy one. After being named MVP and winning that Super Bowl with the Rams, he was released by the team in 2004 and was considered by many teams to be at the end of his career.
But later that year the New York Giants signed him to a one-year deal. After reviving his career with the Giants and providing excellent mentoring to first-round pick Eli Manning, Warner signed a one year, $4 million contract with the Cards in 2005 and was named starting QB.
He struggled behind a weak offensive line and eventually lost his job to highly touted Matt Leinart, a first round pick of the Cards in 2006 from USC.
However, even though he was drafted with much fanfare, Leinart failed to focus on football and was later hampered by injuries. After a rough start in 2007, Warner edged him out of the starting lineup. The savvy veteran QB never looked back.
With Kurt at the helm in 2008, the Cardinals started the season 7–3, were fourth in total offense, and second in the league in passing yardage. Warner also threw for 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns with 14 interceptions.
After losing four of their last six games in the regular season, Warner helped the team rebound and led them into the postseason for the first time since 1998.
They would go on to win their first home playoff game in 60 years, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 and would, a week later, blow out the second-seeded Carolina Panthers on the road 33–13.
Returning to Arizona, Warner helped cap off his team’s incredible postseason run by leading them over the surging Philadelphia Eagles 32–25. Looking very much like an All-Pro, Warner threw for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
The Cardinals have also shown a lot of grit. We all know they can score points, but after blowing a 24–6 lead, they retook the lead against the Eagles in the final minutes and proved themselves defensively with the game on the line.
With a resurgent former Super Bowl MVP at the helm, a solid running game, and an offensive line that has done a spectacular job in the postseason, the Cardinals have a very real shot at winning it all.
Along with their offensive line, the Cards’ defensive line has also stepped up and shut down opposing teams on the ground, limiting the running games of Atlanta, Carolina, and Philadelphia to less than 200 yards combined.
Against a strong running team like Pittsburgh, controlling the trenches will be key in preventing them from establishing the run to set up the pass.
Another factor to consider is that Arizona’s head coach Ken Whisenhunt was the offensive coordinator for the Steelers when they won Super Bowl XL in 2005. If anyone knows the Steelers offense inside and out, and how to slow it down, it’s him.
