Arizona Cardinals

Key Additions: Dan Kreider (FB), Bryant McFadden (CB), Anthony Becht (TE), Jason Wright (RB), Melvin Fowler (C)

Key Losses: Rod Hood (CB), Edgerrin James (RB), Travis Laboy (DE/LB), J.J. Arrington (RB), Monty Beisel (LB), Antonio Smith (DE), Matt Stewart (LB)

Draft Picks: Chris Wells (RB-OSU), Cody Brown (OLB-UConn), Rashad Johnson (S-Alabama), Greg Toler (CB-St Pauls Col), Herman Johnson (OG-LSU), Will Davis (DE-Illinois), LaRod Stephens-Howling (RB-Pittsburgh), Trevor Canfield (OG-Cincy)

The Cardinals only improved one game from the 2007 season, but it was by far their most successful season in franchise history. The Cardinals won the lackluster NFC West and promptly disposed of the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Philadelphia Eagles on their way to winning the NFC Title. Arizona was well on their way to shocking the world in Super Bowl XLIII before succumbing to a fourth quarter comeback led by Ben Roethlisberger and walking off the field underneath a shower of black and yellow confetti.

The Cardinals came into the off-season with two glaring items on the agenda. One was to re-sign Kurt Warner and the other was to resolve the on and off relationship with wide receiver Anquan Boldin. The Cardinals seemed hesitant in re-signing Warner but after watching him fly to San Francisco and flirt with the 49ers, the Cardinals bit the bullet and did the right thing by bringing Warner back. If they wanted any shot at the playoffs again, this was going to be their best option. My source Captain Obvious tells me there would’ve been a drop off in production if Matt Leinart took over the starting job this season.

There were rumors swirling on draft day of all the possible destinations for Boldin, but as we sit here today he is still an Arizona Cardinal. This is the smartest move for all sides. Boldin is a very good receiver, but he benefits greatly from having the best in the game line up on the opposite side each week. I’m not saying Boldin wouldn’t succeed with another team, but I’ve seen this situation play out before and it didn’t end well for either side (Peerless Price in Atlanta). Chances are he’ll stay in Arizona and continue to produce while complaining on a weekly basis.

Along with most of the general population, I have the Cardinals repeating as NFC West champions this season. They are bringing back most of the players from last season with a few exceptions. They will be without running back Edgerrin James, however if Chris Wells can live up to expectations, they won’t have to worry too much about that. Arizona is a pass first team anyways so I don’t see this being a big deal. With Kurt Warner tossing the ball to Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston, Arizona should be able to light up the scoreboard again this season.


Last Season: 9-7
2009 Prediction: 10-6


San Francisco 49ers

Key Additions: Damon Huard (QB), Marvel Smith (OT), Dre Bly (CB), Brandon Jones (WR)

Key Losses: Jonas Jennings (OT), J.T. O’Sullivan (QB), Bryant Johnson (WR)

Draft Picks: Michael Crabtree (WR-TTU), Glen Coffee (RB-Alabama), Scott McKillop (LB-Pittsburgh), Nate Davis (QB-Ball St.), Bear Pascoe (TE-Fresno St.), Curtis Taylor (FS-LSU), Ricky Jean-Francois (DT-LSU)

The 49ers started out poorly again last season and it led to a mid-season coaching change when Mike Nolan was replaced by former Chicago Bears linebacker Mike Singletary. The change seemed to make a noticeable difference in his first week as he sent tight end Vernon Davis to the showers during a game. From that point on, even with questionable talent, the 49ers began playing much better and finished the season by winning four of their last five games.

The most glaring thing missing from the 49ers is a competent quarterback. They tried snatching Kurt Warner away from the Cardinals but just missed out on that opportunity. So as they head into training camp it appears to be an open competition between Shaun Hill, Damon Huard, and Alex Smith. Yikes.

The 49ers did get lucky during the draft when the Raiders drafted Darius Heyward-Bey and essentially gift wrapped Michael Crabtree for San Francisco. When Crabtree was available, the Niners had to jump on that as quickly as possible. Several mock drafts had Crabtree going within the top five and if he plays up to his potential, the Niners will have themselves a real draft steal on their hands. That is, assuming they can sign him in the near future.

At the time of this writing, Michael Crabtree is still holding out and in fact has his advisor (or agent) going on the record stating that Crabtree is willing to sit out the entire season and re-enter the draft next year. Call me crazy, but this strategy is about as dumb as it gets. The guy hasn’t even played a down yet and probably has the majority of fans and players against him. Regardless of whether he is better than Heyward-Bey or not, he was drafted lower and should get paid lower to start. It’s really that simple.

If I were a 49er fan I would be mildly excited heading into this season. I don’t think they will reach the postseason, but I really liked the way San Francisco finished last season and I also really liked the style of coaching Mike Singletary brought to the table. He seems very committed to building a winner in San Francisco and he is doing it his way. The players seem to have caught on to that concept and have fully bought into it.

If they had landed Kurt Warner during the off-season I’d easily have them winning the division, however they didn’t, so much isn’t going to change this season in the Bay Area. It’s hard to win in this league without a good quarterback. Trust me, I know this all to well. Although I have them finishing with the same record as last season, they will be a much better 7-9 than they were last year. I swear that makes sense in my head.

Last Season: 7-9
2009 Prediction: 7-9


Seattle Seahawks

Key Additions: T.J. Houshmanzadeh (WR), Cory Redding (DL), Ken Lucas (CB), Justin Griffith (FB)

Key Losses: Rocky Bernard (DT), Bobby Engram (WR), Charlie Frye (QB), Maurice Morris (RB), Julian Peterson (LB), Leonard Weaver (FB)

Draft Picks: Aaron Curry (LB-Wake Forest), Max Unger (OT-Oregon), Deon Butler (WR-PSU), Mike Teel (QB-Rutgers), Courtney Greene (SS-Rutgers), Nick Reed (DE-Oregon), Cameron Morrah (TE-Cal)

The Seahawks started out the season as the usual favorites in the NFC West but they were TERRIBLE right out of the gate. Trust me, I was there on opening day and the Seahawks weren’t good enough to beat the Lions that day. Starting with Week One the Seahawks were decimated with injuries that no team would be able to overcome. The season only got worse as time went on and future Hall of Fame coach Mike Holmgren had a final season that he’d probably rather forget.

Seattle addressed their most immediate need this off-season when they signed one of the best players on the open market, T.J. Houshmanzadeh. He won’t have the benefit of lining up on the opposite side of Chad Ochocinco anymore, but unlike my theory on the Cardinals, I think Houshmanzadeh will do just fine in Seattle. Something tells me the lack of distractions will allow him to put up some pretty big numbers. His success will depend on the quality of receivers surrounding him and the health of Matt Hasselbeck. If Hasselbeck’s back can hold up, Houshmanzadeh could be looking at a Pro Bowl season.

After Kansas City passed on Aaron Curry in the draft ( like predicted by a pretty smart guy ), the Seahawks snatched him up and made their defense that much better. The pairing of Curry and Tatupu could be a very scary combination if both players stay healthy and perform up to their expectations.

Along with the health of Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle’s overall success this season will hinge upon whether or not Jim Mora Jr. can effectively fill the shoes of Mike Holmgren. Mora had some success in Atlanta but eventually fell out of favor and hasn’t been a head coach since. While he worked with Seattle last season, he will definitely put his own stamp on the team now that he is in charge.

The fact that Seattle hasn’t really addressed the backup quarterback position this offseason would concern me if I were a Seahawks fan. Seneca Wallace is a fine athlete and all, but I don’t feel like he could carry the torch for the whole season if Hasselbeck were to go down again. To be perfectly honest, this seems like a great fit for Michael Vick if/when he finds a team. He would be working with his old coach again and would have a good shot at some playing time.

Last Season: 4-12
2009 Prediction: 6-10


St Louis Rams
Key Additions: Kyle Boller (QB), Mike Karney (FB), Jason Brown ( C ), Tim Carter (WR), Ronald Curry (WR)

Key Losses: Orlando Pace (OT), Torry Holt (WR), Pisa Tinoisamoa (LB), Trent Green (QB), Drew Bennett (WR), Anthony Becht (TE), Corey Chavous (S), Brian Leonard (RB), Dan Krieder (FB), La’Roi Glover (DT)

Draft Picks: Jason Smith (OT-Baylor), James Laurinaitis (LB-OSU), Bradley Fletcher (CB-Iowa), Dorell Scott (DT-Clemson), Brooks Foster (WR-UNC), Keith Null (QB-West Texas A&M), Chris Ogbonnaya (RB-Texas)

The Rams finished off last season as one of the worst teams in the league. In fact, if it weren’t for the Lions running the table in the wrong direction, I’d say the Rams were by far the worst. They were the type of team where although they were beating Buffalo at home in the second half, I sat back and relaxed because I knew the Rams would find some way to screw it up and Buffalo would coast to an easy win. When I have that kind of confidence in the Bills, there is a serious problem.

The Rams fired Scott Linehan during the bye week last season and managed a solid two wins under interim coach Jim Haslett. During the off-season they made a permanent change by bringing former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnullo into the fold. The Rams then proceeded to completely clean house by cutting such mainstays as Torry Holt and Orlando Pace.

They replaced Pace with their second overall pick, Jason Smith. Assuming he doesn’t fall apart at the seams, he should be an adequate replacement for the re-building Rams. After hauling in an impressive 53 passes during his rookie season, the Rams are looking at Donnie Avery to help soften the blow of losing Torry Holt.

If Marc Bulger can muster more than two seconds to throw the ball, the Rams could actually be much more improved over last season. If Bulger doesn’t have the time and suffers from injuries again…well…it won’t be good. The Rams brought former Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller in to be the backup after Trent Green finally retired but this is actually a downgrade. I’ve seen Boller play quite a bit and I don’t think I’ve ever thought to myself, not even one time, that Boller is an adequate NFL quarterback. On the flip side, I did once have those thoughts about J.P. Losman. So in conclusion, I’m either a horrible evaluator of quarterback talent, a ridiculous homer, an idiot, or all of the above.

I like the direction the Rams are heading in by completely cleaning house and starting over from scratch. It might be frustrating to the fans but it’s better than the team trotting out a bunch of over the hill veterans while spewing the company line about how this year will be different. Plus who knows, they play in the NFC, where 8-8 has been good enough to make the playoffs in the past. Unfortunately for the Rams, I don’t see them winning more than a handful of games.

Last Season: 2-14
2009 Prediction: 4-12

It still doesn’t sound quite right, but the Arizona Cardinals are taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII. The Cardinals came into the playoffs as the number four seed in the NFC by way of an easy division championship. Many fans and writers felt as if they didn’t even deserve to make the playoffs when they qualified. Few people gave them a chance in the Wild Card round against Atlanta, even less gave them a chance in the Divisional round at Carolina, and just about everyone (including me) picked the Eagles to knock them off in the NFC Championship. One thing is for sure heading into Sunday; the Cardinals deserve to be there and will put up a good fight against the Steelers.


Before the season even started, the Cardinals were in the news for their decision to go with Kurt Warner at QB instead of their first round draft pick from USC, Matt Leinart. It was a gutsy call by Coach Ken Wisenhunt, but one he felt he had to make in order to win more games. Looking back, it seems to have been the right decision. The Cardinals started out 2-0 with wins over San Francisco and Miami, and then lost the next two games on the East Coast to Washington and New York.

Arizona returned home to face the 4-0 Buffalo Bills. The Cardinals trashed the Bills 41-17 and essentially exposed them as frauds to the rest of the league, sending Buffalo into a tailspin that would last all season. They then got a big win at home against Dallas when they blocked a punt in overtime to win the game. Heading into the bye at 4-2, fans in Arizona were optimistic.

Coming out of the break, Arizona lost a tough game at Carolina, which moved their East Cost record to 0-3. Some would say it was a trend, but the Cardinals ended up proving that theory wrong when it counted the most. The Cards then won their next three games against division opponents which ran their record to 7-3 and 4-0 in the division. It was at this point that almost everybody could see the division was theirs to lose.



Arizona lost a very close game at home to the eventual NFC East Champion New York Giants, then had to travel East on a short week to face Philadelphia for a Thanksgiving Day match-up. They played terrible in that game, losing 48-20. They returned home the following week and overpowered another NFC West team, the Rams, to clinch the NFC West and ensure the fans of at least one home playoff game.

With the last three games essentially being meaningless, Arizona played like it in two of those games. They fell to Minnesota 35-14 and allowed Tarvaris Jackson to throw for a career high four touchdowns. Arizona then traveled east again and moved their East Coast record to 0-5 as they were completely overpowered by the New England Patriots. The Cardinals came home in the final week to beat Seattle, which allowed them to finish the regular season at 9-7 and a perfect 6-0 in the division.

Kurt Warner had an excellent season stat wise throwing for 4583 yards, 30 touchdowns, and finishing the regular season with a QB Rating of 96.9. Arizona didn’t run the ball nearly as much as they passed it, so Edgerrin James finished the season with only 514 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Rookie Tim Hightower took over the rushing duties mid-season and finished with 399 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald cemented himself as one of the best in the league with 96 receptions, 1431 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Closely following him was teammate Anquan Boldin, who had 89 receptions, 1038 yards, and 11 touchdowns. Boldin’s numbers are even more impressive if you consider the fact that he missed time after being carted off the field against the Jets earlier in the season. As an overall unit, the Cardinals finished fourth in scoring (26.7), fourth in overall yards (365.8), and second in passing yards (292.1).


The defense has held their own and gained momentum during the post-season. They are led by Karlos Dansby, Antrel Rolle, Adrian Wilson, Bertrand Berry, Roderick Hood, and rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The defense combined had 31 sacks, 20 fumbles, 13 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns. Their league ranks aren’t quite as impressive as the offense or nearly as impressive as Pittsburgh’s defense. The Cards finished the season 28th in points (26.6), 19th in yards (331.5), 22nd in passing yard (221.2), and 16th in rushing yards (110.2).

Prediction: Pittsburgh 37, Arizona 17. I tried my hardest to not involve personal bias in my pick and I think the final score reflects that. It's pretty simple, I don't think Arizona is good enough to hang with Pittsburgh. I think the key to Kurt Warner's success is having time in the pocket and I don't think the Steelers defense will give him an ounce of that time. Combine that with a lack of running game, and I don't see this game even being close.

On the flip side of our AFC Championship recap, a bad side of writing is being proven completely wrong after writing an article earlier in the week. This was the case in my NFC Championship preview as I predicted the Eagles would hammer away Arizona 27-10. Barring a missed two point conversion, I almost nailed the Philly score on the dot but I completely underestimated the Arizona offense.

Arizona came out of the gates flying high in this game and completely took Philadelphia by storm. They marched right down the field on the opening drive and capped off a nine play drive with the first of three Larry Fitzgerald touchdowns. Fitzgerald cemented himself as the best wide receiver in the league with another amazing performance. He finished the day with 9 receptions, 152 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

The Eagles tried to keep up but failed to do so in the first half and went into the locker room at halftime down 24-6. Donovan McNabb tried his best to will his team to victory in the 2nd half with two touchdown passes to tight end Brent Celek in the 3rd quarter to bring the score to 24-19. McNabb continued his hot play in the 4th quarter with a highlight reel touchdown to rookie DeSean Jackson, who bobbled the ball all the way into the end zone to give Philly the lead 25-24.

Arizona’s offense, which had been non-existent in the 3rd quarter, finally came back to life and marched right down the field to take the lead. The Cardinals capped the drive off with an 8 yard touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to Tim Hightower and then got the 2 point conversion with a pass to Ben Patrick to make the score 32-25. The Eagles had one final shot to tie the game, and seemed like they were well on their way until the drive came to a screeching half around mid-field. With 4th down and the season on the line, McNabb’s pass to Kevin Curtis fell incomplete, and so Arizona advanced to Super Bowl XLIII for the first time in franchise history.

It goes without saying that many football fans didn’t give the Cardinals a chance to make it out of the first round, let alone take the NFC crown, so as one of those writers I have to give credit where credit is due. The Cardinals will have their hands full with Pittsburgh’s number one defense but they definitely have a shot to take it all.

Look for our Super Bowl XLIII preview coming next week on D&S Sports and stay tuned for plenty more sports articles coming this week.

Philadelphia Eagles (11-6-1) VS Arizona Cardinals (11-7)

The Cardinals have continued their improbable run
and now host the NFC Championship, a first since relocating to the desert many decades ago. Arizona has beaten the odds twice this post-season with a wild card victory over Atlanta and a shocking upset against the Carolina Panthers.

The Philadelphia Eagles are also riding a little hot streak as they travel west to Glendale for their fifth NFC championship appearance this decade. Head Coach Andy Reid and QB Donovan McNabb have been with the team for all five, however they have consistently fallen short in the quest for a Championship.

These two teams previously met this season. The Eagles completely dominated Arizona in one of the Thanksgiving day games in Philadelphia, 48-20. The Cardinals had just lost a very tough home game to the Giants and had to travel all the way to the East Coast on a short week, which put them at a huge disadvantage. Kurt Warner threw three interceptions that game and Brian Westbrook delighted fantasy owners with four touchdowns.

In the week prior to the first match-up, Donovan McNabb was benched by Reid in what many are saying was a turning point for the Eagles this season. Following the benching, the Eagles won the next four out of five games to gain a post-season berth and have since followed that up with two more victories, both on the road.

Both the Eagles and Cardinals are led by veteran quarterbacks and strong defenses. The Cardinals forced six turnovers, including five interceptions of quarterback Jake Delhomme in the divisional round. The Eagles shut down the Giants and forced Eli Manning into throwing two interceptions while keeping the Giants out of the end zone for the entire game. If this game comes down to coaching, Andy Reid has the advantage of being a head coach in the big game, but Ken Wisenhunt of Arizona has already won a Super Bowl while serving as the offensive coordinator for Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL.


Both teams have relied heavily on their passing game throughout the season. The Eagles are known to run the ball more than Arizona, but the combination of Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter get plenty of action in the passing game as well.


The Cardinals almost completely ignored their running game during the season, prompting Edgerrin James to say that this season will be his last in Arizona. However, that trend changed once the post-season started. James led the way against Atlanta with 16 carries for 73 yards, while rookie Tim Hightower had 6 carries for 23 yards and 1 touchdown. Against Carolina the duel threat of James and Hightower combined for 37 carries, 156 yards, and 1 touchdown.

The Arizona faithful sold this game out in six minutes, which is a change of pace from when the NFL had to extend the blackout deadline for their match-up with Atlanta. You can expect Arizona to keep the roof closed to create as much crowd noise as possible. If the Eagles can shut down Larry Fitzgerald, they should be able to win and get back to the big game.



Eagles 27-10.