Back to the Future Alternate Ending

Party Dog!

My Children

These are my illegitimate children:

The Most Random Thing on the Internet

I found it! The most random thing on the internet! 

Sick beat though . . . I'll get around to blogging about the Super Bowl when my devastation dies down 

Super Bowl!!!!

Let me tell you what was supposed to happen today (according to Philly and the mainstream media):

Eagles great defensive guru Jim Johnson would blitz Kurt Warner into a terrible game.

• Kurt Warner is near perfect, completing 21 of 28 passes for 279 yards and 4 TDs.

Asante Samuel would be able to contain Larry Fitzgerald

• Fitz catches 9 balls for 152 yard and 3 TDs, Samuel did not have a chance. Maybe it was foolish to think he ever could.

The Cards only sold out their game because so many Eagles fans bought tickets

• I was at the game, you could not hear them, at all.

The Cards only won in Carolina because of Jake Delhomme

• Cards jump out to 24-6 lead, and hold on to win, proving that they belong (something I should not have had to do).

Philly was the team of destiny, Cards have no shot.

• Really? Philly has made a living off losing the NFC Championship game. How could they have been a lock?

Three Points:

1. I gotta say, that game was the single greatest sporting event I've ever been to. Walking out of that stadium was surreal, I don't think I have ever been around so much unbridled joy. It will always be the highlight of my sports life.
2. The drive. 14 plays, 72 yards, 8 minutes, a TD and one NFC title.
3. This normally is not my thing, but I am taking great pleasure in the Eagles loss. I was beyond disgusted by their media and fan base this week. Everyone should have respect for their opponent, they had none. All I heard all week was how much the Cardinals sucked and how it was an insult to even think they could win. I know the Eagle team themselves did not think this way, but you have to believe that the complete arrogance of the city rubbed off on them. You, Eagle fan, deserve this. This is what you get. Show more respect next time. I just know I will never show your city respect ever again.

And with that brief recap it is time to celebrate, because the Arizona Cardinals are in the freaking SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Move Over Super Bowl Shuffle

Disclaimer: I'm referring to the song and in no way guaranteeing a Cardinals victory on Sunday

Time to Ramble About the Cardinals

You'll excuse me if I ramble a little bit about the Cardinals and their awesome 33-13 win over the Panthers on Saturday. See, I'm one of those guys that has been a fan forever. I often wondered why I rooted for the Cardinals, but no matter how many loosing seasons they had I knew I could never not root for them. I feel vindicated now! There are a lot of new Cardinal fans in the Valley now, and I know a bunch of new fans who used to ridicule me for being a fan back in the dark days. That is fine, I'm not going to deny them entry to the fan club, we welcome all the fans we can get. Just know there are two kinds of fans: The diehards who lived through all the heartache and the new breed. I love you new breeders, but you will never be the diehards. Us fans that have been through the thick and thin, watched games in the extreme heat at Sun Devil Stadium, talked ourselves into thinking players like Jason McAddley could become All-Pros, we are the greatest generation. Tom Brokaw should write a book about us. 

I'm not here to split the Cardinal fans, we need to unite and we have. I'm just saying that this is the most rewarding fan experience of my life. I stuck with this for years and years, you better believe this feels damn good. But like I said, it's not like I had a choice, I was never not going to root for them.

Okay, time for a bulleted list that makes my rambling look orderly and thought out:

• I don't see how some members of the media can say the Cardinals stand no chance against the Eagles after all that has happened. They are idiots, but I say keep them coming. I love all the doubters.
• To Deion Sanders, who said he would give up his Super Bowl tickets if the Cardinals made it. A) I'll take them, B) I don't really care what you think, you never were a part of a team that built themselves into a winner, you just signed quick free agent contracts with the dynasties of their day (49ers and Cowboys).  
• Jake Delhomme played the worst game by a QB in the playoffs since Brett Favre threw 6 INTs in the 2001 playoffs. Yet I read an article today where someone tried to justify what Favre did in that game. This leads to my point: Brett, you better leave the game before the media stops giving you a free pass for EVERYTHING.
• Larry Fitzgerald is the best WR in football. No one has his talent and his heart. 
• I love Anquan Boldin, but the Cardinals can win without him (4-1 this year). It may be time to accommodate his trade request, get some youth and free up money to sign guys like Darnell Dockett, Adrian Wilson and Karlos Dansby.
• Gotta give it up to Donavan McNabb and the Eagles for their incredible comeback this season. Still, don't the Eagles have a history of losing in the NFC Championship Game? I don't get why they are a lock to win. This is still the QB who didn't know there were ties in football games until a few weeks ago.
• I'm going to set the over/under on the Steelers-Ravens game at 13 (I'm joking, sort of).
• Arizona is going crazy, the frenzy is reaching 92-93 Suns levels. 

Final note: This blogger actually acquired tickets to the Cardinals-Eagles game on Sunday, so he is super stoked!

Go Cards!

Cardinals Win!

My roommate stumbled out of his room at 2:30pm yesterday, for the first time after a long night of drinking (two words: Party Bus), right as the Cardinals playoff game was starting and simply stated, "I've waited 10 years for this". It made me laugh, but it was also true: We have all waited 10 years for this.

I was a little nervous at first, but that went away quickly. You could tell the way the Cards were playing that if they were going to lose the game, it was not going to be from lack of effort. That is all you can really ask for. What we got yesterday was an effort from the defense that had not really shown anything the past few weeks. When the Cardinals are attacking, using their playmakers and athleticism, their defense becomes a strength and not just something in between offensive possessions. Everyone talks about the Cardinals passing game, but when they were winning games they were getting big plays from their defense.

We also saw the second consecutive week of the return of Edgerrin James. He looks like vintage Edge right now, finding the hole, breaking the first tackle and always getting positive yards on every play. Edge's resurgence gives all fans a glimmer of hope that the Cardinals can do a little more in these playoffs.

Can the Cards win another playoff game? We are going to spend all week hearing how they can't, but then again we spent all last week hearing about how they were going to roll over for the Falcons. The defense is playing well, the running game is good enough to take pressure off the passing game and everyone seems to be playing with focus and energy, so it is possible. Just remember that when the Cards take the field next week their offense will feature four possible future Hall of Famers at the key skill positions, hard to count that out.

Random Thoughts

• Mike Smith beat out Tony Sparano by one single vote for coach of the year. I don't see how the award doesn't go to Sparano. I also see how the award doesn't go to Smith. Would Co-Coaches of the year really been that bad?
• How long as Matt Ryan been called "Matty Ice?" I first heard about it in the middle of the game yesterday and all of the sudden I hear everyone calling him that. I must say, sweet nickname.
• Antrel Rolle returning that fumble for a touchdown then doing the Dirty Bird was one of the top 10 moments of life. Whether that says something about how awesome the play was or the state of my life, that is for you to decide. The best part is Rod Hood jumps on him while he is doing it, disrupting the dance, but Rolle moves away from him and continues it!
  

• For the record, I've been on the Darren Sproles bandwagon ever since he and Ell Roberson were tearing up the Big 12 in 2003.
• Thank goodness Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl, or else people would be looking at back to back playoff losses to a Norv Turner led team much differently.
  
• Speaking of Norv Turner, he gets criticized a ton for not winning in the regular season. He has been much more successful in the postseason though then the man he replaced, Marty Schottenheimer. Isn't that exactly why Marty was fired and Norv was brought in? Also remember that Norv has not really had LT the past two years in the playoffs because he has been hurt.
• We are about a year away from LT leaving the Chargers, signing a huge deal with the Cardinals and averaging 3.3 yards a carry for the length of his contract.
• Baltimore's defense looks as good as it has in a long time. It does help when you play an offense that has a QB that cant throw the ball 20 yards downfield and runs a gimmick formation, lets see how they do in round two.
• Philly vs New York in round two is going to be awesome, it is probably the worst matchup the Giants could hope for. There are no ties in the playoffs, should play to McNabb's benefit.
  

Me, 18 Years Ago

Okay . . . this actually isn't me, I was never THAT cool.