Insider: Rising Cardinals about to bury losers image

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

May 24, 2005
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
The lousy karma always seems to be there, a constant reminder of bad times and bad teams, often making the Arizona Cardinals a punch line among league jokes.

How, then, does one get it to go away?

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Denny Green believes he has a team to transform a franchise. (Getty Images) Cardinals coach Dennis Green, who knows a thing or two about winning from his days coaching the Minnesota Vikings, has an idea how to make it disappear, and it has a lot more to do with attitude than just blocking and tackling.

"We have to destroy the whole mentality," Green said. "We have to make it disappear. For so many years, we've been hearing that Arizona can't win. It's up to the coaching staff and the players to make that go away. It's up to us. Our players have a chance to change the way people view this franchise."

Here's a prediction: Green and his players will do just that in 2005. The Arizona Cardinals will be contenders in the NFC West this season.

That's almost blasphemous to write considering this franchise's thirst for success remains as unquenched as a jogger's throat on a 105-degree Phoenix day. But Green and general manager Rod Graves are changing things in the Valley of the Sun.

The Cardinals will wear new uniforms this year (although I thought the old ones were among the game's best). Cleanse the stink away.

They will also play in a new state-of-the-art stadium in 2006, one that includes a retractable roof to help offset the searing September temperatures in Arizona and ultimately help bring in crowds that haven't been around at Sun Devil Stadium. When one of your 2005 home games is moved to Mexico City, which is the case for the Cardinals, you know there are crowd issues.

But more important than having a new style or a new stadium is that this Cardinals team has good players. How good? Green believes they can win the NFC West, a proclamation most coaches would not make in May.

"Absolutely," Green said this week when asked if his team can take the division. "We were in a lot of games last year and this team will be better on offense and a lot better on defense."

In 2004, Green's first season as Cardinals coach, Arizona went 6-10 and lost four games by a field goal. Turn those four around, and the Cards are in the playoffs.

OK, so it's not that easy. But this was a team that made strides in Green's first season.

Expect more in 2005.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

Continued...

The Cardinals had two things working against them last season. One was poor quarterback play and the other was a youth-filled roster.

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Arizona will again be a young team, but key rookie contributors from a year ago -- such as center Alex Stepanovich, receiver Larry Fitzgerald, defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and linebacker Karlos Dansby -- should all make big improvements in their second seasons. Adding veterans such as safety Robert Griffith, defensive end Chike Okeafor and tackle Oliver Ross will also help that youth factor.

The biggest change will come at quarterback. Instead of first-year starter Josh McCown throwing passes, the Cardinals will have two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner throwing to a good, young receiving group.

Doubters will say Warner, who was benched by the Giants last season, is finished, that his best days playing quarterback are behind him.

Green doesn't agree.

"He's still an excellent passer," Green said. "He's got a good, strong arm and a great touch on the ball. He's in great physical shape. To think he still can't be an effective passer would be ridiculous.

"If everybody on this team carries their own water, he'll do his job. That's what happens to quarterbacks and that's what happened to Kurt. He didn't have the same team he had in 1999 with the Rams in the later years there, so he looked different. He didn't perform like he had. That's the way it is with any quarterback. He has to have the people around him. Kurt can still get the job done. If the right pieces are there, he'll be fine."

The Cardinals would seem to have those pieces. In Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson, they have three quality receivers. Green's hope is that all three will play a lot together in the base offense. He used three-receiver sets a ton when he was with the Vikings, and Warner used them a lot with the Rams, so that would seem a natural a base offense set.

In that system, the idea of the running game is to spread people out with the formations and then rip off big runs with a fast, elusive back. In Minnesota, Green had Robert Smith and Michael Bennett. Warner had Marshall Faulk with the Rams. The Cardinals think rookie second-round pick J.J. Arrington can be that guy for them. It's too early to put him in the Smith-Faulk mold, but Green loved the guy coming out of California, which is why he used a second-round pick on him.

"There will be more spacing up front, which will create creases for our guys like J.J. to get the explosive runs," Green said.

On defense, the addition of Okeafor will help complete what is a good line. He will team with Pro Bowl player Bert Berry to give the Cardinals two good edge rushers. Dockett, Dansby and safety Adrian Wilson are Pro Bowl players waiting to happen, while rookie corner Antrel Rolle has a chance to be special.

It's no wonder there is finally optimism in the desert. The Cardinals have made the playoffs just once since moving from St. Louis to Arizona in 1988, that coming in 1998. None of the seven men who have coached the Cardinals since the move -- including Green -- has a winning record with the team. The last Cardinals coach to have a winning record was Don Coryell --- and he last coached the team in 1977, when it was playing just down the road from the Arch in St. Louis.

But everything is on the upswing now. A playoff berth in the first year of the new stadium in 2006 would seem a natural fit, but that may be too long a wait. Green will have this team pushing for the division title this season. When that happens, the losing mentality that has followed the Cardinals for so long might finally be a thing of the past.

"For a long time people looked at Tampa as a great city to live in, but not a great place to play because of the Bucs," Green said. "That changed when the Bucs won a Super Bowl. Now it's OK to play for the Bucs.

"Well, we have a great place to live here in Arizona. Now it's time for players to want to not only live here, but also want to play for the Cardinals. That's what we're striving to accomplish. We have to get rid of the defeatist attitude and the way to do that to win games."

Here's a bet: Come December, those Cardinals jokes will be no more.

 

[WisconsinCard]

Give us the love. Man we are getting some good pub, now lets see it on the field.

 

[Stronso]

 

[Redsz]

Man, Pete Prisco has been giving us some love recently! Hopefully we can back it up and make him look like a genuis.

BTY: *Drinks some red Koolaid*... I *heart* Denny green.

 

[Mrh182]

nice

i'll give it

 

[Indiana Hoosier]

Were "COMIN" At Ya!

I think, Prisco is a Cardinal fan!

 

[Duckjake]

The last Cardinals coach to have a winning record was Don Coryell --- and he last coached the team in 1977, when it was playing just down the road from the Arch in St. Louis.

Wrong!

Larry Wilson was 2-1 as Cardinal Head Coach in 1979.

That bit of trivia is usually good for a free drink a couple of times a year.

 

[CardLogic]

Not only is this the most upbeat article written about the Arizona Cardinals that I have seen in a long time (maybe ever), it is also the most detailed! Good job Prisco! Local news hacks take note; the first step in writing a good article - know (research) what you are writing about!

Of course then he blew it with that head coach/winning record thing as Duckjake was quick to catch. Can't get nothin' by this crew!!!

GBR!

 

[JPlay]

Man, I'm excited to see this new offense. Warner, Fitz, Boldin, Johnson, Arrington, New Line Addtions (Ross and Brown). Even with a scrub at TE we are very formittable on paper. As long as Warner stays healthy we have a shot.

McCown limited the offense a lot last year. Warner will throw his INTs but he will also get the ball downfield.

 

[pete]

Wrong!

Larry Wilson was 2-1 as Cardinal Head Coach in 1979.

Larry Wilson also fired Gene Stallings.

Great article. Cards go 11-5 this season, Green will be above .500 too.

 

[az1965]

Yeah!!!

 

[TruColor]

Cleanse the stink away.

My new motto.

Great article. In my 36+ years following this team, this might be the most excited I've been.

And NO...it's not all about the new uniforms and new logo...I'm not THAT shallow...I'm genuinely excited about our teams' chances.

 

[BigRedArk]

The Cardinals will wear new uniforms this year (although I thought the old ones were among the game's best).

What he said!!!! If it ain't broke don't fix it!!!!

 

[TruColor]

The Cardinals will wear new uniforms this year (although I thought the old ones were among the game's best).

What he said!!!! If it ain't broke don't fix it!!!!

Believe me...they were MORE than broke. 30-some-odd years overdue for a makeover...

 

[ASUCHRIS]

You know, while we did let some talent go, (to appease the Mac fans), Green had to change the additude, which led to the massive turnover. It is amazing to see our team now and then, just an unbelieveable job by Green.

 

[BigRedFan]

As good as all phases of the offseason have gone, I am going to withhold all conclusions about how much we have improved until we see a few games. But with that said, this is the most interest Ive had in the Cardinals since 1984.

You know, while we did let some talent go, (to appease the Mac fans), Green had to change the additude, which led to the massive turnover. It is amazing to see our team now and then, just an unbelieveable job by Green.

 

[BigRedArk]

Believe me...they were MORE than broke. 30-some-odd years overdue for a makeover...

Nah.....the new ones look too NFLE to me. Plus they are very similar to the falcons too. A better strategy would have been to keep the uni's the same and as the rest of the league gradually goes to the NFLE look the Cards really look distinguished and stand out!!!! Cards would have a great anti-trend look that way. However I understand the need to change the uni's with the new stadium on the way and all. I will tolerate the new look if the Cards can finally get their long-overdue home. No more Busch stadium concrete turf to play on and no longer a college stadium tenant. Go Cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[azdad1978]

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

As good as all phases of the offseason have gone, I am going to withhold all conclusions about how much we have improved until we see a few games. But with that said, this is the most interest Ive had in the Cardinals since 1984.

Please don't mention 84 season....painful memories

 

[Crazy Canuck]

You know, while we did let some talent go, (to appease the Mac fans), Green had to change the additude, which led to the massive turnover. It is amazing to see our team now and then, just an unbelieveable job by Green.

BIM: attitude

 

[Shuesters2]

The Cardinals will wear new uniforms this year (although I thought the old ones were among the game's best).

What he said!!!! If it ain't broke don't fix it!!!!

Yeah, I love the old white-on-whites! But new unis mean new sales and they did a great job on the design. I think we will see some of the classics on special occasions... just like when the Bolts bring out their powder blues.

Shuesters

 

[BigRedFan]

I thought the old home outfit was completely adequate (red jersey, white pants) but the white on white wasnt very intimidating. But the red on red (old and new) looks ridiculous.

 

[TheNextDavePasch]

I always said last year that it was the year Dennis Green "got his feet wet." And that in the offseason, he would bring the guys in that he felt he needed to be a part of a winning football team. He has done exactly that. I don't think the playoffs were a realistic goal last year, but this year anything less would be a disappointment. The pieces are in place. The big question is how much Kurt Warner has in the tank. We can ill-afford for him to be a statue in the pocket the way he was in New York. So we need good protection from the O-line. There is no doubt in my mind that Warner can still get the ball to his receivers.

One thing we learned from coach Green last year is that he has little patience. So if Warner stumbles out of the gate, Green will not be afraid to hook him and put McCown in. Marcel Shipp and JJ Arrington need to step up big, and it will be interesting to see which one will. I think Shipp feels the pressure to perform, but Arrington is hungry to prove his doubters wrong. Both sound like winning combinations.

The other big concern is the secondary. Rolle is learning a new style of cornerback, which may take him some time. Macklin is solid, but not outstanding at the other position. So we need Eric Green to come in during nickel situations and produce. I'm hoping that someone steps up big. Expect Clancy Prendergast to come up with some new blitz packages, especially against non-mobile quarterbacks on the schedule like Eli Manning, Matt Hasselbeck, Marc Bulger, and Drew Bledsoe.

 

[BigRedArk]

I thought the old home outfit was completely adequate (red jersey, white pants) but the white on white wasnt very intimidating. But the red on red (old and new) looks ridiculous.

I couldn't agree more with you about the red on red (old and new) BigRed!!!! I loved the old home uni too!!! Red jersey white pants is the best look of any time in the NFL!!!!