Cardinal History

PACardsFan

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This was a great thread. I remember them all & they were certainly the Cardiac Cards. If they had a legit D during that era, they would have been in a few SB’s. As soon as Coryell complained about needing some defensive help, Bidwill sent him packing. He may have been a decent man, but he was a downright awful owner. As someone who lived it, never let anyone tell you otherwise.
 

pemory09

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Nice work Cards—*not* reaching out to congratulate or recognize the Coryell family on Don’s election to the HOF. We almost always exhibit a lack of class or direction. When will the Bidwill family learn? MB initially seemed to get it, but of late I’m not so certain. Seems like he’s regressing more towards his old man’s persona.
 

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The Cardinals found out 2 days before this game that their star QB Charley Johnson & starting LB Larry Stallings were inducted into the Army. That was a HUGE blow to a team that went 8-5-1 the previous season. Rookie taxi squad free agent QB Jim Hart leads the Cardinals to a 6-7-1 season & this pretty much starts his career. This is a nice stretch of football for the Cardinals, but without wild card playoff berths, the Cardinals miss out on playoffs even during these decent seasons:
1963 9-5
1964 9-3-2
1966 8-5-1
1968 9-4-1 (started 1-3, finished 8-1-1, but missed playoffs by 1/2 game. Cardinals had 9 players in the Pro Bowl including 4/5 OL, C Bob DeMarco, G Irv Goode, G Ken Gray, T Ernie McMillian.
1970 8-5-1

During this era, the offense was always impressive. But, as was always the case, the D was nameless with the exception of S Larry Wilson (easily the greatest defensive player in Cardinal history), CB Pat Fischer (who asked for more money after the 67 season & Bidwill then shipped him off to Washington for a ham sandwich. Fischer went to multiple Pro Bowls for the Skins), LB Larry Stallings (most underrated LB in Cardinal history), CB Roger Wehrli (HOF, but wasn’t drafted until 69. This D could have used him in the early to mid 60’s).
 
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pemory09

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Ahhhh tight-fisted BB…Fischer was an undersized holy terror who felt that WRs must “pay the penalty” for catching passes across the middle (there’s a great old NFL Films interview and quote of him saying so). Letting him walk for peanuts (or, as you say PACardsFan, “a ham sandwich”) was unforgivable. Especially since he decamped for the rival Skins (and could torture Cards receivers twice every year in the 70s).
 

pemory09

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The other football story on that sports page highlights Chuck Mercein winning a preseason game for the Giants…interesting as he’d be released that year and picked up by the Packers for whom he play a pivotal role in their Ice Bowl victory.
 

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