Arizona Cardinals/NFL football playoffs
Cardinals getting little respect from players, media
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SUNDAY'S NFL GAMES
NFC
Philadelphia (11-6-1) at Arizona (11-7), 1 p.m., Fox
AFC
Baltimore (13-5) at Pittsburgh (13-4), 4:30 p.m., CBS
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Words should have no meaning in football, a sport where players are paid to commit violent acts.
They mean everything to the Arizona Cardinals.
It's goofy, really. While this team has become lovable and formidable in this magical postseason, it was also a 9-7 team that lucked into two home playoff games.
Arizona was obliterated in most of its marquee moments. It gave up 426 points in the regular season, in a league where you win nothing without a stout defense. National experts had no basis for faith.
Ah, but these crazy Cardinals are not in the mood for logic. They just want to be angry at somebody.
"Deion Sanders, saying he's going to sell his Super Bowl tickets if we make it to the Super Bowl?" Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson said. "That's disrespectful."
It isn't so much the offense. It's mostly the defensive players who have used written words, point spreads and over-the-air opinions to work themselves into a lather, to get extremely agitated.
It makes sense. By all stereotypes, offensive players are forced to be more cerebral. Most live in a state of information overload, and wisely chose to ignore taunts, predictions and other verbal nonsense.
Defensive players are taught to eat meat off the bone and hit whatever's moving. They can get a little touchy. You talkin' to me?
"This team right now, the Arizona Cardinals, right now we're going to use that stuff," Wilson said.
A seasoned team leader, Wilson understands the effect this word play is having on some of his defensive colleagues. He doesn't want to change what's working, and neither do I. So I offer:
Brandon Jacobs, running back for the New York Giants. He didn't even play against the Cardinals when the Giants came to Glendale in November. Yet he had the gall to say this after his team was eliminated by the Eagles on Sunday:
"Philly's a hot team right now," Jacobs said. "They just beat the only team that has a chance to beat them. I'm on their bandwagon."
Perfect. Someone place that over Darnell Dockett's locker.
A Philadelphia columnist said, "the hardest part of the job is done." An ESPN.com columnist belittled the Cardinals chances under a headline that read, "Let's Book Eagles for Tampa."
That should be plenty of material for this group. If not, there's one last item to chew on. It happened during a press conference with quarterback Donovan McNabb before the divisional playoffs, after the Eagles made the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Q: "SI called you guys a very dangerous team right now. How dangerous do you think you guys are?"
A: "Well, they called the Cardinals dangerous, too. It's a regional copy."
Deep laughter filled the room.
Philadelphia is a city built on toughness, and few things are worse than a soft sports team. For them, the verdict on the Cardinals came during the Eagles' 48-20 win on Thanksgiving.
The Cardinals have been living on this stuff for a few weeks now, and as long as the oddsmakers in Las Vegas keep installing road opponents as the favorite, the Cardinals will continue to act hurt, defiant, vengeful.
Truth is, it's not the words that matter. This team began to change after that embarrassment in New England. After playing in inclement weather, the team was stuck at the Rhode Island airport for many hours. Then the plane had to stop in Minnesota to get more fuel. That's a lot of time to marinate over a horrible loss.
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt then threatened anyone who didn't respond in practice with a loss of playing time.
The next full practice happened on a cold, rainy day that spawned a new toughness. For the first time in six weeks, the Cardinals began focusing on the things that matter.
"We've been through it all," Cardinals fullback Terrelle Smith said. "We've been beaten down on the East Coast; we've been beaten down in the snow; we've been here and there; we've been talked about; we've been in the rain; we've been shoved; we've been pushed; but one thing: We never broke."
Until that happens, they might as well keep the bulletin board full.
LUV Warner, Fitzgerald, Hood, James, Hightower, Boldin...
Let Deion Sell his tickets, who cares, he's a non-issue..
GO CARDS
But I'd be pulling for Warner even if he were quarterbacking against the Packers when the Packers were good, simply because he's a Christian brother.