Cardinals Salary Cap

There will always be tough decisions when it comes to a football team, and the Arizona Cardinals are facing a lot right now. It truly was a great ‘08 season for them, as they have reached the Superbowl for the first time and almost won it as well. Now that it’s all over, they are facing a lot of problems, and it would be difficult to return based on their circumstances right now.

For one, they have lost both their defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. Pendergast may have not been much of a loss, but Todd Haley was an important component of the team’s success. Anquan Boldin is sure that he wants to leave the team, and Kurt Warner is on the fence whether he’d retire or not.

It’s not all bad news for the Cardinals as they still have a lot of cap space. Since it’s defense they need, they’d have enough to sign Julius Peppers since he is clear that he does not want to return to the Panthers. They could also sign defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth of the Titans, and keep Warner as well.

It will be exciting to see how the team will develop this season.

You’re Fired!

It has been known the Arizona Cardinals are not really a defensive team. It was such an amazing run for them last season, and everyone saw a slight improvement in their defense. The thing is that this improvement simply isn’t enough, and it just didn’t work when it mattered the most. Finally, they were able to reach the Superbowl for the first time in franchise history, but fell short of winning it because of a crucial defensive lapse.

It was during the last few minutes that the defense allowed the Steelers to score a touchdown, which eventually led to their loss. This could be the reason why the Cardinals are letting go of defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.  Coach Whisenhunt says that Pendergast did a good job, but he is only thinking of the general good of the team, and that he want to give Pendergast an opportunity for the growth of his career.That sounds kinda showbiz but he may have meant it.

The Cardinals now both have the defensive and offensive coordinator positions available, and it is still unknown as to who Whisenhunt has his eyes on for the d-coordinator spot.

The Pro Bowl Beast

The AFC once again faced the NFC in another exciting Pro Bowl. A collection of all the best talent in the NFL where seen playing together and against each other, which is probably the highest level of American Football in the World. Some would only play for fun, some would play to win, others would simply dominte.

Larry Fitzgerald has had a phenomenal season. He was such a headache for the defense, that even against the Steelers, he was still able to unleash his fury even though he was covered for most of the Superbowl. Now that he’s playing in the Pro Bowl, he once again proved that he can destroy the defense, even if that defense is a collection of AFC all stars.

It was because of him that the NFC won against the AFC, and he became the first Cardinal in history to ever become a Pro Bowl MVP. He caught 5 passes, and gained 2 touchedowns. If that’s not monstrous enough, he’s catched at least a touchdown for the last 7 games he’s played.

It was just right that he was named Pro Bowl MVP.

Why Have You Forsaken me?

It has been a big question so far whether or not Kurt Warner would continue to play football. He’s been aching to retire for quite a while now, and every little thing could push him to do so.

The Cardinals had a great ‘08 season. For the first time in history, they have reached to Superbow but the problem is that it might take a long time for them to return. One of the most important pieces that made them so successful was offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Now, he was hired by the Kansas Chiefs as their new head coach.

As a quarterback, it’s important that you get along with the offensive coordinator you are working with. Especially if you’re a veteran like Warner, it would be difficult to adjust your game according to someone else’s style. Warner says that he wouldn’t want to take a step back and that if ever he retires, the departure of Haley wouldn’t be the main reason, but surely a big factor in his decision.

Hopefully all goes well for the Cardinals because as of now, it seems as though they are slowly losing their personell, in spite of having the most cap room in the NFC.

New Head Chief

Just like with everything, we have to move on and look if there are greener pastures out there.  The Cardinals had an amazing run last season, and it was thanks to their unstoppable offense. This could easily attributed to Warner, Fitzgerald, Boldin, and the others but the one that had orchestrated it all it non other than offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

It was during the NFC championships that we witnessed how fired up Haley can get, when he had a moment with Boldin; but that’s ok and it’s all part of the game. Now that the Superbowl is over, everyone is hiring galore.

For the past 2 seasons, the Kansas Chiefs have only won 6 games and are looking to rebuild their team. One of their moves is to hire Todd Haley as their head coach. This is a great idea, considering what he had shown the NFL during the last few seasons, and he will be enough to turn around the  Chiefs.

So what will become of the Cardinals? It really is difficult to say at this point in time. Hopefully Warner does not retire, and Boldin does not leave the team when his contract expires in two years.

What to Do During the Offseason pt.2

It really is difficult to choose an activity after a great NFL season. With all the stress that you get from work, it really is important to have an outlet or some sort of escape so that you are kept sane. Working nowadays can be so fast paced that it can get really difficult on the soul. That’s probably one of the reasons why the NFL is so appealling; it let’s you enjoy a great game while you relax on your sofa and sipping an ice cold beer. With the season over, there are a lot of things you can do while waiting for the next season to start.

A great way to alleviate stress for most people is to go on a road trip. If you are able to stumble upon a long weekend, it would be a great time to have a road trip and spend time with you family, friends, and other loved ones. Go wherever you want, after all, there are so many places in the US that you can go to that would surely be great on the soul.

Another good idea would be to try and learn a new skill. If you feel like you want to be like one of those guys you see on UFC, then you have a lot of options and places to go to, so that you can learn how to fight MMA style.

What to Do During the Offseason pt. 1

Another great NFL season is finally over, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have won their 6th Superbowl championship. It was an exciting game, and super plays were witnessed by people from all over the world. Now that it’s all done, we have to wait for quite sometime for the next season to start. A burning question in the minds of football fans is: what is there to do during the offseason?

Well believe it or not, there actually is a life outside of the NFL season. Since watching football was a good reason enough to stay on the couch and drink beer, now there are a lot of options for you.

One of these options is actually playing football. Even if you are not the most athletic person out there, playing a friendly game of football with your friends once in a while would be a great way to shed off calories you’ve accumulated from chips and beer. You don’t have to play football, just look for an activity and keep yourself active.

Another option is to learn a new language. Learn Spanish, German, or Mandarin as they would eventually useful to you everday life. The next time you watch the NFL, it would be a good experience to watch it with let’s say, Spanish commentators.

Weary Warner

The Cardinals had a great season and for the first time, they were able to reach the Superbowl. They got so close to the win if it weren’t for a few mistakes. The question now is if they will be able to retain or even improve on last seasons performance? Well so far the future of the Arizona Cardinals seem to be cloudy, since Anquan Boldin says that there only is a slim chance that he will stay with the Cardinals when his contract expires in two years. Another problem is if Kurt Warner would keep on playing or would decide to finally retire.

Superbowl 43 was very emotional for the veteran quarterback, and now he just isn’t sure if he still wants to play or not. At the start of the ‘08 season, he said that he would be playing for another 2 years, but it seems as if he is having second thoughts. Hopefully for the Cardinals, he decides to stay for a while so that they have a good chance of returning to the Superbowl and probably win this time. It’s really difficult to find a quarterback as great as him.

Offensive NFL Era

One of the most common things that you would hear around the NFL is that defense win championships. That has been true for most of the years of the NFL, but there seems to be a different wave of thought for the past few seasons. It seems as if teams have become more and more offensive, and that championships are won through offense.

If you take a look at the past two Superbowls, the Colts and the Giants won through offense and clearly not through their defense. They won the Superbowls in spite of that fact that their defense didn’t even reach the top 10. With Superbowl 43, it wasn’t the Steelers’ popular defense that won the game, but their amazing plays with Big Ben’s 78 yard touchdown drive, James Harrison’s record breaking 100 yard return, and Santonio Holmes’ amazing catch.

Another thing is that you have to give the Cardinals credit even if they didn’t win the Superbowl. They pushed and reached to Superbowl in spite of their dismal display of defense. It was their unstoppable offense that took them to where they got to.

So it seems as if we are reaching an NFL era of offense. This would surely be more exciting for the fans to watch.

Bye Buddy!

Aside from their slightly improved defense, the run of the Arizona Cardinals last season was largely due to their phenomenal offense. It really is difficult to defend against three 1,000 yard recievers, and a quarterback like Kurt Warner as well. They pushed all the way to the Superbowl, and almost had the game if it weren’t for lapses in defense for the last minute. One of the key players of the Cardinals was Anquan Boldin.

Of course we all remember that petty but heated arguement he had on the sidelines with offensive coordinator Haley. That’s over and we can all agree that it was only an isolated incident, and that Boldin truly is an important part of the Cardinal organization. The problem is that he has two years left on his contract, and says that there is only a slim chance that he will be signing with them again.

Well, a reason for this could be that he’s just saying that so he has more leverage when the renewal of his contract will be negotiated. It probably would be easy if Larry Fitzgerald keeps his word. Fitzgerald says that he will do anything to keep Boldin on the team.

So Near, Yet So Far

The last season was sort of a fairtytale story for both the Arizona Cardinals and Kurt Warner. The Cardinals have been known to be one of the more chaotic franchises in the NFL, and it has always failed to deliver the goods until recently. In a great run, they were able to get upsets during the playoffs, and was even able to reach the Superbowl for the first time in franchise history. For Kurt Warner, it was his chance to prove that he is Hall of Fame Worthy.

He started out the season as a back up for Matt Leinart. For reasons that are good to Warner, he became the starter and would be able to lead the Cardinals to the Superbowl. It has been 10 years since his last Superbowl trip, and it was with the St. Louis Rams that he was able to gain his first ever Superbowl championship.

Last Sunday, he had the chance to get another ring but several things were just beyond his control. One of them was the lack of defense that the Cardinals showed during the last run of the Steelers. They played intense defense throughout the game, but seemed to fail to do so when it mattered the most. The other, was the phenomenal catch of Santonio Holmes. Regardless of the outcome, he still proved that he has the guns to be a great quarterback.

100 yard return

There are simply too much stories to tell about the Superbowl, and you simply can’t fit them into a single blog. It would require you to write an epic to accurately tell what had happened that night. One of the great stories or plays is the 100 yard return of James Harrison.

Now James Harrison is one scary guy. He seems like one of those tough guys in Westerns wherein people would move out of his way whenever he would enter a saloon. The Cardinals were careful enough for most of the game not to force the issue on Larry Fitzgerald, and they were right to do so. The Steelers defense was too overwhelming and they needed the right game plan to adjust.

The formation of the Cardinals were just too tight and if Fitzgerald and Boldin had just given more space, Harrison wouldn’t have had the interception. Now it’s done, and James Harrison has the longest touchdown ever in Superbowl history.

Was this what made the Steelers win? maybe not, but of course it is such a big morale boost for them, and a frustration on the side of the Cardinals.

The Importance of Talent

It really is a difficult job to be the head coach of an NFL team. You would have to make difficult decisions and you carry a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. The fans might blame some of the players for a bad seasons, but the owners and GM might blame someone else, and that someone else is usually the coach. So how exactly does coaching go in the NFL?

Well, the most important thing would be the players’ talent. If the players can’t do a particular type of thing, then it’s no use training them to make plays that utilize talents that they actually lack. The coach should focus on his player’s strengths instead of trying to imporove their weaknesses. This holds true and they have to customize their strategy depending on the talent and not vice versa. What manifests this case if the mere fact that players are paid a lot more than coaches.

So if a coach want to achieve success in the NFL, then he would have to look at the talent he has, instead of the talent he thinks he can make.

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