My Anquan Boldin Blog

What?! The Cardinals are in the playoffs? They won their division?! That's right folks, after 20 years Arizonans have something to cheer about. For only the second time since coming to the valley of the sun, the Cardinals have finished above.500 and have gone to the playoffs. 1998 saw the Cardinals, lead by ex- Arizona State University Sun Devils standout Quarterback Jake "The Snake" Plummer, make their first trip since coming here in 1988. That year they knocked the Dallas Cowboy's, led by criminals Michael Irvin and Leon Lett, out in the NFC Wild Card game with a convincing 20-7 victory. Of course, they lost to the Minnesota Vikings the next game. Now we once again have hope my friends! After finishing the season 9-7 and clinching the NFC West division the Cards went on to beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 at home. This victory came 61 years after their last playoff home game, which was when the 1947 Chicago Cardinals won the only championship in team history. Could we be witnessing the rebirth of a long thought dead organization? In my humble, completely biased opinion...YES!!! Call me crazy, but the red and white has a chance.

The Cardinals are fueled by aging but reborn Quarterback Kurt Warner and, OH MY, are they every fun to watch! They have the best tandem of receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, who is possibly the toughest receiver ever to play the game. I mean, come on, the guy played with a fractured hip last season and this year bounces back after a frightening helmet-to-helmet hit against the Jets. He terrorizes his opponents. No team has an answer for the Warner-Boldin-Fitzgerald dilemma they face. Edgerrin James, who has taken a backseat to rookie Tim Hightower, even out ran Atlanta's Michael Turner this last game. Turner is the number two rusher in the league, and by shutting him down and increasing the effectiveness of their own running game, the Cards show they are ready. All season everyone has known about their passing game but the running game has been stagnant at best. The Cards get to the playoffs and they step it up a notch and begin to make teams worry about the rush so they are not as effective against the pass. Who would've thought the Cardinals had it in them? The team has a bright future as long as they can keep this group together. With ex- University of Southern California star Quarterback Matt Leinart taking lessons from two time NFL Most Valuable Player Warner, even when Warner calls it quits we will be a force to be reckoned with.

So, our next victims will be the Carolina Panthers, and then the winner of the New York Giants - Philadelphia Eagles game. Of course these will be tough games as the Cards lost to all three of these teams this year, but any true fan will tell you the red and white terror will take the NFC title and move on to the Super Bowl. I can just see it now, February 1st, 2009 in Tampa Bay, Fl the nation will be in awe as the Arizona Cardinals Face the San Diego Chargers for the right to call themselves the nation's best. Two teams that just a couple of years ago seemed like they would never even sniff the playoff branch again.

Writer and editor, Freddie Brister, is a former high school football coach of 25 years. His love of the game of football is reflected in his words and memories of growing up in the South and playing football in the back yard with his brother, cousins and neighborhood friends. His biggest thrill is watching former high school players he has coached play at the college level. His favorite pastime is watching NFL on tv and attending the games in person every chance he gets. Freddie Brister is a huge fan of the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals. Check out his Arizona Cardinals Watch or his Buffalo Bills Watch.