My Anquan Boldin Blog

This year the Cardinals are projected to win 8.5 games, are 15/2 to win the NFC Championship game, and 15/1 to win the Super Bowl. Are these Vegas odds making your head spin? Well, to summarize, the odds that the Arizona Cardinals are going back to Super Bowl, or even the playoffs, are not good.

At first glance, the Cardinals chances seem great. Pro bowler Kurt Warner, despite his age of 37, is still arguably one of the top QB's in the NFL. Safety Adrian Wilson leads a much underrated defensive unit that played great down the stretch last year. The Cards also have one of the most lethal receiving cores in the game. Locking up Anquan Boldin would make everyone feel a little better about the 2009 season, but the fact he wasn't traded is a good sign. Larry Fitzgerald is an elite playmaker who needs Boldin in the line up to free up double (even triple) coverage.

The NFC West was a walking band-aid last year, and should not be considered as weak as many people think. With some of the improvements made this off-season, there is no way any one team will win the division with ease. The Seattle Seahawks grabbed Houshmandzadeh in free agency, helping a laughable receiving core get better quickly; key players Deion Brach and Matt Hasselbeck are both returning from injury. A fresh start with new coach Jim Mora could also be good for some of these seasoned Seattle veterans. Not since the 1992 season have the Seattle Seahawks had such a low win total. The shocking 4-12 season will be huge motivation to improve quickly and challenge for a playoff spot.

The Rams lost playmaker Torry Holt and veteran LT Orlando Pace, but look somewhat strong after bringing in the New York Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to lead the pack. The Rams had an excellent draft and even made a few solid free agent signings.

The San Francisco 49ers, who were ghosts in free agency, came away laughing after Oakland passed on Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree at the NFL Draft in April. The only question now is who's going to lead this young team? The right quarterback might have the 49ers finally pulling out of the repair shop with a serious muscle car.

The Cardinals didn't get to the Super Bowl by default, they knocked off three strong offensive teams: Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles. With each playoff win the team grew more confidence, but an off-season of headaches may hurt the Cardinals 2009 season. Top teams always get picked apart in free agency, although losing as many starters as Arizona did hasn't sat well with the loyal fan base, not to mention losing both their defensive and offensive coordinators Clancy Pendergast and Todd Haley.

Even with the additions of RB Beanie Wells and Safety Rashad Johnson in the draft, this team has the look of being dubbed a one hit wonder. Too many losses on defense and the shake up of the coaching staff will mean the offense will be forced to win games in a shoot out fashion. This is great news if you have fantasy players, but hard to rely on down the stretch of the NFL season. The Cardinals schedule isn't easy, playing 4 out of 5 road games starting in the middle of November, while going up against many up and coming teams such as the Jaguars, Texans, Bears, and Packers. Gridiron Experts predicts anywhere between a 6 to 9 win season.

http://gridironexperts.com/

The Arizona Cardinals have elevated their play in recent years and turned into one of the more formidable teams in the National Football League. This is a proud franchise, but a franchise that has gone through some long losing sessions both in Arizona, in their previous home of St. Louis, and in their first home of Chicago. The success that the team is experiencing now is a direct result of some of the great players they have on their roster. Here then is a look at five fun facts about five Arizona Cardinals football players.

Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner has played a huge role in the turnaround of the Arizona Cardinals. The first touchdown pass that Warner threw in the NFL went to tight end Roland Williams and came in the 2nd quarter of a 27-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 while he was playing for the St. Louis Rams. His first touchdown pass with the Arizona Cardinals went to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and came in the third quarter of a 42-19 loss to the New York Giants during week one of the 2005 NFL season.

Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald is one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the National Football League and contributes in a big way to the Arizona Cardinals exciting style of play. During the 2008 season, Fitzgerald had 100 or more yards receiving in 11 of the 16 games he played in.

Anquan Boldin
Anquan Boldin has put up great numbers during his college career with the Florida State Seminoles and during his professional career with the Arizona Cardinals. He has gone to multiple Pro Bowls and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003. His receiving numbers in high school were not very good at all though. This is misleading though because in high school he played quarterback, led his team to an undefeated season, and was named the state of Florida's "Mr. Football".

Tim Hightower
Tim Hightower, with a reputation as a running back that lacked speed and came from a small college, has come on to be one of the bright spots of the Arizona Cardinals offense. His durability and production were put on display during his rookie year when even though he started only seven games, he would score ten touchdowns. The Cardinals can trace their franchise history back to the early days of the NFL in the first half of the 1900s. With all that history though, Tim Hightower is the first Cardinals rookie to score touchdowns in each of his first two games with the franchise.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
When looking at the success of the Arizona Cardinals, it would be a mistake to not also credit part of that success to the defense. One of the best defenders on the team is defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Rodgers-Cromartie is a cousin to San Diego Chargers star cornerback Antonio Cromartie and during childhood he had surgery to remove a non-functioning kidney.

With great players like this, it isn't hard to figure out why the Arizona Cardinals are riding such a great streak of success in the National Football League. As long as the team keeps an eye on their talent on the field, there is no reason to think they will return to their previous level of lack of success anytime soon.

Interested in more great Arizona Cardinals trivia and facts? Check out everything that is available at IQFB.com! IQFB has a wealth of info about the Cardinals as well as great football facts and trivia about other teams and players too. IQFB... Get Football Smart!

It's not a sin to root for the Arizona Cardinals in 2008 (even if you live in Tampa Bay)-and one has to give them some credit for at least improving their 5-11 record in 2006. Last year they finished the season 8-8. What do you know; Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt may be doing something right. Whisenhunt started coaching in 2007 and turned the team around working with relatively little to start with. The team's offense improved, and that's no surprise since Whisenhunt is known for his successful offensive strategies that he pioneered over at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

One question that remained for the 2008 season would be the NFL Draft. The team had plenty of holes to replace, including a top caliber athlete in positions of offensive tackle, linebacker and cornerback. Even before Whisenhunt jumped aboard this sinking ship, only to redirect it on course, the team had historically been very adept at choosing their draft picks over the last four years. How did the team fare this year?

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a cornerback from Tennessee State, received a good reception from fans and media critics. Experts speculate that his grand performance at the Senior Bowl probably moved him up a few notches on the draft-even if he remains relatively untested. Calais Campbell was also questioned, as he doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the team's defensive mindset. Few would go so far as to say that Arizona chose poorly; these are promising young athletes. The consensus is merely that they will have to be worked with at a faster pace than usual if Arizona is going to see a substantial change. The lack of big playmakers in the draft is still a concern, especially since Arizona is still going through a difficult growing pain stage.

What do you think? Will Whisenhunt bring the team together for a more competitive season or is the rebuilding process nowhere near started? The last couple of years have seen some amazing growth in the talent pool of this franchise. With veterans like Kurt Warner, Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald and third year superstar Anquan Boldin, you would think they would have all the necessary tools to compete. It looks promising that this year they could break their 8 and 8 finish of last year and be playoff contenders.

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.