Oct 12 2008
WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
I’ve been following the Arizona Cardinals for just over 10 years. The wheels finally came off on a Monday Nite 2 years ago when the Cards blew a 20 point lead over the Bears in the 3rd quarter. You remember, “THE BEARS ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!!!!”. Where are you now, Denny Green? Anyway, I kept an eye on them after that but everytime I thought they would win a meaningful game and reel me back in, they’d lose. Lose is to nice a word, CHOKE!, sounds more accurate. They would miss a 25 yard field goal, commit a 15 yard personal foul penalty, fumble a snap, fumble 3 snaps, give up an 80 yard bomb, mismanage timeouts, or really whatever they could to do to lose a game. So, I didn’t give them much thought when I heard they were playing the Cowboys today at University of Phoenix Stadium. You see Phoenix has always been a “home” game for the Cowboys. So, I didn’t watch the game.
I showed up in the 4th quarter just in time to watch Marion Barber go some 70 yards (while trying to run out of bounds) to get the game within 3. After a very uninspiring 3 and out by the Cardinals, the Cowboys had about 50 seconds to send this one into overtime, if not win it out right. I knew they Cowboys would get into field goal range. I knew they would do so on a stupid play by the Cardinals. And I mean, it’s not Travis LaBoy’s fault he got hurt but since he couldn’t get back to the line of scrimage he was offsides when Romo spiked the ball. Which gave the Cowboys the five yards they needed to make the tying field goal.
Now, you don’t have to believe me but I know Whisenhunt was going to give the Cowboys a second chance by calling a timeout. So, I wasn’t surprised when the whistles blew following the Cardinals block of Nick Folk’s kick. Coach called himself a timeout. Anyway Folk drilled the next one. I wasn’t surprised when the Cowboys won the overtime coin toss either.
But then the strangest thing happened…1st Down - Okeafor sacked Romo, FUMBLE! - Dallas recovers. 2nd Down - Romo short hops one to Owens and gets decked by Antonio Smith - NO FLAG, really? These are the Cardinals right? 3rd Down - Romo throws it out of bounds. So with the Cowboy kicker standing at his own goal line, I’m thinking, “A 99 yard fake punt for a touchdown would probably be somekind of record?”. But then the strangest thing happened, the Cardinals blocked the punt, recovered the ball, fell into the end zone and survived the dreaded “flag on the play” and within what seemed like 2 seconds they won the game. Amazing. Who are these guys? And what have you done with my Cardinals?
