Why The Arizona Cardinals Are Dangerous
It appears some Eagles fans are already scouring the internet for hotel rooms in the Tampa area for the first weekend in February. Hey, I can’t tell people what to do, but I can suggest that these fans delay their travel plans until after Sunday’s NFC Championship. You see, the Eagles still have to beat the Arizona Cardinals before the Super Bowl train can leave the station.
Here’s five guys who wear red and white that the Birds must be aware of come 3pm Sunday. Ignore any of these players and they could be staring down a 1-4 record in NFC title games.
Kurt Warner – Two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XXXIV MVP. I remember watching him with the Giants pre-Eli and thinking he was finished. Guess again. If not for the Cardinals late-season slide he would have won another MVP award. Kurt can still sling it with the best of them, especially when he’s surrounded by skilled playmakers like he has in Arizona.
Larry Fitzgerald – Can’t blame Larry for the Thanksgiving night 48-20 loss. He caught five for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Fitzy is an absolute monster to cover. He’s big, fast, and super-athletic. I wonder if Jim Johnson will shadow him with Asante Samuel? I would, especially if Anquan Boldin is less than 100%.
Neil Rackers – Normally, I could give a crap about kickers but Rackers is a good one. He hit 25-28 field goals in the regular season with a long of 54. In two playoff games he’s hit on 4 of 6 with a long of 49. If the game is low-scoring, Rackers could prove huge.
Karlos Dansby – One of the NFL’s top linebackers, Dansby is a tackling machine who can sack the quarterback and disrupt an offensive scheme. Dansby, not Lance Briggs, should have been a Pro Bowler. The Eagles will have their hands full with Karlos on Sunday.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – Rookie cornerback Cromartie took a little while to crack the starting lineup for the Cards, but when he did their defense immediately improved. Like Asante Samuel, Cromartie is a ballhawk in the secondary who thrives on the big play interception. He’s picked-off a pass in each of Arizona’s two playoff wins.
Don’t take the Cards lightly. This team is riding a wave of confidence and they’ll have their home crowd to help steer the ship. Forget about the Thanksgiving night massacre. That Cardinals team flew east on a short week and got hit by a post-benching buzzsaw. Both teams are better now. The only question left to be answered is which team is the best. In three days we’ll have our answer.
I’m excited about the prospect of seeing the two Aussie punters going head to head. My support is Sav Rocca because I really like his game. Despite a dreadful to his NFL career, he has improve tremendously this season. He is too me one of the big reason for the Eagles success this year. I want to see the Eagles going all the way. Being from Malaysia, where only a small tiny people that follow American version of football (we love football or soccer as you may call it), I have been doing my part in spreading the good message about your game. Go Eagles Go!!! John Visit my blog @ http://mundoalbiceleste.blogspot.com
January 16th, 2009 at 10:24 amWe have 2 great game Sunday…
The Eagles are more well rounded, but the Cardinals can air it out with the best of them, that is always scary!
I don’t think the last match-up means anything at this point. I’ll be honest, IF the Giants were playing them I would be confidently paranoid.
I can’t say I’ll be rooting for you, but Good luck Eagles! ; )
January 16th, 2009 at 12:02 pm