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Arizona Cardinals NFL Pittsburgh Steelers

In this wacky season, no option possible but Cards win

By Ryan P. McGowan

It snowed in New England on Wednesday, with some nasty freezing rain and sleet.  Good thing the Arizona Cardinals aren’t playing Super Bowl XLIII in Boston this week.

It’s a big week for the Cards and their long-suffering fans, at least all 27 of them that have been following the team for years, as opposed to the millions of Valley of the Sun wannabes who claim to be long-time fans after Arizona dismantled the Eagles in the NFC Championship game.  Hell, Vin and I have been on the bandwagon longer than most of these yahoos.  90% have no idea that they used to be called the Phoenix Cardinals.  They heard that a guy named Bill Bidwill was the owner, and their reaction was, “When did Bill Belichick leave the Patriots to become an owner?”

And yet these soulless, fair-weather, Johnny-come-lately solar worshippers are about to be celebrating a Super Bowl parade through the strip-mall paradise that is downtown Phoenix.

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Arizona Cardinals NFL Philadelphia Eagles

NFL Flashback: 1948 NFL Championship, Eagles vs Cardinals

On Dec. 19, 1948 the city of Philadelphia was to play home to the first televised NFL Championship game, pitting the West Division champion, and defending NFL champion, Chicago Cardinals and the home town Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles were also defending East Division champions and were looking for revenge after the previous season’s loss to the Cardinals, 28-21, in the championship bout. Mother Nature had other things in mind.

Snow piled on the city, raising questions as to whether or not the game would even be played or if it would be postponed. To today’s Philadelphia fan, this story may seem all too familiar. The championship game, held in Shibe Park, was delayed for thirty minutes while the grounds crew cleaned up the field.

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Arizona Cardinals NFL Philadelphia Eagles

NFL Flashback: 1947 NFL Championship, Eagles vs CardinalsT

Today we take a look at the 1947 NFL Championship game between the Eagles and the Chicago Cardinals.

If you are an Eagles fan you no doubt know that the last time the Eagles won an NFL championship was 1960, before the Super Bowl was even a thought.

What about the Cardinals? The last time the franchise won an NFL title came thirteen years before the Eagles’ last championship, in 1947!

It was a rough road for the Cardinals, who at the time played in Chicago. Playing in the shadow of the Chicago Bears, who had won five NFL titles in eight tries between 1933 and 1946, was a hard task.

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Arizona Cardinals

Do the Cardinals Finally Have All the Pieces in Place?

Unlike most football fans, my expectations for the Arizona Cardinals (yes, THOSE Cardinals) were high for the 2005 season.  Kurt Warner was signed to be their quarterback, running back J.J. Arrington and defensive back Antrel Rolle were part of Arizona’s draft class, and receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin were coming back to the desert.  Things were looking up.

But, not all was what it seemed.  The Cardinals stumbled out of the gate, losing their first 3 games, with the defense allowing 86 points in those losses.  Arizona would struggle to a 5-11 record for the 2005 season. While Kurt Warner would show bright spots and Fitzgerald and Boldin would combine to catch 205 passes, J.J. Arrington, the rookie running back, would rush for just 370 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He would be second on the depth chart to Marcel Shipp.  Meanwhile, Rolle would finish with 28 tackles and no interceptions.

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Arizona Cardinals

It’s Time in Tempe

Every once in a while, the stars align for the less fortunate NFL team, allowing them a shot at the playoffs or even a Super Bowl. Some, like the Patriots, use it to spawn a run of success. Some, like the Browns and Falcons, can only hope to point to it in future years as the coach’s office empties yet again. In any event, this year’s lucky team is… Arizona.