Battle in Birdtown: An Arizona Cardinals Story

[cmm392]

It began in February of 2008. The owner of the Cardinals, Bill Bidwill, wanted out of Arizona. He wanted to take the team to Portland, where it seemed the fan base was much stronger and he could make even MORE money. But how was he to accomplish this?

Bill went to the City of Glendale and talked with the mayor. He told him how the fan base just wasn't strong enough here and he saw opportunities elsewhere. The mayor was shocked, and quite frankly offended that Bill Bidwill, owner of the Cardinals, would want to move them right out of town.

Bill and the mayor argued back and forth. Finally, after hours of yelling and getting lawyers in the room, the mayor agreed to allow Bill to take the team to Portland on ONE condition, and one condition only: if the Cardinals have a winning percentage of below .500 after three seasons, he could leave.

Bill thought about the proposal, and did some calculations. The Cardinals had a winning percentage of just 34% since their playoff run in 1998 - so this should be a simple task. The mayor gave just one stipulation - Bill was not allowed to make any drastic roster moves to annihilate the team and have them purposely lose, or the deal was off. Bill agreed.

If HE couldn't destroy the team, someone else could.

Bill thought of all the different ways this could happen. He thought about how the Cardinals' roster didn't look THAT bad, and how they may actually be able to win 8 games this season. He needed to destruct the team from the inside if he wanted out of Arizona, he thought.

Not even two days after the conversation with the mayor, it was made public that Bill Bidwill, owner of the Cardinals, had fired his GM Rod Graves and it seemed Coach Ken Whisenhunt was hanging by a string as well.

Bill figured if he hired an inexperienced GM that might fold under the pressure, he would make stupid trades or bad moves and the team would be flushed down the toilet. That "inexperienced" GM was Chris Muller - a 23-year old MBA grad who had worked under Cleveland Browns GM Phil Savage for three years. He had little experience, but saw this as a huge opportunity, so he gladly took the job and moved out west.

Bill didn't let anyone know what his plans were, he just explained to the public that this was a "restructuring phase". Nobody in Glendale knew that he wanted to move the team either. They just thought of him as something like this...

19200

Bill also knew the players on his roster. Larry Fitzgerald was thick-headed, and Anquan Boldin wanted more money. There was a huge quarterback controversy, and there were some defensive backs who had under-performed and were overpaid. There is no way this "kid" would last. We'll be playing .200 ball after a couple of seasons, no problem, he thought.

On March 10th, 2008, Bill officially handed the reigns of his team over to "The Kid" as he had now become known in Arizona. Only time will tell if the Cardinals would remain there as well...

[cmm392]

The first order of business for the new GM was to adjust the Cardinals spending habits. The Cardinals increased their scouting and medical expenses enough to be ranked #1 in the league. The new GM did not want to take any risks on any bad players or have a superstar wind up hurt for a long period of time. His job, after all, was being closely watched.

"I am going to come in here and do the best I can possibly do," said Muller in a press conference yesterday. Little did he know that he was hired to destroy the team...and all the while he is thinking the only thing as risk is his job...

Ticket prices were adjusted to an even $40.00. This was neither high nor low, Muller thought, and this would gauge the city's interest in the team. Concession prices were left as-is. He did not feel the need to tinker with those as of yet.

Now it was time to make any roster adjustments. Muller went over the roster and everything looked pretty good with the exception of a few holes. If there was one thing he learned from Phil Savage in Cleveland, it was that football, unlike baseball, is not a rebuildable sport. Meaning, you should not attempt to rebuild a football team with young players like you can in baseball. There is no farm system in football and players have a much shorter career due to the physical nature of the game. The point is to win now. The only real HOLES on the team, Muller thought at this point, were the lack of solid backups at each position. That and the offensive line - which didn't look amazing. But there will be a wait-and-see mode on that.

The only move made before the first week of the season was the signing of TE Jerome Collins, who signed a 5-year deal with the Cardinals. Collins had been bounced around on the practice squad of a couple teams for two years before signing this long-term deal with the Cardinals. They really lacked a go-to receiving tight-end, and Collins was willing to sign an un-guaranteed contract, so it worked out for both sides.

At this point, Muller did not want to establish any goals for the season, since he knew so little about the program and the players. This would wait until next season (assuming he made it that far).

[cmm392]

2008 Opening Day Lineups Announced

Well, a few months have passed, the preseason is over, and the Cardinals look ready to go. Here is how they will look on opening day:

Offense
QB - Kurt Warner. The elderly gentleman will be taking the reigns as the starting quarterback as of right now. Matt Leinart was too inconsistent last year and will have to wait his turn on the bench.
RB - Edgerrin James. This pretty much goes without saying. Edge is the best runner on the team. He will be backed up by rookie Tim Hightower.
FB - Terrelle Smith. The former Cleveland Brown is an excellent run-blocker in the backfield.
TE - Jerome Collins. He played incredibly in the preseason, now it's time for him to showcase what he's got on the big stage.
WR - Larry Fitzgerald. Superstar receiver, 'nuff said.
WR - Anquan Boldin. Another stud receiver to take some pressure off of Fitz. Rookie Early Doucet will play the third WR, and Steve Breaston will be #4 on spead downs.
LT - Levi Brown. The rookie has a lot to prove.
LG - Reggie Wells. A veteran guard with a lot of in-game experience.
C - Al Johnson. A journeyman offensive lineman finally getting the chance to start for a pro team.
RG - Deuce Lutui. A second year guard who started 9 games last year. Should be a solid run-blocker.
RT - Mike Gandy. Another solid veteran offensive lineman who has started almost every game of his career.


Defense
DE - Travis LaBoy. Has never started a game in his four-year career, but is highly regarded and looked very good in the preseason.
DT - Darnell Dockett. The leader of the defensive line started all 16 games last year and had 9 sacks to go with it.
DT - Gabe Watson. Another 16 game starter from 2007, this youngster still has a lot to learn.
DE - Chike Okeafor. This 32-year old vet has 42 career sacks, he should be fine if he can stay healthy.
LOLB - Gerald Hayes. Coming off an 82-tackle season, Hayes is looking to improve even more.
MLB - Karlos Dansby. This young linebacker averaged 5.5 tackles per game last season and should continue on that pace.
ROLB - Clark Haggans. A veteran linebacker coming from the Steelers defensive system. He should know exactly what needs to be done here.
CB - Antrelle Rolle. This young CB had 5 INT in just 8 starts last year.
CB - Roderick Hood. After a 5 INT season last year, he gets the start this year over highly touted rookie Domonique Rogers-Cromartie. DRC will be third on the depth chart and still get a lot of playing time in nickel and dime downs.
S - Adrian Wilson. Quite possibly the best safety in the game.
S - Aaron Francisco. Not many people have heard of this guy, but the 25-year old won the starting job after recording 32 tackles in just 4 preseason games.

The Cardinals will open up against the 49ers in San Francisco next week, so stay tuned!

[cmm392]

Week 1: Cardinals (0-0) @ 49ers (0-0)

Wow! What a game. Our running game was non-existent, as we kept trying to hand the ball off to Edgerrin James to make plays, but he was going nowhere. Edge finished with 19 rushes for 35 yards - not good at all.

Warner initially threw a couple of interceptions, but then he caught on fire. He was finding his receivers all over the field, lighting up plays. Warner was 19/31 with 2 TD and 2 INT, a total of 313 passing yards! Boldin had a total of 120 yards, while Fitzgerald had 55 yards and a TD.

Defensively we looked very good. Travis LaBoy had to leave early with a foot injury, but he should be back in a week or so. His replacement, rookie Calais Campbell, came up with a HUGE play toward the end of the game, stripping the ball right out of Frank Gore's hands and giving the Cards the ball. Antrel Rolle had 10.5 tackles while Gerald Hayes had 4.5 plus a sack.

The 49ers looked lost. Their starting QB Shaun Hill went out with an injury and J.T. O'Sullivan came in. He threw a pick to Adrian Wilson and could not complete a pass to save his life. We were up 20-10 going into the final 45 seconds of the game when O'Sullivan threw a 60+ yard BOMB to Issac Bruce to take us within 3, which is where it ended.

Cardinals 20
49ers 17

Bill Billwill was not happy with the win. Could the Cardinals be starting off this well? Oh well, he thought, Kurt Warner is going to be 67 next month, and it's only a matter of time before the wide receivers start whining about playing time.

Muller, on the other hand, was ecstatic to get his first win as a GM. "We played exceptionally well today. There were a few mistakes, but Kurt really worked hard to help get us the win," he said. Coach Wisenhunt was also very pleased with the team's performance.

On the injury side, CB Roderick Hood is going to miss the next three weeks with a strained knee. Prospect Domonique Rogers-Cromartie (from this point on known as DRC) will step in to start in his place.

The Cardinals will head back home next week and take on the Dolphins (1-0).

[RedsoxRockies]

Wow you have a winning record! :D

[cmm392]

Wow you have a winning record! :D

I'm playing the games - I like that much better because I can make the real-time decisions.

I am using Matt Leinart in 3rd/4th and short downs on the QB sneak too.

[cmm392]

Week 2: Dolphins (1-0) @ Cardinals (1-0)

Another great game for the Cardinals. Our passing game was really on today, as Kurt Warner threw for 336 yards and 4 touchdowns. Boldin had 8 receptions for 119 and 3 of those touchdowns, while Larry Fitzgerald added 7 receptions and 116 yards. Even the #3 receiver, Early Doucet, got some action - he grabbed 6 passes for 80 yards and 1 touchdown.

We had to use the passing game to the fullest, as our running game was simply awful again today. Edgerrin James rushed for only 45 yards (2.0 yds/carry) but did have a key rushing touchdown. On a Special Teams note, return man Steve Breaston (also our #4 receiver) returned a kickoff for a touchdown at the end of the first half.

Offensively the Dolphins looked lost. Chad Henne started for the 'Fins and threw two interceptions - one to Karlos Dansby and one to Adrian Wilson. Their first touchdown came off of a returned punt from speedster Teddy Ginn Jr. and their second was a cross-route pass to TE Anthony Fasano.

Defensively the Cardinals looked good too, allowing only 59 yards rushing.

Cardinals 44
Dolphins 17

Bill Bidwill was again not happy at all. He still had three seasons to kill this team off so he could move them so he figured he still had some time. After all, it was only two games they have played.

Coach Wisenhunt, usually very quiet, was happy at the press conference after the game. "All of our receivers looked like Pro-Bowlers today. Warner didn't look to bad either, for an old guy," he said jokingly.

GM Chris Muller was also pleased with today's victory, stating "I think we need to shore up our running game, but other than that, things seem to be clicking with the Cards."

* TE Jerome Collins was hurt during the game, he will miss next week's game with a broken cheekbone

The Cardinals will travel to Washington to take on the Redskins (2-0). See you next week!

[Arctic Blast]

Nice start to the season. Also, not exactly impossible to imagine a twit like Bidwill doing something like this.

[cmm392]

Week 3: Cardinals (2-0) @ Redskins (2-0)

Another close game this week. Offensively the passing game looked solid again with Kurt Warner throwing for 279 yards and 3 TD, but he did have 3 INT. Anquan Boldin again looked stellar, picking up 9 receptions, 125 yards, and 2 TD catches. His partner in crime, Larry Fitzgerald, complimented him with 5 catches, 76 yards, and 1 TD. The running game was again poor, as Edgerrin James had 17 rushes, 37 yards, and 1 TD.

The Cards looked decent defensively, as no one receiver had more than 60 yards on the Redkins, but the run defense was terrible. On a positive note, both Karlos Dansby and Adrian Wilson had 8 tackles. Clinton Portis averaged 5.4 yards/carry as the defense gave up 92 yards on the ground - doesn't sound like that, but when a back is averaging nearly 5.5 yards each time he carries the ball, things could potentially get bad. Veteran QB Todd Collins threw for 2 TD and 1 INT, and looked pretty decent as a lot of Washington's receivers got action. The Redskins defense overall played very well - their linebacking corps combined for 22 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 INT. The Cardinals offensive line allowed 3 sacks in total.

Despite the poor defensive efforts, the Cardinals put up enough offense to overtake the Redskins in this one...

Cardinals 31
Redskins 23

GM Chris Muller was interviewed after the game...
"So how do you think your team played today?"
"Well if you check the scoreboard, I would say we played fairly well," Muller joked.
"Obviously yes. But how are things on the INSIDE of the locker room?"
"What do you mean?" Muller asked.
"Well, an undisclosed source said that there was a lot of turmoil amongst the receivers in the locker room..." said the reporter.
Keeping his composure, Muller replied, "that is just media hype. The public can't stand it when a new, young part of the management team takes over and it goes well initially."

Could it be Bidwill trying to secretly sabotage Muller's reputation???

Check in next week as the Cardinals battle the Jets (0-3) on the road.

[RedsoxRockies]

3-0, that is not bad at all