Tag: Arizona Cardinals (Page 30 of 51)

Top 7 reasons why Super Bowl XLIII was an Instant Classic

Brainz.org lists the top 7 reasons why Super Bowl XLIII was an instant classic:

Santonio Holmes7. Arizona’s Three Goal Line Stands
Who would’ve thought Arizona would have three goal line stands? Granted, Pittsburgh’s short yardage running game is subpar but Arizona’s run defense was mediocre in the regular season…

6. Controversial Officiating
I already talked about Roethlisberger’s near touchdown. There were other close plays that will be debated by sports fans for years to come…

5. Two Great QB Performances from Possible Hall of Famers
Neither team could run, so they had to go with the pass. This could’ve been an ugly game if the quarterbacks threw too many incompletions but both Warner and Roethlisberger came to play…

4. The Longest Play in Super Bowl History
The Cardinals were one yard from paydirt with 18 seconds left in the first half. They had no timeouts but it was first down. They could’ve taken a couple shots in the end zone. However, they only got one play because Harrison stepped in front of a Warner pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. Until this play, Warner was 15 for 16 with five touchdowns in the red zone for the 2009 playoffs…

3. Fitzgerald’s Insane Second Half
Fitzgerald proved that you can’t keep a good man down. His only reception in the first half was in the two minute warning. But in the second half, he exploded with 6 receptions, 112 yards, and 2 touchdowns…

2. The Greatest Super Bowl Comeback Ever… Almost
The greatest comeback was in Super Bowl XXII. The Washington Redskins trailed the Denver Broncos 10-0 at the start of the second quarter, but scored 35 unanswered points to put the game away…

1. Big Ben Does His Best Joe Montana Imitation
…you can’t have an instant classic Super Bowl game without a late game winning drive. (Okay, there’s the Titans vs Rams game but that’s the exception.)…

The article goes into more detail explaining every reason, so make sure to check out the link above to view the entire piece.

The reasons listed above are pretty compelling. Yes, Super Bowl XLIII had several great moments (Harrison’s interception, Fitzgerald’s big play, Holmes’ TD catch). But for me, the game was sloppy on a whole, uneventful in the first half outside of Harrison’s touchdown, and often controversial at times. I thought it was one of the greatest fourth quarters of any Super Bowl played, but not one of the greatest games.

If you want to be technical, I think Brainz.org is right – it was an instant classic. But so many people are coining XLIII the best Super Bowl ever played and I don’t think it even tops two other Bowls in the same decade (Super Bowl XLII between the Giants and Patriots and Super Bowl XXXXVIII between the Panthers and Patriots).

Did Santonio Holmes really get two feet down?

If you look at these pictures from SPORTSbyBROOKS.com (via Will Leitch’s personal blog), yeah, Holmes did:

Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes

From the looks of that second picture, it appears to me that he stuck both feet into the ground and therefore it was a touchdown. The top picture (which some media publications are using to prove that Holmes didn’t get two feet in), was likely taken either before or after the second photo. In fact, if you look at the first and third photos, Holmes has a piece of the turf stuck in his shoe. In the second photo, the turf appears to be absent, which would indicate that the first and third photos were shot after the second photo and therefore Holmes got his right foot down.

Later I’ll be reopening the JFK case by looking at evidence photos, so make sure to stop back.

Kurt Warner likely to return to Arizona next season

Despite the recent talk that he could retire this offseason, it looks like Kurt Warner will return next year as the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.

Kurt WarnerHe will be back. And he likely will sign a new, two-year contract extension – possibly in the neighborhood of $18-20 million – to try and lead this once-woebegone franchise right back into glorious history.

Give it two weeks, three weeks tops.

That was the word circulating through the Warner camp before and following the Cardinals’ 27-23 loss to the Steelers in Tampa. And unless management completely drops the ball and short-changes the quarterback at the negotiating table, it’s appears to be a done deal.

Still, Warner would make no such public assumptions. He did say on Tuesday he wants to finish his career with the Cardinals.

“That’s my mindset,” he said. “If I’m going to keep playing, I don’t want to change teams.”

Outside of Anquan Boldin and Todd Haley’s possible departures, Arizona is the perfect place for Warner. He benefits playing in a dome eight times a year because his arm strength is fading fast, he knows the offense and he has a multitude of weapons at his disposal. At this point in his career, he can’t be the guy anymore but he can obviously be very effective in the right situation. And the Cardinals are definitely the right situation for him.

Patriots favored to win Super Bowl XLIV

Despite becoming Super Bowl champs less than 72 hours ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t even favored to win next year’s Lombardi Trophy. According to odds makers, that honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV.

Bill BelichickIronically, the Steelers aren’t even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys’ bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

Granted these odds will change every week throughout the offseason, but it’s a bit surprising to see odds makers favor the Patriots despite their pending decision about what to do with Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. Apparently the online sports books feel that the public will still favor the Pats again next year, as well as the Cowboys, despite Dallas’s continued troubles in making the playoffs and getting past the first round.

The NFC Champion Cardinals have opened as 30/1 long shots to win Super Bowl XLIV.

Kurt Warner to retire?

The National Football Post is reporting that Kurt Warner is, “really giving some thought” to retiring.

I really hope Warner comes back and plays, but based on what I’ve heard, he is really going to give retirement some thought. This is not a negotiation ploy, this is Warner being very serious about his life.

The thought of Warner retiring might come as a surprise to some considering he’s coming off one of his best seasons as a pro and just led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. But he is 37 years old, is a major contributor off the field to various charitable groups and he already thought about retiring once this season when teammate Anquan Boldin was seriously hurt against the Jets in Week 4.

But it’s doubtful he walks away now. He’s a free agent and there’s no doubt the Cardinals will make a push to retain him in order to make another Super Bowl run. He might consider retiring or leaving Arizona if the team makes major changes this offseason, but that’s doubtful considering they’re coming off a Super Bowl appearance. If I were to make a guess at what happens with Warner, I would say he re-signs with the Cards for one-year and makes it his last.

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