Thursday, Jan. 3, 2002

Team on the rise

In 2002, Cardinals could be the team that shocks the NFL

By Keith Schleiden, managing editor

So who will it be next season?

After long and serious contemplation, I have settled on the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, the Cardinals — the team has won exactly one playoff game since 1947; the team that has rivaled the Bengals in ineptitude in the past 10 or so years.

The Cardinals qualified for the playoffs in 1998, winning a road wild-card game against the Cowboys. People thought that maybe they had turned the corner then. However, they followed up the ’98 season with 6-10 and 3-13 finishes.

This year, the Cardinals are sitting at 7-8, with their final game of the season at Washington. A win vs. the Redskins to finish at .500 would be a huge boost for morale heading into the offseason. But even if the Cards lose this one to finish 7-9, I believe this team could be on the verge of rapid improvement next year.

They have won five of their last seven games. That’s a hot streak that can be ridden into next season.

QB Jake Plummer is looking like a good NFL quarterback again. No longer is he making the poor decisions that have dogged him the last couple of seasons. Rather than throwing a pass he knows he shouldn’t, which often resulted in interceptions, he will duck and run for five yards.

The Cardinals have a big-play receiver in David Boston, who has earned his first Pro Bowl berth this season. The team has the makings for an outstanding offensive line. If Arizona can just figure out how to improve its rushing attack and maybe get a tight end more involved, this offense could be powerful a year from now.

Defensively, have you ever seen a coaching staff get this much out of this little? If you look at the rankings alone, you wouldn’t be impressed. But in the grand scheme of things, this unit has exceeded expectations. Another offseason of infusing some young blood and a sprinkling of veteran free agents, and this defense could get much better in hurry.

Head coach Dave McGinnis has won over the team. He actually did that last year after taking over for the fired Vince Tobin. But to see his players giving their all every week — even though they are out of the playoff race — tells me that every guy on the roster has bought into his system. You might be talking about McGinnis as a Coach of the Year candidate in the not-too-distant future.

The one thing that the Cardinals don’t have going for them is the fact that they move into the NFC West next season. Rather than competing in the NFC East (read: NFC Least), they go to a potential powerhouse division. Gone are games against the Giants, Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles — any of which were winnable. They are replaced by games against new division-mates — the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks. The Rams and 49ers are already in this year’s postseason, and the Seahawks could secure the final AFC berth.

It’s going to be tough to compete with those teams. But I believe the Cardinals will surprise some people next season. After all, if the Bears and Patriots can do it, why can’t the Cardinals?

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2001 - 2002 Season