Cardinals off to a flying start

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 10/10/2007

 The Arizona Cardinals have finally joined the fun in the sun other sports franchises in Phoenix have experienced — they’ve started winning. The Phoenix Suns, with former NBA-MVP Steve Nash, have been knocking at the door, and the Arizona Diamondbacks in baseball are playing the Colorado Rockies for the National League Championship. The Phoenix Mercury just captured the WNBA Championship last month, and Arizona State University is 5-0.

 So far, the Cardinals look like a team on the rise in the NFC. Winners of three of their last four games and two in a row, the Cardinals’ nest is now atop the NFC West at 3-2.

 First-year Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt has inherited a talented young football team whose foundation was built by Rod Graves and Dennis Green, and game by game the Cardinals are playing consistently good football.

 Indianapolis, New England and Dallas are all 5-0 and look like Super-Bowl teams. The Cardinals have lost two games on the road, 20-17 to San Francisco and 23-20 to Baltimore on the game’s final play.

 After back-to-back wins over previously unbeaten Pittsburgh (4-1) and St. Louis (0-5), the Cardinals have a share of first place in the NFC West with Seattle (3-2). All five of the Cardinals’ games so far have been against franchises that have been to the Super Bowl and have established traditions of success.

 The Cardinals have been winning with a two-headed quarterback: Starter Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner have shared time at quarterback in the last four games with successful results. Warner, a two-time NFL-MVP, led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV win over Tennessee.

 “This win today is not so much about me coming back to St. Louis and winning in the Dome,” said Warner, “although the memories are special. It’s about this [Cardinals] organization and taking steps that this organization needs to take, like winning on the road. This win today is about the Arizona Cardinals and the organization — where we are trying to go.”

 Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald with a seven-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to help the Cardinals prevail 34-31 over the Rams. Fitzgerald has been on fire — he grabbed nine passes for 136 yards to lead all receivers. Last week, Fitzgerald had a game-high 10 receptions for 120 yards in Arizona’s 21-14 upset of previously unbeaten Pittsburgh.

 The Cardinals have had some key injuries to overcome. For the second week in a row, Pro-Bowl receiver Anquan Bolden could not go — he has a painful right hip injury — and number-one draft pick offensive starting right tackle Levi Brown has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Leinart, the Cardinals’ starting quarterback, was injured in the Rams game; he suffered a fractured left clavicle and could miss six to eight weeks.

 “It feels good to play,” said Warner. “I think everybody in that locker room and the coaches knew that I could still play. It was no adjustment when I went in there, and there has been no adjustment the last couple of weeks. It’s always nice to be able to showcase that and get out on the field and show people that you can still play and are still healthy enough or young enough to be able to do what you’ve always done.”

 

Fitz Notes & Quotes

Vikings first-year running back Adrian Peterson has been nothing short of sensational. The NFL selected him as the NFL Rookie of the Month for September.

 His record-setting month included an NFC-best 383 yards rushing and NFC-leading 549 yards from scrimmage. He has already tied Chuck Foreman’s Vikings rookie record of three 100-yard rushing games in one season, which was set in 1973. Peterson has averaged 137 yards per game rushing and receiving for the 1-3 Vikings.