Life In The DPC!

I have given my two week notice at work and notified the leasing office at The Heights of my intent to move from the Valley. After approximately 20 months in Phoenix it’s time to head back to California. I have eight days of work until my resignation kicks in and in honor of skipping town I offer my top eight highlights from my brief stay in Arizona.
Larry Johnson vs. Antrel Rolle

*Due to cancelling cable last month I was forced to listen to the ESPN Radio coverage of the 2007 NFL Draft.

The Good:

Oakland Raiders:
JaMarcus Russell is the prototype Al Davis quarterback and is an upgrade out of the gates over Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter. Zach Miller was a good grab in the 2nd round. Also on Saturday night they traded their 4th round pick (105) to Detroit for QB Josh McCown and WR Mike Williams.

Cleveland Browns: Grabbed the most coveted OL in the draft Joe Thomas wiith the 3rd pick and wheeled and dealed to get another 1st round pick, 22nd from Dallas, and grabbed Brady Quinn. Their is the possibility of two franchise players with their first two picks.

The Bad:

Miami Dolphins: Ted Ginn Jr. with the 9th pick was an odd choice when they needed to address their QB issue and Quinn was available.

Detroit Lions: I realize they got the best player in the draft in Calvin Johnson but they should have dumped traded the pick to garner more choices and fill many pressing needs.

The Ugly:

Brady Quinn: He fell from a likely top 10 pick all the way to 22nd. I thought Leinart got shafted last year but Quinn’s recent drop blows it out of the water. On a positive note he went to the team he wanted to but lost some serious cash in the process.

THE Ohio State: Criticism has already been thrown towards Ginn Jr. Antonio Pittman was once conisidered a 2nd round pick and fell to the Saints in the 4th round. Troy Smith went from Heisman winning darling to tanking in the BCS and is now an uncertainty in the draft. On a positive the other Tony Gonzalez went to an ideal situation with the Colts.

The day to renew Arizona Cardinals season tickets has come and gone and there will be no renewal. If I wasn’t moving back to Nor Cal I’d be back at University of Phoenix Stadium in picturesque Glendale, Az. I have openly admitted that my time in Phoenix has been less than stellar but the Cardinals’ game were always a welcome distraction and it’s easy to root for them because they’re never any good. They’re not lovable losers like the Cubs. The Cards are like NFL’s orphans but unlike Little Orphan Annie or Arnold and Willis they never rise above the segment they were born into.

Of course the 2006 season was supposed to be different. They had a new , respectable home. Edgerrin James chose to play for them and they lucked out and grabbed Matt Leinart. Of course these shiny new toys hid the flaws of the collective. Namely a bad offensive line, an aging Kurt Warner, a crappy secondary and of course Dennis Green at the helm. I fell for it and I believe I predicted a 10-6 campaign. Of course they finished the season 5-11 but on a positive note I won some coin by taking them against the 49ers.

The appeal of the Cardinals this year was their ability to lose in creative ways. In their first four regular season home games the Cards blew victoriesthree times in ways rarely, if ever, seen before. In week three against the Rams Marc Bulger fumbled a hand off as they were trying to run out the clock for a certain victory. The Cardinals recovered in the red zone needing a field goal to take the lead. Warner fumbled while trying to hand off to James and the Rams recovered and won the game.

In week five against the Chiefs Neil Rackers shanked a 51-yard field goal with two seconds left. Rackers played in the 2006 Pro Bowl and holds the record for most field goals in a season.

The following week they hosted the Bears on Monday night. Everything has already been written about this game but I must say that this is the greatest thing I’ve seen in person and that includes seeing Sinbad getting his own luggage at O’Hare Airport. My brother witnessed this watershed moment too and I can only assume he realized we were in the shadow of true greatness.

The season went down hill from there, if it is possible to fall farther from grace when you’re 1-5 after six games and in three of those losses were by three points or less. From my perch in section 451, row 11 it seemed that the Cardinals had given up on themselves and chalked the season to another typical atrocity of football but still there was promise.

Matt Leinart  took over for Warner in week five against the Chiefs. In his debut he threw a pair of touchdowns and throughout the season showed why he won the Heisman and two national titles at USC. Of course he spent most of the year running for his life but the talent is there and he validated the hype. Specifically against the Bears he looked tip top while 24-42 for 232 yards, two TD’s and no picks against a very stout Chicago defense. Ultimately he finished the season with 2,547 passing yards, 11 TD’s and 12 picks but one must keep in mind that he was a rookie that skipped a lot of training camp and plays for a bad team.

Will I root for the Cards after I leave The Valley? Of course, I spent too much time, money and effort to not  stay with them. I have an odd love for the Cards. This is likely due to the simple notion that we’re both vagabonds and they’re ability to always beat the 49ers.

Recently hired wide receivers coach Richie Anderson was fired by the Arizona Cardinals after he was arrested for soliciting a prostitute that turned out to be a Phoenix cop.

“I decided to relieve Richie of his duties,” Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt said.“In this particular instance I just thought it was in the best interests of the team to do that. Richie is a quality guy and this is an unfortunate incident.”

Anderson was arrested at Pointe South Mountain Resort. His arrest was part of a police run sting operation.  Solicitation of prostitution is a Class 1 misdemeanor and is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $2,500 fine.

I probably have odd views on prostitutions and this might be based upon living in Nevada for four years but I view in a no harm, no foul mentality. I have a few caveats about that though and mainly is that all parties involved are having good, clean fun. Anderson’s arrest seems to be entrapment to me and he lost his job because of the social stigma associated with hookers or whores (oddly enough ‘whore’ is derived from the Old English ‘hora’ which translates to ’desire’) Strangely enough Detroit Lions Assistant Coach Joe Cullen can get arrested for driving naked and stay gainfully employed.

I spent a weekend in Amsterdam a few years back and their Red Light District was actually clean and non threatening, which is a stark contrast to Reno’s scuzzier areas where the ladies work the street (East Fourth). If you inclined to get down you are afforded non stop window shopping in a fairly inviting environment. Amsterdam has taken the stance that prostitution(which apparently is the oldest profession and I assumed farming was) is inevitable and have put it in a fairly safe and welcoming environment. Local plain clothe police are everywhere and the streets are clean.

By acknowledging that sex sells and that the taxes are even better all parties are satisfied and a random area in the Netherlands is the Las Vegas of Europe. At the end of March Amsterdam is unveiling a statue that honors prostitutes all over the world.

“In many countries, prostitutes struggle and people have no respect for them whatsoever,” Mariska Majoor, a former prostitute who commissioned the statue The statue is meant to give all those men and women strength.”

I held off writing my recap of the 2006 Arizona Cardinals until I had a vague idea on how they were going rebound from their morbid 5-11 campaign that started with the promise of an opening day win against the 49ers and ended with the dismissal of Head Coach Dennis Green. I assumed the Cards would dominate a weak NFC West and cruise to a 10-6 record and I would like to blame alcohol for my prediction but I was stone cold sober when I wrote it.

The optimism was based upon their talent at the skill positions. Two Pro Bowl caliber wide receivers in Boldin and Fitzgerald. The Edge was supposed to solidify a fomerly weak ground game. Kurt Warner is a two time MVP and would be back in a dome throwing darts every which way and the Valley would have its own version of the Greatest Show On Turf. Alas this never happened. Warner fumbled and tanked. The Edge looked a step slow and was left tap dancing to defeat behind a deplorable defensive line. Boldin and Fitzgerald played at their normal levels but it was to no avail. Honestly this was another disappointing Cardinals team and will only be remebered for Dennis Green’s tirade after the Bears’ game.

But there were signs of hope as they finished the season 4-3. Matt Leinart showed why he led the Trojans to consecutive National Championships (AP and BCS, 2003 & 2004 respectively). The offensive line became somewhat solid as the Edge plowed for three 100-yard games in their last five contests. Considering that they started the season 1-8 this was quite an improvement and most importantly they had their energy back after being deflated by three strange and very close defeats (St. Louis, KC and Chicago by a total of six points).

2007 Arizona Cardinals Football. Smart. Tough. Disciplined. - http://www.azcardinals.com/ 

Coach Green was immediately fired after the 2006 came to a thankful end and was replaced by former Pittsburgh Steelers offensice coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. The new head coach has a Super Bowl ring and Ben Rothleisberger as a protege on his resume. High pedigree for sure and comes in as another offensive minded coach (I wanted Mike Martz but that is another tirade for another time).

“What we learned is that quite a few people used the word ‘innovative,’” said Rod Graves, Arizona’s vice president for football operations. “We wanted to make sure that it was his offense, that he was making the calls. We were confident, having researched that.”

Whisenhunt has brought in many of own people, but retained defensive coordinator Pendergrast. His biggest coup was bringing in Russ Grimm in the dual roles of assistant head coach/offensive line . Grimm was on the Steelers staff with Whisenhunt and was in the running for their head coach vacancy and also interviewed for the Cardinals head coaching position.

The new staff seems hell bent on shoring up the offensive line issue and their new motto seems to hint at their 2006 tendency to blow late leads in creative ways rarely seen by the sporting public. Will it work? Maybe, they need the ‘O’ line help and their is slight possibility that Joe Thomas out of Wisconsin might be available as the Cards select fifth in the 2007 NFL Draft.

In all actuality the Cards need to shore up their DB’s and linebackers just as much as their offensive line and some savy pick ups in the draft and in the free agent market could do this. Their won’t be as much optimism in the Valley next fall and this will likely favor the team. No expectations means no disappointment.

Once, if my memory serves me well, my life was a banquet where every
heart revealed itself,where every wine flowed - Arthur Rimbaud, A Season In Hell

2007, like 2006, went out with a whimper. I am not a big New Year’s Eve kind of guy and I haven’t been in bar for it in about five years. I have a tendency to delve into a self reflective inner monolgues when things come to an end and December 31, 2006 was no different then the rest. (Note:Since the age of sixteen, by my best recollection, I have passed out drunk three times before the clock struck midnight) Self loathing is not something that should be advertised to the public at large when you’re out  because it can be a buzz killer so I find it is better to stay home and be pissed off. It is at the end when I think of the beginning and at this point in my life 2006 may have been one of the worse of my 28-years on this green Earth. In my state of deranged and sober recollection the good outweighed the bad by a sizable amount.The positives from 2006 have been slight but they have created a balance of sorts from the negatives that constantly surround me in this Valley of Depravity. First and foremost is Lindsey. Out of respect for her I will keep her private life private but I will succinctly say she was the only bright spot. The Arizona Cardinals were a nice weekly distraction for the fall and winter but it seems we had equal seasons. Until this year I had only been to three profesional games and my overall experience in the dome was tip top despite the losing and now firing of Dennis Green. Also I think I have finally gotten over my fear of flying due to my many trips back home or to Reno. The positives from 2006 have been slight but they have created a balance of sorts from the negatives that constantly surround me in this Valley of Depravity. First and foremost is Lindsey. Out of respect for her I will keep her private life private but I will succinctly say she was the only bright spot. The Arizona Cardinals were a nice weekly distraction for the fall and winter but it seems we had equal seasons. Until this year I had only been to three profesional games and my overall experience in the dome was tip top despite the losing and now firing of Dennis Green. Also I think I have finally gotten over my fear of flying due to my many trips back home or to Reno.The negative aspects are mainly my own doing. I opted to come to Phoenix and work in insurance so ultimately I have no one to blame for this long year but myself. I readily acknowledge that a vast majority of this general malasie is my fault and that notion makes it all the worse. The existentialist in me knows man is responsible for their position in life and this is somewhat refreshing because I can put myself in a position to get my swerve on.

The Chicago Bears come from behind victory of the Arizona Cardinals had grim repurcussions for those associated with the Monday Night Football Malady. Head coach Dennis Green fired his offensive coordinator Keith Rowan the following morning and replaced him with quarterback’s coach Mike Kruczek.“I’ve known Keith for a long time. I have the utmost respect for him,” Green said. “We are not scoring enough points.”

It seems odd to me to fire the offensive coordinator when the Cardinals put more points on the board than any team that has squared off against the Bears this season. Hell, the defense was stout too but I know desperate times call for desperate actions and the promotion of Matt Leinart wasn’t enough to satisfy the Cardinals community. The past few weeks have been very difficult for the Cardinals they blew games against the Rams, Chiefs and now the Bears. A  bit of luck and some execution and they are 4-2 but luck has never been something they have had an abundance of (drafting Leinart aside) and now we get to watch Green melt down before our very eyes.

A part of me feels bad for Green he is in a situation that he can not overcome. The Cardinals are at least two years away from serious playoff contention and most likely he will not belong for the ride when this maturation process comes to fruition. Many of the parts are in place. Leinart the franchise QB. Boldin, Fitzgerald and Johnson the trio of downfield threats. Dockett and Barry anchoring the line. And yet their are holes in this star laden armor but these flaws can be fixed but these soultions of pass and run blocking will not occur this season and Green may not be here to put the pieces in place.

The future is bright for the Cardinals but this season will be like the other 18 that the Cardinals have enjoyed in the desert; mediocrity and crushed dreams from pig skin prognosticators that guaranteed glory and playoff births. If those that jumped on the bandwagon when they built their new stadium stay on through this lean season fruition and the actual fulfillment of off season promises will be realized.

“You’re like a parent whose sons are on opposite sides of a great war. Torn. I do not envy you, my friend.” - Cliff

   There was no issues of loyalty on Monday Night. The Chicago Bears were in town taking on the Arizona Cardinals and I know where my loyalty’s lie.I like the Cardinals but I was raised as a Bears’ fan and I will always be one. The Cards get love when the Bears are not in town. That said, I will succinctly maintain the the Bears’ 24-23 victory was the most bizarre and quite frankly the greatest sporting event I have ever witnessed in person. It’s unfortunate to peak at 28 but I have and the rest of my sports viewing will be down hill.

“I think anybody watching this game was surprised by the ending,” said Head coach Dennis Green. “And you should never be surprised in the game of football.”

And I wasn’t shocked by the ultimate result of the game. I am new to Phoenix and equally naive about the Cardinals but the last three home games have been defeats by a total of six points. In each of the losses the Cardinals had the deck stacked in their favor and found creative ways to blow each one. Neil Rackers shanked field goal attempts in the last two that would have either won the game or sent it into overtime. Kurt Warner fumbled after the St. Louis Rams gift wrapped a come from behind win and last night was a team effort on blowing a game. The Bears scored three offensive points. Their defense and special teams put together the other 21 and the Cardinals blew a 20 point lead.

I blame part of this loss on the Cards’ offensive line. I realize that this is common in any anlysis of the team but this time it really cost them. Leinart had good protection the whole night except on one occasion when Mark Anderson blew around from the left side and blind sided Leinart. The ensuing fumble was gobbled up by Mike Brown and returned for a touchdown. Also, and most importantly, the Cards couldn’t run out the clock in the fourth quarter due to the their inability to open up any holes for James. The Edge finished with 55-yards on 36 attempts.

“First of all they weren’t blocking me,” Brian Urlacher said. ”So that was easy.”

In my perch in section 451 I wasn’t overly worried about the Cardinals before kickoff. They were thirteen point under dogs and the dome was nearly a home game for the Bears. But Leinart showed why he is starting as rookie and as usual the Cards exploded out of the gate. Unfortunately their inept offensive line can’t block, Edgerrin James can’t run and the Cards never went for the jugular of the Bears after forcing six turnovers. This is what seperates the also rans from the upper echelon squads: the ability to put a team away and win games when you are not playing your best. The Cards showed that they have a long way to go and the Bears proved that some of their hype might be legit.