I Don't Doubt It

And Neither Should You.

The Arizona Cardinals, as predicted, defeated the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago in order to go to the Superbowl.

Now, I know I'm not a sports reporter; I'll be completely frank, I'm not even a huge all-around sports fan. I like baseball, but only when it's live. I like basketball if the local team is in the playoffs, and I only watch the last (and most exciting) five minutes of the game. College sports in any realm doesn't really interest me, there's too many of them to remember - and they are completely different teams every 4 (or 5) years. Local teams I'll keep an outside view of: the occasional "How are the Sun Devils looking this year?" will escape me in man-man conversation; as well as some editorials on their success or lack thereof based on what little I know. Soccer is beyond me, hockey, I don't waste my time. Tennis? Absolutely not - although Wii Tennis is fun. Rugby is a great sport to watch, and I understand it - but ask me what team won the world cup last year and I'll draw a blank.

I like Football. Football I watch.

But even still, my involvement is limited to the headlines. I have Cardinals season tickets, so I know what goes on with them, but otherwise I keep a shaded eye to the rest of the field until the playoffs.

I'm a DJ. I'm interested in music.

I don't get into fantasy football, don't care about the draft... NFC, AFC - eh. Just plop me infront of a hot dog and some beer at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium and I'm back to just being a fan.

And here we are, Cards' fans. The Superbowl.

No one expected it - no one even knows how it happened! Was it bad play from three teams in a row, or just an explosive Cardinals Offense? Are they really that good? All the reporters said the three teams in the way would just walk all over the Cards', "They're just not ready," "They're just not good enough..." The list goes on. Its even funnier to read all the undeniable credit and spirit that the Cards' receive from columnists - so the Cards' can't play the "no respect" card - but yet still they pick the Steelers. Each week they have done this, each week, the Cardinals prove the world wrong. Maybe, just maybe if they win the SUPERBOWL then perhaps they'll get some respect - or will it be attributed to a bad day from the Steelers?

Are they not ready? Let's break it down in this episode of why I (the DJ) think the Cardinals will win Superbowl XLIII.

Let's first give it to the Steelers defense. They are the only thing that stands in the Cardinals way, but that's a mighty big obstacle. The Steelers D has a long lineage dating back to "The Steel Curtain" - known for its blue-collar roughneck, kickass now, never ask questions policy. That bad ass defense still exists today, and they destroy anyone with a running game.

Luckily, Arizona doesn't have a run game. They have a passing game. As long as they contain the blitz, keep the rushing to a minimum, they win. Period. If you don't need further explaination then stop here and Go Cards...

However, stopping the blitz is only half the theory - a bigger theory for a Cardinal Victory is Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Nothing can stop Fitz - we've all now seen this, and now with a healthy Boldin as well, they will be pumping out receptions all evening. The Steelers know this. The question is - where do the Steelies spend their major resources? Are they going to rush the crap out of Warner in hopes to hit him and make him make mistakes, or are they going to quadruple-team Fitz to keep him from making big plays?

As a Cardinal fan - I'm hopping they do both.

The Steelers are great at stopping the run - but spread that D out by tossing a bunch of quick slants and skinny posts inside, and you got yourself a hole for Edge and HT to run through. Keep them healthy by switching them out - and the depth will wear down the linebackers who will be tired of zone covering Pope or Boldin. Fitz is great at blocking to fake the run, so a lot of bump and run fly outs will make the secondary nervous enough to back up a yard, allowing our tight ends some play room for a screen, or giving Warner that time to get the ball out there for a goodnight bomb. Screens and delays will be a huge hit against the muscle team - and lest we forget that there's always room for a gadget trick play at one point in the game, for a highlight film Superbowl Special. The Cardinals are 100% successful in the post season on trick plays, mostly because Fitz has been so talented at just finding the ball in the air no matter how defended.

So doing both will benefit the Cards' a lot. Keeping the Steeler defense guessing and unsure will do even more.

The Steeler offense is just not strong enough against the Cardinal secondary. They have been trained to be more well rounded, on their toes - keeping their eyes open instead of just playing smear the queer.

So who will win? The Cardinals. I think they're going to have a Nationally Televised field day. They got here, they might as well play to win.

Go Cardinals!!!

Championship Weekend

Why I think the Cardinals will beat the Eagles

Let's start with considering nothing but two teams playing in University of Phoenix stadium. Even with two perfectly matched teams, if one of them happens to be the Arizona Cardinals, that stadium will be lit up and there would be no way the other team could hear anything.

Managers from the Atlanta Falcons wondered if our defense knew the snap count, we had that much ups off the ball in that game. And when a team can't hear their quarterback, it doesn't matter how good McNabb can be, there will be mistakes.

But the teams aren't evenly matched, there's much more to each team that makes them strong. The Eagles have McNabb and Westbrook, two all-star players that have shown storybook performances this season. After a lull, McNabb snapped back into his groove - and at the right time - to a Cardinals team that was at an all-time embarrasing low on Thanksgiving night. Since then, McNabb and the Eagles have worked their way back to stardom and won their ticket to the Championship game.

Consider this, however, Warner - who was pretty much considered a wash up in seasons past - has had an unbelievable season connecting with two of the greatest receivers in the NFL, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. The Dynamic Duo has blown away more receiving yards than most other teams in the NFL, Larry topping the charts at #2 regular season yards, #1 by almost double in the postseason.

The Eagles secondary should be prepared, but don't get on your toes and back-peddle just yet: Hightower and Edge may have something to prove in this game, too. Edge has had a forgettable season, while rookie Hightower had a couple games to prove himself worthy to be a member of the NFL - even a TD in the playoffs. But Edge, and the Cardinals' running game came to life against the Seahawks in the regular season, and into the postseason agains both the Falcons and the Panthers. If Edge is on his game, and Terrell "T Smeazy" Smith at fullback is pulling the blocks - watch out for a explosive game by the Arizona Cardinals.

The question then remains, and its this question which will be the answer to who goes to the Super Bowl, who's defense will win this game?

Both teams have explosive, quick moving, powerful offenses; but one team's defense will prevail and lock in a win and a trip to the Super Bowl. This is where, my crowd noise theory comes into play. With our defense working in the fog of noise brought to you by the "Red Sea" of UPHX Stadtium, you got yourself a staggaring advantage on the side of the home team. Not to also mention that one of the least respected teams in the NFL has allowed only 60 and 75 rushing yards in their two playoff games, and had a field day with Delomme last week as they intercepted passes 5 times, and recovered 1 fumble.

Can the Cardinals prevail? I think so. If nothing else, consider my record on picks: I picked Barack Obama to win the Presidency - so I have a pretty good record so far.

But go ahead, bet on the Eagles - it'll make my odds go up.

Go Cards.