Disrespect, as it relates to any Phoenix-based sports franchise, is not something that is foreign to Valley fans. As that disrespect relates specifically to the Arizona Cardinals, however, it is something that has followed the organization dating back to their time in St. Louis. From elite players and coaches alike, no matter if you’re Don Coryell or Ottis Anderson, the bird on the helmet tends to illicit a certain level of mediocrity.
Most of that can be traced squarely back to the Cardinals’ lack of success on the field, coupled with their uneasy relationships spanning three different cities (Chicago, St. Louis, Phoenix/Glendale). It’s no secret that the Cardinals are not a national brand of note a la Green Bay, Dallas or Pittsburgh. Up until the drafting of Kyler Murray, most of their quality quarterback play came from aging veterans who were quickly discarded by other teams. A culture of consistent success was never synonymous with this franchise.
Things did eventually change, however, with the Cardinals making significant strides over the past 15 years thanks to the appointing of Michael Bidwill to team president and owner. Since 2007, Bidwill has nearly singlehandedly raised both the brand and expectations of this once dormant franchise. He helped to fast-track the development of what is now State Farm Stadium after watching his late-father, Bill, share facilities with professional and collegiate teams alike.
Michael Bidwill’s impact on this franchise cannot be overstated. Since his rise to team president, the Cardinals have just five losing seasons. Couple that with the club’s five postseason berths during that span, and the Cardinals are no longer included among the league’s bottom-feeders like they once were. Gone are the days when this team would routinely find themselves looped in with the likes of Detroit, Washington and New York.
Yet even with that significant progress, Arizona still manages to find itself grossly undervalued and disrespected as this season approaches. For instance, even after securing a postseason berth a year ago thanks to a robust 9-2 start, most national media pundits and online critics feel like the club overachieved in 2021.
This may have something to do with the fact that, like most years under coach Kliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals suffered a historic collapse in the season’s final months. Catastrophic losses to inferior teams like Detroit, Indianapolis and Seattle should speak more on Kingsbury’s inefficiencies rather than a lack of talent that was so often lauded during the Cardinals’ scorching start.
So often, the Cardinals’ biggest critics attempt to have it both ways as it relates to their struggles. In reality, however, it’s just not conceivable for this team to be both inept at coaching while also fielding a bottom-five roster. If that was the case, the Cardinals would have been picking in the top 10 of last April’s NFL Draft as opposed to No. 23. Common sense would suggest it’s somewhere in the middle, leaning hard on the notion that the Cardinals have likely underdeveloped a large bunch of their top players. Even so, Arizona should have enough star power on the roster to support a team that had a point differential of +83 last season.
Which is why it boggles the mind to see the likes of Budda Baker, DeAndre Hopkins, J.J. Watt and others consistently disrespected compared to their peers in the lead-up to this fall. While the Cardinals are by no means a 53-man juggernaut, according to the folks at Pro Football Focus, the Redbirds sport only the 23rd-best roster in the NFL. This, coming from a team that somehow went 8-1 away from home last year, with all but one victory coming by double-digits. According to the experts at DraftKings, the Cardinals are currently saddled with a 2022 win total hovering around 8.5, which would put them squarely in the postseason race.
Keep in mind that the Cardinals have to compete in what was once thought of as the toughest division in football (NFC West), facing the Super Bowl champion LA Rams while also squaring off against the AFC’s finest (AFC West). Yet the consensus across the national media landscape would suggest that the Cardinals are practically just Kyler Murray and an expansion-level team.
As frustrating as it’s been to watch general manager Steve Keim sit on his hands at times this offseason, one cannot deny the robust amount of offensive talent the polarizing executive has put together. From newcomers Hollywood Brown and Trey McBride, to offensive stalwarts James Conner and Zach Ertz, the Arizona Cardinals are flushed with playmakers in an increasingly offensively dependent league.
Even with legitimate question marks surrounding both the team’s front-seven and secondary alike, Murray and Arizona’s embarrassment of riches on offense should be more than enough to help the Cardinals contend for most of the season.
That’s not even considering the possibility that the club finally sees a breakout from one of their many high-end defensive draft picks that include Byron Murphy, Zach Allen, Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins. Like so many other Cardinals before them, these raw yet talented young players are still scratching the surface of their potential as top picks. Patience is at a premium in today’s NFL, but case studies like Haason Reddick and D.J. Humphries prove that it just takes some guys longer to adapt.
Which is why it’s worth giving Bidwill, Keim and the rest of Arizona’s coaching staff the benefit of the doubt as it relates to this season. History tells us that the Cardinals typically do better when the rest of the football world doubts them. So do yourself a favor and put down the offseason rankings until Week 1. Contrary to popular belief, the Cardinals do in fact have good players, and they’ll be on display Sept. 11 against Kansas City.
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