I showed up to the Arizona Cardinals game yesterday with high hopes. These same hopes were dashed through one half of football last season. This time is going to be different, I told myself. This time we’ve seen what this offense can do. I believe in the #HailMurray Era. I believe in Kliff. My belief for both of them supersedes my disdain and lack of trust for the brass in the front office. It’s going to be different.
First drive by Carolina yesterday, strip sack and fumble recovery. See? I told you. It’s going to be different starting today. First Arizona Cardinals possession resulted in a Larry Fitgerald touchdown. Yes! Feels good. Even for a media member who has no real skin in the game aside from my positive sanity, you want to see the team you cover succeed. It makes things more fun. Ask teams who cover the Patriots. No wonder they’re less ruthless than their counterparts in New York.
Then, as “Cloud Nine” for Arizona Cardinals fans started to poke its head out, everything changed. No it wasn’t just one play. No the Cardinals weren’t out of it after their first drive. After a Carolina touchdown and a couple punts followed by a field goal for the Cardinals, it happened. Kyle Allen threw a 52 yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore. It wasn’t the fact that Carolina took the lead that had me gasp. It was the moment I realized that Vance Joseph didn’t have the ears of his side of the locker room. I sat back in my chair in the press box and mumbled to myself “Oh no.”
We all know what happened in the second half. An undrafted quarterback put up numbers that would make Tom Brady blush. The Cardinals lost 38-20 at home in what could be equated to a high school team losing their homecoming game to a team whose kicker played quarterback. It was a brutal feeling to watch the season slowly slip by even though you promised yourself you wouldn’t get your hopes up to talk positively about the team.
I thought it would be different. It still may be. The Cardinals may turn the season around and salvage a couple wins. But fool me once, shame on me. Fool me into trusting Bidwill and Keim multiple times, that’s also a shame on me scenario. So, in summation, shame on me.