Arizona's Run To The Super Bowl: Reason To Feel Good About The Texans?

by Tim on Feb 2, 2009 8:53 PM CST in News

Leading up to and after last night's incredibly entertaining tilt for all the marbles between the Steelers and Cardinals, I've read and heard quite a bit of analysis trying to spin the Cardinals' magic ride to the big game as some sort of blueprint and/or inspiration for your Houston Texans making a run of their own in the near future. Basically, the crux of the argument is simply this: Arizona was a bad team for a long time, yet they managed to cast off a seemingly omnipresent culture of awfulness, got hot, and showed anything can happen on any given Sunday in the NFL. Your Houston Texans, of course, have never posted a winning season. But they too can put that behind them and catapult themselves to glory in '09, 2010, etc., the comparison goes. In other words, if the Cardinals can do it, why can't the Texans?

I think that analysis oversimplifies and detracts from what the Cardinals did.

Arizona wasn't a few seconds (or bad calls, depending on what you believe) from a championship because of some magical realignment of the moons. They got where they did because of shrewd personnel decisions, good coaching, and the increasing parity of the NFL. In a league where it's a virtual certainty that there will be a team or two that goes from 6-10 to 10-6 from one season to the next, it doesn't come down to fate. Sure, there's some measure of luck involved, just like you could say is present in any sphere of life. But organizations succeed because they have good people in charge who manage the cap well and pursue players that fit their system. Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin & Co. are very good to great football players who were put in a position to maximize their talents. That, and not some mythical reversal of the NFL's poles, was why the Cardinals nearly shocked the world last night.

Applying that theory to your Houston Texans, there is certainly reason for optimism. Look at the current roster. Look at Smithiak's draft history since 2006. That's why we should be excited about the team's future. Not because if-the-Cardinals-can-do-it-anyone-can-do-it-and-hey-we're-anyone. If your Houston Texans win the Super Bowl in 2009, it's not going to be because Arizona struck some sort of nebulous blow for losers everywhere. Saying otherwise diminishes the achievement.

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this post really did not go in the direction i thought it would go

the cardinals give me hope for the texans because they are pretty similar teams: an extremely explosive passing game and a defense that plays far below its talent level – at least until the defense got hot in the playoffs. i feel like the skill levels of the two teams are not very different, which gives me hope that the texans can make a run. and, of course, i have hope that the texans can improve their defense and actually start the good players and be aggressive.

by cubic on Feb 2, 2009 9:14 PM CST reply actions

Re: Talent Level

See, I think the Cards’ defense is markedly better than the Texans. And that’s not saying that the ARI defense is otherworldly; I just think the Texans’ defense is well below average as a unit, with a few superlative players mixed in.

While I think Houston’s passing game is very strong, I’d probably have to give the edge to Arizona. Three (3) 1,000 yard receivers is ridiculous, though OD is a far bigger threat at TE than Leonard Pope, and Slaton would seem to be an upgrade over Hightower/Edge in the running game.

Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...

by Tim on Feb 2, 2009 9:19 PM CST up reply actions

I agree

I’ve had the same thought as I was watching the unbelievable amount of Super Bowl Coverage this week. All the “experts” thought they were paying Arizona compliments by calling them a cinderalla story and picking them to win, but it was more of an insult.

Ken Wisenhunt (sp?) has only been at the helm for a couple of years, but they’ve made serious progression. And while I think they did play a little above themselves in this postseason, they will be a team to watch out for in the next couple of years. They had the talent all this year, but they were a young team that didn’t know how to win. This postseason though will give them the expectation of winning from now on and the confidence to do so.

I hope something similar happens to us, but if it does it won’t be because we got lucky. It will be because every season we got a little closer, even if the rest of the league isn’t noticing.

Let's get the Texans a better fight song.

by Jake on Feb 2, 2009 9:24 PM CST reply actions

I still think it's worth mentioning

That their division was garbage. You can’t discount the fact that they played SF, StL, and Seattle twice each. They wouldn’t have been in a position to get hot at the end if not for that. Who knows why the hell they decided to commit more to the run near the end, and even more puzzling – why their defense suddenly became aggressive and disruptive. This Arizona team baffles me.

I’m not saying they were a fluke – but I do think it was much more about them getting hot than anything else. I really don’t see many parallels to the Texans. Like Tim said, their defense is (or at least turned out to be) significantly better… but I’ll take our offense any day of the week. Plus, we’ve always been in a killer division.

I couldn’t possibly care less about the Arizona Cardinals, their team, or their fans. I was rooting for the Steelers because of the Kurt Warner overdose I was so sick of, and especially because they broke the SB tie with the Cowboys. Petty, I know. I gotta be me.

Thing is – I really like Whisenhunt. I think he’s going to be a great coach. Clearly he’s on his way… but I feel no sort of weird kinship to AZ because of their past struggles.

Chris - www.HoustonDiehards.com

by HoustonDiehards on Feb 3, 2009 1:18 AM CST reply actions

I was in a bit of a quandry...

My grandpa was drafted by the Cardinals in ’47. As a young Oilers fan, I hated the Steelers. So, easy choice right? Last Tuesday I was in the Portland airport and a young fella named Zack and his family were in line right behind me going through security. He was a huge Steelers fan and was in a hurry to get toTampa Bay to watch the game. However, Zack was having a slow go of it through the security process with his wheelchair. He was headed down there courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He had a huge smile on his face and asked me who I was rooting for. I guess it really was an easy choice.

/mushy crap

by ~Buck on Feb 3, 2009 12:00 PM CST up reply actions

"Luck" in the NFL

The fact of the matter is that luck plays a HUGE factor in the NFL. Anyone who plays fantasy football knows this. The variance in football is humongous due to the small sample size of a season. Injuries play a tremendous role in deciding outcomes as well as inhibiting the progress of a unit throughout the season. Who knows if the Cardinals would have been NFC champs if they had to travel to the (frigid) Meadowlands to play the Giants instead of Philly at home? We all saw how they faired against the Patriots in inclement weather just three weeks prior. It took a #6 seed to make it to the conference title game for them to have an opportunity for a home game.

Let me just say that I am a firm believer that a team can only worry about who they play on THEIR schedule, and I am not taking away ANYTHING from what the Cardinals did. They beat the teams that they were matched up with and made it to the Super Bowl; and on the biggest stage, they played like champions and looked every bit deserving of the Lombardi trophy. All I am saying is that luck (and health), in addition to talent and discipline, plays a big role in determining the outcome of the NFL season.

by tubbsmoya on Feb 3, 2009 2:54 PM CST reply actions