I was watching the game at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. My friend John had invited me a number of times to this party but I had never been able to go. He gets complimentary rooms and tickets every year. The Riviera set up a conference room with six large projection screens and provides a great spread of food. Drinks are included as well!

Riviera Hotel Super Bowl Party 2009

This was one of six tables. The food was very good. I was sitting at a table of 6 friends from Colorado. I was wearing that Warner jersey I had just bought and Lance had dug out his Cardinal Plummer one.

When Fitzgerald broke free for that touchdown, the room of over 1000 people erupted in unbelievable pandemonium! There was also a huge sound of disbelief from the Steeler fans, who were the majority in the room.

It seemed the Cardinal defense went into the gear of playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Credit has to be given though, to Pittsburgh’s offense as they made some unreal plays to win the game. It was a depressing ending for we Arizona fans.

I am psyched for next year. There was definitely a feeling that it was not just good enough to get there. There is a committment in this organization to win it. I am looking forward to next season. If Warner returns, and I think he will, this number 13 jersey I just bought will be put to a lot more wear.

I am not one of those that crunches stats or does exhaustive analysis. I’m an observer. After moving to Phoenix just about two years ago and watching the Arizona Cardinals the past two seasons, here are my 4 reasons the Cardinals will win this year’s Super Bowl over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

1. COACHING :: Coach Whisenhunt and his staff have created the expectation and spirit of winning which has been lacking in this organization for many years. There was a failure attitude in the team and fans until this year. I would always hear about how no matter how well the team was playing, they would find a way to lose. Not anymore. Whisenhunt is a winner and has overcome the spirit of losing and replaced it powerfully with the expectation of winning. Ironically, he is the former offensive coordinator for the Steelers when they won Super Bowl 40!
2. OFFENSE / Specifically Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald :: I am amazed at the lack of respect Kurt Warner gets. He has one of the highest career ratings at quarterback. He is a past Super Bowl Champion and 2-time most valuable player. As a matter of fact, he is only one of four quarterbacks in the history of the game to win that award both for the league and the Super Bowl in the same year. With Larry Fitzgerald as the premier wide receiver in the league as his primary target, they will put up some points — just ask the Philadelphia Eagles, who had one of the top defenses in the league. The Steeler defense is suspect at the corner positions, ironically the biggest strength of the Cardinal offense. I will add that the character of both these guys on and off the field is beyond amazing. These are the guys you want to go to battle with.
3. DEFENSE :: Not the Steeler defense but the Cardinal defense! These guys play tough, aggressive football. If they go off, the game could be a blowout in favor of the Cards. They are the reason the team has not had a losing season the past two years, something that had only been accomplshed twice in the last 20 years in this organization. I believe this defense will make the plays and stop the Steeler offense. In contrast, the Steeler defense is faced with the dilemma of how to stop the Card’s offense. If they blitz, as the Eagles did, Warner will find his receivers quickly, as he has proven the ability to do over his career. If they don’t blitz, this will allow Warner time to go to Fitzgerald for the big play. I also believe that there is an advantage to Whisenhunt having had to go against this defense every day when he was the offensive coach at Pittsburgh. I think he will have Warner prepared to make the right reads.
4. THE DARKER UNIFORMS :: Call me crazy, but Arizona will be wearing the RED jerseys and the Steelers the white uniforms and this is an advantage. Many years ago a friend told me that his old high school coach taught them that the darker jerseys were always an advantage. You look bigger, stronger, and tougher. I know that in the PRO game this would never be considered, but why not? These guys all have some very real rituals and superstitions. The RED jerseys are going to be an advantage for this game.

I am confidently predicting a Cardinal Super Bowl victory. And yes, I have stepped up and backed this up in a couple of ways. First, I have put my job on the line by daily challenging my manager, a native of Pittsburgh! I will bring her and the team bagels if her Steelers win, and she will bring the same if the Cardinals win.

For the first time I have splurged and bought an NFL replica game jersey, which I will be proudly wearing while watching the game.

Here it is, just hanging around waiting for the big game. For those uninformed, that is Warner’s number. I hope to make it over to Las Vegas to watch the game with some friends from Colorado. I think we will look like a pretty tough group in those red jerseys … follow up story to come. Stay tuned.

GO CARDS!!

What was I thinking?!

Traffic was horrendous. Here’s a pic of the stadium that I took about a half hour ago. It is a bit skewed as I used the zoom on my Canon Powershot.

Time for kick-off. GO CARDS!

It was thought that the fever had been controlled as the Cardinals had gone on a losing streak after clinching their division. Given very little chance in this game, no pregame announcer picked them to even compete against Carolina, let alone win. At one point in the second quarter, even Coach Whisenhunt’s wisdom was questioned by the network announcer when the Coach decided to go for a field goal with less than a yard to go for a first down. This field goal put the score at 20-7. The announcer criticized the decision saying the score would be 21-20 in no time. He obviously didn’t have the fever.

Authorities are asking residents to stay inside and order their Cardinal paraFANalia from home using the internet. Law enforcement is afraid of the widespread wearing of Cardinal Red might whip up the fever to epidemic proportions.

The Sheriff is also warning that tickets will be issued to any and all those, snowbirds included, wearing shirts where the team’s name is not clearly visible. The fine is reported to be up to $150 plus court costs.

With the Cardinal win Saturday night and Philadelphia’s win today, the NFC Championship game will be played next Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Eagles should prepare carefully. As Sports Illustrated reported, this Cardinal fever is dangerous.

The Arizona Department of Health is monitoring this outbreak closely. They are most concerned how another win and trip to the Super Bowl would cause the outbreak to spread nationally. There would be no stopping the Red Bird fever.

Shockingly, Carolina is now reporting to have made the Cardinal their state bird in honor of the Arizona Red Birds. (See for yourself here, the North Carolina State Bird, the Arizona Cardinal.) Other states have been quick to align themselves making the Arizona Cardinal their state bird as well! They include Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio.

Truly, the Valley of the Sun is in for a momentous week.

GO CARDS!!!

Big Red, Arizona Cardinal's mascot

Big Red, Arizona’s mascot, high-fiving the author, at the onset of this championship season.