Revenge of the Birds
3-9-0.
That is what the Arizona Cardinals. A club that is teetering on losing double-digit games this season. There are five games left on the calendar. Two are home games. The Cardinals have already been stricken from the playoff invitation list. No, sir, no custom-printed invites will be sent to 8701 S Hardy Dr, Tempe, AZ 85284-2800.
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Despite not getting into the postseason, there is plenty to play for. For one, finish the season strong and build on that momentum for next year. Secondly, the squad plays the Los Angeles Rams in two of the final five contests. Be a spoiler with a division foe. Lastly, play for your job.
NFL players can get paid bank. They are young and can set up their children’s children if they are a superstar, or be compensated like a royal if they make a roster at all.
Yes, it’s a sport. Play for the money. Get paid handsomely.
Does anyone realize how many pro football players are out there that would love to become the 53rd man on any NFL roster? The United Football League is eight teams’ worth of guys as a perfect example. Athletes who end up in the Canadian Football League are there, taking a huge pay cut. Then there are the indoor leagues, such as Arena Football One, where guys get paid $600 a game plus apartment rent.
And how does a guy go from being in an NFL training camp to working for rent money? Being cut over and over. Not doing their job. Sleeping in meetings. Being over the 30-year-old threshold. Lack of effort. Lack of production.
That last one hits home. Instead of making progress, they regress. One year is tolerable, but after that, a player’s measuring stick gets shorter. Then, the label “journeyman” gets applied, followed by “free agent.”
The entire Cardinals’ roster will be going through auditions for the final five games. Guys will be evaluated by the entire season, but now that they know they will be watching the playoffs from their big screen TVs at home, these five games will be a test. A test to see what each player is made of. A test to measure their intensity levels and competitive nature. A test to see who is still playing to win, and who has cashed out.
Here are three players that the Cardinals should take a good, long look at to determine if they will return or find gainful employment elsewhere next season.
In last year’s NFL draft, the Cardinals thought they hit the lottery by improving both sides of the ball. They selected WR Marv Harrison out of Ohio State with the fourth overall pick in Round 1, and then could not believe that DE Robinson was still on the board later in the same round with the #27 pick, who was a powerful rusher who had a standout Senior Bowl. One blue-chip stud for both position...
