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Thursday Notebook: Cardinals

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2009

SEEKING A FAST START, WHISENHUNT CLEARLY MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE

Kurt Warner or Matt Leinart?

That was the decision Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt had to make at starting quarterback before the season began.

The Cardinals are in the Super Bowl, so Whisenhunt obviously made the right choice going with Warner. But he said it wasn't an easy decision.

Whisenhunt's decision came on a Friday night after the Cardinals' final preseason game.

"At that time I felt I needed to make a decision to prepare for our first regular-season game, which was eight days away," Whisenhunt said. "It was very difficult from the standpoint because I liked a lot of the things that Matt had done for us in the preseason and the way I had seen him grow and handle the competition, and obviously Kurt had a very good preseason.

"It came down to making a decision at the end of who gave us the best chance to start fast."

Leinart is a former first-round pick in his third year out of Southern Cal. Warner, an 11-year NFL veteran, has played in two previous Super Bowls with St. Louis, winning it after the 1999 season.

Brett McMurphy

WORST EVER? THEY'LL TAKE IT

Don't bother calling the Cardinals the worst Super Bowl team ever. They've already heard it.

"We're in the Super Bowl, people say we stink, we're the sorriest team to ever make the Super Bowl," DE Travis LaBoy said. "If that's the case ... we stink and everyone else stinks worse. Obviously they ain't here, so you can't say anything negative about the Arizona Cardinals. We're here at 'The Show' and a lot of people aren't.

"It's funny, these so-called professionals predicted: Arizona Cardinals are never going to beat Atlanta, Arizona Cardinals are never going to beat Carolina. These fools need to go ahead and retire. You got people talking about football that have never played football."

Brett McMurphy

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT

The Steelers have the championship legacy and the huge, rabid fan base to match, but the Cardinals are making strides on that front.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt on Thursday praised the long-suffering fans of Arizona for their support after a third consecutive season of home sellouts. Those full houses in 2006 and 2007 could be attributed more to the novelty of attending a game at University of Phoenix Stadium, but the fervor inside the building has escalated in a hurry this season with the Cardinals' improvement on the field.

Whisenhunt made sure the home fans knew how he felt by taking an impromptu victory lap around the stadium after the Cardinals' victory over Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.

"It's been a long time coming for the state of Arizona, for the city of Phoenix, for this football team to have some success," Whisenhunt said. "I came from Pittsburgh, which has a great fan base; they're very supportive of that football team. It's exciting for me to be building that in Arizona and to see it come to fruition for us in playoff games, the most important games of the year, was a big thing for us."

Marc Lancaster

READY TO STAND IN

Just like Eric Dungy, the son of former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy, Larry Fitzgerald grew up on a football field.

While Eric Dungy tagged along with his father to various practices and games, Fitzgerald spent his formative years with the Minnesota Vikings while his dad covered the team for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

So Fitzgerald has all the faith in the world that Dungy will do right by him when the Plant High junior portrays the Cardinals receiver in a simulation game at Raymond James Stadium tonight.

"I've know 'Little Dungy' for a long time," Fitzgerald said. "He's like me. He's been around football his entire life. He always texts me to ask what can I work on, what do I need to improve on. He's really a student of the game.

"I know he's been around Colts receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and all those guys, so I know he's going to put on a show tonight."

Katherine Smith

TIME CHANGE NOT AN ISSUE

The Cardinals were 0-4 in regular-season games played on the East Coast this year. During the playoffs, however, the Cardinals ended that streak with a win over the Panthers in the divisional round. Although his team is adjusting to the three-hour time difference, DE Bertrand Berry doesn't think playing in Florida will affect his team's performance.

"Everybody is going to have to adjust at some level," he said. "I don't think it gives one team an advantage over the other. We're certainly not going to be at a disadvantage for it because we will have been out here for a week.

Nick Williams

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