NFL.com’s Schein: Cardinals will contend for Arizona Super Bowl
Apr 1, 2014, 7:32 PM | Updated: 7:33 pm
Just because it has never happened before does not mean it will never happen.
But up to this point, no team has ever played in a Super Bowl it was hosting.
The Arizona Cardinals, naturally, would like to be the first to do so, and they’ll have their shot to accomplish the feat in 2014.
And as far as NFL.com’s Adam Schein is concerned, they have a legitimate change.
In a piece laying out his ‘bold calls’, Schein puts the Cards making a run at the Super Bowl.
Am I delusional? Nuts? Or is this a visionary take?
Here’s the truth: I don’t know right now if the Arizona Cardinals are one of the top six teams in the NFC. But they are among the top seven. Of course, that’s the difference between being a playoff team and staying home.
I feel the same way about this team as I felt in the back half of last season: If the Cardinals make the playoffs out of the tough NFC West, they’ll be dangerous, what with that incredible, play-making defense. Veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald is a stud. I loved the pickups of offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, receiver Ted Ginn and tight end John Carlson. And remember, guard Jonathan Cooper — a 2013 first-round pick — is coming back this year after missing his entire rookie season due to injury.
Meanwhile, general manager Steve Keim compared running back Andre Ellington to All-Pro stud Jamaal Charles on my SiriusXM Radio show, “Schein on Sports.” I buy it. And so should you.
At last week’s NFL Annual Meeting, second-year coach Bruce Arians openly talked about becoming the first host team to make the Super Bowl. That’s the expectation. The only challenge? Getting into the playoffs.
But I do indeed love the Cardinals this season.
The Cardinals finished 10-6 last season and were arguably one of the best teams in the NFC by the time they were finished playing.
And while they have added some key pieces during the offseason, they have also lost some effective players. The 2014 Cardinals will be different than the 2013 version, which means they’ll have to prove themselves all over again.
But if they can find a way to be one of the NFC’s top six teams, then they’ll have a chance to make some history.
