Kolb hits Stephens-Howling, who races 52 yards for the score. Kolb was rather excellent in the second half and the Cardinals improve to 5-7.

12:37 left in overtime

Cards get bailed out by a pass interference on a play that would have set up a 3d and 19, and Kolb is taking advantage. The QB looks good, finding Andre Roberts, and the Cards are at midfield. Wait, no, a false start on Levi Brown pushes them back five. To be fair, he was due.

15:00 left in overtime

Cards will start at their own 20. Kevin Kolb has never played in an overtime game in the NFL. First time for everything, right?

Start of overtime

The Cardinals win the toss to begin overtime and will start with the football. Will they give Dallas another shot?

:02 left in fourth quarter

No block, but it didn't matter. Bailey misses the kick and we're heading to overtime.

:07 left in fourth quarter

Pass to Bryant gets the ball to the Arizona 31, which is where the Cowboys will attempt the game-winning field goal from. It's a 48-yarder, so no chip shot. The Cards have blocked their fare share of kicks this year, do they have another in them?

1:15 left in fourth quarter

Cowboys look like they got the first down, though the refs are reviewing just to make sure. The defense must come up with a big play here -- a sack, an interception, something. Dallas is nearing field goal range.

2:00 left in fourth quarter

Tony Romo runs around in the backfield forever, finally finding Jason Witten for a loss of one. Anyway, it's 2nd and 11 from the Dallas 44. Big play coming up here, Cards would do well to make it third and long.

3:09 left in fourth quarter

Oops.

Cards go three-and-out after a GREAT play by Kolb is wasted on a Doucet drop. Cards kicking from their own end zone, great Dez Bryant return is nullified by a block in the back. That's fortunate.

Still, Dallas has the ball at their own 32. Plenty of time to get into field goal range -- if not more.

3:59 left in fourth quarter

They are indeed, as the drive stalls and Arizona forces a punt. Unfortunately the ball dies at the five, which is where Arizona will start their drive. This could be a game winner, but at the very least the Cards can't afford a quick three-and-out.

6:27 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals offense fails to really get much going, as the pass rush proves to be too much. Punt lands in the end zone and the Cowboys will have the ball with a chance to possibly win the game on this drive. Is Arizona's defense up to the challenge? They've been good today...

9:51 left in fourth quarter

A well-rested Cards defense comes up big, and a third down sack leads to a Dallas punt. Cardinals will have the ball at their own 20, and Kevin Kolb has a chance to put together a game-winning drive for the first time since...umm....

13:08 left in fourth quarter

Kolb looked good on that series.

Some nice throws lead to a first and goal situation, which Beanie Wells converts for a touchdown. We're all knotted up here at University of Phoenix Stadium.

End of third quarter

Beanie Wells runs for six and that's how the third quarter will end. The last 15 minutes were pretty much a waste, as all the teams did was trade field goals. Arizona still down seven.

:28 left in third quarter

Cards will start drive from their own 21, can the offense build off what it did the last time it had the ball?

:34 left in third quarter

Dallas drive stalls, Bailey hits a 37-yard field goal to push the lead back to seven. Long drive, defense did well to keep this a one score game.

It's not a good football game, but it is a game.

2:06 left in third quarter

Dallas faces a second and 17 after a sack, though they are moving the ball fairly well. Ball is at the Arizona 24, as this third quarter is just flying by. Amazing what happens when offenses move the chains.

8:13 left in third quarter

Nice kick coverage pins the Cowboys at their own 16 to begin this drive. Dallas' offense showed signs of life late in the first half, will it carry over?

8:18 left in third quarter

A nice mix of passes to Fitzgerald and solid runs puts the Cards in the red zone, but a fourth-and-goal attempt from the one is ruined by a false start from Brandon Keith. Feely kicks a field goal, Cards trail 10-6. Better, but not good enough.

Start of third quarter

Cardinals will get the ball to start, down 10-3. Halftime was solid, as I went to get some apple cobbler. Seeing how they were out of whipped cream, I audibled to grabbing a vanilla ice cream cup. A couple scoops later, my cobbler is ala mode.

In other news, the Cardinals REALLY need to get something going on offense. Run, pass, whatever -- just move the ball.

Halftime

Cowboys put together a half-hearted drive, which ends with a Calais Campbell sack.

Initial thoughts: Arizona's defense has played well, the offense not so much. Is Kolb rusty? Maybe, but this was par for the course before he got hurt.

Either way something is going to have to change, otherwise the defense will wear down and give up some more points.

2:00 left in second quarter

Third down pass is shorter than the sticks, so Cards will be punting. Again. Dallas will have the ball with plenty of time to make something happen, and you get the feeling if they score here going into the half this game could get ugly in the final 30 minutes.

2:54 left in second quarter

Cards start drive from their 20 and Kolb immediately hits Fitzgerald for nine yards. First catch for Fitz, and Arizona actually moves the ball forward. Nice.

Next play is a pass to Doucet for a loss of two. Yep, sounds about right for today.

3:09 left in second quarter

That didn't take long.

Romo finds Jason Witten for a nice gain, one play later he hits Dez Bryant for a short touchdown. Cowboys take a 10-3 lead, and with the way Arizona's offense looks it almost seems insurmountable.

Almost.

4:19 left in second quarter

Kolb sacked again and then a third down pass falls incomplete. Cards will be punting from their own end zone. The offense stinks so far today.

Nice return on punt means Dallas starts from the Arizona 33. Great.

5:50 left in second quarter

Felix Jones forgets to look for the ball. Good break for the Cardinals, as it saves a touchdown. Bailey comes in and boots a 50-yard field goal off the upright and through, so now the game is tied at 3.

9:54 left in second quarter

No bueno. Fitz almost makes an amazing catch on a bomb, but the ball falls incomplete. Next play Kolb misses an open Doucet, and Arizona punts from the four. Dallas penalty is a break for the Cards, as the Cowboys will start the drive from the 38.

11:03 left in second quarter

The answer is yes.

Dallas gets a big pass play but then the defense buckles down, causing Murray to lose yards on runs and then a 3rd down sack of Romo by Dockett.

Good punt, Cards will start from their own three.

13:30 left in second quarter

Sack, short run, sack lead to punt. Kolb looked not so good on that series, holding the ball too long and just staring down the rush. Gotta do something with it.

Punt puts the ball at the Dallas 28, can the defense keep holding the 'Boys down?

End of first quarter

Cardinals get a first down as Kolb finds Housler, big play. Quarter ends with the Cards up 3-0.

Early thoughts on Kolb: he looks pretty good. Missed one throw down the field, but has done a good job with the short stuff. Good decision-making, hasn't panicked in the pocket. Will it keep up?

1:53 left in first quarter

Big kick return negated by a sack. Romo looks a bit off, Cardinals force a punt. Nice job by the defense which so far looks up to the challenge of stopping Dallas.

Punt is downed at the 10, Cards will go to work.

4:13 left in first quarter

Cards move the ball with some passes to Roberts, but a sack, a false start lead to a third and long that sees Kolb do everything right but make the throw. He stepped up in the pocket and threw to a wide-open Robert Housler, only the pass was low and too far in front of him.

Arizona settles for a Jay Feely field goal, a 3-0 lead, and a flurry of "What does Kolb have against Housler" tweets from the media.

7:21 left in first quarter

Romo throws incomplete on fourth and two but Dallas is bailed out by calling a timeout just before the play. Thinking better of it, looks like the Cowboys will attempt a 53-yard field goal.

Kick is juuuuuuuuust a bit outside. Cardinals get a break in the field position game.

Cards will start drive from their own 43, and it'd be nice to see them at least get a first down. How rusty is Kolb? We'll soon find out.

9:55 left in first quarter

Decent Wells run, a quick pass to Roberts and a one-yard loss on 3rd and 1 leads to a Cardinals punt. Not a good start for the Cards' offense, as they are losing the field position game early. Oh, a fair catch interference penalty won't help things, either.

Cowboys will start their drive from the 44.

11:53 left in first quarter

Cowboys get the ball to midfield before Romo decides to throw a couple balls out of bounds. Punt is fair caught at the 11, Cardinals offense (led by Kevin Kolb) will go to work.

Cowboys will begin the game with the ball on their own 20. Stadium isn't at all full, but looks like a decent amount of visiting fans here. Arizona's defense has a chance to set the tone early against one of the NFL's better offenses.

The Dallas Cowboys are coming to down, and they will bring a legion of Silver and Blue clad fans with them.

My family had season tickets for the Cardinals throughout my childhood, so let me preface this all by saying I saw a lot of bad football. Like, real bad. Bad to the point where some wouldn't have even considered it "NFL" quality.

But one game every year was different.

"America's Team" would roll into the desert, sometimes as Super Bowl champions, always as our hated rival. There is not a doubt in my mind their fans didn't feel the same way about the Cardinals, but whatever - I hated the Cowboys and I figured they weren't too fond of me, either.

They deserved the hate.

The Cowboys were good. The Cardinals were not. The Cowboys were popular. The Cardinals were not. The Cowboys had a roster chock full of future hall of famers. The Cardinals had Aeneas Williams and Larry Centers. Jerry Jones would walk around the building with Super Bowl rings. Bill Bidwill had a bowtie. The Cowboys represented all that was bad in the world, whereas the good guy Cardinals were powerless to stop them.

Hell, the only time the Cardinals ever beat the Cowboys was in the movie Jerry Maguire, and unfortunately that wasn't real.

No, the Cowboys were our Grinch, even ruining Christmas in 1995 by beating the Cardinals 37-13. Sure, Larry Centers leaping over a diving Larry Brown will go down in history as one of the coolest plays ever, but the game was so bad Buddy Ryan didn't even stick around for the finish.

Still, it was always my favorite game of the year. There are few things like a sold-out NFL stadium - regardless of who the majority of fans are cheering for - and it was fun feeling the "us against the world" mentality that came with being a fan of Big Red at the time.

Then came the second game of the 1997 season.

The Cardinals finally broke through and beat their nemesis as when a Kevin Butler field goal bounced off the right upright and through in overtime, giving Arizona a 25-22 win on national TV.

The atmosphere that night was electric, as many of us (13- year-old me included) created signs in hopes of being shown on TNT. Not sure if my The Cardinals are Next to beat The Cowpatties made the cut, but it was in the building. Interestingly enough, by the time the night was over the goalpost the ball bounced off of was not.

Jubilant fans (of which I was not one -- thanks, Dad) stormed the field, dug up and carried the goalpost out of the building, taking it down Mill Avenue. The term "act like you've been there before" didn't apply because, quite frankly, Arizona Cardinals fans had never been there before.

That's how much the game against Dallas meant. The Cardinals could lose every other game that season (and for the most part, they did), but beating the Cowboys made everything better. We just didn't know it would until it actually happened, and the moment that kick bounced through the uprights the tide started to turn.

That was the night the Cardinals - and their fans - finally stood up to the big, bad bully, punching them in the mouth and saying they would no longer be there for the Cowboys' amusement.

The next season featured a pair of regular season losses, including one where the Cardinals rallied from a 28-0 deficit only to be denied when the refs failed to call pass interference on a pass that would have tied the game. No big deal, though, as we got our revenge a couple months later when the Cards went to Texas Stadium and whipped the Cowboys 20-7 in the Wild Card round. That game was as sweet as it was magical, and it marked the beginning of the end of Dallas' reign of terror over the rest of the NFL.

You're welcome.

Since then the Cardinals are 6-6 against Dallas, as the move from the NFC East to the West has left meetings between them few and far between.

Sure, there was the 9-6 Cards victory in Tempe back in 2002 that gave the Cardinals a 4-2 record and, to be honest, set the game of football back at least a decade, the 2008 game that Arizona won after taking a blocked punt back for a touchdown and last year's Christmas game that featured the epic John Skelton vs. Stephen McGee quarterback duel, but it's just not the same.

No Cardinal fan should ever yearn for the days at Sun Devil Stadium, as metal bleachers, bad food and small concourses did nothing to make bad football and a stadium full of Cowboys fans more tolerable, but Cardinals fans were certainly a different breed back then.

Sunday's game was announced as a sellout - the 60th consecutive for the Cardinals since moving into the new stadium - and chances are good fans wearing red will outnumber those in blue, and that's a good thing.

The contracts of Steve Nash, Mickael Pietrus and Vince Carter would all be off the books, with their respective departures leaving the team with roughly $29 million in contracts on the books.

With players like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Boris Diaw and Dwight Howard set to hit the free agent market, Summer 2012 would be known as the Summer of the Suns, where the team would reverse its fortunes and become a contender, much like it did back in 2004.

The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley says this season will be the team's chance to impress that group, and Arizona Sports 620's John Gambadoro tweeted that the Suns could be the only team with enough cap space to sign two marquee free agents next summer.

Sounds great, but I've got three words for you: Not. Gonna. Happen.

Dreaming is free and it sure is nice to imagine Howard sporting a Suns jersey while throwing down lobs from one of the game's best young point guards, however Jared Dudley is more likely to win the NBA's slam dunk contest than the Suns are to sign a young superstar.

It's not that Phoenix would not be willing to pay, because it's unfathomable to think the team would have made a run at the game's elite with lowball offer. The Suns may be cheap, but they're not dumb. Or is it that the Suns may be dumb, but they're not cheap? Hard to remember, but I digress.

While money does indeed talk, a player will look at other factors when choosing between similar offers, and today's stars are more likely to choose the Knicks, Nets, Clippers, Lakers, Bulls or Heat long before the Suns.

These are not your father's Phoenix Suns, who once had an owner who was so well regarded that players would take less money to play for Jerry Colangelo's team.

Danny Manning, Wayman Tisdale and A.C. Green all took less than market value in order to wear purple and orange, and they helped make the Suns a championship contender. More recently players like Tim Thomas, Jalen Rose and Grant Hill all chose Phoenix because of the chance to rehabilitate their careers and, maybe more importantly, win.

The former isn't really a concern for any player the team would be targeting as a franchise-changing talent, and the latter isn't even really a possibility right now.

As ESPN's John Hollinger points out, the new CBA did little to help the Suns, who are in bad shape if the goal is to contend in the immediate future.

No CBA can undo the damage Sarver has done to the team in the past few years. In an attempt to save money, he gutted one of the most exciting teams in the league and is left with a roster of middling, overpaid players and Steve Nash. Nash is leaving sooner or later and the Suns will have to seriously consider moving him now if they want anything back.

Hollinger goes on to say that it's going to be a frustrating few years for Suns fans, and he's right. Quite frankly, there isn't much going for the team at the moment, and there will be no quick fix via 2012 free agency.

While it's true that many big-time players will be changing addresses in the near future, the majority will be sent packing via trades, an option the Suns did not use with Amare Stoudemire (and rightfully so, they did go to the Western Conference Finals) and thus far refuse to even consider with Steve Nash.

Throughout their history, the Phoenix Suns have done a great job of staying competitive, often times by adding solid free agents to an already impressive roster. The closest they've come to adding a top talent was when they signed Steve Nash in 2004, but even then it wasn't a maximum contract and most thought the team overpaid for the player. The Suns were bidding against only the Mavericks, and simply offered the future MVP more money. Great move, but not at all comparable to what the team is hoping to do in 2012.

Next summer the Suns would be competing against multiple teams for the services of great young players, each of whom would instantly turn a franchise's fortunes around. However, today's stars are fond of joining forces and forming "super teams," a strategy that lends itself to an unbalanced league that, unfortunately, will not lead elite players to the desert.

Upon reading the news, my reaction was simple and, maybe, a little unexpected.

I yawned.

Sure, it would take something incredible to elicit a different response, since the lights were off and I was about to hit the hay.

However, as the lockout dragged on through the summer and into the fall I legitimately found myself not really being concerned with the game coming back. Of course, on a professional level I couldn't be more pleased to have another team to cover and something else to write about, but on a personal level I didn't find myself missing the game like I did back in 1998.

Maybe that comes with me growing up a little since then. After all, I'm no longer the same kid who would find at least a small part of every game - all 82 plus playoffs - but still, I was a little shocked that the sport and team I loved the most as a kid were placed on the backburner as an adult.

Even now, nights that would have been otherwise reserved for the Suns are filled with adult-like chores and, when done with those, other forms of entertainment. There has been no void, no real loss. No Suns game? Fine, I'll go and watch Dexter, Homeland or one of the other fine shows on TV these days. Already done with those? Maybe the Coyotes are on.

I'm not the only one who feels this way, either.

Point is, the NBA will have to earn its way back into people's lives, and the problem, at least the way I see it, is that there is no Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin or Kevin Durant to look forward to seeing at the US Airways Center. There's not even a LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant or Dwight Howard. There used to be an Amare Stoudemire, but we know how that turned out.

What there is, in actuality, is a Steve Nash, and as great as he is we learned last year that health and an ineffective supporting cast can make even the best look relatively pedestrian.

Then again, maybe Marcin Gortat develops into one of the game's better centers, Jared Dudley continues to improve, Channing Frye further cements himself as a pretty good player and Grant Hill returns and continues to defy Father Time. More likely, however, is that we will get a repeat of last season's mediocrity, with the team simply treading water and going nowhere.

Even with the league coming back, chances are good excitement over Phoenix Suns basketball will be slow to return, especially with the type of team that is expected to take the court. As of now many Suns fans just waiting for the day when the team hits it big in the lottery or sees a new ownership group take over.

The NBA nearly lost an entire season, but would it have really been missed?

Want to win the press conference at Arizona? Talk about going to the Rose Bowl and making beating Arizona State a priority.

Rich Rodriguez did both Tuesday as he was introduced as the new football coach at Arizona Tuesday, and after wading through all the clichés, platitudes, jokes and anecdotes there was one simple, undeniable fact:

Arizona football is relevant again. Or for the first time.

"We had great interest in the position, and the name we kept coming back to throughout was Rich Rodriguez," Byrne said.

It is apparent athletic director Greg Byrne set out to hit a home run with this hire, and Rodriguez represents a hanging curveball.

You see, it's worth remembering the fact that this is the University of Arizona, so there was no chance an Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Les Miles or anyone of the sort would be interested in the job.

No, Arizona was either going to get a hot shot coordinator, a successful head coach from a smaller school or a retread who, for whatever reason, is looking for a new job. Arizona tried the coordinator route when it hired Stoops, and that didn't work out as hoped. So why not go with someone who had big-time success in a big-time conference not long ago?

"I had a long discussion with Urban Meyer during this process," Byrne said of the former Florida coach. "He said, ‘Greg, if you hire Rich Rodriguez you're getting one of the five greatest minds in college football. That would be an incredible hire for the University of Arizona.'"

Sure, Rodriguez does not come without some baggage. He left West Virginia under shady circumstances, was kicked out of Ann Arbor after just three years and has had run- ins with the NCAA over compliance issues.

But he's also won. A lot. That's more than could be said for pretty much every coach who has been hired to lead the football program.

Still, some are concerned with his lack of experience coaching out west, thinking he will struggle to land recruits because he's unfamiliar with the area.

Rodriguez said he will hire coaches with west-coast ties, and the guy already has familiarity with an Arizona high school called Chaparral, and they've been known to produce a quality player or two.

And Rodriguez has been known to produce some exciting teams.

"You'll see a passionate team, you'll see a team that's committed, you'll see a team in great shape and you'll see a team that plays hard," Rodriguez said.

As someone who has been in the sports journalism profession for a while now, there are few times I'm left pretty much in awe of an athlete I talk to. However, my chance meeting with Jake Plummer over the weekend did exactly that.

You see, earlier in the week our own Doug and Wolf interviewed Plummer, and at the time I couldn't help but think that the former ASU and Cardinals QB seemed to have a good head on his shoulders and was someone who, to be honest, was amazingly content with his life.

I wrote a story and left it there, figuring no more would come of it. I was wrong.

Spending Territorial Cup eve in Tempe amongst friends (who just so happened to be ASU fans), Plummer walked into the bar we were at and stopped to chat for a bit. The conversations ranged everywhere from ASU athletics (Plummer had no idea I was a Wildcats fan, more on that later) to life in general.

Paying attention to every word, everything Plummer said made sense, much of it in a "wow, I hadn't really thought about it that way" kind of way.

Jake offered to buy a round for everyone, talking about how he is 36 and retired so it wasn't an issue to pay for a few drinks. We all thanked him, and then he realized I was wearing my Arizona hat. Oops.

Telling him I was also a Cardinals fan, Plummer joked that he wouldn't have bought me a beer had he known where I went to school. We chatted a bit about the rivalry - this year's game, especially - and agreed that we just wanted to see a good game Saturday evening.

Now, maybe that's because I expected the Wildcats to lose and just hoped it would be mildly entertaining. Naturally I'd love to see the ‘Cats destroy the Sun Devils and leaving little doubt or time to worry about the outcome.

Regardless, it was certainly interesting to discuss the rivalry with someone who had actually played in it. Plummer was complimentary of Arizona QB Nick Foles, saying "he can really wing it," and really didn't seem to have any hate for the school.

Maybe that's the benefit of having made a lot of money playing in the NFL, retiring in your 30s and living a life out of the spotlight. He knows that no matter what happens in the game life does go on. And let's be honest here, if we've learned anything over the last few weeks in college football, the fact that there are more important things in life than football has to be at the top.

I'd like to think I already knew that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked the Wildcats pulled the upset. Saying otherwise would be a lie, as the last couple days have certainly been better because of the game. That is my school, you know.

But as Plummer seems to have learned, everyone who has an interest in the "Duel in the Desert" is a sports fan at heart, and that's a bond we all share, regardless of what color you were wearing at the game.

And maybe that's the most important thing I can take away from the weekend. Besides, of course, a win for my alma mater, a year's worth of bragging rights and a really old cup.

My 2-8 Wildcats visit Tempe to face off against the 6-4 Sun Devils in a game that, outside of the state of Arizona (and let's be honest, even inside the state), doesn't really mean much.

So, it goes without saying that I cannot wait for this one.

In fact, in a way I'd rather this game not happen. I'd rather this column not happen. But the schedule makers insist that this one be played, and the bosses (or karma, really) are making sure I write this. My just desserts for writing some ASU hit pieces, perhaps? I don't know, but I don't think anything I've written deserved the kind of season I've watched the Wildcats play.

At any rate, the game is going to happen and I'm already knee deep into this column, so no point in quitting now. I wish the Wildcats had the same mentality.

I'm going to be honest with you: I don't see myself leaving Sun Devil Stadium a happy person Saturday night. No, I fully expect the Sun Devils to more closely resemble the team that had people talking about a contract extension for their coach than the one that lost the last two weeks. The Sun Devils, after all, still have something to play for. The Wildcats? Not so much. In fact, most are referring to this as Arizona's "Bowl Game."

Have you seen the Wildcats in bowl games the last couple years? Eeek.

While you may think the Sun Devils haven't lived up to expectations, the team from the Old Pueblo has found a way to really underachieve, and that's saying something when few expected anything substantial out of them.

Big losses to Oklahoma State, Stanford and Oregon put the team in a hole they could not dig out of, but on the bright side at least Arizona can hang its hat on the fact that they were tied with the ninth, sixth and tenth ranked teams during their games. Yes, 0-0 at kickoff counts, and you can't take that away from me or the team.

Losses at USC and Oregon State cost head coach Mike Stoops his job soon after, and save one amazing night in Tucson against UCLA (how did that happen, by the way?), the beat has just gone on as the beatings have continued. Only now, instead of losing to some of the best teams in the country, the 'Cats have taken suck to an entirely new level, being non-competitive at home against Utah and on the road against Colorado. Yeah, the same Colorado team that had exactly 0 Pac-12 wins prior to playing Arizona.

Do the Wildcats have one more good game in them? Can they go to Tempe, pull off the upset and let me leave a college game with a smile on my face for the first time since October 23, 2010? (Yes, it's been more than full calendar year since I saw an Arizona victory in person.)

No.

Now, you can say "anything can happen in a rivalry game" all you want, but the truth is only twice since 1978 has the team with a losing record beaten one with a winning one.

So while I'd like to point out many reasons why I think Arizona can win this game, there really is only one: ASU's pass defense.

Apparently the Sun Devils have just a handful of healthy defensive backs, and the fact that the team got torched for 494 yards by freshman Connor Halliday last week in Pullman should give plenty of optimism that senior and UA record-holder Nick Foles can do the same.

With receivers like Juron Criner, Dan Buckner, David Douglas and Gino Crump to throw to, Foles has tallied the third-most passing yards in the country to go with his 23 touchdown passes. The passing game can be elite if the offensive line can keep the QB vertical. They haven't been able to do that often enough this year, and ASU's much- maligned defense could easily right the ship Saturday.

Remember, there's a reason the 'Cats are 2-8 and, undeniably, the worst team in the conference. No matter how bad you think the Sun Devils are right now, I promise you ain't seen nothing yet.

Or is it?

Quarterback A has completed 56.8 percent of his passes for an average of 7.5 yards per attempt, has a 1:1 touchdown to interception ratio and has been sacked an average of 3.4 times per game. His QB rating stands at a solid 77.8.

Quarterback B has completed 54.7 percent of his passes for an average of 7.2 yards per attempt, has a 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio and has been sacked an average of 3.5 times per game. His QB rating is 84.1.

Quarterback A is Kevin Kolb, and it's worth noting that the only thing he did to earn the starting QB job is get traded for and sign a contract extension. Nothing he's done on the field makes him seem like a better option than Quarterback B, John Skelton, which is why the second-year pro should be the starter going forward.

It's not that Skelton is Tom Brady circa 2001. He's done a solid job the last two games - both wins - but is hardly the reason for the victories. Skelton has played a significant role, and that is something no one can ignore. At least, they shouldn't. The Cardinals shouldn't.

Most pointed to the defense and special teams as why the Cardinals beat the Rams a week ago, and they were right. The QB didn't mess things up, but he was hardly brilliant. He wasn't brilliant in Philadelphia on Sunday throwing a pair of really bad interceptions, but he was resilient in leading touchdown drives after each turnover. He was clutch, leading scoring drives of 84, 89 and 87 yards, including some ridiculous throws on the game-winner. He was the first Cardinals QB to win away from Glendale since September of 2010, and is now responsible for four of the team's eight wins in the post-Kurt Warner era.

Why ignore that?

The common theme for most seems to be the Cardinals made a hefty investment in Kolb and would be foolish to bail on him now. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a second round pick and a big contract extension was the price to bring the QB to Arizona, and the Cardinals owe it to themselves to try and make it work.

Well, the trade happened and it's not getting reversed. Why let one mistake lead to more? I believe the term is "sunk cost," and the team should not worry about the past, rather it should focus on the future.

The Cardinals' fifth round pick out of Fordham last year, Skelton has started five games for the Cardinals, winning three.

As ESPN's Mike Sando notes, that gives the QB the highest win percentage among Cardinals QBs in the Ken Whisenhunt era.

Of course, it would be foolish to give all the credit to Skelton, as he's been aided by outstanding defense and special teams in wins over some pretty lousy competition, including Sunday against the hapless Rams. And it's not as if he's been lighting the world on fire with his arm, as he's completed less than 50 percent of his passes and thrown just three touchdowns in six games.

But the 6-foot-6 signal caller showed poise in his first start of 2011, a fact that was not lost on head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

"I think that was the most important thing [Sunday]," Whisenhunt said. "He missed a number of things."

Whisenhunt pointed to the pair of safeties Skelton took, but noted that young quarterbacks tend to make mistakes. Skelton is just 23, after all, and the team's starting quarterback, 27-year-old Kevin Kolb, was responsible for giving an opponent two points just a couple weeks ago.

It's all just part of the growing process.

"He made some really good throws for us," Whisenhunt said. "I think that if he has to play more, he'll even get better with more time."

Skelton probably will, and it's worth wondering how high his ceiling is. Because with his size and mobility (Skelton rushed for 38 yards) along with his willingness to stay in the pocket and step up when necessary, it would appear the Cardinals have something to work with at the QB position.

If nothing else, the team has confidence with Skelton under center.

"That guy is really confident in the huddle," said Andre Roberts, who resurfaced Sunday for five catches and 55 yards. "He is a leader. Whenever we put him in the situation, he gets it done."

All that said, there is no chance Skelton will supplant Kevin Kolb as the team's starter. No, Kolb is the guy this year, especially considering the investment the team made in him and the fact that it would be premature to toss him aside after just seven starts.

Besides, even while earning the win Skelton was inconsistent, completing 20 of 35 passes for 222 yards and one score against the Rams. He made some poor throws but, conversely, made some passes that made you go "wow." That includes the fourth quarter touchdown strike to Larry Fitzgerald.

"Just peaks and valleys I think," Skelton said when asked to rate his performance. "We had some positive drives that we didn't finish."

That's going to happen with a quarterback making just his fifth career start, and the running game - other than what Skelton provided - was virtually non-existent Sunday.

But that didn't matter in the end, because the Cardinals got the win and the fans got to see another QB run the show. Was he great? No. Was he bad? No. Was he good enough to make the Cardinals reassess what they have at that position?

Absolutely.

The cheers could be heard from a couple rooms away.

Sure, in the grand scheme of things all it means is the Cardinals are 2-6 instead of 1-7, but the fact that they won - especially the way they did - was certainly worth smiling over Sunday. Because really, how many times does a team win on a walk-off punt return, as receiver Larry Fitzgerald called it?

"You have no idea how hard it's been coming up here six weeks in a row trying to put something positive on losing," a smiling Fitz said. "It's a great feeling to come out of here with a W today."

And he wasn't about to apologize for the team reacting as if this was something more than one 1-6 team beating another.

"We haven't won a game since Week 1, we were elated," he said, talking about the finish. "You can't hold it in."

The last six weeks have not been easy on the Cardinals. Some of the losses have been close, others not so much. No matter how it happened, each one left players and coaches having to explain what went wrong, talking about how they were close and that they were not going to give up on the season.

And while a win over a team that notched its first win of the season one week ago will not a season turn around, you better believe snapping a losing streak and winning a close game will give this team new life.

"Emotionally for your team it gives you a lot to build off of going forward," a hoarse Ken Whisenhunt said. "The belief in our guys defensively now on how to run our scheme is going to go up exponentially.

"Offensively it's much easier to correct your mistakes… when you have a win."

And there is plenty to correct.

The offense, in the first half, was downright offensive. Arizona mustered just 58 yards - total - and trailed 9-3. John Skelton was just 6-of-11 for 65 yards, Beanie Wells had just two yards on seven attempts and some Cardinals fans had to be yearning for the days of the Derek Anderson-led offense. Hey, at least you could chuckle when an open receiver is overthrown by 15 yards, whereas Sunday the Cards were just missing on some plays. No running game, an inconsistent passing game and a pair of safeties (yes, really, two more) left the Cardinals trailing 13-6 heading into the fourth quarter, with the seven point deficit looking rather insurmountable.

The game seemed like something we'd seen over the last six weeks, but then something strange happened.

The Cardinals started making plays.

John Skelton, who got the start at QB for an injured Kevin Kolb, led the team on a nine-play, 84-yard touchdown drive to tie things up, throwing for 47 yards and rushing for another 28. The final 13 were on a beautiful pass to Fitzgerald, with No. 11 scoring for the first time since Week 3.

The defense held the Rams on the next drive, stuffing Steven Jackson twice when he needed just one yard for the first down. The second time was on fourth down. No points scored, game still tied.

That helped set the stage for Patrick Peterson's game- winning punt return in overtime, the final play in a day filled with just enough for the Cardinals to get the win.

"We've had guys step up and make plays, periodically, through games, but we weren't able to close some games out," Fitzgerald said. "Today guys really stepped up.

"Blocked field goals, the fourth down stop, punt returns; a lot of guys made some plays."

Indeed, this win was a team effort.

The defense was strong all day, not allowing the Rams to reach the end zone. The offense came alive when it mattered most, with Skelton leading the way. Special teams was just that, blocking what would have been the game- winning field goal for St. Louis and then, finally, scoring on Peterson's 99-yard return. In overtime.

"The team has some character," Whisenhunt said. "What you have to do is you have to win some of these games like this in order get on a roll, in order to make a turn, hopefully that's the first step in that [Sunday]."

It's the team's first step forward in nearly two months, and don't ask them to feel bad about doing so with a little gusto.

Cardinals force the Rams to punt, got good pressure on Bradford. Punt is returned 99 yards for a touchdown. I see you, Patrick Peterson. Wow. Cardinals win 19-13, losing streak over.

Start of overtime

Rams win the toss and will receive. First one to score in overtime wins. First one to score advances record to 2-6, so honestly, do they even win? We'll find out.

End of regulation

Block! The Cardinals burst through the line and block Brown's kick, preserving the tie and sending this game to OT. Wow.

:12 left in fourth quarter

Patrick Peterson flagged for pass interference at the 32, Rams have the ball with time for one more play. They give it to Jackson who rushes to the 24. Sets up a 42-yard attempt for Brown, who has been perfect on the day. Will be the final play of the game.

:15 seconds left in fourth quarter

Check that, timeout is given back due to some rule I've never heard of. Rams throw incomplete, 3rd and 6.

:18 left in fourth quarter

Mike Adams down after making a big hit. Cart comes out to take him off the field. Rams have the ball on Arizona's 37 but are now out of timeouts. Can look down the field but must get out of bounds. Still a long field goal from here.

:51 left in fourth quarter

Punt isn't great, Rams begin at their 36. They have one timeout left.

1 minute left in fourth quarter

No conversion, Cards pick up 8. Zastudil on to punt, has a chance to pin the Rams back deep.

1:07 left in fourth quarter

Skelton sacked, fumbles, recovers, loses 16. 3rd and 26 for the Cardinals. Ugh.

1:41 left in fourth quarter

Rams run Jackson to the left, stuffed for a one yard loss. Fourth and two they go for it, run left again, and don't pick it up. Cardinals get the ball back on their own 33. No timeouts left but not a long way to go to get into Feely range.

1:54 left in fourth quarter

Cards call timeout after the Rams pick up nine, third and one. Game on the line with this play?

2 minutes left in fourth quarter

The stage is set, so to speak. The Rams have the ball at Arizona's 42, are a first down away from being within field goal range. the Cardinals have a pair of timeouts left, so a couple first downs would mean the Rams get the last possession. It's 2nd and 10, the defense really has a chance to step up here.

4:38 left in fourth quarter

The Cardinals defense, which has been great this half, has a chance to really do something here. The Rams only need a field goal, can the Cards get a stop? If so, can they get it with enough time left for the offense to have a chance?

4:51 left in fourth quarter

I stand corrected. Skelton puts together a fantastic drive, mixing some nice throws in with some outstanding runs. He caps it off with a perfect pass to Larry Fitzgerald for a 13-yard touchdown, tying the game up.

8:34 left in fourth quarter

Rams punt is fair caught at the 16, where the Cards will begin their next three-and-out. Presumptuous? Perhaps. But hard to expect otherwise right now.

9:59 left in fourth quarter

Four plays, two yards, one punt. It was a good one, but Michael Adams is called for fair catch interference, meaning the Rams will start their drive at the 27.

11:18 left in fourth quarter

Defense comes up big again, forcing a punt. Cardinals start their drive at their own 34. Only 66 yards to tie it up, right? Only...

13:29 left in fourth quarter

Cards drive stalls after a LSH drop and a missed route by Andre Roberts. Zastudil punts it to the 10, where the Rams will begin their drive. They appear to have the most insurmountable seven point lead ever right now.

13:44 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals have the ball at the Rams' 41, moving the ball and looking moderately competent. Can it last for another 41 yards? Arizona called a timeout, let's hope they don't need it later.

End of third quarter

Skelton with a couple nice throws and the Cardinals have the ball on their own 37. Only need another 63 to tie this game up.

Interesting game for Skelton. He's made some bad throws but also some very, very good ones. Good pocket presence, poor accuracy. Would be helped by a running game.

1:24 left in third quarter

Defense does a nice job forcing the punt, Cards begin drive at their own 5. Anyone up for a third safety? Didn't think so, let's hope the Cardinals feel the same way.

3:31 left in third quarter

Ever see two safeties in one game? Well, now you have. Skelton called for intentional grounding in the end zone, Rams now up 13-6. Seriously, who didn't see this coming? One way or another we knew this game would feature bad football.

3:38 left in third quarter

Cardinals defense makes a stand, forcing the Rams to punt after an incredibly strange drive. As bad as Arizona has played, the Cards are a touchdown away from taking the lead. Of course, that would require the team to actually score a touchdown. Drive starts at the Arizona nine.

7:24 left in third quarter

Oh yeah, that two yard line? Same end zone whee the Cards got called for a safety two weeks ago against Pittsburgh. Why is that relevant? Well, Skelton was sacked in the end zone, score two more for the Rams. 11-6 in a game that is as bad in person as you'd think it is.

8:11 left in third quarter

Cardinals defense gets the job done after a rough start, forcing a punt. That's the good news. The bad news is the punt is downed at the two, meaning the Cardinals have a long way to go. I'm intrigued.

Still 10:30 left in third quarter

Kickoff goes out of the end zone for a touchback. Rams will begin drive from their own 20, and the Cardinals could sure use a stop.

10:30 left in third quarter

Skelton makes some excellent throws to get the Cards down the field but the offense stalls and Feely boots a 38-yard field goal through the uprights to make the game 9-6.

Skelton note: he rarely seems to be under pressure today. Not sure if the line is doing a better job than they have with Kolb or if the fact that he just stays in the pocket and makes his reads doesn't give the illusion of pressure. Either way, I'm impressed with the guy's pocket presence.

14:54 left in third quarter

Cards get the ball and will start from their own 22. To say the offense was abysmal in the first half would be an understatement. No running game, iffy passing game. Need better. Obviously.

Halftime

Josh Brown kicks his third field goal of the game, this one from 41-yards outmaking it 9-3 as we head into the half.

Is anyone surprised with just how bad this game is? They shouldn't be...

1:56 left in second quarter

We're at the two minute warning and the Rams have the ball at their own 44. I'd say they're driving but in this game you never know. Defense really needs to get a stop at some point on this drive and make sure the score is no worse than 6-3 heading into the half.

3:40 left in second quarter

Daryn Colledge does his best impersonation of a turnstile and gets Skelton crushed in the backfield on 3rd-and-9. Play comes after Skelton nearly gets Fitz broken on a pass play. Cards punt.

5:20 left in second quarter

Cards burn a timeout before getting chance to run what may have been an awesome play. Patrick Peterson was lined up in the backfield next to Skelton. Yes, Patrick Peterson.

Skelton finds Andre Roberts on the next play. Roberts, ladies and gentlemen, is your leading receiver today.

I know.

7:02 left in second quarter

Adrian Wilson blows up Jackson in the backfield on 3rd- and-1, Rams forced to settle for a 37-yard field goal. Rams up 6-3 now. The score between the two teams last season here was 19-6 Rams. Lots of field goals then. Stoked to be seeing more of the same today.

10:45 left in second quarter

Bradford looks good, Rams are moving the ball. Cards defense needs to come up with some sort of play here.

13:13 left in second quarter

Cards drive stalls after Beanie Wells can't convert on a 3rd-and-1 run. Wait, is it even really considered a "drive" if the team only gains nine yards? Anyway, Rams to start from their own 31, best starting field position of the day for the visitors.

End of first quarter

We've played 15 minutes in Glendale and the score is 3-3. Honestly, who could have seen that coming?

Anyway, some quick thoughts:

Bradford looks pretty good for a guy who hasn't played in a couple weeks.

Skelton doesn't look bad, either. Not great though, needs to get his timing.

That's about it. The game is 3-3, you know.

b>:22 left in first quarter

Rams go with a flea-flicker deep to Lloyd who, not surprisingly, can't outrun Patrick Peterson. The rookie makes the interception and the Cards have the ball at their own 10.

3:04 left in first quarter

Cards go three-and-out. Oops. Skelton a little late on the third down throw, preventing Doucet from having a chance to get the necessary yardage. Punt puts the ball at the Rams' 13 to begin the drive. Defense didn't get much rust and Bradford seemed to find his timing.

4:33 left in first quarter

Stephens-Howling takes ball out from deep in the end zone and gets it to the 17. Should have taken a knee. Am I the only one who has been less impressed with Hyphen's returns this year? The new rules seem to have hurt him.

4:38 left in first quarter

Josh Brown comes in and kicks a 48-yard field goal to tie the game. Defense was OK -- got a little pressure -- but not really enough. Bradford got going, that's bad. Can Skelton do the same for the Cards?

6:40 left in first quarter

Rust gone? Bradford looking impressive, avoiding pressure and delivering strikes to Lloyd and Gibson. Not what the Cardinals wanted to see.

10:44 left in first quarter

Rams begin drive No. 2 from their 15. Sam Bradford, who ruined the battle of the backups by actually playing, looked a bit rusty on the last possession. Rams will have to rely on Steven Jackson (as does my fantasy team), but you have to think the Cardinals know that...

10:56 left in first quarter

Cards drive stalls at the St. Louis 9, as Skelton throws incomplete on a couple balls. So far, interesting. He stood tall in the pocket, didn't scramble (didn't have to) and even found Andre Roberts. Jay Feely's FG gives the Cards a 3-0 lead.

14:00 left in first quarter

Late start with the notes today. My alarm clock thought we were on daylight savings time. Who does that, anyway?

As for the game, Cardinals lose the toss but hold the Rams to a 3-and-out, forcing a punt. Arizona will start its first drive at the Rams' 37, great chance to get off to a fast start...with John Skelton under center.

That was the day my dad and I decided against going to Sun Devil Stadium to watch this abomination of an "NFL game", instead deciding the game downtown was more important.

You know, Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.

Indeed, I was fortunate enough to have a ticket for the game, and what transpired that afternoon is easily the greatest moment in my sports fan career.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way, either.

Now, I'd be lying if I said I remember it all vividly, because I don't. Eighteen at the time, I was perfectly aware of what the game meant and the all, just, you know, a lot's happened in the 10 years since (including college) so you'll have to forgive my fuzzy memory.

One thing I do remember is the anticipation. You see, my dad and I had tickets for Game 7 - and only Game 7. There was no guarantee that game would happen but, to be honest, I really just wanted the team to win the series. Do it in four, five, six - I don't care, just win the damn trophy.

But as Byung-Hyun Kim continued to choke away games at Yankee Stadium the possibility of a seventh game grew stronger, and after the 15-2 beatdown in Game 6 it was a reality. Game 7, here we come.

The entire day was spent waiting for the game. Who cared about Sunday school. Hell, who cared about the NFL (is it weird to use the word "hell" right after talking about Sunday school?), the Diamondbacks were about to play the Yankees in a one-game, winner-take-all showdown.

The pitching matchup could not have been any more delicious, as it was Curt Schilling vs. Roger Clemens. The D-backs pitcher had carried the team through the postseason and was going to make his third start in the series, whereas Clemens was very much at the top of his game. It was like the Super Bowl, only for baseball. It was awesome.

Not to be cliché, but the atmosphere in the building was nothing short of electric. From Jessie McGuire doing the national anthem to the white pom poms everyone was rocking, it was nothing I had ever seen before.

And through five innings the game was what we should have expected: a classic pitcher's duel.

Schilling and Clemens were tossing shutouts, making hitters look foolish for even thinking they might get a hit.

The D-backs took the lead in the sixth inning when Danny Bautista doubled in Steve Finley, but was thrown out going for third leaving the D-backs up by just a single run. The lead evaporated the very next inning, helping to set the stage for one of the greatest finishes ever, and it began with a devastating moment.

Alfonso Soriano hit a home run, and this was before he was Alfonso Soriano. The second-baseman hit a homer to left field, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning. I remember wondering how Schilling, who had been so great, could give up a home run at that moment. Replays would show the ball was at Soriano's ankles and it was not a pitch he should have been swinging at, but that didn't matter.

The air had literally been sucked out of the building, and Schilling exited to a standing ovation. Everyone was appreciative of the job he did, but in reality the general thought was "that was it" for the 2001 Diamondbacks. It was about that time it started to rain -- yeah, rain -- as the roof was open and the weather, like the game, had gone south. Mystique and aura? You almost had to start believing. It wasn't until Game 6 starter Randy Johnson entered the game a couple hitters later that excitement started to build again. I mean come on, the guy threw 104 pitches less than 24 hours earlier and now he's back on the mound?

Johnson got the final out of the inning, but then reality once again set in.

The Diamondbacks were down 2-1 and now had to deal with the prospect of Mariano Rivera…again.

Maybe this would be the time someone finally gets to the Yankees star, right? Not exactly.

Rivera struck out the side in the eighth, and it seemed like the Diamondbacks were one inning away from losing the World Series. At home. In front of their fans.

But Johnson retired the side in order in the top of the 9th, and the stage was set.

Now, we all know what happened next: Mark Grace singled, Rivera threw Damian Miller's bunt attempt into centerfield and Jay Bell's sacrifice didn't work. It was first and third with one out, and Tony Womack stepped up to the plate.

Womack doubled a 2-2 pitch to right field, tying the game. At that point I knew the D-backs were going to win. I think the rest of the stadium did, too.

Craig Counsell was hit by a pitch and Luis Gonzalez stepped up to the plate. That season's hero, it was only fitting that he delivered the game-winning hit.

The stadium erupted with a mix of excitement and surprise, as Valley fans really didn't know what winning a championship was like. We learned that day, and it was great.

Does it get any better than that? I have my doubts.

We've seen it lead to the demise of one excellent coach in the Valley, and I fear we're watching it happen again today.

Indeed, Ken Whisenhunt appears to be going down the same road already traveled by Mike D'Antoni, one that leads a once highly-regarded coach out of town simply because he was too stubborn to do what was best for the team and, ultimately, him.

Before D'Antoni's time in Phoenix ended he was supposedly asked to actually devote practice time to defense and work to develop a bench. Having won 232 regular season games over the previous four seasons, Mike felt like he knew what he was doing and that his system worked. Many thought his "system" was Steve Nash, but it didn't matter. He took being asked to change personally and decided he no longer wanted to coach in Phoenix because of it.

He hasn't found success since.

Fast forward to today and you'll see similar patterns with Whisenhunt.

Coach Whiz is arguably the most successful head coach the Cardinals have ever had, but none of that matters now as the team has followed a 5-11 season with a 1-6 start. The idea that Kurt Warner was the sole reason for Whisenhunt's success seems to have some merit, as Arizona changed from playoff contender to "Same Old Cardinals" the day No. 13 retired.

But there's more to it than that. In fact, the signs were visible as early as the 2010 preseason.

The day Whisenhunt decided he was done with Matt Leinart was the day the clock on his time in Arizona started ticking away. Leinart may very well be the worst quarterback in history, but Whisenhunt decided to not let the man prove it on the field and instead demoted the presumed starter during the preseason, which infuriated the former Heisman Trophy winner. The decision to go with Derek Anderson was 100 percent Whisenhunt thinking he could make someone who had completed 44.5 percent of his passes the previous season a legitimate QB. He would succeed where everyone else had failed. And why wouldn't he feel that way, his system worked for Kurt Warner.

Wrong, but it wasn't the coach's fault. The system works, we were told, and it was all about players making mistakes.

Once thought to be a brilliant coach who adapted his system to the talent he had, Whisenhunt is proving to be a guy who would instead prefer to force the talent to fit his system. Bad idea.

But that would all be fixed if the team could find a real quarterback, which they did this past summer. However, six weeks into the regular season there is already talk about Kevin Kolb's footwork being a mess and the QB being slow to pick up the system, issues we heard Leinart had, too. It's a little understandable for Kolb, given the lack of an offseason, but if that's the case why throw so much at the QB so soon?

The same is happening with the defense now, which is on its third coordinator in four seasons.

Problem is the defense still can't stop anyone, and star players like Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson are struggling to make any sort of positive impact. While Wilson's decline could be attributed to age, the guess here is Dockett's is more because he's simply being used incorrectly. In this system. Which Whisenhunt wanted.

This is Coach Whisenhunt's fifth season at the helm and thus far he's compiled a 33-38 record. Of course, he's just 6-17 since Warner retired, with the losses coming by an average of 14 points a game. The team has barely been competitive at times, something that is inexcusable in today's NFL and shocking given how talented this team was just a couple years ago. And many of their issues -- especially on the offensive line -- have been around since the day the coach was hired.

ESPN's Ron Jaworski said last week, as far as the Cardinals' struggles are concerned, that "it's either poor coaching or dumb players."

It's likely a combination of both, which ultimately falls back on the head coach.

Unfortunately like D'Antoni, Whisenhunt is a smart guy, one who should be able to see what the problems are and work to fix them. Clearly D'Antoni needed to improve the team's depth and defense, and it's obvious Whisenhunt needs to adapt the system to the players he has until he gets the players he really needs.

That hasn't appeared to be an option, and so far it has cost the Cardinals some games. A little more stubbornness from the coach, though, and it will likely cost him his job, too.

31 receptions, 505 yards, two touchdowns. Not embarrassing, but not great. And, as we all know, Fitz is great. So what's the problem?

Well, it's not that the team isn't trying to get him the ball. The Pro Bowler has been targeted a team-best 52 times this season and his receptions have been good for 23 first downs, meaning the Cardinals are looking for him often and in important situations.

And it's not like Fitzgerald is struggling with a bad case of the dropsies, as he's been credited with just two this season. Stack those up against all the amazing catches he's made this season and you realize No. 11 is still at the top of his game.

But why is he just 17th in the NFL in receptions (tied with Tampa Bay's duo of Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow) and in a 34-way tie for 20th in touchdown catches, with as many scores as players like Kellen Davis, Preston Parker, Daniel Fells, Jason Hill and Ben Obomanu?

There are a lot of reasons, but the lack of a proven No. 2 wideout opposite Fitz is not one of them.

Indeed, many have pointed to Early Doucet and Andre Roberts as the reason for Fitzgerald's muted stats, with the idea that teams are able to double team the star because they are not concerned with anyone else on the field.

They remember the days when Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston were also on the field, helping to lead one of the most potent passing attacks in the league. Fitzgerald put up monster numbers those seasons, emerging as one of the game's most feared players. While it's true those two made the passing game better, but they really didn't do much for Fitzgerald.

To wit: Anquan Boldin missed four games in 2007, and Fitzgerald tallied 31 catches, 432 yards and two touchdowns in those contests. The Quan missed five more games the next year, with Fitzgerald compensating by hauling in 28 catches for 528 yards and seven touchdowns. Boldin missed just one game the following year - his last with the Cardinals - and Fitzgerald responded by catching nine passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in a road win over the Bears.

Seven catches, 108 yards and one touchdown per game. Not exactly struggling. Yet now his problems should be attributed to the other wideouts on the field?

The biggest difference in the passing game, from then until now, is the player whose job it is to get Fitzgerald the ball. Kurt Warner was great, and he found a way to get the ball to his stars. If Fitzgerald was open, Kurt didn't miss him. If Fitzgerald wasn't open, Kurt wouldn't miss him. Kevin Kolb can't say the same, because while he's connected on some big plays, there have been a few times this season - and Sunday against the Steelers - where the QB just failed to deliver a catchable pass. That's not on Fitz, and it's certainly not on the other receivers.

Even with Kolb's struggles Fitzgerald's average of 16.3 yards per catch would easily be the highest of his career, so it's not as if the 4-11 connection is a complete disaster. It's just not where it needs to be, though fault does not lie with the team's other receiving options.

The truth is Early Doucet has done a nice job opposite Fitz, with 26 catches and a pair of scores, the tight end trio of Jeff King, Todd Heap and Rob Housler has done a good job getting open and the running game has been enough of a threat so that teams can't solely game-plan for Fitzgerald.

And while defenses are certainly bracketing Fitz to keep him in check, he is not the first star wideout the league has ever seen, and yet somehow stars like Calvin Johnson, Steve Smith and Roddy White continue to shine, and none of them play opposite another great receiver.

Right now Fitzgerald is on pace for just 83 receptions this year, a total that would represent his lowest since 2006, when the team stunk and he played in just 13 games.

But with Doucet heading for what could be a 70 catch season and Arizona's tight ends will finish with more receptions than any season in recent memory, it would really be unfair - if not inaccurate - to point to Fitzgerald's teammates as reason for his "struggles."

And that will do it, Steelers win 32-20. Will have more from the locker room, should be, uhh, fun.

2:59 left in 4th quarter

Steelers have the ball and are driving, though its all of little consequence. They are going to win this game and the Cardinals will lick their wounds as the 2011 season continues to slip away.

3:53 left in fourth quarter

Kolb hits Doucet for a two yard score after the team puts a nice drive together. Two point conversion fails, Steelers up 32-20. Going to be too little, too late I'm afraid.

6:46 left in fourth quarter

Steelers add another field goal and make it 32-14. This game is over, folks, but feel free to stick around and keep reading.

In all seriousness, this is just an all-around awful effort, especially from the offense. You'd have hoped for a better effort after the bye but alas, no. This team just isn't good. Hot seat, Coach Whiz, Coach Whiz, hot seat.

10:56 left in fourth quarter

An awful pass, a screen play gone awry (shocking, I know) and an underthrow to an open Fitz lead to the Cardinals punting the ball away, and a good return (aided by a non-called holding) gives the Steelers the ball at the Arizona 40. Fans are starting to head for the exits, can't say I blame them.

11:25 left in fourth quarter

Stephens-Howling takes the kickoff from six yards deep in the end zone to the 13 yard line. Guy has been killing the team on returns today.

Cardinals really need a touchdown here, preferably in a timely manner. Do they have it in them? Honestly, I doubt it. The Steelers know Arizona will be one dimensional and tee off on Kolb.

11:30 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals defense holds the Steelers to a field goal, which makes the score 29-14 guests. Game isn't over, but would take an incredible fourth quarter effort from the home team to even have a chance.

End of third quarter

The Steelers have the ball, a 26-14 lead and a chance to put this game away here on this drive. They are at midfield and, well, look less awful than Arizona.

Kolb looks bad, the defense looks mediocre and the Cardinals, well, look like a team ready to be 1-5.

3:42 left in third quarter

If some of the air was sucked out on that touchdown the rest is now gone due to a safety. Kolb is called for intentional grounding in the end zone, Steelers now lead 26-14 and will be getting the ball. This one is dangerously close to being blown wide open.

3:54 left in third quarter

The answer was no. Pittsburgh got the first down and, aided by some slipping Cardinals, scored on a four yard pass from Roethlisberger to Sanders. Steelers take a 24-14 lead with just under four minutes left in the third, kind of sucks some of the air out of the building.

6:20 left in third quarter

Steelers are driving, just past midfield, facing a 3rd and 5. Not picking up huge chunks of yardage on this drive. Can the Cardinals hold here?

9:26 left in third quarter

Kolb moves around in the pocket, hits Stephens-Howling, who gets a block from Jeff King and races 73 yards for the touchdown. PAT makes it 17-14 Steelers, and the Cardinals get the shot in the arm they so desperately needed.

12:06 left in third quarter

Cardinals force the Steelers to punt, will begin their first drive of the half from at their own 11. Did the offense get something going on the last drive before the half? We'll see.

Halftime

Steelers get a field goal at the end of the half as their drive was slow, sloppy and disturbing. Penalty after penalty helps Pittsburgh drive down the field, with Patrick Peterson looking like a confused rookie.

Steelers lead the game 17-7 at the half and are set to get the ball to begin the third quarter.

1:20 left in the second quarter

Alfono Smith scores on the one yard touchdown run, as he's in the game for an injured Wells. Wells, we found out, suffered a sprained knee and is questionable to return. That news makes my fantasy team more questionable to win today.

At any rate, Arizona gets a much needed touchdown and now trails 14-7. Team put together a good drive with the help of the Steelers, taking advantage of some penalties.

Still time left in the half, does Pittsburgh try to add to their lead? We'll see.

2:54 left in second quarter

The Cardinals still have the ball! Arizona's drive has been aided by a couple of Steelers penalties on third downs, now it's up to the Cards to make something happen. The ball is on Pittsburgh's 10 and a touchdown here is a must.

Beanie Wells is on the sideline with some sort of injury, so that's not good.

5:50 left in second quarter

Kolb hits Fitz on 3rd and 2 for a first down, nice play as the team is driving. Arizona desperately needs a score here. Again.

8:09 left in second quarter

Roethlisberger hits Wallace down the sideline for a 95 yard TD, Richard Marshall burned on the play. Talk about a swing, Kolb misses what should have been an easy TD and the Steelers score on the very next drive. #SMH

8:30 left in second quarter

Promising drive ends after Kolb misses a WIDE OPEN Rob Housler down the seem, where a completion would have been good for six, and then throws to a not-looking Fitz on third down. Kolb really doing his best Derek Anderson out there, missing guys, showing frustration and generally being ineffective.

11:17 left in second quarter

Cardinals allow a first down but force a punt, holding penalty on the return means Arizona will start its next drive from the 25 yard line. Offense showed signs of life last drive but really needs to put some points on the board.

14:19 left in second quarter

Cardinals drive stalls after Kolb takes a sack on third down. Had some time but maybe nobody got open? Still would like to see him step up in the pocket and buy some time. The guy needs to learn some pocket presence, desperately.

Punt pins Steelers at their own six, defense really needs to force a turnover (or three and out).

End of first quarter

The first quarter ends with the Cardinals trailing 7-0, though they have the ball near midfield.

This drive has been aided by a great catch by Larry Fitzgerald, who makes me wonder how any QB can look as bad as Arizona's have the last year+ when he's there to throw the ball to. Unreal.

As for the Cardinals, they don't look too good. Need to get something on this drive to have some momentum, but the running game is going nowhere and the defense looks like it will give up some points today.

2:53 left in first quarter

Steelers ultimately forced to punt, though the Cardinals will begin the drive on their own six yard line. Offense needs to do something here, if only to help with field position.

6:31 left in first quarter

Steelers are driving. Cardinals gave them the ball back after Kolb overthrew a wide open Fitzgerald, instead hitting Troy Polamalu in the numbers. He dropped it but the Cards still punted away, and a 3rd and long is converted by the Steelers when the Cardinals failed to cover Antonio Brown. Trainwreck, thy name is Cardinals.

9:39 left in first quarter

An Adrian Wilson facemask penalty combined with some nice plays help Pittsburgh drive, and the Steelers take a 7-0 lead on a 13-yard pass from Big Ben to Heath Miller. The good news is no one seemed to get beat in coverage on the play. The bad news is nobody seemed to be actually trying to defend the tight end. There are great starts and then there is this.

12:46 left in first quarter

Kolb gets blitzed, throws to Housler. Ball is tipped and intercepted. Awful, awful start for the Cardinals. Steelers take over at Arizona's 31. Oh boy.

10 seconds to kickoff

Cardinals win toss, elect to receive. Offense, which has struggled, gets the ball first against a banged up Steelers defense.

10 minutes to kickoff

Steelers come onto the field to a chorus of...cheers? Plenty of yellow towels being waved inside University of Phoenix Stadium, meaning this could be a long day for Cards fans if the home team struggles.

This has not been an easy week for Vontaze Burfict.

The Arizona State linebacker, regarded as one of the best players in the country and a top NFL Draft pick whenever he chooses to go pro, has been a constant target for criticism.

Doug Franz, Bruce Feldman, Mark May and Bob Davie all spoke this week about the junior's struggles, with the conversation ranging from his falling draft stock to dumb penalties costing his team.

They're all right. They're all wrong.

On the season the linebacker has 36 tackles, four sacks, one interception, a few passes defensed and a handful of personal foul penalties. He's been more role player than star, just one member of a defense that has helped the Sun Devils reach a 5-2 record and take a stranglehold of the Pac-12 South.

But, as my colleague Vince Marotta pointed out, the player is just not living up to the hype. That doesn't make him a bad player, just not the guy fans expected - or wanted.

Football, as we all know, is an emotional game. Burfict is at his best when he's playing mean, a terror opposing offenses have to not only gameplan for, but be wary of even after the whistle blows.

It's why Sporting News named him the "meanest man in college football" before the season and the entire package - dumb penalties included - was good enough for most people because even with his faults Burfict was just a damn good football player.

But the emotion of seeing Burfict draw what were some admittedly questionable flags in Oregon combined with the thought of him underachieving has caused analysts and ASU fans alike to turn on the player who, in all honesty, is still the team's best pro prospect.

Think about it: how many people, all of a sudden, are touting QB Brock Osweiler as the next great NFL QB? Too many, really. The junior has been solid, but not great. He's tossed 15 touchdown passes against eight interceptions and completed 66 percent of his passes for an average of 7.60 yards per attempt.

Osweiler's QB rating is 142.8, which is good enough for 43rd in the country. His 15 touchdown passes tie him for 18th and his eight picks are the seventh-most in FBS, just behind such great passers as Denard Robinson and Sean Mannion.

Does Osweiler have potential? Absolutely. Has he been great this year? No, but it's amazing what expectations can do for one's perception, seeing how most of the conversations have praised the QB but trashed the team's stud linebacker.

Expectations can be a real, well, you know.

The good news for Burfict is that there are still seven games left for the linebacker (yes, I'm assuming ASU reaches the Pac-12 championship game and then a bowl game after that) to step up his level of play and add to his resume, and his team's success should give him a little leeway as far as what people really think of him this year.

Because, when you really get down to it, Burfict has gone from being a great player on a lousy team to a decent player (who has the ability to be great) on a good one.

Is that really worth criticizing?

Hockey the Hard Way

And with that the franchise the Valley kind of wants to keep around opened its home slate against the team that they used-to-be-but-didn't-want-to-be-again with a satisfying 4-1 victory, one the Coyotes led from wire to wire in front of a packed house with an announced attendance of 17,132.

That said, don't kid yourself. Not every seat in Jobing.com Arena was occupied and the team will not have that kind of support every game. But a fast start combined with a reeling Cardinals and idle Suns could lead to more fans checking out what's happening in Glendale.

One would hope, at least.

"Obviously every single athlete wants to play in front of a crowd," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "We all have egos and we enjoy it. It is one of those things like that when there is energy in the building our first shift was an example of having a little ‘jump' and it is a lot of credit to the crowd."

That crowd, of course, had a chance to turn the other direction Saturday, as the arena had a strong contingent of Jets fans. Chants of "Go Jets Go" could be heard before the game, and a rough start could have been trouble.

Given the fickleness of Arizona fans - especially with hockey - head coach Dave Tippett went into the game a little concerned with how things could turn out.

Thirty-four seconds into the game the Coyotes took a 1-0 lead and those concerns began to subside simply because the home team shut up the visiting fans.

"Scoring on the first shift certainly helps get our crowd in the game and helps dissolve some of the emotion coming from the Winnipeg fans," Tippett said.

In a way this game was about the fans, too, as the Coyotes faithful not only watched their team win a game, but were able to enjoy a victory at Winnipeg's expense, a cathartic experience for some after the events of last summer.

Jets fans, for a while, thought the players in the red sweaters were destined to wear blue this season, as Winnipeg's quest to land the NHL - again - led to many believing the owner-less Coyotes would be moving north.

The Desert Dogs stayed put, though, with Atlanta's Thrashers instead relocating and becoming the Jets. So the ‘Peg has its team, albeit a last place one, and the Valley gets to hold onto a sport that it should want to have around, especially right now.

Think about it: the Coyotes are the only Valley team that can say it has been to the postseason the last two years, and has done so without stable ownership or the ability to really do all they can to win. GM Don Maloney has done a hell of a job and, even with the team losing goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, has a squad that could again surprise and make a playoff push.

And if by some miracle the team can land an owner by the trade deadline don't be surprised to see some moves that transform the team from nice story to team no one wants to face in the postseason.

But there's still a lot of hockey to be played between now and then, and it's important to note how much energy and emotion the home team played with in their latest win.

"It's our home opener, so as much as it is you really want to beat whoever you play it's your home opener and you really want to start the season off right and give your fans something to be excited about and I think tonight was a step in that direction," Doan said.

Where they are ultimately heading is anyone's guess, but no matter how they get there chances are it won't be easy.

Just how they like it.

Like chemistry, a winning team tends to have it good while a losing team tends to struggle.

One of the greatest clichés in all of sports, part of the Cardinals' resurgence was attributed to the change in culture brought by Ken Whisenhunt.

Just more than one full season removed from a playoff game, are the Cardinals back to the Dave McGinnis-era of one heartbeat, three wins?

Those teams didn't really expect success, and that attitude was reflected in the team's many poor performances.

Following the latest rough game by the 2011 Cardinals, Kevin Kolb pointed to an issue with work ethic and desire, something Todd Heap may have confirmed.

"I think it's a different culture and it's something that we need to change," Heap told Arizona Sports 620's Burns and Gambo earlier in the week, discussing the difference between Baltimore, where Heap was, and Arizona, where he is. "There are certain teams and certain organizations where - and it's not an organization - but…where you know that everybody on that team expects what's going to happen on Sunday.

"And when it doesn't happen it's like the worst thing in the world. I think we need to get to that point where we expect - where everybody in that locker room - expects what's going to happen on Sunday."

Fans may be back to expecting the worst, but the players too? I hoped thought the franchise was past this.

Then again, the quote can be taken any number of different ways.

Is the tight end giving us canned athlete response, saying culture needs to change if his team is struggling? You know, the standard "I left a good team and joined a bad one, the culture must be to blame" thing?

Or, perhaps, could there actually something rotten in the state of Denmark? Is it possible that the Arizona Cardinals, thought to be long past their days as the place where careers go to die, have regressed back to being the "Same Old Cardinals?"

If so, it sure didn't take long.

"We fought the same battles when I was in Arizona," Kurt Warner told Burns and Gambo, noting that it happens wherever a player goes. "You have to find ways to be able to do it."

Warner and the Cardinals found ways before, but since he retired the Cardinals are struggling in that department, meaning either the players aren't terribly good or the coaching staff is struggling to do its job.

Does a team need to have a positive culture in order to win games or does winning beget the right attitude? The Cardinals are going to find out, one way or another.

Many a Wildcat fan has been hoping to hear director of athletics Greg Byrne say those 17 words for a while, and I joined their ranks just one week ago.

Needless to say, as an Arizona alum and fan, I'm comfortable with the decision.

The team's 1-5 record on the heels of last season's collapse isn't what concerned me. Yeah, it would have been nice to see the Wildcats play better in most of their losses, but few teams in the nation would have done much better than them during the stretch.

And to be honest, Stoops' sideline antics didn't concern me one bit. When the team is winning he is a "fiery leader" and when it's losing he's "out of control." The difference has nothing to do with his demeanor, only the quality of his team's play—which, since the end of October last year, has been rather poor.

The games have been mostly blowouts on national TV. Not good, but guiding the Cats to three consecutive bowl games was worth a little slack, as the only reason fans are upset with the team losing so much is because they're at a point where they expect to, at the very least, compete.

Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon, USC and ASU all beat Arizona during the Wildcats' 10-game FBS losing skid, some of them doing so twice. While there is no shame in losing most of those games, the ways in which the losses happened were concerning.

42, 24, 48, 30, 36, 37, 37, 56, 48, 37. Those numbers represent the amount of points the Wildcats have allowed during their losing skid, dating back to last season, good for an average of 39.5 points per game. Mike Stoops may have made a name for himself as a defensive coordinator but you'd never know it from those numbers.

The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks, who put together a season as memorable as any the team has had in its 14 years of existence, are done. No more rallies, no more comebacks, no more GibbyBall.

Friday in Milwaukee the team had chance after chance, opportunity after opportunity, and after pulling a classic Diamondbacks-have-opponent-right-where-they-want-them move in the 9th inning, the Snakes just ran out of magic in the 10th.

It stinks, but it's OK.

Arizona went into the series as an underdog, facing the team with the best home record in the National League and, maybe not surprisingly, lost all three games in the Brewers' park.

Did the D-backs play a good series? Not really, but they competed and had a chance, and that's all you can ask for out of any team and more than you would have asked for of this team heading into the season.

And it is a time like this where we must remember just how far the Diamondbacks have come in such a short period of time. Just last season they lost 97 games, and now we're upset they lost in Game 5, on the road, in the NLDS?

Shows just how far the Diamondbacks as a team - and we, as fans - have come. But the key, especially right now, is to think of not where the team has come from, but instead where they are going.

Paul Goldschmidt will begin the year with the team and playing first base. Stephen Drew will return healthy, and he'll be joined by Justin Upton, Miguel Montero, Chris Young and Gerardo Parra.

They were fourth in the NL in runs scored this season, and that was with a patchwork lineup that was short on stars and filled with players who, to be honest, probably shouldn't be starting for a team that won 94 games.

But that shows just how complete a team this was, as their pitching staff was every bit as good as the offense. And, like the offense, it too will improve.

The bullpen solidified, Kevin Towers and Co. can spend their time filling out the starting rotation, which has the potential to be as good as any in the Major Leagues. Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson and Josh Collmenter are firmly entrenched, and Jarrod Parker, Trevor Bauer and others just waiting for their chance to make an impact at the Major League level.

And they will.

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the playoffs in 2007 and, after losing to the Colorado Rockies in the NLCS the feeling was that the team was real close, and traded away half the farm system for players they thought would push them over the hump. The trades were so bad it took the franchise years to recover, but there will be no such maneuvers this time, as the pieces to win are either in place or on the way.

Besides, they're even closer now than they were four years ago.

The Diamondbacks had to fix the bullpen, which they've done. The rotation needed to be strengthened, which it is. The young hitters finally started playing like the stars many thought they'd be and, maybe most important, the culture has changed. Organizational advocacy has been replaced with GibbyBall, and that's here to stay.

The important thing to take away from this season isn't that the Diamondbacks fell just short, rather realize they took a giant step back to relevancy. No longer a doormat in the NL West; this team will be in the conversation for division titles and playoff spots for the foreseeable future.

What happened this season was only the beginning. Buckle up, the ride only gets more exciting from here.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, facing elimination for a second consecutive night, came out of the gates swinging. And hitting. And scoring.

The home team plated 10 runs in total, and if this was the last time Valley fans got to see their team, what a way to go out.

"I think it means a lot, it means a lot to the fans," said Ryan Roberts, who hit a grand slam in the game. "They come out, they want to see us win, especially down 0-2, they want to see us come back."

And come back they did, in a way that sent a message to the Brewers and the rest of Major League Baseball.

It's not just that the team turned what was a best-of-five series into a one game, winner take all battle. It's that, left for dead by many, Arizona did not roll over for the Brewers, but instead did what they've done all season: find ways to win ballgames.

Tuesday night it was rookies Josh Collmenter and Paul Goldschmidt leading the way, while Wednesday's stars were Roberts, Chris Young and half the bullpen.

"I always like to say, everybody's been doing a little something," catcher Miguel Montero said.

He couldn't be more right.

Eight different players recorded a hit for Arizona while six pitchers all recorded at least one out. Runs were driven in by Roberts, Young, Aaron Hill and Colin Cowgill.

"An all-around team effort, you know, you never know, you can't script it out - ever," said Micah Owings, who pitched two scoreless innings of relief. "For us to just keep fighting, you know where we're at and keep playing the best that we can, that's all we can ask for."

Well that, and one more win.

Because of that the team's focus immediately shifts back to Game 5, as Friday will feature a rematch of Game 1 starters Ian Kennedy and Yovani Gallardo, only this time the Diamondbacks have the momentum, if you believe such a thing exists in baseball.

"Yeah, absolutely," Roberts said of having momentum now. "You can come home and get two wins, it's big for our team."

At the very least, coming home and playing in front of a packed house gave the Diamondbacks an edge they didn't have in Games 1 and 2.

"We've played good here and on the road, but we obviously didn't show that in Milwaukee," right fielder Justin Upton said. "We got our confidence here at home in front of our home fans.

"We just need to take that confidence back to Milwaukee."

That will be the trick, as this series is now a best of one with the Brewers having home field advantage and a pitcher in Yovani Gallardo who the D- backs have scored just three earned runs off of in 21 innings of work.

"He's mastered us pretty good so we're going to have to think about how we approach him," D-backs Manager Kirk Gibson said of Gallardo. "We have to change something different than we have before. He's very formidable."

He is, and there's a good chance Friday's tilt will see a few less runs scored than Wednesday's, as the D-backs will be sending their own ace to the hill.

The confidence in Kennedy runs so deep that when asked about having to face Gallardo, rookie first baseman Paul Goldschmidt praised is own guy.

"We've got Ian on the hill so both teams will be full of confidence," he said. "It should be a fun game."

If by "fun" Goldschmidt means "stressful" and "intense" he may be on to something. However, D-backs fans can have confidence knowing this game was thought about long before it became a reality.

"As we sat and laid it out, if we can get to Game 5 in their environment with our No. 1 guy against their No. 1 guy, you couldn't ask for anything better," Gibson said.

You really couldn't. One game to determine who advances to the NLCS, with a pair of stud pitchers on the hill backed by offenses that are capable of putting up big numbers.

Getting the win and keeping this dream season alive would mean becoming the first team to come back from a 0-2 deficit to win the NLDS. Given that this team has a penchant for coming back, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them add another notch to their already impressive belt of accomplishments.

But no matter what happens Friday, if Wednesday's win was the swan song for the 2011 Diamondbacks, the Valley can certainly feel good about its baseball team.

But they're not done yet.

"We haven't accomplished anything yet," Gibson said. "We didn't come here to win two games and not win the series."

And while the team will be packing for five days on the road in case they have to head to Philadelphia for a game Sunday, the important thing is still having games to play.

"Hopefully we keep doing it and bring the victory home," Montero said. "I'm not ready to go home yet, I'm not ready to stop playing."

Trailing the Milwaukee Brewers two games to none, D-backs manager Kirk Gibson sent rookie Josh Collmenter to the mound and gave Paul Goldschmidt the start at first base, placing him fifth in the batting order.

Both delivered in the 8-1 win. Big time.

A player whose results tend to belie his stuff, Collmenter tossed seven innings, allowing just two hits, one run and walking two. He struck out six.

Doing his part, Goldschmidt had a pair of hits: an RBI single in the first inning and a grand slam in the fifth.

Neither played like overwhelmed rookies, and it started with the pitcher.

"He obviously has great character," Gibson said of Collmenter. "He was very composed [Tuesday] and threw strikes, kept them off balance; it was what we needed."

Then there's Goldschmidt.

"When you're making the lineup, how you want to decide where you put people," Gibson said, "you guys know how I feel about Goldy, you know the big hits he's had this year."

Indeed, this is not the first time either player has come through for the Diamondbacks and, while it may be their most important contribution yet, their respective careers are just getting started.

And that's exciting.

Collmenter, 25, and Goldschmidt, 24, give the D-backs more than a chance here in the present as well as hope for sustained success in the future.

While no one can say with certainty how things will ultimately play out, it's important to note what you saw Tuesday at Chase Field began more than seven months ago in spring training.

"The way we started out in this spring, with those guys in our camp, they didn't break camp with us but we tried to lay it out how we were going to approach this and expose them to as much as we could," Gibson said of Collmenter and Goldschmidt. "And then when they both came up we put them right in the fire."

That fire never burned hotter than it did Tuesday night, and neither Collmenter nor Goldschmidt could have responded any better.

Goldschmidt, who already homered once in the series, added to a legend that began in early August, hitting his grand slam after the Brewers elected to walk the bases full ahead of him.

"If [Marcum] makes a good pitch we're probably not talking about it and probably got out," Goldschmidt said. "And so it just ended up being good timing for us."

The slugger became the first Diamondback to hit a grand slam in the postseason and was the first rookie to accomplish feat since 1999.

Then again, seeing Goldschmidt, who had already homered off the likes of Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee, take Shaun Marcum deep wasn't necessarily a surprise. But watching Collmenter, whose fastaball consistently sits in the high 80s, shut down a hot-hitting Brewers team?

Hell, even the pitcher said he probably exceeded his own expectations.

"My goal was to give the team a win," he said. "Whatever I had to do to just keep the team in the ballgame and give us a chance to win down the stretch."

Yeah, well, that will do, Mr. Collmenter. Pitching the way he did not only validated all the work he's put in this season, but the belief the organization had in a guy who, to put it bluntly, wasn't exactly a top prospect.

"I give [Diamondbacks GM] Kevin Towers all the credit in the world," Gibson said. "He told me about Josh Collmenter last year in the Arizona Fall League and like not many scouts would be on this guy. And then this year when we watched him pitch in spring training, we have this thing, he says, ‘I'm on him.'"

A 10-10 regular season record with a 3.38 ERA, including two good starts against the Brewers, led to the idea of giving the rookie the nod in an elimination game.

"When we discussed who's going to start Game 3, KT had a lot of input and he was on [Collmenter]," Gibson added. "And he was right."

Both prospects are just the tip of the iceberg for a team with an embarrassment of riches in the minor leagues, and that the D-backs struck gold (pun intended) with these two bodes well for the future.

"Those guys have shown a ton of composure and a ton of ability almost against maybe some of the odds that some of the people thought they could do," Gibson said.

No matter how or when they got here, the fact of the matter is you can't help think this won't be the last time Collmenter and Goldschmidt come through for the team on a big stage.

Both issues have cost them this season.

Whatever the reason for the latest loss, fans make it a point to find someone to blame. It was the defense in Week 2, the offense in Week 3 and, it would seem, the coaching staff in Week 4.

But anyone looking for significant changes is going to be sorely disappointed.

"I look at it that it's a growing process that we're going through with this team," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday. "We're close. We're better than we were last week. We've got to stay the course and continue to work that way."

Pick the loss, pick the season, and pick the press conference: Ken Whisenhunt has said those words many, many, times. Right about now fans are tired of hearing it, just as it's likely the coach is sick of saying it.

But that doesn't give the coaching staff a, for lack of a better word, pass.

Especially for calling a screen when the team was trying to mount one final drive to regain the lead and win the game. Not surprisingly, as has been the case this season, the play fell apart and ended with QB Kevin Kolb taking a critical sack on the play.

"The timing was a little bit off," Kolb said of the play. "It's pretty well documented that our screen game needs to get better and that was a perfect example of it."

So why run it in such a crucial situation?

"It was set up, it was ready to go," Whisenhunt said. "We didn't execute it perfectly, but in that situation you have to get the ball out. If it goes it's a big play."

But it didn't go for a big play, at least, not in the Cardinals' favor, and Arizona, instead of maybe talking about a thrilling come-from-behind win, was left trying to explain how they let another game slip away.

The common themes in each loss have been defensive meltdowns, shaky play-calling and an inability to complete passes when the team needed it most.

Those issues would be enough to cost a coach his job, especially if the 1-3 record turns into 1-4, 1-5 and 1-6, but that's not going to happen in Arizona.

Ken Whisenhunt is not going to get fired, no matter how much some fans may want to see a change, Ray Horton will be given time to implement his defense, the offensive line will not see a new coach anytime soon and Kevin Kolb won't transform into a veteran signal-caller overnight.

Instead the hope seems to be that time will, if not heal all wounds, cure their ills. Even a tired excuse can have some legitimacy, and this Cardinals team is still relatively new.

Pointing to the lack of an offseason as reason for being a little behind, the team has shown enough glimpses, according to Whisenhunt, to make everyone believe they can turn this thing around.

"I think that we played better defensively, except for the last part of the game this week, going against a very good offense," he said. "We shut down the run game and we ran the ball very well, we've improved the run game."

Then again, convincing others the team is improving may be a tough sell, especially as the team has lost its last three, so sooner or later the team will simply need to start winning, as close losses just don't do anything for anyone.

"I feel for our players, I feel for our fans because we're not where we want to be," Whisenhunt said. "After last year that's very frustrating, but the thing that I'll say is yes, you have to have patience because if you look at our games there's no question in my mind that we're close, and that's the way that we look at it."

As the cliché goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and there is no column in the standings for "almost won." Thus, it's about time for the Cardinals to go from a team finding its way into one that has discovered how to win.

"I'm not going to tell you it's a work in progress because I'm tired of saying it," Kolb said. "Just ready to get it done and win some games."

One week ago the Cardinals had a chance to, at the very least, get a game-tying field goal attempt, only to see a Kevin Kolb interception end that drive and the team's chances of winning.

Sunday, in the friendly confines of University of Phoenix Stadium, the Cardinals had a chance to rally for a win even after letting a two-score fourth quarter lead slip away, only to see the drive stall at the Giants' 30.

Final score: Giants 31, Cardinals 27 - and thousands of groans along the way.

It's not that you can point to any one reason for the team's loss, as there were many.

The defense allowed the Giants to score two touchdowns in the game's final four minutes, turning a 10 point advantage into a four point deficit.

Kevin Kolb had his second straight poor game for the Cardinals, completing just 20 of 34 passes for 237 yards and one interception, as well as a red zone fumble in the first quarter.

The referees even deserve some blame, as a Victor Cruz fumble just before the game-winning touchdown was negated due to something about the receiver "giving himself up" on the play.

Whatever the reason, Arizona fell to 1-3 and faces a daunting schedule -- and plenty of questions.

"This is three games in a row when we had the ball in our hand at the end with a chance to do something and we haven't been able to do it," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

Indeed, I wrote a couple of weeks ago Kolb would lead the team to a win the next time he had a chance to.

Swing and a miss.

And, just like I wrote last week, it's too early to give up on the team.

While 1-3 is bad it is by no means the end of the season. Not yet, anyway.

And, for the optimists out there, the Cardinals could use their struggles today - and over the last three weeks - as learning experiences.

At least, that's what Kolb said the team has to do.

"You get better every time you do it but it is frustrating, especially in this case to see them do it then we didn't back it up," he said about putting together a game-winning drive, which would be his first.

And the team is right when they say it's about what they do to themselves as much as what other teams are doing to them.

Take the first quarter as proof, when Arizona recovered a fumble on New York's 16-yard line and mustered just seven yards before kicking a field goal. The next series saw the team drive to the Giants' 17, but a Kolb fumble prevented another score. Another first quarter drive ended with a field goal, and instead of being up big Arizona had just a 6-0 lead.

That's not good enough if they want to beat good teams.

"That's the difference in the game right there," Whisenhunt said of the red zone failures.

The difference? Maybe. A difference? Certainly. And that's why, even though things seem bleak, there is a chance the Cards can still turn this thing around.

Provided, of course, the season doesn't jump off the tracks quite yet.

"Who wants to go and lose, first off, and lose the way we're losing," guard Rex Hadnot said. "You can tell that it hurts the guys, but we're definitely going to keep fighting. There's great leaders on this team, there's great coaches that won't let us go into the tank."

That feeling is there because, as it is, most in the locker-room feel the damage is self-inflicted, and if the team can keep improving the wins will come.

"It's one thing to go into a game when you don't have a clue and you just get beat from the start," defensive lineman and captain Darnell Dockett said. "That's not the case with this team."

It's not. The team is just good enough to be bad. Or is it just bad enough to be good.

No matter, while Sunday will be remembered as a brutal day in Glendale, there were some positives to take away from the game.

After all, Beanie Wells may have had his official coming out party against a tough Giants defense, racking up 138 yards and three touchdowns. The third pushed the Cards' lead to 10 with just over five minutes left, giving the team a chance to finish off an impressive win.

And Larry Fitzgerald, who threw a key block on Wells' final score, caught eight balls for 102 yards, including a 47-yard reception that saw him literally take the ball away from a defender.

In the end it was all for naught.

"You see good teams around the league that when the game is close, they are able to find a way to finish," Fitzgerald said. "The margin for error of winning and losing in the NFL is very small."

Indeed it is, and even if by the slightest of margins, the smallest mistake or just a random bad bounce (or call), the Cardinals have found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard three weeks running.

"I felt like we should have won the last three games and each game we had a chance to win at the end and we didn't," defensive end Calais Campbell said, noting how frustrating it is. "We want to win those games and we know we can win those games."

Kolb throws incomplete trying to force the ball to Fitz, that will do it. A collapse the likes of which has not been seen since, well, a while. Cardinals will lose 31-27 and be kicking themselves.

2:35 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals will begin the drive on their own 24, down four and needing a win in the worst way. A loss in this one would be huge. Does Kolb have it in him? I fear he doesn't.

2:51 left in fourth quarter

No fumble, ref's explanation does nothing for me. Confused. Manning hits Hakeem Nicks for the long TD and suddenly the Giants take the lead. Disaster.

3:10 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals pass twice after the Wells run, forced to punt. Awful playcalling, reminiscent of the disaster in D.C. Giants take the short punt and complete a pass, looks like there may be a fumble on the play. At the very least there is a ton of confusion. Cards may catch a break here.

3:32 left in fourth quarter

Wells runs for three and the Giants call a timeout. Does the offense have it in them to finish the game on the field? Need some first downs.

3:37 left in fourth quarter

Well that stop didn't happen. Giants march down the field and score on a two-yard Manning TD toss, bringing the game to 27-14 with a decent amount of time left. Cardinals will need to eat up some clock, don't want to see New York get the ball again. #canttrustthisdefense

5:16 left in fourth quarter

Beanie Wells gets TD number three, a two-yard run where nobody wearing blue touched him. Career day for the guy. Cardinals lead 27-17 and are basically one stop away from ending this one. I think.

5:20 left in fourth quarter

Have I mentioned how good Beanie Wells has been today? He's running mean against the Giants and a big run of his puts the Cardinals in position to score. Alfonso Smith came in for a couple carries, was tackled at the 2 but the Cards felt the need to waste a challenge on the play.

Wells has over 100 yards for the second time in his career, and he's not done yet. Maybe a third TD run of the day coming up here?

8:25 left in fourth quarter

Defense forces a huge three and out, gets the offense the ball back with the lead still in tact. Move the ball, keep the ball.

10:48 left in fourth quarter

Cards take to the air and Kolb is picked off by Antrel Rolle. To sum up Kolb today, the word I'd use is "terrible." Playing very poorly, and it's a shame because the running game and defense are there. Giants take over at their own 42 down by three.

12:07 left in fourth quarter

Giants drive finishes with a Jacobs touchdown run from one yard out. Cardinals still lead 20-17 but this game is far from over. Offense needs to prove it can move the chains, something it really hasn't done today. Beanie Wells, who has 80 yards on the day, will finish with at least 100 if the Cardinals win. Book it.

End of third quarter

Giants driving but Cardinals head into the final period up 20-10. Defense is playing reasonably well, offense has done just enough -- so far. Kind of feels like the offense will have to score some more points in this one.

2:55 left in third quarter

Campbell sacks Manning, Manning fumbles ball, Dockett recovers. Two straight handoffs to Beanie result in another TD for the Cardinals and the PAT gives Arizona a 20-10 lead. Defense playing big today.

3:42 left in third quarter

Comedy of errors leads to a Cardinals punt. Among the issues were a false start on Kolb and intentional grounding. Offense looks bad when the ball isn't in Beanie's hands. Concerning.

7:24 left in third quarter

Cards defense holds as the Giants O-line holds. Dockett playing like an animal, pretty much having his way up front. Cards receive the punt, nice return by PP21 is aided by some holds. Arizona starts drive at own 17, see if they have some momentum here. Beanie, anyone?

10:24 left in third quarter

Cardinals drive down the field and score on a one-yard Beanie Wells run. Nice job by the running back, looks healthy. Kolb, on the other hand, still not particularly sharp. Threw a bomb to Fitz that, quite frankly, would have been an interception had it not been for No. 11's greatness. Also just not seeing open receivers. 13-10 Cards lead, but a personal foul after the TD run leaves Arizona kicking off and the Giants with a good chance at great field position.

14:55 left in third quarter

A.J. Jefferson with a nice return on the opening kickoff, but a delay of game penalty pushes the Cardinals back a bit. Offensively, Arizona stunk in the first half. Sans Beanie Wells they got nothing going but are still in this game.

Halftime

Giants drove down and kicked a field goal to take a 10-6 lead, but may have lost their kicker in the process. Patrick Peterson, who was offsides on the FG, also was penalized for roughing the kicker as he just crushed Lawrence Tynes on the play.

Arizona heads into the half down 10-6 and, to be honest, I wouldn't feel good if I'm a Cards fan.

1:08 left in 2nd quarter

Cardinals force a three and out and this game is, well, still up for grabs. Arizona starts drive from their own 20 after punt.

1:49 left in 2nd quarter

Well, so much for that. Cardinals go three and out, Kolb looks bad and takes a sack in the series. If you can even call what that was a "series." Giants get the ball at midfield and have a chance to really take control of this game.

2:48 left in 2nd quarter

Giants put together an impressive drive that ends with a 13-yard TD run by Bradshaw. Helps my fantasy team but not the Cardinals. Arizona has dominated this half but now finds itself trailing in the game. Have some time to mount a drive, do so and have momentum going into the intermission.

7:57 left in 2nd quarter

Cardinals move the ball well, even picking up a fourth-and-one along the way. Some nice plays, but overall nothing special. Still, drive ends in a field goal and the Cardinals lead 6-0. Kind of feels like they should be up more -- like they need to be up more.

End of 1st quarter

Cardinals moving the ball some, Beanie looking strong. Team needs him to play well to have a chance, and so far the Red Birds are out-physicaling their opponents. Nice to see.

2:17 left in first quarter

Giants move the ball a little but ultimately have to punt. Arizona will start at their own 12 yard line, needing a few first downs to help the field position game. Offense, where art thou?

7:56 left in first quarter

Kevin Kolb scrambles, is hit, and fumbles the ball. He has fumbled at least once in each of the team's four games. That can't happen yet continues to do so. Cardinals lose out on a chance for at least three more points and momentum returns to New York's sideline.

11:34 left in first quarter

Another three and out for the Giants, Cardinals defense still playing strong. Getting to Manning, stuffing the run...who are these guys?

13:02 left in first quarter

Beanie runs for -1, a short pass to Fitz and a throw away by Kolb equals a three and out for the Cards. Jay Feely hits a 27-yard field goal to give Arizona the early lead, but you'd like to see them punch it in after the turnover. Can't afford to not capitalize on opportunities like that against the Giants.

14:37 left in first quarter

Cardinals D comes out ready, forces a fumble and recovers at the Giants 16. Ahmad Bradshaw coughed it up, Rhodes forced it. Good start for the Cardinals, bad sequence for my fantasy team.

Kickoff

Giants win the toss, elect to receive. See if the Cards D can build off last week's game in Seattle.

And, if you didn't already know, the Cardinals are wearing their alternate black uniform today. It's a good look for the team, though they haven't exactly been successful in them.

3:00 to kickoff

About three minutes to kickoff and the fans, well, are not exactly here. Stadium is about 65 percent full, maybe. Late arrivals? Still tailgating? Enthralled by Cincinnati/Buffalo?

We'll see, hope they show up soon.