Disrespect continues to motivate Cards

Disrespect continues to motivate Cards
January 13
Arizona Republic
columnist Dan Bickley
"Words should have no meaning in football, a sport where players are paid to commit violent acts.

They mean everything to the Cardinals.

It's goofy, really. Though this team has become lovable and formidable in this magical postseason, they also were a 9-7 team that lucked into two home playoff games. They were obliterated in most of their marquee moments. They gave up 426 points in the regular season, in a league where you win nothing without a stout defense. National experts had no basis for faith and little reason to believe.

Ah, but these crazy Cardinals are not in the mood for logic. They just want to be mad at somebody.

"Deion Sanders, saying he's going to sell his Super Bowl tickets if we make it to the Super Bowl?" Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson said. "That's disrespectful."

It isn't so much the offense. It's mostly the defensive players who have used written words, point spreads and over-the-air opinions to work themselves into a lather, to get extremely agitated.

It makes sense. By all stereotypes, offensive players are forced to be more cerebral. Most live in a state of information overload and wisely choose to ignore taunts, predictions and other verbal nonsense. Defensive players are taught to eat meat off the bone and hit whatever's moving. They can get a little touchy. You talkin' to me?

"This team right now, the Arizona Cardinals, right now we're going to use that stuff," Wilson said.

A seasoned team leader, Wilson understands the effect this wordplay is having on some of his defensive colleagues. He doesn't want to change what's working, and neither do I. So I offer:

Brandon Jacobs, running back for the New York Giants. He didn't even play against the Cardinals when the Giants came to Glendale in November, yet he had the gall to say this after his team was eliminated by the Eagles on Sunday:

"Philly's a hot team right now," Jacobs said. "They just beat the only team that has a chance to beat them. I'm on their bandwagon."

Perfect. Someone place that over Darnell Dockett's locker.

A Philadelphia columnist said, "The hardest part of the job is done." An ESPN.com columnist belittled the Cardinals' chances under a headline that read, "Let's Book Eagles for Tampa.""

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