The Arizona Cardinals will have a lot on their wings when they fly into the off-season. Quarterback Kurt Warner is contemplating retirement, while key players Anquan Boldin, Edgerrin James, Adrian Wilson, and Karlos Dansby may seek work elsewhere. Oh, and by the way, they are the Super Bowl losers.
History has shown that in the last ten years, only three Super Bowl losing teams have come back to make the playoffs the following year. This is an astonishing statistic that causes many people to think, “Why does this happen?” Well, let’s take a look at the list of the last ten Super Bowl losers and try to figure out what caused such a dramatic letdown.
1997 - The Green Bay Packers lose to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII but manage to make the playoffs the following year with an 11-5 record.
1998 - The Atlanta Falcons lose to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII and fail to make playoffs the following year with a 5-11 record. Defense wins championships, and the Falcons proved they didn’t have one in 1999.
1999 - The Tennessee Titans lose to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV but manage to make the playoffs the following year (2000) with a 13-3 record.
2000 - The New York Giants lose to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV and fail to make the playoffs the following year (2001) with a 7-9 record. Michael Strahan was the only bright star in 2001, breaking the NFL record for most sacks in a season.
2001 – The
2002 - The Oakland Raiders lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII and fail to make the playoffs the following year (2003) with a 4-12 record. Coach Bill Callahan proved to be the wrong guy as head honcho in
2003 – The Carolina Panthers lose to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII and fail to make the playoffs the following year (2004) with a 7-9 record. Injuries held this team to a 1-7 record after the first eight games of the season.
2004 – The Philadelphia Eagles lose to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX and fail to make the playoffs the following year (2005) with a 6-10 record. Terrell Owens’ off-season suspension and an injury to Donovan McNabb proved costly to
2005 – The Seattle Seahawks lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL but manage to make the playoffs the following year (2006) with a 9-7 record.
2006 – The Chicago Bears lose to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI and fail to make the playoffs the following year (2007) with a 7-9 record. Off-season issues involving Tank Johnson and Lance Briggs, along with inconsistency at the quarterback position, led to this team’s demise.
2007 – The New England Patriots lose to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII and fail to make the playoffs this year (2008) with an 11-5 record. Sure, Tom Brady’s injury hurt, but this team should have made the playoffs. However, when it’s all said and finished…they didn’t.
So that leads us back to this year’s Super Bowl loser … the Arizona Cardinals. The pressure is on their shoulders to make the right decisions this off-season, and not have a meltdown once the regular season begins in September. Expect the
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3 comments:
First of all based on history I would say the Cardinals are going to miss the playoffs with a 7-9 record!
And also (unless they can opt out of their contracts) James, Boldin, and Wilson are not free agents. Boldin wants out but isn't a free agent, he would have to be traded.
I know, Dansby is the only free agent. There is a good possibility, however, that the trio you mentioned will opt out.
Anquan's situation could be a sticky one. You wonder, after the way he acted after the NFCCG, if he wants to remain in Arizona (this could end up being an off-season distraction). Fitzgerald already said he would restructure his contract to keep him.
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