A barely broken in coach in Dennis Green, a new logo, new uniforms, and now a new starting quarterback in Kurt Warner—equals a new swagger to the Cardinals outlook of the 2005 season. Last season could have been the grounds for shocking the NFL world, but as the 2005 season approaches that isn’t going to be the case.

On Saturday, Kurt Warner effectively played five drives and threw for 150 yards and a touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. Even though the Cardinals offensive line is awaiting some healed athletes, Warner was still able to have enough time to get the ball to his big play receivers. The offense looked in midseason form, and operated smoothly for the majority of the first string’s time on the field.

Everyone knows what Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald bring to the table, but the big x-factor is Bryant Johnson. People forget that the Cardinals selected Johnson with the 17th pick, in the same draft they selected Boldin in the second round. It seems that Warner and Johnson have developed a nice relationship, and Warner has already said that Johnson has surprised him in training camp on how quickly he gets out on his routes.

The Cardinals may have six running backs on their roster, but JJ Arrington will be the main guy once September rolls around. On Saturday he only carried the ball four times for twelve yards, but Green has always been attracted to fast backs. Arrington is the only guy of the Cardinals that possesses that threat, and the Cardinals didn’t draft him in the second round for nothing.

Defensively, the Cardinals may finally have a top ten unit. They’re always around the ball, and Bertrand Berry has quickly become one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. Antrell Rolle just barely signed into camp, and he has already caught up like a college student cramming right before a test.

The whole team looks headed forward, but Warner is this team’s catalyst or goat. He only has a one year contract, and so does a guy by the name of Drew Brees. Warner never really got a fair shot with the Giants, so this is his chance to show that his years with the Rams weren’t a product of the players surrounding him. Even if they were, he had to make the throws.

Being inconsistent with erratic play won’t get it done, but the bad thing for the Cardinals is that Warner doesn’t have a challenger behind him. Josh McCown isn’t anywhere near being an NFL starter, and may not even be a suitable backup. Spot duty for a couple of series is the only time I’d risk having McCown on the field.

This might be the type of team that relives what the Cardinals did in 1998 with Jake Plummer. That would be to barely sneak into the playoffs as a wild card, and then not make it back for awhile. The NFC is weak right now, but quickly becoming stronger. This team has just enough to make it this year, but the talent level is going to be ahead of them next year, while they’re going to have to bring in a new quarterback.

Football careers are usually cut short due to an injury. Nowadays, an athlete can come and go just because he wants to. One or two contracts and an athlete is financially stable for the rest of his life.

In any newspaper there is always a section for NFL news and notes, primarily just reworded information from Sportscenter the previous night. Lately, there has been other news than just training camp injuries, with a big surprise with a few athletes retiring.

The blurbs are put in as if the athlete has fulfilled a career, and has exited because he is satisfied with football. Don’t get me wrong an athlete should be able to make big decisions like that, but they should also get the criticism for being a quitter.

One year ago, an athlete decided to retire and garbage was thrown at him everyday. We all know the real reason why Ricky Williams retired for a brief year. Still, the only wrong thing he did was leave his teammates in a bind, and looking like he didn’t have a care in the world for his departure.

So what makes the offensive lineman from Tampa Bay that decided to retire, and tight end Freddie Jones any different than Williams? They both bailed during training camp, and have quietly went riding into the sunset. The difference is that Williams was a high profiled athlete, and Jones and others are just your everyday average athlete.

The politics in life is unbelievable, but in sports it’s on a different broader scale. Perhaps the Panthers and Buccaneers didn’t need their recent retired athletes, but if that were the case why would the Panthers sign Jones in the off-season? They wanted a tight end that fit Jones bill, and he voided that out one-month before the season starts. Who’s to say that the Panthers would have a different tight end, if Jones would have retired a Cardinal after the 2004 season?

Obviously these athletes have the idea of retiring on their mind, more than people think. The drive is gone in a lot of athletes, just because they are financially secure. Money has changed the game in a good and bad way, and for the most part the outside has seen the good. Over the next five to ten years, that will change as the greediness of money and lack of interest is going to pattern into more and more retiring athletes.

Who can blame them? They’ve made their money, and can now use that to start a business or whatever they feel happy doing. Why would they sit around and have their bodies mutilated and endure verbal abuse from coaches?

This issue keeps staying away from mainstream media, and is only one more big name player away from taking center.

The big knock on the whole issue, is if you’re going to walk away from the game do it at the appropriate time. True professionals like Barry Sanders and Robert Smith did it correctly, and that’s the way it needs to be done.

The upside of a team is based on the talent level on the field. Accordingly, that works the same way with who is on the sideline. Nick Saban hasn’t even been the Dolphins head coach for six months, but has got the team’s foot off of the reverse pedal. Slightly, the Dolphins now have their feet planted on the gas pedal. It may have seemed that Miami would be a mediocre team for years, after last season, but that will not be the case. Nick Saban won’t let it happen, and south Florida may be transformed back into a winning franchise quicker than people think.

Ricky Williams theme of moving forward and forgetting about the past, is exactly the philosophy Saban wants for every Dolphin. Who cares about the torturous season last year, it can’t be rewritten. By bringing Williams back, Saban is doing more than adding a former Pro Bowl running back. Saban is upping the trade bait the Dolphins will have, and/or protecting Miami’s backfield situation.

Currently, Williams is making minimum dollars and as soon as he showcases his abilities he’ll want that restructured. Miami is having enough problems with trying to sign Ronnie Brown, and that is the back Miami wants to be the future. So, plan A will come into the fold, when Miami seeks to trade Williams to a team for an athlete or high draft pick.

The happy go lucky pictures that Williams and Miami present back together is just a ploy. In the end both will be happy, and move on in different directions.

All the talk in the AFC East of teams ready to knock off the Patriots has been whispered in the direction of the Bills and Jets. Both teams had solid years, but the Bills didn’t do anything to keep that continuing in the off season. JP Losman is going to take some time, and Miami should be able to be at least third in the division. Chad Pennington’s shoulder problems aren’t over, and Curtis Martin is a great back but he is getting older every year as well. The Jets success all revolves around Martin’s health and skill level. If they start to deteriorate so do the Jets, as controlling the clock is how the Jets win.

Take a look at Miami’s roster, and you’ll see a team glowing at almost every position, besides quarterback.

An average quarterback can be worked in, if he is surrounded by great talent. The running back position is set, and quietly Miami has also finally got themselves a cast of receivers. Chris Chambers, David Boston, and Marty Booker make for one of the best trio sets in the league. Boston is the true sleeper, as he can bring the Dolphins team up a few notches if he has released his demons of the past few seasons.

The offensive line has been a work in progress, and the Dolphins know they’ll need the entire preseason to figure out how they’re going to get that unit to mesh. As long as they can give adequate protection and blocking, that’ll be an upgrade from last season.

AJ Feeley got a lot of harsh criticism last season, but that was partly due to his offensive line. It was still no excuse for his misguided throws, but an extra second or two should help show his strengths. Gus Frerotte is a dark horse veteran, but he won’t start unless Feeley finishes the preseason like he played last year.

Miami is going to be a .500 team at best, and it makes no sense to throw in a veteran that’s not in the team’s future plans. They’ll live or die with Feeley, and if he is not the answer they’ll be looking to fill that void in the 2006 draft.

Defensively, Miami has some big names, but age may be a factor. The defensive line may be the best in the league, with Kevin Carter, Jeff Zgonina, Vonnie Holiday, and Jason Taylor manning the starting positions. Of course at linebacker remains pacman tacklers in Zach Thomas and Junior Seau. In the secondary, they lost Patrick Surtain in a trade, but they drafted Travis Daniels, and signed cornerback Reggie Howard and safety Lance Shulters.

Overall, signs of last seasons close losses and the changeover in attitude looks like a significant reason to factor in the Dolphins as a dangerous team in 2005. Not dangerous as a playoff contender, but a team that knowingly won’t be considered as an automatic W.

Raw talent is often overshadowing to the eyes of fans. A great play can erase the mistakes that occurred earlier in the game. A true great quarterback needs to be able to have great leadership, control, judgment and everything else that Peyton Manning already has. In the NFL right now there are around four to five great quarterbacks, and fifteen to seventeen average.

The only quarterback that continues to stay unclassified in his correct category is Mike Vick. Vick is approaching his fifth season in the NFL, and this will be the toughest year for him if his ways don’t change. Atlanta has brought up Michael Jenkins, and rookie Roddy White figures to be a big contributor as well. Furthermore, Peerless Price is still around and if he ends up being the third receiver, then maybe he can contribute like he did in Buffalo. A reduced role should help him utilize his speed and separate from the second or third cornerback on the opposing team.

With that in mind, how does Vick continue to cast a spell on fantasy owners. The hype surrounding him is unbelievable, and the rumors of him having a breakout year continue to finish in whispers. He has a huge mega deal right now, but isn’t even one of the top ten quarterbacks in the league.

What gives?

His legs are the only reason to pencil him in as a fantasy starter. If you look at his passing yards and touchdowns, they’re comparable to Joey Harrington. He average a mere 150 yards per game with his arm last season. That’d put him in the bottom five of the league, and put him on the hot seat if it weren’t for his legs.

With his legs he can give you running back fantasy points, with an easily dependable amount of eight to ten points a game. What will happen when defenses shut the lanes down of Vick? It seems unreasonable but the Buccaneers have done it more than once, and Philadelphia obliterated any options of running the ball for Vick in last seasons conference championship game.

The defense to stop those legs can be done, and Vick needs to boost his pocket skills so that doesn’t happen. A one-dimensional athlete can’t survive eleven guys from tackling him. The something out of nothing plays will always be there for Vick. But the fourth down miracle runs are going to need to be passes, as those days are over.

To fool a team like that again on a fourth down, would be like screaming across the other side of the field and yelling to the other coach what they are going to do.

Another leg injury to Vick might be the best scenario for Vick to develop his passing skills. Donovan McNabb also had the tendency to take off with his legs, before he had his foot injury and was forced to utilize his arm more. He than became comfortable with his arm and now uses that more than settling with his legs.

Vick has one of the strongest arms in the league, and when he is accurate his receivers can look like targets in the NFL quarterback challenge.

Until his passing skills improve to a top ten level, than he can’t be consider as a keeper league quarterback. His two drives against Indianapolis in Tokyo, showcase the exact reason why.

He had an impressive few plays, but then threw a horrible pass way too high for his player. His offensive line had ultimate protection on the play, and Vick seemed to gun a lazy pass that he didn’t follow through on. Those are the type of plays that Vick needs to start being known for, instead of with his legs.

Every year Vick gets hyped up to be something out of this world, but the disappointing seasons continue. Will this be the year he changes, and his talent equates to him being a fantasy starter? Right now fantasy owners would be more comfortable using him as a running back than a quarterback.

Peyton Manning has broke or will break many of Dan Marino’s records, but Marino’s displays with his arm as a quarterback will never be touched. His uncanny quick release and footwork were top notch, and therefore I truly believe Marino is the best quarterback to ever play the game.

Argue all you want, but out of all other great quarterbacks who has had the weakest cast? Without even thinking on that one, it would go to Dan Marino. Instead of Terrell Davis, Marino had Kareem Abdul Jabber, Bernie Parmalee, Irving Spikes, and a list of no name non dependent backs. Literally every year Marino’s running back was one of the bottom five in the league.

Miami was never able to enter the next phase as a franchise, but yet were a consistent playoff team. The whole reason was because of Marino, as often times he could win games just with his arm. Every defensive coordinator knew candidly that Miami’s offense was one dimensional, and yet every week Marino managed to thread throws in areas as unsafe as Iraq.

His body would take a repeated beating, but through it all his arm was as sharp as could be. Sure in the latter part of his career it looked like his velocity and judgment in throws had completely gone disarray, but it was his body that had given out. If you watch any of the highlights in his last season, the bottom half of his body was unable to deliver that needed power from the lower body. It was all arm strength, and that’s when Marino had to make the tough decision to exit from the game.

Marino’s arm could have lasted for another five to six years. It’s almost like Roger Clemens on the mound in baseball. Clemens legs and body are of his true age of 43, but his arm is the cannon of a 20 year old. If an arm was all that you needed to function in football, Marino would not be being inducted into the Hall of Fame this early.

It’s truly sad and disheartening to watch how Marino’s career winded down. He had to watch John Elway win back to back Super Bowl titles and retire on a high note, while he kept giving it his all for nothing. He kept taking a beating every week, and I only could feel bad for the guy. He was so loyal to Miami that he wouldn’t speak up to be traded to a team that would give him a running back.

Every off season there was always the talk of bringing in this back or a wide receiver. The names of Barry Sanders and even Carl Pickens were brought up on occasions, but the closest Marino ever got to having a star receiver was OJ McDuffie, besides the Clayton’s early on in his career.

This went on for his complete seventeen year career without a running back. Deep down in Marino’s heart there is strong animosity towards the Dolphins organization. What makes it worse is as soon as Marino was gone they brought in Lamar Smith, who had a solid season and set a playoff record with 240 yards against Indianapolis. Then they bring in Ricky Williams, and this season draft Ronnie Brown. You talk about a slap in the face. Every time Marino has done a Dolphin highlight for CBS, and they showed a running back touchdown he has to be thinking he is dreaming.

The separation Marino should have had in the record books is an after thought now. He was the Michael Jordan for quarterbacks, and this wasn’t a five man squad. He was able to make an eleven man squad, that was below average most of the time, into a contender every year. He never pouted, but would you could see the disgust in his face often on the field.

When the Dolphins cleared house after they were dismantled by the Jaguars in the 2000 playoffs, there was a lot of question on what Dan Marino would do. Miami had already told him they weren’t interested in retaining him as a starter, so Marino sought out his options. The strongest offer Marino got was to play for Minnesota, and have a chance to play in a prolific offense with Randy Moss and Cris Carter. In fact, talks were very serious but Marino ended up turning it down specifically due to the Vikings turf.

If only that offer could have happened two to three years earlier for Marino. The year of 1998 with the Vikings loss to the Falcons in the conference championship, would have been the other way around. Should of, could of, would of, is the whole story of Marino’s surroundings and environments. In Marino’s hands though, nothing was questionable in his career.

Now or Never
By Zack Cimini

For a starting quarterback in the NFL, your days come and go. The script is laid out for success, but playing that part is harder than reading that playbook continuously. A quarterback needs to be able to direct their own script, or someone else will take their place. A coach can only teach and hold your hand for so long, before the babying process of nurturing turns into another call to the office for release.

Ever so often, though, a quarterback will come along that gets chances over and over again like a repeat offender. For whatever reason that glimmer of potential still hangs around their name, even though the quarterback has been plagued with the inability to enter the next stage.

Aaron Brooks and Jake Plummer have surpassed any impatience threshold a team could handle. Yet, coaches will not give up on them, because they do have the skills to be great quarterbacks. There comes a time when you have to move on and clean house, now matter how tough it is.

Controlling their mistakes is the only thing from keeping these two quarterbacks from entering the top echelon of quarterbacks. Year in and year out both can be written down as secured backups, but not worth the risk as a starter because of their prior showcases.

It’s truly a now or never situation for both Brooks and Plummer. They’ve somehow hung around as NFL starters without any debate of being benched or serious talk of it. You’d have to be a fool to not say it’s almost time to take their starting label away.

2005, will mark the end or the change for the better for Brooks and Plummer. It’s entering the late stages of their fights. Will they deliver a knockout blow, or succumb to late stage tiresome mistakes?

Jake Plummer made an early legend of himself by delivering some incredible games with the Arizona Cardinals. He was known as the comeback kid when Dan Marino and John Elway were still playing. He had that unusual knack of thriving in the fourth quarter, but what the media kept away was his mistakes that got the Cardinals in that situation earlier on in the game. The excuses from Plummer and everyone in the league were that the talent surrounding Plummer was the reason for his erratic play.

Mike Shannahan was one of his biggest and firmest believers. So there you had it, a perfect blend that was seeded. Instead nothing has changed, as Plummer just can’t grasp the idea of letting things unfold properly. He plays like he can deliver Brett Favre like magic, but he hasn’t done enough in his career to get that type of thinking in his head. He needs to start playing like an every day quarterback that’s job is on the line, instead of like a hall of fame quarterback that can be an extreme risk taker.

The qualities of Plummer definitely outweigh his weaknesses. Still, if Denver is ever going to reach beyond the wild card, he needs to mature with his decision making. That’s all it will take. He has a solid arm, and is one of the best at making something out of nothing.

Truthfully, it just doesn’t seem like he’ll ever grow out of being number one in errors. Glance at his career, and his touchdown to interceptions every year are almost parallel or weighing more in the interception category. It’s sad and pathetic, and the worst thing is that he is entering his ninth season. This is a veteran that’s play has been exact to what Joey Harrington has done. The exception is that Harrington is 27 not 31.

Someone needs to do some serious research, because on paper Plummer might be the worst starting quarterback to retain a job for a decade. It’s insane and bewildering to figure out how Plummer has managed to stay a starting quarterback this long.

Look at his career thus far.
1997: 15 touchdowns and 15 interceptions
1998: 17 touchdowns and 20 interceptions
1999: 9 touchdowns and 24 interceptions
2000: 13 touchdowns and 21 interceptions
2001: 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions
2002: 18 touchdowns and 20 interceptions
2003: 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions
2004: 27 touchdowns and 20 interceptions

Ouch!!! What in the world was going on in 1999? I know the Y2K scare was big, but my goodness. To mind you, not once did Plummer ever have to sit on the bench besides due to injury in his career.

He has some serious reshaping to do or there is no doubt he has to be the worst quarterback statistically to complete over ten years starting in the NFL.

Circling around success is the only thing that can be said about Aaron Brooks career. He does the unthinkable in a good and bad way, and has never been more than an average quarterback. Therefore his team has never been more than average. They’ve been either 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7 in all his years as full time starter.

Playoffs have been within reach but he has never taken them on his own. The year 2000 doesn’t count, because Jeff Blake started for the majority of the season.

Besides 2003’s campaign, Brooks’s touchdown to interception ratio has also been comparable to Jake Plummer’s. He has one of the most talented receiver in Joe Horn and running back in Deuce McAllister. Rarely has that equated to a stretch of more than two games of Brooks utilizing his surroundings.

Both Plummer and Brooks are out of excuses. Talent has been around both of them for sometime. This will be the year that separates them from becoming NFL castoffs or new hopes.

It’d be an embarrassment for both to be cut by their respective teams, and then only offered backup jobs. The pressure has been off of them until this off-season.

It’s now or never, Jake Plummer and Aaron Brooks.