Cornerback Aeneas Williams is the greatest player to wear a Cardinal uniform since 1988.
Can you believe it? The Arizona Cardinals are headed into their 22nd season in the Valley.
In the past 21 years, we’ve seen the good–an NFC Championship in 2008–and the bad–17 losing seasons.
We’ve seen our share of Pro Bowl players, and we’ve seen Tom Tupa play quarterback.
With the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers just days away, I started waxing nostalgic. What would the All-Time Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals team look like? Forget the Chicago and St. Louis days. This is, after all Fanster.com – All Sports. All Phoenix.
And, just know that this was not at all a democratic process…this is solely my opinion. If you think I’m off at some positions, feel free to let me know in the comment section.
Here goes, my Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals All-Time Team…
Offense
WR: Larry Fitzgerald – Three Pro Bowls in his first 5 seasons, and took the football world by storm in last year’s postseason, when he decided that nobody would be able to stop him. And guess what, nobody could.
LT: Luis Sharpe - Since his playing days ended in 1994, his life has been a mess. But on the field, Sharpe was a pillar of consistency. How many times when a tackle is drafted in the first round do the pundits say, “this guy could be a fixture on this team’s offensive line for 15 years.” How many times does that actually happen? Very rarely, but Sharpe is one of those guys who locked down the left tackle position for 13 seasons. Sharped played in two Pro Bowls as a Phoenix Cardinal in 1988 and 1989.
LG: Reggie Wells – Never flashy, but consistent and flexible. Wells has started at right tackle during his career, but has mostly anchored the left guard position since 2004 for the Cardinals. Not bad for a 6th round pick out of Clarion, huh?
C: Derek Kennard – There’s been a lot of players who have lined up at center for the Cardinals since their move to the Valley in 1988. But it was their first, Derek Kennard, who was the best. Kennard only spent three years in the Valley before becoming a Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys, but he was part of an imposing offensive line known as “the Wide Bodies” in the early days of the Phoenix Cardinals. Now, only if he could have convinced his son, Devon, to stay home and go to ASU, but that’s a topic for another post.
RG: Leonard Davis – Many people consider the massive Davis to be a bust. But that was because he played much of his time in a Cardinal uniform playing out of position. After being the 2nd overall pick of the 2001 draft, Davis was shifted all over the Cardinals’ o-line, but was most dominant at right guard. Remember when he basically picked up and body slammed blitzing Chicago safety Mike Brown in a game against the Bears in 2001? Mike Brown does. After leaving for Dallas in 2007, Davis has been an NFC Pro Bowler twice, at, you guessed it, right guard.
RT: Tootie Robbins – The Cardinals haven’t had a lot of great right tackles in the last two decades, so Robbins gets the nod here. Tootie was a Cardinal for 10 years, including the first four years of the Birds’ stay in Phoenix, where he was a fixture at right tackle. Robbins was also a member of “the Wide Bodies”, and was considered huge during his playing days when he weighed in at a little over 300 pounds. Amazing how times have changed.
TE: Freddie Jones - I bet you were thinking Jay Novacek would be the choice here. But, Novacek was actually a backup behind Rob Awalt for the Cardinals, and started only 2 games in his two years in the Valley. Jones was by far the most productive tight end the Cardinals have had in the Valley, snagging 144 catches over three seasons. Of course, the Cards only won 15 games combined in those three seasons, but at least Jones was productive.
WR: Anquan Boldin – ‘Q’ opened eyes in his first NFL game, catching 10 balls for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns in a loss to the Detroit Lions to open the 2003 season (no, that wasn’t Detroit’s last win). He’s been great ever since. He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003. Sure, he’s had contract squabbles recently, but he comes to play on Sunday. Boldin has 502 catches in just 6 seasons in the NFL.
QB: Kurt Warner – He hasn’t been here the longest, but Warner was the engineer of the most magical run in team history in 2008, when he threw for 4583 yards and 30 touchdowns in leading the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. He’s respected by his teammates, by opponents and by fans. He’s a pillar in the community, and overall, a good person on top of being an inspirational story and a great football player.
RB: Edgerrin James – Again, the signing of Edge is considered by many to be a bust. The Cardinals, looking to create a splash before moving into their spanking new stadium in 2006, shelled out big bucks for James, who had played in 4 Pro Bowls in 7 seasons with the Colts. Edge didn’t put up huge numbers, but he’s the only running back since the Cardinals moved to the Valley who has amassed two 1,000-yard seasons.
FB: Larry Centers – Centers was a rock. The 5th round draft pick out of Stephen F. Austin was never a great runner (he never had more than 62 yards rushing in a game), but he was a tremendous receiver. In fact, his 535 catches ranks first all-time in Cardinals’ history, although it’s likely both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald will pass him this season. Centers was also a devastating blocker. He was the best in the league at chip blocking, and had highlight reels of pancaking unsuspecting defensive ends who were engaged with a blocker. Centers played in two Pro Bowls as a Cardinal.
(Author’s Note: I originally had Ron Wolfley listed as the fullback. No slight on Wolf for the change, but I’ll admit it, I completely spaced on Centers, as I originally wasn’t going to include a fullback. There, I feel better)
K: Neil Rackers – Rackers has been reliable, especially in 2005, when he set an NFL record by booting 40 field goals. And Rackers gets plus points for actually seeking out contact and making tackles on special teams. How many kickers do that?
Defense
DE : Simeon Rice – I know Simeon made a lot of enemies on his way out of town. Remember the “Arizona is the armpit of the NFL” comment? But you can’t deny that Simeon was one of the most productive (and quotable) defensive ends in football during his time in Arizona. Rice had 51.5 sacks in a Cardinal uniform, including 16.5 in his Pro Bowl season of 1999, when he ranked 2nd in the NFL in that category. By the way, Rice has signed with the New York Sentinels of the UFL. Insert your own smelly body part joke here.
DT: Eric Swann – Swann, despite his credentials, was one of the most unpopular player in Cardinals’ history. Some fans even referred to Swann as ‘Erica’, pointing out Swann’s penchant for getting injured. But again, while Swann was in the lineup, he was a disruptive force in the middle of the Cardinals’ d-line. Swann had 45.5 QB sacks in his Cardinal career, and the best dimples in team history.
DT: Darnell Dockett – Dockett is durable, is an entertaining Twitterer, and has a nasty streak–a good combo for a defensive lineman. Dockett hasn’t missed a game in his 5-year career, and had his breakout game on the world’s biggest stage, sacking Ben Roethlisberger 3 times in Super Bowl XLIII.
DE: Freddie Joe Nunn – Nunn lined up at defensive end and outside linebacker during his Arizona career. And no matter where he lined up, Nunn got to the quarterback. In 1988, Nunn was 4th in the league in sacks, behind only Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White and Kevin Greene. That’s pretty good company.
OLB: Ken Harvey – When Harvey was picked in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft out of Cal, he became the original Phoenix Cardinal as the first player picked by the team after their move to St. Louis. Harvey had 6 sacks as a rookie, and 47.5 in his Cardinals’ career. He became a 4-time Pro Bowler with the Washington Redskins after leaving the desert in 1994.
ILB: Ronald McKinnon – He was undrafted out of tiny North Alabama and was undersized for an NFL player at only 6-feet tall. But none of that stopped Ronald McKinnon from being one of the most productive defensive players in Cardinals’ history. After becoming the full-time starter at middle linebacker in 1997, the durable McKinnon held on to the job until 2004. He had 640 tackles, 12 sacks, 10 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries as a member of the Arizona ‘d’.
ILB: Eric Hill – Hill was a warrior. There’s no other way to put it. Despite the physical demands of his position, Hill missed only 11 games over his 9-year Cardinal career. And when he was healthy, he was always around the football, racking up 785 tackles in his career.
OLB: Karlos Dansby – Wait a minute you say. There’s four linebackers and four lineman on this defense. Guess what? There’ll be four defensive backs too. I know the 4-4-4 alignment is not legal, but this is my team, so I’m going for it. Dansby is developing into a star for the Cardinals. In his 5 years with the team, he has shown a nose for the football, intercepting 9 passes, racking up 24.5 sacks and recovering 9 fumbles.
CB: Aeneas Williams – With apologies to Larry Fitzgerald, Eric Hill and Anquan Boldin, Aeneas Williams is the greatest Phoenix/Arizona Cardinal. Williams ranks 17th on the all-time interceptions list with 55 in his career (46 of which came while he was a Cardinal). He also scored 8 defensive touchdowns and was the rare cornerback who could hit like a truck (ask Steve Young). Aeneas played in 6 consecutive Pro Bowls as a Cardinal from 1994 to 1999. Williams finished his career with the Rams, but when he goes to the Hall of Fame (he’s eligible next year), he should go in as a Cardinal.
FS: Tim McDonald – I know McDonald was more of a strong safety, but I’m confident he can make the transition. Timmy Mac was a fixture in the Cardinals’ secondary for 6 years, and went to the Pro Bowl three times. McDonald is also credited with coining the phrase “Show me the money!”, which of course was a popular phrase used in the movie Jerry Maguire. Unfortunately, the San Francisco 49ers did show McDonald the money, and he signed with them in 1993, helping the 49ers to a Super Bowl title in 1994.
SS: Adrian Wilson – Wilson’s a freakish athlete who currently has the longest tenure of any Arizona Cardinal, as he’s entering his 9th season in the desert. He’s scored on two of the longest plays in Cardinals’ history, a 99-yard interception return and a 99-yard fumble return, which both happened in 2006. He’s one of the most feared players in the NFL, and at age 29, the 2-time Pro Bowler has showed no signs of letting up any time soon.
S: Pat Tillman - OK, I lied. We’re going with a 4-4-5 alignment, because any Cardinals’ dream team has to include Pat Tillman for what he did on the field while with the Cardinals and what he did off the field for the defense of freedom around the world.
CB: Robert Massey – I admit, the Cardinals’ group of corners outside of Aeneas Williams has been iffy at best. Massey gets the nod because he’s the Cardinal corner other than Williams to go to the Pro Bowl. Massey had 5 picks in 1992, and returned 3 of them for touchdowns, including 2 in one game, a 27-24 win over the Washington Redskins at Sun Devil Stadium. In his other two seasons with the Cardinals, he had no interceptions. Hey, I told you the pickings were slim.
P: Rich Camarillo – Sure Feagles was the local kid, and Player went to a Pro Bowl and rocked the single-bar facemask, but Rich Camarillo was the best punter the Cardinals ever had (sorry Tom Tupa). In five years with the Cardinals, Camarillo went to the Pro Bowl 3 times, and averaged 43.7 yards per punt. It’s kinda sad when the fiercest position battle for this team is at the punter position, huh?
There you have it, my picks for the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals All-Time Team. Disagree with any of the positions? Let me know in the comment section below.
