Lack of respect for the Cardinals?

The Arizona Cardinals’ 24-17 win over the New York Giants at the Meadowlands in front of a national television audience last Sunday impressed many people.

Among the impressed were longtime Cardinal fans who have been waiting for a signature win to announce to the rest of the football universe that “these are not your Grandfather’s Cardinals”.

Apparently among those not that impressed, ESPN–the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

Quarterback Kurt Warner appeared on the Valley radio airwaves on Tuesday morning with

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, and wasn’t too pleased with the sports giant located in Bristol, Connecticut.

“I watched some highlights on ESPN yesterday, and they didn’t show a single offensive highlight of the Arizona Cardinals when they talked about our game,” Warner said. “It continually amazes me that after the success we had last season and going to the Super Bowl, that we still don’t get much national recognition and people still think of us as a second-rate team and organization.”

And you know what? He’s absolutely right.

The Cardinals’ history has been so bad, so forgettable, and in many cases laughable, that apparently it’s going to take more than an NFC Championship banner, a close-but-no-cigar effort in the Super Bowl, and an impressive Sunday night performance against the Giants to convince the football populous that this team is for real.

Linebacker Gerald Hayes actually likes the lack of recognition. “I’m kinda happy we’re not getting any attention,” Hayes said after practice on Thursday. “That just makes more motivated to go out there and win.”

If the Cardinals continue their recent stellar play (especially defensively) against a perceived soft schedule over the next 5 weeks, a 9-2 or 8-3 mark is entirely possible.

And if that scenario shakes out, then you’ll hear the national pundits drooling all over the Arizona Cardinals.

I guess we’re just ahead of the curve here in Arizona.

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