Bill Parcells popularized the expression: you are what your record says you are. Cardinals are 7-3 and have the 3rd best record in the NFC behind the 9-1 Giants and the 8-2 Panthers, so on the basis of Parcells statement they should be considered to be a formidable opponent, especially at home. But while Parcells was known for that quote, I also heard him make another statement which I think is applicable to the idea I'm about to introduce here. The context of the upcoming quote is that reporters would ask him something like: "why didn't that play work" or "why didn't you do x instead of y, or y instead of x" or "why couldn't the qb complete that pass". In response to questions like that, the Big Tuna was fond of saying: "Hey, we're not playing solitaire out there". The intent of this response was that there is another team on the field, other players out there and they influence what you do, when you do it, and most of all - the quality of the opponent relative to your own determines the success of a play and the outcome of the game.
So, in the spirit of the "we're not playing solitaire out there" comment, I'd like to take a look at how the Cardinals manufactured their 7-3 record and how the Giants got to 9-1. Maybe there's an inference to be drawn.
Cardinals are playing in what most people agree and what can be probably demonstrated to be, the weakest division in football. Just on the basis of record, you could argue that the NFC North is not too good either, with no teams having better than a .500 record and 0-10 Lions living in the cellar. But three teams are .500 in NFC-N, so there are at least a few mediocre teams in the division (and I personally think the Packers are about to take off). By contrast, the NFC West has the Cardinals at 7-3 and the best of the other three teams is the 49ers at 3-7. Rams and Seahawks are both 2-8, giving the three teams a cumulative record of 7-23, a .233 winning percentage. Four of the Cardinals 7 wins have come against the weak sisters in their own division, which could lead you to question how much their record is indicative of their true team strength.
Futhermore, their other three wins have come against Miami in week 2, before they started playing well for new coach Sparano; against the Bills who have now been exposed as a weak team that built up an early good record against the soft part of its own schedule; and against Dallas. We have to give the Cardinals credit for that Cowboys game, they really got after Romo and their offense moved the ball well against the Cowboys defense. But that is their only good win of the year against a quality opponent that was playing well at the time they met them.
Their 3 losses came against: Redskins in Washington; Jets in NY, in a game that they gave up 34 points in the first half and turned the ball over about 100 times to the Jets defense; Carolina on the road.
To summarize, Cardinals have 4 wins against sub-.500 teams; 1 win against a .500 team; and their record in the 5 games they've played against teams that are currently better than .500 is 2-3. Maybe this takes a little bloom off the rose of their 7-3 record, even if you can only play the teams on your schedule and "you are what your record says you are".
Looking at the Giants - they have three wins against the same weak NFC West and one against the 1-8 Bengals, but in their five games against teams that are currently above .500, they are 5-0. They have beaten Redskins (6-4), Cowboys(6-4), Eagles(5-4-1), Ravens(6-4) and Steelers(7-3).
I can't recall if we've had a big win in Phoenix, Arizona. Any help from guys with better memories than me?
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