Glendale, Ariz. – The curtain has closed on the Cardinals’ inaugural season in Glendale.
There will be no sentimental journeys.
But you can say goodbye to Dennis Green just the same. Mercifully, a 37-20 loss to the Broncos will end the groundswell of support for the Cardinals’ head coach, a beaten man who just notched his third consecutive season with 10 or more losses.
“We’ll come and play hard against San Francisco,” Green said. “They think they can be a playoff team if they win, and they’re probably right.”
Even for a mercurial owner like Bill Bidwill – whose tolerance for losing exceeds the recommended daily allowance – the weight of that statement can’t be ignored. Two years ago, the 49ers went 2-14. Now they’re ahead of the Cardinals in the NFC West’s pecking order. That has to hurt.
You can also say goodbye to former golden boy Jake Plummer, at least as a member of the Broncos.
Getting benched in favor of rookie Jay Cutler was hard enough. But he had to watch from the sideline Sunday as Matt Leinart broke the Cardinals franchise’s rookie passing yardage record, a mark set by Plummer.
In the process, Plummer also endured a painful twist of fate. After signing with Denver before the 2003 season, Plummer faced the Cardinals three times, twice in the preseason. Yet he never took a snap against his former team. And to think his return was supposed to be one of the selling points for the 2006 season.
Instead, Cutler earned his first NFL victory, in a stadium Plummer helped build.
Ah, but the NFL is a cutthroat business. And while not as polished as Leinart or as athletic as Vince Young, Cutler displayed the kind of arm strength and versatility not seen in Denver since some guy named Elway.
“Well, I’m not going to get into that,” Denver coach Mike Shanahan said when asked how much deeper he can go in the playbook with Cutler in the lineup. “I just know that (Cutler) has a big-time future with us.”
Plummer didn’t want to be quoted after the game, a sure sign he’s angry about his sudden demotion. Yet he gave permission to paraphrase his thoughts, and here goes:
He didn’t think he would be returning to Arizona as a backup quarterback in 2007. He said he still wants to be a starter if he’s playing next year. When questioned about that conspicuous “if,” he downplayed any thoughts of retirement.
Yes, it was a strange day at the new stadium. It was a day when the past and the future collided like angry bulls.
When it was over, it seemed like only Broncos fans remained in the building. And it seemed like the homecoming worked only for Mike Bell, former University of Arizona tailback and Phoenix-area high school phenomenon.
Bell scored two touchdowns for the Broncos, delighting countless friends and family members in attendance. And as he stood shirtless in the Broncos’ locker room, you couldn’t help but notice the large tattoo on his chest.
It was an outline of the state of Arizona. Inside the drawing were the words, “Phoenix Phinest.”
“I got that a long time ago,” Bell said. “It was a mistake.”
As workers tore down the NFL goalposts after the game, mistake seemed to be the perfect word for the debut season in the West Valley. And in the future, you can only hope the postseason in Glendale isn’t reserved solely for college football.
