Every since the Super Bowl ended, we’ve been bombarded with reports asking whether or not Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, and a few other free agents will return to the Cardinals next season. While it would be nice to see these men return and make another run at the Super Bowl, I know it’s pointless due to the curse of the Super Bowl loser.

I blogged about this one year ago, when the 18-1 New England Patriots lost in the big game against New York. Although Randy Moss stayed on his best behavior, Tom Brady blew his knee out in week 1 and order was restored to the universe. If one of the most indestructible teams in NFL history couldn’t do it, does Arizona really stand a chance? I don’t think so.

Let’s review the chart..

2000 New York Giants – Lost Super Bowl XXXV
2001 New York Giants – 7-9 record, no playoffs

2001 St. Louis Rams – Lost Super Bowl XXXVI
2002 St. Louis Rams – 7-9 record, no playoffs

2002 Oakland Raiders – Lost Super Bowl XXXVII
2003 Oakland Raiders – 4-12 record, no playoffs

2003 Carolina Panthers – Lost Super Bowl XXXVIII
2004 Carolina Panthers – 7-9 record, no playoffs

2004 Philadelphia Eagles – Lost Super Bowl XXXIX
2005 Philadelphia Eagles – 6-10 record, no playoffs

2005 Seattle Seahawks – Lost Super Bowl XL
2006 Seattle Seahawks – 9-7 record (made playoffs, 2nd round exit)

2006 Chicago Bears – Lost Super Bowl XLI
2007 Chicago Bears – 7-9 record, no playoffs

2007 New England Patriots – Lost Super Bowl XLII
2008 New England Patriots – 11-5 record, no playoffs

2008 Arizona Cardinals – Lost Super Bowl XLIII
2009 Arizona Cardinals – …..lets not kid ourselves

That means San Francisco will win the NFC west and return to the playoffs for the first time in a good six years. Go Mike Singletary!

Could you find two teams who are more polar opposite than Atlanta and Arizona right now? The Falcons have won 5 of their last 6 games and look like one of the hottest teams in the NFL, while the Cardinals have lost 4 of their last 6 and completely broke down at the end of the season. There are lots of fans and analysts who feel like the Cards don’t even belong in the postseason with the effort they’ve been putting forth lately.

Reasons to believe Atlanta will win:
1. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are on fire right now, Turner was only 60 yards short of the NFL rushing title, and Ryan somehow looks like a veteran in the pocket.

2. The Falcons are a scrappy team – If you look at the scoreboard on all of Atlanta’s recent wins, they have mostly been by 7 points or less. Atlanta doesn’t give up in the 4th quarter and battle it out until the final whistle.

Reasons to believe Arizona will win:

1. The Cards are great at home – This team went 6-2 at home this season (and one of those games was a really close loss to the Giants), so Atlanta may have a tough time in the desert.

2. Atlanta’s defense sucks – I know folks may not believe it, but Atlanta’s defense is statistically worse than the Cardinals. They’re facing a team with an incredibly explosive offense on the road, so it’s really up in the air how they’ll perform here.

So who am I predicting to win it?

You’d be hard pressed to find ANYONE who thinks Arizona can win the way they’ve been playing lately, but I’m actually putting my chips behind Kurt Warner and the gang. Nobody takes this team seriously (with good reason), but Arizona possesses this mythical retard strength. Just when you’re expecting them to roll over and die, they’ll go crazy and flip over a Volkswagen Beetle and take a bite out of a tree.

Warner throws for 379 yards and 4TDs for the win.

At the very end of the second quarter in today’s Giants vs. Cardinals game, the Giants punted the ball to Arizona with 5 seconds left in the half. Arizona fair-caught the punt and then lined up for a “free-kick field goal”, which means the kicker gets to try a FG without the opposing team rushing him. There was no snap, and he got to take all the time he wanted to kick the ball.

I’ve never seen this before in my life (which is surprising considering how much football I watch), so I looked up the rules….and here they are.

What is a fair catch kick?

After a fair catch, an NFL team has the right to take a free kick from the line of scrimmage on the next play. If the kick goes through the uprights, the kicking team scores 3 points. It is also known as a “free kick field goal.”

What special rules apply?
1. There is no snap.
2. The defense must stand at least 10 yards from the line of scrimmage until the ball is kicked.
3. The kicking team may not use a tee. The ball must be placed or drop-kicked.
4. Even if time expired on the preceding play, the fair-catching team may still attempt the kick.

Update – Here’s a video of the fair-catch kick below

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