It feels like I just witnessed a tragedy. I feel like going out and getting a little Cardinals logo sticker for my car, and a bumper sticker that says something like, “We Will Always Remember: 10-16-06.”
The Chicago Bears became bad guys last night. If this was Wrestlemania III, they’d be Andre the Giant. I used to like them, they were friendly, powerful, generous, and admirable for a while… but then they did something really mean to someone who didn’t deserve it, and now I don’t like them anymore. That’s how I feel… I feel like the Cardinals are a scrawny loner kid that was about to finally beat up the bully, and then the bully landed some lucky bullshit punch and kicked the little kid’s ass. I didn’t want to see that little kid get his ass kicked. What I really feel like, evidently, is expressing myself through analogies right now.
But yeah, the Bears just became like the Patriots, Colts, or Steelers… they’re no longer an improbable upstart team on the rise to greatness, they’re just another good NFL team whose success I resent. And I don’t even fucking like the Cardinals… they’ve just sucked for so long, they finally were about to get a big, signature win… and ouch.
I’m literally sad for them. Everyone takes tough losses from time to time, and I usually don’t offer a ton of sympathy because everyone goes through it… but that one made me actually feel emotional pain… for Neil Rackers, for Cardinals fans, for Dennis Green… but not for Matt Leinart, because he still has his choice of any woman in Arizona or southern California.
Check out this pain:
The Big Picture
brutal. absolutely brutal. i was at a bar — nowhere near arizona — and everyone in there fell silent when rackers missed the game-winning kick.
it’s like you said, sports fans find themselves siding with the underdog, and despite having no ties to the cardinals (unless you’re sister has slept with Matt Leinart, of course) myself and everyone in this bar felt like we just took a fist to the face.
imagine people in arizona.
October 17, 2006 at 3:51 am
Edward
I hope Dennis Greene has lots of booze and no guns at home, I really do.
October 17, 2006 at 4:30 am
lopey
what the hell was denny green ranting about? are we sure he didn’t hit a keg on the way to the press conference or down an entire bottle of scotch?
October 17, 2006 at 5:07 am
Mandalay
As a self-respecting heterosexual woman, I make it a personal rule never to touch Paris Hilton’s sloppy seconds or quarterbacks over whom Joe Theismann has multiple orgasms during a game. Matt “Douchebag” Leinart meets both of those criteria. It’s a rule that’s served me well in my life. That being said, it was amazing that Denny Green’s head didn’t explode during that press conference. He’s probably holed up in his office screaming “I WAS AHEAD OF THE GAME, MISTER!”
October 17, 2006 at 6:43 am
point 23
I sure hope Denny Green was babbling incoherently because he couldn’t believe how conservatively he called that game, and not becuase he was pissed at a single player on his team. That’s no one’s fault but his, not even Rackers. Good God man, even Marty Shottenheimer was embarrassed for you.
And what the hell was Theisman doing praising the Cardinals offensive line ALL GAME LONG? Was he even watching the game? Edge got drilled the second he touched the ball, but it didn’t really matter anyways because all Denny wanted to do was take three kneels and punt anyways.
I’m so pissed off about this game and I could care less about either team. I feel bad for everyone on the Cardinals except Denny Green. I’m just pissed at him.
October 17, 2006 at 7:36 am
naguszed
they are going to have to build another stadium. this one is ruined.
October 17, 2006 at 9:16 am
asufooty10
I was at the game surrounded by Cardinals fans. After every play (including the offensive touchdowns), no one felt comfortable. Everyone was saying, “There’s too much time. It’s only the first quarter.” Even with the worst-case scenario mindset, you could feel the wind being sucked out of the stadium on the punt return in the fourth.
All my dad could say after the game (being a 14-year season ticket holder), “I’m used to them losing. I don’t know why I expected anything different.”
I felt like an engaged man who spent three-months salary buying an engagement ring for the prom queen with rich parents only to find out at the altar that the bride-to-be sold the ring, flew to Vegas, lost all the money and then decided to participate in the world’s largest gangbang with Mike Tyson leading off to earn some cash.
October 17, 2006 at 10:46 am
tony
You know, it’s really not all that bad to be a Browns fan. Thanks Cardinals!
October 17, 2006 at 12:09 pm
NewEngland SportsGuy
Dennis Green is nuts. If you want to win the game in the end, you don’t stop your drive at the 23-yard line and hope your kicker can make a 40-yard field goal. Rackers is good, but 40 yards is no gimme. Leinart could’ve brought them a lot closer for an easy field goal. Learn how to win!
October 17, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Cubandirk
I gotta agree with the Marty-ball assessement. By the third quarter they gave up and were going for field goals, running on 3rd and 8 deep in Bears territory.
Excuse me Mr. Green, the Bears came in as the number one offense in the league…
Green is an idiot.
October 17, 2006 at 2:12 pm
Doug
When did Matt Leinart become someone to root for? I figure it’s more of an Arizona, constantly lousy, sort of sentiment in folks wanting to see them get a key win, but I don’t know, I kind of feel the opposite. I’m not a Bears fan, don’t dislike them or anything like that, but after this game, while I’m not going to root for them, I’m certainly not going to put them anywhere near the class of teams that I resent for winning.
In that sense, I don’t think they became anything like those other teams last night, I think they moved away from that, separated themselves from those teams. They didn’t bully the Cardinals, they just went out and fought resiliently to the end and came away with a win because of their strengths when their QB was having an awful day. They showed more character in that one game than the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, combined have done in the past five years.
They weren’t arrogant about it, they just kept doing what they do best and it paid off.
Plus, Devin Hester is fun to watch.
October 17, 2006 at 3:50 pm
MP
Let’s all keep some perspective here: we feel bad for the Arizona Cardinals, NOT Matt Leinart.
All right, I actually feel a little bad for him. Just because he’s on the team that is like the little kid in the analogy that MJD used.
And Denny Green might be complaining, but I know what he’s saying when he says, “They are who we thought they were.”
He’s saying that they THOUGHT the Bears were just another beatable team that is only standing out in the NFC after playing cream-puff opponents. And he’s ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
And the Cardinals let them off the hook. Fine, but that doesn’t make Green any less right. Some team WILL expose the Bears for who they really are yet.
October 17, 2006 at 8:53 pm
troy polomalu's hair
I feel bad for Rex Grossman right now. He went from being prince of Chi-town to being the man whose shortcomings were exposed by the bonecrushing juggernaut that is the Arizona Cardinals defense. I’ll take losing by 1 to the best team in the NFL any day.
October 18, 2006 at 3:44 am
CJ
This was a total 3 O’clock High moment, the underdog whacking the bully around the parking lot. Then the Buddy Revell goes and stoops to brass knuckles against the 110 pound cardinals, only this time the punch landed.
October 18, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Thomas
I think people are just upset because the comeback wasn’t lead by the offense, and the QB wasn’t the hero. Instead the defense went out and won the game, and Brian Urlacher was the hero. It’s unconventional, but it gets the job done (see every win of the Bears 2004)
As for resenting good teams, I guess it’s your prerogative, but it must make it hard to enjoy the playoffs.
October 19, 2006 at 1:33 am
James
I am not a Bears fan but I loved this game. IT was nice to see a gmae that Arizona participated in that was actually entertaining.
Denny Green should grow up. The Cards inability to put the game away cost them the game and the buck stops with him.
The Bears were what we thoguht they were!
Yeah if by that you mean a team so much better than you that they cna turn the ball over 6 times and the offense not score and they still beat your ass.
October 19, 2006 at 3:07 am
Duke of Madness
Denny Green’s press conference comments (however tantalizingly brief they were) seemed to indicate that he based his game plan for this regular season game on having played the Bears in the pre-season.
If that’s the case, then he is stealing the Bidwell’s money.
Brian Urlacher is a fucking freak. I haven’t seen one player take over a game that way since Michael Jordan played for the Bulls. But the Bears still should have lost this game.
Don’t hate the Bears for it, though: Hate Denny Green. After that showing, I think he could fuck up a wet dream.
October 28, 2006 at 1:22 am