Sunday marked a series of firsts for the Arizona Cardinals. First playoff appearance since 1998. First division title in 33 years. First home playoff game since 1947! In any case, Burnsy would like to see a series of something else: winning seasons. Sure, with the NFC West down and the many up-and-coming young players on their roster, it would seem that the Cards are built for this. Then again, this isn’t the first time the Cards have been primed for long-term success on the field. Remember the roster in 1998:

QB – Jake Plummer, age 24, prime of his career-

AFTER: 4 more disappointing seasons in AZ (18-39) departs for Denver in 2003. Plays 4 seasons there (3 playoff appearances, 39-15 record as starter)

RB- Adrian Murrell, age 28, becomes 1st Cards running back to rush for 1,000 yards since Garrison Hearst in 1995.

AFTER: rushes for a total of 710 yards in 3 more years in the NFL

FB- Larry Centers, age 30, catches 69 passes for the Cardinals

AFTER: Larry Centers, age 31, catches 69 passes for the Washington Redskins the following season

WR-Frank Sanders, age 26, leads the Cards in receiving yards with 1,145

AFTER: never records a 1,000 yard season in 6 more NFL seasons

DE-Simeon Rice, age 24, records 10 sacks for AZ

AFTER: records 70 NFL sacks with Tampa Bay after leaving AZ in 2001

DT-Mark Smith, age 24, records 9 sacks for AZ

AFTER: records a total 5 more in 4 more NFL seasons; leaves AZ for Cle in 2000

CB- Aeneas Williams, age 30, enjoys Pro Bowl season for AZ

AFTER: enjoys 2 more Pro Bowl seasons in St. Louis after leaving AZ in 2001

OLB- Jamir Miller, age 25, has career high 82 tackles

AFTER: leaves for Cleveland the following season, where he plays 3 more years, averaging 80 tackles per year

LT- Lomas Brown, age 35, stabilizing force on young offensive line, and stable protector of Plummer’s blind-side

AFTER: leaves for Cleveland in 1999. Cards use 4 LTs in 10 years since (Matt Joyce, LJ Shelton, Leonard Davis, Mike Gandy).

Suns head coach Terry Porter joined Burnsy, and he discussed the team’s lineup changes as well as gaining confidence as the season progresses.

 

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