Arizona Cardinals: Adding The Miles in 2015

The Arizona Cardinals have six games this season on the road from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean

The Arizona Cardinals not only have tough places to play on the road this season, they will travel quite a few miles to get there. There are going to travel approximately 25,900 miles this season. I don’t care who you are, that’s a lot.

There has been talk the Cardinals might not return home between two of the scheduled road trips. They face the Detroit Lions on October 11th at Ford Field and then the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 18th at Heinz Field.

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They also have dates at Soldier Field in Chicago, Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. Its not like the Cardinals don’t have a history of traveling but last season they were able to mainly keep it on the west coast.

If they don’t return home between Detroit and Pittsburgh it would not be without precedent. The Cardinals went to face the Washington Redskins in 2008 and the following week had to play the New York Jets in New Jersey. They stayed back east and then took a train to New York for the Jets game. Unfortunately the Cardinals gave up 56 points and lost to the Jets that Sunday.

This is a different group of players though. They seemingly get along, the core of players that are returning this season for the team. There are advantages and disadvantages of staying out on the road for two weeks and not returning home.

You limit the travel time first of all. They reduce time in the air and reduce amount of flight segments. It also gives the team time to bond together outside of Arizona. Something like that could mean the world to younger players.

However there is a drawback. The Cardinals go more than a week without being in their own beds. They are away from their families. Sure, you sort of get that feeling while in training camp, but camp is in Glendale in their home city and do get the chance to see their families. It also changes routine. Sometimes a change of routine can ruin a good thing a team has going for it. So, ultimately I don’t think there is any right or wrong answer to the issue. The Cardinals will do what they feel is best for them.

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