Cowboys v. Redskins……….Colts v. Patriots………..Packers v. Vikings
These are storied NFL rivalries, some longstanding and some brand new. But every time these teams square off, there is always that little something extra on the line: Pride. These games can define an entire season for an organization. Even if the Redskins were to go 2-14 for the season, if their only two wins came from their two meetings with the Cowboys, then I think most Skins fans would consider it a good season. Just look at the Colts last season, once again their nemesis, the Brady Bunch, stood between them and the Super Bowl. For the last 4 years, the Colts/Pats matchup has dominated the postseason. But this time, Peyton and co. found a way to win, and millions of people were watching it as it happened.
This kind of drama is what the Arizona Cardinals, and the NFL as a whole needs. It’s what makes college football so much fun to watch, rivalries in sports is a thing of beauty. It’s those one or two games you look forward to every year. You call your buddies up, shell out the extra $200 for tickets online because the game was sold out a year in advance and that was the only way you could get them, you tailgate for hours and talk trash to the other group of tailgaters out there sporting their team’s jerseys. And the game is just played at a whole different level: the hits are harder and faster, the players go all out and so do the fans. It’s that kind of energy that is missing from the Arizona Cardinals, WE NEED A RIVALRY BAD!!
But the problem with the Cards is that they have no clearly defined rivals. Sure every other team in the NFC west is a great match up, but I don’t think they fit the bill as far as a rival goes. Another thing to remember is that the Cards were in the NFC East and played Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington and NY Giants until just a few years ago. So there is no real history between the Cards and the rest of the West. But really any one of them could be a rival; we play them twice a year, and the division is so close every year that those matchups tend to come into play by season’s end. The Seahawks are the current champs and would be the obvious choice to hate. The Rams also have been a successful franchise and always seem to find a way to beat the Cards in Arizona. But my vote is to pick the San Francisco 49ers as our best shot at a true rivalry.
Think about it: both teams are up and coming, loaded with talent at the skill positions, have promising young quarterbacks, and seemed poised to be regulars in the postseason in the near future. Also, in the last two seasons the Cards are 4-0 against San Francisco, effectively knocking them out of the playoffs last season. In 2004 the Cards were 6-10, but were 0-2 against the Niners that year. If they would have beaten them in 04, they would have secured the wild card spot over St. Louis and made the playoffs. I think this is definately the ground work for deep seeded hatred, but hey what do you all think.
Mike Duggan
AZCardsfan4life