No Trick: Tampa Game Turns from Scary to Treat
By Scott Allen
When the NFL released the schedule of games back in April, not much about the home schedule for the Arizona Cardinals blew you away. Sure, Dallas would be here on Christmas Day, San Francisco on Monday Night Football in November. It also revealed a Halloween game at home against the Tampa Bay Bucs.
At the time, it seemed it would be a scary game in the sense that this game could keep a lot of fans at home and celebrating the big day. Tampa here on Halloween. At the time, it was one of the few excuses you could find on the schedule for not making the trip out to Glendale. It was a great excuse to break the sellout streak at University of Phoenix Stadium.
However, look at the standings now. Now, having the Bucs here on Halloween should turn out to be quite a treat. The Bucs, 4-2 and playing well, face the Cards (3-3), in Glendale today. It’s a game that means so much more than it did just a couple of months ago.
The Bucs are the self-proclaimed “best team in the NFC”. Now, I wouldn’t go that far, yet. I would, however, say they are one of the best. Bucs coach Raheem Morris said “stats are for losers”, meaning it’s all about the bottom line, wins and losses. I agree with the latter, but not sure stats are for losers. Players salaries, fan interest, all predicated on stats. Basically stats are what make winners and losers, but I get what he is saying.
That being said, today’s game should be a treat. Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman has led his team seven fourth quarter wins in the past two seasons, including last week at home against the St. Louis Rams. Only the Tennessee Titans Vince Young has more over that time frame. So, what I’m saying, if the game is close in the fourth quarter, watch out.
It could be a special day at the UOP. Let’s just hope Cards quarterback Max Hall doesn’t give another scary performance like he did last week, otherwise it could be another trick by the Cards to have us believe they know what they are doing over there in regards to the quarterback situation.
Happy Halloween!