Derek Anderson’s Outburst May Not be Such a Bad Thing

By now you've heard it.  By now you've seen it.  How could you not have? Arizona Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson's post game tirade, directed at Kent Somers, sports writer for The Arizona Republic , has been news all over the sports world and then some this morning.  I even just saw it on CNN's Newsroom.  The post game presser, obviously, was much more entertaining for Cards fans than the crushing defeat to the San Francisco 49'ers 27-6 on Monday night.  That might not be such a bad thing going forward.

Late in the game, Anderson was seen laughing on the side lines with Cards offensive lineman Deuce Lutui.  A moment of levity I'm sure in a game that easily was the worst of the Ken Whisenhunt era and probably one of the worst since the Cardinals Sun Devil Stadium days.  Somers, a writer I respect, asked a very fair question of DA in the post game press conference.  First he asked what was so funny.  DA said nothing was funny.  Somers though, being the good journalist he is, continued his line of questioning, which again, was very fair.  He asked what the context of the conversation was.  That's when DA blew up.  It was definitely the most emotion we've seen from DA so far this season.  I just wish it would have come sooner and before we put a veil on top of the 2010 season.

It was a question that had to be asked.  Watching ESPN's First Take this morning, Shawn Springs (former NFL player), said he understood DA's stance.  It was a private conversation and should not have to be shared.  Then, I found myself agreeing with Skip Bayless.  yeah, almost fell out of my seat too.  Never much a fan of Bayless, but he hit it on the head.  The question was fair and Somers did ask what was the context of the conversation, not exactly what was the conversation.  As a fan, I sure would love to know what was so funny in an 18 point blow out at the time.  For many fans who paid a lot of money to show up and watch that joke last night, and I'm talking joke in the sense of the whole team here, not just DA, they have a right to know.  They at least have the right to get an answer rather than a tirade and storming off the podium.

It was the first time though we've seen much emotion about anything from the Cards all season.  This has the chance to do one of two things for the Cards.  It can fire everyone else up, albeit way too late to save the season, and come out and just win a few games in December.  However, it can also be the straw that breaks the camel's back and now this thing is in a free fall all the way to January 2nd when this season mercifully will end right back against the same Niners team in San Francisco.  I believe the latter, I pray for the first option.

It is unfortunate that the most emotion we saw out of any of the Cards players was after the game.  At some point all of these guys need to start translating that anger onto the field.  They just looked flat, like they didn't care, and had somewhere else better to be last night.  I still refuse to believe any of the NFC West teams talent wise are better than the Cards.  I can tell you this after last night though, they have more heart, more confidence, and are all stronger both mentally and physically than the Cards are.  How they fix that now and in the off-season is something that will be debated for awhile because there is no easy answer right now.  If there was, this team would not be the second-worst team in the NFL.