Raising Zona
FanSided

Arizona Cardinals should be held to a higher standard

By Aarron Van Buren

Dec 15, 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; A Arizona Cardinals fan looks on during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; A Arizona Cardinals fan looks on during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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This has been a transcendent off season for the fans of the Arizona Cardinals team itself.

J.J. Watt, Rodney Hudson, A.J. Green. Chandler Jones, Markus Golden, Budda Baker. This is as star-studded the team has ever been. Since 2019, the fans of the Arizona Cardinals have been taken on a meteoric rollercoaster with the team. I’m not here to talk about how the past two seasons have gone- we have been there, done that.

The takeaway from all of this is that there is a changing of the team’s perception to players. With DeAndre Hopkins coming to the desert via trade, and Watt choosing the team over many others signal the end of “the same old Cardinals”. Kyler Murray is a young and upcoming star in the league, and probably came the closest to being the team’s first MVP.

Now with the high-powered, all-in roster that Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury have created, Fans of the Arizona Cardinals must hold the organization accountable. For this year, it is a playoff appearance. The team hasn’t made it since 2015, the longest of any NFC team (Detroit is right behind them at 4). By the end of the 2022 season, the team should be competing for a conference title at the minimum, and a championship at best.

Championship windows are short- just ask the 2013-15 Cardinals teams. Even more so when your QB is on his rookie contract, which allows for big moves to be made. There must be TOTAL transparency from Kingsbury this season as well, owning up to losses or calling out a player if it is necessary. There is no more room for the “We just need to be better” and “I need to be better” from Kingsbury. Tell us what’s really going on, and don’t be curt about it. Tell us as much as possible.

For Keim, if this is his last dance, then he’s going down swinging no matter how hard the fires burn. Let’s be appreciative that our GM is at least trying to do something to help his team win (unlike Seattle or Green Bay). A deep playoff run and a division title would ensure his stay to be much longer.

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Expecting greatness is something that the Fans of the Arizona Cardinals have hardly ever been able to do. The time for change is now. The support needs to be there starting now, and even if the season doesn’t go the way we want it to, the criticism should be just as strong as the support. You can still criticize the team and support them at the same time.

Expect to win, expect to re-write history. Expect to be the last one standing.

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