Top 5 most head-scratching moves in Arizona Cardinals history

The Arizona Cardinals have seen limited success in their history, which dates back to 1898. Below, you will find a few reasons why that is the case.

The Arizona Cardinals have made several head-scratching decisions in their 124-year history, and their affinity for making strange decisions has probably cost them a lot of success. Look at franchises in other sports with similar life spans, and the Cardinals are in a distant last place.

Something fascinating about life is history, and studying it can help us understand the past in hopes that we will not repeat the same mistakes in the future. Unfortunately, the Cardinals have not learned from those mistakes, and the following five moves prove that. Let’s explore them.

Here are the top five head-scratching moments in Arizona Cardinals history: Moment #1 – Signing Emmitt Smith in 2003

Signing the NFL’s all-time leading rusher is a sure way to draw fan interest. But for the Arizona Cardinals, Smith was far past his prime. In fact, when you look at his final two seasons in Dallas, you could tell that Smith was not going to relive his glory days, having averaged just 3.85 yards per carry with eight rushing touchdowns and 1,996 rushing yards.

Things got worse when Smith arrived in the desert in 2003. He played in just ten games, starting five of them. With 256 rushing yards on 90 carries, Smith easily had the least productive season of his career as injuries derailed his season.

Ironically, his 2004 campaign wasn’t as bad as it could have been. He logged 267 carries, 937 yards, and nine touchdowns. But, his 3.5 yards per carry average told another story. One that confirmed he was finished playing the game.

Overall, the Cardinals signed Smith to generate interest to the fans in the desert, indicating his signing was nothing more than a publicity stunt. Maybe it would have brought interest in 1999. But by the time 2003 rolled around, few exercised interest in Smith, who the Dallas Cowboys let go for nothing.