Top Five Disappoinments of the Arizona Cardinals 2008 Season

Last week we addressed the top five most surprising moments of the Cardinals 2008 season. This week, we'll go over the top five disappointments. The bright side of the story is that the 2008 season was a successful surprise so it is difficult to find 5 major disappointments. I went through all the scenarios in my head and came up with these top five disappointments:
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Inconsistency During the Regular Season - The Cardinals never failed to repeat their success during the 2008 season. After they started off 2-0, they lost their next 2 games including a 35-56 loss to the Jets. Then, after a 7-3 start, they went 2-4 to finish out the regular season, with a combined score of 138-198. You could say that carried over in the post season when they won 4 straight going into the Super Bowl but couldn't finish the big game.
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Dirk Johnson, Leonard Pope, Matt Leinart, Eric Green and Alan Branch - It wasn't easy to single out just one of these players as a big disappoint, so they all made the list. You could say Leinart was since he was the starter throughout training camp and lost his job to Warner. Perhaps they weren't complete disappointments because without them, Stephen Spach, Kurt Warner, Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie, and Bryan Robinson wouldn't have had the great seasons that they had.
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Anquan Boldin Wanting Out x2- This one was a surprise but it also qualifies as a disappointment. It always becomes dissatisfying when one of the star players and faces of the franchise asks several times to be released or traded from their team. Boldin disappointed many fans when he did just this. Going off on offensive coordinator Todd Haley in the NFC Championship game, and then not celebrating with his team after
wards, didn't help his case with the fans as well. -
Edgerrin James Production - Nobody expected James to have a pro bowl season this year, but he did gain over 1,000 yards in his previous two seasons in the desert. After a slow start, he was benched to a rookie and he later asked to be released. He resurged the running game in the post season but immediately asked to be released after the season ended.
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Clancy Pendergast - There were moments when the defense looked like a fantastic and dominating defense. Then there was the New England game. Clancy's defense was too inconsistent and at times looked lost. It was the defense that blew the final drive of the Super Bowl and may be the reason he lost his job.
Other then these, there aren't a whole lot of disappoints for the 2008 season and for a team that almost won the Super Bowl. What are some other disappointments? Who didn't live up to expectations or do their part like they should've?
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I thought about it..
But it wasn’t expected for the Cardinals to make it in the first place.
Hey, hey, hey hey hey, watch the language, ok? I have a family.
Revenge of the Birds
True. Very true.
Still a disappointment, though — especially with the Cards taking the lead with under 3 minutes left.
We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan
Sigh
So close and then to lose. The high point and then the low point of the season all within the space of a couple of minutes. Still hurts.
by TwinnerA on Feb 19, 2009 9:24 PM MST up reply actions 1 recs
+1
We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan
by DbacksSkins on Feb 20, 2009 11:52 AM MST up reply actions
I can agree to that.
Hey, hey, hey hey hey, watch the language, ok? I have a family.
Revenge of the Birds
I would put losing the Super Bowl over all of these...
Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt or a Hurricane?
Hold on, hold on, what if the Hurricanes name was Whisenhunt?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!
losing the superbowl doesn't qualify in my opinion
Because we weren’t expected to be ther in the first place, of course it was very tough to swallow, but in the end I felt proud of my team… of all the players mentioned in #2 I am most dissapointed of Alan Branch, he was supposed (and still is) to be our starting Nose Tackle… as for Boldin as long as he has his agent, we can expect that from him… the inconsistency was awfull specially on defense and playing in the East Coast… still a great season and looking forward to the next one
paco cabrera
Wasn't much "inconsistency" to the Cards' play on the East Coast.
It was consistently bad, until the ahem divisional round of the playoffs.
We are truly in the presense of greatness here…-- unnamedDBacksfan
by DbacksSkins on Feb 19, 2009 11:03 AM MST up reply actions
Leinart looks like Mr.Mom shortly after he lost his job.
Ohhh the irony.
Maybe he will find contentment in making breakfast and working out to Jane Fonda videos.
I think winning the SB was the only way for Clancy to keep his job.
He was a holdover from the previous regime and hence, wasn’t one of Whiz’ guys. Add to the fact that we had one of the highest scoring O’s in the game, yet finished the season about even for points scored vs points surrendered. And don’t let me bring up the fashion in which we had our blowouts. I guess I just did. Anyway, when we blew a game, we REALLY blew a game. Our run D was O.K. because everyone knew they could pass all over us. Look back at all the 30+ plays we gave up. Terrible.

















