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There are 85 days left until the start of the 2014 regular season for the Arizona Cardinals.
We missed 86 days and the review of No. 86, so I will make some mention. Jake Ballard now wears it. Todd Heap wore it. Ernie Jones wore it. Those were the most memorable.
What about No. 85?
It is currently worn by Darren Fells, an athletic tight end who was on the team's practice squad last year.
In 2011 and 2012, it was worn by Early Doucet, who began his career with No. 80. He was a third round pick out of LSU who would get you excited and then get injured. He had a huge game in the postseason and then, in 2012, was most remembered for falling down in the end zone when he was wide open and would have scored a touchdown to keep the team's playoff hopes alive.
Jerheme Urban wore it from 2007-2009. He was a backup receiver for the Cardinals and had his best season when the team went to the Super Bowl. He had 34 catches and four touchdowns in 2008.
In 2005, it was tight end John Bronson. I have zero recollection of him. He played in one game that year. He played in two in 2006, wearing 39, and caught one pass.
Tight end Freddie Jones was 85 from 2002-2004. He was a free agent signing that was supposed to give the team their big time tight end. He had caught 71 passes in 2000 with the Chargers. He never was the game changer the team had hoped, but he was the most productive player at that position in quite some time. In his three seasons with the Cardinals, he caught 45, 55 and 45 passes, scoring a total of six touchdowns.
Before Jones was Rob Moore from 1995-2000. Moore was a huge producer in 1996 and 1997, when he surpassed 1000 yards each season. In '97, he caught 97 passes for an NFL-high 1584 yards. The end of his Cardinals, and NFL, career came in 2000, when he tore his ACL on artificial turf in the preseason.
Tight end Derek Ware wore it from 1992-94.
H-back/tight end Tim Jorden wore it 1990 and 1991. He is on the Cardinals roster in Tecmo Super Bowl.
Tight end Jay Novacek, "the one who got away," wore it from 1986-89. He played in St. Louis in 1985 as a rookie wearing 84, but from his second year on it was 85. He was a modestly good player for the Cardinals, topping out with 38 catches and four touchdowns in 1988. He left in free agency to the Cowboys, where he became arguable the best tight end in the league for a while.
That is as far back as I know players.
Here are the rest:
1983-84 -- WR Danny Pittman
1983 -- TE Jamie Williams (Actually I remember him from Tecmo Super Bowl on the 49ers as the backup to Brent Jones.) He had a 12-year career in the NFL, only appearing in one game his rookie season in St. Louis.
1971-1982 -- WR Mel Gray: He was a significant player in St. Louis as a returner and receiver. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 1975 with 11 (of his 48 catches).
1961-64 -- TE Taz Anderson
1960 -- TE Perry Richards
1954-57 -- DE, E, K Pat Summerall: Yes, the man famous for his announcing for many of us played offense, defense and special teams.
1952 -- E/DE Ralph Thomas
Anyone in particular you remember? Since the Arizona days, Rob Moore was probably the best, with the best player over a career was perhaps Novacek.
