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Just in case you lost track, there are 92 days left until 2014 regular season begins for the Arizona Cardinals.
Today we focus on the jersey No. 92, and who has had the distinct pleasure of wearing for the Cardinals past and present.
Fifth year pro defensive tackle Dan Williams currently dawns the 92 jersey. Williams was selected in the first round of the 2010 draft under the old regime. He does not really possess the astonishing statistics that you would think a player with a first round grade should, but he is not terrible either. Williams has been an underrated player as he has been very effective against the run.
The 2013 season had its ups and downs for the former Tennessee Volunteer. We all know the terribly tragic story of his father who died in a car accident on his way to New Orleans to watch his son play-- story according to Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo Sports. Williams of course was excused from that game and took a leave of absence to grieve with his family.
Williams did return to the team later in the season. He would be responsible for handing out skittles to his defensive teammates in mockery of Marshwn Lynch (seen in the GIF above -provided by www.totalprosports.com) as the Cardinals dominated the Seahawks on their own turf at Qwest field, which turned out to be the Seattle's only home loss for the entire 2013 season. It would be an amazing feat for the Cardinals, despite the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl just several weeks later.
Other players to have worn the No. 92 jersey before Williams included Eric England (1994-1996) and Angel Rubio (1999). Ever heard of those guys? Neither have I, as they made very little impact for the team if any at all.
Then there was Dexter Manley to wear 92 for the then Phoenix Cardinals in 1990, whose best success came with the Washington Redskins prior to the Cardinals where he won two super bowl's and made one pro bowl appearance, also recorded a career high 18.5 sacks with the Hogs. Manley only played in four games total for the Cards in 1990. He joined Phoenix after being reinstated by the NFL, after having been banned from the league after a third failed drug test. Joe Bugel, then the coach of the Cardinals, wanted to give him another chance. He did not log a single sack and went to Tampa Bay in 1991. He would fail another drug test and was banned once again forever from the league.Barron Tanner was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1997, but came over to the Cardinals in 2000, however making very minimal production in a Cardinals jersey.
The most successful No. 92 of them all was none other than veteran Bertrand Berry, who previously had stints with the Colts, Broncos before joining the Cardinals in 2004. His inaugural season with the red birds was a career best, as Berry recorded 14.5 sacks. His numbers would decline somewhat after that, but he did his best to make his presence felt on the football field none-the-less. Berry retired from the NFL game in 2009 as the last No. 92 jersey he would take off was that of Cardinal red.
So which one of these players in your mind stands out the most to you to have dawned the Cardinals number 92? If Berry were to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, do you think he would go in as a Cardinal, considering Arizona was his longest tenure (5-years) of the other teams he has played for. Do you think the Cardinals would retire the number 92 in Bertrand's honor someday, even though Williams is not done with his career just yet?