Sam Bradford on a Short Leash (Red Sea Not Scaling Back)

QB Sam Bradford is on a short leash this week...

At least with the Red Sea of Arizona Cardinals’ fans.

Hey, what do the stupid fans know?

They can’t possibly know when a coach is being stubborn and obtuse, can they?

Like the ocean of Cardinals’ fans the past few years knew that Bruce Arians’ croneyism in maintaining that Amos Jones was a “brilliant coach” was a direct contradiction to the mantra of “all or nothing.”

Is it just a bizarre coincidence that the Cleveland Browns, with Jones as their new special teams’ coordinator, would be 3-0 if it weren’t for their awful special teams mishaps?

But—-hey—-you have to give a shout out to the Dog Pound last night for thundering their boos and snarly, fang-bearing growls down to head coach Hue Jackson while bridge QB Tyrod Taylor was badly missing the mark on his passes.

Last week, Cardinals’ head coach Steve Wilks said that he never even thought of putting Josh Rosen in the game versus the Rams because he didn’t think one man could make a difference.

Well, guess what?

Did one man make a difference last night for the Cleveland Browns, as rookie QB Baker Mayfield led the team back in spirited fashion from a 14-0 hole? It was the Browns’ first victory since 2016.

To speak metaphorically—-isn’t it as simple as this: if your old car is sputtering, don’t you think it’s time to hop in the new car that is sitting in your garage?

Arizona fans want the Cardinals to drive that new car onto a highway of new hope and brilliant horizons.

Their boos will be loud and clear whenever Sam Bradford throws a quick 3 yard pass on 3rd and 8.

Unlike the coaches, the Red Sea will not scale back.

The fans are sick of being teased to the point of feeling deceived and, even worse, ignored.

Any Cardinals’ fan who has been watching all the top QBs in the 2018 draft play—-while Josh Rosen is being kept in bubble wrap and moth balls—-is hot steaming mad.

But wait—-playing a young QB too soon could damage his psyche for good—-right?

Freaking A.

We are talking about Josh Rosen—-the kid with the golden arm and the giant chip on his shoulder.

if the pre-season is any indication—-Rosen struggled in game one under a barrage of defensive pressure—-which motivated him more than ever to bounce back in week 2—-in which he played the best and most impassioned stretch of quarterbacking the Cardinals saw in the pre-season.

Then, he hit his thumb on a helmet and even though he felt fine the coaches parked him in the stadium garage and have left him there—-for now 4 straight contests.

But, again, what do we stupid fans know?

Well, here’s one Cardinals’ fan who is hoping for the best. His name is Joe Maddon. He is the manager of the Chicago Cubs. Last night, on the Cubs’ flight out of Arizona, Maddon wore his old Jim Bakken jersey for the ride.

As any of us old-time Cardinals’ fans know, Jim Bakken was the Cardinals All-Pro placekicker back in the 60s. Bakken was one of the last Cardinals’ placekickers to wear ‘the toe”, as he was straight on kicker, a la Lou Groza.

As for Joe Maddon, as an fyi, a few years ago, I read in People magazine where he said that the day he became a lifelong Cardinals’ fan was when he attended the Cardinals versus Giants at Yankee Stadium on November 24, 1963. Hmmm. That was my very first time, as an 8 year old kid, to see an NFL game live and in person—-thanks to my Uncle Michael, a Giants’ season ticket holder. And I, like Maddon, fell in love with the Cardinals and FS Larry Wilson (#8) and QB Charley Johnson (#12) and WR Sonny Randle (#88) and K Jim Bakken (#25) that day.

But, hey what would a stupid Cardinals’ fan like Joe Maddon know?

Well, just maybe Joe Maddon would know a little something about taking a struggling thrower out of the game for a fresh, young arm out of the bullpen.

Can one guy make a difference?

There’s a decent chance—-when a Red Sea of stupid fans believe so.