Once upon a time, before the Cardinals ran their home playoff record all-time to 4-0 with a thrilling 51-45 overtime win over the Packers, before Kurt Warner had more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (four), before Karlos Dansby’s fumble return brought Mike McCarthy to his knees, there was a baby on the way.
No, not my kid. (My boys were watching at University of Phoenix Stadium that day, in fact.) But I have a good friend who has covered the Packers for a long time. And he had a daughter due to be born about a week after that Packers-Cardinals tilt. A Green Bay win, and there was going to be some serious juggling to do in his life.
Cardinals cornerback Michael Adams unknowingly had my buddy's back though, and Money Mike's strip-sack of Aaron Rodgers, leading to Dansby's return touchdown allowed no complications with job and family.
A few weeks later, I sent my friend a surprise gift. It was a picture — the one you see below — signed by Adams, addressed to baby Madison: "Madison — I'm glad I could make sure your Dad was there for you. Michael Adams" This is one of the first things I think of when I think of Cardinals-Packers in the playoffs — in addition to Warner, and Money Mike and Dansby and Early Doucet's helmet flying off and Fitz's diving touchdown and Rodgers being thisclose to hitting a wide-open Greg Jennings in overtime for what would have been a game-winning TD and made my friend's life that much harder.
This game Saturday night, will it be as memorable? If it puts the Cardinals in the NFC Championship, I'm going to say yes.
-- I think the Cardinals can survive the loss of Alex Okafor. Not sure yet how they make it happen — I will be curious to see if they use DT Josh Mauro on the edge in run-down situations — but I think they'll be OK. They managed fine in run defense in the games Okafor missed (Steelers, Ravens, Browns) and against the pass, they should be good with Dwight Freeney and Markus Golden.
-- Saw this nugget from another Packer writer friend of mine, Wes Hodkiewicz: The Packers are 10-0 this year when hitting the QB at least five times. On the flip side, you have the Cardinals offensive line, which has allowed only 27 sacks this season — tied for fourth-fewest in the NFL.
"Knock on wood," offensive coordinator/line coach Harold Goodwin said, chiding the reporter for bringing it up. "You can't do that to me.
"We've done a decent job all year of protection. I don't know where we're ranked or finished, as far as how many. I really don't pay attention to that. We've just got to make sure we've got 11 guys on the same page, which is the biggest thing when it comes down to protection, and win the one-on-one battles up front."
Goodwin said the Cards lost two such battles early in the last Packers meeting. They know — as they have known all season — protecting Carson Palmer is crucial.
-- That said, Palmer has been so fantastic this season with his footwork and moving in the pocket. He's not Rodgers or Russell Wilson, but he's better than Palmer 2013 or 2014 in that regard.
-- Goodwin on getting Larry Fitzgerald to block so well: "It comes with a lot of choice words, is what you say to him to get him to block. 'If you want the ball, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, you've got to block some.' "
Goody smiled as he said it. There is little question Fitz has become arguably the best blocking wide receiver in the game. Oh, and he had 109 catches too.
-- Hall of Fame cornerback Roger Wehrli will man the Big Red Siren Saturday pre-game.
-- GM Steve Keim and team president Michael Bidwill will speak at a pre-game pep rally on the Great Lawn at 4:15 p.m. Saturday. And don't forget Flo Rida is singing at halftime.
-- This feels like a David Johnson game to me.
-- Bruce Arians said the 13-3 season has been "fun." But (and there is always a but) "it doesn't mean crap if we don't win it."
-- Which leads me to this: There has been a lot of talk about pressure this week, and undoubtedly, the Cardinals understand that after a 13-3 season, winning at least one playoff game is expected. But as the talk veers into the favorite and the underdog and that pressure I mentioned, it's better to be the better team. Just in my history covering this team, I've seen losing streaks and the Monday Night Meltdown and fumbles in field-goal range and horrific blowout losses. I've seen "the worst playoff team in NFL history" — yes, that was a hell of a ride — and injuries overwhelm a playoff team in New Orleans and trying to win a postseason game with a third-string quarterback.
This is the first time the Cardinals were considered better, the first time they've earned "better." And it's the position where you want to be, pressure or not.
