One of the best parts of writing a blog is getting to meet folks around the world that love football as much as you do. Scott Allen, over at raisingzona.com, is the latest. Allen graciously agreed to answer some of my questions about the Cardinals. Take a read.
HAWKBLOGGER: Given the state of the Cards QB situation, are you partially hoping for a bad season so you can get a shot at one of the guys coming out in next year’s draft, or do you believe Max Hall is the guy?
RAISINGZONA: Oh I want the Cards to win now, regardless of who is behind center. Hall can be the guy or someone else can next year, but we are just starting to get used to this winning thing. I’m not ready to see the Cards start tanking games again for the sake of a future quarterback, which may or may not work out.
HB: How did Cards fans feel about Boldin getting traded?
RZ: It was a mixed bag. The Cards offense misses him. I would love to still have him, but it was for the best. He was asking to leave here for two years and he got his wish. The Cards should be fine as long as Steve Breaston and Early Doucet can return from their injuries and remain healthy.
HB: Who is the best Cardinals player Seahawks fans may not know about?
RZ: LaRod Stephens-Howling. The man is a monster returning kicks.
HB: Who is your most hated Seahawk, both past and present (if they are different people)?
RZ: Tough call. I don’t know if I “hate” anyone, but if I could choose, I would choose head coach Pete Carroll. I’m not a fan. I don’t like USC, but he left them in his dust to clean up his mess. His ra-ra attitude is growing tiresome, at least from my perspective.
HB: The Cardinals rank near the bottom in pass offense, rush offense, pass defense and rush defense, but have a 3-2 record. How is that possible?
RZ: The intangibles. Good teams find ways to win. They do enough. The don’t and won’t blow you away statistically. They are a team that knows how to win. People outside Arizona think losing Kurt Warner, Antrel Rolle, Karlos Dansby, and Anquan Boldin was the Cards getting rid of everyone and starting over, They didn’t start over. They re-tooled. There are still plenty of players on this roster that were here for the Super Bowl run and last year’s division championship. Even undrafted rookie Max Hall knows how to win coming from a big time school such as BYU.
HB: Which NFC West team do you consider your biggest rival?
RZ: San Francisco 49ers. Those guys really hate us and to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of them either. They are a dillusional bunch.
HB: What were your thoughts when you heard the Seahawks traded for Marshawn Lynch?
RZ: Crap, I need to pick him up on my fantasy team. He would have toiled on the bench in Buffalo forever.
HB: How cool is your stadium? I saw it on Extreme Engineering when it first opened, and it looked amazing. What is your favorite feature?
RZ: The stadium is quite something. I love it in University of Phoenix stadium. My favorite feature without a doubt is the rolling field that stays outside all week to allow the real grass to grow and then it rolls in the stadium for gameday.