The Arizona Cardinals have a message for fans: sorry for sucking.
In a mea culpa letter from team President Michael Bidwill to season ticket holders, he basically apologizes to fans for the horrendous 2010 season -- in which the Cards finished in last place in the worst division in the NFL with a measly 5-11 record -- and promises to make the appropriate changes.
"We had much higher expectations for 2010 and not meeting them is as
frustrating to us as it is to you. Our singular focus now is returning
to the type of football that you have come to expect and that led to back-to-back-division
titles, six playoff games in two years, a conference championship, and a
Super Bowl appearance. We failed to meet that standard in 2010 and
changes will be made," Bidwill says in the letter.
He goes on to say he's encouraged by the experience gained by some of
last year's draft picks, but promises an "honest and candid assessment"
of where the Cards are and what they need to do to make it back to the
postseason.
If part of that "honest and candid assessment" doesn't include putting
quarterback Derek Anderson on the first train to early-retirement-ville,
and finding a worthwhile QB, it needs to.
Anderson finished the season with a piss-poor passer rating of 65.9 --
thanks, in part, to throwing 10 interceptions while only hurling seven
touchdowns.
It's pretty clear Anderson won't be with the club next season, but that
still leaves a gaping hole for the Cards at the quarterback position.
After Anderson sucked his way to a reserved seat on the bench, those
called in to fill his spot -- two of whom were undrafted rookies -- were
equally unimpressive.
Max Hall only mustered one TD in his six appearances with the team last season, but he managed to get picked off six times.
John Skelton fared a little better in the interception department, only
throwing two in five appearances, but like Hall and Anderson, he was
rarely able to get the ball into the end zone, throwing only two
touchdowns.
That being the case, apology accepted, Mr. Bidwill -- now find a f***ing quarterback.
See Bidwill's letter to fans here.
