They are not who we thought they were

A few percolated thoughts in the Super Aftermath, since it's the only football we can talk about for the next six months, and that game really had more to it than a day of discussion...

> Despite the loss, I respect the Cardinals a lot more today than I did before the game began. Against both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, they recovered from periods of strong offensive futility, against fresh, talented and well-coached defenses, to put together long drives that they absolutely needed. Once in the clutch against Philly could be a fluke, and twice in the second quarter against Pittsburgh could have been a coincidence. Coming back again with little working for them in the fourth quarter is a definite trend. Many teams would have assumed the fetal position in all of these moments; instead, they came back and played better.

> Despite the abysmal next-year record of the Super Loser, there's no reason to think that, absent a Warner retirement or injury (admittedly, both shaky big bets), they can't get back here again next year. There division will be a little harder, but it's still going to be a cakewalk, and every other team that you can expect to be there has a much harder road to the finals. I could easily see the Cards taking the position of the Rams, in that they'll run out to an easy division lead and have to be dealt with in the Final 8.

> They have a simply great home field edge now with the Pink Taco, especially when it's domed. Cardinal Fan will exist now, and since they are young and mostly unblemished, they'll cheer like a college town. This is going to be a very bad place to play.

> If Larry Fitzgerald reworks his contract to let Anquan Boldin stick around, they will remain dominant at the WR position, with a QB that knows how to lead a WR and routinely throws for 4,000 yards a year when he stays upright.

> They'll also be better at tight end, since they'll get healthy and/or figure out the Steve Spach / Ben Patrick / Leonard Pope thing.

> The defense has some real playmakers. They overcame a lot of dumb penalties to get some key stops, scored a safety, and got some turnovers and QB pressure. They stuffed the Steelers running game and made Pittsburgh sweat bullets to move the ball. They are basically a good cover corner away from being dangerous, and maybe that corner is just Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with a year of experience, though I'd still like some better nickel backs, and a better safety opposite Adrian Wilson.

If you are making a list of teams to win the NFC next year, I think they have to be near the top of the list. And before this playoff season started, I was thinking they were lower than .500, and probably looking up at Seattle or San Francisco.

As for Pittsburgh...

> They had a (much) harder schedule in the regular season than the post. Their post-season consisted of a Charger team without a bye, a Ravens team that had its last week off in Week 2, and the Cards. Run that against the NFC East and the rest of the hardest schedule in the NFL this year; it's no contest.

> They still need help on the offensive line, and probably have to reload at wideout, because you can't expect Hines Ward to be healthy. Limas Sweed and Nate Washington are good, but they aren't anything like Ward.

> As for Santonio Holmes, um, wow. I thought he was a breakout candidate this year, and he more or less killed his fantasy owners, mostly because Ben spent most of the first half of the season running for his life. But with Ward fading, he stepped it up in a performance that kicked Lynn Swann to the curb. He was open, literally, all day.

> They'll face more opposition from the state of Ohio next year, and Joe Flacco will be a year older, and, presumably, better. (Admittedly, Baltimore might take a step back without Ray Lewis... but they also might take a step forward. Ray's a leader and all, but he's also pretty damned spent.)

> Assuming Ben stays upright, they've got more than a chance, and the fact that the guy has two rings in his first four years in the league tells you all you need to know about his ceiling.

For a league that seemed utterly random for most of the year, I think 2009 will be a little more sane. But I also think it's damn near impossible to repeat in this random crapshoot of a league.

Which means... Detroit's going to win it all next year. Get your bets in now!