Wahoo
05-03-2011, 02:44 AM
The Cardinal front office entered the 2000 season with high hopes. Two consecutive strong drafts had produced a young flock of talented players, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Quarterback Ryan Leaf had shown great strides after taking over the reins in his second year, and 2000 was expected to be his breakout year. Unfortunately, GM Wahoo and Head Coach Winifred LeClair were barking up the wrong tree. Leaf had a horrendous year, and the team really went to the dogs.
Though the Cardinal defense was littered with exciting young players, their bark was much worse than their bite, and opponents seemed to run through and by them like greyhounds. To be fair, they were often back on their haunches and dog-tired due to an inefficient offense that was hounded by turnovers - 45 on the year, and an astounding -28 turnover margin. The RedBirds were only able to sniff out a single win; in short, the 2000 season was a real bitch!
The only bright side to the dismal season was that St. Louis was rewarded with the first overall pick. GM Wahoo felt like quite the lucky dog - he desparately needed a Quarterback to retrieve his team from the depths of despair, and two outstanding prospects - Michael Vick and Drew Brees - were there for the taking. One of the things that helped Vick nip past Brees, according to the front office, was his ability to evade the rush. "He's like chasing a puppy with a stick!" growled one fellow-conference Linebacker (who had faced Vick several times over the years) at the combines. The second factor was the consensus among most experts that Vick was better trained and more developed, and more likely to be relied upon to step into a starting role sooner.
The rabid contingent of Cardinal faithful who made the trip to New York for the Draft howled in delight as GM Wahoo stepped to the podium and announced that Vick would be the new top dog in St. Louis. Veteran Tony Banks was signed in order to groom a new Quarterback, as it was no secret the position was the Cardinals top priority. Vick only saw limited time in the pre-season, with mixed results. But Ryan Leaf got himself in the doghouse so bad that he was released, and 2nd year man Anthony Wright, who was called into action last year due to injuries to Leaf (and got extended time due to Leaf's sub-standard play) clearly is much to raw to take on the role of starter. The fans in St. Louis will be calling and whistling for Vick, eager to see what the young star can do, and the pressure will be on GM Wahoo and Coach LeClair to unleash him sooner rather than later. If Vick can live up to expectations and the young defense can continue to mature and become more cohesive, perhaps the Cardinals can once again be in the hunt for the NC South division title.
Though the Cardinal defense was littered with exciting young players, their bark was much worse than their bite, and opponents seemed to run through and by them like greyhounds. To be fair, they were often back on their haunches and dog-tired due to an inefficient offense that was hounded by turnovers - 45 on the year, and an astounding -28 turnover margin. The RedBirds were only able to sniff out a single win; in short, the 2000 season was a real bitch!
The only bright side to the dismal season was that St. Louis was rewarded with the first overall pick. GM Wahoo felt like quite the lucky dog - he desparately needed a Quarterback to retrieve his team from the depths of despair, and two outstanding prospects - Michael Vick and Drew Brees - were there for the taking. One of the things that helped Vick nip past Brees, according to the front office, was his ability to evade the rush. "He's like chasing a puppy with a stick!" growled one fellow-conference Linebacker (who had faced Vick several times over the years) at the combines. The second factor was the consensus among most experts that Vick was better trained and more developed, and more likely to be relied upon to step into a starting role sooner.
The rabid contingent of Cardinal faithful who made the trip to New York for the Draft howled in delight as GM Wahoo stepped to the podium and announced that Vick would be the new top dog in St. Louis. Veteran Tony Banks was signed in order to groom a new Quarterback, as it was no secret the position was the Cardinals top priority. Vick only saw limited time in the pre-season, with mixed results. But Ryan Leaf got himself in the doghouse so bad that he was released, and 2nd year man Anthony Wright, who was called into action last year due to injuries to Leaf (and got extended time due to Leaf's sub-standard play) clearly is much to raw to take on the role of starter. The fans in St. Louis will be calling and whistling for Vick, eager to see what the young star can do, and the pressure will be on GM Wahoo and Coach LeClair to unleash him sooner rather than later. If Vick can live up to expectations and the young defense can continue to mature and become more cohesive, perhaps the Cardinals can once again be in the hunt for the NC South division title.