TIDBIT TUESDAY: JANUARY 12. 2021

Welcome to 2021 and the first edition of "Tidbit Tuesday".  We start the new year with football and the running game particular.

Did you know that there is only one person on earth that has rushed for more than 2,000 yards in high school, college and the NFL?

That player is Tennessee Titan's running back Derrick Henry.  Henry accomplished the feat at Yulee High School, Alabama and this season with the Titans. 

CARDINALS MISS PLAYOFFS, BUT ON PATH TO SUCCESS

The Arizona Cardinals finished their season with a loss to the Los Angelos Rams.  The loss ended all hopes of a playoff berth.  The team finished the season 8-8, not the way they wanted the season to end.  There was plenty to be proud of this season, as well as many adjustrments to make.

 

 Many fans are upset and say this was a wasted season.  Some are even calling for head coach Kliff Kingsbury to be fired and for the team to move on from Kyler Murray.

 

Cardinal fans have always had high expectations for the team, those expectations rised even more when Kyler Murray was drafted number 1 overall in 2019.  As far as a failed season, fire your coach and get a new QB I say…….No way! 

 

Be patient Cardinal fans!  You have all the pieces you need.  Just give it time for the pieces to mold together and you will soon have that ever elusive Lonbardi Trophy.  Rebuilding is a process that takes a few years and the Cardinals are on the brink of that rebuild.

 

The Cardinals have the weapons they need to compete.  They have a franchise QB, an above average line, a superstar wide receiver, not to mention a future Hall of Fame recierver to boot.  They also have a good enough running game to keep them competitive.  The defense is young and getting better.  The have a superstar in Budda Baker and a promising your cornerback corps that may not be affected if Patrick Peterson does not return to the team.

 

The Cardinals overachieved this year.  We have to remind ourselves that they won 3 games last, the first year of the rebuild.  That is a 5 game improvement, a huge improvement.  I said all along that the Cardinals will make the playoffs in year three, maybe win a game or two and then in year four content for a Super Bowl.

 

The Cardinals nearly made the playoffs this year and should have no problem doing it next year.  This will have them right on pace with the rebuild plan. 

2020 GURU AWARDS

Let’s all collectively breathe a sigh of relief as we have made it past the infamous 2020.  Now let’s look back on the sports year.  While it was dominated by Covid-19 and the Pandemic, there was still plenty of entertaining sports this year.  Here are the Third Annual Guru Awards.  

Best Newcomer:
This year’s best newcomer award goes to Arizona cardinal’s wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.  He was involved in the offseason trade that sent David Johnson to Houston in exchange for Hopkins.  Although Hopkins does not practice as much as fans would like he has done nothing but produce since coming to the Cardinal’s.  This was most evident when he snagged the game winning “Hail Mary” pass over multiple defenders in a game against the Buffalo Bills.

Best Player:
For the first time The Gur Awards has a multiple winner.  DeAndre Hopkins is your 2020 Best Player.  He is one of the best wideouts in the NFL.  When Kyler Murray throws the ball in his direction you know he is going to catch it.  Hopkins is a key piece to the Cardinals run at the playoffs.

Best Coach:
The Guru Award for best coach goes to Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns.  He led the team to an 8-0 bubble season to finish last year and the team nearly made the playoffs.  That team was without Kelly Oubre and looked to improve this season.  Then during the offseason Oubre was traded and Chris Paul came to Phoenix in the deal.  The team is currently 5-1 and in first place in the Western Conference to start the new season.  

 

Best Team:
Best team goes to the Phoenix Suns.  They get this award simple for going 8-0 in the bubble and giving fans hope of seeing a playoff team in the very near future.

Biggest Disappointment:
This was by far the easiest award to pick this year.  This award goes to Kevin Sumlin, head football coach for the Arizona Wildcats.  He was hired four years ago with high hopes and showed no sort of improvement during his short tenure.  Arizona lost to ASU 70-7 in this year’s Territorial Cup and he was fired the same weekend.

Biggest Surprise:
The biggest surprise of the year came in March, when for the first time in history all sports were halted due to Covid-19.  The problem would not be a short as expected.  Covid-19 became a global pandemic and affected nearly every person on earth.  Even yours truly got the virus.  Sports have since resumed but things are very different and may never be the same again.

 Best High School Moment:
The Guru Award for best High School moment goes to St. Mary’s football coach Jose Lucero. A year ago, he led Desert Edge to a deep playoff run and had a lot of talent returning this year. Many were surprised when he decided to leave the school for his alma mater, St Mary’s. Well he did not disappoint. Helped the Knights to a 6-3 record and a playoff berth in his first season. The Knights were able to breakout the traditional gold pants for the playoffs, Lucero and the St. Mary’s faithful hope will be the first of many.