And, as someone who grew up a Cardinals fan and suffered the annual abuse that came with the jerseys and hats, it's much better to be "fickle" than "non-existent".

When news came out about how some at the Cardinals Fan Fest last week booed Kevin Kolb after some errant passes, opinions were mixed. Some bashed the fans for piling on a QB in a practice. Others said Kolb deserved every bit of animosity, because the high-priced Kolb has been a high- priced disappointment thus far.

Lost in all of it was the fact that by voicing their displeasure, right or wrong, the fans showed they cared. It's a relatively new development for the Arizona Cardinals, and it's one that should be celebrated, not criticized.

Of course, no Cardinals fan wants to boo anyone wearing red. Ask even the most ardent anti-Kolb fan and they'll tell you they'd rather the QB succeed and prove them wrong than flounder and prove them right. But that desire should not - and does not - prevent them from voicing their displeasure should they receive poor play from the most important position in sports.

Which, unfortunately, Cardinals fans have received far too often.

Ironically enough, as AZCardinals.com's Darren Urban pointed out on Burns and Gambo last week, even Kurt Warner suffered the wrath of Cardinals fans after a late-game fumble cost the team a shot at beating the Rams.

Warner deserved the boos then and, one could argue, Kolb deserved them Wednesday. But, as Warner can attest, boos do not mean your career is over; it just means fans want to see something change.

Something did for Warner, as he elevated his play and led the Cardinals to two-and-a-half seasons of unprecedented success.

Kolb will have that chance, too, regardless of what happened at Fan Fest. But that's for another day.

Now should be all about recognizing that the Cardinals not only have fans, but passionate ones, too. Mediocrity is unacceptable, and poor play will not be tolerated.

It all comes back to the idea that anger is better than apathy when it comes to what a team wants from fans, because at least the former means they're paying attention.

And that, in itself, is a welcome change from the past.