Who’s struggling: Cardinals or just the QBs?

With the Big Red going to the Big Apple, Paulie Pigskin would like to acknowledge the best known New York Jet player of ’em all. That’s right, in honor of Broadway Joe Namath’s (in)famous sound bite on Monday Night – “team strugggling” – we’ve been thinnnking.

But first, let’s hit ‘zoom out’ on our hand held devices because this is a big picture question that we’ve been chewing on since, well…before the Thanksgiving leftovers. Actually, ever since the ribs of Kevin Kolb were torn asunder like a wishbone.

Are the Arizona Cardinals a team that is struggling? Or are the Cards an NFL team that is struggling at quarterback?

Team struggling? Or a team struggling at the QB position?

Either way, you wind up in the same landing spot – below sea level in the standings. Both scenarios are akin to driving on bald tires in a rainstorm. Eventually, you’ll find yourself in a full-blown power slide and looking at the road ahead through your side windows.

The difference comes when the skid (seven games) grinds to a halt. How do you put that car back on the road? Do you ever get behind the wheel of that car again?

Because if your entire team is struggling, then you’re rebuilding (“Fire in the Hole!”)

However, if it’s the QB position that’s struggling, then you’re either recruiting (“Hey, uh, Peyton, can we buy you dinner?”) or commencing with research and reconnaissance (Matt Barkley?)

Wait, hit ‘zoom out’ again. New question — how many franchises succeed without a winning QB? We’re not saying a Pro Bowl or Hall of Fame QB. We’re not even saying a bona fide franchise signal caller.

No, we’re talking about a “winning” QB. How does Paulie Pigskin Inc. define that? Simple. A quarterback that doesn’t lose football games, capisce?! (All apologies…a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns in a game lost by exactly 14 points still has us a rootin’ & a tootin’.)

In fact, following Sunday, did you happen to catch this Holy Cannoli Stat? In 33 drives since the injury, they’ve “punted 17 times, lost seven fumbles, thrown four interceptions and had one possession end on downs. It scored two touchdowns and two field goals.”

What’s more, the QB rating was “38.7…thanks, largely, to three second-half interceptions” in a loss to a 3-8 team.

The above stats come from the Cards loss to the Rams, right? #Buzzer.

That’s a blurb lifted from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this week, detailing the Steelers offensive woes since the rib injury to Ben Roethlisberger, including the Steelers heinous loss to the Browns (3-8).

And something tells us that if you examined the Bears minus Jay Cutler, the numbers would not be flattering.

In other words, NFL teams are best served to remember: don’t throw the entire roster out with the QB bath water.

Follow @Vincemarotta