Malone: What are you prepared to do?

Ness: Everything within the law.

Malone: And then what are you prepared to do?

As I try to wrap my mind around a world in which the Arizona Cardinals might be the leader in the clubhouse for the services of THE Peyton Manning, I have to ask myself the same question of them. What are you prepared to do?

Are you prepared to go blow-for-blow, dollar-for-dollar with three of the richest owners the league has to offer in Stephen Ross, Paul Allen and Daniel Snyder? Are you prepared to look Kevin Kolb in the eye and tell him you're moving on? Are you prepared to have lost a second round draft pick, a pro bowl cornerback, and millions of dollars for what amounted to half of a season of Kolb?

Are you prepared to blindly commit to Manning not knowing for certain his neck will hold up, his nerves will regenerate and his arm strength will return? Are you prepared to start John Skelton if Manning is not all the way back by the start of the season? Are you prepared to cede control of the offense to the quarterback instead of the coaches?

What are you prepared to do?

It seems to me that those who dismiss the Cardinals chances of landing Manning do so based on the presumption the Cardinals aren't willing to do what it takes. Acquiring Manning requires thinking boldly, embracing risk and seizing the moment; traits not normally associated with the historically color-by-numbers Arizona Cardinals. Some look at the Cardinals the way Connery looks at Costner, saying - as Connery does - "do you really want to get him?"

I think it's a mistake to use fear as the rationale for rejecting the Cardinals chances. There is a tendency - maybe even a natural instinct - to dispatch the Cardinals for no other reason other than…..they're the Cardinals. That mantra has been properly applied for decades; for me its expiration date has long since come and gone. If the Cards discover Manning has legitimate interest in bringing his talents to the southwest, I'm certain they'll proceed with the kind of fervor that any other NFL team would. The prospect is simply too good to pass up.

It would be bigger than Randy Johnson to the Diamondbacks. Bigger than Steve Nash to the Suns. Bigger than Roenick to the Coyotes. It would rival Charles Barkley to the Suns and frankly, I think I could make a convincing argument it would surpass Barkley to the Suns in terms of its impact. Bigger star on a bigger stage. Oh yeah, there's that little matter of becoming an instant Super Bowl contender.

Maybe the Cardinals aren't on Manning's short list. Maybe their offensive line is too suspect or Manning (as Marshall Faulk suggested) doesn't want to play in the NFC because one day he wants to play his brother in a Super Bowl.

But if you dismiss the Arizona Cardinals because they're the Arizona Cardinals, you do so at your own risk.