CBS Sports’ Phil Simms: Arizona Cardinals are a ‘Super Bowl team’
Dec 10, 2015, 9:07 AM | Updated: Dec 12, 2015, 6:02 pm
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians and G.M. Steve Keim, right, watch their team prior to an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams , Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Arizona Cardinals will attempt to tie a franchise record for wins Thursday night when they host the Minnesota Vikings at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
A victory would give Bruce Arians’ team 11 wins on the season, tying a mark achieved four times, most recently last season.
But this year’s Cardinals aren’t about team records. They have bigger goals. Winning the NFC West, the conference championship and ultimately, Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif.
Through the season’s first 12 weeks, they’ve made believers of many, including CBS Sports color analyst Phil Simms.
“This is a Super Bowl team, the question is now can they keep this going and stay hot they play in the playoffs,” Simms told Doug and Wolf Thursday morning on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “There is really no weakness. The depth of the team is tremendous.”
Simms, who will broadcast Thursday’s nationally-televised game along with Jim Nantz on NFL Network, noted that he’s never had to include so many names on his spotting boards in preparation for a broadcast. This is a testament to the depth the Cardinals possess.
“Well, they’ve crushed it,” Simms said about general manager Steve Keim and his staff. “They really have. And it all fits. And I always say this too, when you want a Super Bowl team, there has to be a couple things. One, you have to have talent. But then you’ve got to have some uniqueness to it, with the talent and the system.
“And they have that. Their offense, of course, is unique. The fact that they throw it so deep down the field, and what they do and they scare teams. And then on defense, the uniqueness of it. The depth, the number of people who play, the speed of the secondary, the confusion, the blitzing — I would not want to try and get ready for this Arizona Cardinals defense in three days playing them on a Thursday night.”
Thursday’s game kicks off at 6:25 p.m. and can be heard on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, starting with pregame coverage at 2 p.m.
