Cardinals are aware, but not focused on playoff push
Dec 12, 2011, 8:41 PM | Updated: 9:18 pm
It seems almost surreal that on December 12th, there is
even a slight connection between the Arizona Cardinals and
the word ‘playoffs’, but there is.
With five wins in their last six games, the Cardinals are
in the NFC playoff picture at 6-7 and three games
remaining on their schedule.
But wisely, head coach Ken Whisenhunt isn’t focusing on
the postseason, instead concentrating on the next game on
the schedule, which this week brings the Cleveland Browns
to Glendale.
Whisenhunt all but dismissed any talk of the ‘p-word’
during his weekly press conference on Monday.
“I know that we’re still alive, obviously, but we’re not
going to get into scenarios or what happens this or that
or anything like that,” he said. “None of it matters if
we don’t win this week. That’s the approach we’ve taken
the last six weeks, and it’s worked pretty good for five
of them.”
And that is the right approach since the Cardinals
realistically would need to win each of their remaining
three games to have a shot at extending their season with
a trip to the playoffs.
Currently, the Cardinals are 4th in the NFC Wild Card
pecking order behind Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago and Dallas.
They would fall to fifth if Seattle beats St. Louis on
Monday night.
Despite the advertised razor-sharp focus on only their
next game, the 5th-year head coach admitted that the
postseason has been discussed.
“We’ve talked about it, I’ve talked to the team about it.
Yes, it’s out there. It’s great that after being 1-6 that
people would even think you’d have a chance for the
playoffs at this point,” he said. “We’re not going to get
into what it’s going to take. What’s served us well is
focusing on each week. Really that’s what we have to do.”
Whisenhunt did let down his guard for a split second on
Monday and commented on the inevitable “what if” question
surrounding the Cardinals’ postseason chances.
“It would be unbelievable. I think it would be very
significant for the character of our football team,”
Whisenhunt said.
Arizona Sports’ Kyndra de St. Aubin contributed to this
report
