ESPN’s Hasselbeck says Cardinals are best fit for Manning
Feb 16, 2012, 4:52 PM | Updated: 5:19 pm
Peyton Manning is still an Indianapolis Colt, but one ESPN
analyst thinks he should be an Arizona Cardinal next
season.
Tim Hasselbeck, who was on the Cardinals’ roster in 2007,
said coach Ken Whisenhunt has shown a willingness to
adjust his system to fit a star QB before.
“It’s what the Cardinals did with Kurt Warner,” he told
ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike. “Ken Whisenhunt had no problem
doing things differently for Kurt than he was doing for
Ben Roethlisberger when he was the offensive coordinator
in Pittsburgh.”
Indeed, while many thought Whisenhunt would bring a smash-
mouth style of football to the desert, the truth is he has
been far more apt to watch his QBs sling the ball all over
the field rather than simply handing it off.
That’s how a player like Warner was able to resuscitate
his career and the Cardinals were able to win a pair of
NFC West titles and reach the Super Bowl.
But, besides the fact that Manning has yet to hit the open
market, one thing that may prevent the Cardinals from
going after the QB is the fact that they gave another
signal caller big money just last offseason.
Hasselbeck said that shouldn’t be an issue.
“I understand you made moves to go get Kevin Kolb, but you
may see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to get
Peyton Manning,” he said.
It would be, but so far the opportunity has yet to present
itself. If and when it does, we’ll see if the Cardinals
are ready and willing to go after one of the best QBs the
NFL has ever seen.
