CBS Sports: Best team in Cardinals franchise history was 1925 version

The Arizona Cardinals were less than one minute away from winning Super Bowl XLIII.

Yet, that squad was not the best in the franchise’s history.

So sayeth CBS Sports’ Brad Gagnon.

Gagnon looked to identify the best single season in every NFL franchise’s history, and he chose the 1925 Cardinals.

Remember them?

This is a little sad, but we’re talking about a franchise that hasn’t won a championship since 1947. The 1975 St. Louis Cardinals went 11-3 thanks to Pro Bowl quarterback Jim Hart as well as All-Pros Dan Dierdorf, Terry Metcalf, Mel Gray and Roger Wehrli, but they and the Super Bowl finalist 2008 Arizona Cardinals don’t hold a candle to the 1925 Chicago-based squad. That team outscored the competition 230-65 as part of an 11-2-1 season in which they were named NFL champs.

For what it’s worth, the Arizona Cardinals’ media guide goes all the way back to 1920, so there is some record of that 1925 team.

Led by head coach Norm Barry, the Cardinals took on foes such as the Hammond Pros, Milwaukee Badgers, Columbus Tigers, Kansas City Cowboys, Duluth Kelleys, Buffalo Bisons, Dayton Triangles, Rock Island Ind., and Pottsville Maroons. They also knocked off the Chicago Bears and Green Bay, whoever they are.

Truth is, it’s hard to argue with the numbers. Even Arizona’s Super Bowl team won just nine regular season games, and while Bruce Arians has produced seasons of 10 and 11 wins, neither team came close to winning any kind of championship or title.

Of course, the hope is that the 1925 team no longer tops the list by the end of the 2015 season.