Brownie Points: Valley wants to love Cardinals

The Valley has been waiting for two decades, as patiently as possible, for the Cardinals to pick up the ball and run with it.

Cardinals take 2-0 start in stride

Cards notebook: Team to stay back East after Sunday's game

We have every sport you can think of, but this is an NFL town. Always has been, even long before the league finally showed up here.

The Suns are the first child. The Diamondbacks have the championship flag. ASU will attract attention with nine or 10 wins. But for all their failures and embarrassments, the Cards are the team this town wants to love.

First, the NFL is to sports leagues what Coke is to soft drinks. Yeah, you can drink something else, but it's not a Coke, is it?

Then there are all the locals with pristine Cardinals gear tucked way back in the walk-in closet. They can smell that chance to tell all the Cowboys, Raiders, Bears and Steelers fans at work where to stick their, um, bumper stickers.

And now, along comes a glorious week for chirping. The birds are 2-0. They lead their division by one game and are two games up on the only team (Seattle) with a legitimate hope of denying them, well, you know, an - OK, I'll say it - an NFC West title.

Naysayers, of course, will throw the challenge flag faster than Norv Turner.

Arizona's two victims, the 49ers and Dolphins, may not win six games combined. The Cardinals haven't knocked out a team capable of punching back, one with a quarterback who can throw across the street.

The first of five Eastern road trips begins this week (Washington).

And one day, one of those Neil Rackers knuckleballs and Tim Hightower fumbles will cost them.

My response: Are you new here?

Do you remember the Jets in 1996? They went 1-15 but beat Arizona in Tempe. Do you remember the 49ers in 2004? They went 2-14 and swept the Big Red.

In a league that dares you not to get your act together and make the playoffs once in a while, the Cardinals have flown in the face of conventional logic.

So no win around here is overanalyzed, no winning streak dismissed. Give us your poor, tired, pathetic masses, yearning to gift wrap a gimmie. No donation is too small.

And let's be honest: The Big Red put up 31 points, allowed only an excuse-me touchdown late and made all the big plays. When has that ever happened? Against anyone?

Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner were all outstanding Sunday. (Warner had to win his job in the preseason? Ridiculous.) But all three were here when the Cards won five games a year under Dennis Green.

The difference now? Ken Whisenhunt. An offensive line that can fight back, and a defense with a mean streak and enough depth to keep fresh.

NFL-caliber players on the field.

You have to beat this team. After two weeks, they have no turnovers. None. I'll check, but I believe that's at least tied for the NFL lead.

The last time Arizona went back-to-back games without coughing up the ball? December 2001 - and whatcha know, they won both games.

Since 1978, 232 NFL teams have started the season 2-0, and 66 percent (153) have gone on to make the playoffs. That number is a lot better lately - with more playoff spots up for grabs - and definitely better (67 percent) if you throw out the three times the Cardinals started 2-0 (1978, 1989, 1991) and never finished better than 5-11.

Keep it in perspective? Sure. One game at a time? Of course.

Enjoy the week, and the hype, Cardinals fans. And slide your foam cushions toward the middle of the bandwagon to make room. Things might get crowded quickly.

QUICK HITTERS

The good news is ASU saved plenty of the offensive playbook to spring on Georgia Saturday. Unfortunately, it cost them a spot in the Top 25, the national spotlight and any momentum going into the toughest four-game stretch in the nation.

While Ohio State embarrassed the rest of the Big Ten in Los Angeles Saturday, the rest of the Pac-10 embarrassed USC. Perhaps the Trojans should just apply for a bye to the BCS title game.

How did an Astros home game turn into a Cubs love-fest in Milwaukee starring Carlos Zambrano? For a Houston team that won 14 out of 15 to climb back into the wild-card race, this was an unfair twist of fate.

I'm still trying to figure out how the Vikings lost after completely dominating the Colts for three quarters - at home! Any more questions about why the Vikes were sniffing around Brett Favre all summer?