Bordow: Home definitely sweet for Cardinals

OK, so here’s what the Cardinals do the rest of the year.

Petition the NFL to play the rest of their games at home.

Refuse to fly on the grounds they’re an eco-friendly franchise.

Cardinals roll past Buffalo, 41-17

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Convince Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to confiscate their charter plane because it once flew to Mexico City, and goodness knows what kind of cargo might have crossed the border.

What is it about these Cardinals?

They look like a juggernaut at home, capable of beating any NFL team.

But change the zip code on them and they go all Cubs in October.

(Sorry, couldn’t resist).

“I don’t know what it is,” fullback Terrelle Smith said after the Cardinals’ 41-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. “But I’ll tell you something, you come in the Birds Nest and you better be ready to fly with these birds. We’re going to peck, peck and peck you to death.”

In two games at home, Arizona has outscored Miami and Buffalo, 72-27.

That’s not a home-field advantage. It’s a home-field dungeon.

“The crowd, the energy, we just feed off of it,” tackle Darnell Dockett said.

What transpired Sunday really wasn’t a surprise, even though the Bills came into the game 4-0. The Cardinals were embarrassed by the New York Jets eight days ago in the Meadowlands.

They were hurt and angry and focused to the point that quarterback Kurt Warner, who had six turnovers in the Jets game, carried a football around his house Monday and Tuesday to work on ball security.

The Bills just had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“We had a lot to prove,” defensive end Antonio Smith said.

“What happened last week really affected us. We had to take a stand.”

Whether that determination carries over to Sunday’s game against Dallas or — even more importantly the five remaining road games — remains to be seen.

But some truths became self-evident Sunday:

• The Cardinals may have discovered their offensive identity.

They protected Warner by having him take three-step drops and throw short, high-percentage passes. Of Warner’s 33 completions (he was 33 of 42 for 250 yards, with two touchdowns), 31 were for 15 yards or less.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Arizona simply was reacting to Buffalo’s soft zone defense.

Maybe so, but Warner’s six turnovers against the Jets surely had to influence the game plan.

“That’s our strength,” Terrelle Smith said. “Dink, dunk, get it out of there. I’ve been playing against Kurt and with Kurt for years. That’s when he’s at his best.

“I’ll get calls now from guys I played with who are retired and they’ll say, ‘Man, Kurt’s still got it.’ ”

Arizona’s version of the West Coast offense not only kept Warner upright — he wasn’t sacked once and he didn’t commit a turnover — it opened up lanes for the running game.

Edgerrin James, Tim Hightower and J.J. Arrington — remember him? — combined for 123 yards on 34 carries.

• Hightower needs to get more carries.

James led the club in rushing with 57 yards, but he averaged just 2.7 yards per carry. Hightower, meanwhile, scored on a 17-yard run in the second quarter because he had enough burst to run by Bills linebacker Kawika Mitchell. At this point in his career, James simply doesn’t have that run in him.

• Safety Adrian Wilson is the one defensive player the Cardinals can’t afford to lose.

Wilson was out last week, and Arizona gave up 56 points.

He was in uniform Sunday and on Buffalo’s third play from scrimmage he knocked out starting quarterback Trent Edwards (concussion) with a clean but vicious hit.

“He’s a big dude. He’s like Iron Man,” nose tackle Gabe Watson said of Wilson. “He was like that the whole game, hitting guys.”

It would be foolish to think the Cardinals suddenly have righted themselves. Dallas could come in here and turn their bird sanctuary into hunting ground.

But they’re 3-2, in first place in the NFC West, and the Jets’ loss has become a faded memory.

Now, if they could only open the roof when it’s 79 degrees outside.