Cardinals move up to seventh in ESPN’s latest power rankings

BRISTOL, CT — Sunday’s release of the ESPN.com’s latest NFL power rankings saw the Arizona Cardinals make a big jump to seventh, while the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings took precipitous falls from their lofty spots at eight and ten, respectively.

“Do you really think I give a fuck? We’re in the Super Bowl, man,” Arizona running back Edgerrin James pointed out. “ESPN has disrespected us all year, so why should it change now? I couldn’t care less what those dumb bastards are saying.”

The ESPN power rankings are determined through a poll of the sports giant’s many NFL writers and experts, including Scouts Inc. expert Jeremy Green and Hall of Fame writer John Clayton. The final version of the rankings put the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers ahead of the NFC Champions.

“It’s really not so hard to understand,” said ESPN NFL blogger Matt Mosley, another member of the voting panel. “Personally I put them ahead of the Panthers, but I had them sixth. Just because you win a couple of games, you don’t get to be at the top of the list, you know?

“Like take when the Browns beat up on the Giants in Week 6 – the next week we put the Browns at #22 and the Giants at #2, because the Giants were still one of the best teams in the league and the Browns still weren’t too good. You can’t expect to jump from #13 to #1 or #2 overnight – there are stops along the way, like at #7. But the Cardinals’ stock is definitely rising.”

Most of the Arizona players seem to share James’ general apathy when asked about the importance of their rise in the rankings, but head coach Ken Whisenhunt believes they care more than they let on.

“Does it make or break us? Of course not, and I’m not saying it will make us play any differently come game time,” Whisenhunt told SSNN. “But I will say this – it’s important, in football as in life, to know that people believe in you. And to see those ESPN guys bump us up six notches on the power rankings is a validation for our hard work.

“I’m thinking if we win the Super Bowl, we could start next season as high as fifth. Can you imagine how good this team would feel about themselves to be ranked fifth?”

It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!