Arizona Cardinals: 6 Things That Infuriate Fans

It's hard to write an article like this on the day of the first Cardinals win since Week 1. Even though this win was sloppy and downright ugly at times, you still have to congratulate the Cardinals on the comeback.

These Cardinals are much more accustomed to giving up leads than coming back from them.

It's a great day in Arizona, although 2-6 is nothing to be proud of, especially since San Francisco can clinch the NFC West in three weeks. But let's let the Cardinals and their fans enjoy this night and their divisional win.

But as you watch the Cardinals, you notice a few things that just drive the average fan crazy.

What are some of these things that just infuriate the fans?

The Lack of Good Quarterback Play

Before the peanut gallery begins, there is no quarterback controversy in Arizona. 

That is a shame.

John Skelton, who seemed to be a fan favorite, did not play great at all. Two plays and two safeties. That's enough to drive your offense mad, let alone your ever-tiring defense.

I will give Skelton one thing though. He did something Arizona has not seen all year: He led it back from behind in the fourth quarter with an impressive drive and knew when to run. He looked downright competent for once in the game.

The problem is ever since Kurt Warner retired, the Cardinals have not had good quarterback play at all. The likes of Derek Anderson, Max Hall, John Skelton and Kevin Kolb have instilled no confidence in the fanbase that Arizona has a quarterback that will lead them to the playoffs again.

It won't happen this year either.

The fans have to be upset that there was no good exit strategy in place to plan for Warner's retirement. This is a team that went to the Super Bowl just three years ago and was in the playoffs two years ago.

There seems to be no solution on the horizon either.

The Inability To Finish Games

Admit it. The final drive of regulation looked eerily familiar.

The good field position. The good run by Steven Jackson. The inevitable pass interference call. The field-goal formation by the other team.

This late-game drive had all the ingredients of the last six straight losses.

For once, the meal tasted different. Yes, finally victory was served for dinner and not the quickly-growing-stale taste of defeat.

But isn't this getting old, Cardinals fans? Why does this have to be the same story every week? If I were a betting man, I bet more than half of the fans in the stands predicted another late-game breakdown.

You could see the anger building on the faces. The fans can't handle much more of this.

Play the game for 60 good minutes and show the great state of Arizona that the team means business.

The Lack of a Second Receiver To Step Up

Do you remember when the Cardinals were viewed as having the best receiving corps in the league with the likes of Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald?

Boy, have times changed.

After Fitzgerald, who wants to actually be the go-to guy? All hands quickly go down.

Early Doucet has shown flashes of being that guy, but he has yet to grab the title and run with it. Andre Roberts has played so awfully that I'm not sure why Stephen Williams doesn't get more playing time.

Granted, the quarterback throwing the ball has been as wildly inconsistent as they come, but you have to make the most of your opportunities when you get them. None of the receivers have done that, especially Roberts, who has a ton of drops this year.

If you are a fan, you wonder what management has been doing to prepare for the future at the wide receiver spot. I still think the Cardinals should take a shot on Terrell Owens. The receiving corps needs a shot in the arm and maybe some personality to match.

Now, all of the receivers are young, so they need time to grow, but the Cardinals have a fanbase that has tasted the playoffs for two consecutive years recently, and that taste doesn't want to wait on wide receiver development.

The Lack of Having One Game with Good Play from Both Sides of the Ball

It seems when the offense plays well, the defense is leaking. When the defense comes together, the offense sputters.

If you are a fan, there are few things that infuriate you more. Just once, it would be nice to see both sides of the ball play well for the entire 60 minutes in the same game.

Usually, you get one good half of one and a nightmarish disaster for the second half.

Take, for instance, the game against the Baltimore Ravens. The first half, the Cardinals could do no wrong. The offense played well. The defense was clicking, and special teams scored.

The second half, none of them played well.

I could go down the line with the games that followed the same path, but I won't. I wouldn't want to make the fans any madder.

The Penalties

This is a sore spot. 

According to the NFL's official website, the Cardinals are the third-most penalized team in the league. They have 571 penalty yards through Week 8.

If you are a Cardinals fan, you know there are quite a few penalties included in there that changed the outcome of several games.

There is nothing more frustrating than to watch the Cardinals secondary give up pass interference yards game in and game out.

Or how about holding calls that alter field position for the already stalled offense?

Fans pay to see a contender, not a pretender.

The Lack of Media Attention

Even when the Cardinals were "good," it frustrated the fans that none of the media really covered them. Granted, a 2-6 team doesn't deserve much coverage, but there does seem to be a lack of respect for showing Cardinals highlights.

But if you turn on the NFL Network, you better make sure you are watching closely because the Cardinals highlights may come on for about 20 seconds. You are going to see mostly Jets, Patriots and Cowboys.

Even the 7-1 49ers and 6-2 Bengals seem to be going under the radar as well.

I wonder how many times will you see the fantastic punt return by Patrick Peterson that broke the hearts of the St. Louis Rams.

Again, this team should be seen much right now, but even when they were relevant, ESPN and other media outlets seemed to overlook them. If you don't live in Arizona but are a fan of the Cardinals, good luck trying to watch your team.