Ever been to Jamaica?
“No problem, monn,” is the answer to almost anything.
My luggage didn’t arrive with me at the airport.
“No problem, monn.”
It can be a little jolting for someone, and my wife says this about me, that needs to be in control of things. What do you mean it is no problem my luggage didn’t accompany me on my journey. I think it is a big problem, one that requires everyone to cringe as I voice my wrath.
I don’t get the Jamaicans attention.
“No problem, Monn.”
About three days into hearing that mantra over-and-over it begins to unwind the pressures I brought with me from the States. In fact, I find myself saying it myself, smiling at situations that go awry instead of doubling-down on pressure.
My wife is missing from the boat, I last saw her drinking a rum and something right over there just a few minutes ago, I say while pointing to one of the party areas on the craft.
“No problem, monn,” comes the replay from a crew member dressed in all white. “She’s probably just swimming, no problem monn.”
Yeah, I smile, she probably is, no problem, and do you have another one of those concoctions with the 151 rum?
“No problem, monn.”
I get the feeling, and my data supports this presumption, that the Arizona Cardinals are at practice this week living the Jamaican philosophy.
Last year, a season in which the Cardinals emerged from near obscurity to their first Super Bowl appearance, they won only three of eight regular season games on the road. Then, in the playoffs, the Cardinals bounced off their Wild Card home win over the Atlanta Falcons with a surprise road triumph over the Carolina Panthers. The day after the Cardinals upset Carolina, they got home field advantage for the NFC Championship Game when the Philadelphia Eagles eliminated the conference top seed New York Giants.
The Cardinals have not lost in an opponents’ home stadium since the New England Patriots tattooed them with a 47-7 decision in Week Sixteen last December. This year, Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt made a point with his team that they have to learn to win on the road, a maturation that separates good teams from great ones. Whisenhunt knows about great teams, he spent six seasons on Bill Cowher’s staff in Pittsburgh … working with a Steelers team known for solid play both on their home field and in an opponents’ stadium.
Ok, the Cardinals took heed of their coach’s focus on becoming a better road team, and they have won all four games away from University of Phoenix Stadium this year in contests against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants and Chicago Bears. But, as so often happens when a team focuses on one aspect of their game, something else suffers.
Seems the Cardinals road problems have been rectified, but in their home nest, Arizona has lost three of four games and narrowly missed losing all four point spread decisions. They parlayed a fourth quarter interception return for a touchdown and a defensive goal line stand to beat the Houston Texans, 28-21, while favored by six-points on the spread.
They are defending NFC Champions, are coming off a huge win in Chicago where Kurt Warner tossed five touchdowns … but that win followed a home loss to Carolina in which Warner tossed five interceptions.
“No problem, monn.”
This week, they host the Seattle Seahawks, a team Arizona throttled by a 27-3 score at Qwest Field last month and are confident that they will treat to an equally one-sided score this week. Seems to me that Seattle is in a perfect spot to get revenge for their embarrassing home loss … and the Cardinals home woes are not yet on the top of their list of concerns.
“No problem, monn.”
Wait a minute, that is a nice mantra to live by while enjoy Jamaican rum and waiting for ones wife to reappear. But, it is not necessarily the best attitude to adopt for a clear division revenge spot for a visiting team that is geared for their best performance of the season.
You won’t get a Jamaican to say it, but trust me, for the Cardinals this Sunday in front of their home fans … big problem.
Qoxhi Picks: Seattle Seahawks (+9) over Arizona Cardinals
