Still In First Place

It was just last week when I joked to a friend that Oakland was in first place in their division with a .500 record.

Hey! The Cardinals are in first place.

It was also just last week that I complained about gamblers having no respect for this team, and I stand by that comment. Kurt Warner going down on the second drive Sunday made a huge difference in the outcome of that game. Still, it was a bitter pill to take, and this Sunday's game against Washington won't make life any easier.

So here we are, going against a team that stayed right with a strong performing Green Bay team on the road, we're on the road where we often play below expectations, this all has me worrying about a disaster.

Warner keeps saying he intends to play, but I'd rather he take another week off than rush himself back before he's ready. Frankly, if it wasn't for Kurt rushing himself back too soon while with the Rams, I suspect he never would have left that team. Anquan Boldin is making like he'll be returning to the lineup this week as well, but I'm pessimistic about that too.

No, this is a week when the defense needs to step up and play as well as they did against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Will it happen? I sure hope so. I'm hoping to avoid talking about a losing record for some time to come.