Hello Smash fans, I hope that you all are having a great day so far. Since my last installment, there has been a pretty big development in the sports world. J.J. Watt signed with the Arizona Cardinals for 2 years at a price tag of 31 million dollars. Now, this news came as a shock to a lot of NFL media and fans. I was one of them. However, after I heard the news, I sat back and really thought about this move and why it could make sense. Then after a little while, It all clicked, so today I thought I would share why this move makes sense for J.J. Watt.
First off, let’s talk about team talent. Yes, it is true that this team both finished 8 and 8 last year and is part of the toughest division in football. However, this team did start 6 and 3 then in week 11 Kyler Murray injured his shoulder and the team finished the season 2 and 5. If Kyler doesn’t injure his shoulder, The Cardinals probably finish the season around 11 and 5 because they most likely win either the Week 11 Seahawks game or the Week 15 Rams game, they definitely beat the Patriots, probably beat the 49ers, and Kyler probably doesn’t get injured at the end of that game because they wouldn’t be in that position in the first place. Also on that play, Kyler Murry has a clear lane to roll left and then throw, but because of his shoulder, he has to put his whole body into the throw which leads to him forcing himself into the defender instead of running away from him. Furthermore, if Kyler Murray isn’t hobbled by week 17, he most likely doesn’t get injured and the Cardinals would then score more than 18 points in week 17 giving them the win. The reason I say Kyler wouldn’t get injured on the play is that the second injury he sustained was on his right leg, and if you look at the tape Kyler Murray had a chance to roll outside the right tackle. However, after initially trying to do that he cuts it back inside where he gets hit. Normally, Kyler can make it around the tackle, but because of his bad right leg, he doesn’t have the same speed or agility which forced him to reconsider and cut back inside where he got injured.
Now, the aim of the above scenario is not to assert that the Cardinals are title contenders, It is just there to show that they are better than their record showed, and simply labeling this team as average is naive. This team is good and adding a future Hall Of Famer is only going to make them better, yet that is only one reason J.J. decided to sign with the Cardinals. He also went to the Arizona Cardinals because of the location itself.
Whether you like it or hate it, location matters. The football season starts in mid-September and ends in late January. In most places around the United States that would mean that you would be playing in some pretty chilly environments. That is not the case in Arizona. The mean temperatures from September to January are 89°F, 78°F, 65°F, 56°F, and 57°F. That is objectively nice weather. It just is. Additionally, State Farm Stadium ( the name of the Cardinals stadium) is climate controlled, so it can be any temperature at any time. Furthermore, there is no personal income tax in Arizona which means J.J. Watt gets to keep more of the money on the contract. All in all, Arizona is a great place to play football.
Finally, J.J. Watt has a connection with the Cardinals in DeAndre Hopkins. From all the reports I have read, D Hop lobbied hard to get J.J. Watt. DeAndre Hopkins and the Arizona Cardinals made J.J. feel not just wanted but revered. The Cardinals brought a jersey out of retirement for J.J. Watt. The daughter of Running back Marshall Goldberg gave her blessing to the organization Arizona. How much more important can you make a man feel? Not much.
When you really take a step back and look at it all, it makes sense why J.J. Watt went to the Cardinals. Not only do they have a really good team, but the location is also nice and the organization made him feel wanted. And on top of all of that, he will be on a defensive line where he is not the only person to worry about as there will be another defensive monster on that line in Chandler Jones. The last time Chandler Jones was healthy, he recorded 19 sacks. Yes, that is not a typo. He recorded 19 sacks. Imagine having not one, but two people who could wreck an offensive game plan. That is going to be insane.
In my opinion, this was a great signing for both the Cardinals and J.J. Watt and I think this team could be a tough out for any team both in the regular season and the playoffs. Thank you so much Smash Fans for reading until the end. If you have thoughts on this topic or any other sports-related topic, I would love to hear them, just use the info on the contact page. Until next time, PD Smash signing off.