Post by njcardfan on Nov 8, 2019 22:45:08 GMT
As a Cardinals fan, this was the first time I ever saw them play in their home stadium. This was a few weeks after the players strike had ended(the season the NFL used replacement players). I was sweating that this was going to be played with replacement players and I had no intention of watching Sammy Garza QB my team but as I said, the strike had ended 3 weeks prior. The Cards were in the midst of a 3 game losing streak including the final replacement game when they lost to the 49ers who had their entire regular roster(the replacement Cards actually led the game into the 4th quarter). My then girlfriend and eventual first wife flew out to St. Louis. We stayed at the Clarion Hotel which is directly across the street from Busch Stadium(old and new). If you watch baseball Cardinal games, it's the round hotel you can usually see in about right center field. This was convenient because under the hotel was an underground hallway that went under the street and you came out right at the stadium.
The crowd was sparse to be kind. This was after owner Bill Bidwill announced that the team was leaving St. Louis(they hadn't announced where at the time as I was really hoping for Baltimore). The Cards did not play well for 3 quarters. Steve DeBerg passed all over them(DeBerg's back up for that game was rookie Vinny Testaverde) and the Bucs led 28-3. Needless to say, I was not happy. I didn't fly all the way to St. Louis to see this team get spanked by the team in the creamsicle uniforms. But in the 4th, the Cards woke up. Scored 28 unanswered points to take a 31-28 lead with little time left. DeBerg was able to drive the Bucs to about the Cars 35 yard line and as time expired, Bucs kicker Donald Igwebuke's 53 yard FG attempt kicked off the cross bar and the Cards had won one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history and I believe it's still the largest 4th quarter comeback in NFL history and I was there to see it. Incidentally, this season was the one and only time I ever saw the Cards twice in one season as 2 weeks later I saw them beat the Eagles 31-19 in Philly.
The crowd was sparse to be kind. This was after owner Bill Bidwill announced that the team was leaving St. Louis(they hadn't announced where at the time as I was really hoping for Baltimore). The Cards did not play well for 3 quarters. Steve DeBerg passed all over them(DeBerg's back up for that game was rookie Vinny Testaverde) and the Bucs led 28-3. Needless to say, I was not happy. I didn't fly all the way to St. Louis to see this team get spanked by the team in the creamsicle uniforms. But in the 4th, the Cards woke up. Scored 28 unanswered points to take a 31-28 lead with little time left. DeBerg was able to drive the Bucs to about the Cars 35 yard line and as time expired, Bucs kicker Donald Igwebuke's 53 yard FG attempt kicked off the cross bar and the Cards had won one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history and I believe it's still the largest 4th quarter comeback in NFL history and I was there to see it. Incidentally, this season was the one and only time I ever saw the Cards twice in one season as 2 weeks later I saw them beat the Eagles 31-19 in Philly.
