The greatest offseason in NFL history has come to a close. We witnessed free-agent frenzy and marquee players changing teams. The scouting combine drew record ratings. The NFL draft morphed into an outdoor festival, with armies of fans descending upon the shores of Lake Michigan.
In Tempe, the optimism has never been more absurd.
It hit me on an unbearably sunny morning during OTAs, when I scanned the roster of 90 names and strained to find a marginal player. Remember when the Cardinals signed guys like Kevin Kasper and his platinum hair? That was the dark era, when players released in Arizona had nowhere to turn but the Arena Football League.