FanHouse BenGraham

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

After what seemed like about 15 straight seasons heading into the year as the trendy "sleeper" pick of the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals finally realized their potential, winning a home playoff game for the first time in the life of many football fans (myself included) and heading to the first-ever Super Bowl. Now, all of a sudden, expectations are at an all-time high. Can the team thrive, or will they disappoint?

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

After astonishing everyone and heading to the Super Bowl last season, the Arizona Cardinals now face truly raised expectations for the first time in memory. We all remember the magical postseason run, when Larry Fitzgerald established himself as the NFL's premier wideout (even if Andre Johnson wants to argue), Kurt Warner polished his legacy, and the defense showed its capability -- one we had not seen much in the regular season.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Arizona Cardinals punter Ben Graham had never played football -- not Pop Warner, not high school, not college -- until he got to the NFL. At least, he had never played American football.

Graham had spent his entire life playing Australian rules football when, at the age of 31, he quit the sport to try to become a punter. The New York Jets offered him a spot in training camp, and when he made it past the final cuts and earned a spot on the opening day roster, he was the oldest rookie in NFL history.

Graham is now at the Super Bowl with the Cardinals, and at Media Day today he credited his wife, Katie, for convincing him to leave his big-fish-in-a-small-pond status with the Geelong Cats of Australian football and try to make it in the NFL.

TAMPA -- Arizona Cardinals punter Ben Graham had never played football -- not Pop Warner, not high school, not college -- until he got to the NFL. At least, he had never played American football.

Graham had spent his entire life playing Australian rules football when, at the age of 31, he quit the sport to try to become a punter. The New York Jets offered him a spot in training camp, and when he made it past the final cuts and earned a spot on the opening day roster, he was the oldest rookie in NFL history.

Graham is now at the Super Bowl with the Cardinals, and at Media Day today he credited his wife, Katie, for convincing him to leave his big-fish-in-a-small-pond status with the Geelong Cats of Australian football and try to make it in the NFL.

If you're a God fearing sort, after taking a look at the weather in Boston today, you'd have to think that the man upstairs didn't want Bill Belichick and Patriots fans to have the satisfaction of a blowout victory over the Jets. In fact, you might even think that ol' flowing robes didn't want them to get a win at all. Alas, human beings were blessed with free will and much like Job, Jonah and Lot's wife, the Jets couldn't stay out of their own way long enough to do anything but lose 20-10.

Both Patriots touchdowns came as a result of Jets miscues. On Kellen Clemens' first pass of the game, Richard Seymour demolished him and created an easy interception which Eugene Wilson took back for six points. Later in the first half, Ben Graham got a punt blocked and the Pats took over on the three yard line. Laurence Maroney carried in for an easy score and the Patriots led 17-7 at the half.

In the second half, things didn't get much better for the Jets. Darrelle Revis picked off Tom Brady, just the 2nd home interception of the year for Brady, but Chris Baker fumbled the ball back inside the red zone. That was the way it went for Chad Pennington. In a strong return engagement as Jets quarterback, Pennington moved the ball but his mates kept letting him down in the end.