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Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Lee from Portland writes: Can the Cardinals make the Super Bowl? That's a fine question, Mike. One that I've pondered since I was four years old, listening to my grandfather lament about their latest blown draft pick. I mean, they can't realistically go to the Super Bowl, right?

This is a franchise with no equal in the history of sports' futility. More discouraging than the Cubs, only lacking the fan base to maintain a legacy. Much like that breezy October night in 2006 against the Bears, they're destined to set their fans up for failure at its highest point. Just when you start to believe, the Same Ole' Cardinals show up and remind you the true meaning of the word letdown.

I know I shouldn't say this. Everything in my Cardinal past warns against it, and I'll probably regret letting the thought infiltrate my pessimism by next Sunday night. After tonight, though, I don't have a choice. I like the Cardinals' chances next week.

The Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl is an unbelievable premise, but so is a guy who played against the likes of Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Kentucky thirteen months ago shutting down Steve Smith in the NFL playoffs. Or a fifth-round pick from Richmond, who wasn't even invited to the combine, out-gaining a rushing offense that averaged 191 yards per game in the last half of the season.

Or a journeyman cornerback, who had four interceptions in his eight year, four team career going into week 17, picking off passes in three consecutive games. None of it makes sense, but with a franchise that's paid an exorbitant security deposit in the karmic bank, it doesn't have to. These guys are definitely for real.

I feel like I'm in some hyper-realistic season of Madden 09, because that's the only place I risked fathoming a goal as large as the Super Bowl. Before tonight, that is. I could turn back to the realist inside, who is quick to point out that the Cardinals only gained 97 yards in the second half and benefited from the nightmarish birthday of an aging QB.

No matter what I try, he'll still be there, making me pace the floor with a 30-7 fourth quarter lead. But I don't believe him anymore. Hell yes, Mike. No matter who the Cardinals play next week, they can make it to the Super Bowl, although I like their chances much more against the Eagles. I'll take at home in a dome over on the road in the snow any day.

Mike Sando: Great stuff, Lee. I never appreciated the plight of the Cardinals fan until hearing from fans such as yourself. You really do know the depths of fandom. That makes you appreciate the mountaintop view even more. Don't fear falling. There can be no true disappointment for Cardinals fans this season, only hope for the present and future.

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Mike from Seattle writes: Sando, Seeing the Cardinals advance to the NFC championship game makes me sick to my stomach. Am I the only person that sees if you blitz and get pressure on Warner, he looks his age. Hit him early and often, and suddenly Kurt Warner looks like he should stop coloring his hair.

I mean seriously, why do teams even try and go into a zone against Warner when he has Fitzgerald. I remember NFC championship when the Hawks put a LB on Smith off the line to play a bump on him. Why don't teams do the same thing with Fitz? I am just sick to my stomach, I mean really, the Cardinals made it to the NFC championship. Which by the way, they are still a one-dimensional offense.

I blame the Cardinals win more on Delhomme, than I do on the actual skill of the Cardinals. -5 in turnovers is appalling. Thank Egypt for beer because if a mediocre team like Arizona goes to the super bowl, you can be sure that us in Seattle will be drinking heavily ... I thought 2008 was over. But then again, maybe that is hope for 2009.

Sorry Sando, you (and the TNT) have been pretty much my Seattle sports vent this past year. But, could you please, please put up some numbers on Kurt Warner's statistics when he is blitzed, when teams are in man, and when they are in zone? Because as a fan of the NFL and depreciator of the Cardinals, I am in desperate need of consolation.

Mike Sando: I think you're in denial, Mike. The Cardinals forced Jake Delhomme into some of those errors. They stripped the football from him and recovered it deep in Panther territory, just as they had when the teams played in Week 8. Arizona led the NFL in recovering opponents' fumbles this season. It's no fluke when the Cardinals continue succeeding in that area. Also, the Cardinals' secondary continued to pick off passes, just as they had against the Falcons the previous week.

As for Kurt Warner, he has been highly effective against the blitz this season, as this passage from our Dec. 12 report points out:

According to Stats LLC, Warner leads the NFL with a 116.0 passer rating when opponents blitz. He has 13 touchdown passes with only two interceptions and four sacks against 170 blitzes. His ability to get rid of the ball quickly has been a key to sustaining drives. Arizona ranks tied for 10th in time of possession despite fielding the NFL's last-ranked rushing attack in yards per game and yards per carry.

I don't think the Cardinals' success should threaten you to this degree. Arizona is getting hot at the right time. That doesn't reflect negatively on any other team. If anything, the Cardinals' rise should give hope to fans whose teams are struggling.