The Cardinals were 2-6 on the road last year, including 1-3 in the Eastern Time Zone. So when the schedule was released and coach Ken Whisenhunt saw the consecutive games at Washington and the Jets, he started thinking about ways to cope with the travel.
One way was to cut out one plane ride by staying on the East Coast between games. It was a logistical challenge, but the Cardinals worked things out. This week, they have stayed in Vienna, Va., a Washington, D.C., suburb, and taken the bus to Catholic University each day for practice.
On Saturday, they'll board a train for Newark, N.J., and play the Jets the next day.
The Cardinals haven't made such a trip in many years. Whisenhunt has been a player and coach in the NFL for 20 years and he did it only once, as a player.
"I don't know how commonplace it is," he said. "I know this, this is one thing I have researched and I have looked at, is that teams that go from west to east, and what their records are in those games. And it's not very good.
"This was an opportunity to try something different, shake it up and maybe play a little better on the road."
The players have adapted, although some, such as quarterback Kurt Warner, aren't crazy about it. The father of seven, Warner said he would rather be able to tuck his kids in at night.
But if this helps the Cardinals win, Warner said he's for it. Other players have enjoyed the trip. Warner and a handful of teammates went to New York on Tuesday, the players' day off.
Other took advantage of tours the team arranged. Some went to the FBI's training headquarters at Quantico. Others visited historical sites. Some, like cornerback Rod Hood, stayed at the hotel, relaxed and studied video of the Jets.
"I feel good about it," Hood said of the trip. Traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast is really hard because you travel for four or five hours and you lose three hours. It's more than half a day (that you lose)."
SERIES HISTORY: 7th meeting. The Jets lead, 4-2. The Jets have won the last four, dating to 1978. The teams have only played twice in the last 20 years. The Jets won the last meeting in 2004, 13-3. The clubs have some ties, however. The Cardinals drafted Joe Namath but watched him sign with the Jets. And they traded with the Jets for receiver Rob Moore in 1995. Former Cardinal linebacker Calvin Pace signed a lucrative deal with the Jets last off-season.
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