Arizona Cardinals: Jim Hart’s records may be insurmountable
By Larry Brake
The legacy left by Jim Hart may never be reached by any future Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks.
The Arizona Cardinals training camp opens later this month. All eyes will be on the quarterback competition between Sam Bradford, Josh Rosen and Mike Glennon. Since 1967, there has not been a better quarterback than Jim Hart in Cardinals history.
Remember, the Cardinals have won two NFL championships. Also, Hall of Famer Kurt Warner led the Cardinals to a Super Bowl appearance. Carson Palmer played a few seasons after being in Cincinnati.
Hart took the reins as the starting quarterback in 1967. In that season, he completed 192 passes for 3008 yards with 19 touchdowns yet threw 30 interceptions. He finished eighth among NFL quarterbacks in passing yards.
Hart played 18 season in the Cardinals uniform. He was named to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 1974 through 1977. He holds many franchise passing records. Hart holds the franchise record for passing yards with 34,639. Neil Lomax is second to Hart with 22,771 passing yards. Most of all, in comparison, Warner has 32,344 career passing yards.
Hart attempted and completed more passes in Cardinals history. Lomax and Jake Plummer trail by a large margin. Since Hart played for so many seasons, his legacy may never be matched. Bradford will not touch any of Hart’s records. Glennon is highly unlikely to match Hart, as well. Only Rosen has an opportunity to surpass all of Hart’s records.
Rosen would have to average 4000 yards per season for nine seasons to break Hart’s record. Eight NFL quarterbacks threw for 4000 or more yards last season. Rosen will have to stay healthy and re-sign with the Cardinals after his rookie contract expires after the 2022 season.
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Although Hart did not take the Cardinals to the Super Bowl, he made two playoff appearances in 1974 and 1975. Hart set the bar high as the Cardinals quarterback. In fact, the Cardinals were dubbed the “Cardiac Cardinals” due to winning games in the final minute. Let’s hope Arizona finds another Hart.