The first day of fall seems like it was just a minute ago. It was October in AZ. The weather had finally dipped below triple digits. The Arizona Diamondbacks were headed back to the World Series for the first time since ‘01. The Phoenix Suns had just begun the new season with Book, Beal and KD and the entire Valley has high hopes for the big 3.

And then Arizona Cardinals started losing almost every Sunday. Now here we are with a brand new year…. 2024. Thanksgiving is behind us, Christmas lights went up and came back down and the Arizona Cardinals still lost almost every Sunday. But I’ll root for the Arizona Cardinals every single game. I remember when the PHOENIX Cardinals came to Arizona in 1988. I’ll never forget their games in Sun Devil stadium and the temperature in that stadium that literally sent fans to the emergency room for heat exhaustion.

And of course I’ll never forget Super Bowl 43. Larry Fitzgerald scores on a 64 yard reception with 2:37 left from Kurt Warner. And if that game was 35 seconds shorter, Santonio Holmes wouldn’t have caught that last touchdown. But “ifs” don’t matter in sports, and the Steelers took the W.

I took off my shoulder pads for the last time in the fall of my senior year of high school. In the mid-90’s a high school student suited up for a game much different than today’s athlete. For me, the cleats on my feet were always going to be Nike. And any trip to Foot Locker or Champs would lead to a couple options. But back then, there would be one cleat per year that I had to have. My junior year it was the Nike Mission. A cleat so beautiful that it got a retro in 2003. A detachable cleat with a midfoot strap. Black and white colorway that was so clean I could have worn it to prom.

Today’s NFL cleats are so far ahead of where we were back in those days. In one of my favorite episodes of Lebron James’ “The Shop”, Tom Brady says that NBA stars get to play in shorts and in “comfortable shoes”. Cleats in the 90’s weren’t know for comfort. I’m sure today’s Vapors and Alpha and much more comfortable than yesterday’s Sharks and Destroyers. But the Jordan brand has given players the best cleats that have ever been made.

I don’t want to take anything away from epic signature cleats that have come before today’s pairs. The Walter Payton KangaROOS were simple but clean. Two sport athlete Bo Jackson’s Air Bo Turf didn’t fly off shelves like the Air Trainer 3 (not actually his signature shoe) but it came with one of the best ad campaigns of all time, Bo Knows.

Deion Sanders also split time between two sports. Primetime got the Diamond Turf 1,2,3,4 and 5!! Barry Sanders got the Incredible Zoom Turf, Jerome Bettis got the Air Bus. And was there a better match with Nike and Michael Vick? Here’s some background info from Michael Vick himself on the Zoom Vick.

Randy Moss was playing in Jordans before anyone was. Moss was the first NFL athlete to sign with Jordan Brand and his signature shoe being called the “Super Freak” was perfect. Let’s just roll out a few Randy Moss highlights because they never get old.

Jalen Hurts is a Jordan brand athlete. The heat he wears on his feet each week can not be understated. No one is doin it better than him. If the Jordan 4 SB is sneaker of the year, then I’m not surprised at all that Hurts stepped out in a Jordan 4 SB cleat on the last day of 2023. It could be perfect cleat. When I saw the image of the translucent gum colored cleats to tie into the gum rubber outsole on the SB shoe, I knew it was over. Did he have to wear it during a game against the Cardinals? Of course he did. And on that New Year’s Eve game, I don’t know if I was more surprised about the cleat, or the Cardinals win over the Eagles.

Every single week, the Jordan brand shows out in the NFL. But any one of us can log on to nike.com and order a pair of Jordan 1 cleats. You can buy signature cleats from Ja’Marr Chase or Travis Kelce or pick from the other countless styles on the site. But what we have seen NFL players wear this season has become more entertaining that the scores of the games. Hurts sets the standard for gameday footwear. And he sets the bar high. When he came out in week one wearing a pair of black and white Jordan 10s only to change at half time in to the Concord 11s we knew this season would be different for cleats. Jordan 5s have always been my favorite silhouette. But Dallas is my least favorite team. So when Dak wore Jordan 5s on Christmas eve is was bitter sweet to see my favorite Jordan as a cleat, but in Cowboy blue.

Sneakerheads always talk about the sneaker of the year. But what is the cleat of the year? For me its easy… Davonte Adams’ Jordan 5 “In My Bag” might be the best cleat my eyes have ever seen. Storytelling. Colors. Silhouette. 10/10. What will see on Super Bowl Sunday though? I don’t know. But it might be more impressive than the score. Wear your shoes. Wear your cleats. Go Cardinals!