PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : Cardinals Close, Bugel Insists

Phoenix Coach Joe Bugel said Monday he is only a few steps away from turning the season around and the Cardinals’ collapse against the New Orleans Saints wasn’t due to any major flaw in the team.

“We are playing our guts out,” Bugel said about Sunday’s 31-21 home loss. “There are four or five other things that we got to get correct. That means no more stupid penalties and don’t give up the football. If we do that, then we’ve got a chance of being a darn good football team.”

The Cardinals blew a 14-3 lead with turnovers and penalties while New Orleans broke out of its season-long offensive slumber with its best offensive outing of the year.