GLENDALE, Ariz. — In the same area in which bombastic Buddy Ryan in 1994 famously - and laughably - declared upon joining the Cardinals, "They've got a winner in town," Arizona finally, and improbably, does.

It's the same franchise that became the last in the NFC since the 1970 merger to reach the conference championship game; the same outfit that had one playoff victory and two winning seasons in the desert before this season; the same organization that, before this month, had only two postseason triumphs since its inception as a club team in 1898. Now that same franchise is going to its first Super Bowl.

"Now everybody's forced to say good stuff," Cardinals defensive end Bertrand Berry said defiantly after his team's nail-biting 32-25 victory against the once-again- bridesmaid Philadelphia Eagles. "And I know a lot of people don't like saying good stuff about us. And that's cool. We really don't care what they say. . . . They've all got to come see us in Tampa, period."

The Cardinals' incredible playoff run hit its apex in shiny, $455 million University of Phoenix Stadium, miles removed from their overheated, underperforming days as tenants at a college football stadium down the road in Tempe.

It didn't occur, though, until Arizona averted a near collapse, going from an 18-point halftime lead to a 25-24 fourth-quarter deficit.

But the Cardinals marched 72 yards in 14 plays, led by acrobatic receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the ageless Kurt Warner. And Tim Hightower's 8-yard TD off a throwback screen with slightly less than three minutes left showed these aren't the same old Cardinals, something that has been voiced countless times through the decades.

"It feels very good. It feels very good," said Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill, clad in a bow tie, while red-and-white confetti was shot skyward. "I imagine there's some superlative I could add to it. But I can't think of any right now."

Credit Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt for the improbable moment. He instilled a culture of winning. Give an assist to new revenue streams created by the Cardinals' new digs, which allowed the Bidwill family's famously tight purse strings to loosen slightly.

And reserve a pat on the back to a group of players who put their hands on their ears when skeptics dismissed them as mere curiosity after a late-season lapse.

On Sunday, a heaping dose of praise must be dished out, too, to Fitzgerald, a breakout star despite being a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He owned the postseason again, with nine catches, 152 yards and three touchdowns, raising his three-game total to 419 yards receiving to break Jerry Rice's 1988 playoff record.

"He's been on fire," said Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, who returned from a hamstring injury to catch four passes for 34 yards. "You saw him running wide open, making big plays when we needed them. He played like a man among boys."

Fitzgerald's totals included three catches for 42 yards on the clinching drive. Three plays before Hightower's touchdown, the running back converted a fourth-and-1 with a 5-yard sweep off right tackle to set up first-and-goal.

"We have a bunch of guys that are very resilient in this locker room - guys who are going to fight and scratch for everything," Fitzgerald said.

"And that just really showed the determination a lot of these guys have, just a refuse-to-lose attitude. We needed to go out and score seven, and we did."

Philadelphia (11-7-1) settled for two first-half field goals before scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions in the third and fourth quarters. Two of those scores came on Donovan McNabb throws to Brent Celek, part of a 10-catch performance from the Eagles tight end. DeSean Jackson scored the go-ahead points with an acrobatic 62-yard reception off a deflection with 10:45 remaining.

After Arizona regained the lead, Philadelphia reached the Cardinals 47-yard line before McNabb threw three straight incompletions. The Eagles quarterback went deep to Kevin Curtis on fourth down. The receiver's fake to the post sent cornerback Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie to the turf, and Curtis slipped to his knees on his cut to an out route.

The ball caromed off the receiver's hands, sending the Arizona fans and players into a frenzy. The Eagles didn't get the ball back until only nine seconds remained and fumbled off several laterals to end the game.

"As far as what this means to the organization, I am thrilled to death to say the least," Whisenhunt said. "To get to the Super Bowl and for this to be the first time that this team has gotten to a championship game and the Super Bowl, that's a big deal."

The Eagles actually outgained the Cardinals by a 454-369 margin, had a higher third-down conversion percentage (50-42) and more first downs (22-21).

McNabb threw for 375 yards but banged-up Brian Westbrook wasn't much of a factor, and the Eagles' fierce blitz reached Warner only twice.

"To end this way, it's tough, when you're this close to making the Super Bowl" McNabb said. "This team has really pulled together, and it was the type of nucleus that you definitely want. It's tough to see the guys and know how they're feeling."

Warner, the two-time MVP, finished with four TD passes among his 21 completions.

He'll become only the second starting quarterback for two different Super Bowl-winning franchises, joining Craig Morton.

"It's big. We put ourselves in position and got to the Super Bowl. But the thing is, people always remember the winner. They never remember the loser. And that's one thing we never want to lose sight of," said Arizona running back Edgerrin James, who had 73 of Arizona's 102 yards rushing. "It's super special to get to the Super Bowl, and that's what we've done. But we want to continue."

Key moment

The Eagles tried a variety of approaches to slow Fitzgerald, from zone to man coverage. But he couldn't be stopped. He was deadly on crossing routes, one resulting in his first TD. With his 62-yard scoring catch, he demonstrated his ability that's perhaps unmatched in the NFL to go up high to snare passes in traffic. And he froze Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown with a quick post fake, then ran unhindered on a corner route for his third TD. Dating to the Dec. 21 regular-season game at New England, Fitzgerald has five straight 100-yard receiving games.

Numbers game

4thseed for Arizona entering the playoffs. The Cardinals became the first team with that distinction to win the NFC championship since Dallas in 1975. At the time, only four teams from each conference made it to the playoffs.

He said it

"You say 'next time,' but you can't really do that with this, that's not how it works. You want to take care of opportunities when they are given to you, and that's what makes this so sudden and disappointing."

Andy Reid, Eagles coach, on his team's 1-4 record in five NFC title-game appearances in the past eight years.

Three's company

Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals on Sunday became only the sixth player to score three touchdowns in one NFC Championship Game. The others:

Player, team Opponent Year How scored

Otto Graham, Cleveland Detroit 1954 All rushing

Gary Collins, Cleveland Baltimore 1964 All receiving

Tom Matte, Baltimore Cleveland 1968 All rushing

Preston Pearson, Dallas

Los Angeles Rams

1975 All receiving

Emmitt Smith, Dallas Green Bay 1995 All rushing

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