SEATTLE -- Imagine Las Vegas without slot machines, pro football without oddsmakers or poker without chips or dollar bills. It's the action that drives the gamblers.

Jake "The Snake" Plummer, whose gambling style has dominated the Phoenix sports scene for close to a decade, has missed the action. Since Plummer's magical playoff season of comebacks in 1998, the Arizona Cardinals have rolled craps. They were 6-10 during his injury-plagued 1999 season. Last year, it was 3-13 and the entire team seemed to be sentenced to the training room for injuries.

	Jake Plummer, left, and Dave Brown seek better protection behind the Cards' "Big Red Line."

"If we are down five points with five minutes or three minutes left, we are going to win those games," Plummer said. "We haven't been in those games after being in so many in 1998. Maybe we've had two or three since 1998."

In fact, the Cardinals were so bad last year that they had only three games in which they were within a touchdown of an opponent during a loss. Plummer was still the gambler, but the more he tried, the more mistakes he made. More than half of his 21 interceptions came when the Cardinals trailed by at least two touchdowns.

"If we're down two touchdowns with two minutes left, yeah, I'm still going to throw the ball downfield," Plummer said. "I told them if I didn't go for it downfield, then get rid of me. I'm not going to sit back there and be chicken and try not to do something for our team."

Enter Dave McGinnis, the former defensive coordinator whose upbeat style is trying to win back Cardinals fans handshake by handshake. McGinnis understands the pressure Plummer has endured the past two years. For the gambling style quarterback who loves the action of come-from-behind victories, McGinnis offers the play-action.

"We don't want to line up and throw 30 to 35 times a game," McGinnis said. "It's not like we are running the wishbone, but things are a little more defined for (Plummer). Last year over half of his picks came when he was 14 points or more down. The key to that: Don't get 14 points down."

How do you do that? Take the air out of the ball and eat up the clock with running plays. Sure, the Cowboys copied that philosophy this week by cutting Tony Banks and replacing him with rookie Quincy Carter. But Plummer has 50 starts to Carter's none. On top of that, Plummer still has the belief from his teammates that he has the magic in his arm.

"We're behind him 100 percent, and we're looking forward to a big year from him," halfback Thomas Jones said. "It comes with the territory as far as skeptics and people saying this and that. That's how it goes."

Make no mistake; Plummer knows that his career is at a crossroads. He's thrown 45 interceptions in the past two seasons. The magical aura stemming from four 1998 comebacks has evaporated. Those critical of Plummer point to the four-year, $29 million contract he received late in the 1998 season and demand returns.

"I'm still only 26 years old," Plummer responds. "If I was a success or a bust, I still have a chance to be a success again. I have a lot of years left to see what I can do. I'm not naïve to the fact that if we have a good year it's because of me or if we have a bad year it's because of me. I'm aware if we don't do well, it's not going to be the fault of Rich Olson (the team's new offensive coordinator). It's going to be me."

	“	I'm not naïve to the fact that if we have a good year it's because of me or if we have a bad year it's because of me. I'm aware if we don't do well, it's not going to be the fault of Rich Olson (the team's new offensive coordinator). It's going to be me. ”
		— Jake Plummer, Cardinals quarterback

At least Plummer understands the way it is. Since that $29 million contract, he's gone from hero to scapegoat. It was a contract that the Cardinals felt would sell the franchise to voters who had to decide on a new stadium referendum. The referendum at the time was voted down, and Plummer has been plagued by injuries and bad luck since.

"In 1998, I got way too much credit," Plummer said. "I was supposed to be the savior. Sometimes, you get too much credit and too much blame in this position. I'd love to say that the $15 million signing bonus would keep me injury-free. That would be great. Hey, I was shocked to get close to $30 million at that time. But what am I going to say, `I'm too young.' It's not about money. I'd still be playing if I hadn't gotten that contract."

McGinnis wants Plummer to be carried by his bodyguards on the offensive line and his studs in the backfield rather than rely on his 197-pound creative style. The organization knows that the defense, which was ranked 30th last year, is going to take a couple years to rebuild. They debated whether or not to select a top defensive tackle with the second pick in the draft.

But the more they studied 370-pound Leonard Davis, the brighter the light bulb went off. Adding Davis to a line that has 365-pound right tackle Anthony Clement, 334-pound left tackle L.J. Shelton and 295-pound guard Pete Kendall solved more problems than one defensive addition. After all, the better they run the ball and keep the defense off the field, the better their chances of winning.

"We're going to give the ball to Thomas Jones and Michael Pittman and then see what we can get out of play-action," McGinnis said. "Then we can get the ball to David Boston, who's had a good camp. We can get the ball to Frank Sanders and Rob Moore. I just hope we can run the football on a consistent basis."

McGinnis calls it "The Big Red Line." With the defensive tackle position in the NFC East in such transition, the timing couldn't be better. Injuries, however, have kept the team wondering how successful the strategy will be. Davis held out. Kendall has been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Center Mike Gruttadauria has had neck problems. Before the team's second exhibition game, the line had been together for only five plays.

The plan is to pound as many running plays as possible before the regular-season opener against the Redskins. McGinnis doesn't mind opening the season with a bye because it gives the line an extra week to come together.

For Plummer, though, the idle first week is a downer. He'll miss the action.

"Those fourth quarters last year in some games were pretty bad," Plummer said. "We'd go into the fourth quarters down three touchdowns. It just gets too routine. We're all sick of losing the past two years. Now, it's easier when no one expects anything. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose."

The last thing Plummer wants to do is roll Snake Eyes this fall.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.