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The 5 most emotional moments from the Arizona Cardinals' 'All or Nothing' documentary

Posted at 4:40 PM, Jul 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-03 19:40:00-04

If you have yet to watch "All or Nothing," the eight-part documentary about the Arizona Cardinals that was released on Amazon Video last week, you don't know what you're missing.

The series does an incredible job of documenting the lives of your favorite Cardinals players and coaches both on and off the field.

Here's one fan's take on the five most emotional moments that came out of "All or Nothing." 

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

5. Season's end

There was no alternate ending to be found in "All or Nothing," as we had to watch once again as the Cardinals' best season in franchise history came to a disappointing end with a 49-15 defeat at the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game. 

After the game, we see Larry Fitzgerald, Carson Palmer and others sit dejected in front of their lockers, and we watch Cards coach Bruce Arians, the undisputed star of the documentary, give that tough post-loss talk to his team.

"It's never the end that you want unless you're putting a ring on your finger. It was a hell of a job of taking another step this year," he said. "I thank you so much for everything you've given all year. I'm proud of you."

If those scenes in the final episode don't make you hungry to watch the Cardinals get after it again this season, not much will.

4. Tyrann's journey begins

It's the only moment on this list that didn't actually occur during the 2015 season: In Episode 3, "All or Nothing" flashed back to 2013 to show how safety Tyrann Mathieu became an Arizona Cardinal.

Mathieu was a consensus All-American and 2011 SEC Defensive Player of the Year at LSU, but he got into some off-field trouble (namely, drug problems) that got him kicked off the team in 2012. Despite being a first-round-level talent, Mathieu was passed up by team after team in the NFL Draft.

That is, until Mathieu received a call from Cardinals president Michael Bidwill in Round 3 -- and minutes later, the Honey Badger's name was called as the 69th overall pick. We get to watch Mathieu overcome with emotion as he was mobbed by family and friends who gathered to watch the draft with him.

3. A cruel injury

Mathieu had a spectacular 2015 season that came to an agonizing conclusion when he suffered a freak ACL tear in a Week 15 win at the Philadelphia Eagles, just two games before the playoffs were to begin.

After the injury was confirmed the next morning, Mathieu naturally didn't take the news well -- but even more difficult to watch was the reaction of Arians, who has always felt a kinship with the Honey Badger, as both men overcame checkered pasts to get to where they are today.

During his weekly press conference, we see Arians deliver the bad news to the media and needing to take a few seconds to compose himself after making that announcement. "We have a little different bond just because of where he came from, where I came from. I've just gotten real attached to him," he said.

"It's personal with Ty. We're extremely close," Arians later told the documentary crew during Episode 7. "I love the kid ... We love and miss Ty, but we've got to go on."

2. Paityn Peterson

Most Cardinals fans remember hearing about the birth of Patrick Peterson's baby girl Paityn on Thanksgiving night last season. But "All or Nothing" gave us a peak at just how great a dad the five-time Pro Bowler is.

In Episode 4, we see Peterson and his wife Antonique at the hospital before and after Paityn's birth -- and just days after she was born, we see Peterson expertly change her baby girl's diaper at home. Afterwards, Paityn fusses while Patrick dresses her up, but she's just fine after Patrick picks her up and holds her close.

"It's hard for her to take her eyes off me," Peterson says as Paityn stares at him. But it wasn't easy for Peterson to take his eyes off his daughter, either.

1. Reilly

One of life's harsh realities is our pets don't live as long as their owners do. But Reilly and Michael Bidwill got a lot more time together than expected.

Bidwill rescued Reilly, a pitbull mix, in 2012, just a day before she was set to be euthanized. "At the same time, they diagnosed that she had lymphoma, so they didn't expect her to actually live through the fall of 2012," Bidwill said.

Thanks to some therapy and medication, Bidwill got to spend 3 1/2 years with his "best bud," who became attached at the hip to the Cardinals' president. But late last year, Reilly's kidneys began to fail.

For any animal lover, watching a teary-eyed Bidwill discuss Reilly's loss in Episode 6 will probably be the most difficult thing to take in during the entire series.