TAMPA, Fla. — A change in travel plans got Travis LaBoy all the way to the Super Bowl. No joke.

A sought-after free agent last offseason, LaBoy visited Cleveland the first week of March and had planned to continue his tour in New Orleans and Tampa after making a quick stop back home in Nashville, Tenn.

But the Saints signed Randall Gay, and Arizona called with an opportunity, and a new flight was arranged for LaBoy.

Once in Arizona, the Cardinals did not let the former University of Hawai'i standout out of their training complex until signing him to a five-year, $22 million contract.

"It was kind of a last-minute decision," said LaBoy, an outside linebacker.

"I didn't know a whole lot about what they did defensively. I knew more about the offense — Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, (Larry) Fitzgerald, Edgerrin James. I thought this might be just right. We may have something going on.

"When you have an offense putting up points, it makes it a lot easier to play defense."

The Cardinals' defense may be the untold story entering Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII. The Cardinals have 12 takeaways, including eight interceptions, and seven sacks in postseason victories over Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia.

The Cardinals have more playoff victories this month than they had in the franchise's previous 87 years, which contributed to the perception that LaBoy said prevailed throughout the league during his four seasons with the Tennessee Titans, who drafted him in the second round in 2004.

"Arizona was like a team when you go to play them, you don't even have to practice that week. You kind of take the week off," LaBoy said.

"They were a joke team. I'm being real. Arizona had no respect. It was like a clown team, it really was. It was that team that as soon as you got them on your schedule, you were looking ahead to that next week. You can't say that now.

"You do that to the Cardinals now, you get your head pushed in. I heard we were the worst team in Super Bowl history. I really don't care if people realize it, but they really have no choice but to say we are one of the best two teams in the NFL, at the very least."

LaBoy started 12 games in the regular season but has been bothered by elbow, ankle and biceps injuries the last several weeks. Still, he said he will play Sunday despite being listed as questionable on the latest injury report.

"I don't know who decides all that, but I'll be out there. I'm not questionable in anyone's mind, really," he said.

LaBoy, 28, had four sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season, debuting with two sacks and a fumble recovery in the season-opening 23-13 victory at San Francisco.

The flip card lists LaBoy as a defensive end, but he really is used as an outside linebacker in the Cardinals' 3-4 scheme, which plays to his abilities more than when was strictly a defensive end/pass rush specialist with Tennessee, where he had 19 1/2 sacks.

"Defensive end, you are just one-dimensional, where this is more multi-dimensional," LaBoy said.

"I like this defense a lot. The longer we are playing and keep this nucleus, the better we will be. We will do some great things. We've been playing real well in this playoff run. I think a lot of it is just coming together as a unit and finding an identity, you might say."

Win or lose, LaBoy's post-Super Bowl plans are set.

"We have two or three days of packing and we're out to the Islands for a good two months if possible," he said.

"We try to get back as much as we can. The last offseason got a little short with us having to move, but we look forward to getting back out there this year."

Notes: Travis LaBoy is son of Cliff LaBoy, a Farrington alum who played for the University of Hawai'i in 1973-75. While at UH, Cliff was a teammate of June Jones, who became Travis' coach ... Travis LaBoy is married to former Rainbow Wahine volleyball player Nohea Tano.