Cardinals 2006: Game 1 (ARI vs. SF) Preview

[Mitch]

My feelings are mixed this morning...on the one hand, I feel the goosebumps already forming as I picture the Cardinals running through the tunnel onto the brand new grass field amidst deafening cheers from the capacity crowd that is assembled in the cool caverns (hip-hip-hooray!) of the grandstands...a sea of red...flashes of incandescent light from the scoreboards and jumbotrons...on the advent of a new era in Cardinal football...

On the other hand...my long-ingrained paranoia as a Cardinal fan still haunts me as I picture yet another in a long line of squandered opportunities...as the Cardinals fall flat and unprepared to generate the physical and mental toughness a football team needs to be a winner...

There are many many questions to ponder...

1. Will the Cardinals seize the emotion of this day? Will they be effectively fueled by the crowd and the atmosphere? Or will they hyperventilate? Will they freeze in the spotlight?

2. What kind of an impact will Edgerrin James have on the offense? Will the Cardinals try to force the run? Will James be met repeatedly in the backfield the way his predecessors have the past few years?

3. Will the Cardinals come out throwing the ball? Will they throw to set up the run? Or will they try to run to set up the pass?

4. Who will be starting at RT? Gorin? Wells? Liwienski?

5. Will the offensive line show marked improvement? Or will they remain inept in the running game?

6. Will Kurt Warner play with decisiveness as he did in the pre-season?

7. Is Anquan Boldin the best player on the team? Will he will the team to victory with his tough nosed play?

8. Will the offense muster TDs in the red zone? Or will Neil Rackers be the leading scorer once again?

9. Will the defense stop Frank Gore and the Niners' running game?

10. Will the Cardinals' pass defense be aggressive in this game? Or will Vernon Daivs and Eric Edwards be roaming free into the open seams of a loose zone?

11. Will Alex Smith be much improved? Will the Cardinals be able to put constant pressure on him? Will they keep contain on him?

12. Will the Cardinals special teams rise to the occasion? Will they create momentum? Or will they surrender momentum, as they did so much last year?

13. Will Adrian Wilson be used in the same way he was the second half of last year?

14. Will Antrel Rolle bust loose in this game?

My gut feeling is that this game is going to be close and nail biting. First games are always a mystery, especially in the sense that one never knows how mentally tough a team is to play four quarters...and play them well.

If the Cardinals can get focused...if they take what the Niner defense gives them, even if it means passing the ball 48 times...if the Cardinal defense contains Smith, gets pressure on him and plays aggressive coverage on the TEs and WRs...if the special teams swing momentum in the Cardinals' favor for a change...and if the Cardinals are well prepared to make adjustments and manage the clock and game situations correctly...we will all be feeling happy tonight

First games are very difficult to predict, as we all know. But this first game is a real first...the very first NFL first-game home game in Arizona...and it should be a moment to relish and cherish.

Prediction: Arizona 22 San Francisco 17.

 

[Wild Card]

Will the defense stop Frank Gore and the Niners' running game?

Mitch:

You cannot stop Frank Gore. You can only hope to contain him.

WC

 

[old card fan]

Glad to see

Someone else feels like I do. I'll be sitting here in the ozarsk of mo. waiting to see if this is the year I feel like hell on Sunday evenings. OCF

 

[lobo]

.

Prediction: Arizona 22 San Francisco 17.[/quote]

i sure hope it's not no. 3 to get the win....by the way warner has never lost to sf.....but as a cardinal fans we will say in unison "but there is always a first time."

 

[Chainthroer]

I think it may a little slow in the first quarter. I'm reluctant to say that Edge is going to get 100 yard in this first game; he's just not in game shape to run over 20 plays - I'd say closer to 15. Whose to say positively who will be playing RT, RG or LG, but my guess is either Gorin or Lewinski will start at RT and the rest of the line will remain the same. Gore may get some yards in the first quarter, but in the end our Defense should be solid and fast enough to stop the run. I do not see Smith passing for a whole lot, but we might get beat a time or so for 15-20 yards completions. In the end, I believe our passing game will put on a lot of points and the final out come will be a 14 point win.
Note: posted at 9:48 am. Got to go.

 

[Scot1]

Mitch, are you going to do in-depth post-game analyses again? The ones you did last year were great, and helped a lot in reporting overall individual performances.