Prediction Time: Cardinals vs. 49ers

[nashman]

The Dude really has a man cruch on A. Smith and for some reason beleives he is WAY better than he is. A. Smith MAY be a good QB someday, but he is NOT yet. While I understand you wanting him to be a great QB he is not and may never be a great QB. He is average right now with the possibility to be good!

 

[blindseyed]

If we are going to pick our poison, I would chose Smith, over Gore. If they are passing to catch up, or keep even, the odds of a turnover are going to increase. Smith is going to have more pressure on him because he is at home. I think there is a real possibility that Smith will have issues, and this will show up in some errant passes. Monday Night Football, with a sell-out crowd and sky-high expectations could very well get into his head. The "sexy pick" pressure of the media is all on them, not us. We're the underdogs, and we always do better when we are.

I agree with ya Jeff. I think we can rattle Smith if we can get to him. Gore scares me for this reason. He's healthy and has fresh legs, didn't run in the pre-season (the hand injury could come into play maybe tho). Last year doesn't really mean anything to me as far as stats and stoppping him. He (like Matt) is also another year smarter.
I'm glad none of us are coaches...

 

[Gambit]

The Dude really has a man cruch on A. Smith and for some reason beleives he is WAY better than he is. A. Smith MAY be a good QB someday, but he is NOT yet. While I understand you wanting him to be a great QB he is not and may never be a great QB. He is average right now with the possibility to be good!

I'll give A-Smi his due. I'm with Skkorp, he's much better than most of us realize. Look at his progression from year 1 to year 2. I say he is slightly above-average--not #1 overall yet, but he may get there.

 

[nashman]

Slightly above average is a hell of long way from a great NFL QB!

 

[Gambit]

Slightly above average is a hell of long way from a great NFL QB!

Granted, but slightly above average means he's a long way from bad QB too.

 

[CardLogic]

what makes you think that your defense can stop gore and our offensive line?

History! Gore made a name for himself last year, however it wasn't at the Cardinal's expense...

 

[nashman]

I never said he was bad, not once. Just said he hasn't done anything to be considered a good QB yet! He's average right now.

 

[Gambit]

I never said he was bad, not once. Just said he hasn't done anything to be considered a good QB yet! He's average right now.

This is all semantics, but I think slightly-above average could be considered good. Anyway it's not you specifically I was talking to, although I quoted you for segue purposes, but rather I was addressing the contingent that seems to think Smith is a bum. He isn't.

 

[cardsfanmd]

Really? Well this is what i do know: You have a terrific core of receivers,
a Franchise Quarterback that is ready to break out, and a playmaker in edge. Your offensive Line has been absolutely terrible in recent memory, and brought in Levi Brown to secure Leinart's blind side(also i believe more importantly than the addition to Brown, Russ Grim will have a huge impact on the line). But i fair warning do not put too much stock into what you see in the pre-season because your will set yourself up for failure. As for your defense there are some bright spots. Wilson is a tremendous Safety and easily your best defender. Rolle has lost his job to Roderick Hood who was the nickel corner in philly(my uncle is an eagle fan so i saw a lot of philly games, this guy has decent press coverage but he should not in no way play on a soft cushion, he was beaten by the most simple routes and look lost out on the field) and will play opposite of Eric Green. Your FA acquisition Terrance Holt is terrible, why anyone would take a player from Detroit's defense is beyond me but Holt in particular lacks coverage skills. Rodney Bailey who was a steeler lineman was mostly used in 3rd down packages he does hold some value, Joe Tafoya is a Seattle reject(not much else to say about him). You do have a athletic group of LB's, Dansby is awesome i have been a fan of him since his days at auburn. Monty Biesel has been around the league he his a well seasoned veteran that can fill in. Not to sure of Blackstock i have heard mixed reviews but i don't know enough about him to comment. The loss of Chike Okeafer is going to be hard, but i wouldn't be so quick to label Moses as the savior just yet. Berry is still going strong and he will provide his presence on the line, now you just need someone to match it on the other side. I get the gist of things right? or I'm I still off?

Now lets move to a different argument. I never said that we are going to stop your offense, i do not believe many defenses can. Our defense has improved more and more and more. Clement's who has been undermined through out this entire thread, is a tough Corner and easily one of the top 3 corners in the league. Clements is going to be covering fitz and i think he limit him to about 4-5 catches and maybe around 50 yards. To me that is a good game compared to what you guys have done to us in the past. But where do you come off and say that Clement's would have a tough time with BJ? I could understand Boldin and Fitz but Johnson? I don't think so.

Some word's of wisdom. Coaches Coach, and the Players Play. Just because you change coaching staff's doesn't mean it takes away all of the mental mistakes that have been embedded into your players. It might have some effect but don't hold your breathe.

So now that we have been through why i think we can not stop but do our best against your offense. What makes you so confident that your defense can hold us to 14 points?

I want to quote you on your last post which u mysteriously didn't respond too.

You know whats funny? He almost threw for 300 yard against you last time. and that was with nobody. Now you have to factor in that we have Darrell Jackson, Ashley Lelie, a more seasoned Vernon Davis, Frank Gore who abused just about everyone last season and now he has "fresh legs" going into the season. This will be Alex's second year in the league so expect more creativity and variety in the play-calling. Our offensive line is easily in the top 10 for run blocking and is still very solid in the pass protection(now that we have benched interstate 77 it can only get better). Ask your self, who is going to cover Davis? Dansby? Nope. Wilson? I wish. Holt? Nope. Blackstock? No. Davis is a mismatch for everyone on your defense. Hood and Green are slated to be the starters monday night and i doubt that the have the ability to cover Jackson(who is a well known card killer). Battle has proven to be a clutch performer. The bigger question is who is going to stop Gore? Our offensive line against your defense, we will win 99 times out of 100. We have one of the best pulling guards in Smiley, our Left Side is a manned by Jennings and Allen both road graders. Our fullback Moran Morris will continually find his way into the 2nd level and he will break anyone in his path. We might not be able to stop your offense but don't sleep on us for second or you might find gore 8 yards down your throat.

After all of this you just said I cannot for the life of me understand why you are still rooting for the gold and red. Reread what you wrote and you will recognize the love you have for the redbirds. You dont have to hide it brother, you are safe here.

 

[FArting]

Cards 24

San Fran 21

 

[jefftheshark]

last year in many games when we were behind, we came back while running the ball. gore is such an explosive back that he can continuously get 5 yards on every run. and every few runs break a 10+yarder. and because of that, nobody will ever be able to take away our running game until late in the 4th quarter.

Thanks for the response.

Personally, I hope you're right, because if this happens then the niners will fall into the trap. If you are behind, even, or even slightly ahead in the score, you might win the time of possession battle, but lose the war. The Cards have a very good "quick strike" offense this year and should score a lot of points in a short amount of time. If Gore has 25-30 carries in this game, you might be on this board next week saying, "we would have won, if only we would of had five more minutes."

The way to beat us is to make us get one-dimensional on offense. If we struggle through the air, I have little confidence in us beating you on the ground. We will lose if this becomes a defensive battle and if we are not dictating the tempo.

But if the niners are forced into playing our game, we will win.

JTS

 

[Cheesebeef]

Last year against gore we held him under 80 yards in both games (one was 70 some, the other was 50 some, IIRC).

uh, D-Dog, Gore had 87 yards on 16 carries against us, for a 5.4 averagein the first game. He also had 51 yards on 11 carries in Game 2, for a 4.6 average. The only reason he didn't have better overall yardage numbers weas because their defense was atrocious and put them in a huge hole where they were forced to go to the air to make up the core in as little time as possible. Now that they're D should at least be marginally better, they probably won't end up in 17 point or 21 point holes against us, meaning GGore will probably get to gash the hell out of us.

 

[Gambit]

After all of this you just said I cannot for the life of me understand why you are still rooting for the gold and red. Reread what you wrote and you will recognize the love you have for the redbirds. You dont have to hide it brother, you are safe here.

One of us! One of us! One of us!

 

[D-Dogg]

uh, D-Dog, Gore had 87 yards on 16 carries against us, for a 5.4 averagein the first game. He also had 51 yards on 11 carries in Game 2, for a 4.6 average. The only reason he didn't have better overall yardage numbers weas because their defense was atrocious and put them in a huge hole where they were forced to go to the air to make up the core in as little time as possible. Now that they're D should at least be marginally better, they probably won't end up in 17 point or 21 point holes against us, meaning GGore will probably get to gash the hell out of us.

He got about 30 of those on two plays in the first game.

And yes, they had to play catch up with us so they ouldn't run Gore at will. And nothing there has changed. They will be playing from behind. Q and Fitz completely own this team...and Clements isn't going to change that.

 

[The Dude]

After all of this you just said I cannot for the life of me understand why you are still rooting for the gold and red. Reread what you wrote and you will recognize the love you have for the redbirds. You dont have to hide it brother, you are safe here.

Just because i am a fan of the 49ers doesn't mean i can't appreciate good talent on the field when i see it. I am a student of the game just as much maybe even more so than a fan of an one team. Don't be mistaken i have been a 49erfan my entire life and nothing is going to change that but that doesn't limit to give praise to teams who deserve it. But i will admit i do sorta envy your guy's situation for all those reasons i stated.

 

[Skkorpion]

Too much Kool-Aid and not enough realism for me. Leinart may well develop into a great QB. He's not there yet and needs at least one great break-through game before I crown his ass.

Having said that, Matt's improvising on pass plays in pre-season really impressed me. He also didn't take a single sack, if I recall.

I expect the Niners to win, but I agree with the point Jeff made: If we can just score repeatedly, early, we might steal this game. The only player who can orchestrate that is Matt. And he very well might do it.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Our defense kept the first string Chargers offense to 17 points in the first half which would just about equal your 35 points for a full game. Do you really believe the 49ers have as good an offense as the Chargers?

40 - you know I love ya buddy, but... I think Cheesy has already countered your post so I won't pile on...

Suffice to say, there are ZERO, ZILCH, NADA, NONE, ZIPPO conclusions to be drawn from a preseason game... You should know better...

And, for anyone using last years games with the 9ers as some sort of measure - what then does it mean that 2 years ago, we were the only team the 9ers beat?
Additionally, the first game against the 9ers last season, in our house, our first game in our new house, the 9ers actually outplayed us... We were very, very lucky to escape with that W...

In any event, to reiterate... this will be an offensive bonanza and whichever team is fortunate enough to have the ball last will find a way to score and win... 38-35 will be the score...

 

[Redsz]

Too much Kool-Aid and not enough realism for me. Leinart may well develop into a great QB. He's not there yet and needs at least one great break-through game before I crown his ass.

You really don't think that Matt has had a great game yet?

Are you sure you didn't mean season, Skorp?

 

[cardsfanmd]

Just because i am a fan of the 49ers doesn't mean i can't appreciate good talent on the field when i see it. I am a student of the game just as much maybe even more so than a fan of an one team. Don't be mistaken i have been a 49erfan my entire life and nothing is going to change that but that doesn't limit to give praise to teams who deserve it. But i will admit i do sorta envy your guy's situation for all those reasons i stated.

Hey, hey buddy relax. You are surrounded by friends here. We are not trying to rush you into anything. You just take your time, and when you are ready we will still be here waiting for you. Just know that every day that goes by from now until then is another beer you will be buying me when you finally do come to terms with your real feelings.

 

[jefftheshark]

Too much Kool-Aid and not enough realism for me. Leinart may well develop into a great QB. He's not there yet and needs at least one great break-through game before I crown his ass.

Having said that, Matt's improvising on pass plays in pre-season really impressed me. He also didn't take a single sack, if I recall.

I expect the Niners to win, but I agree with the point Jeff made: If we can just score repeatedly, early, we might steal this game. The only player who can orchestrate that is Matt. And he very well might do it.

If we see the Matt from the Oakland pre-season game, we are doomed.

If we see the Matt from the Houston game, well, watch out niners.

What I expect to see is the Matt from the Chargers game, who started out a little shaky, but after he hit Boldin for the 80 yard strike, found his mojo and played very well.

But if Leinart's passes start sailing on him, and we see his footwork start to deteriorate, we will all be in for a very long evening.

JTS

 

[nashman]

MNF is a big stage, one that Leinart is much more equiped to handle than A. Smith. Leinart has shown he steps up in the big game situation, can the same be said of Smith, I don't think so.

 

[The Dude]

MNF is a big stage, one that Leinart is much more equiped to handle than A. Smith. Leinart has shown he steps up in the big game situation, can the same be said of Smith, I don't think so.

Sure it can! Did you watch the Thursday night game against Seattle(in Seattle)? That was in the national spotlight (not on the scale of MNF) and Alex engineered a terrific 4th quarter drive that resulted in a win.

 

[nashman]

Dude one drive on a thursday night is not the same as multi National Championships, and solid if not great performances in those games, as well as MNF against the Bears when our incompetant coaching staff cost us the game. Leinart played great in that game as well as his highly public career at USC. So he engineered one drive at that mean he's a great big game performer, please give me a break!

 

[CardLogic]

And, for anyone using last years games with the 9ers as some sort of measure - what then does it mean that 2 years ago, we were the only team the 9ers beat?

That was three years ago - 2004 season! Cardinals have beaten the 9er's 4 straight.

 

[40yearfan]

uh, 40, just for starters, we gained 64 yards rushing... TOTAL... in the ENTIRE GAME against SD could somehow equate to rushing for 140 yards in the first half.

Ahhh, I got the two games mixed up and was thinking of the Bronco game.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore;_ylt=Al4SytXNbbsL8E9Hg7L.168isLYF?gid=20070825022

Second, even if our OFFENSE did have 140 yards rushing (which we didn't) against the Chargers defense, what in the world does that have to do with our DEFENSE, which was the issue at hand.. that you brought up in regards to how we'll be able to play the Niners?


Simple. If we can run at will, we will eat the clock up and keep the defense off the field. The Niners best chance is with running the ball, but that really eats the clock up, so we need to score first and keep ball control. That will force them to pass and that's where they can get into trouble.


we gave up 118 on the ground last year and 4.1 yards per game - average at best - the only people who would think that was "pretty good" are those accustomed to outright failure. It was average at best. Who cares if we did allow the big name to beat us if someone else running the ball did? Now, were there bigger problems on D? Sure, but the run defense was mediocre at best.

So what name running backs gained 100 yards on the ground against us? We played Alexander, Gore and Jackson twice each. I don't believe there was more than 1 game where one of those gained 100 yards or better. Not if that isn't containment of the name running backs, I don't know what is.

hopefully, but I'll believe it when I see it.

This game is going to be just like the one we played in Mexico. The Cards are a better team and should win this contest. They have more talent. The only way we don't win is if we commit turnovers and penalties that kill offensive drives or keep defensive drives going.