Cardinals, 49ers have evolved since their last game

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There's a reason NFL coaches prepare for opponents by watching video of the opponents' previous four games. So much can change each week that it's often a waste of time to look back more than a month.
The defensive coaches and players involved in tonight's game between the Cardinals and 49ers know that all too well. The teams' offenses both look drastically different than they did in San Francisco's 20-16 victory in the season opener. The 49ers have changed quarterbacks (Alex Smith for Shaun Hill), added a receiver (Michael Crabtree) and changed their scheme (to the spread formation). Unlike the season opener, the Cardinals have a healthy corps of receivers, a competent running game and an offensive line that's making few assignment errors.
"Seems as though they are going to another level right now, which is good timing," 49ers coach Mike Singletary said of the Cardinals. "I think it's the same offense, only they are just getting better at what they do."
There is no hotter quarterback in the league than the Cardinals' Kurt Warner. He has had a passer rating of more than 120 in each of the past four games, something only Johnny Unitas had accomplished. No quarterback has done it for five consecutive games.
The Cardinals have running threats with Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells. And their top four receivers are healthy, unlike the season opener when Steve Breaston was out with a knee injury and Anquan Boldin was hobbling with a bad hamstring.
"I think the thing is now we are putting full games together so much better than we did early," Warner said. "There were still some games early that I felt I played as well as I've ever played. It just seemed like it was for a half. ?
"Now, I think what's great about it is we've come together. We're playing good as a team in all facets, and we're doing it for 60 minutes."
The Cardinals returned 10 offensive starters from last season, with fullback Dan Kreider being the only new face. And he starts only occasionally. But it's foolish for any team to think last season's success automatically carries over to a new season, coach Ken Whisenhunt said.
"They (defenses) obviously played us differently early in the season," Whisenhunt said. "We have kind of adjusted some of what we do to compensate for that."

More teams are playing two-deep zone coverage against the Cardinals, concentrating on stopping receiver Larry Fitzgerald from getting deep. To counter, the Cardinals are putting Fitzgerald in motion more and lining him up in different spots to try to create mismatches.
Keeping safeties deep also opens up the possibilities in the run game.

"We have a full deck of cards, so to speak," Fitzgerald said. "We're balanced right now, running the ball effectively, throwing the ball effectively, keeping Kurt upright."

 

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Cardinals V. 49ers - the big picture




So how important is tonight's game with the Cardinals? Sure a win forestalls the 49ers eventual playoff ouster, but it would also have fans questioning the team's maddening inconsistency. It would throw a flash light back on the season, what if they hadn't been so conservative in Minnesota? What if they hadn't tried that double reverse in Seattle, how about those narrow road losses?

The 49ers can deal with those questions, because in them there's a hint of promise. But a loss, particularly a convincing loss, and fans and pundits will start delving into deeper questions. Such as why does this team continue to spin its wheels in the loose gravel of mediocrity?

Those questions become particularly heated when compared to the Cardinals, who were in the same predicament as the 49ers just four years ago. The 49ers were 4-12 in 2006, the Cardinals were 5-11. But since then, Arizona's trajectory has been steep. They opened a new stadium, appeared in a Super Bowl, and are now looking very much like the reigning Conference champs.

So why did the Cardinals take flight, while the 49ers continue to sputter?

Two reasons. First, the Cardinals had something before Ken Whisehunt took the team over in 2007. When he got there, the team had already drafted wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. When Mike Nolan arrived on the 49ers scene in 2006, the 49ers were absolutely depleted by the putrid drafting of Terry Donahue and the poor decision-making of John York.

Secondly, the Cardinals lucked into signing Kurt Warner. They thought he would just be a bridge to the Matt Leinart. Turns out Warner still thinks it's George W. Bush's first term and he's flinging passes with the same verve as he did in the Greatest Show on Turf days.

Now the 49ers are onto to something with Alex Smith and the Raye-gun, and even though Mike Singletary has stumbled into some rookie mistakes, he shows promise as a head coach and a leader of men. The question is can the 49ers finish decently and prevent outcry from fans and media if they allow to the season to slip into Bay?