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The Cardinals re-signed TE Ben Patrick and added him to their practice squad. The Cardinals think they can mold Patrick into a starting TE at some point but they will have a lot of work to do to get him there. But, the Cardinals have the time and patience to wait for him.
I think the Cardinals are going to be a better football team than they were last season but it won’t show up in their record. The Cardinals offensive and defensive lines are sub-par and that will negate the fact that they have Matt Leinart, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Edgerrin James at the skill positions. They also have had serious injury problems in the pre-season with OLB Chike Okeafor and RT Oliver Ross suffering season ending injuries.
The matchups in this game favor the 49ers on paper but the football game will be played on the field so who knows how it will play out. The Cardinals will likely try to power the football a little bit with Edgerrin James running to the right behind C Al Johnson, RG Deuce Lutui and RT Levi Brown. The 49ers have a very athletic linebacking crew who should be able to contain James. OLBs Manny Lawson and Tully Banta-Cain both are fast enough to rush the passer and force running plays back inside. ILBs Derek Smith and rookie Patrick Willis are both nasty guys who try to drive through the ballcarrier. Look for Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to challenge CBs Walt Harris and Nate Clements and that should be fun to watch. Look for Matt Leinart to have a good game as long as he has time to throw the football.Â
It will be interesting to see how QB Alex Smith plays without Norv Turner around to guide him. Look for Frank Gore to be running a lot behind his lead blocker Moran Norris who likes to blow up anyone near his boy. OLBs Bertrand Berry and Calvin Pace must get pressure on Alex Smith to force him into mistakes. Also look for SS Adrian Wilson to be blitzing from anywhere on the football field as he is one of the best players at his position in the entire NFL. The 49ers will have a edge at WR as Darrell Jackson and Arnaz Battle should be able to get open at will against CBs Eric Green and Roderick Hood. Vernon Davis could also have a good game as long as Terrence Holt is guarding him. But, Adrian Wilson would give Vernon Davis fits if he covers him.
PREDICTION:Â The 49ers look like the better football team and they will likely win the game but the Cardinals are a team on the rise in the division.
The Cardinals have claimed rookie DE Quentin Moses off waivers from the Raiders. Moses actually played decent for the Raiders in the pre-season as he had 4 tackles and 1 sack. The Cardinals needed pass rush help because of some injuries they have suffered in the pre-season so this was a good move for them.
The Arizona Cardinals have cut TE Ben Patrick and LB Buster Davis. Davis was the 3rd round pick this season for the Cardinals and he did o.k. in the pre-season with 7 tackles. The Cardinals offered Davis a spot on the practice squad and he refused to join it. Patrick caught 3 passes for 37 yards (12.3 avg) in the pre-season. The Cardinals can’t afford to completely whiff on third round picks if they are to rebuild the football team.
The Cardinals have claimed WR/KR Jerheme Urban off waivers from the Cowboys. All Urban did this pre-season was catch 6 passes for 34 yards (5.7 avg). But he was outstanding as a return man. He returned 5 punts for 107 yards (21.4 avg) with a 95-yard TD return. He also returned 1 kickoff for 23 yards. Urban will give the Cardinals another solid special teams player this season.
The Cardinals have cut Shane Boyd and Lang Campbell. This means that the Cardinals will only carry two QBs on their roster this season (Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner). Boyd deserved to make the final roster of the Cardinals based on his pre-season play. He completed 27 of 53 (50.9%) passes for 264 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs (62.1 QB Rating) and he also carried the football 12 times for 112 yards (9.3 ypc) with 1 TD run. Lang Campbell however deserved to go. He only completed 6 of 17 (35.3%) of his passes in the pre-season for 61 yards with 1 interception (21.9 QB Rating). Look for the Cardinals to try to bring Boyd back in anything happens to Leinart or Warner this season.
The Cardinals didn’t look too good against a Broncos’ team that wasn’t trying to win the game. Matt Leinart & Kurt Warner combined to complete only 3 of 8 passes for 18 yards. Shane Boyd had another solid effort for the Cardinals as he completed 7 of 12 passes for 44 yards and he also ran the ball 3 times for 26 yards (8.7 ypc). Lang Campbell was pretty awful finishing up the game completing only 6 of 17 passes for 61 yards. RB Steve Baylark did the heavy lifting in the running game with 56 yards on 11 carries (5.1 ypc). J.J. Arrington (9 car, 37 yards), Marcel Shipp (4 car, 37 yards) and Edgerrin James (3 car, 24 yards) all looked sharp running the football on Thursday Night. Rookie WR Steve Breaston led the WRs with 4 grabs for 33 yards (8.3 avg). The Cardinals finished up with 31 carries for 184 yards (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 37 passes for 123 yards.
The Cardinals just couldn’t stop the Broncos’ running game as they carried the ball 36 times for 164 yards (4.6 ypc). But the Broncos only completed 7 of 17 passes for 89 yards.
