Week 1: 49ers at Cardinals Blog

• There were signs all preseason that the Cardinals' offense was struggling and it seems that their struggles carried over into the regular season. We're well into the 4th quarter and so far, it's been a primarily defensive matchup throughout the game.
• Speaking of defense, Patrick Willis is making his early case for NFL Defensive MVP. Play after play, he is consistently around the ball including a very impressive pick.
• Another thing about the defense... The most impressive (and surprising) part of today's defense has been the pass rush. Kurt Warner hasn't looked comfortable all day and Niners are actually putting on some pressure. The Niners' pass rush has led to multiple 3-and-outs plus 2 interceptions, and Justin Smith's two hurries ended the final two Cardinal drives of the game. Again, Smith and Parys Haralson were the two most consistent pass rushers, but Ray Mac also got a sack of his own and Man Law was also in Warner's face often.
• Second most surprising thing? Mark Roman decleats Jerheme Urban. I'm actually really liking Roman in his new backup role.
• On the other hand, the most surprising part of the offense has been a very stagnant rushing attack. You can't blame this one on Frank Gore, though. The offensive line is giving him absolutely no room to run and the Cardinals have been getting penetration almost every play. Early on, the decision to not address the O-line in the offseason is looking like a mistake.
• As a fan, you have to hope that Michael Crabtree was watching that whole game. If he is as competitive as he says he is, he'd be willing to join the team and start playing now. It's gotta be hard to sit out especially when your team is winning.
• Back to the defense, initial defensive MVP awards go to the two big uglies, Aubrayo Franklin and Isaac Sopoaga. The defensive line really controlled the line of scrimmage the entire game and these two were rarely out of place. Ice seemed to be around the ball more often than I'm used to seeing.
• Also, let's not forget Shawntae Spencer. The decision to start him over preseason stand out Dre Bly raised a lot of eyebrows, but he effectively manned up on Larry Fitz for the first half. I'll just stop talking about the defense now and just say they played a complete, almost flawless game.
• Shaun Hill had a very Shaun Hill-esque game. He did what he does well, which is managing the game, very well despite the lack of help from his O-line. However, he's not going to make a lot of plays on his own and his lack of athleticism in the pocket was exploited. As is the case with Hill, we can do better for sure, but we can also do much, much worse. To end on a brighter note, he again showed that he can toss up the deep ball with his 50 yard completion to Isaac Bruce.
• As for the receivers, Vernon Davis looked solid but not spectacular, Bruce hasn't slowed much, if at all, from last season, and Josh Morgan showed he can make plays but it would be nice to see him finish better. I really hate to say this, but I'd like to see what we'd look like with Crabtree in this offense.
• Here's a question: Did the 49ers win the game or did the Cardinals lose it? I say both. I already explained how the 49ers won. On the other hand, the Cardinals killed themselves with penalties and turnovers.
• Lastly, I'd really like to hear what Coach Singletary had to say in that one huddle during the timeout. Just by the look on his face, you could have an idea of what it was. I imagine that if I heard it, I'd be inspired to find a cure for cancer and bring peace to Darfur.