Mention the word "hangover" to most folks these days, and the movie with the same name that was such a surprise smash hit this summer quickly comes to mind. In Arizona, though, the defending NFC champion Cardinals continue to seem transfixed by the ominous Super Bowl hangover effect that has plagued so many losers of the big game in recent years. After looking totally hungover in the preseason with a 0-4 record, the Cardinals picked up where they left off in their season-opening 20-16 loss to the division-rivals 49ers Sunday. The offense, under the uneven direction of QB Kurt Warner, continues to look particularly listless, while the defense, which had its moments against San Francisco, broke down when it counted most on the Niners' game-winning drive. Make no mistake: Something really does seem to be missing this season on a team that made such a surprisingly spirited run to glory last season.

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Nobody on the team is ready to panic just yet, with every player agreeing that only one game has been played, and that there's still plenty of time to turn things to round. That said, the team now must set sail this weekend for Jacksonville and the dreaded Eastern Time zone that has been such a major nemesis for the team. After that, a matchup against the mighty Colts is in the offing. If the Cardinals aren't careful, they could be in a deep 0-3 hole that might be very difficult from which to escape.

A sporadic offense is the greatest cause for concern. In his first game back as the play-caller replacing Todd Haley, who has moved on to Kansas City, head coach Ken Whisenhunt will be the first one to admit that his effort against the Niners left a lot to be desired. The offensive rhythm that was such an intricate key to the team's success last season seems to be missing, in no small part due to a banged-up receiving corps. While Anquan Boldin was able to play despite a lingering hamstring injury against San Francisco, Steve Breaston — the team's No. 3 wide receiver who was the equivalent of a solid No. 5 hitter in the middle of a power-packed baseball lineup last season — was a surprising scratch with a knee injury. Warner, meanwhile, just hasn't looked like the Warner of last season for a couple of weeks.

More than anything, a spark is definitely missing, and the lack of that spark was exacerbated by the undeniably fiery presence of Niners head coach Mike Singletary on the opposing sideline, continually imposing his will on his players with that famous bug-eyed intensity of his. That's not to say Whisenhunt needs to get more intense. But there could be something to the theory that the team misses the no-nonsense prodding of Haley, who lit a fire under his troops as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator on a daily basis.

Whisenhunt did indicate after the Niners game that he's sick and tired of his team's penchant for penalties, a bugaboo carried over from last season. The team's 12 penalties Sunday were killers, and Whisenhunt said that the guilty parties could risk losing playing time as a result. The dilemma is the penalty problem is very widespread among the team's players right now, and nobody sticks out as a culprit with whom Whisenhunt could set an example, not that he necessarily has to do so.    

What he definitely has to do is get his major contributors on offense fully healthy — Boldin still doesn't look right — and get all of his players on both sides of the ball to play smart, fundamentally sound football on a consistent basis, from the first play to the last. If he doesn't, the ominous Super Bowl hangover appears destined to claim yet another victim.