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After finishing 2-6 on the road last season and losing both of their games to the Niners, including a Week One opener in San Francisco, the Cardinals will be out for blood with QB Kurt Warner attempting to pick up where he left off in 2007. The Niners’ offense, meanwhile, hopes to make a quantum leap in ’08 with a new coordinator, “Greatest Show on Turf” architect Mike Martz, and a new quarterback, J.T. O’Sullivan, who beat out former first-round pick Alex Smith for the starting job.
49ers offense vs. Cardinals defense: Martz is hoping that RB Frank Gore can become the same kind of multidimensional weapon as Marshall Faulk was in Martz’s highly successful Rams offenses in the late 1990s. Look for Gore to get at least 25 touches both rushing and receiving out of the backfield against a Cardinals defense that likes to come at opponents with a lot of different looks. Gore could have his work cut out for him against a very deep and talented Cardinals LB corps. Keep an eye on good-looking Niners rookie WR Josh Morgan, who could cause problems for Cardinals starting CBs Rod Hood and Eric Green. Hood was among the league leaders in ’07 in passes defensed.
Cardinals offense vs. 49ers defense: Warner has the luxury of utilizing one of the NFL's best WR duos in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Fitzgerald looked better than ever this preseason, while Boldin figures to be more than a little motivated by his desire for a new contract in line with the one Fitzgerald received this offseason. But the Niners’ constantly shifting defense will be making a mistake if it spends too much time focusing on Fitzgerald and Boldin. Arizona’s ground game looks to be much improved this season with the addition of rookie Tim Hightower, an intriguing complement to featured back Edgerrin James. The Cardinals’ offensive line also appears to have greatly improved its run blocking.
Special teams: The Niners have a strong special-teams situation, particularly at punter, where Andy Lee might be the league’s best. But their coverage units, which were also among the league’s best last season, struggled in the preseason and will have to improve against explosive Cardinals kick returners Steve Breaston and J.J. Arrington.
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