10-24-2013, 03:24 AM
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco 49ers usually have a nice familiarity with their NFC West foes. Not with these Cardinals, because so much has changed in Arizona.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Coach Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco coaching staff are doing more studying leading up to Sunday's game at Candlestick Park. There's new coach Bruce Arians, new quarterback Carson Palmer, and an upgraded, swarming defense that is winning games much like the Niners' vaunted unit.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">There's also familiar faces who have put up plenty of big numbers and stats against San Francisco: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, Patrick Peterson, Daryl Washington.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"Quite a bit's new," Harbaugh said. "New coaching staff, new players. Quite a few guys that are staples on their team. But they've added a mix of quite a few good players and it's really a new team in that regard and they're playing very well."
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Arians typically talks to close friend and Colts coach Chuck Pagano every Friday, and now he can pick Pagano's brain on what worked for Indianapolis in a 27-7 win at San Francisco.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"We have to play them in a few weeks, I don't think he's going to tell me too much," Arians said with a chuckle.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are five things to watch when Arizona plays San Francisco, both at 3-2:
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">BOLDIN'S OLD TEAM: Anquan Boldin launched his career with the Cardinals, who selected him in the second round of the 2003 draft out of Florida State.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">He became the fastest player to 500 catches in his 80th game in December 2008, and still holds an Arizona franchise record with five straight games with 100 yards receiving.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Not that Boldin is becoming sentimental about this weekend's matchup. He won a Super Bowl last season with the Baltimore Ravens, beating his new team.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Boldin no longer has a home in Arizona, with Florida his home base.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"It's just another game for me. It's a divisional game," Boldin said. "I'm four years removed from Arizona, so it's pretty much a turnover. I barely know any of the guys there, so it's not a big deal for me."
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">PALMER RETURNS: Palmer spent parts of the past two seasons in the Bay Area with the Raiders before being traded to his new home in the desert. He returns determined to get going after a slow start by Arizona's offense. Palmer has thrown nine interceptions with five touchdowns for a passer rating of 67.0.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">And Palmer knows the challenge ahead against an opportunistic, ball-hawking San Francisco defense. Tramaine Brock had a pick-6 and a second interception in last week's 34-3 rout of the Texans, and the Niners also forced a fumble and frustrated Matt Schaub all night.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"NFC West games are NFC West games. There is a rivalry to it," Palmer said. "There is nastiness to this division, especially defensively."
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">TAKEAWAYS: The "identity" is back. Ask anybody involved with San Francisco's defense and that word comes up somehow.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The 49ers forced four turnovers against Houston and converted each one into points — three touchdowns and a field goal. San Francisco's defense had four takeaways for the first time since producing two interceptions and two fumble recoveries against New England on Dec. 16 last year. The 49ers' three interceptions were their most since three on Dec. 19, 2011, against Pittsburgh.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Coach Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco coaching staff are doing more studying leading up to Sunday's game at Candlestick Park. There's new coach Bruce Arians, new quarterback Carson Palmer, and an upgraded, swarming defense that is winning games much like the Niners' vaunted unit.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">There's also familiar faces who have put up plenty of big numbers and stats against San Francisco: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, Patrick Peterson, Daryl Washington.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"Quite a bit's new," Harbaugh said. "New coaching staff, new players. Quite a few guys that are staples on their team. But they've added a mix of quite a few good players and it's really a new team in that regard and they're playing very well."
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Arians typically talks to close friend and Colts coach Chuck Pagano every Friday, and now he can pick Pagano's brain on what worked for Indianapolis in a 27-7 win at San Francisco.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"We have to play them in a few weeks, I don't think he's going to tell me too much," Arians said with a chuckle.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are five things to watch when Arizona plays San Francisco, both at 3-2:
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">BOLDIN'S OLD TEAM: Anquan Boldin launched his career with the Cardinals, who selected him in the second round of the 2003 draft out of Florida State.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">He became the fastest player to 500 catches in his 80th game in December 2008, and still holds an Arizona franchise record with five straight games with 100 yards receiving.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Not that Boldin is becoming sentimental about this weekend's matchup. He won a Super Bowl last season with the Baltimore Ravens, beating his new team.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Boldin no longer has a home in Arizona, with Florida his home base.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"It's just another game for me. It's a divisional game," Boldin said. "I'm four years removed from Arizona, so it's pretty much a turnover. I barely know any of the guys there, so it's not a big deal for me."
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">PALMER RETURNS: Palmer spent parts of the past two seasons in the Bay Area with the Raiders before being traded to his new home in the desert. He returns determined to get going after a slow start by Arizona's offense. Palmer has thrown nine interceptions with five touchdowns for a passer rating of 67.0.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">And Palmer knows the challenge ahead against an opportunistic, ball-hawking San Francisco defense. Tramaine Brock had a pick-6 and a second interception in last week's 34-3 rout of the Texans, and the Niners also forced a fumble and frustrated Matt Schaub all night.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"NFC West games are NFC West games. There is a rivalry to it," Palmer said. "There is nastiness to this division, especially defensively."
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">TAKEAWAYS: The "identity" is back. Ask anybody involved with San Francisco's defense and that word comes up somehow.
<p style="color:rgb(26,39,50);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The 49ers forced four turnovers against Houston and converted each one into points — three touchdowns and a field goal. San Francisco's defense had four takeaways for the first time since producing two interceptions and two fumble recoveries against New England on Dec. 16 last year. The 49ers' three interceptions were their most since three on Dec. 19, 2011, against Pittsburgh.
