Final
O'Sullivan to get first start when 49ers clash with Cardinals
Sep 7, 2008 - 12:52 PM Arizona at San Francisco, 4:15 pm EDTSAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Mike Martz has his chance to show his reputation is justified.
With new offensive coordinator Martz in tow, the San Francisco 49ers will look to bounce back when they host the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday's season opener.
The 49ers were wretched on offense in 2007, scoring a league-low 219 points en route to a 5-11 record.
Seeking to put some life back in the moribund offense, San Francisco hired Martz shortly after he was fired by the Detroit Lions following a pair of so-so seasons.
The architect of "The Greatest Show on Turf," the record-breaking offense that produced a Super Bowl championship for the St. Louis Rams in 1999, Martz again will be trying to produce huge results with an unknown quarterback.
J.T. O'Sullivan, who left the Lions to join Martz with the 49ers, never has started a game in the NFL - conjuring up memories of Kurt Warner, who went from the Arena League to a Super Bowl in St. Louis.
Oddly enough, the starting quarterback for Arizona on Sunday will be Warner, who last week was named the starter by Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt.
The 49ers were expecting Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, to run the offense but he was clearly outplayed by O'Sullivan in the preseason.
"This is not a case of ... Alex not playing well," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said after naming O'Sullivan the starter. "This is a case of J.T. O'Sullivan performing very well."
Although Martz was canned in Detroit for eschewing the running game, the prevailing wisdom is that he will build his offense around Frank Gore - much as he did with Marshall Faulk with the Rams.
Gore has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons and has 114 receptions in that span.
The Cardinals, who were swept by the 49ers a year ago, will look to end that streak behind Warner, who beat out former first-round pick Matt Leinart for the starting job.
Warner has plenty of weapons at his disposal, specifically the wide receiver tandem of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, who has spent much of the preseason grousing about his contract before finally demanding a trade.
Running back Edgerrin James also returns for Arizona, although the team's improvement will hinge on its defense, led by linebacker Karlos Dansby.and safety Antrel Rolle.
- ** CONFIRMED **
NFL
ARIZONA 23
SAN FRANCISCO 13 FINAL
Sep 7 7:18 PM - NFL
FG ARI
NEIL RACKERS 30 YD
ARIZONA 23
SAN FRANCISCO 13 1:57 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Cardinals 23, 49ers 13 4th - 1:57Sep 7 7:10 PM - NFL
FG SFO
JOE NEDNEY 30 YD
ARIZONA 20
SAN FRANCISCO 13 12:05 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Cardinals 20, 49ers 13 4th - 12:05Sep 7 6:44 PM - NFL
END, 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
ARIZONA 3 7 10 20
SAN FRANCISCO 7 3 0 10 END, 3RD QTR
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: ARI - FG, NEIL RACKERS 25 YD, 3:54. Drive: 7
plays, 33 yards in 2:05. Key plays:
Warner 21-yard pass to Fitzgerald
to San Francisco 19. ARIZONA 3-0
SFO - TD, FRANK GORE 41 YD RUN (JOE N
Sep 7 6:40 PM - NFL
TD ARI
TIMOTHY HIGHTOWER 1 YD RUN
(NEIL RACKERS KICK)
ARIZONA 20
SAN FRANCISCO 10 4:03 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Cardinals 20, 49ers 10 3rd - 4:03Sep 7 6:27 PM - NFL
FG ARI
NEIL RACKERS 31 YD
ARIZONA 13
SAN FRANCISCO 10 8:25 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Cardinals 13, 49ers 10 3rd - 8:25Sep 7 6:08 PM - NFL
HALFTIME 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
ARIZONA 3 7 10
SAN FRANCISCO 7 3 10 HALFTIME
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: ARI - FG, NEIL RACKERS 25 YD, 3:54. Drive: 7
plays, 33 yards in 2:05. Key plays:
Warner 21-yard pass to Fitzgerald
to San Francisco 19. ARIZONA 3-0
SFO - TD, FRANK GORE 41 YD RUN (JOE NEDNE
Sep 7 5:44 PM - NFL
FG SFO
JOE NEDNEY 39 YD
ARIZONA 10
SAN FRANCISCO 10 1:52 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Cardinals 10, 49ers 10 2nd - 1:52Sep 7 5:36 PM
TD ARI LARRY FITZGERALD 1 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Cardinals 10, 49ers 7 2nd - 10:25Sep 7 5:10 PM
TD ARI LARRY FITZGERALD 1 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Cardinals 10, 49ers 7 2nd - 10:25Sep 7 5:10 PM
TD ARI LARRY FITZGERALD 1 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Cardinals 10, 49ers 7 2nd - 10:25Sep 7 5:10 PM- NFL
TD ARI
LARRY FITZGERALD 1 YD PASS FROM KURT WARNER
(NEIL RACKERS KICK)
ARIZONA 10
SAN FRANCISCO 7 10:25 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Cardinals 10, 49ers 7 2nd - 10:25Sep 7 5:10 PM - NFL
ARIZONA 3
SAN FRANCISCO 7 0:00 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Sep 7 4:58 PM - NFL
TD SFO
FRANK GORE 41 YD RUN
(JOE NEDNEY KICK)
ARIZONA 3
SAN FRANCISCO 7 6:00 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Cardinals 3, 49ers 7 1st - 6:00Sep 7 4:42 PM - NFL
FG ARI
NEIL RACKERS 25 YD
ARIZONA 3
SAN FRANCISCO 0 11:06 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Cardinals 3, 49ers 0 1st - 11:06Sep 7 4:26 PM
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