After a frustrating loss to the 49ers yesterday, it's easy to sit and think about what the Cardinals did wrong, but as they say, the show must go on. Week 1 is officially a loss and we can't get that back, but there were some glimpses of hope throughout the game, even with all of the sloppy play. Some of the Cardinals came out to play yesterday, and those are the players that will be nominated for the Cardinal of the week. Here is the list of nominees starting with Kurt Warner:
As always, feel free to nominate anybody you feel should be the Cardinal of the Week in the comments.
Tim Hightower - Hightower virtually went unnoticed on the ground yesterday, but he made his mark at the receiving end. Hightower recorded a career high, 12 catches, as he was consistently Kurt Warner's safety blanket on offense.
Larry Fitzgerald - Fitz showed that even in the worst of games, he will do his best to show up. Out of the 11 times that Warner threw to Fitzgerald, he was only able to catch half, but made one count in the end zone. Most of the missed catches seemed to be more of a bad throw on Warner's part.
Gerald Hayes - I said it before the game and I'll say it again, Gerald Hayes play on Frank Gore was the biggest match up of the game. The defensive schemes in the playoffs had Hayes committing to one job, shadowing the running back. I don't think much has changed as Hayes was a huge force against the running game.
Darnell Dockett - "Nine O" was all over the defensive line for the majority of the game, often disrupting the 49ers offensive line and getting after the ball carrier. Even though he only recorded 2 tackles in the game, one was a sack, and the other was a brutal "welcome to the NFL" slam to rookie Glen Coffee. Although it doesn't appear on the stat sheet, Dockett should get more credit for his aggressive play all day long on Sunday.
Ben Graham - Is this a sign of how lack luster the offense was? Ben Graham undoubtedly had a good game against the 49ers. He boomed a few kicks, putting the 49ers in poor field position, and he also landed the 49ers near their end zone on one key punt in the second half.
Some nominees for the COTW is much better then none, but there would be a much better feel of satisfaction had they won the game. Is there anybody else you feel should be added to the list? Is there anybody who doesn't deserve to be added?