Yeah yeah. Aside from being a Poli Board tool, I'm a huge 49er fan. Have been for years. Tune in to all of their games and watch them suck. So, keep the Niner bashing out of this. I'm here to help.

Since the 2007 season, my sorry arse Niners have won 4 or the last six games against the Cards, including a season sweep this year. Last year, the Niners gave the Cards a solid game on MNF with friggin Shaun Hill as the starting QB. For some reason, the Whiners match up well with Arizona, however, the formula for beating the Cards is simple, really.

Here it is:

PUT WARNER'S arse ON THE GROUND.

I don't care how you do it, I don't care when you do it, just friggin do it. Yeah, you may give up a long pass, but hit him hard. That's the formula.

When the Niners beat Zona this year, they mixed up their defenses during the game. You didn't see anything like what GB did yesterday. Sitting in a zone on a few plays is fine, but sitting in a zone on EVERY play will get you stomped.

The Niners generally approach Zona with a mix of 3-4 and 4-3 looks simply because they have the personnel to do this. The saints being primarily a 4-3 team will have to incorporate more blitzes.

Here is where it gets fun, because I believe G. Williams WILL blitz Warner. When you blitz, blitz up the middle where Warner can see you coming, then watch him (and Leinart, if he has to play) simply crumble. It truly is amazing to watch this happen. IF you are able to knock him down, sack him, cause him to fumble, or cause him to throw ONE pick, he's off the entire rest of the game. I'm not joking. I watched it happen twice this year.

The other weakness on the Cardinal line is their left side. The Niners absolutely abused them with a bigger DE rushing the QB. GB did not have this yesterday. Justin Smith, who is worthless unless we are playing Arizona, earns his money against the Cardinals. The Saints are vastly superior to the 9ers on the ends, so look for pressure here also.

Outside of that, double Fitz and take your chances with Doucet, Breaston, and their slow TE. I think the Saints DBs can hold their own with these matchups, but again, this will depend on IF Warner is on the ground.

As far as the AZ run game, I don't think the Saints will have much difficulty here. Now, I know that is cause for concern for Saints fans, but again, mixing up the looks, and sure tackling, will keep Zona from running. And trust me, they prefer to throw the ball. I'm convinced they would throw it 80% of the time if they could.

Yes, Warner will throw for 200+ yards, and yes, he will get at least one passing TD. But he is fragile. Very fragile. Hit him long, hit him hard, and late in the game, he will literally drop to the ground if he thinks pressure is coming. I've seen this happen twice a year for the past few years, and sometimes it is comical. I've seen players on the Whiners get credit for "sacks" by simply tapping Warner on the helmet after he hit the ground thinking someone was around him.

Good luck.

My prediction:

Saints 34
Cards 24