http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/20919.html
Bulletin-board material barely registers a reaction from 49ers
By Matthew Barrows - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, September 10, 2006
PHOENIX -- It seemed tailor-made for a bulletin board and triple-underlined with a thick red marker.
As the 49ers prepared for today's season opener in Arizona, an Internet report surfaced last week saying the Cardinals had been permitted to hand-pick their Week One opponent so they could christen their $455 million stadium with an easy victory. When they surveyed their opponents, the Cardinals found no bigger tomato can than the 49ers.
And how did this blasphemy play out in the San Francisco locker room?
With barely a yawn.
"I didn't know about that until you told me," quarterback Alex Smith said.
"I haven't heard that," guard Justin Smiley said. "But I don't think it's true."
It's hard to image such a slight -- perceived or otherwise -- being dismissed before a Bengals-Steelers game, a Cowboys-Redskins affair or any game in which the Raiders are involved.
But in the NFC West, where time, distance and -- let's face it -- caliber of competition hinder the growth of meaningful rivalries, Internet reports don't turn into bulletin-board material. They are politely brushed aside.
Kicker Joe Nedney said he witnessed "big-time" rivalries when he played for the Dolphins, Titans and Raiders. Although 49ers players pass a wall-size poster with big, red Xs over the Cardinals, Seahawks and Rams helmets whenever they leave their locker room, the team's division opponents don't exactly stir the blood, Nedney said.
"Hopefully as we mature as a team and improve as a team, those rivalries will get a little more intense," Nedney said. "It's fun because it gives a little bit of extra energy, a little bit extra electricity in the stadium when something like that happens. I love that aspect of the game because it gets guys fired up."
In the NFC West, geography waters down rivalries. The nearest neighbors are the 49ers and Cardinals, and their home stadiums are about 750 miles apart. By contrast, the two most distant cities in the AFC North -- Cleveland and Baltimore -- are separated by fewer than 400 miles.
The 49ers and Rams are the only teams in the division with a historic rivalry, but the NorCal-SoCal battle was eliminated when the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995. The Rams now have more of a natural rivalry with the cross-state Kansas City Chiefs than they do the 49ers.
Then there's the matter of competition. Whereas the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl last season, the other three teams finished well below .500 and were out of the playoff race by midseason.
At best, a 49ers-Cardinals feud is in its infancy.
Last year, the 49ers became the first NFC West team the Cardinals had swept since joining the division in 2002. The previous year, the 49ers beat the Cardinals twice in overtime, the only two games San Francisco won that season.
But when it comes to Cardinal rivalries, receiver Larry Fitzgerald said he puts the 49ers at the top.
"This is an organization that has had tremendous success over the years," he said. "I think that when you beat them, it means something because you know what their history stands for."
Fitzgerald's coach, Dennis Green, admitted he had a personal rivalry with Mike "because this will be the 18th time Mike and I have coached against each other."
But he meant Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, whom he coached alongside as a 49ers assistant, not 49ers coach Mike Nolan.
Green concedes the Cardinals' most heated rivalries remain with the teams from their former division -- the Giants, Redskins and especially the Cowboys.
"I think now we have to establish this new rivalry," he said. "I do all my San Francisco talk every time I can because everyone knows that Minnesota, San Francisco and Arizona are my three favorite football teams in the NFL. I have a great deal of respect for San Francisco, and hopefully we'll be able to establish that kind of rivalry."
About the writer: The Bee's Matthew Barrows can be reached at mbarrows@sacbee.com.
Bulletin-board material barely registers a reaction from 49ers
By Matthew Barrows - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, September 10, 2006
PHOENIX -- It seemed tailor-made for a bulletin board and triple-underlined with a thick red marker.
As the 49ers prepared for today's season opener in Arizona, an Internet report surfaced last week saying the Cardinals had been permitted to hand-pick their Week One opponent so they could christen their $455 million stadium with an easy victory. When they surveyed their opponents, the Cardinals found no bigger tomato can than the 49ers.
And how did this blasphemy play out in the San Francisco locker room?
With barely a yawn.
"I didn't know about that until you told me," quarterback Alex Smith said.
"I haven't heard that," guard Justin Smiley said. "But I don't think it's true."
It's hard to image such a slight -- perceived or otherwise -- being dismissed before a Bengals-Steelers game, a Cowboys-Redskins affair or any game in which the Raiders are involved.
But in the NFC West, where time, distance and -- let's face it -- caliber of competition hinder the growth of meaningful rivalries, Internet reports don't turn into bulletin-board material. They are politely brushed aside.
Kicker Joe Nedney said he witnessed "big-time" rivalries when he played for the Dolphins, Titans and Raiders. Although 49ers players pass a wall-size poster with big, red Xs over the Cardinals, Seahawks and Rams helmets whenever they leave their locker room, the team's division opponents don't exactly stir the blood, Nedney said.
"Hopefully as we mature as a team and improve as a team, those rivalries will get a little more intense," Nedney said. "It's fun because it gives a little bit of extra energy, a little bit extra electricity in the stadium when something like that happens. I love that aspect of the game because it gets guys fired up."
In the NFC West, geography waters down rivalries. The nearest neighbors are the 49ers and Cardinals, and their home stadiums are about 750 miles apart. By contrast, the two most distant cities in the AFC North -- Cleveland and Baltimore -- are separated by fewer than 400 miles.
The 49ers and Rams are the only teams in the division with a historic rivalry, but the NorCal-SoCal battle was eliminated when the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995. The Rams now have more of a natural rivalry with the cross-state Kansas City Chiefs than they do the 49ers.
Then there's the matter of competition. Whereas the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl last season, the other three teams finished well below .500 and were out of the playoff race by midseason.
At best, a 49ers-Cardinals feud is in its infancy.
Last year, the 49ers became the first NFC West team the Cardinals had swept since joining the division in 2002. The previous year, the 49ers beat the Cardinals twice in overtime, the only two games San Francisco won that season.
But when it comes to Cardinal rivalries, receiver Larry Fitzgerald said he puts the 49ers at the top.
"This is an organization that has had tremendous success over the years," he said. "I think that when you beat them, it means something because you know what their history stands for."
Fitzgerald's coach, Dennis Green, admitted he had a personal rivalry with Mike "because this will be the 18th time Mike and I have coached against each other."
But he meant Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, whom he coached alongside as a 49ers assistant, not 49ers coach Mike Nolan.
Green concedes the Cardinals' most heated rivalries remain with the teams from their former division -- the Giants, Redskins and especially the Cowboys.
"I think now we have to establish this new rivalry," he said. "I do all my San Francisco talk every time I can because everyone knows that Minnesota, San Francisco and Arizona are my three favorite football teams in the NFL. I have a great deal of respect for San Francisco, and hopefully we'll be able to establish that kind of rivalry."
About the writer: The Bee's Matthew Barrows can be reached at mbarrows@sacbee.com.
