(Sports Network) - Needless to say there aren't many people associated with the current Arizona Cardinals that remember the last time they hosted an NFL playoff game. After all, the contest took place in 1947.

Though Arizona might not be thick in playoff experience, it does have it where it matters. In the end, that might be the edge the Cardinals need.

First off is quarterback Kurt Warner, a two-time NFL MVP and serious candidate for a third honor. If anyone knows what is at stake this Saturday versus Atlanta it is Warner, who went from Arena and NFL Europe resident to Super Bowl champion and MVP in 2000 after leading the St. Louis Rams over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.

Warner could be the most important Cardinal to step onto the field this Saturday in the Cardinals' first playoff appearance since 1998. While the Falcons will be starting a rookie signal-caller in Matt Ryan, the always cool and calm Warner has seven playoff games under his belt. He threw for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns during his 1999 playoff run that produced a title and has completed 63.1 percent of his postseason passes.

Warner will also have experience behind him at certain times. That is where running back Edgerrin James figures to see some action.

James saw his playing time reduced following an October 5 win over Buffalo. He carried the ball 21 times in that contest, but had just 27 over the next 10 games as Arizona decided to go with rookie Tim Hightower as the starter.

James does have something Hightower doesn't, and that is 157 postseason carries. All of those came with the Indianapolis Colts, with James notching 616 yards in nine playoff games.

There may have also been some method to head coach Ken Whisenhunt's madness in benching James. Seeing a bulk of work in Sunday's season finale versus the Seattle Seahawks, James ran for 100 yards on 14 carries.

"I thought Edgerrin played well," Whisenhunt said on Monday. "He looked fast, he looked fresh. He made some decisive cuts and he ran well with the ball, a lot of the things we've seen Edgerrin do well before."

Whisenhunt added that he believes James will play this Saturday and wanted to see "where he was at" versus Seattle.

That brings us to Whisenhunt, who picked up his postseason experience while residing on the Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff. He was the club's offensive coordinator when it won Super Bowl XL.

"Fortunately for me I have been in a number of playoff games, so this is another opportunity," he said. "I'm very excited, being my first playoff game as a head coach, and I'm very excited for our city, for our fans and for this team."

Whisenhunt also gets a chance to take on a team that selected him in the 12th round of the 1985 draft out of Georgia Tech. He spent four of his nine NFL seasons as a player with the Falcons and even interviewed with Atlanta for its head coaching job prior to joining Arizona.

Whisenhunt also said on Monday that he is optimistic that both wideout Anquan Boldin and defensive end Travis LaBoy will play on Saturday. Boldin missed the final two games of the regular season due to a shoulder injury, but still finished second in the NFC with 11 touchdown catches.

LaBoy, meanwhile, missed the final two games as well because of an ankle injury.

49ERS: TAKING STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD

Following the San Francisco 49ers' 27-24 victory over the Washington Redskins (web | news) this past Sunday, the club's fourth win in its final five games, the organization made it official by removing the interim tag from head coach Mike Singletary's title. According to Singletary, you better be careful what you wish for.

"I think all of the guys that were happy (Sunday)," said Singletary of how his players reacted to his promotion. He added with laughter, "they're going to regret it. Very soon."

It is no secret the 49ers played better after Mike Nolan was removed from the head coaching spot following a 29-17 loss to the New York Giants in Week 7. It is also no secret that San Francisco's schedule got a lot easier after that point.

During Nolan's reign, the club lost to the NFC West-champion Arizona Cardinals, the high-powered New Orleans Saints, the 11-5 but not playoff-bound New England Patriots, the playoff-bound Philadelphia Eagles and the defending Super Bowl champion Giants. Meanwhile, they beat the banged-up Seattle Seahawks and the 0-16 Detroit Lions.

Cue Singletary, who lost to Seattle and Arizona to begin his tenure before closing the season with wins in five of the final seven games. None of those victories (St. Louis Rams twice, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Washington Redskins) came against playoff teams.

However, a win is a win in the NFL, and Singletary did his part in earning the job. He seemed to push all the right buttons as well. The defense performed much better down the stretch and Singletary's decision to go with Shaun Hill at quarterback was a stroke of genius. Hill is now 7-3 as a starter in his career and 5-0 at Candlestick Park, where he figures to be playing at a lot again next season.

To sum up, Singletary made the 49ers a team. New team president Jed York said Singletary brought intensity to the club.

"You've seen that throughout the season," said York. "You saw it (Sunday) where we were up, we were down and we came back and we fought through adversity, and that is what Coach Singletary has really done for us."

The road Singletary is about to embark on won't be an easy one. Once a storied franchise, the 49ers haven't had a winning record or made the playoffs since going 10-6 in 2002.

"The most important thing for us as an organization is to make sure that everybody is on the same page," Singletary said. "That's number one."

Singletary figures to have two big decisions this upcoming offseason. First, does he keep offensive coordinator Mike Martz, whose pass happy philosophy might not mix with the head coach? Also, is Hill the man for the job next year?

The two might go together. Hill ended the season with an 87.5 quarterback rating and threw at least one touchdown pass in eight of his nine appearances this year. Former 2005 No. 1 pick Alex Smith might still be in the mix as well, as he has hinted he has unfinished business by the Bay and would be willing to take a pay cut to stay on.

However, if Martz stays, he will have to adjust to a possible run-heavy offense. After all, Frank Gore, who became the first San Francisco running back to run for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons, is one of the best backs in the league, and a strong run game leads to good clock management, one of the main reasons San Francisco was able to beat the Jets and nearly take down the AFC East champion Miami Dolphins as well.

No matter what, things look as if they are going to get better in San Francisco.



RAMS: WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?

The players want Jim Haslett back. Haslett himself probably wants to be back. There are probably a healthy number of fans that want him back. All that matters though, is if the St. Louis Rams and new general manager Billy Devaney want Haslett back as the team's head coach.

After going 3-13 last season, it seemed as if things couldn't get much worse in St. Louis. However, the Rams head into this offseason having finished 2-14 in 2008.

There is no question that the players want Haslett back. That became evident when they passed around a petition intended to let owner and chairman Chip Rosenbloom they supported their interim coach, who replaced Scott Linehan after an 0-4 start.

Although quarterback Marc Bulger wouldn't comment on the petition, count him as one of the players who want Haslett back.

"I can only speak for myself, but I think you guys know how I feel about him and the level of respect that I have for him," said Bulger, who threw for 230 yards and a touchdown in this past weekend's loss to Atlanta to cap an injury- plagued and disappointing season.

Though they won just two games under Haslett and ended the season on a 10-game losing streak, the players gave it their all in Sunday's 31-27 loss. Bulger had one of his better games of the season, while running back Steven Jackson had his. Jackson, who also endured a handful of injuries this year, scored twice on the ground while rushing for 161 yards on 30 carries.

Both Torry Holt and rookie Donnie Avery also figured into the passing game as St. Louis stayed with the 11-5 Falcons until the end.

"I guess they felt good about the work I did while I was here," Haslett said of the support and effort his club gave. "I was happy with the effort that they gave me. I really enjoyed working with the guys. They worked their butts off. Obviously, it wasn't enough. I think there are things in the offense that will have to be changed."

One has to wonder where those changes will come. For the second year in a row, the Rams will hold the second overall pick of the draft. They used that pick last year to grab defensive end Chris Long, who ended with 40 tackles and four sacks.

St. Louis' success next year could depend on keeping Bulger and Jackson on the field. Bulger missed just one game this but was under constant pressure, while Jackson missed four games due to injury. He is likely to take heat for his nagging aliments after he missed all of training camp due to a contract holdout.

"I feel that I am a Pro Bowl player," Jackson said after Sunday's loss. "My work ethic and the way that I prepare, just being a professional, will never change. Of course you want to win, but we're talking about individual things."

Although coaching changes were already underway for many teams in the NFL on the first day after the regular season, Devaney, who is replacing Jay Zygmunt after he stepped down last week, is likely going to take his time, especially with Haslett being a strong candidate to return.



SEAHAWKS: EMOTIONAL SEASON COMES TO AN END

The Seattle Seahawks' run of four straight NFC West titles and five straight playoff appearances ended this season, and with it, Mike Holmgren's tenure as the team's head coach.

A record of 4-12 is not how the Seahawks wanted to finish Holmgren's finale, but a rash of injuries made it hard to do anything else but lose. Still, the respect that Seattle had for Holmgren was evident, as the players never gave up on their lame-duck head coach.

"I started talking to the team in there...and I couldn't talk," Holmgren said after Sunday's loss to Arizona. "I'm an emotional coach anyway, and I told them I would visit them (Monday) during the meeting because if I tried to do it now it would be ridiculous. They mean a lot to me. The thing I'll miss the most is the players."

Holmgren won 90 games, including playoffs, with Seattle and took the team to the Super Bowl following a 13-3 season in 2005. However, the Seahawks were defeated by the Steelers in the championship game.

The Seahawks finished with a winning record in seven of their 10 seasons under Holmgren and dominated at home under his tenure. After all that success, it doesn't seem fitting that Holmgren went out the way he did.

However, despite the lost season and several jobs already opening up in the NFL, Holmgren remains dedicated to keeping the promise he made to his wife to take a year off.

"Of course I would have liked the season to have gone better, but we were injured and so it didn't. But there have been some wonderful moments in this season, not the least of which was last Sunday," said Holmgren, referring to his team's win over the Jets in Week 16 in his last game as head coach at Qwest Field.

Holmgren praised his players on Sunday for giving it all, especially players he said maybe shouldn't have been out there this season.

However, that is what happens when 12 players end the season on injured reserve, including three wide receivers, five offensive lineman and a defensive leader like Patrick Kerney. Big names like tackle Walter Jones and wideout Nate Burleson ended the year on IR, while quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, wideout Deion Branch and linebacker LeRoy Hill also missed time with injuries.

That presents a host of questions for incoming head coach Jim Mora Jr. He will have to hope or figure out if players like Hasselbeck, Kerney and Burleson can rebound from injury-plagued seasons.

He will also have to figure out what to do at running back, where Maurice Morris eventually took over the starting job from Julius Jones, who was brought in as a free agent to spark the run game. It didn't work, as Seattle ranked 19th in the NFL with an average of 110.5 yards per game on the ground.

Mora has a tough road ahead of him if he hopes to quickly restore Seattle's NFC West dominance. He will have to do so without the Seahawks' biggest weapon over the last decade: Holmgren.













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