Cardinals hope to keep winning ways tonight

Arizona takes a 5-3 record against San Francisco on Monday night football.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — An appearance on Monday night football is a chance to show that these are not your father’s Arizona Cardinals — or your grandfather’s or your great-grandfather’s, for that matter.

This franchise has defined professional sports ineptitude for decades.

A national stage in prime time against the San Francisco 49ers is the perfect place to show that’s not the case anymore.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to show who the Arizona Cardinals are,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

Halfway through the season, the Cardinals are 5-3 and far ahead in the NFC West.

With Seattle and St. Louis losing Sunday to fall to 2-7, Arizona can expand its division lead to four games with a victory over San Francisco (2-6).

Whisenhunt just has to make sure the team isn’t too emotionally charged for its rare Monday night appearance.

“It is a forum that guys get excited about,” he said, “when you know there’s a national audience, when you know a lot of your peers are watching you play, it’s human nature to want to make a play.”

The staff has preached the importance of staying disciplined within the scheme to allow the big plays to come without forcing them.

Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner, the 37-year-old leader of the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, says he would much rather this was just another Sunday game.

“I’m kind of I guess old school in that regard,” he said. “I just want to show up and play and would rather do it as soon as I get out of bed instead of waiting all day and having to think about the game.”

As for the chance to show that the Cardinals are a laughingstock no more, big deal, Warner said.

“I couldn’t care less until it comes playoff time,” he said. “We’ll be on TV if we get to the playoffs and everybody around the world can watch then. But right now, we’re 5-3 and I’m not real worried about anybody else out there and what they think we are as a football team.”

He knows any positive recognition a team can get is good.

“But as a player that’s not my mentality: ‘Man we’ve got to show people,’ ” Warner said. “Whatever. Let’s just keep playing football and let’s keep getting better and we’ll have our opportunity to show people what kind of football team we are if we continue to do that.”

Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett acknowledges that appearing on Monday night is “definitely a chance to show the world what we’ve got.”

But he emphasized there is another team on the field, and that a victory over San Francisco is by no means certain, even if Arizona has won five consecutive home games and is 3-0 here this year.

“You probably think it’s an easy win but we’re not going to fall for that trap,” Dockett said.

“We know that’s the team that kept us out of the playoffs last year and beat us a couple of times the year before. We just want to go out and execute and play ball and not get caught up that it’s Monday night football.”