Just Fantastic

What an outstanding afternoon of football. As the 49ers have been playing meaningful games in December these last 2 years, I've been constantly thinking how much more fun this is than worrying about which top 10 draft position they will end up with.

Obviously the win was great, if not unexpected. But the icing on the cake was the exercise in amazing football that was Packers/Vikings. Rooting for the Vikings is never fun for me, but if I had to do it, I couldn't have chosen a better game in which to do so. Back and forth the whole way, Peterson chasing an uncatchable record, Rodgers making you shake your head and wonder how the hell it's even possible to throw a football that way...it was just so amazing.

That feeling of rooting for a playoff outcome for our team is something we have definitely earned the hard way over a decade of misery and failure. When Walsh's kick juuuuuust grazed inside the right upright it was the kind of moment that makes you realize why sports kick so much ass. They are really really fun to watch sometimes. Other times you're watching your team lose by 30 to ass-face mcgee on national television, and you realize that it would be a lot more fun to not care about sports. That's what makes days like today that much sweeter, though. We DO care, and we're rewarded with experiences like this.

The week off is really really big for this team. All the injuries have forced new guys into the lineup, and one more week of preparation will do nothing but help them. It might even get J. Smith healthy enough to play. The defense looks completely lost without him. Aldon Smith is a shell of himself without a dominating inside presence. Very worrying for when they have to face teams with actual NFL offenses.

Either way, I'm once again just really really happy to be watching my team playing meaningful games in January again. They will have a reasonable-to-very-good chance at beating any of their potential opponents at home, but I'm rooting for a Seattle rematch. That game sucked. Let's wipe that goddamn smirk of Pete's face.

F****************€}!{+|'$$&@&$"&$***

I wouldn't want to be the Arizona cardinals right now, that's all I have to say about that game. Please God give us a rematch in SF. Pete Carroll is a f**king a hole hack full of faux modesty. Wipe that gahdam smile off his face, please.

Whoa

Might have something here. That was amazing. Of course they couldn't just give us a blowout, but I'll take it. Kaepernick is converting me more and more each week. That dude looks special. If Delanie would have caught a perfectly thrown ball in the rams game, he's undefeated as a starter. That was some epic stuff to respond the way he did when it counted.

Really looking forward to the Seattle game. They've been making hay on some shitty teams, I'm hoping they get a nice reality check next week. The division is basically clinched already, with only a home game vs Arizona standing in the way, but getting it done where it's supposedly impossible to win would be so fantastic. I really want that. This team is effing amazing.

Seattle- copy cats.

Another NFC west team already destroyed the bills this year. Too bad the media will get a case of amnesia and think this actually means something. Blowing out bad teams doesn't prove anything.

I just need to scream about this somewhere

Both of the seahawks' starting cornerbacks have been busted for cheating. The Seahawks' biggest strength thus far has been the surprising production from low draft picks in their secondary. Turns out THEY WERE BOTH CHEATING. How the F**K is this not a huge deal?

Pete Carroll cheated in college and now he's cheating in the pros. Somehow this gets a blind eye turned to it, but Jim Harbaugh shakes some guy's hand a little too vigorously and he's the next coming of Stalin.

Again: the Seahawks strength on defense is predicated on performances they got from people who have been caught cheating. Far from being outraged, mike silver just wrote a puff piece on Richard Sherman. The same Richard Sherman WHO WAS JUST CAUGHT CHEATING AND THEN LIED ABOUT IT.

I feel like I'm in the twilight zone here.

What the hell?

Why is Colin Kaepernick the QB again? Last week the loss was squarely on his shoulders (sure, if Walker catches the ball, they win. But if he doesn't pitch that ball, they win sooner), and now this week I don't think he did anything Alex Smith couldn't have done, save for that admittedly exciting run when the game was already decided.

I believe that Kaepernick is a more talented QB than Smith- there's not a lot of question about that- but if you allegedly made this switch to "add another dimension" to your offense, where is that extra dimension? Kapernick is putting up Alex Smith performances. Nothing wrong with that, it gets results. But why are we doing this right now? What's the point? I really hope they have something else in store for New England and Seattle because this offensive game plan will not work against good teams. This is getting ridiculous. You have the ability to drive your Ferrari of an offense on the autobahn, yet you're going 55 and everyone else is screaming past you on all sides. THROW THE BALL TO VERNON DAVIS GOD FRIGGEN DAGGIT.

All that said, if Randy Moss catches the pass thrown right to his hands, or if the referees aren't completely incompetent and call the BLATANT PI on that play, the game looks different. I realize that. I realize it's stupid to nitpick and complain after a 2 TD win, but that game did not feel like a blowout- it felt like a lucky victory at home against a middling team with nothing to play for who traveled 1500 miles. In 2007, I'd be ecstatic after a win like that, but this season more is expected and more is required. When I saw the final score before watching the game, I was expecting a performance that was a lot different from what actually transpired.

Maybe that's too harsh, but this team does not look like a championship caliber squad at the moment. Too many stupid penalties, too many dropped passes, too few passes going to your best (or maybe 2nd best) receiving option, too many handcuffs on the offensive playcalling.

One other nice thing: good to see Crabtree turning into a consistent threat on the outside. Maybe that's the biggest positive from the change to Kaepernick, and maybe it will get better with time. Right now, though, I'm unimpressed with what they're running out there on a weekly basis. Next week's game is huge, and they can't afford to be stupid and undisciplined.

Shitty Game as Expected, but...

Intentional grounding will not be called when a passer, while out of the pocket and facing an imminent loss of yardage, throws a pass that lands at or beyond the line of scrimmage, even if no offensive player(s) have a realistic chance to catch the ball (including if the ball lands out of bounds over the sideline or end line).

Where did this come from?

Who knew? All it took to get some national attention wasn't winning, it was a change at quarterback. I can't remember a time when the 49ers were covered this thoroughly on a national stage. They led both PTI and Sports Center tonight. I certainly don't view ESPN as having any sort of credibility in terms of who deserves the spotlight, but it's interesting to see the proverbial dog bone they chase being my team for once.

The downside, of course, is that they don't know what the hell they're talking about. They seem to think Kaepernick is Tim Tebow with a stronger arm. It's amazing to me just how lazy the national media are, and not just in sports. Whatever is the easiest, most convenient narrative is what they latch on to. Never mind that Kaepernick has completed half as many 20+ yard passes (10) as Smith (22) this season in 6 fewer games, never mind that he has better pocket presence after 2 starts than Smith has after 7 seasons, never mind that he throws a deep ball more accurately than Smith could even dream of- he runs! He's a QB! He's dynamic! Tim Tebow!

The other downside is that the team that gets this much attention almost always craps the bed at some point. All those years I pined for the 49ers to get more national love, and now that it's happening I wish they would just leave us alone and let Jim do his thing.

Speaking of, I sure hope he's handling this better in private than he is with the media, because if not then this could become a pretty bad deal. Why in the hell are you stringing both Alex and the team along publicly like this? I get that it's rough to admit that you're making a change because the guy you wanted to play all along finally got his shot due to an injury, but just saying that out loud would seem to be a lot less foolish and damaging than clinging to the notion that somehow both guys are your starter. That's patently ridiculous and EVERYONE knows it. Kapernick is the starter until he sucks or gets hurt, just say that. That would make this whole thing go away.

I have to admit that it is a little fun to have the spotlight on this team, and I'm more excited to watch them week to week now than I was even last year. Don't get me wrong, it ruled to win all those games, but that team, while effective, was plodding and unglamorous. This team has the potential to be that team + about 17 points a game. They could be legitimately exciting, and as we've all been saying, it's been awhile since we've seen that.

I'm a believer yeah yeah yeah yeahhhh

We have a QB! Heh.

But seriously though- whoa. That was quite a victory. Ugly? Sure, but this team always sucks in domes that aren't the home of the Rams, so I'll take it.

The interception by Kaepernick was baaaaaaaad. Had Crabtree WIDE OPEN underneath, but he decides to throw to the guy surrounded by 3 black jerseys. Other than that, it's difficult to find a lot of fault with the way he played. If Ted Ginn simply runs away from a punt, or calls a fair catch (sound familiar?) this game isn't even close. Kaepernick also would have had an extra possession.

As he did last week, he completed throws that Alex Smith would not even have attempted. The downfield throws weren't all that plentiful (and man, that fade to Moss was horrific), but his pocket presence and ability to escape sure sacks, keep his eyes down field, and convert throws was a breath of fresh air.

Side note: Troy Aikman desperately making excuses for the Saints ("This game would be a lot different without the 2 pick 6s"), mentioning nothing about the HORRENDOUS officiating or the stupid muffed punt.

The defense was unbelievable. Drew Brees' look of distaste after the game was wonderful. You got the feeling in the 4th quarter that the Saints had no goddamn idea how to handle a defense this tough. They were completely outmatched.

It's difficult to know if the penalty disparity was a result of horrible officials or if the 49ers were really that sloppy, but jeezus. If they could have committed just a normal amount of penalties they would have pushed 40 points. It really seems like 2 or 3 drive-extending conversions were called back by one penalty or another. The offense looked like it could move the ball at will, but kept shooting itself in the foot.

All in all, a great win containing nothing to dissuade us from the notion that Kaepernick is going to be a very very good starting quarterback. Start counting down to the Patriots game. That will be fun.

The end of an era

Boy, football sure is a rough game. Alex Smith suffers through 7 1/2 years of terrible teams, frustrated fans, incompetent head coaches, and revolving-door offensive coordinators. Through it all he remained as professional as anybody possibly could in such a situation.

He led his team to the NFC Championship last season, he was one special teams play away from a Super Bowl. This season was his best ever, he's completed SEVENTY PERCENT of his passes. Despite that, he's going to lose his starting job because of an injury. It's definitely possible that Harbaugh has simply been looking for a chance to make the switch and the injury was how that chance presented itself, but if that's true then everything he said about Smith earlier was difficult to believe. Maybe he really believed it all, but still believed Kaepernick was better. Maybe Kaepernick has gotten to the point where he's better after 1 1/2 years of studying.

I gotta say that I agree with the move, but I feel like a dick for liking it. Smith has been awesome, both on the field and off. Despite that it's clear that his game has very specific limitations, and Kaepernick's game (at least at this point) appears to be less limited and have a lot more upside. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Kaepernick handles this kind of challenge, but I don't feel great about how it happened.

We all knew a switch would be made at some point, and obviously it was never going to be an easy thing to do. I really wish it wasn't the result of a concussion, it just feels weird to have it end that way. I can't help but think Alex deserved better than that given the amount of shit he's put up with from this place. Despite his limitations, I'll always like him for the way he handled himself. Here's to hoping this goes as smoothly as possible and Kaepernick's breakout game was a harbinger of things to come.

If Alex never plays here again, I'll always have a soft spot for him and endless respect for how he acted. I hope he goes somewhere else and plays well for somebody.

The future is hopeful but also a little nerve-racking. Excited to see how the kid plays on Sunday in a really really difficult environment.

Holy Crap

Holy Crap.

Plenty of game left. Chicago hasn't made any adjustments yet, and for most of this week they thought they were getting Alex Smith in this game. Obviously it won't be this easy for Kaepernick.

That's the rational side of me. But then the irrational side sees that 57 yard pass on 3rd down followed up by a red zone TD and thinks "I can't go back, I can't ever go back".

Who knew he could be that accurate?

Holy Crap.

Nothing makes any sense anymore.

Well, that sucked. Needed to cool down a little before posting because holy god, I hate the Giants.

The NFL doesn't make any sense anymore. The 49ers blow out the bills, then the bills beat the Cardinals who before this week had only one loss. The 49ers blow out the Jets, then the Jets beat down on the Colts. The Texans look like nobody will ever beat them, then get completely destroyed at home by a team that was thoroughly dominated by the 49ers, who themselves looked like a 1-15 team this week.

What I'm saying is I don't think we can learn anything about any team in any given week this entire season. So basically, we have no reason to be depressed about the 49ers after this week, and we have no reason to be elated about the 49ers after a week in which they win in a convincing fashion.

I, for one, am not worried about this team long term- they are still one of the five best teams in the league. However, if they somehow allow a team to get a lead on them (stupid turnovers, poor special teams play, etc.) then they are in serious trouble. Every NFL team this season seems like they have serious flaws, and the 49ers are no different. Most weeks, their defense will make up for that. If their defense can't, then they will get blown out. Their offense (read: quarterback) is not equipped to lead a comeback of more than three points.

I, one of the last staunch defenders of Alex Smith, am tetering precariously on the bandwagon now. My tippytoe is keeping me on only because I know how smart he is and how capable he is of not making mistakes. After watching this weeks game however, my faith in him is waning slightly. If he can't limit mistakes then he is probably one of the three worst quarterbacks in the league. He is simply not equipped to lead a high-powered offense, no matter the supporting cast.

Thankfully, the opportunity to wash this one away comes quickly with the quick turnaround for the Thursday night game. I would expect the Seahawks to have a bit of a letdown after such an emotional win on Sunday. Plus, they have to travel. If the 49ers don't come out guns blazing and win this one in convincing fashion, then I will start to worry. I know the Seahawks have a good defense, but a truly good team should be able to put them away fairly easily on the road. Also, Pete Carroll is a total douche and I want him to lose.

It's the Bills...

...so let's not get too carried away. But holy crap Alex Smith. And Crabtree. Wow. They haven't looked like this against anyone, even terrible teams. This is a very welcome sight.

*FIRST HALF*

• The penalites were worrying. That crap won't jive against a decent team, and hopefully that's an anomoly. They wiped out too many key 3rd down conversions with stupid penalites. 
• Jeebus, Alex. Where did this come from? Perfect downfield throws. Of course, he's not facing any pressure, either. That said, I haven't seen him look that good in any game I've ever watched. 
• That back-shoulder throw to Williams was a milestone. Remember where you were when you saw that. That's the first time in his career that Smith has EVER made that kind of throw. It was a thing of absolute beauty. I'm also glad that Kyle is proving his worth to this team every single week. Good for him. 
• My boy Crabtree. Finally. More of that, please. 
• Vernon Davis. 
• Frank Gore. 

*HALFTIME*

• Not much more I can add. Offense looked incredible, defense was again dominant. It's hard to read a lot into this since it's the Bills, but, again, the 49ers' offense hasn't looked this good against ANYONE since like 2002. If they've somehow turned a corner then this team is going to be damn near unstoppable. 

*SECOND HALF*

• Remember when we were the Bills? It's a lot more fun to be a fan of the good team during games like this. 
• The offense carried over the first half performance. Really really nice to see them play this well.
• Wow, Fitzpatrick. Wow. What a terrible INT that was. He is awful. 
• Unrelated to this game, but the Vikings continue to show that they're not a fluke. We can feel a lot better about that loss now. I actually think they will win that division. Them or Chicago. 
• Kendall Hunter looks pretty special. He ALWAYS falls forward after contact. That's 2 big-time, LONG 3rd down conversions by him today. 
• This game looks like the 49ers are playing Madden 13 on rookie. 
• When Dixon is running on your defense like that, you've either given up or your team needs to be contracted. This is kind of an outrageously bad defense. 
• And the game has reached hilarious territory. 

No idea what this tells us about the 49ers. They're good enough to blow out bad teams, which is good, but the wins over Detroit and Green Bay look less impressive every week. I hope the offense can play this well against a good team. This was really really fun to watch though. 

These are not Mike Nolan's 49ers

We as fans are in good hands. The offense definitely could have played a lot better, but I couldn't ask for a better recovery game from the defense. That was utter domination on every level.

Tim who?

Wow do I love that. All the talk is about Tim Tebow and our guys are like "hmm well, we've got this QB who can run a little bit". Then he bombs it 60 yards just to freak everyone out.

This coaching staff is why this team will never be "those" 49ers again. 13 wins? Maybe, maybe not. But not 6.
*1ST HALF*

• I don't watch every game every week, but I watch a fair amount. I've never seen an announcing crew more biased than the Albert/Moose group is when they do niner games. Moose at times openly roots for players on opposing teams on air. 
• Case in point: the Tebow "jump pass" that ended in a TURNOVER. They were desperate to spin Tebow's first pass as a Jet in a positive light, even though the 49ers came away with the ball.   Moose casually mentioned the nice hit at the end of the replay. 
• I just don't know what to make of Alex Smith. He shows occasional flashes of great play, you expect him to jump up a level, and then he reverts to one read, sprint out of the pocket, take sack. He just cost them a sure field goal with 2 terrible sacks. 
• And there he misses a WIDE. OPEN. Crabtree for an easy TD. Gulp. 
• The defensive line is wreaking havoc today. Holy hell. Complete 180 from how they looked last week. 
• Good god. This is now 2 straight weeks where they are playing with Raider-like penalty numbers. It would be really nice if they stopped playing like idiots. 
• At least the other team's QB is Mark Sanchez. Even PONDER knew to protect the ball in those situations. That was some horrible QB play. Wow. 

*HALFTIME*

The Jets suck. Sanchez inspires no fear, and the 49ers' defensive line have completely dominated this game. When the Jets have threatened to score, they've either turned it over or moved backwards. The 49ers' defense looks like normal service has been resumed. 

The 49ers' offense is not very good, or maybe the Jets' defense is still pretty good. I'm not sure. The offense looks better when Kaepernick is playing. Maybe this is the beginning of the end for Alex. Who knows. 

*2ND HALF*

• File another entry under "these announcers are hopelessly biased". 49ers make a great play to break up a screen, and they spend the entire replay talking about how it was a bad play by the Jets, not a great play by the defense. 
• What is wrong with Akers?! First he was blocked last week and now 2 misses in one game. Blah. 
• Remember that game when Alex was mercilessly booed at home? Fun to see that happening to the other team today. Man, Sanchez is baaaad. 
• OK Alex, I'm just about done. If you can't hit WIDE OPEN receivers streaking down the field, I don't know what to tell you. This game should be about 31-0 at this point. 
• This game reminds me of the Redskins game from last year. Not a dominating lead on the scoreboard, but it's clear the 49ers are the better team, and it's not that close. Really nice to see them play like this after last week. Would be nice if the offense was a little better though. 
• Things I never thought I would see in a million years: the 49ers playing a road game in NYC, and there being an audible "LET'S GO NI-NERS" chant in the crowd. 
• Scanning around the league, looks like either the Vikings are way better than we thought, or the Lions are not very good at all. So we can either feel better about where the 49ers are or worse. That clarifies things. 
• I take for granted how good Hunter is. He is a legitimate every-down guy in the NFL
• It's getting to the point where I wouldn't be disappointed if Kaepernick was the starter. This is the 2nd straight ug-ly game by the offense. 
• Hey Nate: here is your blowout! WOW what a meltdown. This is awesome. 

At least the 49ers didn't lose like that.

Holy s**t.

Cross Seattle off The List

Not contenders. Their coach is inept. They had EIGHT SACKS in one half. EIGHT! Yet led by only 7. Now it's halfway through the 4th quarter, and Seattle has no 1st downs in the entire second half. That's coaching. When you get owned for the entire second half, it means the other guys made changes and you didn't. Pete Carroll is not an NFL coach, and the Seahawks ain't contenders.

The 49ers dominated this team on the road, and the Seahawks are totally overmatched against them at home.

Effing kill me now.

Good god.

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

Things get weird in the Metrodome. My typical Niner fan cynicism/skepticism is tingling, my mind replaying that Favre pass over and over again (speaking of which, Michael Erler had an excellent game preview this week).

Yet there is plenty of evidence it's obvious Jim Harbaugh is a coaching genius, and in the real dimension (not my mind's) there is nothing to really get worked up about. Except, I guess, dropped passes (according to several dozen posts on Niners Nation).

Perhaps I should worry more about annoying nepotism beneficiary Grant Cohn picking the Niners to win big (his predictions are generally as reliable as legendarily inaccurate nepotism beneficiary Bill Kristol). Eh, even that isn't very scary (Grant, not Bill. Bill is very scary). I know the Niners will outcoach get outcoached and outhit get outhit by the Vikings, and spawn of the "Cohn Zohn" is probably underestimating tragically overestimating the final score.

I guess Jared Allen's questionable jump scares me the most, since that guy can really fuck up a game plan. Questionable because he gets away with (figurative) murder in that dome.

Update: Niners got punched in the mouth by a better prepared team and a hot QB. Niners fans richly deserve this one for anointing this team after two games. When the Fox pregame guy called the Niners an "Elite" team, well, let's just say if I were Greggg Easterbrook I would have written 'game over' in my notebook.

And now the 49ers get to hang out in Youngstown Ohio. I kind of feel bad for the team, but not too much, after all they believed their own hype all week. I hope they remember Christian Ponder's smirk and get really pissed.

Update 2: I mean I feel bad for the team for having to spend a week in Youngstown, not for losing. They oh so deserved that one.

The Next Step

The 49ers have taken it, the Lions haven't. Even with the referees handing them free drives, they have scored no touchdowns. These pretend tough guys are terrified to throw deep, and completely unable to run the ball. These guys don't scare me at. all. They are being completely dominated by a play that worked against them LAST YEAR. Good God these coaches.

The 49ers look exactly how a contender looks. Dominating defense, playmaking offense. The only mistake was a guy trying a little too hard, can't fault him much for that. Holy S this is a good team.

• I remember watching the 49ers' one or two primetime games in years past and wishing the crowd would sound like Pittsburgh's or Baltimore's always did at night. They do now. The stick is ROCKING tonight. It's awesome to see. 
• We deserve this coaching. After so many years of unfathomable ineptness, we now have, what, a top 3 staff? Maybe the best in the league if you count all aspects of how they prepare their team. It's an absolute privilege to watch this team operate, especially considering what we've put up with in years past. 
• The Lions are thoroughly outmatched in this game so far (halfway through 3rd quarter). 
• I sometimes take for granted how good this run defense is. Every single run is an almost automatic 2 yard gain. 
• Matthew Stafford- totally overrated, or the MOST overrated? Holy crap this guy cannot handle a real defense. 
• I understand that given what we've been through, we don't like talking like this- and yes, anything can happen in the NFL- but this is a team that could win 14 games. Look at the schedule! Given how they've played these last 2 weeks, do we really fear any of those games? The Patriots just lost to the friggen CARDINALS! There's no aspect of the 49ers that you look at and say "that's their weakness"

Holy hell that last drive. This is the best team in the league beyond any shadow of doubt or question. Wow. 

Aaron Rodgers' Small Hands

I enjoyed watching Rodgers pull an Alex Smith earlier in this game. I wonder if anyone will question his hand size?

I also want to point out that LOL the Bears. Super Bowl contenders my arse.

Wait, who's the better QB again?

• These referees are awful. 
• These referees are awful. Obvious bad call on PI leads to GB's first TD. 
• These referees are awful. I will never complain about the regular guys again. 
• Interesting that every compliment this "top" announcing crew (especially Aikman) gives the 49ers sounds like it came through firmly clenched teeth. 
• 63-yard kick from David Akers..are you kidding me?
• These referees are awful.
• 3rd downs- 2/6, with 2 others converted on penalties..blah. It was good to see them converting a lot on earlier downs.
• Aaron Rodgers looked like he had no idea what to do against a real defense. He's good, but maybe people need to look at their schedule last year again before they go crazy. 

• Judging by the Rams' utter collapse, and the hilarious slapfight that was Cards/Seahawks, in the early going I'm not at all worried about the rest of the NFC West. 
• These referees are awful. Clear block in the back leads to 2nd GB touchdown. 
• Aaron Rodgers takes a huge crap on the field, leading to the TD that is the ultimate difference in the game. Perfect demonstration of the theory that relying completely on offense is a bad idea. 
• My neighbors hate me after that Gore TD. What a great play to stay in bounds.  

Whew, that 4th quarter was intense. Once again, this team demonstrates what makes them different from when the Mikes were running the show- if, by some miracle, a Mike-coached 49ers team had been in contention, that punt return would have KILLED them. There's no chance they recover from that. This team is different. They be realllll, son.

The 49ers thoroughly dominated this game, it was not as close as the final score. In so doing they sure seemed to prove that last year was not, in fact, a fluke. If they played this well on the road against a team this good, they can beat any one, any week. Expecting another 13 win season might be a bit much, but at the same time it's not ridiculous. This team is insanely good.

Replacement Officials and the Packers Curse

I'm experiencing anxiety over these replacement refs. If there is one thing that is absolute since 1995: the 49ers have been tremendously fucked by officials in games with Green Bay, more so in Wisconsin. Couple that with some well-intentioned insurance salesmen/little league umpires, and we may see more pass interference calls on the Niners than passes completed by Alex Smith.

The remaining hope would be there are as many bad calls against the Pac..haha, hold on, hahahaha...wait, let me rephrase that: maybe the Niners can catch a break or two and win this game. 

Unfortunately, I think we'll see something like a Kendall Hunter kickoff return for a TD called back by a complete b.s. penalty.  

At any rate, I'm excited to see what Jim Harbaugh works into this game. Let's hope he has the guys ready to play, and there aren't any stupid things like botched punt snaps for safeties, or muffed punt returns (hehe). 

I'm not excited to see the sturdy women of Green Bay wearing deer antlers and camouflage Aaron Rodgers jerseys. 

7th round picks

not that long ago, this team was relying on 7th round draft picks to play meaningful snaps at meaningful positions. Now their roster is so loaded that they have to cut loose players that other teams actually want. This is more fun.

Preseason Super Bowls

#49ers S Donte Whitner: "We didn’t really game plan for this. You can really tell that they game planned for us."
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) August 27, 2012

 Good for you, Denver. It really worked out well for the Saints last year when they decided to make a PRE SEASON game their super bowl. You wanted to come out and look great for a nationally televised game against a team that couldn't care less about you? Mission accomplished...oh but you still lost.

That game was a microcosm of Peyton Manning. Need a guy to light up a field in a game that doesn't mean shit? He's your man! Here's hoping we see these jokers again in the super bowl and show them what a real football team plays like. It was just so obvious that the 49ers were packing it in for this game. They were running the equivalent of what me and my friends do for a weekend game: "Ok Randy, just run out there and I'll throw it to you". The one time the 49ers ran an offensive play with any design whatsoever they torched Denver for 48 yards.

Though to hear the INCREDIBLY over-reactionary media tell it, Peyton Manning won 2 super bowls and an MVP today. HE'S BACK! HE'S BACK! Back to being what, exactly? The guy who will win 14 games every year then lose in his first playoff game? WHOOPEE! This team is much better off without him, and that's not sour grapes. He didn't want to come to a team where winning when it counts was valued more than personal statistics. Good for him. But also F**K him. Keep throwing up those great stat lines in games that don't mean anything, we'll see who's laughing when January rolls around, you stupid phony pig faced moron.

Other than that I thought the game went well. Draft David Akers, everyone.

Ugh

I hope this is because they care about preseason as much as I do, and not because they're reverting to 2010 form, because that S was ugly. What the hell.

2012 Schedule Preview

January 22, 2012 still leaves a bad taste in the old pie hole. Thanks to several dozen 49ers shortcomings, the loathsome NY Giants stole that championship game and went on to win the goddamn super bowl. Accordingly, perhaps deservedly, those of us who could stomach the telecast were treated to dazed man-child Eli Manning earning his second Super Bowl MVP trophy. This just two weeks after his epic beat down at the hands of the Niners' heroic defense.

I've been avoiding football thanks to that turd of a game, but now with the second worthless preseason game out of the way, I'm finding my way back to slavish homerdom and preparing for the return of the dudes in red and gold. My Sunday Ticket is paid up and ready to go, my basement fridge is stocked, and my faith in Jim Harbaugh's assholish genius is strong. So let's do a schedule preview after the jump.

Attention Fantasy Football Players:

Draft Randy Moss. Trust me. They are sheltering him for the regular season. Nobody's making a peep about him, they won't be throwing him the ball in any of these games, he's not high up on the depth chart. All of that tells me Harbaugh sees something in him and doesn't want to reveal it just yet. Foolproof theory!

I can't wait for week 3. At the end of the game, with Harbaugh running out the clock on the 1, the Vikings announcers suggested he was doing that because "when we're (they refer to the Vikings as "we" and "us") 2-0 and they're playing us at home they don't want us remembering them running the score up." Hey morons, your team was 3-13 last year. What exactly are you going to do about it WHEN the 49ers run the score up on your sorry asses on your home field? I'll be in attendance and I'm very much looking forward to avenging what I had to deal with the last time the 49ers played a game there. I cannot wait. Something along the lines of the 48-3 beatdown of Tampa last year will do fine. God those announcers were awful.

Looks like the backfield is gonna be good. I like having 3 NFL quality backs with the wrinkle of James thrown in there. Also Kapernick, wow. Dude's got jets. Could be very interesting. And Jenkins looked like he belongs in the league, really nice hands.

Good God

I'm stuck listening to the Vikings' radio announcers on this preseason TV broadcast....If they aren't the most insufferable homers in the league I'm not sure who is. They are acting like this is the Super Bowl.

I hope your viewing experiences are better.

In case you missed it

Sportsfan - FULL version from mattware on Vimeo.

A really awesome video. Seeing as how it was for an editing class, it could have been a bit better in that area, but still fantastic. 3rd and 3! How did I not notice that before??

I, for one, Welcome Our Benevolent, Ex-Patriot Overlord.

Oh yes, yes I do. 

Welcome to the new football year! After 4 years I figured I should slap a new coat of paint on the site's layout. I am a moron when it comes to this stuff. And it feels like Blogger's technology is about 200 years behind currently accepted blogging standards. However, due to said moron-ness, I don't know how to move to another site. Oh well. 

As for the title of the post- after an initial period of skepticism, color me officially excited for the Randy Moss (1 year) era. He showed after his exile in Oakland that his talent is capable of long periods of hibernation until he finds a situation he likes, at which point it awakens and devours all who approach it. Something like that anyways. 

The 49ers haven't had a group of receivers that looked this good in the preseason since, what, 2001? Even then the team had Owens... and a whole lot of nothing else. Since that time it's been a slog through PJ Flecks, Darrell Jacksons, and Isaac Bruces. Remember when we were watching Brett Swain play meaningful snaps in playoff games? Even during the preseason last year our hopes rested on Braylon Edwards, a guy with NFL production that could hardly be called noteworthy (now excuse me while I go delete the excited posts hailing Edwards as the next Jerry Rice). 

The front office took one look at that playoff roster and said "yeah, we are never ever letting BRETT SWAIN take another snap in an NFC Championship game unless we're winning by 45". The result is Moss, Manningham, and AJ Jenkins. 2 of those 3 are proven, NFL-quality starting receivers. Moss, if he's still got anything left, is the kind of player that completely transforms what an offense can do. When's the last time we said that about a 49ers wide receiver? They haven't had a 1000 yard receiver in 8 years. Last year was about ending the playoff drought, this year my crusade is to get the team a 1000 yard receiver. In this day and age of offensive football, it seems impossible that a team has gone that long without one. 

In fact, this was the part where I was going to list off the teams who have had a WR with a 1000 yard season since 2003, and then point and laugh at the 49ers in comparison, so I did some research. Guess what? Only ONE NFL team has not had at least 1 1000 yard season from a WR since 2003. Guess who! That stunned me. The goddamn BUFFALO BILLS have had FIVE! Even the Raiders!! I think in a few years, with the context of history, people are going to look back on the 2003-2010 49ers as some kind of bizarro dynasty. The team that spent 20 years setting the standard for the way NFL teams should be organized followed it up by showing us the exact wrong way to do things for nearly a decade.

As an aside, do you know what the team's point differential was during the Mike Nolan era? -507! In 3 1/2 years!!! That inspired me to do more research. Since the 1970 merger, only the 49ers, Raiders, and Oilers/Titans have had 4 straight seasons with a  point differential of -100 or worse. It's unbelievable how bad this team was. 

All this is a long way of saying that I love the people running this team right now. They know how weak the WRs were last year, and how weak they've been for the last 10. They had a clear goal to get better at that position, and boy did they ever. It looks like they might have the offense to match their considerable defensive talent. 

This is the best time of year! Glad to be back and hopefully you guys check in every once in awhile. It's fun going into a season with expectations that are high for legitimate reasons. 

Perspective (kind of)

Kyle Williams is destined to be one of the most talked-about names by 49ers fans this offseason (and rightly so), but thanks to the way the team has UNANIMOUSLY rallied to his defense, I'm not sure he's going to go down as an all-time goat the way so many other sports figures have. The way this team stood behind him to a man was unbelievable. Steve Young said in an interview that it shows this locker room is united, and that a united locker room is what it takes to win a championship. The 88 49ers were floundering around at 6-5 until they united as a team and went on to win 2 straight superbowls. They had the talent, but until their locker room came together they couldn't work it out on the field.

I don't mean to compare the two teams, obviously. That was an all-time roster. Just pointing out that great things can happen to teams that have that kind of unity amongst their players. They're all accountable, and they're all there for each other. That has both helped ease my pain from Sunday's loss and made me as optimistic as I've ever been about the future of this team. The coaching staff isn't going anywhere and will have an entire off-season to teach the team for the first time. Many of the pending FAs want to sign here again. The front office has proven their ability to get production out of everyone they draft, from the 1st round pass-rusher to the 4th round (possible feature) RB down to the 7th round special-teamers.

This team should be in the super bowl, no doubt. If Kyle Williams falls on the first punt, or just runs away from it, they're probably going to win that game. Instead of dwelling on that, though, every single player in the locker room had his back. I'm proud to root for a team like that. Imagine if the Jets' season had ended similarly. Or any one of 20 other NFL teams. Not many teams would react that way, and not many players would stand up and take responsibility the way Williams did. I don't think I've ever been prouder of a team I root for than I am about the 2011 49ers. They gave us a magical season, and when it ended in horror, they handled it as well as you could possibly wish for. This season was in every way an unqualified success, and for the first time I have complete confidence that they will improve this off-season and be competitive for years to come.

What do you even say.

Maybe I jinxed it with the post on disappointment, because for them to end their season by doing something they hadn't done all year is just too insane to believe.

What a great season. Everyone will remember Kyle Williams, but the offensive play calling was atrocious, and Alex smith reverted to 2005 levels at points in this game. Don't get me wrong, if Williams just falls on the ball both times, they probably win. But the offense left a lot to be desired.

I would like to say the future is bright, but as harbaugh knows well these chances don't come often, and this was a horrible way for us to lose our chance. Once again, a season ends in disappointment, but it sure was a fun ride.

Fuck.

Here's to Disappointment

6 more hours until the biggest game of my NFL fan life. I was a newborn when Joe Montana led the 49ers down the field and capped of their 3rd super bowl title with an Alex Smith-esque post throw to John Taylor. I was 2 when they flat-out embarrassed John Elway the following season, winning their 4th superbowl and continuing a run that would last for 10 more years. I was 3 when Roger Craig and Matt Bahr cost the 49ers a chance to be the first team in NFL history to win 3 straight superbowls. I was 7 the last time the 49ers played on football's biggest stage, winning an unprecedented 5th straight superbowl in spectacular fashion. A superbowl that included record-setting performances both by one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, and the greatest player to ever play the game. I was much too young to remember any of these moments.

All I've known from this team is disappointment. I very vaguely remember, as a preteen, seeing highlights of the team losing to Brett Favre in the playoffs year after year. Then we had the magical moment: Brett Favre's Face. Some people call it "the catch 2", but every time I think of that game, I think of that face. Sadly, even after a moment of triumph like that, Garrison Hearst's ankle failed him and we were once again left with crushing disappointment at the end of a football season.

Then began "the fall 1". All our heroes left us. We lost Young, Hearst, and Rice in the span of months. The greatest run any NFL team had ever been on ended in spectacular fashion. Though it lasted just 2 years, it set the tone for what was to come for all of us. Oh, and the season that broke the playoff drought? Ended by...Brett Favre. Disappointment.

Then we had another magical moment. The greatest comeback victory in any NFC playoff game that's ever been played. This is where my true fandom begins. 14 years old at this point. I watched this team drag itself back from a 3 touchdown deficit in just over 20 minutes. I was hooked. But even THIS season ends with crushing disappointment. Well, as "crushing" as it could be when your team loses by 25.

And thus began "the fall 2", this one destined to last much, much longer than the first. The fall that took one of the greatest franchises in the history of professional sports and turned it into a perennial laughingstock. The timing of choosing to follow this team closely at that point was nothing other than impeccable.

But now here we are. The day of the biggest game the 49ers have played in 14 years. A magical season that has been nearly devoid of disappointment. For a fan who's only ever known disappointment, this season has been the Neuralyzer, the season that has wiped 17 years of bitter disappointment from our collective memories. We are all 2 wins away from a season that doesn't end in disappointment. Truthfully though, this season has already been a triumph for us. The team has given us more enjoyment in 17 games than we have had in the previous 128 put together.

That said, here's to not ending this season with disappointment, and giving those of us who've only ever known it a season we truly will never forget. 5 1/2 hours!

Anxiety (The good kind)

Sorry for the shitty Larry King randomness and syntax, but I'm just thinking out loud macro to micro on the eve of the biggest game in San Francisco since 1995.

• Mainstream sports media (based in NYC) desperately want a Patriots / Giants match-up in the Superbowl. It would be an east coast coverage orgasm, and they want the number one media market team in the super bowl.


• This desire shows in their NFCCG picks over the past week. Especially at the worldwide leader (which I find unwatchable), who I believe are in the NY media market, but may be in the #7-ish Boston/NE market.


• The NFL Network has had excellent Niners coverage, and watching all day Wednesday as I fought the flu, it almost seemed 49ers biased. No surprise they're based in CA.


• From what I saw, the Saints/Niners coverage/pregame last weekend was disgraceful, what with the premature coronation of Drew Brees and Sean Payton. I'm still chuckling.


• It was a joyous experience to watch the Niners record yet another legendary playoff finish. I savored the Saints celebrating after the one that put them up 32, because I was feeling pretty confident (and drunk) that Alex-Fucking-Smith would make them pay like the cold blooded assassin he is.
  


• The Niners physically humiliated the Saints. Colston alligator armed that dropped TD pass because he didn't want to get hit (again).


• The Giants, the media, and their fans seem to be pretty confident their team is much improved since November. They act as though the 49ers existed in stasis since then, with no changes good or bad.


• Giants fans and many analysts who picked the Saints last week like to call the 49ers "lucky". It's like a dropped pass against the Niners is more "lucky" than a dropped pass against, say, the Giants.


• I hate to agree with Grant (hey what hair product are you using, Alex?) Cohn, but I think we'll see some passes to Sopoaga and Staley. I'm getting a strong feeling we may finally see Sopoaga's throwing arm unveiled. To the detriment of Tom Coughlin's face.


• A muddy field screws up the pass rush. That probably evens out, since both offensive lines make their share of bad plays.


• I hate Eli Manning, and want his milquetoast, silver-spoon fed face in loser's dismay at the end of the game. Like, crying for mommy Manning sad. I'll cherish that.

• Not one analyst I've seen has discussed special teams. The Niners special teams have been heroic this year, and with a wet ball will probably cause a few turnovers for the second week in a row.


• I can't believe the Niners are in the NFC Championship Game.
  

Oh my god

I can't type anything at all sensible or anything or whatever. What the hell did I just see? Did I just see Alex Smith Joe Montana his way right down the field? Holy SHIT! THAT JUST HAPPENED! We are going to the NFC Championship game!

That is the best game I've ever seen. I don't care if I'm biased. That is the best game I've ever seen live in my lifetime.

The San Francisco 49ers are the 2nd seed in the NFC

Read that sentence again. Then again. One more time. Let it soak in, envelope you. Imagine how insane that would have sounded if somebody had said that to you after the Dallas game. Then remember watching a team with almost this exact talent go SIX AND TEN last season. Remember the chore it was to watch this team every week for 10 years. TEN YEARS!! 3 times the average NFL career. 10 years.

But we made it! Man, what a great season. The 49ers beat out another team for a playoff spot that that team really really wanted. Remember when the 49ers couldn't beat anyone at anything when there was any amount of significance attached to the game? This season it seems like they actually RELISH those games, where in previous years it looked like they felt how we felt: terrified, nervous, and overmatched.

I'm starting to legitimately worry about Donte Whitner's coverage. He went completely spazoid on the Lloyd TD, and I've seen a few other plays this season where he's been beat deep. The 49ers haven't played the kind of team that will make them pay for that, but they're about to. I'm less than comfortable with their deep pass coverage.

I thought the offensive gameplan was fine for a game against the Rams. Who cares, really? Whatever you do is going to work. I love Brad Seely. With the style of game the 49ers play, having a guy that smart running 1/3 of your team is absolutely invaluable. Can you IMAGINE this team running a fake FG like that in the last 10 years? I actually doubt any of the prior head coaches even knew the rules governing that situation. That was awesome.

I'm not at all worried about the near meltdown at the end. That was so flukey that it doesn't even warrant concern. This team has 16.5 weeks of smart, disciplined football under its belt, I'm not gonna freak out about 5 minutes of stupidity. They get a week off to rest their guys, then they get a team at home that lost to the goddamn SEAHAWKS last season. The Saints are a completely different team on the road, and the 49ers are designed to beat them. I'm nervous as always, but things have lined up for San Francisco very very well.

THE 49ERS ARE THE 2 SEED IN THE NFC!