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!