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.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, November 19, 2012
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.
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.
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