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.
