Well Faithful, we've made it through the first half and after last night's game I'm feeling pretty good about where this team is.
It's almost like you can break the first half into 2 halves, or quarters if you will. The first quarter would be described as dominant with convincing wins all over the place. The second quarter would be described as difficult with very difficult games.
The wins were over pre-season, potential playoff teams: Green Bay and Detroit. The Green Bay game, in my opinion is the best win of the first half. This was the one match up everyone wanted to see last year and with it being week 1 each team had the opportunity to pull out all the stops. As strong as the niners looked in this game, they looked as bad in the loss against the Giants. I expected the Niners to win this game, but never did I expect the team to look so beaten. The last two years has had our team in a position to win in at least one phase of the game, but this one was a 0-3 skunking by the Giants.
Given that there have been high's and low's for this team I still have high expectations for this group. Giving up 7 yards rushing yesterday and only 4 TD's in the last 5 games combined has to show the defense is primed for a strong second half. The offense is a work in progress, but Alex Smith looked incredible last night. 18-19 for 232 yards and 3 TD's is the kind of performance that will bring a trophy to the New Title town!
I see the second half producing a 7-1 record with the lone loss coming at home to the Bears. That's a team that resembles the Niners and will make it difficult for them to play like they want.
13-3 is how they finish up and they should go in as the #3 seed. Atlanta 1, Chicago 2.
First Half MVP: Frank Gore. His running has been the key to the offense.
First Half LVP: Brandon Jacobs. Hasnt suited up once and has been healthy the last few weeks.
49ers - 24/7/365 (or 366). All angles covered, especially the obtuse ones. Fantasy sports, analysis, predictions - all done on a weekly basis.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
New Stadium
http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/2757/49ers-new-stadium-aims-to-be-smartest
Friday, October 26, 2012
Alex Smith
Hello Faithful,
I'd like to present a counter to Nick's lovey dovey Alex Smith post. While I certainly can understand Nick's mush (man crush) on Alex, I have a much different perspective. Now in his 8th season, I think we have seen everything Alex has to offer. Here is my assessment. Alex is a starting quality QB in the NFL. Having said that, he barely cracks that label, and should not be considered any higher than a top 25, maybe a top 20 qb in the league. His arm strength, pocket presence, ability to make the 3rd 4th and 5th reads are below average. He makes up for it with a marginal level of athletic ability, an ability to make smart check downs, and find playmakers often enough to warrant remaining a starter. Consider this: Randy Moss has 12 receptions for 188 yards on the season. He has been targeted 21 times.....how is a guy like Moss targeted 21 times for a TOTAL of 188 yards?! That's mind boggling. It's because Alex doesn't see him often enough, and when he does, he doesn't get him the ball in time. Moss has looked very good this year, whether or not he gets the ball actually thrown to him. Everything from route running to blocking has been better than expected. He is a HUGE target. Alex simply cannot take advantage of his skill sets.
Now, let's remember we have Crabtree, who catches every high pass Alex throws (there are a lot of them) and is one of the better over the middle/slot threats in the game. We also have VD- the most athletically gifted TE maybe outside of Tony Gonzalez to ever play the game. We have several drafts of 1st round picks on our line who are constantly getting attention for mauling D lines (the ground game results prove this). We have Manningham, who is coming on very strong and always racks up extra yards when he gets a ball thrown his way.
How is Alex continuing to put up clunkers like he has 3 of the last 4 weeks? The level of QB play against inferior opponents (Vikes, Giants and Seahawks) is just unacceptable. He had an entire offseason to prepare for this year, and yet there are times he is still the same guy getting booed off the field in favor of DAVID CARR.
Now, the problem is, we are uncertain of what turning over the reins to Kap would really look like. We do know this: he has a rocket for an arm, has had time to absorb the offense, and is an athletic freak with quasi RG3 abilities running the football. Looking at what Washington has done with a rookie QB, and what Carolina did last year, the argument against Kap is harder to make. I think the next several weeks are critical for Alex. If he continues to play poorly, it gets very hard not to give Kap a shot at a full game to see what he can do. I do expect Alex to play better against the Cardinals given the time between Thursday and Monday's game....but I am more interested to see what he does over the course of the next 3-4 games.
Let the debate continue...
GO NINERS!
I'd like to present a counter to Nick's lovey dovey Alex Smith post. While I certainly can understand Nick's mush (man crush) on Alex, I have a much different perspective. Now in his 8th season, I think we have seen everything Alex has to offer. Here is my assessment. Alex is a starting quality QB in the NFL. Having said that, he barely cracks that label, and should not be considered any higher than a top 25, maybe a top 20 qb in the league. His arm strength, pocket presence, ability to make the 3rd 4th and 5th reads are below average. He makes up for it with a marginal level of athletic ability, an ability to make smart check downs, and find playmakers often enough to warrant remaining a starter. Consider this: Randy Moss has 12 receptions for 188 yards on the season. He has been targeted 21 times.....how is a guy like Moss targeted 21 times for a TOTAL of 188 yards?! That's mind boggling. It's because Alex doesn't see him often enough, and when he does, he doesn't get him the ball in time. Moss has looked very good this year, whether or not he gets the ball actually thrown to him. Everything from route running to blocking has been better than expected. He is a HUGE target. Alex simply cannot take advantage of his skill sets.
Now, let's remember we have Crabtree, who catches every high pass Alex throws (there are a lot of them) and is one of the better over the middle/slot threats in the game. We also have VD- the most athletically gifted TE maybe outside of Tony Gonzalez to ever play the game. We have several drafts of 1st round picks on our line who are constantly getting attention for mauling D lines (the ground game results prove this). We have Manningham, who is coming on very strong and always racks up extra yards when he gets a ball thrown his way.
How is Alex continuing to put up clunkers like he has 3 of the last 4 weeks? The level of QB play against inferior opponents (Vikes, Giants and Seahawks) is just unacceptable. He had an entire offseason to prepare for this year, and yet there are times he is still the same guy getting booed off the field in favor of DAVID CARR.
Now, the problem is, we are uncertain of what turning over the reins to Kap would really look like. We do know this: he has a rocket for an arm, has had time to absorb the offense, and is an athletic freak with quasi RG3 abilities running the football. Looking at what Washington has done with a rookie QB, and what Carolina did last year, the argument against Kap is harder to make. I think the next several weeks are critical for Alex. If he continues to play poorly, it gets very hard not to give Kap a shot at a full game to see what he can do. I do expect Alex to play better against the Cardinals given the time between Thursday and Monday's game....but I am more interested to see what he does over the course of the next 3-4 games.
Let the debate continue...
GO NINERS!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
I'm Back!!
Good Morning Fans!! It's been a couple weeks since my last post, but now's the time to make a strong return. The niners are coming off a less then epic 2 games. One where they were completely dominated and one that they looked like they were out of sync. I know that the game planning had to suffer going into a short week and a strong defense in Seattle, but I didn't expect that type of performance by Alex.
Let me set my personal record straight on Alex Smith. I like him. He's good enough to get victories for this team and he's proven it. He's 1-1 in big games, which isn't a big enough sample size for us to truly judge him. Once he's had consistency, he's done well. He's been very good this year, sans, the Seahawks and Giants games. I definitely think there's a correlation between his struggles and the offensive coordinator trying to mix in Kaepernick more. Who would have thought this phrase would enter the NFL vernacular, but he needs to be the "every down Quarterback." This "Wild-Kaep" thing is cute, but that's not the niners game. They need to put the ball in Gore/Hunter/Davis/Crabtree's hands. Those are the guys that are going to win this team games.
That being said, going into our 2nd of 3 consecutive conference games on Monday night, I'm thinking that I'll see the 49ers of old. Smith getting good pockets to throw from. Gore running the ball well. The receivers getting their yards. Oh and that Defense dominating! I see this being a very complete team effort and ultimately a win.
Niners 24 Cards 13
Let me set my personal record straight on Alex Smith. I like him. He's good enough to get victories for this team and he's proven it. He's 1-1 in big games, which isn't a big enough sample size for us to truly judge him. Once he's had consistency, he's done well. He's been very good this year, sans, the Seahawks and Giants games. I definitely think there's a correlation between his struggles and the offensive coordinator trying to mix in Kaepernick more. Who would have thought this phrase would enter the NFL vernacular, but he needs to be the "every down Quarterback." This "Wild-Kaep" thing is cute, but that's not the niners game. They need to put the ball in Gore/Hunter/Davis/Crabtree's hands. Those are the guys that are going to win this team games.
That being said, going into our 2nd of 3 consecutive conference games on Monday night, I'm thinking that I'll see the 49ers of old. Smith getting good pockets to throw from. Gore running the ball well. The receivers getting their yards. Oh and that Defense dominating! I see this being a very complete team effort and ultimately a win.
Niners 24 Cards 13
Steal from the Rich, Give it to the Gore (49ers thoughts entering Week 8)
Sorry about the slacking to all of our loyal readers. The Giants game sapped some energy out of me and the Seahawks game showed Niner Nation a continuation of the ugly NYG loss with the inconsistent play of Alex Smith. I wasn't really inspired to write after that game - I was just elated San Fran held onto that win despite looking piss poor in the passing game. Our defense was stellar, and the Seahawks dropped every good Russell Wilson pass thrown that night.
What Niners fans last week saw was their coach making sure he didn't lose his starting quarterback mentally. By having him on the field for every offensive sequence (save one play), Harbaugh made sure that Smith wouldn't lose his confidence. Unlike previous games where we saw Colin Kaepernick get a decent share of snaps, the backup QB from Nevada sat on the bench for all but one play (a one-yard loss) as he watched the game with the rest of America.
The last two games have shown a regression in Alex from what we saw in 2011 and the start of 2012. I am still in the camp that Kaep will get his chance to start sooner rather than later - maybe towards the end of the season, more likely to start 2013. In the business of NFL, you don't just draft a guy with a high pick (Kaep was a 2nd rounder in 2011) and not give him a chance to play right away, at least not normally (Aaron Rodgers an exception). Main difference though - Rodgers was behind a Hall-of-Fame QB on the depth chart (Favre) whereas Kaep is behind Smith, a better QB in the past year and a half, but overall, somewhat of a disappointment as a #1 pick years ago.
Steal from the rich, and give it to the Gore. Frank Gore that is. Those who doubted whether his best days were behind him (i.e. me) are looking like complete fools. Sure, some of that has to do with the amazing run blocking displayed by the offensive line. But gotta give credit where credit is due. Gore is running like he did in the earlier stages of his career. And here I thought Kendall Hunter would take the proverbial passing of the running back torch from him this year. Might have to wait a year or two for that at this pace. Hunter may get his chance to start next Monday Night though if Gore's rib injury keeps him sidelined.
A View from Vegas shows that the Niners are still among the top 5 most likely teams to win the Super Bowl. Their 8/1 odds place them fourth behind Houston (21/4), New England (13/2) & Green Bay (29/4). And for the first time all year, San Fran has the division lead all to themselves - thanks to the combination of their win against Seattle and Arizona's demise against the Vikings. When everything is settled in Week 8, the Niners could possibly be in a three-way tie for the division lead again, or they could possibly be up two games on the rest of the division. Speaking of which...
A Big Divisional Showdown Next Monday Night when the 5-2 Niners face the 4-3 Cardinals, who have lost their last three after starting the year off on a little tear. It's easy to look at their last three games and say the Cardinals likely peaked at the beginning of the year - never a good thing for a football team to do. However, I've watched football long enough to know that many times, just when you start doubting a team, just when you think you'll be able to beat the crap out of your next opponent who looked like shit the previous couple weeks, you'll see a spirited effort. Especially on a prime-time stage. Many football fans will remember one of the last times the Cardinals were large underdogs on a Monday Night game, they destroyed the Chicago Bears in the first half of play only to blow their lead in miraculous fashion, prompting the infamous Dennis Green "Crown Their Ass" tirade.
Never count out a dog when he's down. I believe the Cardinals, despite their offensive woes, will find a way to keep this week competitive. Remember, this is the same team that has made strong offensive teams like New England and Philadelphia look like Division III programs earlier this season. If I bet the game next week (I likely will, let's not kid ourselves), I'd likely lean on taking Arizona +6.5. I'm expecting this game to be like a 23-20 score one way or the other.
Enjoy the next week of games. My name is Brian Bolek, and I approve this message.
What Niners fans last week saw was their coach making sure he didn't lose his starting quarterback mentally. By having him on the field for every offensive sequence (save one play), Harbaugh made sure that Smith wouldn't lose his confidence. Unlike previous games where we saw Colin Kaepernick get a decent share of snaps, the backup QB from Nevada sat on the bench for all but one play (a one-yard loss) as he watched the game with the rest of America.
The last two games have shown a regression in Alex from what we saw in 2011 and the start of 2012. I am still in the camp that Kaep will get his chance to start sooner rather than later - maybe towards the end of the season, more likely to start 2013. In the business of NFL, you don't just draft a guy with a high pick (Kaep was a 2nd rounder in 2011) and not give him a chance to play right away, at least not normally (Aaron Rodgers an exception). Main difference though - Rodgers was behind a Hall-of-Fame QB on the depth chart (Favre) whereas Kaep is behind Smith, a better QB in the past year and a half, but overall, somewhat of a disappointment as a #1 pick years ago.
Steal from the rich, and give it to the Gore. Frank Gore that is. Those who doubted whether his best days were behind him (i.e. me) are looking like complete fools. Sure, some of that has to do with the amazing run blocking displayed by the offensive line. But gotta give credit where credit is due. Gore is running like he did in the earlier stages of his career. And here I thought Kendall Hunter would take the proverbial passing of the running back torch from him this year. Might have to wait a year or two for that at this pace. Hunter may get his chance to start next Monday Night though if Gore's rib injury keeps him sidelined.
A View from Vegas shows that the Niners are still among the top 5 most likely teams to win the Super Bowl. Their 8/1 odds place them fourth behind Houston (21/4), New England (13/2) & Green Bay (29/4). And for the first time all year, San Fran has the division lead all to themselves - thanks to the combination of their win against Seattle and Arizona's demise against the Vikings. When everything is settled in Week 8, the Niners could possibly be in a three-way tie for the division lead again, or they could possibly be up two games on the rest of the division. Speaking of which...
A Big Divisional Showdown Next Monday Night when the 5-2 Niners face the 4-3 Cardinals, who have lost their last three after starting the year off on a little tear. It's easy to look at their last three games and say the Cardinals likely peaked at the beginning of the year - never a good thing for a football team to do. However, I've watched football long enough to know that many times, just when you start doubting a team, just when you think you'll be able to beat the crap out of your next opponent who looked like shit the previous couple weeks, you'll see a spirited effort. Especially on a prime-time stage. Many football fans will remember one of the last times the Cardinals were large underdogs on a Monday Night game, they destroyed the Chicago Bears in the first half of play only to blow their lead in miraculous fashion, prompting the infamous Dennis Green "Crown Their Ass" tirade.
Never count out a dog when he's down. I believe the Cardinals, despite their offensive woes, will find a way to keep this week competitive. Remember, this is the same team that has made strong offensive teams like New England and Philadelphia look like Division III programs earlier this season. If I bet the game next week (I likely will, let's not kid ourselves), I'd likely lean on taking Arizona +6.5. I'm expecting this game to be like a 23-20 score one way or the other.
Enjoy the next week of games. My name is Brian Bolek, and I approve this message.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Giant Steps - Week 5 Thoughts and Look Ahead to Week 6
What else do you need to say about a game where your favorite team gains 600+ yards, totaling 300+ each through the ground game and passing game (a first in NFL history), while your team allows only 3 points?
I felt guilty for not writing this blog on Sunday night when I normally do, but an ass-beating that bad doesn't really require much analysis or thought.
San Fran looked like a Super Bowl caliber team - the Bills looked like they belonged in Canada (and I don't mean as Toronto's NFL team like Goodell wants them to be - I mean as a Canadian football team like the Roughriders).
As great as they've looked the last 2 weeks, it's only as good as next week looks. An NFC Championship rematch with the New York Giants awaits.
The Vegas perspective: Niners opened as a six-point favorite, but have been bet down to 4.5. I think part of it is how well the Giants have played on the road. I also think it's partly due to how the Niners might be due for a let-down (after all, how can a team maintain a dominance displayed in a two-game stretch of the Jets and Bills where we win by a combined 79-3?).
Niners are still second favorites to win the Super Bowl behind the Texans, although in my mind I would be most worried about the Patriots, especially if they maintain their well-rounded running and passing attack. With Steven Ridley and Brandon Bolden, this is as good of a running attack as New England has had in a long time. Brady with a legit running game is a scary thought.
I just hope the Niners can continue expanding the passing game, perhaps keeping Kaep involved in the game plan for 5-10 plays per game, and maintain their solid offense. Their defense is something I'll never question - it's the offense I worry about. This year, they haven't really given much for us to worry about, but I think most of us fans want to see a downfield passing game that can make the running game even more dangerous.
My prediction for Week 6 - Niners win a close game and hold off the Giants 27-24. I just hope "revenge" doesn't get the best of the Niners. As much as last year's ending stung, you still have to forget about it and worry about the task at hand and not lose focus on the now.
Other NFC West predictions:
Arizona 20, Buffalo 17
Miami 24, St Louis 20
Seattle 27, New England 24
I felt guilty for not writing this blog on Sunday night when I normally do, but an ass-beating that bad doesn't really require much analysis or thought.
San Fran looked like a Super Bowl caliber team - the Bills looked like they belonged in Canada (and I don't mean as Toronto's NFL team like Goodell wants them to be - I mean as a Canadian football team like the Roughriders).
As great as they've looked the last 2 weeks, it's only as good as next week looks. An NFC Championship rematch with the New York Giants awaits.
The Vegas perspective: Niners opened as a six-point favorite, but have been bet down to 4.5. I think part of it is how well the Giants have played on the road. I also think it's partly due to how the Niners might be due for a let-down (after all, how can a team maintain a dominance displayed in a two-game stretch of the Jets and Bills where we win by a combined 79-3?).
Niners are still second favorites to win the Super Bowl behind the Texans, although in my mind I would be most worried about the Patriots, especially if they maintain their well-rounded running and passing attack. With Steven Ridley and Brandon Bolden, this is as good of a running attack as New England has had in a long time. Brady with a legit running game is a scary thought.
I just hope the Niners can continue expanding the passing game, perhaps keeping Kaep involved in the game plan for 5-10 plays per game, and maintain their solid offense. Their defense is something I'll never question - it's the offense I worry about. This year, they haven't really given much for us to worry about, but I think most of us fans want to see a downfield passing game that can make the running game even more dangerous.
My prediction for Week 6 - Niners win a close game and hold off the Giants 27-24. I just hope "revenge" doesn't get the best of the Niners. As much as last year's ending stung, you still have to forget about it and worry about the task at hand and not lose focus on the now.
Other NFC West predictions:
Arizona 20, Buffalo 17
Miami 24, St Louis 20
Seattle 27, New England 24
Monday, October 8, 2012
Perspective
Good Morning Fans!
I know it's been a couple weeks since I last blogged, but I needed some time to recover from that horrific Vikes loss. Thankfully the Vikings have played well since so I am thinking maybe they're better then I thought they were, therefore making their win over us more palatable. None the less, that loss appears to been the wake up slap across the face we needed.
Over the last two weeks, no TD's, 1 FG and an offense that is clicking. We are a running team and we're proving it with almost every guy on our team carrying the ball effectively. Our identity is to pound the ball, but yesterday we decided it was time to quiet the media and fan base and throw the ball around the field. Alex could easily have had 400 yards passing if there weren't some penalties.
Let me say, that our last two opponents are not playoff teams. We will have a serious test the next three weeks. This is where I think we will separate ourselves. 2 division games and a "revenge" game going into the bye week determine our identity. It's been easy to go up and down the field on the last two New York teams, but the Giants are better. We should win this game,but it's going to be a lot more difficult.
I know it's been a couple weeks since I last blogged, but I needed some time to recover from that horrific Vikes loss. Thankfully the Vikings have played well since so I am thinking maybe they're better then I thought they were, therefore making their win over us more palatable. None the less, that loss appears to been the wake up slap across the face we needed.
Over the last two weeks, no TD's, 1 FG and an offense that is clicking. We are a running team and we're proving it with almost every guy on our team carrying the ball effectively. Our identity is to pound the ball, but yesterday we decided it was time to quiet the media and fan base and throw the ball around the field. Alex could easily have had 400 yards passing if there weren't some penalties.
Let me say, that our last two opponents are not playoff teams. We will have a serious test the next three weeks. This is where I think we will separate ourselves. 2 division games and a "revenge" game going into the bye week determine our identity. It's been easy to go up and down the field on the last two New York teams, but the Giants are better. We should win this game,but it's going to be a lot more difficult.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Vegas Perspective Entering Week 5
The Niners' impressive victory over the Jets vaulted them into the second favorite to win the Super Bowl at 6/1, just behind the Houston Texans' chances at +465. Rounding out the Top 5 are New England (7/1), Atlanta (15/2) and Green Bay (8/1).
For those Bears friends of mine, they moved up to 20/1 after their impressive win on Monday Night against the Cowboys.
After starting the season with three out of four games on the road, San Fran now gets to enjoy home cooking for five out of their next six, starting with the Bills on Sunday. Before that, we get a chance to see if the Cardinals can move to 5-0 as they travel to St. Louis, who definitely look better than they did last year.
I expect the Rams to take care of business against Arizona in a defensive battle. So far, the NFC West is the best division record-wise in the NFL, sporting a 11-5 record (9-3 if you don't include games played in the division where the wins/losses cancel out). Every team has defended its home field through the first four weeks, going undefeated in eight combined home games.
I say it goes to nine - Rams take care of the Cardinals 20-16. The short turnaround has a history of benefiting the home team, who usually has a home game the week before and doesn't need to worry about travelling.
This time next week, I am hoping we see the standings below:
San Fran 4-1
Arizona 4-1
St. Louis 3-2
Seattle 2-3
Good night and go Niners!
For those Bears friends of mine, they moved up to 20/1 after their impressive win on Monday Night against the Cowboys.
After starting the season with three out of four games on the road, San Fran now gets to enjoy home cooking for five out of their next six, starting with the Bills on Sunday. Before that, we get a chance to see if the Cardinals can move to 5-0 as they travel to St. Louis, who definitely look better than they did last year.
I expect the Rams to take care of business against Arizona in a defensive battle. So far, the NFC West is the best division record-wise in the NFL, sporting a 11-5 record (9-3 if you don't include games played in the division where the wins/losses cancel out). Every team has defended its home field through the first four weeks, going undefeated in eight combined home games.
I say it goes to nine - Rams take care of the Cardinals 20-16. The short turnaround has a history of benefiting the home team, who usually has a home game the week before and doesn't need to worry about travelling.
This time next week, I am hoping we see the standings below:
San Fran 4-1
Arizona 4-1
St. Louis 3-2
Seattle 2-3
Good night and go Niners!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Week 4 Recap, Fun Niner Facts and Thoughts on Week 5
I'm not sure why, but I was more worried about Week 3 against the Vikings (who are in the process of legitimizing themselves and their Week 3 win against San Fran) than I was this week with the Jets.
Maybe it had to do with how damn impressive we looked in the first two weeks and I was expecting a Week 3 letdown (but obviously, not to the level that we seemed to have it last week).
Or maybe it had to do with the Darrelle Revis injury, knowing that one half of the field that'd normally be shut down was now open for business.
Or maybe, just maybe, it had to do with the fact that what I've seen of the Vikings and what I had seen of the Jets showed me that the Vikings are simply a better team than the Jets. I can't believe I just typed that last sentence, but the Jets bring no rushing game to the table (Shonn Greene is a BumB with two capital Bs and will not be starting in the backfield when the end of the year comes) and have some guy from USC as a QB impersonator behind center.
A few folks that I read on a somewhat regular basis were projecting that Ponder would take a big step this year in his quarterback progression, but I really didn't buy into it until last week when he contributed to all three TDs en route to the double digit win against the 49ers. Ponder still has a ways to go and needs to shows consistency, but his brief flash of success thus far this season has been exactly what the Vikings needed to become a legitimate team.
Anywho, back to Week 4....
Handy Kaep
I know back in April 2011, I wrote a blog wondering if Colin Kaepernick would be the answer to our QB woes. When writing that, I believe I caught a severe case of pessimisticia that I contracted from my Dad when it comes to being a Debbie Downer about sports teams.
I had seen all of the QBs that the 49ers had trotted out there since Garcia left town, so naturally, my pessimisticia kicked in after the draft and I said I didn't think he'd be the answer.
Now, after seeing him succeed briefly in his role on Sunday (and all the rave reviews he got during training camp and preseason), I believe the 49ers may have found their replacement to Alex Smith. My friend Nick Tweeted me during the game about the Kaep appearance.
He's probably surprised at my comment mainly because my 2011 blog was a Debbie Downer piece about him and how he probably wouldn't work in the NFL. I can't be faulted for being critical of 49ers draft picks at that point since the past 6-8 years haven't produced much for them in the draft outside of Patrick Willis and Frank Gore.
I do believe Kaepernick will continue to see an expanded role in the offense, with a couple starts this year not out of the question. He threw one deep ball (was incomplete, but he definitely showed more arm strength in that one throw than Alex Smith has in his career. According to Pro Football Focus, entering this week, Smith had attempted only four throws for 20+ yards. Part of that may be by the design of Coach Harbaugh's offense. But the main part of it IMO is due to the fact that Smith just can't throw it deep.
I am a big fan of what Harbaugh has done in maximizing the skills that Smith has (his intelligence and speed) while turning the Niners into a more balanced offense. While Smith doesn't have the arm strength, he has solid options that are good possession receivers. However, that's not always going to cut it, especially when playing from behind.
Kaepernick has a chance to take the reins from Smith in the next year and develop a nice career in the Bay Area, full of playoff appearances and perhaps a Super Bowl or two.
Captain Bounceback
Week 3 was Harbaugh's fourth regular season loss as coach of the 49ers in his first 19 games. The bounceback (34-0 thumping of the Jets) was no surprise given how the team responded to the three losses in 2011:
Week 2 - Loss to Dallas 27-24; Week 3 - Beat Cincy 14-8
Week 12 - Loss to Baltimore 16-6; Week 13 - Beat StL 26-0
Week 14 - Loss to Arizona 21-19; Week 15 - Beat Pitt 20-3
Take note of the game scores to the right. After their only losses, the Niners won by an average of 20-4, allowing no touchdowns in the week following a loss (two of those teams were playoff teams in 2011, I might add). This 34-0 thumping fits in nicely to this trend and shows me that we can count on Harbaugh getting his team focused after a disappointing loss.
Next Week - vs. Buffalo.
The Niners head back home to face the Bills for the first of three straight games at Candlestick, where they've won their last nine games, (including playoffs). The Bills looked like they may stand alone at the top of the division when they were ahead 21-7 against the Patriots towards the start of the second half, but the Bills wagon derailed as the Patriots outscored them 45-7 the rest of the way en route to the relatively easy win. Fitzpatrick started out hot but ended up negating his four touchdown passes with four picks. You just can't do that against a Brady-led team
Given the fact that the Bills just got done facing their division rival and faced such an emotional 180 during the game (going up 14 to losing by four scores), I anticipate the Bills coming out really flat and get blown out in this one. Currently, the Niners are nine point favorites w/ an over/under of 44.5. I think the Niners continue mixing Kapernick into the offense and the Niners take advantage of an average QB for the second week in a row. I think the Niners will win by three scores.
Niners 31-10.
Maybe it had to do with how damn impressive we looked in the first two weeks and I was expecting a Week 3 letdown (but obviously, not to the level that we seemed to have it last week).
Or maybe it had to do with the Darrelle Revis injury, knowing that one half of the field that'd normally be shut down was now open for business.
Or maybe, just maybe, it had to do with the fact that what I've seen of the Vikings and what I had seen of the Jets showed me that the Vikings are simply a better team than the Jets. I can't believe I just typed that last sentence, but the Jets bring no rushing game to the table (Shonn Greene is a BumB with two capital Bs and will not be starting in the backfield when the end of the year comes) and have some guy from USC as a QB impersonator behind center.
A few folks that I read on a somewhat regular basis were projecting that Ponder would take a big step this year in his quarterback progression, but I really didn't buy into it until last week when he contributed to all three TDs en route to the double digit win against the 49ers. Ponder still has a ways to go and needs to shows consistency, but his brief flash of success thus far this season has been exactly what the Vikings needed to become a legitimate team.
Anywho, back to Week 4....
Handy Kaep
I know back in April 2011, I wrote a blog wondering if Colin Kaepernick would be the answer to our QB woes. When writing that, I believe I caught a severe case of pessimisticia that I contracted from my Dad when it comes to being a Debbie Downer about sports teams.
I had seen all of the QBs that the 49ers had trotted out there since Garcia left town, so naturally, my pessimisticia kicked in after the draft and I said I didn't think he'd be the answer.
Now, after seeing him succeed briefly in his role on Sunday (and all the rave reviews he got during training camp and preseason), I believe the 49ers may have found their replacement to Alex Smith. My friend Nick Tweeted me during the game about the Kaep appearance.
He's probably surprised at my comment mainly because my 2011 blog was a Debbie Downer piece about him and how he probably wouldn't work in the NFL. I can't be faulted for being critical of 49ers draft picks at that point since the past 6-8 years haven't produced much for them in the draft outside of Patrick Willis and Frank Gore.
I do believe Kaepernick will continue to see an expanded role in the offense, with a couple starts this year not out of the question. He threw one deep ball (was incomplete, but he definitely showed more arm strength in that one throw than Alex Smith has in his career. According to Pro Football Focus, entering this week, Smith had attempted only four throws for 20+ yards. Part of that may be by the design of Coach Harbaugh's offense. But the main part of it IMO is due to the fact that Smith just can't throw it deep.
I am a big fan of what Harbaugh has done in maximizing the skills that Smith has (his intelligence and speed) while turning the Niners into a more balanced offense. While Smith doesn't have the arm strength, he has solid options that are good possession receivers. However, that's not always going to cut it, especially when playing from behind.
Kaepernick has a chance to take the reins from Smith in the next year and develop a nice career in the Bay Area, full of playoff appearances and perhaps a Super Bowl or two.
Captain Bounceback
Week 3 was Harbaugh's fourth regular season loss as coach of the 49ers in his first 19 games. The bounceback (34-0 thumping of the Jets) was no surprise given how the team responded to the three losses in 2011:
Week 2 - Loss to Dallas 27-24; Week 3 - Beat Cincy 14-8
Week 12 - Loss to Baltimore 16-6; Week 13 - Beat StL 26-0
Week 14 - Loss to Arizona 21-19; Week 15 - Beat Pitt 20-3
Take note of the game scores to the right. After their only losses, the Niners won by an average of 20-4, allowing no touchdowns in the week following a loss (two of those teams were playoff teams in 2011, I might add). This 34-0 thumping fits in nicely to this trend and shows me that we can count on Harbaugh getting his team focused after a disappointing loss.
Next Week - vs. Buffalo.
The Niners head back home to face the Bills for the first of three straight games at Candlestick, where they've won their last nine games, (including playoffs). The Bills looked like they may stand alone at the top of the division when they were ahead 21-7 against the Patriots towards the start of the second half, but the Bills wagon derailed as the Patriots outscored them 45-7 the rest of the way en route to the relatively easy win. Fitzpatrick started out hot but ended up negating his four touchdown passes with four picks. You just can't do that against a Brady-led team
Given the fact that the Bills just got done facing their division rival and faced such an emotional 180 during the game (going up 14 to losing by four scores), I anticipate the Bills coming out really flat and get blown out in this one. Currently, the Niners are nine point favorites w/ an over/under of 44.5. I think the Niners continue mixing Kapernick into the offense and the Niners take advantage of an average QB for the second week in a row. I think the Niners will win by three scores.
Niners 31-10.
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