GSW Hoops Fan wrote:Ok I am not very knowledgable about Football, but since the lockout has left me with jonesin' for some sports, I have watched every single Niners and Raiders game so far. I like both teams, but wow, the Niner's had a hell of a game yesterday! So much for all that smack about A. Smith.

Yup, see my next post.

GSW Hoops Fan wrote:So the question is, do how well does Smith have to perform for the Niners to bring him back? Colin Kup... what ever his name is, looked good for the 3 throws he got in so far this season, and most believe that sooner or later he will take the starting QB spot. So do they go with the rookie next year and use their cap space to get some vet WR?

I think it's pretty clear that we resign Alex, he has played well and looks to be improving. Kap has a long ways to go - he looked horrible in the preseason, actually I can't remember a QB ever looking that bad in a preseason game playing against scrubs.

GSW Hoops Fan wrote:We have 3 WR free agents next year: Ginn, Morgan, Edwards, (4 if you count Swain). Only Kyle Williams and Crabtrree will be under contract. We have RB locked up with Gore, Hunter and Dixon and TE locked up with Davis, and Walker.

Hopefully we can at least resign Morgan and Ginn, Edwards would be nice but I'm not sure he'd be worth the money he'll draw in FA, especially when you consider that we aren't much of a passing team and Crabs looks like he might be our guy for a while. Morgan is a quality WR, he just hasn't got much opportunity and he'll be a better value than Edwards. Ginn took a pay cut to stay with the team this year, so he might be a company man, players are drunk of the the Kool Aid Harbaugh is servin' up, so anything is possible. It's always easier to resign and sign players when you are a contender.

GSW Hoops Fan wrote:On Defense we will need to replace or resign Goldstein, Rodgers, Snyder, Staley, Spillman... other then that our best players are under contract next year.

Snyder and Staley are Oline, but I think we resign them both - Staley might even come at a discount considering he is still riding a big rookie deal, but that wouldn't make up for the bump Snyder will get because he has performed very well.

We might part ways with Goldson - we were willing to do it before the season when we didn't pay him what he wanted. He isn't great in coverage and is undisciplined, but he is a ball hawk and a hard hitter.

Rodgers is a must resign - I will loose my mind if we don't retain this guy. Again not the best coverage guy because of his lack of speed but he makes up for it in sure tackling and a great nose for the ball.

I'm not concerned with what we do with Spillman, Culliver is going to be a starter soon and Brown has improved a lot. I'm not sure what the future looks like for Spencer, not sure if it's just injuries or what, but he hasn't been on the field much this season. I think we'll be looking for a CB or two in the draft.

Potentially, our coaching staff could be our biggest FA concern, because after what some of these guys have done this season, they might be getting some decent offers.

It's been a minute since we've had any 9er discussion on here and considering how we are pretty much the unquestioned no. 2 team in the league now I'm curious what my fellow 9er fan's mid-season reactions are to the amazing season we are having.

I personally can't believe how well things are clicking for us right now - even the things we thought would be weaknesses - the oline, Alex, even how well our defensive secondary is holding up.

I've been an Alex supporter for the last 2 seasons now because I thought he was the best option we had available. I've since expanded my approval of him and am truly pleased with the job he has done this year and I have no hesitations going forward with him under center. He answered the call on Sunday, when everyone called him a game manager and doubted that he could account for a win when we needed him to, he put the team on his back and willed us to a victory. Of course the D and Eli Manning helped out a bit, but Alex keeps doing what it takes to win games.

If someone would have told me that we'd be in the discussion of SB contenders, let alone a top contender before the season started (or even 4-5 weeks ago), I would have slapped them for mocking me, but as the weeks pass and victories pile up, I'd slap them if they said otherwise.

Assuming we keep pace and don't fall below 2nd place in the NFC, I want the Packers to get home field advantage, because I like our chances in GB in January. We are a team that is built for bad-weather, ugly games, the Packers are not. Even if the Packers were able to finally get that run game going late in the season like they did last year, there is no way they run the ball on us.

i disagree with your analysis of Packers not being built for bad weather, ugly games.

i understand the logic of games in December/January become games of pounding the ball due to the weather elements ect.

But the Packers live in Winsconsin (they eat,sleep,breath bad weather) I just don't trust Alex Smith being able to make that 3rd down conversion pass if it's snowing/blowing compared to Aaron Rodgers whom practices in it on a daily basis (least in December onwards)

But it's all moot point until the NFC Championship game arrives.. I think Candlestick will be a hostile enviorment regardless of the opponent and you should have a solid chance at securing a playoff bye then the home game a week later.

So you'd put money on the team that can't run the ball and cant stop the run against the no. 1 run stopping team and top 5 running team in a game where YOU HAVE TO RUN THE BALL!?!?! wtf? Everyone that doesn't play in a dome needs to run in November/December/January - even Jesus Rodgers Christ and the holy Packers - this is an undeniable fact that we witness every year.

I don't understand how you can consider that they are built for bad weather? Maybe they are used to bad weather but being built for it is entirely different and it's not like they had a lot of success in the air at home in December-January last season. They had one game at home in the cold where Godgers had a good game. And actually, the Packers retreated to a indoor facility when the weather got really bad.

If the weather is crap in SF, then that is our best bet though - I would love to see them try to throw the ball 40 times on a muddy field. We force the most turnovers and give up the least, we have an excellent run game and the best run D (by faaaar) - in bad weather those are much more important stats. Plus you look at what little success the Packer's soft D has had and it's been again a bunch on inexperienced QBs that get sacked a lot and throw picks - Alex is still in first with only 4 INT (one clearly wasn't his bad) and outside the first 3 games - we have been one of the best teams at protecting the passes (Alex has done a good job avoiding the rush too).

Maybe you need to watch a 9er game because this isn't the same Alex Smith and 49ers that we've seen in the past. Dude is playing really well right now and our D is the best in the league.

JREED wrote:So you'd put money on the team that can't run the ball and cant stop the run against the no. 1 run stopping team and top 5 running team in a game where YOU HAVE TO RUN THE BALL!?!?! wtf? Everyone that doesn't play in a dome needs to run in November/December/January - even Jesus Rodgers Christ and the holy Packers - this is an undeniable fact that we witness every year.

I don't understand how you can consider that they are built for bad weather? Maybe they are used to bad weather but being built for it is entirely different and it's not like they had a lot of success in the air at home in December-January last season. They had one game at home in the cold where Godgers had a good game. And actually, the Packers retreated to a indoor facility when the weather got really bad.

If the weather is crap in SF, then that is our best bet though - I would love to see them try to throw the ball 40 times on a muddy field. We force the most turnovers and give up the least, we have an excellent run game and the best run D (by faaaar) - in bad weather those are much more important stats. Plus you look at what little success the Packer's soft D has had and it's been again a bunch on inexperienced QBs that get sacked a lot and throw picks - Alex is still in first with only 4 INT (one clearly wasn't his bad) and outside the first 3 games - we have been one of the best teams at protecting the passes (Alex has done a good job avoiding the rush too).

Maybe you need to watch a 9er game because this isn't the same Alex Smith and 49ers that we've seen in the past. Dude is playing really well right now and our D is the best in the league.

You guys have a big matchup against a quality opponent this week... If you beat the Ravens then we can talk about you competing against the Packers & Saints.. Until then you are a feel good story like last years Kansas City Chiefs. You will most likely earn the playoff bye but will also have a chance to be 1 & done at home by a quality NFC Contending team who just won the wildcard match. (I think Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans could all beat you at Candlestick)

“We’re going against a team that is in our opinion the best team that we’ve played this season, maybe the best team that we play all season, the best defense without question,” Harbaugh said. “A lot of things to overcome this week.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/22/jim-harbaugh-says-49ers-got-short-end-of-the-straw-for-thursday/

Really? you place the Saints above the 9ers!?!!? They've lost to the Ram and the Bucs - who we destroyed, embarrassed, dismantled in every single aspect of the game and we still left a lot of points out on the field - oh yeah, that was the week before the Bucs handled them!

The mark of a good team is winning the game you should win and consistency, we have that, the Saints, Cowboys and Falcons do not. The Falcons also lost to the Bucs the week before we raped them!

You're just hating, plain and simple. You do realize that you are in the underwhelming minority - most put the 9ers as the unquestioned no. 2 team in the NFL and many say we will beat the packers because of our style. Don't even try to say anyone in the AFC is the no. 2 team - the AFC is the D-league this year, the NFC Championship will be the SB.

I have the 49ers as #3 in the Power Rankings. I still think the saints are a better team. Besides Green Bay, they have the best offense in the NFL and could probably beat the 49ers in the playoffs. BUT, the 49ers defense is tops in the NFL. And I can see the niners beatng any AFC team if they make it to the Super Bowl (even the Patriots).

DIVISION CHAMPS!

Oh, yeah, baby! Damn, I forgot how it looks like to watch your team in the playoffs. 10-2, that looks nice...and we still have 3 division games in our last four. I believe we'll clinch the bye week before the last week, so we might play with backups...though, I'm not a fan of doing that. I like for a team to be on a field and execute as much as possible.

But, enough of that, it's party time.

Very nice. Game was awesome Sunday, with the exception of fans doing the wave at one point! Need to get the #2 seed, I like our chances against NO if it's here, but if we have to go to the Superdome we are screwed.

I don't know why, but I really don't like the Arizona Cardinals, Lets go Niner's! CRUSH THEM!

Maybe because they acted like little bitches when 49ers were kicking their butts last time. Early Doucet comes to mind first, but he's not the only one.

Yeah I was at that game and they were acting like sore losers.

Nice win....

Can't wait for Niners to come down to Santa Clara so we don't have to be embarrased by these power outages.

Miners realse Braylon Edwards?! With so many WR out due to injury this doesnt make sense unless they have something planned.. I hear TO is a possibility.