Here we sit, the 49ers 1.5 games up on Seattle, a recent pounding of the Bears in their rear-view mirror, and an apparent first round bye if they keep up the strong play. The offense is clicking along, the defense has been getting tons of pressure (Aldon Smith leads the league with 14 sacks), and the special teams (minus a couple fake punts) has been getting better. All these great feelings however have taken a back seat to a seemingly self-made quandary which has the airwaves burning, and the bloggosphere absolutely incendiary. The quandary of course is the instant QB controversy that sprung up out of the concussion to Alex Smith in the Ram game, and the subsequent dismantling of the supposedly impregnable Chicago defense by Colin Kaepernick.
The stupid thing to me is this could have been averted by Jim Harbaugh. All he had to say was Smith is getting one more day off to make sure he’s good to go down the stretch. Cappy gets the NO start, and things go back to normal. But Harbaugh seems to be the one holding the gas can at this point. He has baited the fans by calling them drooling idiots who don’t care if they win or lose, called the press liars, and left it to his starting SS Donte Whitner to say Cappy was starting. Which Harbaugh then denied. Alex Smith’s status is still unclear at this point, although it seems that he’s good to go. That his health even matters is up for debate. Cappy played a great game, but it was one game. OK, 1.6 if you include the 2.5 quarters of the Ram game. Even still, based on that, you usually don’t make a quarterback switch based on a handful of quarters.
The point being, there was a whole shitload of unneeded thrash around the team this week. Now if this was Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, I’d certainly understand the impetus to get one’s team in the news by any means. But for all intents and purposes, this is the buttoned-down San Francisco Forty Niners. The classy team finding its way back to relevancy and the top of the football pyramid. Not a grandstanding hottdogging look-at-us kind of team. Harbaugh is really alienating everyone who is a fan of the team, and has made a chilly press relationship even more cold with his recent statements. For no other reason than apparently to leave the Saints in the dark regarding who starts.
So, I don’t get it. I also don’t expect the Saints to be pushovers as some think, due to their poorly ranked defense. They show a bunch of different looks, disguise blitzes, and have been playing better in recent weeks, and are always tough at home. Besides, the Niners are the agents of a lot of their recent problems. The Niners beat the Saints in the playoffs last year in one of the best games in NFL history, Gregg Williams was fired for his singling up on VD in crunch time in the playoffs, Williams was then suspended indefinitely for statements he made (knowingly taped) prior to that playoff game, and the whole Bounty-gate deal.
So, there’s certainly enough on NO’s plate to want to knock the Niners off. Who knows? Maybe this is Harbaugh’s way of getting the pressure off the players. Then again, what do I know. I’m a drooling idiot.
Forty Niners Forever 
Great post today, sums it up perfectly.
Phil is MIA?
Don;t know. Maybe the coconut fell out of the tree. He’s on spit and baling wire out there . . .
“I’m a drooling idiot”
Jimbo thinks you (and we) are.
Uh, yeah. Hence me saying it.
Thx, 12th. Crazy shit going on. It’ll be interesting to see how the game goes. Unreal amount of bullshit this week.
Good God. How bad are the Raiders?
Same old Raiders. I thought I read Aldon has 15 sacks but maybe not.
Kap takes a step back. New Orleans is playing good. I picked the Niners to go 14-2 but haven’t picked them to lose yet this year. Today feels like a loss. New Orleans 31 SF 23.
Ok
28-27 Niners in a squeaker if our good defense shows up.
35-31 Saints. Alex still manages to throw a PK 6 while sitting on the bench.
Got it
I haven’t seen so many missed FGs this morning in my life. Their success rate is even lower than Chuck’s at the whorehouse.
If I’m not confident, I prefer to not make a pick. BTW, just wondering-before Flavor’s pick has anybody except Dennis picked against the Niners this year?
I did – last week only, because i had thought at the time Kaepernick had not practiced with the first team. Turned out he had, after all.
I did too last week.
#49ers inactives: QB Tolzien, WR Jenkins, RB James, S Robinson, DT/FB Tukuafu, G Looney, DT Williams.
There might be a Brandon Jacobs sighting today. We could use him on short yardage. Having your QB sneak the ball ultimately leads to him sitting on the bench.
Well, as Justin Tuck said, he can be tough when he’s motivated.
On 3 or 4th and 1 in 2011, Jacobs was 5 of 11 ( a 265 pound RB 5 of 11?) counting the postseason. He’s been very unhappy here, maybe he’ll get motivated after getting activated.
The Saints are down to their 3rd string RT, Bryce Harris. Could be another big day for A. Smith. You know the A. Smith to whom I am referring? The one that won’t be sitting on the bench.
Miami may beat Seattle here at the end
Just about in FG range.
Yes, Squawks lose!
Steelers have 7 TO and are losing to the Browns.
The Broncos just won their sixth straight. How the hell are they doing that with Peyton Manning on the bench? Oh wait, Peyton’s not sitting on the bench, Alex is.
And you have both your thumbs up your ass as usual. Who made that call, shitforbrains? Why even post if it’s the same fucking stupidity?
Bears bounce back with Cutler in there.
Seahawks continue their losing ways on the road.
Niners up by 2. . . . . .
and a half!
Hey, he’s now 18-9 last two seasons. And wow, with one game winning drive in the playoffs, he’s tied with Alex..Gotta wonder what the record is for playoff one ‘n outs? He might get a shot for another- he’s got 6.
Falcons barely got by the Bucs 24-23, that’s becoming a pattern for them.
Need a win today, bears are 8-3 now and in second place again.