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 
whatever we all think of the timing of this change, it’s done, Kap is the starter.
Might be. He’s played very well, but still nothing to justify Smith being benched.
A. Smith never completes that pass to Crabtree from sitting on the bench or on the field.
Riffle!
agree
Crap. Two guys hurt on the same play.
holding breath time
NFL.com says both are probable to return.
They lie though. Neither looks good to me.
Mario went the wrong way.
at least he was not too badly hurt earlier.
Manningham made one move too many there. Would have had the first down without his last little juke.
Mario got to cute there. Too much dancing. Straight ahead and he gets the first down.
Looks like we lost both Kyle Williams and Kendall Hunter on that same play. That hurts.
There’s got to be a deep route to VD in the package.
he dropped his last one
Kyle looked like his knee just popped out. I had that happen to my shoulder a couple times playing sandlot ball. Sore for a few days and then just fine.
Big third down.
Crabs made a great grab
You’ve been right so far, Grump. I can’t believe they aren’t taking a shot downfield. Maybe after they get better field position.
The defense needs some rest, too. But we HAVE to get more TDs.
Wow. That looked off-line, but if it was on target, he does not get the first down… CK led him correctly.
Crabtree has the best set of hands on this team and it isn’t even close for second.
Terrible block by Mario there, LOL
he blocked Kap really well I thought
Yeah, the NO player, not so much though.
wow
THAT was a FUCKING BIG TIME throw, right there.
On third and 11…
That ball to Walker was on a motherfucking string.
Alex can’t even make that throw in his wildest dreams.
Kappy drilled it, middle of the field, third and long, no fear at all. BIG TIME play.
Knock it off with the BS about throws Alex can’t make -he’s hit VD with about 40 of those in the last 3 years..
It WAS a great, throw though.
Alex has great timing with VD and can drop it into his arms. He cannot throw that kind of frozen rope though. Just not his game. CK brings different things to the plate. Remains to be seen however, if his poise, manager skills and knowledge of the offense are up to the task. He is doing well, so far.
Bad news if Dixon is in
3rd and 2 or 3.
love it