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 
Keep hitting Brees!
Wow, Aldon is 1/2 sack away from Reggie Whites first 2 year sack total, now that is something.
I think that was a good catch. Reversal coming here…
didn’t see it, too busy blowing the froth off another bear.
😀
Damn frothy bears
3rd and 12. Big play here.
culliver
Big mistake by Culliver there. You don’t want to give Brees new life.
What a stupid fucking penalty.
our ball
Goddamned stupid refs. Make up your minds.
He was down, IMO.
I think it was out but close either way.
Need the back side view to be sure.
you called it
Culliver has been a weak link on this D. all season long.
no way Dennis, the guy is playing well and probably takes over the left corner spot next year.
Yeah, I think he is already our best CB. Just a bad play there.
Throwing over the middle against Goldson is a way to lose your season not just a game.
lol, yeah it is.
That hit reminds me if Zachary follet, aka pain train. Looked out to me but that could be the beer
Play stands.
They’ll be hurting if Moore got his bell rung. I thought we’d see more Graham today.
good LB coverage on him today.
If we hold on, it’s a fine game for Kap again and since Harbaugh has made his decision, he’s the guy. Whether that’s a good thing will not be determined now- that will come at the end of the year.
Alex did nothing to lose his job and did everything that was asked of him, the other guy is just more talented.
We’ve yet to see if that translates to “better”. I’d think that a person who has followed football much would know that.
I said more talented Twin, who appointed you the knowall of football?
And I said that doesn’t always translate to :”better’. There are scores of examples. What’s your fucking problem with that?
you know what Twin, you have cried and moaned all day just because Alex is on the bench but the truth is Kap has out played him 2 1/2 games now. I’m not a hater of Alex, he has played well, he just isn’t as talented as his back up and that’s football. Kap is the starter going forward so get the fuck over it already cause you’re boring the ever living piss out of everybody with this crybaby act. Enough with the snide comments.
You’ve been backing the wrong horse for 8 yrs. now and you still defend you and insist he should be the guy. What am I missing, did Alex donate you a kidney?
Terrific big time defensive play by Brooks and Willis!
Amen
seriously big time plays.
Sweet play by T. Brown. He’s been shaky this year, but that was good.
he said in pre-season he would lead the league in interceptions.
Five minutes is a lot of time with the Saints.
Wow that was PI. Niners got a break on that one. Now just run out the clock. You were right on the money, Grump.
Third and six. Big play here for Kaep… you’d like to get the first down, but cannot make a mistake.
couldn’t agree more going back to his Dallas days.
oops, meant to answer Dennis there.
SD gave up a 4th and 29. If that doesn’t seal Norv’s fate, I don’t know what does.
Turner’s a great OC, shitty HC.