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 
What a joy it’s been to watch the Raider QB this year- a real mam with a big arm, not some sissy Game Manager..
“mam”, LOL, that really *was* a typo. Tell Mammy Carson I’m sorry.
Thanks for the mammaries.
I always give thanks for those, it’s a rule.
The AFC doesn’t deserve 2 wildcard teams this year. Give the 1 to the Colts, have them go to Denver and call it the Wildcard Round.
Dollars to donuts that Big Ben will be back starting for the Steelers next. Say what you will about his lack of character, but they need him bad. But they’re lucky the AFC race for the wild cards are a joke. 8-8 will get the Steelers in.
How bout Andrew Luck and his Colts going to 7-4. The kid’s a winner, plain and simple.
Didn’t think the Bears would win that one, but Minn with the 3 turnovers.
Bears might be a little better than I thought.
Cold bear and munchies at the ready, GO NINERS!
Would that be polar, black or panda bear? I prefer the little brown bear. They’re the cutest.
You finished your Raider Buds yet?
“little” brown bears grow up to be Kodiaks and Grizzlies depending on their zip code.
they grow up grumpy too.
“Kaepernick made throws in that Monday night game that Alex Smith would never attempt. Harbaugh must believe that the team will be better — and, ultimately, more capable of winning the Super Bowl — with Kaepernick at quarterback.” ~Maiocco
That sums up my sentiments exactly.
“This is a strong locker room, so it’s not going to get split. That’s not the problem. The truth is there’s only one job. As a young team trying to prove their mettle to be Super Bowl contenders, I think it’s important to have one guy go do it. That’s why this afternoon in my mind Jim needs to say ,’Alex Smith is taking us to the Super Bowl and have Colin support him.’ If he says anything less than that, it’s going to be a muddled mess and people are going to have to work through it.”
Steve Young
That sums up my sentiments exactly.
If it backfires, Harbaugh will be second-guessed til the cows come home.
Frankly, I think this is another game that the Niners won’t win after seeing what went down this week. .
3 and out!
Great start by the D though.
no pressure lol
Naww I’m here. Good stop Aldon
Manningham???
Fuck Buck, BTW.
with a splintered pick axe handle, can’t stand him.
Mario blew that.
yeah he did.
Mario has to run pass the sticks on that route. Didn’t like the play calling. Too conservative. Let it fly…
That bastard. I clearly saw Alex tell Mario he only needed 3.
If you are going to give Dennis shit for his inane posts, you’ll get yers, Twin.
Christ. Give it a rest.
D is playing well so far
Everyone was expecting a track meet, and we just might end up at a soccer game.
Defense dominating early.
Still early.
Made up for his earlier screw up, nice!
Nice run by Mario.
Nice . . . SMith couldn’t make that throw in a milion years.
That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen Mario run. Nice YAC there…