One of my favorite lines from the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Anyhow, remember the thrilling days of yesteryear, when the Niners were coming off 2 resounding division wins, they were 6-2, 1st place in the NFC West, and there was a clear cut starting quarterback on the 49ers? You know, 16 days ago? Well, on that fateful day 16 days ago, the 49ers played the hapless St. Louis Rams. A team that was 3-5 and stumbling around pretty aimlessly under 1st year head coach Jeff Fisher.
Most everyone figured a crushing defeat for the Rams, but a funny thing happened on the way to the victory party. Steven Jackson ran the ball down the Niners throat. Jerry Amendola caught a ton of balls for a ton of yards, and with some stupid decisions on both sides, plus a few missed FGs, the game ended in a tie. And, Alex Smith was knocked out of the game in the 2nd quarter after sustaining a concussion. Colin Kaepernick did well enough down the stretch of that game to win it, and also made a play which could have lost it. Fisher made some very dumb calls, but all in all, it felt like a loss for the Forty Niners, given the circumstances.
Fast forward to the present, and the Niners know now that the Rams, for all their faults and growing pains, aren’t a pushover. Jackson shredded the Niners defense early, and the D missed more tackles in that game than in all the rest of the other games combined. Bradford had way too much time, and Amendola torched Carlos Rogers all day. I heard Fangio this morning stress tackling and say if their effort is the same as the previous game, the results will be similar. I don’t see that happening.
Offensively, both QBs did well vs the Rams. The run game gained steam going along, and both QBs made some good throws. We should know by tomorrow who gets the call. Other than that, KW is out, and also it looks like Kendall Hunter is also lost for the remainder of the season. Jewel Hampton, an undrafted RB, has been promoted from the practice squad to take Hunter’s place. The Niners are going with 52 guys for now, but I’m sure someone else will be added shortly.
BREAKING NEWS: NaVorro Bowman has been signed to a 5 years, $48.5 million extension through the 2018 season.
Forty Niners Forever 
The eye-opening pass for me was the deep cross to Walker. It’s those kinds of plays that I don’t think Smith can make with regularity. But I think the Cappy test os over.
The Walker pas (and catch!!!) was a big time pressure throw, that and the flagged throw to Crabs were very telling in what this kid can do under intense pressure.
12th, the thing is if Brees doesn’t throw that pick to close out the 1st half, and instead drives for a FG (or even TD), the score is possibly 21-7 leading into the 2nd half, instead of 14 all.
Without the 1st pick 6, you likely don’t get the 2nd pick 6. So, it would have been an entirely different game.
Yeah agreed Chuck but the point I was making was that Kap did put the team in scoring position enough times to win the game offense to offense, Brees put up 21 and Kap would have put up 23 if the FG were made.
If we were down 21-7 at the half the play calling would have been far different in the second half but we are playing what if now.
It very well could happen, Twin. And it won’t surprise me at all.
The more I think about it, the more I think it’s the right move. Smith needed the week off to fully recover, and the Niners now know that they have an excellent backup in Colin Kaepernick.
The controversy can start next year, provided Smith kaaps up his stellar play.
*##!@# Hypocrite! Such blatant hypocrisy should not get a pass.
The mere mention of YAC associated with Alex brought the howls of banshees and curses of “liar” yet it’s first out of the holster in an attempt to blunt the efforts of the new sheriff.
From someone who imagines everyone is lying and conspiring against him you don’t do much to make your own case for impartiality by complaining about YAC now after trying to make it taboo in regards to Alex.
Really, pal? You denigrated Smith for his “air yards”. Colin’s were less than Alex’s average in the NO game. And I have no problem with that, idiot. He was effective, just as Smith was in the short passing game.
You’re dreaming or lying yet again if you say I was complaining about YAC.
Bad move to go back to Smith unless and until Kaep screws the pooch in a game.
If Smith starts and loses to say, STL, Harbaugh looks a fool and has two pissed off QBs and a whole bunch of pissed off fans.
I wouldn’t rule it out NF but it would certainly surprise me if he goes back to Alex now.
it would surprise me and make about 1,000 “experts” go postal if Smith was named the starting QB. It’s not easy to find many who think Alex should be the QB. I realize that Jimbo doesn’t give a shit about the reaction either way-in fact maybe he would make Smith the QB just to create even more controvsery, that’s how far off of Sanity Avenue he is right now. I mean, really; What’s your deal, Jimbo?
Yeah, either decision is going to have ramifications. The talk today in the locker room was one of backing Harbaugh, no matter what the call is. They all seem to realize that this is a strange situation, but one that is actually a good thing going forward. Seeing as St. Louis was the team to knock hinm out, maybe Smith gets his revenge.
Like Twin said, neither guy has done anything to lose the job, but someone will.
ESPN is going live at noon to the Niners press conference. Can’t believe Comcast Sports isn’t.
It’s a big national football story today.
ESPN has Jerry on now, he thinks Alex.
Colin it is . . .
Kaep to start for the Niners (just announced by Harbs)…
Kap starts
No surprise at all.
on balance no.
I’m a little surprised, but Colin IS the guy Harbaugh drafted. Smith knows the deal now. He’s not in their plans going forward.
The future is now.
Truly sucks for Smith. I guess he just wasn’t “elite” enough for old back stabbing Harbaugh. Unless Kaapernick gets hurt I guess that wraps his career in SF.
Jerry surmises Kap is looking down the road 7 weeks to playoffs and believes Harbs thinks the team has a better chance in the playoffs with Kap than Alex.
I agree.
On a human level that is a tough go for Alex.
Without Harbaugh, Alex Smith is likely out of football, or at best a backup somewhere.
Harbaugh resurrected his career, and this gives him a shot with another team going forward. Very possibly as a starter.
Totally agree. Smith should get a good, not great, multi-year deal with somebody in the offseason, one of the low on the totem pole squads that have dogmeat for QB right now. Alex will be an upgrade. Might we see him in a Cardinals uni next season? Without these two years of improvement under Harbaugh, Alex’s future in the NFL would have been much dimmer…
What is Alex’s average pass in the air, Twinfan?
If it was as much as your anti-Alex posts, it’d be about 4,250 yards per . . .
http://wp.advancednflstats.com/airYardsStats.php
That’s kind of what I expected to see. Alex is slightly above average of the starting QB.
So did you miss Kaep’s game stats on the same site you linked, or are you simply making up shit? You know, lying.
Twin compared Kap’s single NO game against Alex’s aggregate. He revised it after I asked specifics to include Kap’s aggregate which although is a small sample size verifies what we thought we were seeing, Kap throws further.
I noted Kap’s average after the Bear’s game,also.. There’s nothing yet to show that Kap will go downfield more than Smith. If the Air Yards site shows anyrhing, it’s that Smith, Manning, Brady, Rodgers, Brees are all “average:” QBs..you and Fear are sounding like real Size Queens, dearie..
Kap had an 11 AirYPA in the Bear game. Even a Room B drooler knows that was an outlier,since the leader among :”regular” starters is 4.6. His AirYPA against the Saints was 4.0. This is why I noted that we’ll have to see how it proceeds in the coming games. There’s nothing either way to show a definitive trend.
If there’s no trend there’s no outlier. Who’s the can’t-get-over-his-own-bias drooler?
Whatever, pal. What’s clear is that and 11 *is* a fucking outlier when 4.6 is the high among guys who have started all year. He’s had an 11 and a 4. pretty fucking obviously the 4 is a hell of a lot more likely to be closer to where it will end up. But amusing is how you avoid where Smith’s average stands. Fact is, mid to lows fours is what virtually of the top QBs average. But what’s bizarre is why you think it’s a criticism of Colin to point out that he was efficient against the Saints. The reigning MVP averages 3.8 AirYPA,
I really couldn’t care much less about it, pal. It’s just another stat. It’s only interesting to me that you put it out to tamp down Kaep’s stats after complaining so fiercely whenever it was mentioned in connection with Alex. Sheer hypocrisy.
If we are cherry picking I would think the Bills and Jets game did wonders for Alex’s air yds too with the difference being Kap’s big yds game came against the #1 defense in all of football. You are consistently trying to snipe at what little Kap has achieved Twin. There is a theme to your posts, even the positive ones such as they are have some loaded caveat to them, if Kap does well so does the team. Alex has had a resurrection under Harbaugh and when he leaves the team he will get a better payday because of Harbaugh and maybe a starting role too, no need to shed tears for his position.
It may be raining outside, but there’s sunshine in my heart. Goodbye Alex.
Good for you. The team doesn’t need fans like you. You were the drooling idiot that Harbaugh was referring to last week. The one that doesn’t care if they win or lose, only if Alex did poorly.
Thank you. It is good for me. I feel better now. And so should all Niner fans.