“I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.” God bless Robert Johson for that song all those years ago. Selling your soul for rock & roll fame, for the woman you love, or even being a successful football coach, the crossroads are upon the San Francisco 49ers.
This Miami game looms pretty large in the success of the 2012 football season. This is the last home game til the end of the season, and the Niners cannot afford to lose this game. Miami is a decent enough team, but they are travelling across country and they are 5-7. Lose this one, and they could very easily lose the next 2 roadies in New England and Seattle. Neither are easy games by any stretch of the imagination. Go 0-3 heading into the last home game vs AZ would be a nasty set of circumstances, but even still, 9-6-1 would likely get them the wildcard. Go 2-2 and the Niners likely win the division, unless Seattle runs the table, but they could lose the bye week. So, the Niners HAVE to take Miami and the Cards at home to have a realistic shot at keeping the division in play.
Seattle has AZ, SF & StL at home and Buffalo on the road. A very easy schedule for them. Run the table, and 11-5 could very well win the division. There is Buffalo however. Seattle has been pretty woeful on the road til their recent Chicago win, and the weather in Buff is always an iffy proposition. The Niners would have to go 3-1 to stay ahead of them, win the division, and keep the #2 seed in play.
The good news for the #2 seed is both Chicago and Green Bay both have tough remaining schedules. GB has Det and Tenn at home, and Chi and Minn on the road. Chi has it even worse. They have Minn, AZ, and Det on the road, and Green Bay at home.
Of course the driving force of the team right now is the QB decision. Harbaugh put all his eggs in Kappy’s basket. At least as of now. If the Niners win the Miami game, then the pressure is off, or at least brought down a few notches. Lose this game, and the QB situation will become a full-blown controversy. Harbaugh will be 2nd-guessed over the switch mid-stream, and due to injury to boot, and it could very well fracture the locker room. I’m sure a lot of players were stunned by the switch. I was because it really left Harbaugh little wiggle room. That being said, if Kappy has a lousy game and the Niners lose, I have no doubt Harbaugh will go back to Alex Smith.
The ramifications of going back to Smith would be many. Sure, Kappy is the future, but would this delay the future? Would the Niners ride Alex to the playoffs, possibly to a Super Bowl win, and keep him? Sure they would. If so, does that mean Kappy’s on the block? Would he stand for a benching for another year to bide his time? What then? 2 years on the pine?
If Harbaugh sticks with Kappy, and they go one and done in the playoffs, would he lose the team because of the Smith benching? Next season could be a sea change if the players bail on his college rah rah style, which would then ring hollow due to how he bailed on the most important position on the team. Guys like Gore, Staley, and VD could very well set the tone in the locker room as one being against Harbauh for blowing their last good shot. Justin Smith as well. The vets on the team could turn on Harbaugh, thus resulting in another coaching change. The year three curse of recent 49er coaches.
The beauty of all this is, win the next game, and a lot of this angst and worry goes away. Lose, and the sceptre of doom would begin to rise in the east.
Forty Niners Forever 
http://walterfootball.com/draftwonderlic.php
Look at question #5. Remember you have 14 seconds you answer each question.
Yeah, that’s how I evaluate QBs.
Like I said, go back to the play calling in the Chicago game, pass on 1st and 2nd downs and use the run sparingly, the Niners should win this game. But IMO Harbaugh is now playing to make it to the playoffs, he is not playing to win the division. He will call plays that will get the Niners the lead and then go run and conservative play calling and rely on the Defense to win. I just don’t see the Niners going to the SB with the kind of inconsistant play calling that JH does. Since the Chicago game JH as been reigning in Colin and his passing, except when neccessary. Like I said, might as well be Alex out there. Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war. That’s what needs to happen.
Look at question #5. Remember, it is 50 questions in 720 seconds.
You have 14.4 seconds per question.
I evaluate QBs with this.
Not.
http://walterfootball.com/draftwonderlic.php
oh and just to prove my point. SF 17 – Miami -9
Ok Irish. while youse and the gang are getting a snooze tonight I consolidate all dese
27-6 for me.
Chuck,are you censoring me, or is it the Internet here at the moment? Either way, I apologize for the triple post if it goes through. I was just attempting to complete my argument.
http://walterfootball.com/draftwonderlic.php
Question #5 and remember you only have 14.4 seconds to answer.
Piece of horse stuff if you ask me. Horse stuff is the stuff that comes out at the other end after you feed them hay or grain or fruit. That you have to clean out after if you want good horses.
JMO
Kevin, the thing about Chicago is they play strictly man defense. Much easier to dissect than the zones StL plays. Besides the fact Kappy wasn’t getting much time, I’d think he struggled with the reads. Iain;t sure of this, but that’s what it seemed like.
NoFear, you looked at this game with the All 22 deal? I’d really like to know what StL was doing in their defensive backfield. 2 deep zones? Over/under with 4 DBs? Nickel? All I saw was the CBs way off the line.
Yep. CK won’t see anything but a variety of zones until he can figure em out.
24-10, Niners Jenkins and James don’t get on the field. Kap has 2 TD passes and a pick. Akers makes a field goal w/o the game on the line. Huzzah. There are no pitch plays.
I didn’t see the Rams game, so I can’t really comment much on it. Except from what I’ve read, and a couple of highlights. Seems to me, if they’re playing Kap, then play him. Don’t call plays that don’t use his talents. Gore went 20+ carries with something under 3 yards per. Huh? Apparently the play calling was conservative when it shouldn’t have been and was stoopidly risky when it shouldn’t have been (seriously, a pitch to Ginn? — that just SOUNDS wrong on several levels, evenmoreso near your own endzone). Hey Harbs and Roman, let’s match the game plan to the QBs skills some more, otherwise, might as well play Alex and cut down the mistake potential…
That’s what it looked like, Snarkk.
The safety Kappy got was a blown call, because the throw did reach the LOS, even though it was OB. And the pitch? A bad call executed very badly.
Intentional grounding will not be called when a passer, while out of the pocket and facing an imminent loss of yardage, throws a pass that lands at or beyond the line of scrimmage, even if no offensive player(s) have a realistic chance to catch the ball (including if the ball lands out of bounds over the sideline or end line).
Chuck, I haven’t seen the coaches film for the entire game yet but some plays in each quarter I think.
Struck me as basically man under, two and three deep zone coverage. Lots of different pre-snap looks but settling into two or three deep zone.
Finnegan was changed up quite a bit. Sometimes manned on Davis or Walker.
The corners played mostly off coverage out of respect for our running game IMO. Press corners are pretty useless in support of runs between the tackles.
They sent five or more often and our line offered little resistance depending on Kaep’s much heralded escapability I guess.
Posted this on Skeebs a minute ago. Just so Chuck knows that I don’t take sides between you.
E.J. Manuel from Florida State with one of the thirds. Great future backup QB who doesn’t think he’s the backup.
Trent Richardson with the other ones. Get him and the Niner offense grows immensively overnight.
Gonna have to give up a lot of picks.
My serious fuckup. He’s on the Browns. I’ll try again tomorrow to find a RB.
Joseph Randle of Okie State. Probably 2nd-3rd round. Leaves lots of room for line depth.
Good night fellas.
Do we need to draft a RB? Gore looks to have another season in him at lighter duty. Hunter probably takes the majority snaps next year. LMJ develops as the change of pace guy and Dixon for ST and as a backup. Miller is doing sterling work at FB.
Not seeing the need for RB particularly.
We need D line depth, secondary depth, and a center, and even a WR or 2 before RB.
Love the Robert Johnson version, Bergs.
I’m partial to the Clapton version but hearing the original is really cool! I think that was from 1936.
They were just showing Muddy Waters inviting the Stones to play with him from 1981 on KVIE . . .
Pretty cool stuff.
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rolling-stones-checkerboard-lounge-review/
Time fer some scoring predictions since folks are talking about our chances VS da Fish:
Chuck: 28-10 Niners. Another defensive beat-down. Kappy hits his passes. Gore gets going.
Phil: 31-17 Niners. With a game plan to take advantage of Kap’s talents downfield, some good runs by LaMichael James and 2 sacks by Aldon
Flavor: 38-10 Niners. We eat Miami alive: 38-10 (tied/same w/ twinfan who called first. Ties are okay just ask the Niners))
Twinfan: 38-10 Niners. Well, I *seriously* predict a win. A big one. 38-10 Niners. Miami’s defense is actually so-so at best-20th overall. 27th against the pass. They do rush the passer pretty well and QBR is a mediocre 82.3 against them but they give up a lot of yards. Big game for Colin and Jimbo.
Irish Kevin: 17-9 Niners. …Go back to the play calling in the Chicago game, pass on 1st and 2nd downs and use the run sparingly, the Niners should win this game. But IMO Harbaugh is now playing to make it to the playoffs, he is not playing to win the division. He will call plays that will get the Niners the lead and then go run and conservative play calling and rely on the Defense to win. I just don’t see the Niners going to the SB with the kind of inconsistent play calling that JH does. Since the Chicago game JH as been reigning in Colin and his passing, except when necessary. Like I said, might as well be Alex out there. Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war. That’s what needs to happen…oh and just to prove my point. SF 17 – Miami -9
rtfirefly says: 27-6 Niners for me
barleyfreak: 24-10, Niners Jenkins and James don’t get on the field. Kap has 2 TD passes and a pick. Akers makes a field goal w/o the game on the line. Huzzah. There are no pitch plays. CK won’t see anything but a variety of zones until he can figure em out.
Step right this way an make yer calls people. We’re at the Crossroads, we’re on the brink, sun gonna come up or will the sceptre of doom begin to rise in the east?