Well, that was one of the craziest games I’ve ever seen. Saw a game years ago when it was Joe Montana vs Dan Fouts at the Stick years ago. Both teams went up and down the field all day. Defenses left gasping for air as 2 high-powered offenses had their way. San Diego had the ball last, and thus won 41-38. Fantastic game even if it wasn’t a Niner win.
Yesterday’s game? Even more wild. The difference being this game was a tale of 2 halfs. In the 1st half, the Niners played well, but wasted a bunch of scoring opportunities and still went into the locker room with a 17-3 lead. The 2nd half saw the Niners strike quick;y for 14 more points, then Tom Brady led a ferocious comeback a 31-3 deficit to tie the game late in the 4th quarter, only to lose in the end.
The 1st drive was an impressive march down the field in 6 plays, capped by a 24 yard strike to Randy Moss. The D played outstanding in the 1st half (1 first down, 113 yards for NE). Carlos Rogers picked Brady on a deep ball, and nearly scored, only to have Walker fumble away the opportunity. Next drive, on 4th and 10, Goldson took the snap on a fake punt for a 31 yard gain, only to see David (sayonara) Akers miss a 39 yard FG. Another turnover (a Bowman strip) deep in NE territory was followed by a botched snap (one of 5) on 4th and 1 from the NE 25. Kappy then led the Niners on 2 scoring drives to close out the half. A deep sideline route to Walker for a 34 yard score, and a 6 minute drive ending in a FG to close the half. A great job of keeping Brady on the sideline, but the Niners left at least 20 points off the board.
3rd quarter? The Niners came out very aggressive again, as Kappy took a deep shot to Moss that was picked off. He didn’t see the weak-side safety, and he took a real deep drop. The pass was short and easily picked. On the ensuing drive, Donte Whitner laid the wood on Steven Ridley, and the fumble was returned by Goldson to the 6. On another botched exchange by Goodwin and Kappy, Gore picked up the fumble and ran it in for a 24-7 lead. Aldon Smith (who was in Brady’s face all 1st half) intercepted a tipped pass, and Kappy took advantage on the next play, throwing a strike down the middle, splitting 2 defenders for a 27 yard Crabman TD. The route was on. 31-7.
Then it wasn’t. No gory details, but the Niners went into deep shell mode, and the offense went a little conservative. It took the Pats 4 drives (35 plays for 320 yards for NE compared to 10 plays/20 yards for the Niners) to tie the score. trhen came the biggest play of the game. LMJ, who had a good day spelling Gore, returned the ensuing kickoff 62 yards to the NE 38. It took one play, an allouit blitz by NE that Kappy read, and found his secondary reciever, Crabs, who stepped around the corner and YACed his was to the go-ahead TD. Even though the drive took tllittle time and gave the defense little rest, it really pumped up the team, and the defense did enough to slow the Brady onslaught. The Niners forced a turnover on downs as NE went for it on 4th and 1 on their own 12. A strange call as NE had 2 timeouts and the 2 minute warning. This led to a chip-shit FG. NE added a FG of their own as Delanie Walker recovered the onsides kick with little problem.
Say what you will about the NE comeback and stagnation of the offense for those 3 drives, this is a huge win for the Forty Niners. NE hadn’t lost a December game at home in years, and they were the hottest team in the league. The Niners overcame their own mistakes and the ferocious comeback by future Hall of Famer Tom Brady to win on the road in the freezing rain against the defending AFC champions. Kappy’s numbers look small when compared to Brady’s, but Tom Terrific threw 2 picks to one TD on 36 of 65 for a whopping 443 yards, as NE outgained SF 520 to 383. Kappy threw 4 TDs and 1 pick on 14 for 25, 216 yards.
Forty Niners Forever 
LMJ kickoff return saved the Niners bacon.That was huge,the turning point and death knell for the Pats.He doesnt make that play and their back on the 20 or less.They would have been screwed.NE had all the momentum after tying it up.LMJ,CRABS,AND KAP made them pay!!!!
I’ll try to make this clear: how they do in the postseason is the ONLY benchmark for the switch, It’s the reason for it- period. There’s no question they’ve considered Kap the future QB but Harbaugh made the switch for the now- and failure in the playoffs while the veteran and #3 rated QB sits on the bench makes the switch a total failure.
“While the win reaffirmed the 49ers’ status as a Super Bowl front-runner, this debate won’t be completely resolved until the ball is snapped in January.” THAT is the end of the discussion, my friends.
“And for this team, success is defined as a trip to the Super Bowl, at the very least.”
“Harbaugh’s wild gamble could cost the franchise its best shot at a Super Bowl in decades.Which all circles back to this: Harbaugh didn’t have to switch QBs, but he did it, anyway.”
“The coach went all in when he didnt have to. He could have checked, even check-raised, but he pushed all his chips in because despite the fact that he didnt have to do it, he did it anyway”
There are scores more- but the bottom line is the same and will remain the bottom line until the last snap of the postseason and our fate is decided. Kap has been spectactular often- and he’s also made errors that for the grace of Lombo, the God of the Pigskin, would have cost two games besides the one we lost to the Rams.
Keep hoping, Mike.
PS. You are full of shit.
I think you’ve been imbibing some of Philco’s drippings.
I’m not hoping for anything but a Super Bowl, and Harbaugh’s decision likely will cost us the shot.
Outside of thge Bay Area blogs, the consensus is clear- the wisdom of the decision rides our playoff success or lack thereof. Maybe you’re too stupid to get this but if you really think Harbaugh won’t face serious second guessing if Smith sits while the team loses. you’re fucking delusional. How Alex performed in last year’s postseason is totally valid in the decsion and is why the decision is wrongo.
I believe these are twin drippings
Twin, you absolve the entire team and coaching staff of having any impact on the playoff games at the imperative to pin whatever happens on Colin Kaepernick. You are as looney as Dennis on this point. So, you blame the 4-1 record on Kappy? Fine.
HE beat Chicago at home, and the Pats and NO on the road. No mean feat.
If they stumble in the playoffs with Kappy throwing 5 picks and losing 2 fumbles, so be it. It doesn’t change the fact that Kappy is winning big games in hostile conditions.
Alex Smith didn’t lose the NFC Championship game last year. The team did. Did hs play his part? Sure. But so did KW, Anthony Dixon, and everyone else.
Last night was a lot of fun to watch. This weekend, when I was in Reno, I placed a wager on the 49ers to win the Super Bowl. $50 to win $150. I wouldn’t have done that without Kaep at the helm.
Several things occurred to me last night. First and foremost, I think now, with Kaep, the 49ers can pass to set up the run. When they do that with Kaep defenses BELIEVE them. It’s one thing to come out throwing with a lesser qb, it’s another thing entirely to actually have the defense on its heals with the defensive coordinator scrambling to defend the pass. Now, if we face the Giants, Perry Fewell will actually have to defend the pass, taking one or even two guys out of the box to defend the pass. I’m not sure that I like the Pistol, two back formation, though. I understand that Kaep will need some time to get comfortable under center, and I don’t think that’s a quick fix. I think Kaep needs to work on taking snaps from under center this off season. So, until then, Roman, Harbaugh and especially Fangio are trying to find a way to win with Kaep from the gun, and I think that’s why the 49ers are running the Pistol with two backs. It’s interesting. In a perfect world, Kaep would run more of the offense under center – calling running plays and more conventional passing plays off play action. But because Kaep can’t make that adjustment this season, we get the pistol, and it does take a little away from our offense. Can you imagine Kaep under center, with all the running plays Smith had at his disposal the last year and a half? Sweeps? Guards and even tackles pulling? Then play action? The 49ers’ offense would dominate, scoring 40 pts per game.
Next year the 49ers need to either draft another wide receiver in the first round, or then need to find another corner. Culliver, Brown and Rogers are good, but they aren’t great. Give this team a shut down qb, and the 49ers are unstoppable. And who knows about Jenkins next year?
I didn’t like the 49ers going zone and running the ball in the 3rd and 4th quarters. I understand it. You have a young qb with a three or even four score lead and you want to run out the clock, but hopefully Harbaugh, Roman and Fangio learning something with Kaep in big games. Sure, Kaep can score quickly, but maybe the trio can actually trust Kaep to keep the pedal to the metal in the third and fourth quarters. The Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl by getting the lead and then mercilessly going after Brady. I didn’t see that killer instinct with Harbaugh last night, but then again, Kaep isn’t Eli…….. yet.
The 49ers can win the Super Bowl with Kaep as long as they stay healthy. Next man up is a great thing. Ricky filled in for Justin. Leonard for Iupati. But if players like Justin, Kaep, Willis, Goldson, Whitner, Aldon, Gore or Rogers go down, the Super Bowl run is in jeopardy.
Here’s to hoping the 49ers stay healthy, and Harbaugh continues to learn what Kaep can and can’t do. And when they assess what Kaep can’t do, here’s to hoping they continue to stay aggressive and creative.
I’m not worried about the second seed. The 49ers are going to the playoffs, and they can beat anyone. And the most important thing – Kaep has played well consistently. He’s beaten the Dolphins, Bears, Patriots and played well against the Rams. Kaep can and will play great in the playoffs…. consistently.
alright then, lets hope the Niners don’t go into run mode against Seattle. with that said on ESPN, Mike and Mike chose Denver as going to the SB for the AFC and they were torn between Green Bay and SF from the NFC. this was based solely on yeasterdays performance. I am thinking Atlanta is looking pretty good too. Still a long road to the SB. don’t go concervative now, air it out, often!! use the run sparingly.
I was fairly surprised to the Chron grade out Niner coaching with the pic of the guy clapping and falling out of his chair. What game was that guy watching?
The flip side is the growing number of dunderheads at this blog who seem to think Harbaugh is a terrible coach and responsible for all of these losses. Except wait a minute, they aren’t losses they are WINS–on the road against arguably the best team in the AFC.
JH is obviously far from perfect but it’s surprising that he receives so much vitriol from a fan base that claims to have been starved all these post-Montana/Young years for winning football….
The 49ers could have probably gone conservative on EITHER offense or defense and won comfortably last night.
By doing BOTH, at the same time, they enabled a total momentum shift with something like 25 minutes left in the game. As they learned, that is not wise against a QB of Brady’s caliber.
We were lucky as Alley said to get that timely KO return from James. Without that play, and the subsequent TD catch and run from Kap to Crabs, the blogosphere would be looking a lot different this morning.
Jimbo: This ain’t the Big Ten, and you ain’t Bo Schembechler. This is the NFL, and you go for the throat until the other team physically has insufficient time and no hope.
This sudden blame on game coaching coincides with the QB switch. We WERE lucky, as spectacular as he’s been at times, for the second time the team survived a Kap error that that would have resulted in a loss but for good fortune.
‘as San Francisco guard Alex Boone said: “Am I worried about him in those situations? Not anymore.” ‘
You’ll jump on, too, sooner or later Twin.
“He was poised, nothing fazed him, and the guys on their team rally around him,” Patriots Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. “He’s a good leader … a good leader.”
Earth to Twin…
Try to pay attention: Smith was 39-50 5 TD 1 Int when he “lost” his job. Kap has NOT been better. He’s been very good, I’ve only posted that a few dozen times. Of course the team is backing Kap, they fucking should back him. Just as they’d back Tolzien or anybody else. Just as they backed Alex. They fucking better back the QB or find work elsewhere. Now make notes this time: IT’S ABOUT THE PLAYOFFS. THIS YEAR.
Earth to RT: call home.
Drip drip drip
We all know $400K minimum salary athletes in one of the most competitive sports in the world always back their coaches and QBs.
When they are winning and the winning formula involves a hot young QB you can bet your ass they do.
And yes, Harbaugh made the switch because he thinks Kappy offers the team a better chance in the playoffs. He has to live with that call, right or wrong.
But if you lay a loss at the feet of Kaepernick should they lose, then you need to blame Alex Smith for losing the NFC Championship game last year. He and only he was the reason the Niners didn’t move on to the Super Bowl.
You really haven’t paying attention as I instructed you to, Chuckles- it’s been very specifically said that Smith’s play against the NYG is what prompted the move. Others- including many of your crew, are among those who have blamed him for that loss, global warming, the fiscal crisis, and last night’s dinner. So fuck off with the BS that *I* have to blame him.
What I *do* say is that Jimbo is the one blaming Smith, so Jimbo’s guy has to do better. Got it ?
You do know that an Alex led NFL team has never scored 40 points on the road. Kap’s team has done that twice in 5 games.
RT: you have be the most fact challenged guy here. The Niners have done that once in Kap’s 5 games.
But I like the idea- make up facts. You have more?
In case you didn’t notice, Twin, when the offense stalled, it wasn’t because of Kappy’s mistakes, it was because the Niners played it very safe with the football. Sure, his mistakes could have been costly, but they weren’t. Woulda coulda shoulda. Wah wah wah.
Again, how do you compare how Smith would have done in a hostile environment in the rain? Maybe Mr. Tiny Hands fumbles 8 times and throws 3 picks.
I’ve called out the coaching for, oh, about 46 years now. I won’t stop now. They treaded a dangerous line going that soft after scoring the 31st point. Especially on defense. That is a bigger concern, because NE had done NOTHING up to that decision to play the deep shell defense. 4 NE drives, and 320 yards later, we were tied.
You’re a hoot. Smith is 19-5 in games he started and finished yet you act like, gosh, we have just *no* idea how he might do.
Kap did make errors that led to the comeback- three straight drives at the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th quarter- 3 and out, 4 and out, 3 and out. He went back to pass SIX times on those :”drives”. That’s conservative? He took a terrible sack (-13) and completed 2 two passes for 12 yards, neither for a first down.
Plus he fumbled 4 times that Harbaugh acknowledged were his fault, and the the the pick in the end zone. You can say none of this hurt us but only a moron or Denny (same thing ) could say that his mistakes shouldn’t be a HUGE concern looking to the postseason.
Isn’t Alex Smith an NFL backup now?
More attention should be paid to the Belicheat decision to go for it on his own 12 with 2+ minutes to go and some timeouts in hand, in fumblicious conditions, and an SF offense that was in 3 and out mode. I get both sides of the argument. It was a curious decision, but ballsy. Which is a characteristic most NFL coaches lack…
Twin, I don’t care what others say here. That’s their prerogative.
Quantify ‘better.’ What metrics do you prefer?
QBR – 104.1 to 101.4 to Smith
ESPN’s QBR – 79.47 to 70.07 Kappy
Guess that’s a wash.
A “wash” doesn’t justify switching, dumbago.
You are right and I am wrong, Twin. Kappy’s only done it once.
You are think I care? Yeah, but I’ve been wrong before.
Have you been watching the film? This team is fired up.
If Frank is healthy, it’s him in Seattle (oops I gave away the gameplan).
Snarkk, I thought it was dumb at the time, and I thought it was dumb this morning when I wrote my thread. I wonder what they are saying in Boston?