Last year, both the Jims and the Johns were denied entrance to the Super Bowl. Jim on a couple botched punt returns, and John on a late TD that was knocked out of the WRs hands, and the inimitable Billy (wrong way) Cundiff’s missed chip shot to send the game into overtime. This year both have made it to the doorstep once again. In fact 3 of the 4 teams in these conference champioinship games are the same. Only the Atlantas have crashed the party.
I’m of the mind that Atlanta won their super bowl last week. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat by parlaying a 31 yard punt return into a couple 25 yard passes to get into field goal range with 31 ticks left on the clock. Natty Ice WAS pretty natty on those 2 clutch passes, and Seattle even played it right by blitzing both plays. Still and all, I don’t think Atlanta is all that spectacular. Ryan was uneven at best last week, but he did hit big plays down field. Their run game, while decent, isn’t going to get too much against the Niners, now that Justin Smith, who was in 98% of the plays last week, is back in the saddle. He says he feels better, and didn’t suffer any setbacks with his injured arm. I think the Niners will rattle Natty more than the job they did against Rodgers last week. No running for Atlanta, and slowing their passing game equals short Atlanta drives.
Atlanta on the other hand offers a much different look defensively than the Packers. The Pack plays a lot of man-to-man. So this opened up the running lanes for Kaepernick when he couldn’t find a WR to throw to. Atlanta also did well to keep Russell Wilson fairly contained from breaking off any big runs. Stll and all, during crunch time, Seattle ran the ball tough, and Wilson made the throws to get Seattle ahead with little time left. Matty made one terrible throw that was easily picked off and aided in the comeback. As I’ve said, i think the Niners come out running. I think Mike Nolan comes out with his nickel package to start the game. If he does, the Niners will run up the middle. Pound it with Gore, and get LMJ to the edge with some screens and a sweep or 2. Our O line is on a roll, and we have been running pretty well recently.
If Teflon Mike comes out loading up the box, then it’s time to get VD involved. As well as Moss. Take some deep shots, and give Crabs his opportunities. I think the Niners can grind down Atlanta much as they ground down the Packers. I also like last week’s call. 31-17 Niners.
As far as the AFC game goes, I think Balt finally gets over the hump. Flacco had a good game against a tough Denver defense (even if Denver threw the game away late), while the Pats had a fairly easy time against the Houstons. Funny thing is, it would be pretty sweet to deny Tom Brady his 4th Super Bowl victory if the Niners beat them in the Super Bowl. If the team he grew up idolizing stopped him yet again in his attempt to tie Montana and Bradshaw for the Niners 6th Super Bowl title?
Epic. Then again, be careful what you wish for . . .
Forty Niners Forever 
Honestly Crabtree – I get that you were out partying after the win against the Packers but damn dude. Keep it in your shorts until after the Super Bowl. We need a dude who polices this team. Think about it – Aldon Smith has a DUI and stabbing. Crabtree now with sexual assault. Ray McDonald drives 100 mph while drinking. Dobbs is a mess. WTF? Where are the leaders on this team to put these young guys in check. Patrick? Willis needs to start coming down hard on guys. I don’t see Patrick as the type to come down hard on anyone in the locker. The minute he starts caring about his legacy enough Willis will. But until then someone outside the coaching staff needs come down hard on guys. This is bullshit. They need a players only meeting.
Agree
Brent Musburger still thinks Teo’s girlfriend is hot though!
University of Notre Dame administrators showed greater concern to the news that Manti Te’o’s girlfriend and her death were a hoax than when they learned a real student committed suicide 10 days after accusing a university football player of sexually assaulting her…
http://tinyurl.com/anek7va
University of Notre Dame Nittany Lions.
Hey Dennis,
How do you get a nun pregnant?
Dress her up as an Alter Boy..
Q: What’s the difference between a rabbi and a priest?
A: A rabbi cuts them off; A priest sucks them off.
Q: What’s the difference between a Catholic Priest and a zit?
A: Atleast a zit waits until you’re a teenager before it cums on your face.
Right, Twin, I heard about that and how Notre Dame is trying to deny everything and sweep it all under the rug. I think there was an SI article on that a few weeks ago.
I think the Jesuits did a better job of policing the activities of their students when they killed the basketball program back in the 70s because of the rape charges and other transgressions.
rape?
Your have your facts wrong. Notre Dame is not a Jesuit school.
They are under Congregation of the Holy Cross. Not Jesuits.
I believe he’s referring to USF, a Jesuit school, shutting down the basketball program-actually in 1982. The ” final straw” after a series of problems with the program, was when Quintin Dailey was accused of rape by a female student. The university’s president, John LoSchiavo shut down the program in July, 1982. Dailey died in 2010 at the age of 49 of hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
Ralph Barbieri still curses Fr. LoSchiavo’s name till this day. Then orders some Amici’s pizza. Then continues to sue KNBR for wrongful termination. Then tells another story about his Mazda Miata. Then I continue to bang my head against the wall again. And again. And again. And once more for good measure.
“He loves the boys in the choir,
They keep their souls pure.
But the tenor worries him…
So he must be the closest to him.
On his nightstand, quiet and wordless,
A picture of the Lord…
He slowly turns it around.
When the church clock strikes twice,
He folds his hands for prayer.
He has remained without a wife,
So he must love his neighbour.”
gross
Creepy, for sure. “Gross” are JOKES about pedophiles.Or about disturbed young men like Manti..
You see, pedophiles *are* creepy, there’s nothing funny about them. Well, not to most people.
The poem was from the Urban Dictionary in their “priest” definitions.
“A profession that has come to be associated with acts of sodomy and depravity towards children, as evidenced by the overwhelming spread of child molestation crimes among the Catholic church….the remaining population of clergy members who’re actually upright, honest and chaste (and find butt-fucking little boys at the altar as equally repugnant as any sensible human being would), are often overlooked in light of the ***depraved shits who’ve destroyed the church’s image simply because they couldn’t handle a demanding life of celibacy and control their own sick desires at once.”
(I’ve removed references to sexual orientation, as pedophilia is not a *gay* “disease”.
When a dude with the coin Crabtree has gets horny, he needs to buy a high class expensive hooker, get his nut, and then pay her to go away.
An interesting piece on Kap, at least I thought so.
http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2013/01/18/kaepernick-expected-to-cash-in/
He’s on his way. Even Zeke is Kaepernicking.
Maybe he did and he pissed her off. Golddiggers probably don’t throw good chances away. Or, maybe he’s just like a lot of people and takes what he wants. Hopefully, it will be like the Sandoval situation like Alleykat said earlier.
.
I gotta admit, I haven’t really checked out Atlanta all year, I know they have some good WR’s and Turner can be a monster but I never really thought Ryan was all that good. I do like the fact that Nolan is the DC and I think we can use that knowledge better agaist them that Nolan can use against us. I don’t think this is gonna be a cakewalk at all.
Damn. Earl Weaver and Stan Musial on the same day. I hope Yogi, and I’m paraphrasing, goes to their funerals or they won’t go to his.
RIP
http://espn.go.com/nfl/picks/_/week/3
http://www.nfl.com/playoffs/story/0ap1000000127665/article/championship-sunday-analysts-feel-good-about-patriots-49ers?icampaign=GC_news
Sando from NFC West ESPN on what SF learned from da Boids defense of SEA: Atl took away read option run from Wilson and focused on shutting down Lynch. Atl gave Wilson 358 yards passing = much to da TE Z Miller. So maybe VD and DW get a lot of work sez Sando here:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8851089
YEah, shoulda been clear. I was refferring to how USF handled their problems.
Well last weeks prediction was a total disaster!! So I know Jack about football!! Ran a football pool several years ago, talked a woman into playing, she picked her wins by the color of the teams uniform she liked, natch she won!! So with that said I will go with the red and gold 38 and the other team 21, then I will go with the red, white and blue 31 and the black birds 17. Dennis is it to early to start drinking at 10:00 AM during the pre game show?? Or do you just go with it is 5:00 o’clock somewhere?? Just wondering
If your truly Irish like me Kevin,there’s no wrong hour for drinking! Cheers!!!!
New thread it up
I gotta say the whole Micheal Crabtree thing is really ruining my pre game buzz. Maybe I shouldn’t let it. Hopefully it’s just a gold digger looking for either money or notoriety. Crabtree doesn’t appear to be the Mike Tyson type, but you never know. The bigger issue is it could have become a distraction in the locker room all week long. The best part of Walsh teams were they were fanatical. Each guy would run through walls to win a championship. Remember when Deion Sanders left for the Cowboys because he thought Rice was too uptight? I know Sanders didn’t play under Walsh, but the standard was still there long after Walsh left. As a fan, I enjoy the uptight warrior who can only think of one thing – Super Bowl rings. It appears, even if the 49ers win the Super Bowl, they aren’t at a place as a team that puts Super Bowls ahead of everything else. If the 49ers want to be a dynasty, they need to find Super Bowl fanatics that insure stuff like this doesn’t happen for the next ten years.
Well, getting one is a start. Willis, Gore, Bowman, Justin, VD, Boone, Staely, and a few others have the huevos to keep this rolling. The Jury’s out on Kappy, but, for a young player he looks pretty focussed and not overwhelmed by the extraneous bullshit.
I think J Smith should roll right into coaching after he hangs up his spikes.