SUNDAY WEATHER REPORT: 50º, 2 mph winds, 10% chance of rain
However these two guys managed to meet up, Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh face off against each other for the tenth time. They have become as entwined as peanut better and jelly. At least when the peanut butter hates the jelly. Carroll, born in San Francisco and raised in Larkspur, played college football at UOP and couldn’t make the grade in the USFL Honolulu Hawaiians. Harbaugh of course had a long and varied career as a successful QB at Michigan under (say it with me, Dennis) Bo Schembechler, and with the Bears, Colts, Ravens, and Chargers. Carroll took the long and winding coaching road, including stints with the Niners as their DC under George Seifert, and head coach of the Jets and Patriots, to varying amounts of success before becoming the head coach of the USC Spartans in 2000. Harbaugh spent a couple years with the Raiders as a QB coach before taking over that powerhouse of the Pioneer League, the USD Toreros. Success there got him the Stanford head coaching job in 2007, where he actively bugged Bill Walsh as much as he could to pick his coaching brain.
It was in the Pac-10 that the two first crossed paths. Carroll of course was king of college football, having won a couple national championships when Harbaugh came around. Harbaugh started the back-and-forth by saying Carroll would defect to the NFL in 2008, and blaming the news on an ‘insider’ at USC. Pete denied this, of course, and ended up coaching at USC 3 more years. Harbaugh also called USC the ‘best program in the country, and possibly the best college football team in history’ (sound familiar?). The fact Harbaugh beat USC as 28-27 as 41 point underdogs that year just added to the fun. Harbaugh lost in 2008, and then won the infamous ‘what’s your deal?’ game in 2009, 55-21, as Harbaugh went for 2 points on the last TD. Harbaugh’s record vs Pete was 2-1, having never lost in the LA Coliseum.
When various NCAA sanctions were about to castrate USC’s football program and take away Reggie Bush’s Heismann Trophy, Pete of course took off for the greener pastures of Seattle. Harbaugh meanwhile took Stanford to their greatest heights, and a #4 ranking as they defeated VA Tech in the Orangew Bowl. He interviewed for the NY Jets job in 2009, but they thankfully gave the job to Rex Ryan. Harbaugh then came to the Niners in 2011 as the Niners were looking to replace Aluminum Mike Singletary. In what was supposed to be a transition year in the wake of the lockout, and with little practice time, Harbaugh guided the Niners to a 13-3 record, validation for Alex Smith, and an opening day win over Seattle as Ted Ginn ran a KO and punt back for 2 TDs in the 4th quarter. They tacked on a win in Seattle later that season as the last time Seattle lost at home, until week 16 of this year at the hands of the AZ Cardinals. Harbaugh leads the NFL version of the rivalry 4-2.
Since then the teams have split their remaining skirmishes where the home teams have won. Seattle seems to hang their hat on the fact that they annihilated the 49ers in their house 42-13 and 29-3, while we squeaked our wins out at the Stick 13-6 and 19-17. All the while throwing fuel on the rivalry with Harbaugh calling the Seahawks cheaters for all their PED violations saying ‘if you have to cheat to win, then you’ve already lost.’ Brandon Browner said if he see Harbaugh he’d ‘wring his neck.’ Not so ironically, since that quote, Browner has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL for substance abuse violations among 5 other suspensions. Fuel for the ever-stoking fires. The players seem to be having fun with it at least. Anthony Dixon called Seattle the ‘She-Hawks,’ and KJ Wright responding with the ‘Forty-Whiners’ in a twitter battle earlier this year. Hearing a miked up NaVorro Bowman after the Niners win over Seattle this year, they meet on the field and Russell Wilson says “Great game. We love playing you guys.”
Truth be told, and this is the beauty of the rivalry, is there is real animosity between the two coaches and now the fans. The ’12th man’ banner flown above the Stick was matched by a billboard in Seattle showing 5 Super Bowl trophies. In a very short time, this has turned into one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports. The fact that the winner of this game becomes the NFC champion and thus reaches the Super Bowl makes the game even more significant and intense as these teams prepare for the game in Seattle. All in all, it should be a spectacular struggle between 2 very very good defenses and 2 smashmouth offenses.
Seattle can lay claim to winning the NFC West this year, but the NFC Champions will remain the San Francisco 49ers. Niners win 23-13. I think Russell Wilson has a bad day and commits a couple turnovers. Theusual clampdown by the defense keeps the score low.
Forty Niners Forever 
I wanna see if Harvin is going to play. The short time he was in there before getting clobbered last Saturday shows he really adds something to that Shawk offense. If he does play, I wouldn’t doubt if the Niner defense is going to target him for some special hitting attention…
Victory will cure everything. The past is irrelevant. The noise should be a non-factor. The weather who cares? Who likes who…..who gives a damn. Execution is everything. Show up and play. That’s all that matters.
Bleep!
Yeah, the 130 dB noise will be a non factor.
For the SHawks…
Niners are 4-2 over the Squawks just as you say Chuck, but to listen to all the Squawk fans and the pundits one would think the Niners have been the Squawks bitch. Don’t know about you guys but I’m tired of hearing it and I’m fairly sure the Niners will win this game.
Well, the hope is that these last 3 road victories give us some sense of how to get plays off in a hostile environment. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, but the truth is keeping Wilson in the pocket limits his effectiveness. This game will be won in the trenches. The Niners wore down Carolina, but I’d love to see a few early blitzes thrown in. Sea may be without Percy Harvin again, so they’ll be leaning on Marshawn Lynch yet again. KJ Wright is practicing in a limited fashion, so he could be back as well.
Rogers is the only one who may be MIA for the Niners, although I heard Bowman missed practice due to an illness. Not sure what the hell that means, but we’ll see.
I’m almost inclined to think this is our window to adjust to life without Carlos, Chuck.
I doubt he’ll be here when Camp opens this year.
We’ll see what happens later.
For now.
We have another game to win.
Yeah, I didn’t even think Carlos would be back this year. With Brown and Brock and a draft pick or 2 I think we’ll be ok without him
All about the $$$ Chuck.
With TBrock getting extended, Cox being brought back over Wright, it’s wide open in terms of how this gets settled.
I’d have my doubts about TBrown as well since he hasn’t re-upped.
Can’t bank on Culliver returning full strength immediately, from his ACL either.
Those injuries to WRs and DBs are often considered 2-yr injuries, due to the cutting, leaping and, start/stop demands of the position.
I’m expecting to see additions from the Draft at WR & DB.
Wouldn’t surprise me to see a pair of both either.
We have the Picks to experiment with and, those positions are deeper this year.
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Interesting. How do feel about capital punishment for trolls, son? I think your liver would go well with a nice Chianti.
I’ll be careful for brussells as well . . .
Chuck WP appears to be eating my replies?
With the Contract Carlos is carrying, he’s likely done.
TBrock got the extension over TBrown too.
Cox being brought back over Wright might suggest that Wright isn’t going to make an impact either.
Add the uncertainty of Cullivers’ ACL repair to the mix too.
Those injuries, to a guy that has to start/stop, leap and, change directions for a living, are often considered 2-yr injuries at his position.
I’m guessing Baalke will add new WR/DB options from the Draft also.
Might even see a pair at both positions, since we have additional Picks to experiment with.
Class is deep at both positions.
27-17 Niners. All on Colin and he’s gonna have a real good game. We’re in for a treat.
I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted to beat a team more than I want the NIners to beat Seattle this Sunday. I don’t have a real good feel about it but I certainly could see us winning this game. Agree with Snarkk, waiting to see Harvin’s status. I’d feel a whole lot better with them just going with the underwhelming Tate and Baldwin. Then you just focus up on containing #beastmode
Niners win 17-13 and I celebrate wildly.
I hear that. Let’s face it, we got plum handled the last two times up there, and barely beat them the last two times here. We CANNOT let them put a beat down on us. That would sow some seeds of doubt, ya gotta think. If they were to get plastered — again– how much confidence going up there would they have the next go round?
That said, I don’t see that happening. See my prediction below.
Please whatever you nitwits do don’t buy pleated Dickies at Walmart! This will offend the wife! She will go on the radio and complain to a couple of gay guys about your attire. Only in SF!
Yeah, Nippy. I thought Dennis was the only one who could pleat your dickie.
Flav, it will likely be determined by turnovers. AZ got away with 4 turnovers and won. In Seattle. We won’t be able to do that, obviously. But NO shot themselves in the foot with the early fumble. It took them the rest off the game to almost make that up. If not for Colston’s huge brain fart, they may have tied that game.
One of your best threads yet, chuck.
Given the injury to Crabs early, and our young QB still learning the game, I feel this has been a successful year in the face of adversity, even if this is as far as we get. But I would dearly love to beat Seattle in their own sty and win number six.
I agree Grump but much like beer I want more.
I usually have a good feel about how games will go but for this one I can honestly say I don’t have a fucking clue. It really could go either way. But the hot hand who plays well on the road in the playoffs almost always wins out, and right now that’s SF, so I’ll go with SF 24-21.
As for that *other* game, I hope they both lose but I’ll go with Donkeys over Cheaters 35-30.
Right Sham. They should just declare the Sea/SF game as the Super Bowl and make the AFC championship the consolation round. I guess I’d rather see the Niners destroy Manning than anything else.
If we make it, that is.I am absolutely rooting for a Niner/Denver SUper Bowl. THere’s nothing I like more than reminding my friends in Denver that we own their asses in the Super Bowl….
Yeah, another 55-10 game would be quite nice. To make it even better, Kappy throws 7 TDs to break Young’s 6 and Montana’s 5 records.
Chuck says IF WE MAKE IT. what kind of talk is that?? of course we are going to make it, Niners 20 – Hawks 13
There. I fixed it.
Ya pussy!
Hah! Fuck, Can’t wait for this game to actually start.
I think the only way the Niners lose this game is turnovers. They can’t TO more than once, twice tops. Innocuous ones, if any. No fumbles on their own 10 or crap like that. They haven’t re-signed Kyle Williams, have they?…