Nothing like the words ‘Alex Smith’ to light up the bloggolands. Our hardly, strictly bluegrass quarterback, Young Sir Alex, makes his return to his old stomping grounds (well not really) to the team (anyway) where he suffered some painful seasons, recaptured his mojo, and was then concussed to a back-up role. All through no doing of his own (insert incendiary posts below). He returns, leading the 2-2 KC Chiefs against the 2-2 49ers. Both teams coming off impressive wins against tough opponents. Smith’s Chiefs ran roughshod over the NE Patriots, who appear to be juuust a little bit past their expiration date. The Niners of course pitched a defensive shutout, yet still nearly found a way to lose to the Eagles.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a dark and stormy might. Call me Uncachuck. The Alex Smith drama has been played out over and over, so I’ll just say, thanks for the picks, KC. For the Niners at least, we have a team searching for an offensive identity. They have played well in stretches, but have yet to put anything resembling a complete game together. The new offense isn’t blocking well enough to unwrap their shiny new WRs in Brandon Lloyd and Stevie Wonder. They have made plays, but there still isn’t a deep game to speak of. VD is likely at least hurting and may not provide much, but these other guys need to step up. Carrier has waltzed past VMcD on the TE depth chart and has made a couple tough catches.
Our defense looked a lot more cohesive than in recent games. The DBs especially played very well against a fast Philly team. Bringing in Aaron Lynch in place of Corey Lemonier seemed to light a fire under the defense. They were in the Philly backfield all day, and forced a lot of bad passes from Nick Foles. That being said, Philly was starting 4 backups on their O line, so I’m not sure if the same pressure will be there. KC has a similar underneath passing offense to Philly, so we match up well with them. The defense should continue to shine in this game.
KC? Stop Charles. Pressure Alex. Game over.
Forty Niners Forever 
NoFear, did they find the rat when Singletary was on the outs? No. But it was obvious someone in the front office was leaking info about the locker room. The big difference is that Singletary was hopelessly unprepared to be a head coach. Beyond the rah rah, there was no substance. Harbaugh is in a much different situation, being a winning coach and all, but it appears the front office is using the same tactics.
If ANY of this was coming from the players, you’d think the local scribes, who are in contact with these guys just about every day, would be the ones writing about this. The heat is coming from the national guys. Which means what? This is coming from somewhere higher up. Deion himself said his info came from a suit.
When he said that, the alarm bells went off in my head that this is a smear campaign.
You don’t think front offices undermine their HCs? Jimmy Johnson ring a bell? Walsh himself was undone by his owner. And these guys were HUGELY successful. Parcells in Dallas, Shanny by Snyder, the list goes on for days.
The scenario Jed has put forth is that Harbaugh wins it all this year or he’s gone. Sewing a little doubt during the season just greases the skids some. The whole trade deal made the front office look retarded. They took one up the ass for that move. Think Harbaugh appreciated hearing that? All it does is fuel his fire to get the hell out of here.
This may galvanize the troops, or the team is heading for disaster. Wherever this shit is coming from, it’s just one of way too many distractions thus far this year. It may not be hard to fire the HC as you say, NoFear, but if we’ve learned anything from this offseason, it’s that Jed pays attention to social media and tries to gauge the perceptions of the fanbase. The whole deal around Aldon Smith is key to this play.
Jed came out and said there was ‘little chance’ the Niners would pick up Smith’s 5th year option. He had about a month to stew on the decision, however. About 90% of the comments anywhere in the blogoland was, “Sign him. No harm, no foul. If he fucks up again, cut him. If he doesn’t, you get the best 49er pass rusher this side of Charles Haley.” Plus you get the caveat of looking like the team who stuck by their player when things were down and he needed help.
The disinformation coming out of the front office is the ploy they used against Sing, and they are floating it now if this season goes south.
Chuck, that is questionable info from a questionable source. Hard to rely on it enough to build a case on it. Just as likely it is completely fabricated.
Dilfer says the locker room atmosphere is toxic and then says no he meant the offense and then he said no it wasn’t what he meant at all. In fact he knows nothing. He just wants in on the face time.
It sounds like a lot of horseshit to me. And Deion and the NFL should be sued for defamation of Harbaugh and damage to the team’s reputation and therefore marketability.
The whole idea of repeating un-sourced and un-founded rumors and accusations is the lowest form of tabloid journalism and Deion Sanders is a guy who needs to be in the spotlight and is not above creating one to shine on him.
Singeltary went from a highly regarded coach to a coaching failure almost overnight due to the ever-silly whims of the fans and the stupidity of Jed York to listen to them.
If you put a dog behind the wheel of a car is it the dog’s fault if the car crashes?
They quit looking for the rat because Singletary was fired and the story lost its hot air.
Excellent take from Eric Allen on ESPN on Harbaugh. I don’t have a link. My allegiance goes with Harbaugh.
Well, that’s my point NoFear. You just repeated what I said.
Either the front office is coming up with this shit to make Harbaugh look bad in case they decide to can him in the future, or the NFL (through its fucking network) is out-and-out lying about this. To what end would the NFL concoct this? They are pissed at Anquan Boldin for talking shit about the refs? They don’t like our brand of physical football? They don’t like Harbaugh’s antics?
We are finding out this season just how dirty the NFL is, but using their network arm to undermine a head coach from a successful team seems heavy-handed, even for these guys. To create this much bullshit from nothing is far-fetched. Which is why I think this is coming from inside 4949 Centennial Blvd.
Singletary went from being a highly regarded coach to a joke by his own actions. I was all for his benching VD and some of the changes he made, but the pants deal, the wild-eyed sideline antics, the benching and replacing of his QBs every other day, and just the overall shittiness of the team after 2.5 seasons led to his dismissal. He, and Nolan before him, had the team at the edge of being good. Both failed when the time came.
“I want winners!”
You wanna see something! I just dropped my pants!
You think it’s a tinfoil hat conspiracy. I don’t.
Why would you think it’s coming from the NFL? That’s like thinking they were behind Aldon Smith’s misdeeds. NFL Network hires loose cannons and they won’t do anything to shut them up if it garners interest unless the complaints grow louder or weigh heavier.
As far as Jed or the FO being the source, that’s a little like cutting off your nose to spite your face isn’t it? If it’s some flunkie intern Deion-worshiping Seahawks fan, well I could buy that.
Because Deion Sanders WORKS for the NFL.
Sanders is glomming on to reports (mainly from Ian Rappaport, another NFL employee) that don’t seem to be coming from the locker room. Otherwise, guys like Tim Kawakami would have been all over this shit 2 months ago. There hasn’t been a peep from the local media.
If it isn’t from the NFL Network, or it isn’t from the team, then what’s left? Aliens?
Shit, dude. You are the king of tin foil hat conspiracies. This is right you your alley.
Remain calm and just follow this “soldier’s” instructions. No reason to panic. No one is coming to get us. Remain calm! I repeat. Stay cool and in control.
The Ducks are coming! Quack!
NoFear: Think Ukraine. Unca, you’ve got to put it into military terms for NoFear. Why is Russia continuing to fuck with Ukraine? Because it’s in Russia’s best interest to keep Ukraine unstable. It’s the same with Jed York and Jim Harbaugh. At the end of the year, when Harbaugh leaves (for whatever reason) fans will be exhausted by the circus that the NFL Network has been creating around Harbaugh. After the 49er loss to the Bears, it was the NFL Network reporting the “lost locker room” story, then Harbaugh cuts LMJ. After the Philly win, Uncle Tom Sanders, again from the NFL Network, starts in on the 49ers UNDOUBTEDLY at the behest of Jed York. The owners control the NFL Network. These stories are coming from the NFL Network with the permission of Jed York. And if I’m wrong, why hasn’t Jed York stepped-up and tried to minimize the damage? NJ49er couldn’t be more full of crap, offering that owners don’t respond to team issues like this. I’ll tell you why York hasn’t responded – it’s because he’s orchestrating it. Like Ukraine, it’s in Jed York’s interest to keep Jim Harbaugh unstable because doing so means when Harbaugh leaves, 49er fans aren’t as upset and the monetary backlash isn’t as great. Like Ukraine, it’s about money. The strategy is to get 49er fans tired of the circus that some believe(d) Jim Harbaugh will have caused.
If I’m wrong, answer me this: Why has the story been consistently broken or pushed by the NFL Network? Why hasn’t ESPN (or any of the local writers) been all over this story? Why has the story only been pushed these last few months only by The NFL Network, and again, why hasn’t Jed York said anything publically? It’s because this is a smear campaign against Harbaugh because Harbaugh won’t play ball Jed York’s way. Ed Warner offered this morning that it’s over money. I think it’s over front office control. If it’s over money, Jed York is even a bigger idiot that I thought. If it’s just a money issue, and York lets Harbaugh walk over money, I’ll bitch slap Jed York. But either way, my allegiance goes with Harbaugh.
I don’t give a damn about any of these guys. Just win baby! Oh damn am I getting the Raiders in this? Just don’t stink baby!
Lets all get some Harbaugh pants. Lets have a commitment to Khaki! I’m driving down to Walmart today.
Spitty as good as that sounds, and I don’t dispute the fact that someone in the HQ is floating this shit, Jed isn’t going to hit the airwaves to address every bullshit tweet or misguided interview that hits the world. He’d be putting out 10 fires a day.
Jerry Jones is the only guy that enjoys that process. He’s an attention whore whose motto is any pub is good. Doing blow off hookers asses in bathrooms? Strippers suing me? Cool! I’m a happening guy! Ain’t I fun? Like he’s trying to out-eightball Johnny Eightball.
Trent Dildo jumped on the story, Spitty, but was silenced by Steve Young. He was trying to be a hot-shit insider, but was chastised and he backpedalled like a mofo on Monday Night Football after the game.
In other words, ESPN tried to wangle in on the fun, but couldn’t. Their own guys (Steve Young and Ray Lewis) shut them down.
Giants take the first one from the Nats! WOOT!
Ray’s case was sent to the DA’s office. Since the organization has the stance that due process must play out I hope they reject the case and the 9ers don’t end up looking foolish and the team keeps a good player.
I don’t buy this “Jed York is undermining his coach and team” for a second, it’s horseshit.
He’s undermining the coach, NOT the team.
Same thing. You belive undermining the successful HC doesn’t affect the team? Its nonsense.
Everyone here denies it, but where is it coming from? The NFL is behind this?
I sure don’t think Deion and Co come up with this shit out of the blue.
I agree with you, Chuck. But I don’t agree with you that the owner doesn’t make announcements regarding this kind of thing. Jed York is a tweetting fool.
tweet!
For my money it comes from some players and likely some suits too (there are more than Jed and Baalke wearing them)
Harbaugh rubs some the wrong way, any shock in that?
Conspiracy theories of NFL et al, or Jed per se are a bit ridiculous.
The mans a head coach, getting rid of him is cake.
You know the only HC worse than Jim Harbaugh?
It’s David Shaw at Stanford. And I’ve been an Indians/Cardinals/Cardinal fan all my life.
Must be something in the water down on The Farm. Pathetic ideology.
And so help me motherfucking Christ. If the Niners replace Bo Schembechler Jr.™ with David Shaw? Well, let’s just say that my mallards are going to enjoy more of my free time. I won’t watch that shit.
The Giants score 1 with 2 outs in the 9th to tie, then score 1 in the 18th. 2-0 Giants! Their postgame winning streak now stands at 9!