The Santa Rosa Press Democrat just posted my dad’s Tuesday column, so I’m linking it because I’m a good son and it’s a good column. We drove down to Santa Clara together this morning and my dad asked Harbaugh a series of questions 15 minutes into the press conference.
He wrote his column on his interaction with the head coach. To read the column, click here.
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…..”In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep.”
oneniner talking about sheep…
The comeback possibilities are endless, but I shall refrain.
…why refrain now?….please help ur self…….you know its never personal with me…..
Shut up Jim .I have old uncles missing fingers because of factory work in the 60′s..others with Parkinsons because of field work and pesticides . So shut your goddamn mouth as you cash that 7million dollar a year paycheck.
You were doing pretty well there for awhile. Now you’re back to freaking me out.
YOU. MUST. RELAX.
I might have been a little heavy handed on that on…
“…heavy handed…”
No pun intended? :P
Oh Stan… just trying to be ironical? Of course you know that LC brought up the subject… not JH? You little imp you… just keeping up your curmudgeonly persona huh?
When an ex athlete is busted up and living on a pension..you feel for the guy. Other days..that multi million dollar contract and top medical care..
Stan, sounds like your family is the poster family of why kids should go to college. Thanks for sharing.
Not only did we,I even worked at a University and a local Museum..and at a bio lab. How about you?
Yep-education is good.
Didn’t eminem write a song about you?
I uh,would edit it a bit if I could-lol.
Yeah, maybe just a little.
Hey,I know I’m the nicest guy here..and I will beat the hell out of anybody who says I ain’t!
Game is on KNBR right now. Replay.
Alrighty then, Stan…
I know we love the hard, just-the-facts-ma’am stories but I love the little bits and pieces of these guys behind the scenes, too. Fascinating to get a little glimpse in to their worlds.
This is good stuff, Grant. Tell your dad this is one fan (amongst many, I’m sure) that appreciated the column.
..that replay is spectacular…nobody seems to have more fun and passion than Ted Robinson…such a pleasure
At first I thought he might be too bland or Vanilla for Football, boy was I wrong, Like a fine wine or Vanilla Bean where each bite is a taste of heaven!
When Joe Starkey retired I wondered if anyone could take his place, Ted Robinson is doing a great job. His signature, “Touchdown 49ers” rings through the streets of SF on gameday.
He is good, but nobody can take the place of Lon.
Lon was great but Ted and Eric are fun to have, The anouncers for the Giants and Ninners are great to have!
Great article…was captured by each and every word. Well done LC.
Loved Pop’s article about JH’s pinkie. That is what it’s all about. Trophies, plaques, rings – it’s the scars and limps that are there everyday testifying to what you gave to the game you love. At best we fans just have epic hangovers to show the price we paid. GO NINERS.
Jim Harbaugh says ” That’s why it’s the greatest team game that’s ever been invented. It’s both sides. It’s all sides. It’s every player.”
That’s why we will win the superbowl this year, because we are the complete team!
From the days of leather helmets, no face masks, broken noses, concussions, bad knees and hyper extended elbows and fingers I understand the scars of the game. In the day they were scars of honor and in old age you wonder why you didn’t play tennis instead of football. But I can tell when a rain storm is coming.
Great article. Thanks for the link and thanks to your pops for writing it.
let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!!!! home field advantage!!!
Normally Lowell’s columns do don’t do much for me–style, attitude, the whole enchilada. I thought this might be the article where he acknowledges Harbaugh has more football knowledge in his pinky than Lowell has period. Not so. And yet, I found myself thinking this was his best piece of the year–perhaps his best in years. Nicely done. Thanks for the repost, Grant.
Antrelle Rolle of the Giants felt like talking: ““We wouldn’t say we’re unstoppable, but our mindset is extreme at this point. We’re not going to be denied. . . . I might be a little biased, but in our minds, we can’t be beat.”
The Saints thought the same thing before last weekend. I hope they keep talking.
Rolle is saying his team cannot be denied, it is unstoppable. A few weeks ago they were 7-7, did he say they were unstoppable then? The Saints were the real contenders. The NY media and the Giants say that they are peaking and they have a plan. In the immortal words of Mike Tyson, “Everybody has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth”.
@Andrew
A month ago or so, the Giants were going to fire their HC (or at least the NY media wanted that).
The Giants had to win the last week of the season to even be in the playoffs.
Hardly sounds like a team that dominated all year long.
I believe when the Giants were struggling Rolle said they’d get into the playoffs.
Great Point, So who sends the message by specatuclar hit? Whitner, Dashon, Bowman , Cow boy Smith or Willis? fun to have these great players!
Yes, Antrelle Rolle and the Giants are supremely confident (not sure if he is the one who also said “yes, we absolutely expect to win this game” heard it on the radio, but didn’t catch who was talking). They’re all talking about how they’re going to whoop us..
Let them talk. Because this game won’t be won with words. They won’t know what hit them on Sunday!!!
What I feel confidant about is Coach Harbaugh will have our team ready for action on the field -the rest is just jive!
Totally agree, hightop!
Heh… Talk is just words. Looks like Antrel is positively Rex–ish for shooting his mouth and getting it wrong.
“It’s something else when Antrel Rolle makes similar proclamations; his track record in such endeavors is far from spotless. In fact, it’s pretty embarrassing.
The Redskins somehow managed to sweep the Giants this season and following their Week 1 win, Rolle went on the radio and said, “As a team and organization we know that the Washington Redskins are not a better team than us. We know that. Hands down. If we played them 100 times they might win five.”
Washington would win again when the two teams met 14 weeks later. ”
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/34437137
Well, you don’t expect them to say they’re going to lose, do you?
On the other hand, the more they talk, the more pissed off the 49ers will be on Sunday.
@ex
I remember Jason Taylor being asked to reply about an opponent saying something along the lines of”We’ll beat them (Jason’s team).”
Jasons response was:
“What else would they say? That they’re going to lose?”
One of my favorite player quotes ever!
Wet the balls, drench the fields and make them practice in it. I worry about fumbles in this game. We need to play fundlemental football. The run game will be huge this weekend.
I’d also like to see a zone blitz or two, let’s confuse Eli.
Don’t hate Stan, its not liked JH didn’t bust his but to get where he is, some r just more fortunate.
Even SFO got into the spirit! Great sign! Lmao.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/san-francisco-airport-sign-mocks-saints-quotes-jay-z;_ylt=AkMdLRQl0gWrrzIa2vZbRx1DubYF?urn=nfl,wp16426
Joe Montana’s medical insurance costs over $100,000 per year, and that does not include health coverage for football related injuries . (Press Democrat)
The hidden health costs to pro football must be enormous, at least according to some actuaries study.
The average life expectancy for NFL players is 55 years. (Sally Jenkins, Washington Post)
The majority of NFL players don’t have the headline grabbing high dollar contracts. Many wind of broke and broken. It’s brutal stuff.
I’m wondering what to do about concussions. Maybe the old leather helmets and (non-plastic) pads are safer because they don’t encourage players to turn themselves into 300 flying hard-plastic bullets. Or maybe protective gear padded both inside and outside of the shell. (Saw a high school game once where helmets had thick padded exteriors. Players looked like Q-tips with legs.)
There was a Bills player in the 80′s or 90′s that had a padded helmet but his name escapes me.
Our guy Steve Wallace wore one back in the day too. It was called a Pro-Cap or something like that. They tried to get Steve Young to wear one but he refused and said he’d retire first. :P
You’re thinking of Mark Kelso, I think.
Steve Wallace with the mushroom hat: http://www.helmethut.com/DrDelrye/Dr102808a.jpg
Adam,
That thing looks really bad! Lol! I remembered it, but I didn’t recall it ever being so beat up. That thing is ugly.
I know, huh? It looks like a rusty old Gremlin! :P
Mark Kelso….aka the Kazoo!
Brodie2Washinton,
I hear what you’re saying. Fewer and fewer parents are allowing their kids to play football. If I had sons, I would do everything I could to convince them to not play football. The cost is just too high.
That is exactly why they are altering the rules so much, they don’t want to deal with the P.R. nightmare of somebody dying on the field. The players are so much bigger, stronger and faster than they were even 20 years ago. They act like they care about the players health, but it’s all about money. The players are just as bad. Many still wear older style helmets in addition no hip, thigh or knee pads. Many don’t wear mouth guards. They lie about their concussions and injuries in order to keep the money flowing in. The crazy thing is it all equalizes itself. The ex-players started suing the league over concussions because they were broke and it forced the league to adopt much more stringent in game standards. Now many players admit to lying about be concussed because the monetary gain outweighs the future in their minds. I included a link to an article that gives some good insight to this issue from a players perspective.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7388074/nfl-players-say-hiding-concussions-option
They played a clip from this on KNBR this morning and I laughed so hard I almost cried.
If you want to see how our team gets along – check this out (it’s from November, but still worth watching -these two could do comedy during the off season :-)
http://www.nfl.com/videos/san-francisco-49ers/09000d5d82465340/Vernon-Davis-Joe-Staley-sing-a-capella
Uh oh. Cosell on Alex Smith: http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2012/01/17/cosell-talks-alex-smith/
Haven’t read it yet. Not sure I want to if it’s bad. Can’t do negative this week.
OK, wading in to it now just a bit.
“Based on my 16 game study of Smith this season, in which I had evaluated every throw he made, in all situations, I did not believe Smith would make those throws. Against the Saints, he did.”
So far, so good. :P
@Adam
I just remember him after the first game just bashing AS. After we won!
Then after Philly, he could not even look at the camera. I loved it!
He finishes with “For the first time in his career the burden of playoff victory was placed on Alex Smith, and he was outstanding.”
Well, yeah. What else was Cosell going to say?
Actually it was very complimentary. Interesting.
This was pretty gushing actually:
“Smith pulled the trigger before Davis ran by the underneath defender, linebacker Scott Shanle. He threw to a spot based on precise timing. It was as good as it gets. The catch was great, but the throw was special. A heartbeat later, and the winning touchdown does not happen. It was that close. It was the throw that should be celebrated.”
@Adam
Eric Davis also said that.
On the radio, you culd hear him cheer when AS cocked his arm back before the ball was even in the air.
It was an amazing throw.
Yeah, I heard him in the background say something like, “he’s got it.” Sounded like Eric could see it developing before Smith threw it.
It was cool to hear Eric going nuts on that. That’s one thing I really appreciate our retired players – they’re still loyal to the team and get excited as fans.
^about our retired players*
Adam,
Eric Davis was on Chronicle Live last night talking about that play. You are correct, he said he saw the coverage and knew where it was going before the snap.
@Adam
I also like that about E. Davis.
I like him a lot more than B Paris. He had a hate of AS that was not too unlike some here.
But Davis has been much more understanding and even keel… judging AS. Much like yourself.
Maybe you should apply to KNBR and CSN to take his job. lol
Replay is on NFL Net tonight. I’m excited to see it! Good grief, what am I going to do in the off-season? That other league still playing?
Bubba drives me crazy. I’ve tried to watch that Channel 2 show with Ibanez and Fonzi but Bubba totally ruins it. His voice drives me up a freakin wall. Big ol’ two ton truck should not have a Cooper Mini horn!
Just an fyi fellas. Eric Davis was rough on Alex Smith for more than half the season. As Alex’s play improved Eric was more complimentary. Same thing with Cosell. Alex got ripped and deservedly so. That’s what pisses me off about a group of Alex followers in this room. Too easy to give credit based on faith. Never ripped him when his play deserved it.
Alex is stepping up and it warrants praise and compliments NOW. And people like Cosell, Eric Davis and the entire football community are starting to take notice.
It was a COMPLETE joke to listen to some of you guys try to discredit an NFL expert all season long because he would rip on a QB that had a several bad games. To Alex’s credit, he didn’t make excuses like you apologists did. He understood he had to play better and to his credit… HE DID. Maybe the most exciting 4th Quarter I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m proud as hell of Alex and ALL my 49ers….
Bay, come on dude that is a crock!
The problems with those so-called experts is they too easily wanted to put ALL of the blame on AS and too little on the former HC’s and their limited OC’s (0utside of McCarthy and Turner). ED very seldom ridiculed MS and his lack of X’s and O’s. He wished to ignore any HC weakness and blamed AS from the get go often calling him a coach killer. It was the opposite – MS was not HC material.
Opponents this year and other NFL players (QB’s especially) have alluded to the fact that having 7 OC’s is very difficult and near impossible to be successful given the situation (see Bradford).
AS was a winner at the HS and college level before being draft by the 9ers. His draft analysis stated he would be ideal for the WCO with his leadership abilities and athleticism.
So it works both ways. An example is the anti-AS guys that discredited Tollner, Dilfer, Gruden, Gannon, JH and even the great JM (see video on CSNBA). They all thought AS could win in the NFL given a good (coaching) situation plus some play makers on offense.
Now with a good HC (offense oriented) AS is starting to shine and is up to playing at a very high level. What a wild exciting game that is equal to 1981. This year’s 9er are very impressive and having brought back the 9er magic their style.
BAFan…
no no no, you still don’t get it!
Cosell ripped Alex ad nauseum, but Eric Davis did not! he said what most of us rational people were thinking, which was that Alex was succeeding at the limited aspects of QBing that he was being asked to, but that only when the coaching staff asked more of him would we really know if he was capable.
Cosell said Alex wasn’t capable, like others on here, maybe even you.
Davis said that without proper coaching or given the green light, it would be impossible to accurately assess Alex.
Be straight with your arguments. You know better than to lump Davis with Cosell.
The difference between the Haters and the Smithers is that only the Smithers understood that the Two Mikes were 99% responsible for the failings of Smith. There was no other rational explanation, and to say otherwise is to ignore mountains of evidence showing that successful QBs (both 49ers & otherwise) are born from good coaching. Face reality. You still sound like a Hater. Harbaugh would smite thee.
@bay:
Sorry, but you still don’t get it.
There was very little about Alex’s play this season that deserved “ripping.” He and the rest of the offense learned a completely new offensive system on the fly and managed to pull off a 13-3 record while doing it. That was an impressive accomplishment. Some people grasped it for what it was at the time and realized that even better things would come as the team grew into the offense.
Of course, because you were unable to comprehend what was happening at the time, you did silly things like assess Smith’s play by the quarter and stomp you feet for fantasy football statistics. And now, instead of acknowledging that some people may have figured this out before you did, you dismiss those who did so by claiming they were mere Alex followers “[t]oo easy to give credit based on faith.” I guess taking that position is easier than admitting you were slow on the uptake.
I’m all for the reigning peace and love on the site, but you don’t post something provocative like you just did if you aren’t looking for a fight.
The “apologists” now include people from around the league who are finally waking up to the new reality that Smith wasn’t as bad as they thought he was.
The early mock draft guys (including NFL Network) are already talking about “adding weapons and protection around Alex,” drafting receivers, maybe a back, and a guard, etc.
Alexcuses my @ss.
Sorry, but that old dog won’t hunt anymore. We still don’t know what Smith’s ceiling is (like the guys on ESPN radio were talking about earlier) but we know it’s definitely not where some thought it was.
Smith is capable of good games, he’s receptive to coaching, he looks sharp, he’s smart, hard worker, etc. Can’t ask for much more than that.
C’mon Bay, lets do our part to keep the peace….the team is doing so well and we’re in the hunt for our 6th Lombardi – times are good!!
I don’t really care if people want to take their anger out on Cosell, Davis, or any other expert who thought Alex was flawed. At least they weren’t directing it at one of us PD 49er fan blogging junkies who were former Smith doubters :-)
@49erGirl:
With all due respect, neither bay nor his bff jordan was merely a “doubter.” They had no doubts about Alex Smith. They were smugly certain that Smith sucked, that he would never be a good QB, and that the 49ers could not succeed with him as QB. Anyone who disagreed was ridiculed and dismissed as an irrational Alex Smith lover who let emotion cloud his/her judgment.
And, in light of the fact that Saturday’s performance proved him conclusively wrong, bay’s 3 PM post was nothing less than a big f#ck you to those same people. Coming at a time when everyone is enjoying the biggest 49er victory in 10-15 years, it was a dick move.
@claude
If you are right in your assessment of bay’s 3Pm post, and you often are right (but don’t let that get you a big head) then that is why I don’t bother reading his posts at all. It’s like going swimming on a beach with dead carcasses lying the beach and shark fins which are visible from land. Sure you might not be attacked, but if you are…there were plenty of warning signs near.
I agree. This is an amazing week. Skip all the fights between other bloggers and just enjoy you time.
http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/niners-talk/post/49ers-legends-turn-spotlight-on-2011-tea?blockID=629504&feedID=5884
Bay..see above..Would be interested in your response to this observation from a guy named Joe, who knows a little about playing QB. He uses the same ‘Alexcuses’ that have been posted by us Smithers here for several years. The real ‘joke’ is the fact that the anti-Alex crowd “experts” refuse to atleast acknowledge these FACTS have drastically held back Smith’s development as an NFL QB. I doubt Joe was just sticking up for a fellow QB? The whole point from most of us Smithers has been: give the guy a decent system w/a good OC and get him some playmaker wideouts like all the other elite QBs have that you want to compare him to and then let’s see what he can do. Now with that being said , the off season this year will seem way too long because watching this offense and Alex next year should pretty damn exciting , building on what they’ve learned this year. Can’t wait to see the continued improvement.
Can you imagine if people who loved Joe but hate Alex actually watched this and listened to what Joe’s saying? What happens then? Are minds changed or Joe is totally off his rocker?
“Your offense sucks. It’s 3rd and 8, I’m looking at the video and I can’t find anyone for him to throw it to. What’s he supposed to do?”
No kidding.
“My 9er brother from another mother”
No kidding! lol
To quote Bill Murry in Ghostbuters: “human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria….” LOL
@Adam
I saw that interview live before the season began.
Man, you are right. How can some defend JM as an immortal God, and ignore his speech regarding
AS? Hopefully they will tune in and see/hear it from the almighty one himself.
my end game was AS making this offense his own…….
i still believe it will take until the middle of next year before this occurs…..and he has done enough this year to warrant giving him that opportunity…..
it is a nice story……
and it will be interesting how the off season works out with those 2o or so 1 year contracts coming due…..
carlos rodgers has improved a bit more this 2nd half of the season….i am more impressed with that over the top tip away on the NO rcvr than i had been on his interceptions in general….
defense did so many things int he midddle of that game to keep the saints from exploding past the niners….and that carlos play was one of them
Adam one more game man, one more and we are in the dance.
Two more games and we’re at the After Party :-)
Yeah I kinda wonder if I’ll be more relieved that we got to the Superbowl or that we won it and I can breathe now. :P
Yes Niner girl, but we need an invitation first and this weekend we going to earn it.
Big Niner – yep, I’m not overlooking the Giants…or the Ravens, or the Patriots. It’s going to be freakin’ brutal for whichever team brings home the Lombardi. With the four teams that are left, three of them have top tier defenses, and the other is one of the best offenses in the NFL (and arguably one of the best coaches of all time). Competition left will be stiff no matter who we face.
But just the thought that we could actually win this thing this year is pretty amazing considering where some anticpated we would be when the season started. New HC, lame duck QB waiting for the heir apparent to be groomed, banged up old RB with hip issues, swiss cheese offensive line, suspect secondary, with no off season and no time to learn the new offensive/defensive systems. How on earth did we even manage to win more than 3 games with all that going on??!!!
Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself trying to plan the after party. This has been such an amzaing ride this season – and something tells me Alex just might be headed for more rides when he books his trip to Disneyland on February 5th :-)
I dun know. 5-0 record in the super bowl is what I would worry about more. To get that far and not close the deal would devastate me. We may not have 6 yet. But I can always brag about the perfect record. The stress builds every game. I am a laker fan so I’ve been through the stress lately, but there is NO team bigger than my niners in my heart. I don’t know if I could take it. It would probably feel like losing a girlfriend. Fellas might have to take me to a scrip club or something lol
@big niner
No.
Don’t look at it like getting to the dance is the goal.
Dancing with the best looking girl alone on the dance floor is. lol
Don’t look at it like getting to the dance is the goal. Dancing with the best looking girl alone on the dance floor is.
Is it? I would think that taking the best looking girl home after the dance would be the goal.
Now that I think of it, it would be even better to leave the dance early and go home with her. Shouldn’t that be the goal? To take her home early?
To have sex. I mean, that’s the whole reason you are taking her home, right? To have sex with her? That’s the real goal, isn’t it?
Actually, do you even have to take her home to have sex? Your car has a back seat, right? And aren’t there secluded spots near the dance? Perhaps a darkened room with with a lock on the door?
So, it’s settled then. Having sex with the best looking girl at the dance – either in the back of your car, or in the janitor’s closet – that’s the goal.
C’mon Claude… some of us do have daughters. LOL
@Claude
I was trying to keep it rated G.
But if you want, why not just have sex with her right on the dance floor then? Along with an advance in diaper boxes to deal with the consequences of the long drawn out 15 seconds of bliss. lol
Janitor closet? She might think something else that is wood and long commonly found in janitor closets is better than what you have.
And have you ever done it in a closet? If she is all-that then I want plenty of lights. Too cramped. : )
I read that Mike Nolan was hired by Atlanta as their DC.
Hats off to him, he tried hard as our HC. He may have been in over his head, but effort wasn’t the reason he failed.
Some people make GREAT coordinators, but don’t have what it takes at the next level i.e. Norv Turner.
I wish him well except when he’s facing the Niners, or an Atlanta win is detrimental to the Niners season.
Norv Turner still has a HC job though.
Norv turner is the reason it took this long for AS to blossom. Had he not left, his career could have been different and that was Nolan’s mistake for hiring someone that wasn’t all in, as a niner coach.
I compare it to courting a girl, taking her virginity and never calling her back…..Not that I’ve ever done that..
@big niner
I don’t know if I would phrase it like that, but I definitely agree that AS is a lot better with Norv here than he was without him (Pre JH).
“…but effort wasn’t the reason he failed.”
It was the suit and the ugly tie.
I agree 100 percent. I thought Nolan was a good dc and sing was a great lb coach. Their stays here were like the kids with long hair walking in late to a test without a number 2. Thank god for harbaugh
@ninermd
I agree with you on Nolan, but Sing is not a good coach period.
The Viking LB’s revolted against him, and McC had to convince MS that PW was good.
Mike Nolan threw his QB under the bus. Not cool.
He did, however, at least try to look dignified on the sidelines. I can’t believe the NFL is so shortsighted as to not allow the coaches to wear suits if they want. No… they have to wear Reebok ‘hoodies’ or some crap. They make zillions, I’m sure they can afford to not be given money to force their coaches to wear exercise clothing while coaching a game. Good grief, that’s always stuck in my craw! It feels so good to get it off my chest finally! I’m ranting! I need to sleep!
no one comes to this blog to get linked to lowell cohn! I want to hear what you have to say! man up, boy!
On Monday, in the wake of the 49ers’ 36-32 thriller over New Orleans, John Madden said: “That’s the best game I’ve ever watched. It had everything in it. Great plays, and great plays when they were needed to win.”
From Inman: http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2012/01/17/maddenmariucci-bocce-not-yet-maddenmariucci-talk-49ers-and-playoffs/
Gotta say, I miss Madden and Summerall calling Niner games on CBS/FOX. That would make the ’81 scenario complete.
All it was missing was his boyfriend favre. He and pat were good, but they were also a hex on my beloved niners.
Speaking of ED he is coming up on NFL network now…
ED still not calling it correctly…says he doesn’t know why AS is doing so well this year versus other years!??? Jeez! Expert? Hmmm.
Hof … remember that’s coming from a defensive perspective… you know that same perspective that caused the problem to begin with. LOL
61, that’s true. I respect ED as a former 9er player but couldn’t disagree with him more. lol
Don’t know about you but what I like seeing from the 80′s – 90′s Niners like ED, is the excitement they’re showing about this teams success. Now they’re getting to see as fans, what we saw as fans when Walsh took over.
6 years with what I’d say was the worst o-line play over that span in the entire league is probably a good place to start, ED. When you’re done there, start looking at the offensive coaching, or lack thereof, for that same time period.
I tell ya who I’m happy for is Alex’s family. What a nightmare for them the last several years. Let’s be honest, some of our fans are a-holes, some are just ignorant but still…
From SI:
As fans hooted and hollered and rocked the stadium after Smith’s touchdown pass to Davis, his third TD throw of the day, Pam and Doug and a small group of family friends looked at one another through tear-filled eyes in a section behind the 49ers’ bench. “It was very emotional,” Pam would say that evening. “We were all going crazy, but in the back of our minds was everything Alex had been through over the years. All the talk that he can’t carry the team or can’t make the big plays. It’s one thing to come back once in the final minutes against a team as good as the Saints and Drew Brees. But to do it twice? On that stage? With that type of pressure? There were truly tears of joy. The contrast with previous years was fresh in our minds.”
When the family gathered after the game, another toast was in order—and moving on had new meaning. Smith and the 49ers were headed to the title game, the Super Bowl in their sights.
Come on. Adam. Let it go dude. Think of it as Alex getting jumped into the gang. Gotta earn your striped round here. And he is finally doing that. Now if fans are still giving him crap you would have a point. But his play along with ownership was garbage before. As far as smiths toughness and loyalty. I’d def go into a gang fight with him. He’s got skin like leather chaps. :-)
@ninermd
I only blamed ownership really for firing Mooch and hiring Erikson.
The Nolan hire was not all bad. He did attract my fav JS over here, so he gets bonus points for that. It was just that he didn’t know offense at all, and thought he did. His successor didn’t know offense, or that modern phones have cameras.
AS’s toughness is, as JH mentions all the time, amazing. Imagine what happens when the OL consistently blocks for him. He can display that toughness running 20 yards for TD’s rather than just getting smashed when he is sacked.
Two more games would really make this story a great one.
Yes sir. I was picturing Willis and Crabtree “the two quiet ones” after the champaign bath. Maybe cutting loose a little. It’s GOING to be nice!
Excellent read on SI – thanks LC for the link!
Hey Lowell,
It looks to me that you have come 360 degrees around on Alex.
Me too.
I was thinking-to improve football? Make a FG only worth two points. Encourage teams to go for it more often on fourth.
Great idea.
???????????
Less Akkers,more TDs. I want to see the teams go the final 40 yards-dont you?
And no point in chiding Lowell-or anybody- on Alex’s success. It could just as easily be gone next year. I really doubt it will..but could happen. ..An injury too…
Bayarea, you like Cossell said that the one quality Alex lacked was accuracy. Well the two game winning drives Alex made accurate throws in pressure packed situation. Accuracy is and never can be measured in my estimation.
The one thing that this room always believed in was that Alex was a winner and he could perform
at an elite level in the right situation. He is doing
that now. We didn’t have blind faith, it’s called
seeing the situation for what it was, 7 coordinators in 7 years. This year he had no excuses and has proven he can win under good coaching. That’s not an Alexcuses anymore as evidence shows.
@Prime
Did you notice the deep passes near the sidelines that were perfectly thrown?
Gives credence to the idea that AS was told to not risk the Int (and thus safely throw it out of bounds) and that he was always able to make the throw when it mattered. (Last game against St. Louis that throw to MC near the sideline as well).
So, when it really matters, AS is accurate with deep passes down the sideline.
Can you imagine if Eli got hurt in the first series to where he could not return to the game because of something like concussion? I don’t wish pain on players but the way the Niners hit it’s possible. The fans that chanted last year for Carr would get there wish. Yeah a year later and with different team but they still get what they wanted.
Hi Larry.
A gem.
Thanks for posting that.
ME that would be the essence of irony if Carr came in. I unlike you do wish that we do inflict pain on Eli and knock him out.
Yeah your right lets take his head off.
It seems anytime Amad Brooks hits anybody behind the line of scrimmage he pancakes them.
He is another one who I feel has had a great silent year, much like TB.
I just want to say Alex Smith is the best QB the Niner’s have had in the last 7 years. disclaimer.”if anyone takes this seriously go see a therapist now” GO AS and Niners, lets beat these ” NEW YORKERS”
Annihilate them!
@Neal
If one is happy and productive and not harming a soul, then why should they see a therapist who will make them mad and angry and make you want to hurt those they love?
If one is happy and not harming anybody else in their actions/words then let them be. What good comes of destroying their belief if it makes them a less pleasant person?
@DS,
Thanks for giving me a headache with that long winded explanation. Your a entertaining and confusing person who should never walk into a therapist office, that being said I hope I recover by Sunday, anyway I’ve got to watch me Sharks, love Hockey and Football the same, I am a equal opportunist.
@neal
Would it help you any if I made up a story and told you I did once go see a therapist, and they too told me not to come back since I seemed perfectly fine?
And my long winded answers go for at least 1 page. That was barely 1/5 of a page. lol
You can blame the old establishment of education which made people write in handwriting 2 page reports. When your handwriting is about 1/2 the size of most, then that makes you write 2x as much.
And in your short time here, you have yet to see one of my truly off the wall confusing posts. Ask Adam
@DS,
I have been to therapist several times and now I am solid as a Rock. You are confusing, me I am perfect except my grammar sucks.
@Neal
Did your therapist encourage you to think you’re perfect, or was that the issue you were going to see the therapist for? lol
And, to counter your self confidence statement with one of my own:
The only time you are right Neal is when you agree with me. : – )
@DS,
haha I may not be right but I am never wrong and you are right but you are a confusing fellow. They have wonderful drugs to get you fixed.”
@neal
:- )
So, if we took those drugs, would the combination result in somebody who is simple minded (not confusing) and wrong?
Simple and wrong like Nick Cage’s escaped convict buddies in the movie “Raising Arizona”.
@Raising DS,
If I read any more of your confusion, going to need a bottle of Advil and strong coffee.
You couldn’t write anything good about the Niners play, for 14 weeks, as they were having their best season in many. You predicted the Niners would fail; and you said the Raiders had better coaching and a better D-line, and never re-visited those comments.
Now you want on the bandwagon? Sorry dude! No room for you.
@Mark
Who are you referring to here?