ATLANTA – The 49ers beat the Falcons 28-24. The 49ers are going to the Super Bowl. Here are the grades for Colin Kaepernick.
Quarterbacks: A. The Falcons forced him to stay in the pocket and beat them with his arm, and that’s what he did.
From the second quarter on, Kaepernick completed 15-of-18 passes (83 percent) for 232 yards. That’s 12.9 yards per attempt. That’s astronomical.
He was flagged for one delay of game penalty, but the way he handled the deafening crowd noise for most of the game was impressive. Kaepernick was able to communicate with his players at the line of scrimmage, change plays and put guys in motion, all before the play clock expired.
He is clearly the most exciting young quarterback in the league, Andrew Luck included.
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“He is clearly the most exciting young quarterback in the leaque, Andrew Luck included”.
Agreed and with CK at the helm the 49ers will bring home their 6th Vince Lombardi trophy!
Pretty good for a”running quarterback”
More importantly, Harbaugh knew he was special!
That JH guy – you know – the coach of the year – the QB guru – the former NFL QB – MUST know a thing or two about QB evaluation.
Love it…I knew this kid was special
Grant,
On point with your grade and your comments.
The Falcons made no secret that their game plan was to make CK beat them from the pocket.
The fact that CK beat a defensive game plan that centered on keeping him in the pocket speaks volumns of his skill level, and OBTW, continues to confirm that Harbaugh knows QB’!
Damn Shannon Sharpe just laid it on Belichick.
Missed it. What did Shannon say?
Bill refused a interview and he basically said every time Bill loses he refuses the interview basically calling him sore loser.
By contrast, Fox called out Jim Harbaugh for staying true….refusing to speak with them when he loses and refusing to speak with them when he wins. True dinkum.
Didn’t Fox call Romney a “Lock”? Consider the source.
I don’t think Belichick is a sore loser as much as he simply has zero respect for reporters and clearly hates being forced to answer their questions. I don’t blame him, it’s his job to win games not make reporters happy.
I am with you too Coffee, their actually was a study done, on jobs and respect, and reporters were among the lowest, they ask stupid questions and always make something out of nothing.
Hey stat boy, what happend to your boy Mr. Turner?
Hey Nostradamus, what happend to your 49ers lose by 10? Tool.
Some people win with dignity others act like immature turd punks, guess which one you are?
A+. Not only did the kid threw frozen ropes for 16 of 21 and a 127 QBR, he apparently made a ton of good reads at the line of scrimmage. He’s attacking downfield, he’s finding a variety of receivers (important after the recent focus on Crab), he’s making the right reads on the option – hard to imagine a better performance.
Its really fantastic because it confirms what many of us already knew… That CK was throwing so much to Crabs because he wasn’t the defense’s focus, stopping the run and VD was! So this is really exciting because it shows he was simply taking what the defense was giving, as opposed to being a rookie qb who can only throw to 1 guy. I said it many times that as soon as teams stopped doubling VD he would start getting the ball again.
Yep, like Kap said when asked why he was throwing to Crabs so much…. because he’s open!
This kid gets the whole picture.
IMPRESSIVE!
Love these moments. Team effort.
Are you kidding me? Kaep gets an A+. Trailing by 3 scores in a loud stadium in his 9th NFL game, the kid keeps his cool and brings the Niners’ back! Montanaesque!
1+
He is everything we could have hoped and more. The thing that impresses me the most is his toughness. Most young QBs would not have been tough enough to fight back from that deficit when their defense was moribund in the early second quarter. He played an absolute heck of a game.
For us fans who have suffered through the decade-long drought, the emergence of a core group of young starters led by a franchise QB promises a decade of potential success soon to play in a brand new stadium. A true re-birth of a franchise.
Agree 100% Grant. He was spectacular. What a fantastic start to what is going to be a Stellar career.
Hope they can Akers in the Superbowl. Just go for it on fourth. Guess they strong winds interfered.
A +
A second year QB playing great in a hostile environment, calling audibles, making the right reads. Wow
Way too premature, but my first impression of the coming match-up:
>Flacco is something like Ryan.
>The WRs are good, but not as good as Atlanta.
>Ravens running backs and running game are better than Atlanta.
>Ravens Defense is bigger and stronger and better than Atlanta.
>So Ravens, IMO, are better than Atlanta.
>But Falcons D has good team speed. Ravens older and slower. Tougher up the middle and experienced secondary, but susceptible on the edge? Hmmmmm
ck off the edge?
Also Brotha they have a much better FG kicker, that is not premature.
There’s a reason only a handful of wildcard teams go on to win the Super Bowl. That extra playoff game is wear and tear that shows itself, and I expect it to against their defense.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1493851-ravens-vs-49ers-who-has-the-advantage-at-every-position-in-super-bowl-xlvii#/articles/1493851-ravens-vs-49ers-who-has-the-advantage-at-every-position-in-super-bowl-xlvii
Don’t agree with some of this! Especially the QB
Kaep was great, but was not surprised when they mixed power runs with the read-option. Just loved the fact that Niners didn’t give a hoot with Falcons focusing on our QB, cuz Gore took it to them. Actually, Kaep really didn’t try the run…the announcers kept saying they shut him down, but if he wanted to, I think he would have gotten some good yardage. And we needed all of this amazing offense, as the defense put us in a hole.
I absolutely loved Kap’s one long scramble around the left edge. On TV you can see Harbaugh and a few others waving him around like 3rd base coaches!
“The Kid in Frisco is sharp as a Pistol”. Toss me the church key Bob!
Hofe, 23J, BigP, Neal, Nick, Big niner, Prime, Bay, XGolger, oneniner. 9erGirl, fesnyc, MontanaMan, tkamB, ribico, Clem, Fourth & Alex, Tuna, Stan, Domingo, 55Niner, michael,
Super Bowl!!!!!!!!
Yeah, and now celebrating with some Ginn and juice. taking it back to our last Superbowl.
Crab15, who’s got it better than us?!
NOOOOOOBOOOODYYYYYYYYYY
23J, Coffee, Porkbun, Grimey, Jack, Defiant, I.P., 9erGirl, Suede. SUPER BOWL!!!!
txtree, old coach, Grant – Super Bowl!!!!!! Sorry if I forgot anyone.
Crabs,
It feels great brotha!
Wait, what’s going on? Is our team playing in some kind of big game or something?
It’s been so long. But now we have a great QB and a Great shot to get #6. Go Niners!
Crabs,
I TOLD YOU SO!!! One more victory over an elite QB. Flacco is definitely on the cusp. Kap is about to slay him as well. Go Niners!
((( S U P ER BOWL )) Crabs nothing feels better.
Crab, SB bro!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve been celebrating with some food and drink. Yoooohooooo!!!! The 9ers are back and we are back! Good times!
Crabtree looked mentally disturbed today. I think the off-field issue got to him. VD was clutch!
Mentally disturbed? LOL amigo! He was OK. Did you get DS Disease? Hahahaha
DS disease? That was funny Tuna.
Hey, let’s not talk about Crabs and VD on a great day like today – ha – though Vernon was his old great self today
Crab
What a day bro. It was an awesome victory. Bring on Ray Lewis Ravens.
Nick – Niners open up as 4.5 point favorites in Vegas! Higher than I thought it would be. I was thinking Niners by 1 or 2 points.
Kaep, cool as a cucumber. He is special and Harbaugh and staff knew it.
Now everyone knows it. Another exciting chapter in Niners history.
Hats off to Jed York, Trent Baalke, Harbaugh, Roman, Fangio, Tomsula and Morton.
Great caching staff.
Whose got it better than us? Nobody!
And we get to keep our coaches, too, for 2013.
I am so relieved that we dont have to listen to crap about how good NE is for the next 2 weeks! We’ll just have to watch that last game 9ers had with the Ravens. Ya know, if its not positive 9er stuff, I’m not watching it, reading it or listening to it. Don’t need the anxiety!
oh god you are so right! I am sick and tired of hearing about NE
Glad we don’t have to listen to how great Tom Brady is. No matter what he does he’s no Joe Montana. Although it was forced, Brady was gracious with the press afterwards though….
Bay, Chicago, La-La land, Grumpy guy, Razor, Alan, 49er42 – Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes sir!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes crab baby GO NINERS
Hell Yeah!
In his first nine games, with only a single full training camp under his belt pegged as a backup, the Turlock Tornado beat Aron Rogers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and now Matt Ryan.
In all but one of those games, he won using a depleted receiver corp… missing Bears game standouts Manningham and Williams.
Wow.
Jay Cutler also..
and Mark Sanchez ha ha
Last week, I was doing a film forum on THE YAKUZA, the noir Mitchum movie, and one of the audience members said that Kaep reminded him of Ken Takakura. Cool and focused with an exquisite tat story on his back and a bushido focus. A gridiron Samurai.
Ha. Good stuff. The dude’s a little HipHop and a bit ‘Noir/Samurai’. He’s still teaching us who he is. He’s already intriguingly good, he might be really, really, really special.
great article for anyone that missed it in the NY Times on the Pistol, Kaep and the creator – “A College Offense Graduates to the Pros”. apparently the play Kaep busted for the long TD is called the Samurai
WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we care going to the SUPER BOWL. I have been waiting for 19 years!!! I am so proud of this team, the coaches and the players! Colin is amazing! He is the future. GO NINERS and congratulations to all the niner faithful around the world.
I think it’s time to grade Jed York, and give him an A+++.
For years, I ranted on this blog and others that the 49ers would never succeed under the disinterested, inept ownership of John York. And I was skeptical, but slightly hopeful (but dubious as to whether this move was just for public consumption) when Jed took over. He seemed bright, but too young.
Look what he’s done since. He started terribly, annointing Singletary because he won a few games after taking over for Nolan at the end of yet another disappointing season, and the team had a dead cat bounce. Singletary had no qualifications to be a coordinator, yet a HC, and there was no search done to determine the best hire. It was a rush decision and at that point, young Jed looked to be in over his head. Severely!
But then, after two years of Singletary’s ineptitude, he’s gone. Change in GM to Baalke who’s obviously great (though McCloughan did a better job than we thought when he was here). And then Harbaugh! None of this would have happened without our young, fearless leader, Mr. Jed York, the son of his uncle, and heir to Eddie’s legacy, just as Kaepernick is heir to the Montana-Young legacy.
1.5+
LMFAO Grant!!!
“Kaepernick was able to communicate with his players at the line of scrimmage, change plays and put guys in motion, all before the play clock expired.”
WHICH OTHER QUARTEBACK DO YOU RATE ON THEIR ABILITY TO NOT GET A DELAY OF GAME!?!?!?!?!?!?
Congratulations to Eddie, Jed, Trent, Jim, Players and staff. To the entire 49er Organization. A big thank you. Here’s to another 49er Dynasty!
I’m just Glad the Raven’s won’t get those dumb calls from the officials. Remember that 75 yard TD to Ginn brought back due to a “illegal” block by Gore? I just hope we get better refereeing. I think we will be wearing our Home Reds right? since it’s an NFC location…
WHEEEEEEEW!!!! That’s all I have to say!
I hate to say it but Jordan23 was right. The 49ers were a QB away from the Super Bowl.
I agree so did Jim Harbaugh
Not fumbling twice helped out. They can beat u whatever way u want. Shootout or gring it out its all good #6 here we come
Thanks anyway Msc and Chicago. I never hated Smith. I just knew what it would take to get us here was a tall order. Just look at our schedule. It was a monster. Look at our last 8 games. Look at that game yesterday. We still have 1 left. I can’t take credit for Kap being the answer when the season started. I questioned whether Kap was the answer. Everyone knows I wanted to see Josh.
Kap played well during the preseason. He was night and day from last year and I realized after that 19 yard run against Green Bay to set up Akers 63 yard field goal, that Kap had arrived and wasn’t afraid to step up.
At the beginning of the year Kap said on twitter, ” In the words of Ludacris, I’m coming for that #1 spot!” His words. The kid has arrived. We have our franchise QB! he’s only getting started!
Hey 23,
I never hated or disliked KAEP. I was surprised how he handled the mental part of the game. Looking back at this crazy ride of the switch, he raised the level of play at the QB level, which at the top was one of the top rated qbs (at the time). He matched that level and then added to it with his unique set of skills.
Adversity does build character and the fact that this year was so up and down can only make the team better. Coming back from 17 down was something this team needed to do, although it made the game very nerv-racking to watch!
I never hated AS either, nice guy, but don’t want him driving the car, he is better off sitting on the back seat and enjoying the ride.
• Jord, I never thought you were a hater and I even related to your frustration for lack of consistency in our QB play! With that said, I would cheer on any QB that plays for my beloved 49ers organization therefore I have supported Alex Smith all along but I am not DS! DS was just simply annoying! His or her post was always lob sided regar less of QB play! And suddenly DS no longer exist on the 49ers blog after Colin started to have success!!! Colin is completely a different QB, he is smart, fast, committed and a team player! I am so impressed with his humble and cool demeanor! He never takes credit for anything and always gives credit to his teammates! This is a very special quality for any man but especially for a 25 year old QB!!! GO NINERS BABY
Chicago,
Kap has been incredible. Think of the pressure the kid has performed under. He has played Chicago, New Orleans, New England, Green Bay, and Atlanta! The lid has beaten all of those teams. Bad weather and on the road! This kid is special. Hes only started 10 Games!!!!!! We have a superstar I’m the making. Under JH, he’s only going to get BETTER! BETTER!!!!
23 you forgot to anknowledge Chicago’s statement of
” I would cheer on any QB that plays for my beloved 49ers organization therefore I have supported Alex Smith all along”
See that’s what real fans do. They don’t piss and moan for years and look all douche doin it! At one point And before this blog, I was the biggest Drunkenmiller, Carmazzi, Rattay, Weinke, JT O’Sullivan fan. Get the point?
The 49ers and the Superbowl. Reunited and it feels so good!!
Everyone in the 49ers organization should feel so proud. This isn’t just about a football team winning Lombardi trophies. To fans like me, it’s about passing on something I loved as a boy to my son, who is now as excited as I was then. It’s a tradition that will carry on through the generations. Who else has it so good?
An interesting side effect – the 49ers win has gutted the NFC pro bowl roster. Maybe a few Seahawks can get in now?
The Pro Bowl is lose/lose. First it’s always another opportunity for a player to get hurt in a totally meaningless game. Second they cant figure out when to play the game. If you play it after the SuperBowl nobody cares about football anymore so it doesn’t get watched, if you play it before then you get what’s happening now which is a huge group of players that wont be playing or attending because they’re in the SuperBowl.
Just call it an award already and give’em all a car or something, few watch the game and nobodies cares who wins.
The pro bowl actually had better TV ratings than the World Series.
That actually might reinforce your point though.
Red jerseys!! We are home team!! SUPER BOWL BABY!!
Congrats to the 9ers for making it to the SB. I have only one ?. Where are all the Alex Smith fans who said the Kaepernick wouldn’t take us anywhere? Those throws he could have never made. I said 9 weeks ago that JH knew better than us fans from practice. Now it proves me correct. Now only if they can get some good draft picks for AS then they will be set in the draft.
They already have 13 picks but if you can get a 2nd and 4 for AS that would be great. I’m just wondering if he was in his room crying b/c in 2 weeks he know his career as a 9er will be over!
SB BOUND AND DYNASTY FOUND! GO NINERS
why not just leave smith alone.
leave smith alone. he started his career with a really bad team and no coaches to help him. even if we drafted Rodgers, Rodgers would be gun shy like Alex.
Sad that Crab15 forgot about me. :(
Tuto (el mag) – Sorry bro, I’m sure I forgot several others. Too much champagne after game and I sprained my fricking knee jumping in my pool fully dressed! I can barely walk but it was worth it.
LOL crab! what were you doing! GO NINERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
+1
my celebration was cut short when I was jumping up and down my wife saw the tear in my eye and said before you start crying remember you didnt cry on our wedding day or your childrens birth. ouch
Michael, ouch!! :)
michael, you better do damage control very fast bud or she will never let you forget! GO NINERS
@Crab
Now that’s funny
@Michael
I admit to not understanding women, just ask Ms Tuna!, but who cries at their own wedding? Or at a birth? I was nervous at my wedding and stoked at my daughter’s birth. BUT, you probably are still in trouble. I usually am.
so happy right now – Super Bowl bound!!!
my hometown and 2nd fav team are the ravens
niners got this one. 94-95 was tooooo looong agoooo
http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8862130/2013-nfl-playoffs-highly-doubtful-michael-crabtree-san-francisco-49ers-charged-source-says
Thanks for the post! Super Bowl here we come! GO NINERS
Congrats to the Niners on a great team win.
CK is better than RG3. He’s the best if the new breed of QBs. What excites me most is his character. Just a few starts under his belt, yet he plays fearlessly and shows an incredible ability to cope with enormous pressure. It’s quite remarkable – his mental strength, combined with athletic gifts, is extremely rare in any sport.
Just one more thing. Please don’t turn this into another bash Alex Smith and his fans thread. Smith is a class act and a good QB. Just not as good as CK! Nobody knew how the switch to CK would turn out, so nobody on this board should be claiming some kind of victory. And does it really matter? We are in the superbowl and we should all be celebrating together. Go niners!!!
James, we are going to the super bowl and thats all i care about. Alex is a good man and I wish him the best but there were several fans on this blog that thrashed CK and Jim H for his decision! Who cares right but i am just wondering what happend to DS that use to be on all the time talk sh$t all day!!! GO NINERS
Alex Smith deserves just as much credit as anyone else in that team for helping the team get here. Without smith doing his part the first 8 games we might not have been where they’re at right now.
Harbaugh just knew what he was doing and it sucks when a good loses out, but its a job and the best man qualified should get the job. He should wear that ring with pride he did his part when called upon.
NinerMD, great post!
Smith played in 4 poor games this season but the team won 2 of those games. Lets win the Super Bowl and give AS his proper send off.
+1
James,
I knew how it would turn out, the switch to Kap. That’s why I campaigned for it for 15 weeks. Im thankful that JH had the guts to make the move. proud of my Niners. Alex did have a hand in the team’s success. Kap did the heavy lifting down the stretch and in the playoffs. I need to see him beat these Ravens to complete the cycle. he’s beaten Bree’s, Brady, Rogers, Ryan, and Flacco is next. That is a pretty impressive résumé. Go Niners.
Someone’s pants are on fire. Don’t you ever get tired of lying?
I wanted to call BS but screw it, I was feeling generous. Let him have his fantasy. Maybe Josh Johnson comes back as our new #2 next season and takes CK’s job. Because… “Kap isn’t the answer.” Ha! :P
Good times.
On to the Super Browl!
Claude Clown,
You mad bro??? Only negative post up here. At least you didn’t cut n paste. You’d growing up, just a little. Butt still hurts???
@23welcher:
Mad? No, I am ecstatic. My comment wasn’t negative; it was just an observation. You were lying. Then again, you were posting a comment, so …
Give it up Jordan, you can’t win this argument. Your own words make sure of that.
Let’s all just enjoy the Niners being in the big dance again. What an incredible ride it’s been.
All the Smithers, still trying to steal my thunder. You azzes never quit. Kap was the answer, Alex wasn’t. Just like I said he wasn’t 5 years ago.
23welcher congrats on being the biggest downer upon our superbowl journey. You are still obsessed with Alex while the rest of us are movin on to the big game.
FDM,
Glad you fools like Claude, rocket, Adam decided you join us. Got tired of waiting for Kap to fail huh? I told you fools it wasn’t gonna happen. I told you that we WERE a QB away from a Super Bowl with Smith.
You told and said many things 23welcher. All of them I laughed at and felt bad for you when they never came to be.
You truly are the jester this site. Keep us laughing.
Jordan,
None of the people you just mentioned have gone anywhere or ever spoken negatively about Kap. None have shot their mouth off and been wrong 95% of the time either.
You have no Thunder. Your past quotes have been posted in here many times detailing how you didn’t think Kap was the answer and JJ was. You made multiple predictions about Smith failing last year that were wrong. Your position has always been anyone but Smith. That was proven wrong time and time again. If you actually want credit for finally calling for a QB who can play after calling for so many others who were scrubs, you aren’t going to find it here.
Comic relief FDM, well said!
NFL AM had a good explanation this morning on the QB comparison, I thought. Smith is a very good QB. CK though, gives the offense six or seven more plays per game.
I liked Dilfer’s explanation of the Pistol this morning on The Herd also. Good stuff. Defenses have no answer for the Pistol formation and never will. He made some excellent points.
Don’t pay any attention to the Smith haters, they’re douchebags – always were, always will be. For them it was about one guy and not the team. Don’t worry about it. Smith is a good guy and good enough to bounce back somewhere – Cleveland or Arizona?
CK is the future though. The Pistol formation is the future. This draft pick by Baalke/Harbaugh may turn out to be the crowning jewel.
Give Roman a lot of credit for the job he has done this year being multiple on offense. The pistol has worked but not because its new, but how they supplement it with some regular prostyle sets.
Eventually NFL defenses coordinators will figure it out. But having weapons like Gore and Kap and the unknown, makes it tough.
I just want to give another shout out to Coach Roman, he has been great all year in my opinion. To come back like they did and use the entire field to he back inmost was remarkable. Great job!
I agree with Dilfer on it. There’s no real way for DC’s to figure it out because you can run everything from the formation. It forces the defense to turn two safeties in to one because they have to account for the QB from somewhere.
We used to call it a spy (usually the ILB), you have to leave one guy on D to account for the QB. So if you do that then you generally bring a safety up. Then if you try to stunt or edge rush the QB, he simply hands the ball to the I-back and the back hits the A-gaps right in front of the edge rusher. It’s a faster run game too, the QB is only halfway to a shotgun set.
It’s good stuff. I’m becoming a fan after studying it a bit more.
Spot on Adam. The reason it’s so effective is because defenses have to respect 3 different possibilities: Kap hands off, Kap fakes and throws or Kap runs. They use it just enough to be effective. The great thing is Kap has shown an ability to beat defenses from the pocket too so how do you defend him?
10 starts in and he’s led a team to the SB. Wow what a future this kid has.
And Smith is a class act and always has been. He’s been a big part of the team the past two years and deserves some recognition. I wish him well wherever he goes.
Adam
Don’t think AS is a very good QB but did like your explanation on “CK though, gives the offense six or seven more plays per game” That is a good point. I also agree that Smith is a class act, talking about classless, I am so sick and tired of Ray Lewis, God this, God that, he is lucky he is not in the slammer. What a hypocrite!!
Yeah…. Ray Ray better hope Jesus isn’t rooting for the Niners!
Check out this article about CK being measured on Sports Science:
http://www.science20.com/science_20/blog/science_colin_kaepernick-101295
Apparently, the nerds knew he was going to be an outstanding QB before the rest of us.
Wow! I think I popped a vessel from yelling so much!
Ain’t gonna lie. I was thinking for a minute game was going to be a blowout, and then went down the old checklist of why they weren’t winning.
1 SI cover
2 3rd game syndrome
3 NOBODY gave ATL a shot
4 Grant predicting a blowout….. Eerrrr He didn’t. Lol thanks Grant. :-)
First time in a long time I’ve seen a 49ers offense go explosive and carried this team back to a victory. I was truly disgusted the way the defense played. BUT they got the stops later they needed to.
This was a case of CK putting this team on his back (on the road) in a hostile environment) ( in the NFC championship game) (and only his 9th start of his career) and dominating a defense was playing well! I can’t say enough about this kid. Truly magical. He’s heading down the right road for a legendary career. Whether he was the right decision… Isn’t a question anymore
Whether he’s just a runner…. Isn’t a question anymore.
NOBODY is stoping this team from its destiny. Yes Baltimore is that team that got hot, won on the road, and is shocking everyone like the Giants and packers did the last few seasons, but after that comeback I can’t see our destiny being messed with.
Absolutely proud and even dropped a tear yesterday when the clock said 0:00. Wheew! Been a long time coming, a lot of disappointment, a lot of pain. It’s over 18 years and now WERE BACK folks!
Atlanta finally ran out of luck. Most of the breaks had been going their way all year long. Statiscally, they were overdue.
Bring on the Ravens. I want the Niners to shut up Ray Lewis and his tired act. Little brother’s gonna whip some a$$.
They have a duel threat to worry about this time around. A qb who can kill you with the pass or his legs. Good luck with that Baltimore
MD my niner brother well said! I was so shocked for at least 3 to 4 hours! I told my wife, I have been waiting for this moment for 19 years!!! What a feeling!!! GO NINERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I think we can officially say Harbaugh’s decision to switch to CK has been fully validated. I was still skeptical of the switch even after CK had a few great games. Smith had some great games too. Smith proved he could get the team to the NFCCG. Now CK has proven he can get the team to the SB. I feel absolutely sick for Smith that he has to watch from the sideline. There’s no doubt that Smith contributed significantly to get the 9ers to this point. He deserves so much credit. I can’t imagine Smith coming back next year but stranger things have happened. There would not be a team in the NFL with better depth at QB if the 9ers could have CK and Smith on the roster. For now, it’s time to enjoy the moment and recognize Smith for everything he gave this franchise.
+1
I was worried about it, too. It seemed weird to me but as we’ve all learned, Harbaugh is a different cat.
I thought they’d opt for veteran experience, wisdom, etc., but aside from a few bumps in the road, CK has done a very nice job. Matured very quickly, etc. And it’s not like we have elite wide receivers so CK is doing a lot of this on his own.
A lot of props to Harbs and Roman for bringing the Pistol formation over for CK to use. Probably makes him feel a lot more comfortable. It’s much better for the tail-back too, much closer to the A-gaps, quicker execution.
It’s good stuff. I like it much better than I thought I would. You can run everything out of the Pistol formation. Modify the timing of the WCO, hit run gaps much quicker, force a backer spy, etc.
Smith had a good 2011 and half of 2012. He deserves some of the credit the SB ring too, nothing for him to hang his head about. Plus, if the Niners trade him in March or whatever, it’s a win/win probably. Smith gets to go start somewhere, we get a high 3rd-round pick (probably) and maybe a player out of it. Who knows.
Anyway, bring on the Super Browl. We got this one! :D
we barely got anything for montana……we’d be lucky to get a 4th round pick because of his situation will likely be let go….so why give up a pick?
Huh? They got a 1st round pick for Montana. Turned out to be Dana Stubblefield I believe.
I don’t know if they will get a team to trade for Smith or not due to many expecting them to outright release him eventually, but if a team really wants him, and at a good contract, then they will trade for him. The contract is very favorable in term, money and ability to cut ties with no cap considerations if it doesn’t work out. That contract alone has a lot of value in the trade market imo.
Well said Houston. Harbaugh is the true savant of this team with his ability to make tough decisions that benefit the team. Really glad he Coaches the team I root for because I’d hate going against him.
@ rocket:
Harbaugh is the true savant of this team with his ability to make tough decisions that benefit the team.
It must be in the family DNA because John Harbaugh’s decision to dump Cam Cameron mid-season and go with Jim Caldwell also has proven to be correct.
The Niners really are a team. They all stuck with KW last year after the fumbles. It’s incredible to see CK living up to his potential, beyond the athletic skills, he still has to go out there and perform.
He made the plays when he needed to, he made the right read to hand it off every time.
And then you look at Matty Ice — who couldn’t get it done in the red zone. (We should also know give Alex some credit for the throws and plays in last year’s playoff run. A so-called elite QB like Matty Ice didn’t get it done in the big moment and Alex did)
A lot of people like to diminish what Alex did under Harbaugh. If you’re going to bench a guy playing well, the next guy better do something more and that’s what CK is proving. The way the game is evolving you would take CK over a lot of QBs, not just Alex.
Go for #6. We gotta go beat up another bird….
While I like the “epileptic squirel” routine that killa Ray does I cant wait to send him to retirement on a low note. I preferred to face the pats and their vanilla D but think we have something special going on this year that no one can stop.
THIS IS GOING TO BE THE LONGEST TWO WEEKS EVER
I do not like that lame routine, nor his big drama queen act yesterday.
For Ray – It’s all about Ray though he claims its about the team.
Sorry character.
There are just some mornings when waking up with a hangover is not all that bad! In fact I feel great! In the mix for six!
I’m still buzzing from yesterday’s gutsy & amazing victory! Yesterday’s victory was a complete team effort led by Kaeps poise & accuracy, Gores hard running, the coaching staff’s adjustments, & the defense’s resiliency.
The reason why the team will most likely win the SB, is that it finally has a QB who makes those around him better. Case in point, over the last 9 weeks, we no longer hear criticism of the Oline’s pass protection abilities, or concerns about the quality & depth of our receiver corps. That is what an elite QB does, execute the cute the game plan to perfection, improvise for big gains, and create opportunies for others to make plays.
Last years playoff story line was about the vindication and salvaging of one players career, this year it’s about restoring the legacy of a great franchise.
+1 with a side of Raven legs!!!!
The thing I loved most about beating the Falcons is that we don’t have to listen to Roddy White’s mouth!
Sweet!
Seattle fans are sh***ing their pants know ing that Kaep is just going to just get better and better and better. His confidence will be souring going into next year. Niners will be the the new Pats this point forward. Seattle will always be a step behind. Love it! Dynasty is here boys!
I wonder what was in the cup.
http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/50fc747beab8ea611d000016/kaepernick-gatorade.gif