I LOVE THIS TEAM

[Badger8843]

9-1, are you kidding me? We have the 2 seed locked up over the saints and we will get a 1st rnd bye and play at least 1 home playoff game. We have the coach of the year directing us and we have a QB that is playing damn good and one of the best defenses in the league. Oh did I mention a stud RB who plays dinged up and still carries is 25 times. All I want to see is a 49er and Packer NFC ship game, like the old days when I was a kid.

 

[threelittleturds]

With the officials still gift-wrapping the Packers games 15 years later, and the officials record against the 49ers so far this year... with making up rules in order to screw them out of Instant Replays... I'm not really looking forward to the frustration the officials are likely going to cause in this game.

I mean, Jordy Nelson shoves off for a TD on the left side of the field to put the game away, and then the same officials flag Winslow for shoving off for his TD on the left side... that kind of one-sided horseshit isn't going to end if the 49ers play them.

 

[mem49er]

All I want to see is a 49er and Packer NFC ship game, like the old days when I was a kid except we win another SB.

Fify

 

[mufasa76]

With the officials still gift-wrapping the Packers games 15 years later, and the officials record against the 49ers so far this year... with making up rules in order to screw them out of Instant Replays... I'm not really looking forward to the frustration the officials are likely going to cause in this game.

I mean, Jordy Nelson shoves off for a TD on the left side of the field to put the game away, and then the same officials flag Winslow for shoving off for his TD on the left side... that kind of one-sided horseshit isn't going to end if the 49ers play them.

you are 100% right and it needs to be brought to light...The officiating in that game wasn't fair at all...

 

[tzill]

9-1, are you kidding me? We have the 2 seed locked up over the saints and we will get a 1st rnd bye and play at least 1 home playoff game. We have the coach of the year directing us and we have a QB that is playing damn good and one of the best defenses in the league. Oh did I mention a stud RB who plays dinged up and still carries is 25 times. All I want to see is a 49er and Packer NFC ship game, like the old days when I was a kid.

The two seed is essentially locked up, if you check the schedules. To get the one seed, it's actually possible given the packers remaining schedule and our remaining schedule. We could both end up 14-2 and the Niners get in with a better conference record.

 

[Mozart'sGhost]

With the officials still gift-wrapping the Packers games 15 years later, and the officials record against the 49ers so far this year... with making up rules in order to screw them out of Instant Replays... I'm not really looking forward to the frustration the officials are likely going to cause in this game.

I mean, Jordy Nelson shoves off for a TD on the left side of the field to put the game away, and then the same officials flag Winslow for shoving off for his TD on the left side... that kind of one-sided horseshit isn't going to end if the 49ers play them.

You gotta give the white guy some kind of advantage, don't ya?

 

[MW49ers5]

The two seed is essentially locked up, if you check the schedules. To get the one seed, it's actually possible given the packers remaining schedule and our remaining schedule. We could both end up 14-2 and the Niners get in with a better conference record.

You are absolutely correct and that would be some kind of crazy if it actually happened.

 

[tallglassofwater007]

This Niner team reminds me a lot of the SF Giants in baseball that won the world series. The Niners don't have that "cast off" mentality, but they do have the underachiever label and they were written off by most, including me at the start of the year. They play with a chip (especially on D) and nothing is pretty, but you sure as hell don't want to meet them come playoff time.

Also, there have been much better Niner teams (obviously) like there had been much better Giants teams.... but the teams right now are so likeable its crazy. Sure, the last couple seasons as a Giants fan, and this year with the Niners, have had so many close games I have lost years of my life from anxiety... but I don't remember having so much fun as a SF sports fan.

Growing up the Niners were so dominant I expected them to win it every year. Then the Garcia days they were good but I never felt like they were good enough to win it all. But right now I feel like this Niner team could actually win the whole thing, even though they have no business being there (not literally but you know what I mean), and that makes me cherish each game the team wins so much more.

I honestly can't pick a favorite player because each week it changes. I mean, Willis is my favorite player in the NFL right now but I mean... Justin Smith, Gore, Bowman, dare I say Alex Smith.... I just can't decide who I like more at any given time. The vets who have been there through the really bad really deserve this success. I kinda wish Lawson and Spikes were still around to enjoy this.

 

[MHSL82]

This Niner team reminds me a lot of the SF Giants in baseball that won the world series. The Niners don't have that "cast off" mentality, but they do have the underachiever label and they were written off by most, including me at the start of the year. They play with a chip (especially on D) and nothing is pretty, but you sure as hell don't want to meet them come playoff time.

Also, there have been much better Niner teams (obviously) like there had been much better Giants teams.... but the teams right now are so likeable its crazy. Sure, the last couple seasons as a Giants fan, and this year with the Niners, have had so many close games I have lost years of my life from anxiety... but I don't remember having so much fun as a SF sports fan.

Growing up the Niners were so dominant I expected them to win it every year. Then the Garcia days they were good but I never felt like they were good enough to win it all. But right now I feel like this Niner team could actually win the whole thing, even though they have no business being there (not literally but you know what I mean), and that makes me cherish each game the team wins so much more.

I honestly can't pick a favorite player because each week it changes. I mean, Willis is my favorite player in the NFL right now but I mean... Justin Smith, Gore, Bowman, dare I say Alex Smith.... I just can't decide who I like more at any given time. The vets who have been there through the really bad really deserve this success. I kinda wish Lawson and Spikes were still around to enjoy this.

If you were to tell me before the season that the Cincinnatti Bengals would be 6-3 (now 6-4), I would have said smart and good move for Lawson. San Diego had been a perrenial playoff team so I would have said that was good for Spikes. However, with us going 9-1 so far, it turns out they both made reasonable mistakes (unless them being on the team would have caused more losses).

 

[tallglassofwater007]

If you were to tell me before the season that the Cincinnatti Bengals would be 6-3 (now 6-4), I would have said smart and good move for Lawson. San Diego had been a perrenial playoff team so I would have said that was good for Spikes. However, with us going 9-1 so far, it turns out they both made reasonable mistakes (unless them being on the team would have caused more losses).

I agree I think Lawson would have been a good fit on our team we have right now, but Spikes leaving has opened the door for Bowman and that's a great thing. If we kept Clements we might not have grabbed Rogers. But still, I liked those guys and it would have been nice for them to taste some success as a 49er.

 

[BINGO]

Originally Published: November 19, 2011
Can 49ers 'manage' a Super Bowl?Great defense, opportunistic special teams, questionable QB -- I've seen this before
By Trent Dilfer
ESPN Insider
Archive

When we moved to Baltimore after six years in Tampa, we'd rented a house two doors down from Ray Lewis. In the evenings while the kids played in the yard, I would sit on the porch and go through our game plan sheets, taking notes. Looking over the plays, I tried to remind myself constantly, even jotting it down while imagining in my head how they would develop, "This isn't just about the play, it's about the philosophy."

On that Baltimore Ravens team, with such a great defense, everything came down to a risk-reward proposition. You can call it "managing the game" if you want, but for us it was about maximizing our total personnel situation. How do we get the most out of 53?

It was about complementary schemes. If you know your defense is extraordinary, if you can keep those players fresh and in good field position, you minimize risks. On that team, we knew that if we tried to win 45-10 we were risking losing 23-20. But we also knew winning 20-10 was always an option if we played smart. I recall being on our 20, dropping and seeing a tight window on a 20-yard throw -- one I felt I could make -- and remembering to just take that 6-yard dump-off. (Having Lewis as a neighbor may have been a reminder.)

They weren't going to score on our defense unless it was a short field. Don't allow that to happen.

Now, you've gotta realize: I know who I am. And I knew who I was then. I knew that 20-yard throw wasn't a given. By that time, I'd felt the ebbs and flows of the league. I understood failure. And I still thank Ray for allowing me to win that Super Bowl.

So when I was asked this week if the San Francisco 49ers of 2011 reminded me of that 2000 Ravens team, I wasn't offended. I get it: great defense, good coaching, quarterback you hope doesn't ruin it.

It's a good question, though.

Do the 49ers have a chance to be like that 2000 Ravens team? The answer is yes; they are capable of achieving that kind of success, and here's why.

When you consider why they have a shot, it starts with a coaching staff that has fully grasped the idea of complementary schemes. People don't understand this enough, but when you see teams like San Francisco, it's not just about Alex Smith's limitations and avoiding errors. In fact, Jim Harbaugh has shown some things that make it clear he can try some more. Smith can make a lot of throws, and already twice this year he's proved he can win a game with his arm if he has to. But would San Fran's defense be as good if the offense was taking a ton of chances or not staying on the field? No.

The complementary idea can happen in a lot of schemes. The Colts have had a defense built to rush the passer when they build leads. It's worked for years. It's not a surprise they've been a mess this year.

The 49ers can and will win because they've profiled their personnel. They aren't just not throwing because they worry about Smith, they also have a very good run game. They play to strengths.

We dealt with a similar situation. Brian Billick loved to throw the ball around. He'd come over from the Minnesota Vikings, who ran over teams with an intricate passing attack. But Billick knew he had an incredible defense and didn't have Joe Montana on offense, so he adjusted his mindset.

If Harbaugh is willing to maintain what he's started, he'll be successful. And remember, there are a lot of quarterbacks who can put up bigger numbers but don't because they are executing based on what they're being asked to do. A lot more teams would run the ball more if they felt they could, whether it's the Green Bay Packers or the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Beyond scheme, what are some other areas in which the Niners compare well with that Ravens team? Well, you could say the coaching is pretty similar. Both are good coaches, and both can see the value of playing to the team's strengths.

At quarterback, you could probably argue that Smith is better than Dilfer (third person, I know), at least based on his current form. He's done a great job of executing what's been asked and limiting mistakes. He has an 11-3 TD-to-INT ratio and a sterling NFL passer rating that I would have been thrilled to have.

At running back, you could probably say that Frank Gore is better than Jamal Lewis. Gore is a really dynamic back when he's healthy, and with the emergence of Kendall Hunter, the Niners have another reason to press the issue on the ground.

Even the return game has some similarities; the Niners have the dangerous Ted Ginn, and we had Jermaine Lewis at the top of his game.

The defenses share similarities, and even if it sounds like sacrilege, Patrick Willis is playing close to the level Ray was at the time, as the best interior linebacker in the game on both accounts.

But we had a couple of things that I think get underplayed, because you had to be there.

The first was the presence of Shannon Sharpe. Not only is he a guy who is, in my opinion, the greatest tight end ever to play the game, but Sharpe also brought an incredible outlook to the locker room. People don't know this, but Sharpe was a guy who constantly reinforced the idea that we actually needed to keep it methodical, not try to do too much, play to the defense.

He was vocal -- he'd shout it -- about how he'd seen it in Denver, and the run-and-gun stuff puts up numbers, but they didn't achieve success until they committed to a run and scheme that complemented the personnel fully. When you have an amazing offensive talent demanding that more complementary approach, it resonates. It affects your decision-making.

Then there was Rod Woodson. I consider Woodson maybe the greatest secondary player ever to play the game. Remember, he was a brilliant corner, a Pro Bowler every year, then converted to safety later. But he was also like an assistant coach. I don't mean the cliched "coach on the field" -- I mean he was like an actual assistant, there with Marv Lewis, Jack Del Rio, Rex Ryan, constantly discussing strategy, deep into the tape. In fact, if I had a vote for team MVP, it would've been Woodson.

Although the Niners may have great leadership, I don't know of a guy on that roster right now who compares with Sharpe or Woodson (even though Vernon Davis is a formidable talent at tight end). Is there a leader who brings that kind of dynamism?

And maybe the biggest challenge for the 49ers, if they want to achieve like that team, will fall to Smith. See, Alex is going to keep hearing that you can't quarterback a Super Bowl team in this NFL if you're not dynamic, if you're not "elite," if you're not capable of putting a team on your back and shredding an opposing defense, putting up 300-plus yards regularly. It's an endless narrative of exceptionalism. And even as Harbaugh designs a game plan that will give Smith the best chance to help the team win, Smith will constantly have to fight that urge to make the throw that offers so much, but only if it's actually there.

Ultimately, he'll need to be like me on the porch, reminding myself at every chance that it's a delicate balance between risk and sustainability.

Before joining ESPN as an NFL analyst in July 2008, Trent Dilfer played 14 seasons as an NFL quarterback. Trent's work can be seen across a wide range of ESPN programming. He can be found on Twitter @TDESPN.

 

[bigpb72]

nice read and sharpe was a beast and 1/2