Who's Been The Most Surprising 49er So Far?

[Mozart'sGhost]

..........I say Bowman.

 

[Kinzu]

Easy answer is Alex Smith after all he is the QB and we are 5-1

I've been really surprised by Aldon Smith though getting 6 sacks with limited playing time.

The true surprise though is the whole organization. How many of us questioned the direction of this team during the offseason? They made a great under the radar moves in free agency and drafted very well. Also, Harbaugh is the real deal and has changed this team a lot faster than anyone could have thought.

 

[EaseUrStorm]

..........I say Bowman.

I second that. He went from a ? to a beast. In order of surprise I'd say:

1. Bowman
2. McDonald
3. Aldon Smith
4. Alex Smith
5. Goldson
6. Culliver

 

[SRPnVA]

Yeah I was thinking Bowman before I opened the thread.

 

[CalamityX11]

Surprise, like i didn't expect it, would be our record... lol... we always dream it but to see it happen, that's unexpecting...

But as a player:

1. Aldon Smith - he may turn out to be the pass rusher we dream of afterall.
2. Alex Smith - finally showing he can play QB...
3. Bowman - deep down i knew what he was capable of(believe it or not) but with takeo leaving i didnt expect bowman to flourish so soon.
4. Ray Mc - he's a starter... sold it on gm 1
5. Gore - thought he would have a better year, surprsing that he isn't.

 

[tallglassofwater007]

Bowman is playing great, but I thought he was going to be really good so I'm not that surprised. It's tough but I would say both Alex and Aldon Smith. Aldon I thought would take a while to get his groove but he is making plays all year. Alex isn't playing out of his mind, but when he does make a mistake he is bouncing back which he wasn't always the case.

 

[Mozart'sGhost]

I guess Bowman is one thing we can thank Singletary for. I believe he insisted on Bowman last year in the third round. I thought losing Spikes was a big loss but now that it has opened the door for Bowman, I'm glad he left.

 

[h0ckeysk83r]

I felt good about bowman when we drafted him but man he has stepped in and contributed right away, a lot sooner then expected. So he is def on the list.

Alex smith: Def surprising me this year, nothing amazing but play good enough.
Aldon Smith: Prooving doubter wrong
Ray Mac: Excellent play so far
Culliver: Very Impressed
Rogers: Playing better then i expected also

 

[jordan20_3]

I felt good about bowman when we drafted him but man he has stepped in and contributed right away, a lot sooner then expected. So he is def on the list.

1. Bowman
2. Front 7 waaaay better than last year
3. McDonald
4. Alex Smith

 

[Hangman]

The coaching staff and front office

 

[freaak]

Most surprising for me is Bowman. I was concerned before the season, because Spikes was very good there, and I remember Bowman looking lost at times as a rook. He's much improved.

Others I would consider surprises are Culliver, Sop, and Miller. Didn't know what to expect from these guys, as they're transitioning to new positions, but I think they've done well for themselves. See ya, Moran?

 

[freaak]

The coaching staff and front office

This is a good call. Wonderful job thus far.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Tarrell Brown. The dude is starting.

 

[Mozart'sGhost]

Akers has been a godsend too. But I knew he was pretty good.

 

[I_am_1z]

1. Alex Smith
2. Aldon Smith
3. Chris Culliver

 

[deep9er]

not surprising there's multiple good candidates, cause a 5-1 team has to have guys playing at their best.

Bowman is a damn good pick and so is Alex Smith in the sense (for me) didn't expect it till game 2 or 3? McDonald is also a good pick just that what he does isn't as visible nor stat producing.

 

[numone9er]

Sorry I am a little late, but here is my thoughts on this...

1. Alex Smith - Managing the game. Without him limiting the mistakes we are definitely not 5-1.
2. Bowman- I wasn't really worried that he wouldn't amount to anything, but i never thought he would be playing at the level he is right now.
3. Aldon Smith - 5.5 sacks in the past 3 games? I never thought he would be producing sacks this quickly. Time for him to start IMO.
4. Chris Culliver - I honestly thought he was going to be a bust, but damn he is proving me wrong and i love it. First game without a TD for Calvin Johnson this year. Can he do the same against Fitzgerald?

Our entire offensive line deserves some credit as well. They are playing better than anyone expected. McDonald is playing at a very high level as well, but that's not a surprise to me.

 

[taughtmepatience]

1) Chris Culliver. They are getting great production from a third round cornerback
2) Alex Smith. He's converting crucial third downs to keep drives moving and has limited his turnovers.
3) Aldon Smith. His sack production is exceeding my expectations... even with the limited playing time.
4) O-line. This is just because they were so bad last year. I expected them to be much better under Harbaugh, but didn't expect them to gel this fast.

 

[BallsOfFury]

I didn't think Culliver would bounce out of third-round rookiedom to lock up a place in the regular db rotation. If I remember there were a lot of preseason questions about his skills translating to the NFL. His INT in the TB game and keeping CJ out of the end zone Sunday helped answer many of those. McDonald had shown enough previous flashes of pass rushing and run stuffing skills to make me wonder why he wasn't a starter last year, so he wasn't much of a surprise. Never thought Bowman would have more tackles than Willis either.
But the O line has seemed to make a complete turnaround from the preseason and first two games. Even the much maligned Anthony Davis has really come on the last couple of Sundays.

 

[deep9er]

Sorry I am a little late, but here is my thoughts on this...

1. Alex Smith - Managing the game. Without him limiting the mistakes we are definitely not 5-1.
2. Bowman- I wasn't really worried that he wouldn't amount to anything, but i never thought he would be playing at the level he is right now.
3. Aldon Smith - 5.5 sacks in the past 3 games? I never thought he would be producing sacks this quickly. Time for him to start IMO.
4. Chris Culliver - I honestly thought he was going to be a bust, but damn he is proving me wrong and i love it. First game without a TD for Calvin Johnson this year. Can he do the same against Fitzgerald?

Our entire offensive line deserves some credit as well. They are playing better than anyone expected. McDonald is playing at a very high level as well, but that's not a surprise to me.

i'm ok with this overall, just allow me a small comment on the O-line.......

yes, they do deserve credit for picking it up last two games, great with the running game. but did expect they'd run better from game 1, would've thought they'd be about an average rushing team from the get go?

anyways, thats history.