All Alex Smith has to do is manage the game, with that monster D he doesn't have to be great, just don't blow it. Superbowl bound!
All Matt Schaub has to do is manage the game, with that monster D he doesn't have to be great, just don't blow it. Superbowl bound!
All Mark Sanchez has to do is manage the game, with that monster D he doesn't have to be great, just don't blow it.
All Joe Flacco has to do is manage the game, with that monster D he doesn't have to be great, just don't blow it. Superbowl bound!
As a niner fan, that's so incorrect... 2 first downs in the second half of the nfc championship. One was a free first down at the end of regulation
I hope that fool Kyle Williams never plays another down here. I can't wait to boo him off the field if he does. The biggest weakness last year was WR, and it was addressed with the Mario Manningham and Randy Moss signings. Vernon Davis should still be Alex's favorite target, and Delaney Walker is a stud. The Frank Gore/Kendall Hunter/Brandon Jacobs RB trio is pretty solid too. Not sure if Anthony Dixon hangs around as the short yardage guy now that Jacobs is on board. Most of the D returns, I believe now that Carlos Rogers has re-signed. Front-7 is still the strongest part of the team with Justin Smith, Navarro Bowman, Patrick Willis, and Aldon Smith. I'd like some depth on O-line in the draft, but other than that I think the Niners easily reach 10+ wins playing in the NFC West, setting up nicely for another playoff run.
In this NFL you can't win consistently without an elite QB. The 49ers got lucky getting as far as they did. I bet they fall off.
The Niners played the SB winning Giants twice in 2011. Beat them the first game, if not for an injury to Ted Ginn probably beat them in that title game. What's not to like?
Not in today's NFL. If you can't slang it, you can't brang it. Thanks a lot, Goodell/Rules Committee.
Tim Tebow is an elite QB? How far did Denver get? Joe Flacco is an elite QB? How many playoff games did the Jets play in with Mark Sanchez? David Woodley, Stan Humphries, Tony Eason, Trent Dilfer, Jim McMahon all played in Superbowls. Elite???
Come on man. How many Super Bowls has Peyton Manning won? Not saying a good QB isn't helpful, but it doesn't guarantee success. Last year a pedestrian Alex Smith upset a red hot Drew Brees-led Saints.
I'll take it one step further, if you can consistently generate a pass rush and create turnovers - while eliminating TO's on the other end, your team will win the game. Harbaugh has coached Alex Smith to avoid TO's at all costs (almost to a fault as witnessed in the NFC championship).
It's not exactly a secret or controversial statement to say that the league has become more passing oriented over the past decade. Defense will never go out of style, but a running game is optional nowdays.
The bigger issue is that defense and running games are much less predictable from year to year. Arguably the best defense in the league last year was the Texans, and they were garbage in 2010. On the flip side, Green Bay had a top five defense with apparent young studs all over the field in 2010, and they were dead last in 2011. Same with the running game. Much of the talk you hear about the physical Niners these days is what we heard about the Jets this time a year ago. But with much the same personnel, they slipped from the No. 1 rush offense in 2009 and No. 4 in 2010 to No. 22 in 2011. There are just so many parts that go into having a dominant defense and running game, and all it takes is slippage in a couple areas for things to go off track. On the other hand, if you have a great QB... you can overcome a team that's otherwise falling apart at the seams. See Peyton Manning and the 2010 Indianapolis Colts. Baqui is right that a dominant defense and running game can be ideal, but Air Langhi's point is very valid that those teams (save Baltimore) usually aren't as consistent from year to year as the QB-led teams. Look at the elite QBs in today's NFL - Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Peyton (when healthy). You can basically pencil those teams into the playoffs every year, and rarely will you be wrong. On the other hand, give it another couple years, and the Niners will likely fall off the pace a bit in the defense/run game formula. There will be a new "it" team or two in that category.