2011 NFL Thread: The Final Four

[KalMart]

Well Osi, Manning, Tuck, most of the O Line, Webster, Ross

Tynes their kicker, Diehl, Snee, Kiwanuka, Jacobs, Bradshaw.....

Brady...all I can remember, not too familiar with the Pats roster, but Teddy is an ESPN analyst now and I wonder how he feels about all this. Also dudes like Randy Moss are too busy doing nothing.

Welker...the one guy I actually feared the most in #42 and didn't really get the ball until towards the end when they waltzed down the field for a late score. I think there's also a couple of O-linemen. Offensively, Pats have plenty of weapons to make up for no Moss.

 

[Spideyfan93]

Word, Pats offense now is the scariest offense in terms of weapons because Brady has too many freaking weapons now. But we beat them in the regular season, so if it's a 42 rematch, I won't be that scared.

I don't think the majority of people want the Patriots to win if they happen to win Sunday. It'll be mostly TEAM 49ERS or TEAM BLUE.

 

[StorminNorman]

By that logic, I wonder if the Seattle SuperSonics are on hiatus. ???

Along with the Thrashers.

 

[WalkingDeadMike]

Who's left from Superbowl XLII on each team?

I think there's more Giants still playing then Patriots for their respective teams.

Giants: Eli, Jacobs, Bradshaw, Ware (DNP), Diehl, Snee, McKenzie, Boothe, Hixon (currently on IR), Osi, Tuck, Tollefson, Blackburn, Webster, Ross and Tynes

Patriots: Brady, Faulk, Welker, Light, Mankins, Koppen, Wilfork, and Gustkowski

 

[Spideyfan93]

I miss Strahan and his ridiculous tooth gap. One of the greats right there! Best possible way to end your career.

 

[TheOnlyOmega]

It's gonna be tough the Sunday after the Super Bowl when I remember that there won't be any football for a while.
At least this offseason will be way better than the last! I'd die if there was another lock out.

 

[KalMart]

I miss Strahan and his ridiculous tooth gap. One of the greats right there! Best possible way to end your career.

Player wise...they've made up pretty darn well with Piere-Paul. Gotta' give props to their scouting.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Tiki Barber retired a year too early.

Aaron Ross could win a second Super Bowl. His track and field sprinter wife could easily rebound and have a fantastic year, resulting in a Gold medal at the Olympics. Could be a good year for the Ross household.

 

[WalkingDeadMike]

Tiki Barber retired a year too early.

No, he really didn't.

 

[KalMart]

Tiki Barber retired a year too early.

Aaron Ross could win a second Super Bowl. His track and field sprinter wife could easily rebound and have a fantastic year, resulting in a Gold medal at the Olympics. Could be a good year for the Ross household.

Tiki got out just in time...for the Giants. And it was also fortunate that Shockey was out for the year. The two most dissenting voices/presences against Eli being removed allowed him to loosen up and lead that team more successfully.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Mike Martz retired.....probably because nobody was interested in his Pass, Pass, Pass, Pass Offense.

 

[KalMart]

Mike Martz retired.....probably because nobody was interested in his Pass, Pass, Pass, Pass Offense.

So they passed.

 

[Denny67]

Niners are probably the toughest match for the Giants this postseason because of the individual matchups. And like the Giants, they're playing like they have nothing to lose and nothing to live up to....even with their great season record. They're the new kids on the block and they're firing on all cylinders. The odds I think re a pretty accurate reflection...a real toss-up, with the only real advantage being home field. Neither would be a surprise to win....makes it even more exciting.

Yup and even the national media is eating crow for bashing Alex Smith all of these years. The guy is good. All he has ever needed was a coach with a clue and some team/playbook stability. We beat the Giants before and we can do it again.

To answer Collin’s question… No I was not nor should any 49er fan who has really watch Alex over the years and has any knowledge of the game.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

The Saints pass defensive was terrible all season, if there was ever a game for him to almost hit 300 yards that was it. The Giants will be a different story. Niners will need to win it with Frank Gore and that defense.

 

[Darthphere]

Yup and even the national media is eating crow for bashing Alex Smith all of these years. The guy is good. All he has ever needed was a coach with a clue and some team/playbook stability. We beat the Giants before and we can do it again.

To answer Collin’s question… No I was not nor should any 49er fan who has really watch Alex over the years and has any knowledge of the game.

Thats ridiculous. Even I, someone who thinks people should be a little bit excited about Alex Smith was shocked he didn't choke in that game. Nothing he has done in the past, including this season where he was never asked to engineer a game winning drive like this pointed to him winning that game right at the end. Don't be one of those people "I believed in him since the day we drafted him." That's ********, sorry.

 

[Denny67]

Thats ridiculous. Even I, someone who thinks people should be a little bit excited about Alex Smith was shocked he didn't choke in that game. Nothing he has done in the past, including this season where he was never asked to engineer a game winning drive like this pointed to him winning that game right at the end. Don't be one of those people "I believed in him since the day we drafted him." That's ********, sorry.

Really? Look at the Saints game last year, Look to the Detroit game this year just to name a couple. Believe it or not there are ARE some of us 49er fans who have been frustrated with the situation Alex has been in. Take a look back to my post I made here on him a while back outlining who Alex has been dumped on and unfairly labeled a “bust” by being put in a situation that no QB would be able to succeed in.

Say what you will but I can (if you like) PM you link not only on this board but on the 49ers message board (which I am mod on) to my and a few others who have consistently said that very same thing for YEARS now. I have zero issue backing it up. Just let me know how much you are willing to read and how many years you’d like me to go back.

So don't be one of those people who assumes to know everyting about everybody when you have know flipp'n clue. "That's ********, sorry."

 

[Denny67]

The Saints pass defensive was terrible all season, if there was ever a game for him to almost hit 300 yards that was it. The Giants will be a different story. Niners will need to win it with Frank Gore and that defense.

Giants secondary is not stellar either. Coming off a hard fought road game and now having to travel to the West Coast to face a D as physical as ours, I don’t see them wining.

The only area I have an concern over is our pass protection. We struggled with the safety blitz vs. the Saints and never really adjusted for it. I hope that gets taken care of this week because the NY pass rush is no joke.

 

[Matt]

Really? Look at the Saints game last year, Look to the Detroit game this year just to name a couple. Believe it or not there are ARE some of us 49er fans who have been frustrated with the situation Alex has been in. Take a look back to my post I made here on him a while back outlining who Alex has been dumped on and unfairly labeled a “bust” by being put in a situation that no QB would be able to succeed in.

Say what you will but I can (if you like) PM you link not only on this board but on the 49ers message board (which I am mod on) to my and a few others who have consistently said that very same thing for YEARS now. I have zero issue backing it up. Just let me know how much you are willing to read and how many years you’d like me to go back.

So don't be one of those people who assumes to know everyting about everybody when you have know flipp'n clue. "That's ********, sorry."

But you're using a few games to back up a lot of mediocre ones. It's backwards logic. He had A good game. By your logic, Sanchez and Tebow are top five caliber quarterbacks. Hell, for most of the season, Harbaugh has been planning around him, not for him. When your coach plans around you (like John Fox does for Tim Tebow and Rex Ryan does for Mark Sanchez), you are not a 'great quarterback.' You are simply a serviceable one. These types of QBs are not long term answers. The Jets are currently reaping the rewards of having to win in spite of their QB.

Now you can probably come up with a million excuses as to why Alex Smith is mediocre. Seven coordinators, bunch of different systems, blah blah blah. It doesn't matter why. What is matters is what he is. It takes a very special quarterback to turn it around for more than a season or so at this point in his career. Kurt Warner comes to mind, but Kurt Warner is a future hall of famer. He was special. There is nothing to indicate that Alex Smith has a level of talent that is even a fraction of that of Kurt Warner. More likely, he will be like Tommy Maddox, Chad Pennington and every other cautionary tale who had one good season after years of mediocrity and sunk right back into that mediocrity.

 

[SpideyInATree]

Giants secondary is not stellar either. Coming off a hard fought road game and now having to travel to the West Coast to face a D as physical as ours, I don’t see them wining.

The only area I have an concern over is our pass protection. We struggled with the safety blitz vs. the Saints and never really adjusted for it. I hope that gets taken care of this week because the NY pass rush is no joke.

I think you're underestimating the Giants. The Packers did and looked what happened to them.

 

[Darthphere]

Really? Look at the Saints game last year, Look to the Detroit game this year just to name a couple. Believe it or not there are ARE some of us 49er fans who have been frustrated with the situation Alex has been in. Take a look back to my post I made here on him a while back outlining who Alex has been dumped on and unfairly labeled a “bust” by being put in a situation that no QB would be able to succeed in.

Say what you will but I can (if you like) PM you link not only on this board but on the 49ers message board (which I am mod on) to my and a few others who have consistently said that very same thing for YEARS now. I have zero issue backing it up. Just let me know how much you are willing to read and how many years you’d like me to go back.

So don't be one of those people who assumes to know everyting about everybody when you have know flipp'n clue. "That's ********, sorry."

Yeah I'm not going to read all your 49ers message board posts. Not because I don't believe you, it's just I don't care that much really.

Look, maybe it's true. Maybe you really are Alex Smith's #1 fan, maybe you're Alex Smith, I don't know. But I'm going to question anyone who at this point in the game comes out after one good game and says "Yeah, I'm not shocked he led us down the field and threw a game winning touchdown". It's the nature of sports and you can blame people jumping on the bandwagon for that. However, even if you think Alex Smith is the best QB ever, there's no way viewing his history and past work with 18 coaches and coordinators you saw him leading them down the field the way he did, against the Saints of all teams. You might have wanted it, you might have believed it was possible, but when the Saints went ahead with a TD there wasn't one person that was like "Oh yeah Alex Smith is the guy to lead us down the field here" as if he has Brady like abilities. I'm sorry, again it might be true but there's a lot of that "Yeah I knew it all along" sentiment going around when 99.9% of it is ********.

But you're using a few games to back up a lot of mediocre ones. It's backwards logic. He had A good game. By your logic, Sanchez and Tebow are top five caliber quarterbacks. Hell, for most of the season, Harbaugh has been planning around him, not for him. When your coach plans around you (like John Fox does for Tim Tebow and Rex Ryan does for Mark Sanchez), you are not a 'great quarterback.' You are simply a serviceable one. These types of QBs are not long term answers. The Jets are currently reaping the rewards of having to win in spite of their QB.

Now you can probably come up with a million answers as to why Alex Smith is mediocre. Seven coordinators, bunch of different systems, blah blah blah. It doesn't matter why. What is matters is what he is. It takes a very special quarterback to turn it around for more than a season or so at this point in his career. Kurt Warner comes to mind, but Kurt Warner is a future hall of famer. He was special. There is nothing to indicate that Alex Smith has a level of talent that is even a fraction of that of Kurt Warner. More likely, he will be like Tommy Maddox, Chad Pennington and every other cautionary tale who had one good season after years of mediocrity and sunk right back into that mediocrity.

I wouldn't go that far. Anything can happen I mean, like you mentioned, who saw Kurt Warner coming. Alex Smith is about the same age when Kurt took over the Rams.

 

[Matt]

I wouldn't go that far. Anything can happen I mean, like you mentioned, who saw Kurt Warner coming. Alex Smith is about the same age when Kurt took over the Rams.

Maybe. But like I said, it takes a special kind of talent to be Kurt Warner and this season, Alex Smith hasn't shown it in but one game against a weak secondary. Could he be? Sure. But odds are against him. Like I said, for every one Kurt Warner there are ten examples of someone like Tommy Maddox. So far Smith hasn't shown that he has Kurt Warner's talent. Time will tell for certain, but so far, the evidence is against.

 

[KalMart]

Yup and even the national media is eating crow for bashing Alex Smith all of these years. The guy is good. All he has ever needed was a coach with a clue and some team/playbook stability. We beat the Giants before and we can do it again.

To answer Collin’s question… No I was not nor should any 49er fan who has really watch Alex over the years and has any knowledge of the game.

This is a better Giants team than the one they beat before by the skin of their teeth.

 

[Denny67]

But you're using a few games to back up a lot of mediocre ones. It's backwards logic. He had A good game. By your logic, Sanchez and Tebow are top five caliber quarterbacks. Hell, for most of the season, Harbaugh has been planning around him, not for him. When your coach plans around you (like John Fox does for Tim Tebow and Rex Ryan does for Mark Sanchez), you are not a 'great quarterback.' You are simply a serviceable one. These types of QBs are not long term answers. The Jets are currently reaping the rewards of having to win in spite of their QB.

Now you can probably come up with a million excuses as to why Alex Smith is mediocre. Seven coordinators, bunch of different systems, blah blah blah. It doesn't matter why. What is matters is what he is. It takes a very special quarterback to turn it around for more than a season or so at this point in his career. Kurt Warner comes to mind, but Kurt Warner is a future hall of famer. He was special. There is nothing to indicate that Alex Smith has a level of talent that is even a fraction of that of Kurt Warner. More likely, he will be like Tommy Maddox, Chad Pennington and every other cautionary tale who had one good season after years of mediocrity and sunk right back into that mediocrity.

Kind of a typical replay from a non-49er fan who does not watch all of the games and whose opinion has been handed to them by the sports media. That is evident by the fact that you are asserting that over his career and over the course of this season he has not done more than had “one good game.”
LMAO!!! It does not matter why? WTF? It absolutely DOES matter WHY! If you look at all of the great QBs, continuity is at heart of their success. Just because you start the conversation by dismissing the single most important factors does not make it true or factual in any way shape or form. It is obvious you have no real knowledge of Smith's play other than the opinion the east coast media has handed you.

Just as I pointed out to you back in December.

Bottom line is that the 49ers are a well-rounded team that has a very good running game, the best special teams units and defenses in the league. The fact that we are NOT dimensional is why Smith does not have to put up 300+ yards every game. 14 wins and 3 losses. You don’t get that when you are “mediocre.” Next season will be the first time Smith will have the same offensive coach for two consecutive seasons. Guess we will have to see how much of your ill-informed colander holds water on that one.

 

[Denny67]

This is a better Giants team than the one they beat before by the skin of their teeth.

And we are a better 49er team as well. Should be an epic game. t:

 

[KalMart]

And we are a better 49er team as well. Should be an epic game. t:

I think proportionally the Giants are more improved than SF is since then, but it is still at SF (even though Giants are good on the road now) and both teams are emboldened by their playoff wins right now. Like before...a 2-1/2 favor for Sf for playign at home sounds like a fair assessment. It really is a toss-up.