Niners-Giants Postmortem

Alex Smith silenced many of his critics with his
performance against the Giants.

Another great win for Harbaugh's crew yesterday...

This may have been Alex Smith's finest moment as a professional quarterback. For several years, observers have pointed to the '06 Thursday night victory in Seattle as the benchmark for Smith's potential. As the 2011 season has unfolded, we've seen Smith air it out several times (most notably against the Eagles), but each of those occurences were due to necessity (i.e. trailing by 20 points in Philadelphia) and not design. Yesterday, for the first time in his career, the focus of the offensive gameplan was put on Smith's shoulders - and he delivered. I never thought I'd say this, but is it too early to consider a contract extension for #11?

Alex wasn't the only Smith who had a monster game - Justin Smith added another chapter to his standout season by playing another excellent game. It's easy to point to his third-down tackle and fourth-down swatted pass to seal the game for the 49ers, but Smith was an unstoppable beast (as usual) for the full 60 minutes. He's been playing at a high level since his first season in Cincinnati, but anchoring the interior line of one of the best defenses in the league for an 8-1 team means his days of quiet anonymity are over. Add Justin Smith to the list of the league's defensive name-recognition stars.

Speaking of breakout stars, get ready to add Navorro Bowman to that list. The Niners' linebacking unit was already formidable with one Patrick Willis - now they have two.

• I was among the many doubters when Trent Baalke was named GM, but nearly every acquisition he made this offseason, from the draft to free agency, has contributed to the 49ers' success thus far. First-round pick Aldon Smith is on track for rookie of the year honors, and third-rounder Chris Culliver has cracked the starting lineup. Free-agent cornerbacks Donte Whitner and Carlos Rogers are exceeding even the most optimistic expectations, and a healthy Braylon Edwards should become a potent weapon in the passing attack as the second half of the season progresses. Individually, none of these transactions were very noteworthy, but together, they've managed to improve several weaknesses from the 2010 squad.
• Perhaps the biggest acquisition was the addition of David Akers, who has been absolute money, already nailing five field goals of 50+ yards. When the Niners' offense sputtered outside of the red zone during the first half yesterday, Akers calmly nailed a 52-yarder (his second of four field goals) to tie the game at 6-6, then executed a perfect onside kick to catch the Giants offguard.
• Akers' excellence is just one aspect of a vastly improved special teams unit, led by Brad Seely. While the Niners' offense may be pedestrian and average at times, opponents are simply unable to match up with their defense and special teams. If you need to win at least two of the three phases of a game (offense, defense and special teams), the Niners provide an excellent opportunity with their standout special teams and defense. 
• Hands-down, Jim Harbaugh is the coach of the year. I'm a believer. I've joined the cult of Jim and I'm drinking the Kool-Aid from a firehose.
• The 49ers were legitimate before yesterday - they shouldn't have needed a victory over one of the league's precious New York teams for the national media to finally recognize them as an elite team. East-coast bias is alive and well in the NFL.
• Tom Coughlin seems like a fun guy to play for, doesn't he? If you want to know how Mike Singletary would have reacted if he successfully coached the 49ers, just take a look at Coughlin. The entire Giants squad plays in fear of screwing up - and, inevitably, that's just what they do.
• By the way, that was a nice day for your teams, wasn't it, New York? Both the Giants and Jets were soundly beaten in front of a nationally televised audience. I'm sure that won't stop the media from slobbering all over them throughout the rest of the season, though.
• Great to see Roger Craig and RC Owens get inducted into the 49ers' hall of fame. Craig was the most versatile running back of his era, and Owens provided plenty of excitement during the Niners' early days as he and Y.A. Tittle connected on several late-game "Alley Oop" game-winning passes.
• One more word about Craig - if Floyd Little is in the NFL Hall of Fame, how can the man who anchored the ground attack for three Super Bowl teams, who became the first player to gain 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same year, and who was one of the most feared weapons in Bill Walsh's West Coast offense be kept out of Canton? Craig redefined the position and deserves a yellow sportsjacket to go along with the nifty red one he picked up this past weekend.
• Finally - how about that NFC West? The entire division completed an undefeated week for the first time since the Falcons and Saints were hanging out with the Niners and Rams in the only division that was completely screwed over in the 2002 alignment.