Phew (Niners), Peyew (Officials)

Where's the camera? Over there?

That was a great win last night - no doubt about it. But I was disappointed that the Niners blew so many opportunities to run away from the Patriots earlier in the game. If San Francisco's offense (and David Akers) could have taken advantage of the gifts the defense was giving them in the first half, there's a good chance Bill Belichick would have put Tom Brady on the bench before he would have had the opportunity to direct the 28-point comeback that tied the game midway through the fourth quarter.

Still, it was awesome to see Tom Brady's growing frustrations as the Niners extended their lead to 31-3. But Tom, seriously - enough with the whining. You're becoming as bad as all of your petulant fans who witnessed your first December loss at home in ten seasons. Boston fans, we know you all think the world is against you and you are the biggest underdogs of all time. But in reality, you are a spoiled fanbase that never believes your teams lose fair and square. You will always play second fiddle to New York.

And if we've learned anything about last night's game, it's that Ed Hochuli's crew should never, ever, EVER - under ANY circumstances, be allowed to officiate any NFL game of consequence. The mismanagement of the first-half punt return fumble/illegal touching penalty and subsequent replay challenge is just the latest example of how these bozos are woefully unprepared for working a nationally-televised game.

Here's a new rule of thumb for the league. If you are assigning Hochuli to an NFL game that isn't being announced by Sam Rosen or Chris Myers, you are running the risk of having the worst officiating crew in the league affect possible playoff positioning and outcomes.

Now, it's on the Seattle for the second week of the 49ers' Sunday Night Football residency. You're welcome America.

A Win is a Win, I Guess...

That was not a Super Bowl-contending team on the field at Candlestick today. Going into the fourth quarter, the only thing separating the 49ers from the mediocre (at best) Dolphins was a fumbled punt return.

The offense is missing a key ingredient since Colin Kapernick took over: consistency. Yes, there are some flashes of brilliance with big plays like the 50-yard scamper into the endzone to put the game (finally) out of reach today. But there are still too many instances where the offense sputters for several drives in a row, allowing inferior opponents to remain in (or even win) the game.

And before anybody starts talking about the awesome throw CK made to Randy Moss that should have resulted in a touchdown (nice to see Mike Carrey's crew still stinks and misses obvious pass interference penalties), keep in mind that it's STILL an excuse.

Everybody WANTS Kaepernick to succeed. I do, too. Whatever gets the 49ers their sixth ring is totally fine with me. But giving this inconsistent offense the benefit of the doubt by making excuses doesn't fly in December, and it sure is hell won't help matters in January. Win now. Get your sh*t together. Because as far as I can tell, things were running much more smoothly with #11 behind center.

For whatever reason, the coaching staff still doesn't know what to do with this new offense. Too many "cute" plays. Too many ineffective running calls in long-yardage situations. For the second week in a row, too many conservative plays when they should be aggressive, and being too aggressive (like passing twice before going three-and-out when trying to burn the clock late in the fourth quarter after Miami pulled to within seven points) when they should have been conservative.

I'm not championing Alex Smith, but I do know if he put up the same numbers over the past four weeks that Kaepernick has, everybody would still be calling him nothing more than a game manager. "Would Alex Smith be able to run for that last touchdown today?" No (although the Saints might have a different opinion). But the team wouldn't be burning most of their timeouts in each half because the ball wasn't getting snapped before the gameclock expired, either.

Through week Week 10, there was a rhythm. A process. Certain expectations. That's gone, now. Blame Kapernick, blame the coaches, blame the players' biorhythms, blame the goddamned seagulls flying around Candlestick Park. I don't care. Things have to get better - and soon - if the 49ers want to meet their goal of playing in the Super Bowl.

The defense, while generally very, very good, continues to make too many penalties while giving up long drives during crucial points in the game. A championship defense should NEVER allow an ineffective offense like Miami's to march 80 yards midway through the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game. That's when the defense should have killed the Dolphins' hopes with a three-and-out or a turnover.

About midway through today's contest, if you didn't know the 49ers were currently holding the second seed in the NFC, you'd think you were watching a couple of 3-9 teams struggle to finish their seasons. It was ugly, and reminiscent of all of those pathetic games we watched during the Erickson, Nolan and Singletary eras, right down to the wasted timeouts and mental/communication errors.

So, is it all Doom and Gloom? No. But with a Sunday-night matchup in New England and a crucial divisional game against the surging Seahawks looming ahead over the next couple of weeks, there is no margin for error. The 49ers need to start playing like the champions they want to be.

Now.

49ers - Rams: 10 Quarters and No Wins for SF

That was a terrible performance across the board in St. Louis a few minutes ago...

Colin Kaepernick single-handedly gave the Rams 10 of their points. Each time the game was his to control, he failed. And Jim Harbaugh was woefully outcoached for the second time this season against Jeff Fisher.

Aside from taking that awful grounding penalty that gave the Rams their first points of the day, the Niners screwed themselves on four key plays down the stretch. Satisfactorily completing any one of them would have saved the day and given San Francisco an ugly road win against a divisional opponent:

• Leading by eight late in the fourth quarter against an offense that hadn't scored ALL DAY, the Niners inexplicably tried a fancy flip-lateral to Ted Ginn deep in their own territory. Kaepernick's toss was totally off the mark, the Rams pounced on the ball into the end zone, and a two-point conversion tied a game that the Rams had no business being in.
• On the following drive, facing third-down inside the two minute warning (and following the rare "dropped TD and holding call on consecutive plays" by Delaney Walker to cause the sputtering offense to drive backwards after getting into the red zone), Kapernick rolled to his right to gain a few yards, then stepped out of bounds to save a final timeout for the Rams so they could drive down the field and tie the game on a 51-yard field goal. 
• On the Rams' tying drive, Dashon Goldson performed his customary "personal foul at a crucial moment" maneuver to give the Rams 15 much-needed yards.
• David Akers, remembering how much he enjoyed shanking a game-winner field goal in the previous tie with the Rams, delivered an encore performance by missing another game-winner from (a very makeable indoor distance of) 51 yards.

Naturally, the Rams took possession of the ball following the Akers miss and drove into 49er territory just deep enough before time expired to nail (another) long field goal to win the contest.

Game. Set. Match.

"Who's got it better than us?" Why don't you just tell us who still has the "hot hand" instead, Harbaugh.

Fortunately, the race for the NFC's second seed is still in San Francisco's hands. But if the Niners find themselves playing in the wildcard round during the weekend of December 5 instead of enjoying a first-round bye, they can thank their ineptitude against the Rams (twice) for their lack of rest.

C'mon - Seriously?

If you came here looking for another opinion on The Great Quarterback Controversy of 2012, you're out of luck. The last thing we need is another jackass's take on Alex v. Colin.

I witnessed Montana v. Young. With all due respect to Smith and Kaepernick, this ain't even close to Hall of Famer v. Hall of Famer.

Just keep winning, and don't screw up, Harbaugh.

That is all. For now.

Ho-Hum

Another beatdown of the Bears on Monday Night Football, reminiscent of the Seifert and Walsh eras. All that was missing was a Merton Hanks chicken dance and Mike Ditka chucking a wad of bubblegum into the crowd.

Awesome performance by Kaepernick. I'm not proclaiming a quarterback controversy is around the bend, but during a week when Jim Harbaugh missed time due to a heart ailment, he still managed to out coach Lovie Smith and the Bears' staff.

What else is new?

The Future Is NOW

Colin Kaepernick gets his first big-boy start tonight.

For most of the past week, we were led to believe that Alex Smith was on target to suit up for the Monday night tilt against the Bears. According to reports, he took the majority of the snaps once he was cleared for practice.

Now, Kaepernick faces one of the league's best defenses in a nationally-televised game. Will he be prepared? Will he have the awareness to run out of the pocket when his receivers are covered and he has twenty yards of open space in front of him? Did the 49ers put together a backup gameplan for their backup quarterback? Will the Niners' defense and special teams return to form after a spotty performance against the Rams? What will Jon Gruden say about "THIS GUY RIGHT HERE - HE'S A FOOTBALL PLAYER?"

This could be the beginning of an era. Or we'll be feverishly praying that Alex Smith's head owie recovers in time for next week's game in New Orleans. We'll find out in eight hours.

Three and a Half Hours Wasted

Tying the Rams wasn't exactly what I had in mind for yesterday's NFC West contest with St. Louis. Both teams had chances to win and both teams failed miserably. The Niners' defense caved when it mattered most and their special teams unit allowed crucial first downs on two (TWO!) fake punts.

And all of the fans clamoring for Colin Kaepernick to replace Alex Smith may just want to take a step back and really think about that decision, okay? For all of the flashes of brilliance the Niners' #2 quarterback showed yesterday, he also showed twice as many moments of indecision and unpreparedness in the pocket. Get well soon, Alex.

Probably the most disappointing outcome of the game was how many players (and fans) still don't understand the NFL's overtime rules. If I'm getting paid to play (or paying a bunch of money to attend) a game, I sure as hell should know when it ends!

About Alex

I'm not off the Alex Smith bandwagon - yet. I do think he's regressed a bit this year, but I didn't hear anybody calling for a change when he was carving up the Bills two weeks ago or when the team stormed off to a 2-0 start with victories over the Packers and Lions.

Yes, he looked like garbage during the Giants loss and during several drives last night. But shuffling in Colin Kaepernick during critical moments near the red zone isn't helping matters, either.

Last week, Damon Bruce (KNBR) made a point on his show about the loss to New York that made a lot of sense. On the first drive of the game, Smith led the team down the field. The Niners faced a 3rd-and-7 just outside the Giants' 20 and the Kaepernick came into the game. Now, if I'm Smith, I'm thinking "I just drove you guys 60 yards against a pretty good defense, it's time to convert to keep the drive going, and you take me out? This is MY job! WTF?" Meanwhile, Kaepernick is ineffective, the team lines up for a field goal attempt on 4th down and Akers misses the kick. Boom goes the dynamite.

Throughout the game, the Niners brought Kaepernick in with mixed (mostly bad) results. At best, the 49ers pick up a few yards and keep the opposing defense guessing. At worst, it completely disrupts the quarterback's rhythm and often throws him back on the field in a do-or-die situation.

Last night, Kaepernick was brought in to run a second-down play in the red zone and a minimal gain set up a 3rd-and-7 situation. When Smith returned to the game, he had one chance to convert and he forced a ball into coverage that resulted in an endzone pick. It was a terrible throw, but also a terrible decision to put your quarterback in that situation.

On two other occasions, the Niners basically gave up on third down and ran designed running plays for Smith, including one on their last drive that could have wrapped up the game. It makes no sense. If he's your quarterback, make him act like a quarterback and MAKE A PLAY. Oddly enough, those two plays would have been more suited for Kaepernick's running abilities (although they would have been telegraphed if he entered the game at either of those two points).

There's a reason no team has sustained success with Wildcat formations: they are a gimmick. And once opposing defenses have seen enough of it on film, they can prepare for it and it becomes ineffective. That's why the Broncos were so eager to get rid of Tim Tebow despite a playoff victory over the Steelers last year, and why the pathetic Jets haven't even bothered using him in similar fashion this year.

One more thing - Smith gets absolutely blasted for every interception he throws. The guy has no margin for error with the fans and media these days, and I think he's deserved a bit of slack after last year's performance. If mistake-prone (and turnover machine) golden boy Tony Romo gets a free pass to remain the unquestioned quarterback in mediocre Dallas, Smith deserves to have a chance to let this season play out without getting burned at the stake.

Is Smith the long-term answer for the 49ers? Probably not. But until Colin Kaepernick is accomplished enough to run an entire offensive playbook, he's the best we have.

A Win is a Win, But...

That was ugly last night. I'm glad the 49ers took care of business against the Seahawks, but that game was a perfect illustration of why I'm not lining up to purchase season tickets at the new stadium.

First of all, Thursday night games, in theory, are great. You get a bonus NFL game before the weekend. It's something to look forward to and it helps break up the workweek.

But generally, these games are pretty bad as both teams are preparing on a short week. And if it's your team that's playing, it's a no-win situation. Either you take the day off and trudge up to the stadium on a weeknight (home games), or you pray your team doesn't sleepwalk through the game after adding a travel day to the short week mix (away games). Pick your poison.

Secondly, it was a divisional game. That would seem like a good thing, right? Not when your team is playing in the bastardized NFC West.

No matter how hard the league tries to stuff it down our throats, the Seahawks belong in the AFC, the Cardinals in the NFC East and the Rams in Los Angeles. There are no historical rivalries within the division anymore. I wouldn't pay a dime to see the 49ers battle the "rival" Seahawks for NFC West supremacy after sitting through 30 seasons of San Francisco-Seattle snorefests during the exhibition season.

The Cardinals? Please. One recent Super Bowl appearance with Kurt Warner is the only thing keeping them from complete irrelevance over the past 50 years. And Warner's first team, the Rams, play in a nondescript dome in a nondescript midwestern city (yes, I'm still smarting from last night's demoralizing St. Louis Cardinals beatdown of the Giants in the NLCS) that has negated what was once a passionate "NoCal vs. SoCal" geographic rivalry.

That's your NFC West: the 49ers, one dull team, another duller team and one more dull team.

So there's three games you can toss off the schedule every season. Throw in two preseason exhibitions, and you're already looking at five games (half the home schedule) that I wouldn't waste an entire Sunday for, let alone PAY for.

But hey - the Niners won last night, stay atop the NFC West, and I get to enjoy an NFL Sunday without stressing about my team. You take what you can get.

No, We Don't

I really hope this is a Photoshopped image and Hochuli didn't actually pose for this photograph.

Nothing better to report about this week, Sports Illustrated?

Good News, Bad News

"What has two thumbs and always screws
up game-changing calls? THIS GUY."

Good News: the league reached an agreement with the officials last night.
Bad News: most of us have forgotten how mediocre the regular officials were, just because the replacement officials were completely inept at understanding basic NFL rules

Good News: the regular officials will make their return to the field in tonight's nationally-televised game.
Bad News: tonight's matchup features the Ravens and Browns, so everybody west of Ohio won't give a damn.

Big Problems Just Got Much, Much Bigger

We all saw the disaster at the end of the Packers-Seahawks game last night. The replacement officials are destroying the credibility of the NFL while creating an unwatchable on-field product at the same time.

For several weeks, the typical media response to the sorry state of officiating has been "thank goodness it didn't affect the outcome of the game(s)." Of course, that was a load of BS - bad calls were affecting nearly EVERY game; they just hadn't happened at the END of a close game to decide the final score.

Until last night.

It had to happen at some point; that it occurred during a nationally-televised (and highly-watched) broadcast was poetic justice. The league can't hide from this, can't sweep it under the rug, can't pretend it didn't alter the result of the game. Everybody saw it. Everybody knows.

Naturally, the league itself is taking most of the heat for this situation. Many feel that the replacement officials aren't really to blame - they're in over their heads. However, the replacements should share as much of the guilt as the league because they willingly signed up for this, arrogantly thinking that they were qualified to officiate an NFL game after working in the lower ranks of collegiate and high school football levels. They decided to become scabs and grab a little glory.

Well, now you have your glory and everybody can watch you on TV for the next 48 hours. Congratulations, scabs.

The league is in shambles this morning, all because of a financial dispute that's less than the total revenue generated during one Super Bowl commercial break. This is a crappy week for all NFL fans, but if you are a schadenfreude fan, Christmas just came three months early.

Perspective, Power Rankings and Big Problems

Yesterday's decisive loss to the Vikings wasn't expected - if the Niners are going to compete for a Super Bowl title, they'll need to start beating up on inferior road opponents with relative ease. However, considering yesterday's outbreak of upsets throughout the league, the "trap game" factor and the Metrodome always being a house of horrors for the 49ers, I'm not ready to make any pronouncements about San Francisco's supposed slip into mediocrity.

It's just one game - every team gets a couple of mulligans throughout the year, and an early-season stumble on the road isn't going to determine the course of the 2012 campaign. Super Bowls aren't won in September. Hell, they aren't even won in January anymore.

Did the 49ers look like crap in all three facets of the game? Absolutely. But a victory over the overhyped, loud-mouthed, playoff-choking Jets next Sunday will quickly erase the memories of yesterday's bed-wetting performance in Minneapolis.

As a result of yesterday's debacle, I'm sure the 49ers will fall several spots in this week's power rankings. And that's troubling. Not because of the Niners slipping in the rankings, but because there are actually "official" AP rankings in the first place. Last I checked, the NFL has a very fair and competitive playoff system - we don't need polls to let us know who is "Number One" because the postseason will determine that. These rankings are another transparent attempt by the sports media of creating a story instead of reporting it. The tendency for the media to overreact with every win and loss, especially early in the season, renders any power rankings as a completely worthless exercise, designed only to feed the 24/7 news cycle prior to the following week's Thursday night contest.

But giving any weight or credence to meaningless power rankings pales in comparison to the league's biggest (and most painfully obvious) issue, the completely inept replacement officials. Last week, Steve Young cited the league's inelastic demand as the reason the NFL isn't concerned with getting a new deal in place with the real officials. Viewers will tune in to every game, regardless of the product they are seeing on the field. And up until yesterday, that was certainly the case in my household.

But midway through the 4th quarter of the Vikings game, we decided to leave the house and run some Sunday errands. No biggie - the game's outcome wasn't really in doubt, and we figured we could knock out a few quick chores before settling in for the afternoon's contests. But a funny thing happened when we got home: the TVs stayed off. Instead, we listened to the (NL West Champion) San Francisco Giants game on the radio while cleaning up the garage. We'd rather listen to a ballgame than watch another football game, wondering after every play if a flag would be incorrectly thrown or an infraction was missed or improperly identified.

Quite simply, the brand of football that we are seeing on NFL Sundays (along with Thursdays and Mondays) has suffered to the point of being unreliable and baseless. And that leads to Roger Goodell's biggest problem - it's unwatchable. It's fake. It's phony. The trust is gone and the lunatics are running the asylum. Rather than improving from week to week, it only gets worse.

A league that prides itself in the integrity of the game has become a complete joke, all because of a few dollars in the pension fund for part-time employees. Until this issue is fixed, the NFL will continue to lose credibility and, eventually, viewers (money).

But hey, in the meantime, it's still baseball season!

Coda (?)

What more can I say?

I thought about picking things up again once the season started, and I was preparing a few choice words for yesterday's officiating crew, but the Niners managed to overcome a bunch of questionable calls to manhandle the Packers in a not-as-close-as-the-final-score-indicated 30-22 beatdown in Green Bay. THAT'S how you start a season filled with high expectations.

Alex Smith tossed a pair of touchdowns - one to Randy Moss, naturally. Frank Gore ripped through the Packers' defense for another 100-yard effort. The defense dominated Aaron Rodgers and the rest of Green Bay's high-powered offense. Oh yeah - and David Akers kicked an NFL-record 63-yard field goal. Yep, just another week for the 49ers.

You start expecting this stuff to happen. You think back to the last time you counted on the 49ers to win each week, regardless of the opponent or location. You think of Montana. Walsh. Young. Rice. Lott. You think that, somehow, the fortunes of this franchise have done a complete 180 in a year and a half.

The Niners are really, really good, with an excellent chance of becoming great. The new stadium is no longer a pipe dream, but a reality, being built right now about three miles away from me as I type this post. In Harbaugh we trust.

What more can I say?

I started this blog to chronicle my dissatisfaction with the 49ers' organization. High ticket prices. Crappy stadium. Terrible on-field performances. Bad decisions made in the front office.

I was done giving them my money. Done dragging my ass up to decrepit Candlestick Park to waste half of my weekend. Done hearing all of the double-talk and rhetoric from inept coaches and team officials. Done waiting 'til next year.

Now, the Niners don't have my money (football on a big high-def TV is a wonderful thing). Candlestick Park will be empty in two years as the team completes its trek to my backyard in the south bay. Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh are calling the shots while leading the 49ers back to the top. Hell, even Lil' Jed is taking care of business.

What's left to complain about?

What more can I say?

Dick Move, Santa Clara County

I'm not sure how Santa Clara County can get away with pulling $30 million earmarked for the new stadium off the table, but they sure as hell are going to try.

I get that the money could be better spent on teachers (which, in a perfect world, may happen, but I'm very pessimistic that teachers will see much of this money, as usual). Building facilities to support billionaires and big business shouldn't ever be a top priority for public funding.

What pisses me off is this quote from county tax collector George Putris: "Let’s be real: That stadium is going to get built whether or not you get this $30 million." Dick move, George.

Ummm, okay. So that's like me saying "let's be real - Safeway is going to continue to make money whether or not I pay for my groceries." I'd be five steps out the door with my unpaid food before the store manager would call the cops. Yet somehow, local government thinks they can use this logic to take back $30 million dollars after the stadium construction is already well underway, knowing the 49ers can't do anything about it (except hire lawyers, which they will certainly do).

Here's what I can't understand - without getting into specifics, I pay a SHITLOAD of property taxes to Putris' office in Santa Clara County. And there are probably a half-million or so other homeowners doing the same. Plus, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of new homes still being built around here that will be appraised for nearly a million bucks (or more) each. All will generate an endless source of revenue for a county that apparently can't get its shit together to keep the streets evenly paved.

So where's the money going? And how could county leaders fail to recognize this potential shortage of funds when they originally pledged this money not very long ago? Honor your commitments or don't make them at all.

In the grand scheme of things, the $30 million is just a drop in the barrel for the Yorks and NFL. The stadium will be built and (maybe) this money will be used to make improvements in the county. I just hate it when some dickhead public servant that I write several checks to every year decides to push his weight and make his own rules while the rest of us have to abide by those same rules he's breaking.

R.C. Owens, RIP

Man, I feel like I've already published too many of these RIP posts during the brief history of this blog...

Former Niner receiver R.C. Owens passed away yesterday at the age of 78. Of course, everybody knew him by his nickname, "Alley Oop," thanks to the passes that he would haul in from Y.A. Tittle on the play of the same name.

He was a fixture on the sidelines while he worked for the team during the their Super Bowl heyday in the 80s - you can see him celebrating with the players and coaches on the TV broadcast following Dwight Clark's catch in the '81 NFC Championship game.

I'm too young to remember Owens as a player, but he was always happy to greet fans with a smile and represent the team at various functions during his tenure as a community ambassador.

My favorite memory of R.C. was when he was identified on the sidelines during a Monday Night Football broadcast by Frank Gifford. At the time, R.C. had put on a few pounds and was sporting a good-sized boiler, leading Don Meredith to quip "looks like the Oop's gone out of his Alley." That always cracked me up, for some reason.

Rest in peace, R.C. - and thanks for the memories.

Two Grand? It Coulda Been Worse

Funny that this picture was taken at night, since there
won't be any Monday or Thursday night games hosted
by the Niners due to parking restrictions with the lots
shared by local Santa Clara businesses.

So the big news last week was that the 49ers announced their season ticket prices for the new stadium. And for all of the grumbling, bitching and moaning about the cost, I was actually surprised that $2,000 will get you an upper-deck sideline PSL in the new building.

Granted, my old seats would have cost me at least 10x as much, but for a couple grand, I could see a guy in my position buying in, especially at 95 bucks per seat per game (which is about 65 bucks less than what I paid per game during my final season as a ticketholder).

Of course, after a season of watching the Niners (and the rest of the NFL schedule) at home on a 60" HDTV with a fridge full of beverages and snacks while cherry-picking a couple of games per year to attend, it would be a very hard sell to get me back in the game. Even with the stadium being a 20 dollar cab ride away, which would allow us to conveniently tailgate at home until a half hour or so before kickoff, it would still be difficult to convince me to leave the comfort of my own couch while watching the conclusions to the early games.

I think that's going to be the problem the league faces as the TV gameday experience becomes more and more attractive than actually attending the event in person. For several decades, the NFL built itself as the top league in North American sports because it is such a great televised product. The main reason the league has succeeded over the past 50+ years will eventually result in less paying customers through the turnstiles.

Will this hurt the league? Probably not - the majority of their revenue is from the ridiculous television contracts they have negotiated with the various broadcast and cable networks. But at some point, I figure it has to affect the stadium experience (and demand) on gameday. For better or worse, I'm sure Robot Goodell will find a way to draw maximum profits out of that, too.

Back to Plan A

Well, that's that. Manning picked the Broncos. It would have been nice to see him slinging passes for the Niners, but the team can still win a Super Bowl with Alex Smith (and, if it weren't for a couple of fumbled punts and Ed Hoculi, they probably would have last year).

So now the goal is to get Smith signed and use some of that money they would have spent on Manning (the Broncos are giving Manning $95 million over five years) and try to find a way to bring Mike Wallace over to San Francisco.

The defense is locked up, and at the very least, there will be more weapons in the offense. With Alex Smith back in the fold and having a full offseason to continue to work in Harbaugh's offensive scheme, things are looking pretty good for 2012.

Basically, things will work out the same as we thought they were a week ago.

Now, seriously - can I enjoy a little baseball before things get cranking again?

PEYTON MANNING

U mad, bro?

ZOMG LOL GR8 BTW BRB FWIW OMG ROTFLMAO WTF LOLZ TTFN!!!!!!

Peyton Manning! BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH Peyton Manning! BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH Peyton Manning! BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH PEYTON MANNING!

Brace yourselves for a long weekend.

I'll (happily) believe it when I see it. And if it doesn't, I'm totally cool with locking up Alex Smith for another three years.

That is all.

For now.

A Brief Lesson in Competitive Pricing

Yes, Randy Moss is now a Niner (for now - September is still six months away). I'm somewhere between skeptical and cautiously optimistic about this acquisition. This could go either way.

One thing is certain, though: the fortunes of the 49ers and Raiders remain on opposite sides of the Bay Area sports spectrum. Case in point:

It's Baseball Season

Taking a break before the NFL begins bombarding us with draft hype (oh wait - they already have)...

See ya in April, unless anything crazy happens like the Niners signing Manning.

Freddie Solomon, 1953-2012

I was at home last night watching Chronicle Live (which probably makes me 10% of their total audience), when the news broke that Freddie Solomon passed away yesterday.

The tributes immediately came flowing in from many of the members of the Niners' organization that made those early Super Bowl seasons so special: Joe Montana, Charle Young, Carmen Policy, Dwight Clark...the list of familiar names from 30 years ago continued throughout the evening.

While I'll always remember #88 for providing some of the earliest flashes of offensive excitement during Bill Walsh's first couple of seasons (including that 38-35 come-from-behind victory over the Saints), those that knew him are remembering him as a great guy and hard-working humanitarian.

I can still see him making an incredible catch in the back of the Rams' end zone while dragging his feet inbounds before his momentum carried him past the goal post uprights. Or taking a short dump pass from Steve DeBerg against the Falcons and turning it into the (then) longest pass play in Niner history. Or making the game-winning grab against the Lions during the '83 postseason.

RIP, Freddie - and thanks for the memories.

How Appropriate

Fumbling.

The image of Ahmad Bradshaw falling ass-backwards into the end zone for an uncontested touchdown to win yesterday's Super Bowl was a perfect encapsulation of the New York Giants' last two games.

I can't recall a team that had so much postseason luck and good fortune as the Giants did during the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl. Rather than snatch victory from their opponents, New York graciously accepted the gifts bestowed upon them.

• Two fumbled punts? Check.
• A blown call on a potential game-deciding fumble? Check.
• Tom Brady - Tom Freaking Brady - taking an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone on a 30-yard pass down the middle on his first play from scrimmage, handing the Giants 2 points? Check.
• Every fumble bouncing right back into the Giants' hands? Check.
• The Patriots' receivers playing like their hands were covered in olive oil during the 4th quarter? Check.
• The "we give up, just give the ball back to our offense" defensive strategy during the aforementioned Bradshaw touchdown? Check.
  

Yeah, this is sour grapes. And yeah, I think the 49ers could have beaten both teams yesterday.

10, 20, 30 years from now, what will be the lasting image of this Super Bowl? Super Bowl I had Max McGee racing down the field to score the first touchdown in Super Bowl history. Super Bowl X had Lynn Swann's acrobatic catch. Super Bowl XVI had the Niners' goal line stand. Super Bowl XVIII had Jack Squirek's interception. Super Bowl XXIII had Joe Montana's game-winning toss to John Taylor. The list goes on and on.

Super Bowl XVLI's lasting image? A running back falling backwards into the end zone against a yielding defense while trying to keep himself in the field of play rather than score the game-winning points.

How appropriate.

Super Bowl Time

The Niners should be playing today. 

Getting ready to settle in for a final afternoon of football to close out the 2011 season. I'm rooting for the Patriots, but if the Giants happen to win, I hope they remember to give a portion of their Super Bowl share to Ed Hoculi.

And yes, this is a photo of an actual t-shirt I made for today's big game...

NFC Championship Game Post Mortem

Some thoughts following yesterday's game...

Yes, Kyle Williams' two fumbles led to the 10 points that kept the Giants in the game and then delivered the margin of victory. It's easy to pick on the kid and label him as the scapegoat for yesterday's defeat. But I will go to my grave knowing that Ed Hoculi's crew were the real culprits yesterday. Ahmad Bradshaw FUMBLED. The 49ers should have had the ball at the Giants' 21-yard line near the two-minute warning with an excellent chance to score and win the game in regulation.

Hoculi and his crew screwed up and it cost the 49ers a trip to the Super Bowl. Plain and simple.

I shouldn't be surprised - I was in Denver the day Hoculi infamously blew a call on an apparent fumble by Jay Cutler in the closing minute that was incorrectly ruled a forward pass, thus robbing the Chargers of a victory. It's unbelievable that he continues to merit assignments to conference title games.

That's all I'm going to say about what went down on the field yesterday.

Off the field? Well, it was another typical Candlestick performance including slippery puddles in the restrooms, congested traffic in and out of the stadium and a general lack of facilities. No big surprise.

As I said before, they can't tear down Candlestick soon enough. However, the league may want to think of staging a Super Bowl at the Stick while it's still standing. The last four postseason games played here have all been barnburners: Terrell Owens' "The Catch II" against the Packers, the wild 39-38 come-from-behind victory over the Giants, last week's instant classic against the Saints and yesterday's overtime battle against New York.

The postseason crowd at Candlestick the past two weeks was absolutely insane. My ears are still ringing. The Stick rocked for four hours, from player introductions to the final whistle. This isn't the wine and cheese 49ers crowd anymore. This is a loud, boisterous collection of fans that gave the Niners a real advantage by whooping and hollering and standing on their feet for the entire duration of the game. Outstanding.

Speaking of home-team advantages, it's time for the NFL to step aside and stop managing the in-game entertainment and festivities during the postseason. Having a shrill and annoying New York Giants fan sing the National Anthem in San Francisco? A country music performance at halftime? Unbelievable. This is SAN FRANCISCO. We have plenty of local performers to choose from. We don't need to see or hear Kristen Chenoweth and Brad Paisley because some clowns in the league office decided it would promote corporate synergy or cater to mouth-breathers in the midwest. DO NOT disrespect OUR city, OUR stadium and OUR team by bringing a New York Giants fan into Candlestick to sing the anthem. EVER.

It was a long day yesterday and a disappointing way to end the season. But the 49ers are back from the dead and will only get better over the next few seasons.

It was a great, fun, wild ride. And now I'm exhausted. Thanks, 49ers, for making me a believer again.

Yep, Still in the Parking Lot

Tear this stadium down tomorrow. Seriously.

Season Over

There were two things I was worried about going into today's game: the loss of Ted Ginn and Ed Hoculi refereeing the game.

Those were the two main reasons the Niners lost the NFC Championship to the Giants, who have never turned away a gift to advance to the Super Bowl.

Kyle Williams' fumbles were unfortunate, but the incompetence of Hoculi's crew was inexcusable.

Congrats on a great season that brought the 49ers back to the top of the heap in the NFL. Well done.

See you at the drive-through, Hoculi. Yes, I would like fries with that, you hack.

By the way, it's nearly 9pm and our chartered bus still hasn't left the parking lot. The debacle on the field pales in comparison to the logjam trying to escape the clutches of decrepit Candlestick Park.

Go Patriots.

Bandwagoner, Judas, Hypocrite...I've Heard 'Em All

Before I start this little rant, I have to say that, over 48 hours prior to kickoff, I am stoked for the NFC Championship and cannot wait to get into that stadium on Sunday! Ok - now on to the ranting...

I've had a fair amount of feedback about my apparent change of heart regarding the 49ers after tossing aside my season tickets, only to pay a premium for playoff tickets the past couple of weeks.

Here's the thing - I never stopped rooting for the 49ers or caring about their performance on the field. You don't write a blog for over a year without having a vested interest in the subject matter. It's not like I'm in it for the money (thanks for nothing, Google adSense).

Some folks have asked if I regret giving up my season tickets just as the team had a complete reversal of fortune.

I don't.

While I didn't expect the 49ers to be hosting the NFC Championship game this season, everything else is going about how I planned: cherry-pick a few choice games to attend each year and purchase tickets on the secondary market above face-value. It just so happens that the "few choice games" (for a variety of circumstances) ended up being played in the postseason.

The total amount of money I've spent on tickets for the playoffs is dwarfed by the amount of money I spent during any of the past several seasons to watch the Niners stumble aimlessly through the abyss of the NFL's bottom-feeders.

By the time I got rid of our season tickets, I had realized that half of the guaranteed games on the home schedule every year (two preseason games plus the three divisional "rivalry" games against the Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams) were matchups I didn't want to waste a Sunday afternoon for. Throw in at least one or two other clunkers on the schedule (for example, the Cleveland Browns this year), and the math just didn't add up.

Watch the game on my 55-inch TV with plenty of beverages and snacks a few feet away in the fridge? Sure. Deal with gameday experience at Candlestick Park? Not so much.

Part of the blame belongs to Candlestick itself, which has become more of a logistical nightmare every year. Part of the blame belongs to the NFL for destroying the old NFC West after the 2001 season. And part of the blame belongs to me for getting older, moving farther away from the stadium and deciding that there are better things to do with half of my weekend than drag my ass up the 101 to see the 49ers face the likes of the aforementioned Seahawks (who still belong in the AFC) and Cardinals (who still belong on the preseason schedule).

I'm a Niner fan - always have been, always will be. But being a fan of the team doesn't mean you have to be a fan of their stadium or give them money for things you don't want to pay for.

But enough about me.

GO NINERS!!!

Icing on the Cake?

It's a cake - with 49er icing! Get it?

Sunday morning, my wife and I were still basking in the afterglow of the victory over the Saints. Figuring a trip to Green Bay was next for the Niners, my thought was that, regardless of how the season ended, the dramatic win against New Orleans was a great way to highlight a successful return to NFL prominence. While I thought the Niners would have a chance to defeat Green Bay, I wasn't banking on it (Lambeau Field has always been a house of horrors for San Francisco).

Of course, by late Sunday afternoon, before the final whistle had been blown in the Giants-Packers game, we were already online searching for NFC Championship tickets.

Sunday morning, I thought that anything else the 49ers accomplished this season would be icing on the cake. But by Sunday night, I realized that the Niners now had an excellent opportunity to transform an already outstanding season into something truly special. For the first time since postseason seeding was implemented during the 1970s, the Niners leapfrogged into the top slot to host the conference title game after entering the playoffs as a number two (or lower) seed.

Sunday morning, I was satisfied with the 2011 season. But by Sunday night, I wanted more.

Damnit, I'm In

Just picked up our tickets for Sunday's game on the secondary market. During the past couple of days, we went back and forth trying to decide if we should spend the cash and deal with the Candlestick hassle again, or just watch the game in the comfort of our living room.

Once again, crumbling Candlestick beckoned and we answered. We decided it's too good of an opportunity to pass up. I remember being faced with a similar problem the last time the Niners hosted an NFC Championship game while I was living in San Diego. I decided to skip the game and sell my tickets to set aside some money for the Super Bowl (which was being played in San Diego that season). Besides, the Niners would probably be right back next year...

That was my last opportunity to see the 49ers play for a trip to the Super Bowl.

That was 14 years ago.

Finally, my next opportunity is 4 days away. We couldn't miss this.

We won't.

Epic

Well, if I was only going to go to one game this year, I'm glad I picked this one. Today's victory over the Saints easily ranks among the greatest playoff games I've seen (somewhere between "The Catch" and the comeback victory over the Giants nine years ago).

I've been among Alex Smith's critics over the past several years, but he was lights-out today, leading the 49ers to dramatic come-from-behind scores twice in the final two and a half minutes. After 7 seasons, Smith finally has a signature moment that will be woven into the tapestry of 49er lore. And Vernon Davis, who seemed to drop at least one pass each game this year, came up with his biggest performance during the team's biggest game (so far).

The defense contained the Saints for 3 1/2 quarters, keeping the offense in front of them and never missing any tackles while forcing huge turnovers. They hit New Orleans hard and often. But when the offense stalled late in the third quarter and into the fourth, the law of averages finally caught up with them. You can only stop Drew Brees so many times. The fact that the officials decided to give the Saints every chance to win the game by not calling a single penalty - not even a holding call during 60+ pass attempts - against them during the entire game didn't help matters, either.

The crowd was like nothing I've seen in nearly 30 years. They stood up the entire game, cheered loudly when the Saints' offense was on the field, and refrained from doing The Wave. A solid performance during a game that will surely be included next time the NFL Network revisits the "Top 10 Greatest Playoff Games of All Time."

But make no mistake - Candlestick is still a shithole. Sitting in the Lower East stands for only the second time, I was amazed that the lack of a functional PA system on that side of the stadium leaves the entire crowd guessing every time an announcement is made on the loudspeakers or the officials rattle off a penalty or explanation of a play. Getting to our seats prior to the team introductions was impossible as the concourses became a human traffic jam.

Speaking of traffic jams, it took about an hour for our chartered bus to get into the parking lot after we approached the stadium 2.5 hours before kickoff. And getting out of the stadium was mayhem as the bozos directing traffic turned the bus lot exit into a one-lane bottleneck with no chance of escape. Basically, the typical half-assery we all come to expect at Candlestick. They can't tear that piece of garbage down quickly enough.

Ok, enough with the negativity. After 9 years of disappointment, the 49ers delivered an unforgettable victory while establishing a new identity.

Welcome back, Niners. We missed you.

NFL Ticket Exchange = Ripoff

F this goddamned commercial that is shown 
approximately 17 times during each game telecast.

A quick follow-up to my last post about purchasing tickets for this weekend's matchup against the Saints...

I knew that I wasn't going to buy the tickets from the 49ers directly for a number of reasons (most notably, my refusal to directly give the Yorks any more of my money). My first choice was to try the NFL Ticket Exchange program, figuring that I would have a better opportunity to find a good seat at a decent price from an actual season ticketholder.

Sure enough, we found some great seats in the Lower East section near the 30-yard line. The price that the seller was asking for was reasonable, too - only about 75 bucks over the face value of $199 . I immediately began the purchasing process. When it came time to enter my credit card information and get the final total, I was flabbergasted. The league was charging a $51 handling fee - FOR EACH TICKET. That's over 100 bucks the league would receive for tickets that they have already sold!

I don't even know how that can be legal. Sounds worse than ticket scalping to me.

Needless to say, I stopped the transaction and picked up my tickets on StubHub, where I've always had success as both a buyer and seller. Hooray for StubHub, and a hearty "F You" to the NFL Ticket Exchange, which is really just another opportunity for the league to fleece fans of their hard-earned money. "Snatch and grab it" my ass.

Here Come the Saints...and Personal Seat Licenses, Too

The good ol' days, when the Saints were two
guaranteed wins per season.

Let's get some housekeeping out of the way...

Adios, 49ers went dark for a few weeks while I was out of the country. I figured nobody was interested in my travels throughout the UK and Ireland, so I refrained from posting to the blog. By the way, did you know that in Europe, soccer is called "football?" And people actually watch it? I know, it's crazy, but you have to keep an open mind when traveling abroad.

I did manage to catch the 49ers' regular-season finale and all of the Week 17 action thanks to my iPad and Slingbox (possibly history's greatest invention) and was quite relieved when the Niners finally closed the books on the Rams to wrap up the #2 seed. And now, after eight long years, San Francisco is preparing for a playoff game.

We all know how important it was for the 49ers to earn the first-round bye and host a divisional playoff game. I'm quite certain that, if the Niners had been knocked down to the #3 seed and advanced this past weekend, they would get boat-raced in New Orleans on Saturday. But fortunately, the roles are reversed and it's the Saints who will hit the road this week to face the 49ers in Candlestick, where the Niners' strengths (defense and special teams) will be much more effective outdoors on natural turf. And, I'm fully expecting the home crowd to do their part in making the Saints feel unwelcome as the noise level is cranked up to a volume that hasn't been heard in nearly a decade.

Am I excited? Hell, yes.

How excited? I'm going to the game. For reals.

And no, I didn't give the Yorks any of my money. I said I wouldn't and I fully intend to stick to my promise (I did, however, give my money to a season ticketholder on StubHub).

I don't know what to expect when I get to the stadium on Saturday - it's been so long since the 49ers played a huge game at home. Do people still chant "DE-FENSE" every time they hear that stupid "thump-thump" drum on the PA? Are fans really doing the wave? Do they play the goddamned theme from Jaws over the loudspeakers when the opposition is in the red zone? Do the mouth-breathers in Niner Noise still exist in the south end zone?

I guess we'll find out...

By the way - how does $375 per ticket sound to you? Wait - before you can answer, you'll need to pony up $20,000 - $30,000 just for the privilege, because that's the price for a "Stadium Builders License" for the new facility in Santa Clara. Granted, this is for club level seating, but that's a huge increase over comparable seat locations in Candlestick.

I'm going to safely guess that this is out of the price range for many of the folks who are still holding on to their season tickets in the current "platinum" level at Candlestick. Should be interesting to see the plans for the other seat levels at the new stadium - I'm sure they'll require a stadium builders license as well.

In the meantime, I'll be cherry-picking the games I want to go to (hint: no preseason or divisional opponent matchups) and paying a little bit extra on StubHub (and not Lil' Jed) for the opportunity.