why is everyone expecting us to finish 3rd or 4th in our division? | Page 2

Originally posted by Daniel2778:

Originally posted by maximill15:
What have we down to prove we won't finish 3-4th?

everything i mentioned above? lol

you prove football on the field. maximill15 is right. if you ask me, they can predict us being the worst team in the entire NFL for all i care. that would not hurt my feeling. what would hurt my feelings is us finishing as the worst team in the entire NFL and them predicting it.

Sep 6, 2011 at 11:13 PM

#23

pasodoc9er
Veteran
Posts: 21,009

I would just second what SanDiego said, and add, that altho i don't know where we will finish, our team will go as far as our D and ST will take us. Alex finally has his HC who is also a talented OC and QB coach, but expecting much from the O with an OL that hasn't produced in 8 yrs is asking a lot. IF we have drafted OL well, and they have just been cut adrift to learn the pro game on their own , or worse, coached poorly(my choice), then it is possible that sometime in the season our OL may actually function and help us win some games with the O. Until that time we will probably give teams under .500 a good game, winning some, and lose to good teams. That is what I can expect from our D and STs. Any kind of big move upwards will be if JH gets the OL to perform like pro OLs, vs just making them better OL players. I have no idea what is going to happen, but don't count on our O winning any games early on, maybe even as late as game 10( i hope not that late). If JH is as good here as he was in college my expectation is that he has a functioning OL with 5-6 games to go in the season. If we just out and out drafted bad OL prospects, and not one of them can play pro ball, then we be uckfayed. I would say the odds are against the latter.

Sep 6, 2011 at 11:21 PM

#24

WeAreLegend
Veteran
Posts: 528

The 49ers stunk in 1980, and many years before. But we did have a few greats like Brodie and Gene and Vick Washington, and others. Then everything changed. What is an embarrassing is the whining "fans" I read in here whining day after day in 2010. Its one thing to want a champion, its another to be a whining punk.

The 9ers will rule again !

No matter how much a few punks whine and whine and whine.

Sep 6, 2011 at 11:39 PM

#25

socalfan21
Veteran
Posts: 20,233

This team really does have too much talent to not win the NFC West... if only Alex can jus be serviceable for this season...

Sep 7, 2011 at 12:37 AM

#26

Ronnie49Lott
Veteran
Posts: 8,505

The team has talent but most of it is not in the right positions. QB, LT, CB, OLB are some of the key spots where this team lacks great or above average players, IMO.

Sep 7, 2011 at 12:42 AM

#27

nw9erfan
Veteran
Posts: 1,497

Originally posted by socalfan21:
This team really does have too much talent to not win the NFC West... if only Alex can jus be serviceable for this season...

Clearly the season rests on the shoulders of Alex Smith. If he can run Harbaugh's offense half-way decently, the team might even make the playoffs. If he can't or gets hurt, well, it could get ugly. The OL must come together and play to its talent level (probably will take a few games I'd guess) and Smith must avoid making mistakes at key times in games. Even if that happens, the defense will probably have to carry this team in the first few games, and it just may...with an improved pass rush and secondary,

Within the division, the Rams and Cards have improved, although how much is certainly debatable. The Cards were absolutely awful last season so even with a better QB, that team could struggle. Not sold on the Rams either for that matter. Good DL but very shaky OL.

Of course, the factor that may decide the fate of all these teams is injuries....or lack thereof.

I still find it amazing that these so-called experts are so sure of themselves when they make predictions and all they really have to go by are meaningless exhibition games. Football pre-season games are the least legitimate measure of a team's success during the regular season of any of the major sports.

[ Edited by nw9erfan on Sep 7, 2011 at 12:43 AM ]

Sep 7, 2011 at 2:17 AM

#28

WildBill
Veteran
Posts: 6,100

Because the Rams have Bradford and the Cardinals have Kolb while we have Alex. Rookie coach who has to prove he is Pro material.
However, there is always a surprise team or two in the NFL every year and the niners are really an unknown.

I think we will surprise-hey if the Seahawks can dismantle almost their entire team and win a playoff game-why can't we? To go far with in the playoffs we will need a better QB. However, I think our D will be better than last year overall. Our offense will be better too. I think the run game will lead us, all Alex has to do is make a few timely plays, not a lot, just here and there every once in a while and not get intercepted. Before everyone gets excited because he uses WCO, we will run more than you realize, because that is the strength of the o-line they are really good when running, the difference from last year is the motion and use of two tight end sets to create match up problems in the blocking schemes. It won't be obvious how we are going to run at them. If they stack the box two things will happen if someone gets open deep the opponent may get burne or even if run it, if you clog the D and the RB gets past the line, he will get some big runs.

Sep 7, 2011 at 6:42 AM

#29

Hollywood
Veteran
Posts: 241

Easy. Shortened off season impacts the Niners more due to almost an entire new coaching staff, new offensive system, new defensive system, not to mention we are still rolling out Alex Smith on offense.

Meanwhile, St Louis has a pretty good Defense, and a QB who threw more than 3000 yards his rookie season with a bunch of no names at WR. he got a small upgrade with MSW, and with another year under his belt, 4K yards is not out of the question. I think they win the division. :(

AZ = upgraded their QB position. Personally, I think their depleted secondary is going to hurt them big time. We are more than talented enough to finish above the Cards, the question is, will we? Will the team gel and get the new system down in time to win enough games to overtake AZ for 2nd in the division?

Seattle - as long as they are rolling out Tavarus or Whitehurst, I predict they finish last. Their QB situation is worse than ours.

Sep 7, 2011 at 7:12 AM

#30

Baldie
Veteran
Posts: 21,135

I hate all this talk about the niners playing to lose so they can get Luck in the draft. All these experts placing us last in the division. Those experts can all kiss my a**.

I for one think we have a good team and we can make some noise in the division. We had a mediocre coaching staff and we beat AZ how many times? even when they had Warner. We have a coaching staff with fire and I think they will put this team in position to win. We have the talent to do just that. We are much more talented than Seattle and St Louis. If we beat Seattle and Dallas the first 2 weeks.....what will those so-called experts say then? Probably nothing....the excuse will be Seattle and Dallas played horribly.

We'll be a team under the radar and we'll end up surprising a few people....just watch.....