2) Speaking of Earl Thomas, that guy is going to be a thorn in the 49ers side for a LONG time. It seems like everytime it was third down that guy was making the play preventing us from getting it. He's a good one and needs to be accounted for.
3) On second viewing, Alex played better than I thought. I was a bit frustrated with the playcalling, but he did what he was asked and made some really good throws. Three of them were to VD, but the last one should have been a penalty. VD did hold up as not to get hit, but he was also held. I dunno if he figured there would be a flag so why get blasted, but to be honest I'd rather he NOT catch that because he's been hurt on those kinds of plays before.
4) I'm not saying that Frank has lost it, but his play concerned me. Seattle stacked the run alot and it's not like he had clean lanes to run through, but it just seemed he didn't have that little extra he usually has to get the extra yard that results in a first down or TD. It could have just been a bad game, he may not have his legs yet, or it could have been great play by Seattle....but it was enough to be concerned about.
5) Aldon Smith is a freak of nature. He didn't have a great game and wasn't dominant, but he made a few plays that no other human being could. First, on a play where the Tackle was trying to cut him...he put BOTH hands on the ground and sprung righ back to his feat. It was almost like he was a four legged animal and his arms and legs were the same length. He didn't make the play, but I had to watch it 2 or 3 times to see if I was actually seeing what I was seeing. In the second half he was cut again, easily avoided it and got the longest arms I've ever seen up in the air and on the ball. This guy is young and raw and has a long of ways to go....but he needs to join the X-Men because the guy is a freakin' mutant.
6) Scheme: When I watched the game the first time, I suspected that the Adam Snyder shift penalty was intentional. Now I'm sure of it. It was 4th and one and that shift gave the 49ers a first down. The gameplan was kinda vanilla, but there were little moments here and there where we got a glimpse of what we have to look forward to. The fake one way and then run behind Alex play. Nice. I honestly think that Harbaugh and Roman didn't feel the need to open the bag for this game and only used what they had to to get the W. When Seattle got within 2, I think they would have opened it a bit....but Teddy Ginn sealed the game for them.
7) Ted Ginn: Wow. He took 2 back, but he almost broke 2 more. I dubnno if there is something different about him this year, if Seely is just a better coach, or if the game was just a fluke....but he was ON on Sunday. He took some chances and lost some yards a few times (all really good returners do), but that guy was better than I've ever seen him.
8) Edwards is gonna be huge this year. He was held. Alot. We are gonna see many jump balls for him and he's gonna move the sticks.
9) Ray McDonald. Wow. Dominant. Only 1 sack on the sheet but disruptive the entire day
[ Edited by Marvin49 on Sep 14, 2011 at 9:52 AM ]