How does this compare to '81?

Originally posted by 190836:

Lets not compare Alex Smith to Montana please.

Umm...no one did Lowell.

wasnt born, lol

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by 190836:
Lets not compare Alex Smith to Montana please.

Umm...no one did Lowell.

Read the posts kid!

f**k comparisons! Let the season play out first.

Originally posted by pelos21:
f**k comparisons! Let the season play out first.

Exactly, we are not even third of the way into the season and the people are comparing the two team. We have to win the SB before we compare anything.

I think both teams caught the fans by surprise. I know that in 81 the Niners beat the Cowboys by a bunch early on but I didn't fully believe until they beat the Steelers in the middle of the season. At that point (after years of disappointment) I really felt they were ready to do something special. I doubt I was predicting Super Bowl just then but I knew, for the first time in a very long time, they were good. This year the Niners beat Philly on the road, demolished Tampa at home but I did not fully believe until they beat Detriot in their place. At this point (after years of disappointment), I feel they are really ready to do something special. I'm not predicitng Super Bowl but, for the first time in a very long time, I know they are good.

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:
For those old enough to remember the '81 season, I'm wondering how this season compares. Of course I can't compare the two, as in '81 we went on to win the Super Bowl (in '82), and this is obviously premature, but I remember hearing how that was a magical season with everything going right, everyone being on board, etc. etc. So through 6 games, does this seem similar? Hope this makes sense

To me it does; I've had similar thoughts ...
In an attempt to save bandwidth and storage space, I've selected the sentiments of these WZ'er to bump.

Originally posted by egoonda:
... 81 was more of a "voyage of discovery". Everything was new ...

Originally posted by LottDMontanaO:
... Walsh had the team looking completely different all of a sudden - organized and surprising teams with their talent and game plans ...

Originally posted by dj43:
The 81 team did not have the talent of this team ... the current teams has more overall talent, especially in the front 7 on defense and at RB.
To me, the greatest similarity is in the fact the '81 team snuck up on a lot of teams and so has the current team...so far.

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:
... It was the same ole same ole after the 81 team started out 1-2 ... then they ripped off 15 of 16 including the playoffs ... Montana still hadn't mastered Walsh's system but he was obviously effective enough ...

Many echoed these sentiments, at the start of this season as well. The Lockout seemed to fuel these feelings further. Not many, except for the most ardent Die-Hard Fans, thought this team would fair better than 3-3 at the bye-week. Alex, to his credit, by way of Camp Alex, and having faith in someone to relate to in Harbaugh, should only get better within Coach' system.

Originally posted by BubbaParisMVP:
... The '11 team is living in the shadow of The Dynasty teams--which is unfair ...
... unfortunately, this current and all forthcoming Niner teams will be subject to the legacy of the dynasty ...

... Harbaugh's team is likely more talented than Walsh's mob of rookies and retreads ... Walsh wasn't exactly on Harbaugh's manic pace--but Walsh was busy reinventing the wheel. At the moment, Harbaugh looks to be a very clever practitioner in a sea of very conservative coaches ...

Originally posted by LottDMontanaO:

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:

For those old enough to remember the '81 season, I'm wondering how this season compares. Of course I can't compare the two, as in '81 we went on to win the Super Bowl (in '82), and this is obviously premature, but I remember hearing how that was a magical season with everything going right, everyone being on board, etc. etc. So through 6 games, does this seem similar? Hope this makes sense

I was a young 49ers fan in 1981 and had endured the earlier Bill Walsh and Monte Clark years, where there were a couple of 2-14 seasons. Then came 1981. Walsh had the team looking completely different all of a sudden - organized and surprising teams with their talent and game plans (it's early this season in being only 6 games in, but this is a similarity from back then to what we're seeing today). The QB back then, Montana, had finally separated away from the platoon with Steve DeBerg and helped lead the team to an incredible 13-3 record. This surprised the whole league. What was really amazing was achieving this record with three of the four starting DBs being rookies (Lott, Wright, and Williamson).

It's way too early to draw comparisons from today's team under Harbaugh to the 1981 team under Walsh, which really started the '80s & '90s dynasties, but I really like the weekly progress I'm seeing under Harbaugh and his staff along with the team's ability to game plan, compete, and also win the close games.

Monte Clark coached the NINERS for one season, 1976, and a 8-6 record before he was fired by Joe Thomas.

Originally posted by 190836:
Lets not compare Alex Smith to Montana please.

I hope no one would do that. Smith doesn't have to be Montana, the 2011 49ers have a top 5 running back in Frank Gore, the 81 squad (Can't believe that was 30 years ago) had running back by committee and a very poor 3.5 ypc average. While the 81 squad had some very talented players on defense the 2011 defense is coming up big when it needs to. Montana was a major part of the 81 team's success, change him with an average QB and they would look like this year's Colts with out Manning. Do that with Alex Smith and our record doesn't suffer much.

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:

For those old enough to remember the '81 season, I'm wondering how this season compares. Of course I can't compare the two, as in '81 we went on to win the Super Bowl (in '82), and this is obviously premature, but I remember hearing how that was a magical season with everything going right, everyone being on board, etc. etc. So through 6 games, does this seem similar? Hope this makes sense

The schedule is also very similar. 81 team played the NFC east and the afc central , same as now.

The energy and enthusiasm is the same

I LOVE IT !!!!

My first yr watching 49ers , Coach Walsh(BW) had not yet arrived. The niners stunk, had horrible front office, GM and coaching. Good players were few and far between. There was no real semblance of a "team". BW arrives and struggles thru 2-14, and we did look better. Next yr we go 6-10, BUT we were in every game. When the final buzzer sounded, we could have won virtually most of those games. Next yr we win it all. The coach from Stanford, who had been overlooked (intentionally) by Paul Brown, had paid attn and knew his business.

Fast forward to Coach Harbaugh. Colts QB, then coached most positions, then at Uof San Diego, then Stanford, taking all programs up with him, along the way. A miracle happens and we literally have JH fall into our laps. The difference? The team BW inheirited had no where near the talent that the current 9ers do. With BW, he had to go out and draft or trade for most of the team. With JH, the talent was actually here, altho few of us guessed it. I have posted often that it is hard to know our talent level because we never had a coach to teach them. Also we had no OC for 6 yrs, and anyone in front office was always in transition.

Now, we got our Coach, who initially had to start teaching each and every player how to play his position. In weak areas, JH knew how to coach around the problem(say #62 for example). After 2 disastrous OL outings against Saints and Texans, our OL disaster was highlighted even more.

So here's the question. Could BW have done the job JH has with this moribund- dying - on oxygen -OL? And if so, could he have done it as fast? Answer is i don't know, but point is , JH has taken this horrible flaw and made it a strength. As for D, we already had the players. (adding bowman, Carlos, Culliver, aldon, sure didn't hurt.) On O baalke and JH added Hunter, goodwin, and as important, got rid of heitmann and baas. Comparing these two coaches their first yr , there is a huge talent difference, so I don't expect JH to have to suffer 2-14, nor 6-10. Question is, can he run the table, say with a couple more regular season losses?

D is playing out of their skulls, BUT, they got some real talent in front 7 and now our weakness, the D backfield is coming up a strength. On O, the OL gets better by the day, as does alex. How far he progresses with JH right at his elbow determines if we can not just go deep in playoffs, but win it all. Right now, no, but we haven't even hit midseason yet. Coaching wise, only Bellicheat may be better than JH at present, and put Mike McCarty in there too. Will JH be able to bring alex into the rareified air of Brady, Rodgers, Brees? I doubt it this yr, but after this yrs playoff run, then we will see. I always thot alex had the potential, but never had the coaching. At present he is managing the game very well, but can he come in and single handedly beat somebody? My guess is not yet. Next yr, we'll see. With JH to coach him, I wouldn't bet against them. With Braylon, Morgan both here, I would say we had a shot at going all the way. Minus them, we just go 2 rds into playoffs, inlcuding one bye.

I donot remember the 81 team, but after suffering 7 plus years of losing this feels pretty good.

No internet back then so there was no medium to analyze (or overanalyze) every aspect of the team, stats, the rest of the league or interact and discuss the team with other fans or the media.

Game 6 that year was the Cowboys game and we killed them. Whoa! That came out of the blue, but even then I didnt get the feeling that we were on to something special through the rest of the season. Certainly, not a SB title, lol.

That team was less talented (or less KNOWN talent), but I also had less expectations, or more accurately, less disappointment that they had been an underachieving team like this current team has for the past 3-4 years.

One thing that is similar is great contributions from the rookie class.

In 1981, it was mainly concentrated in the secondary. In 2011 it's spread out on both sides of the ball.