I'm still pretty pissed and disappointed about this game.What makes it so hard is that, despite all our f**k ups in the game, we were by far the better team and deserve to be in the SB more the Giants. The Giants did nothing to win this game. Rather, our (as many others have noted) pathetic play calling and Kyle Williams lost it--a fact I was sure to let the idiot Giant Bro-fans know (seriously, these guys were yelling and screaming for every play, even the coin toss in OT). That's whats making this loss so hard to deal with for me. Who knows when we'll have this type of run again, or be playing the NFC CG at home with an amazing D.
Two unconscionable mistakes by Williams cost us the game. When the first punt was in the air, there were 11 minutes left. We had just scored on our previous possession (or two possessions ago) and the D was shutting down Manning. We would have been in position to run the ball, which was working extremely well. Hell, it worked great on that FG drive. Every player in the league knows to yell and run away from that ball; Williams did neither, and then tried to act cool and play if it off like nothing happened rather than getting the ball (which he could have done). He COULD HAVE GOTTEN THE f**kING BALL IF HE TRIED. But the worst part is that all he needed to do was NOTHING. Do NOTHING. On the last fumble, he was too worried about being a hero and making a play. Again, doing NOTHING at all an. Just call for the FC. He was going to gain about 5-10 yards max anyways.
Coaching is also a major reason. At the start of the 2nd half, they said we were going to go back to the run. Our first possession is 3-n-Out using shotgun. I will never understand why we got away from the run in the 2nd half. The conditions called for it, the s**tty passing game called for it, and the Giants COULD NOT STOP the run. Gore was getting 4-5 YPC every time he touched the ball; Hunter was gaining even more. Instead, we got pass happy for no reason. We gave Dixon 2 incredibly important short yardage carries that he failed to convert. Gore has to be the guy there, and if not Hunter. We call cutsey bull-s**t like the reverse in the driving rain and the 2nd and 5 play where Smith fakes a fumble. It's ironic. The first half of the season, I felt we were too run centric and conservative; I went to the game vs. the Skins and we had 2 or 3 possessions inside their 15 where we just went run-run-run and ended up kicking the FG. Later in the year, starting with at AZ, we went too far the other way. We stick with the run and we win the game. Giving Gore 2 touches in the last 4 possessions is unbelievable. I and the entire Niner -fan contingent were yelling for the run, and we just didn't do it. When we did late, it was out of the shotgun and on downs and distances predisposing us to failure. WE RUN THE f**kING BALL WE WIN THE GODDAMN GAME. INstead, Harbaugh/Roman/Chryst try to make Alex Smith the hero, when the only guy getting open was VD (who I can't say enough about. I was disappointed in his play earlier this year, but he came on strong and is playing better than ever. His postseason play was just amazing. He started catching the ball cleanly and over the shoulder like he's never done before. Keep this up and he's gonna have a great year next year).
All in all, I feel that I've never seen a team less-deserving of their SB berth than the Giants. Our D played their asses off and dominated the entire 2nd half. They deserved to go to the SB. Gore and Davis deserved to go to the SB. Instead, Kyle Williams gifted them 10 points with his asinine play (their TD was on a 3rd n 15...I don't know what DB coverage was there but we shouldn't have given that up...still Williams put them in that position) and the coaches called an offensive game plan in the 2nd half right into their hands. WE gifted them that game. They did NOTHING to win it.
That's why this is so crushing to me.
[ Edited by merm49 on Jan 24, 2012 at 11:54 AM ]