1) Kaepernick: Can we finally end this debate now? Please? Colin made a few of the mistakes that his critics (or I should say critics of the move to him...I think everyone likes the guy) had always been afraid he would make. Pick 6 on his second pass. Fumbled Snap (tho after rewatching I think the center snapped it early). A few time management issues. Even a poor decision to spike the ball after a big first down.
(Bill Romanowski Voice): Guess What? He bounced back in a BIG way. THAT is why he's playing. Everytime he makes a mistake he seems to take it as a personal challenge to make up for it. He always seems to make a play. I've been talking all along about plays he can make that Alex simply can't. I think we saw about 10 of them last night. The runs. The pinpoint passing. Throwing the ball to Crab. He simply has ability that Alex doesn't. Its that simple. Most importantly, it's the stuff that can't be measured. It's the nerve. Its the ability to rebound. It's the confidense to put the ball in tight spots after making a mistake.
We will never know if the Niners would have won this game with Alex. We very well could have considering the way the rest of the team was playing and the fact that they won in week one. It doesn't matter though. This team won when peeps thought Kaep couldn't. He can. He's now won just as many playoff games as Alex has and he's done it in historic fashion. He just looked like a man among boys at times last night. 181 freakin rush yards on the ground to go with 263 passing. 4 TDs total. The rest of the league is thinking to themselves, "oh f*ck, they have a QB now too!?!".
A star was born last night.
2) Walker: WTF. Dude....go find a jugs machine and take passes NONSTOP till sunday. Seriously. I love your ability dude, but CATCH THE DAMN BALL.
3) Bye: Huge. HUGE. That team looked sooooo much better after the week off. Thank you Minnesota.
4) Frank: Looked GREAT after that week off. This was the best I've ever seen him look late in the season. The plan to spell him throughout the year and now getting that week off have been HUGE. James also looked really good in limited action.
5) "The last american bada$$": I have so much respect for Justin I can't stand it. Not only did he play, but he made a difference. He was getting a push. At the end of the game the Packers were double-teaming the man with one freakin' arm. I don't know how much he has left, but I love this guy. I wish he could play forever.
6) Aldon: He didn't get any sacks, but he played well. Alot of peeps attribute his production decline to Justin being out, but I think that's way overplayed. I think he was tired and hurt and not complaining. Additionally going against Brady and Wilson will lower your numbers. Brady gets rid of it so fast and Wilson was ALMOST sacked 3 or 4 times...he just scrambled away. Aldon looked rejuvinated last night. He was coming hard and was getting pressure most of the night.
7) O-Line: Holy sh*tballs. At one point last night Troy Aikman said that line was the envy of the league. I hate to agree with the guy who drove a dagger through my heart so many times in the early 90's, but he was dead on. That was IMPRESSIVE. Just like you don't simply walk into Mordor, you don't simply rush for 320 plus yards in the playoffs. You don't put up 579 yards...I don't care who you are playing. This is essentially the same line as last year with one big difference: Alex Boone. That one change to the line has made a HUGE difference. Some of that is just getting Snyder/Rachal off the field, but I can't say enough for how Boone has turned his life and the fortunes of that line around.
8) Roman: I hope you guys are enjoying it right now, because Roman has coached his last regular season game for the 49ers. I know some peeps don't like his "conservative" approach, but I love the guy. He's an innovator. My hope is that Harbaugh had alot to do with this offense so there isn't a dropoff next year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Chris Ault or Pep Hamilton as the OC next year.
9) Crabtree: Welcome to the big leagues kid. You have arrived.
10) NFC Championship Game: Two years in a row. If someone had told any one of us the day the lockout ended that we'd be playing in the NFCCG the next two years most of us would have asked them to put down the coolaid. I was high on Harbaugh from the very start and even made a "Harbaugh Era Begins" video for youtube because I loved the choice. I knew they had very good personal that fit Harbaughs system, but I never dreamed of this level of success.
The Falcons/Hawks game is just starting now, so I'll sign off. I can't wait till next week.
MODS, PLEASE MKE THIS OFFICIAL. THANKS MUCH.
[ Edited by Marvin49 on Jan 14, 2013 at 8:16 AM ]
