Originally posted by pwillis52beasty:
Originally posted by Marvin49:
Drove home from the 'stick as fast as I could last night because I coulsn't wait to crank up the DVR and watch this one again. Stayed up till 2 AM.
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.
Colin Kaepernick played a fantastic game and he sure does look like a star in the making. However, the debate won't end until we win the NFC championship game. Kap has to get this team farther this year than Alex Smith did last year. Alex Smith was only progressing as a quarterback. It's as simple as that.
Also, you're absolutely right Smith could not break off those kinds of runs. That is obvious. But I am very tired of people claiming that Alex Smith can't make the throws. Kap has a much stronger arm than Smith, no doubt. Smith still has a good arm and he's made some amazing throws in his own right. Let's not act like he hasn't darted balls into receivers before and put balls right on the money. Can we please stop dissing Alex Smith. Let's be happy that we have two very good quarterbacks on the roster. I hate that when Kaepernick plays great we have to say "see Alex Smith could never do that!?" There is no need for that.
Oh and yeah again, there is no need to imply that teams didn't think Alex Smith was any kind of Quarterback. Let's praise our players, not praise one while dissing another at the same time. I really do enjoy reading your posts though.
I'm sorry you view it as "dissing Alex", but I stand by everything I said.
Alex could not...or more accuratly, WOULD NOT have made those throws. The second TD to Crab? Alex wouldn't have thrown it. SEVERAL of the passes that he threw to Crab...along the sideline on a back shoulder throw, on a deep out, on an out for a first down...Alex simply would not have made those throws. Its not because he lacks the arm (although there are some of those too), its because he won't throw to a guy if he isn't wide open.
It isn't a wild coincidense that Crabtree is playing like he did when he was at Texas Tech now with a different QB. The reason is because he is getting his chances to make a play on the ball because the QB is giving him his chances.
I also hate the "until he gets farther than Alex" theory. Its flawed from the start.
The D was playing better at the end of the year last year and the special teams was playing FAR better last year.
What Kaep did on Saturday was WIN the game. He wasn't a guy who played well and let the Defense and Special Teams win. Kaep grabbed it by the reigns and WON THE FREAKIN' GAME.
I'll stop with the comparisons when people stop saying Alex should be starting. I've been defending Alex in this forum since the day he was drafted. I never wavered. I've argued with alot of people in the 'zone about it and I'm sure they would agree with me on that.
Kaep is just a whole different animal.
.....I'm sure our coaching staff will have some more surprises in store for Atlanta
Was that McCarthy who said that? Thought it was a slap in the face to Kaep when it was said. After watching Kaep destroy the Peckers, it REALLY seems like slap in the face. Kaep certainly got the last laugh!