I went through and analyzed all of our games thus far, my expectations before hand, and what I think now.
Before the season, I was being a homer, I'll admit it... and I had us going 3-1, our only loss being to the Saints. My cousin and I were having a discussion about this and we both made some really good points. A few of the things we came up with are:
Out of the first 4 games, 3 were away games and 2 of those games were at the 2 hardest places to play in the NFL. It's widely known that Qwest field and their 12th man, and Arrowhead are EASILY the 2 most hostile environments for visiting opponents to play. Couple that with our “issues” (headset malfunctions, crappy play calling and QB consistency) and it gets just that much tougher. Yes before the season, we would have liked to say we take those games, but in those environments you just never know.
Out of the first 4 games, two of those games were against arguably 2 of the best teams in the NFC and maybe top 5 in the league. Both being playoff teams, both having EXCELLENT QB’s and both of whom obliterated us in their last meetings. Before the season, I hoped for a win against both teams, but really didn't expect it. The Falcons and Saints are better personnel wise (QB Position AHEM) and they are EXTREMELY well coached.
Ok so that leaves us where we stand right now, at 0-4. Looking back did we honestly think we'd be0-4? Probably not, but did we think we’d be 4-0? Probably not either. I think 2-2 was believable with 3-1 being the majority’s expectation taking into consideration the hype surrounding us, but with it being anyone’s game on any given Sunday especially at stadiums like Arrowhead and Qwest... those blowout losses certainly weren't out of the question and were a possibility (obviously). The other 2 games, we played our hearts out, hung in there and showed toughness. We fought tooth and nail, but it was mistakes that killed us, and I will say that the defense did not show up when it needed to make the key, game finishing stops in both of those games. We beat ourselves, allowing the better prepared, and coached teams capitalize on our mistakes.
Starting the first 4 games of the season with 3 of them being away games, two of them on earlier time schedules, and 2 of them at the TOUGHEST places to play in the NFL, could have been the worst possible way for us to start our season. Historically in the Alex Smith Era and maybe a little before, we have SUCKED on the road, and we have SUCKED even more on earlier time schedules. 3 out of the first 4 games had either 1 or both of those factors in play, so I'm not shocked we couldn't pull it off. We seriously lack of mental toughness on the part of our coaching staff and players to come away with Wins with those circumstances in play. We are not there yet. We thought we were, but it’s obvious we aren’t.
Fast forward to the rest of our schedule. Things are looking up. None of our road games from here on out scare me. There is no “mystique” of Carolina, Arizona, San Diego or St. Louis, only Green Bay. I won't go over the rest of the schedule game by game and try to predict wins, but I would not be shocked at one of the biggest mid season turnarounds in franchise history. My cuz guarantees we will go 10-6. Now that’s wishful thinking, but anything is possible. I believe we have weathered the worst of the storm, and it seems like smooth sailing with an occasional choppy patch of ocean is ahead. 10-6 seems doable if we can fix the mistakes that killed us through the first 4.
Here’s to a turnaround that will rejuvenate the pride, re-establish the trust, and earn back the respect of the best fans in the NFL.
[ Edited by zozell on Oct 6, 2010 at 9:32 AM ]
