Packers Biggest Competition In The Nfc Is....

[MNPackAttack]

the niners are a good team that finally got a good coach. i think that smith's hype will fade and he will be the same quarterback that he was in his first years in the league. that being said, harbaugh has turned it around out there and as of now they are a serious contender in the NFC. lions will give the pack a run for their money towards the end of the season, especially if stafford and johnson keep this connection up.

 

[Croak]

Sounds like a smart boy, Croak. You should be proud! lol

Here's a new t-shirt you can get your son for Christmas!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SONS-HARBAUGH-San-Francisco-Jim-49ers-T-Shirt-Large-

Grrrrrrr.... (Although I bet he'd love it.)

 

[Croak]

Sounds like a smart boy, Croak. You should be proud! lol

Here's a new t-shirt you can get your son for Christmas!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SONS-HARBAU...Mens_Tshirts&hash=item3a6c759c70#ht_500wt_862

You must be logged in to see this image or video!

I ordered one for him. Sheesh...the painful sacrifices a good Dad makes for his kids.

 

[Texas9erFan]

Cool!
That shirt is on my Christmas list as well. I just told the family about it.

 

[tstej]

One of my best friends is a 49ers fan so they tend to be my 2nd favorite team. More of a team I root for when the don't play the Packers. Obviously the defense has been playing extremely well under Vic Fangio and Harbaugh has things rolling but I doubt they can make it to the super bowl before Kaepernick develops.

 

[Texas9erFan]

I think Kaepernick will start, at best, in two years. If Smitty's receivers start catching the ball and his long ball game develops, we may see him for many years to come. Let's not forget that the reason the Niners drafted him instead of Aaron was because he had a great passing game in college in a spread offense. Aaron's mechanics at that time were poor. (How things change!) If Andrew Luck says "he'll only play for his coach" and insists on coming to SF, the picture becomes even more cloudy. The QB position in SF is too unpredictable right now. I honestly have no real clue what's gonna happen.
But I hope the Niners don't have to wait 3 to 5 years to make it to the Superbowl!

 

[tstej]

I don't think it'd be all bad to have a playoff caliber team for 2 years then with a developed Kap make the jump to super bowl caliber. This team has a ton of talent but lacks a great qb and I'm not sold on the corners outside of Culliver. In a few years you add a few pieces and Packers vs 49ers could be an epic rivalry for the NFC supremacy.

 

[13 Times Champs]

Watched the 49 ers vs Redskin game. I came away less than impressed with the 9ers. Gore is pretty much it for their offense. Defense played ok but they were up against an awful Skin offense.

 

[Texas9erFan]

I hear what you're saying. It wasn't an impressive game. They got the win but no style points. The receivers were dropping passes and the Niners had to punt FAR too often for my liking. The Browns game was the same way. I expected a blow-out against them. The Niner offense just takes what the defense gives them. No fireworks. The D does what needs to be done and keeps the score low. (No one has scored more than 24 pts against them this year)

With the Bucs game being an anomaly, the Niners just aren't built to run up the score. And I know Harbaugh would like to. That's been his MO for years. "Win with Cruelty" was his motto at Stanford. Late in the Bucs game when we had a big lead, the Niners had a 4th and short at the edge of the red zone. It would have been an easy FG and "respectful" when we already had a huge lead. But Harbaugh went for it, got the 1st and scored a TD. I like that mentallity to be honest. I hate it when teams sit on a big lead, sit their starters and play a prevent defense. It drives me up the friggin wall. If a team can win a game 70-0 then DO IT!

The Giants will be a great test this weekend.

 

[DevilDon]

Watched the 49 ers vs Redskin game. I came away less than impressed with the 9ers. Gore is pretty much it for their offense. Defense played ok but they were up against an awful Skin offense.

I think that's the point. They aren't impressive. They are efficient, they are opportunistic but they are never dominant. A good team that has solid fundamentals but not SB caliber team.

 

[tstej]

I like how they split carries with Hunter and Gore, but I think they might look for another bruiser in the 2nd or the 3rd to eventually replace Gore as the grinder(Dixon is not a bruiser)

 

[Texas9erFan]

I don't think it'd be all bad to have a playoff caliber team for 2 years then with a developed Kap make the jump to super bowl caliber. This team has a ton of talent but lacks a great qb and I'm not sold on the corners outside of Culliver. In a few years you add a few pieces and Packers vs 49ers could be an epic rivalry for the NFC supremacy.

Pardon me for dreaming a bit here, but I kinda hope they're SB caliber THIS year.
I guess I'm old school for believing that, despite the NFL being a passing league right now, DEFENSE still wins championships.

But yes, I agree that more pieces are needed... to be an elite team.
The Niners still need some dominant receivers and a little help in the secondary wouldn't hurt either. Having an elite QB would obviously help as well.
My standards on what makes an elite team are almost unreasonable. I think GB is as close as the NFL has to an elite team this year, but they could be better.
What makes a team elite???
1. Win the SB the previous year or at least within the last few years. - GB's got that.
2. Win all or nearly all their games the current year. - GB's got that too. Undefeated.
3. Possess a top 5 offense in the NFL. - GB's got that also, without question.
4. Possess a top 5 defense in the NFL. - Oops. Not even close.
Statistically speaking, last years Packers were a better team even though their W-L record isn't as good.

 

[Texas9erFan]

I like how they split carries with Hunter and Gore, but I think they might look for another bruiser in the 2nd or the 3rd to eventually replace Gore as the grinder(Dixon is not a bruiser)

Yeah, you can never have too many running backs. I'd really like to see the passing game come together before Gore's legs turn to hamburger.

With any luck, Harbaugh will put another wrinkle into the offense and suprise teams who are prepared for the run by going with Alex's strength, the spread offense, and burning D's for 40 yd pass plays.

 

[tstej]

Yeah, you can never have too many running backs. I'd really like to see the passing game come together before Gore's legs turn to hamburger.

With any luck, Harbaugh will put another wrinkle into the offense and suprise teams who are prepared for the run by going with Alex's strength, the spread offense, and burning D's for 40 yd pass plays.

I actually like the short passing game because it plays to Smiths strengths. I get spreading it out and using the short passing game with more wr but I don't think throwing the ball deep would help matters much for Smith.

 

[Jules]

Watched the 49 ers vs Redskin game. I came away less than impressed with the 9ers. Gore is pretty much it for their offense. Defense played ok but they were up against an awful Skin offense.

I sorta agree. But, at the same time a win is a win. Harbaugh will go into a game knowing what he has to do to beat that particular team. Against the Skins you pretty much knew you did not have to score a ton of points. It also smelled like a bit of a trap game to me.

Many are high on the Lions but the Niners did beat them in Detroit.(which I predicted )

I know someone told me this weeks ago and I never wanted to believe it but he said this years Alex Smith looks a bit like the 2001 Tom Brady. Nothing spectacular but manages the game and does not screw up too much. Thats what a great coach can do to you.

With that being said I still think the Packers are likely too much for SF in the end and they might be another year away from truly contending for the SB.

 

[13 Times Champs]

I sorta agree. But, at the same time a win is a win. Harbaugh will go into a game knowing what he has to do to beat that particular team. Against the Skins you pretty much knew you did not have to score a ton of points. It also smelled like a bit of a trap game to me.

A win is a win but how did you look in getting the win? I think the 49 ers are pretty pedestrian in a lot of areas. Woe to a team and coach that goes into a game not taking the opponent seriously if indeed that was the case.

 

[Jules]

A win is a win but how did you look in getting the win? I think the 49 ers are pretty pedestrian in a lot of areas. Woe to a team and coach that goes into a game not taking the opponent seriously if indeed that was the case.

They are. But, at times they eeerily remind me of how the 2001 Patriots looked at times. Of course these Niners did not start 0-2 and have to replace QBs but still......the nothing special/managing the game beautifully concept works at times if you are good enough. This Niners team is a bit old school to me and with a rookie HC who is freaking awesome they have something to build on for years.

I don't think SF is there just yet though and most teams can't pull off the Cinderella story of the 01 Patriots. I think they might make it to the title game possibly and then take it from there to build on for the following season.

 

[Texas9erFan]

I actually like the short passing game because it plays to Smiths strengths. I get spreading it out and using the short passing game with more wr but I don't think throwing the ball deep would help matters much for Smith.

You're probably right. College ball and the NFL are two different beasts entirely. As much as Smitty has been a good "game manager", I'd say Harbaugh is a great "Smitty manager"! Keeping the passing game short is safer and reduces the chances for INTs. And this year he has fewer INTs than anyone. And he's the highest rated passer in the red zone. The problem for the last 2 weeks is that they had a hard time getting to the red zone. That was disturbing. And it's prevented them from running up the score.

The Niners really only run on half their plays... I've been saying 50/50 but I recently saw a stat that said it was only (roughly) 40% run and 60% pass. I only want to see a longer passing game develop to help keep D's more honest and give the Niner offense more options if they need to score quickly. We're only halfway thru the season so there's still time for it to develop before the playoffs.

 

[Jules]

I read the Niners D has yet to give up a rushing TD this season.

Thats pretty good.

 

[Texas9erFan]

I read the Niners D has yet to give up a rushing TD this season.

Thats pretty good.

It broke a record that was set in 1920. The FIRST year of the league!
That was week 7.

 

[Jules]

Well congrats Texas9erfan. You guys still chugging along well. I am very happy for Harbaugh.

I see some weaknesses on both the top NFC teams but no doubt I think the 49ers may be second behind the Packers in the entire league ATM.

After these two teams I guess maybe the Saints in the NFC still intrigue me. The Brees factor and all that jazz.

 

[Texas9erFan]

Well congrats Texas9erfan. You guys still chugging along well. I am very happy for Harbaugh.

I see some weaknesses on both the top NFC teams but no doubt I think the 49ers may be second behind the Packers in the entire league ATM.

After these two teams I guess maybe the Saints in the NFC still intrigue me. The Brees factor and all that jazz.

Thank you! In Harbaugh I trust.
The Packers have without question the most potent passing game in the league. The same almost goes for the Saints.
But the Niners are better at everything else.

What will happen in the NFCCG will be decided in January.

 

[whoartthou]

Eli had his chances to win that (or tie) that game... but the niners look good.

They dominated without frank gore... i wanna see packers/niners now lol.

Or packers/giants.

 

[Jules]

Who is the NFC dark horse?

Saints? Bears? Dare I say this......Cowboys if they go on a winning streak?

I think it has to be the Saints right now since they get overshadowed by the Packers/Niners/Giants and get counted out since they lost to the Rams.

I get guilty as well of counting out New Orleans but they may end up the third seed in the end.

 

[bhuggins]

The hottest team in the NFL right now is the Bears and they are not intimidated by Lambeau. They seem to have figured out what they are doing and Cutler is not getting killed anymore. They are the one team I do not want to see in the playoffs.