Niners beat the Bucs

the 49ers played the Tampa Bay bucs.  They beat the bucs, but the game got a little strange a few minutes before the half.  The niner defense had tampa bay locked down for the better part of the 2nd quarter.  Then with just a few minutes left, the 49er defense seems to go into a prevent type defense that allowed tampa to score.  It just didn't make sense.  They had gotten good pressure during most of the first half and then right before the half, it just broke down.  That series was just really strange.

The niners offense put up points, but it seems like they are not really on the same page.  They have drives that just stall for no reason.  They can't seem to get the plays called without wasting time outs and they leave a lot of points on the scoreboard.  They should really be putting up more points.  Better teams are not going to let them get away with making field goals or not converting.  

There are only a few weeks left in the season and hopefully the niners will make it into the playoffs.  The niners are not looking as dominant as they did last year at this time.  I don't know if the superbowl is realistic.  Will they suddenly start clicking?  Who knows.

Auburn beats Alabama

Alabama lost to Auburn.  How did this happen?  Bama had a lot of great top picks, but they managed to lose the game on a field goal attempt.

The Crimson Tide will have to think about this game for a long time.  Auburn would not go away.  Why didn't the Crimson Tide just keep running the ball with all of their great running backs?  

Special teams really played a big role in this game.  Auburn punted the ball really well trapping Alabama inside the 5 yard line.  Bama still found a way to drive down the field.

This game should have been over at half time.  Bama built a good lead, and you would think that they would have just turned to the running game to milk the clock.  It didn't work out that way.  Auburn fought back and found a way to win.

The special teams really broke down on that last play.  They were probably not even considering the missed and short field goal scenario.  What about those two Alabama players that had a chance to stop the Auburn player running back the ball?  The sideline was right there, but they could not manage to get him out of bounds.  This was really a fantastic last play that will be remembered for a long time.

Drew Brees Hit

The nfl is going soft.  Now, just hitting the quarterback for a sack is getting a flag.  I don't see how a defender can play defense anymore.  Where can they hit an offensive player without getting a penalty?

The game is moving fast and the players don't have a chance to slow down like the slow motion video to make sure they hit a player in a very small window.  All a player has to do is crouch down just a little and the defensive player will get a penalty.  I understand the nfl wanting to get better at player safety, but this is getting to the point where the fines and the penalties are really changing the game.

On top of getting a penalty, the defensive players are getting hit with big money fines.  The sad part is that the defenders are going to start changing the way they play and the offense will take off.  People are going to hold up on making tackles and the end result is going to be simple. The defenders that don't make plays will get cut.

So in effect, the defensive players that are doing their jobs are going to get a paycut for playing defense.  There are plenty of offensive players that cut block and do crackback blocks.  They don't get hit with penalties. 

Soon the nfl will be a flag football league.

College Football - Alabama Crimson Tide 2013

The Crimson Tide is rolling on the way to another college football national championship.  What is the key to the big wins for Alabama?  Nick Saban made sure to create a schedule that put the team in the right position at the right time.  Alabama is also stacked with talent that a lot of other teams just cannot match.

There are some teams that might give Alabama a tough time, but they have to make it through their own schedules without getting a loss and that is going to be tough.  The Oregon Ducks look like a competitor that might provide challenges to Bama, but people automatically discount any team that is not in the SEC. 

Last year the Texas A&M Aggies and Johnny Manziel were the only team to hand Alabama a loss.  This year they gave Alabama all that they could handle, but they lost the game.  Johnny football is a great football player, but he alone could not beat the tide.  Alabama is just too deep all over the field for most teams to be able to compete.

The Florida State Seminoles are rising in the polls.  They are still unbeaten and the program is on the rise again.  The problem with the SEC is that there are a lot of good teams and they will beat each other up during the season and not get a chance to play for the championship.  The scheduling is going to make a big difference.  Take the time to look at the Alabama schedule and you will see that Nick Saban did his job before the season started.

The only real test Alabama had was Texas A&M at the beginning of the season.  They got over that hump and then rolled over a bunch of teams that really didn't have a chance to beat Alabama without some big breakdowns or injuries.  Nick Saban learned a lesson last year from the scheduling of LSU and Texas A&M back to back.  They got him once, but not again.

Alabama has a few games left in the season that might present a problem.  LSU and Auburn are those special kind of games where your record doesn't matter.  These teams don't like each other.  The main difference is that Alabama is stacked and they will be rested by the time they play these teams.  Bama gets to tune up a lot of those other teams that have no business being on their schedule.

Are you ready to pencil in Alabama into the title game?  I think that they will get there.  Will they roll over who ever shows up?  Last year, there was a lot of hype over Notre Dame getting to the big dance.  Will another team show up to play Alabama and get crushed?  Oregon has a high powered offense, but they really have not played top competition.  Florida State is looking like a good contender and Ohio State is back on the march after getting through the sanctions.  It will be interesting to see how the next few weeks of college football will play out.  Lots of teams in the top 25 took losses, but the top 2 thru 5 are really aiming for Alabama.  What would happen if a team sneaks up and takes Alabama down? 

Niners Offense

Colin Kaepernick is the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.  He picked up the top qb job last year after the injury to former starting quarterback Alex Smith.   Alex Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason.

The 49ers appeared in the super bowl against the Baltimore Ravens, but they lost the game in the 4th Quarter.  Colin Kaepernick runs the read option offense with effective decision making.  The read option offense gives the quarterback a chance to make a decision on what happens during the play.  The quarterback can hand the ball off to the runner in the backfield, keep the ball and run, or fake the hand off and drop back to pass. 

The read option caused a lot of problems for defenses last year in the nfl.  As more teams get experience with the read option, they might be able to better handle it.  Colin Kaepernick is especially difficult to stop in the read option because of his quick speed and his accurate throwing ability.

Michael Crabtree was the leader of the 49ers receiving core.   Crabtree had not always been the top option.  Crabtree had missed time over the course of his career due to injury.  Crabtree injured himself again before the start of the season. 

Vernon Davis plays tight end for the niners.  He is one of the top players at the position in the league.  Vernon Davis presents a really touch match up for nfl defenders.  He has lightning fast speed that can quickly allow him to get down field and away from linebackers and defenders. 

Frank Gore is the starting running back for San Francisco.  He provides a pivotal role in the 49ers offense.  Frank Gore runs hard in between the tackles and is a solid blocker that can pass protect for Colin Kaepernick.  Frank Gore is a veteran running back that has lost a step or two, but he continues to be the work horse for keeping the 49ers offense running smoothly.

Kendall Hunter is the backup running back behind Frank Gore.  Kendall Hunter provides the fresh legs that the 49ers offense needs.  He is a powerful and fast runner that can take hand offs the distance of the field.  Kendall Hunter injured himself last season, but he has recovered and is ready for action in the 49ers offense.  The niners running attack is strengthened with Kendall Hunter active and available. 

Anquan Boldin is a new addition to the niners offense.  He was picked up in the off season through a trade with the Baltimore Ravens.  Anquan Boldin is providing the leadership and strong hands that are needed right now for the red and gold.  He brings toughness and an ability to make the hard catches in traffic and across the middle of the field.  Boldin is a great addition that came at the right time.  When Michael Crabtree went down with the injury, it opened the door for Anquan Boldin to step into the number one wide out spot immediately.

Niner Recap

The niners losing the super bowl is still fresh in memory.  Sometimes I cringe when I am on other sites and those ravens fans start rubbing it in.  They know that it was a hollow victory.  What good is a ref if they see a call and won't make it?  Anyhoo, the season is over and now there is nothing to look forward to until next year.

The 49ers are going to have to make some changes if they are going to have a chance of coming through the west.  Seattle is good and they are only going to get better.  Russell Wilson is a real quarterback and he showed that he is top notch talent.  The niner defense has to get better up front and in the secondary.

I don't know what happened to Aldon Smith in the second half of the season once Justin Smith went down.  He was on a tear and then all of sudden, it seemed like his sacks just started to disappear.  

Should the 49ers even bring Randy Moss back?  I thought that he would have been a bigger part of the offense, but I don't know if they really need him going forward.  I just think about all of the players that were lost to injury before the superbowl and how much of a difference they could have made.  Frank Gore is a great back, but if that was Kendall Hunter that got into the open at the end of the game, nobody would have caught him.  Seeing Mario Manningham in action with Colin Kaepernick would have been good too.  Super bowl still stings.

The NFL season really is year round.  The combine is coming up soon and the draft not too far after that.  Now they make sure to keep your nfl fix with just enough info and activities to keep you going until the season starts again.

Niners Lose the Super Bowl

Still pissed off about the Super Bowl Loss

I just don't understand how they could play that bad in the 1st half.

The defense really let down the whole team.

Why can't the corners and safeties cover down field?

Couldn't even watch David Letterman.  Didn't want to hear any 49er jokes.

They could have pulled the game out at the end.

Those refs were worthless.

I logged into other sites to see what people had to say.

Ravens fans came up with plenty of excuses for the no call.

The 49ers did make too many mistakes in this one.

All these people keep saying they are picking the 49ers to be back in the superbowl.

There are no guarantees that they will make it back.

Niners should never have allowed the refs to get into it.

Losing a game that close doesn't make sense.

Now there is no football to watch for a while.  This sucks.

SuperBowl mismatches

Ray Lewis is playing is last game as a Raven.  The guy has been really good for the NFL.  He has played dominant football for a long time.  He is going to be up for this superbowl, but I am hoping that the 49ers can take advantage of mismatches against him.

The 49ers have some really fast tight ends.  If they can get match ups with Delanie Walker and Vernon Davis on Ray Lewis, they have a chance to exploit it.  There are going to be some big hits in this game and the 49ers have to be ready to take them.

Getting into the open field is going to be the difference maker.  Vernon Davis with the ball and a linebacker is not a good combo for the Ravens.  I really hope the Niners can hang touchdowns on the Ravens all day and chew up that clock.

The 49ers defense has been strong in the past, but they are going to have to keep an eye on the Ravens wide outs.  They are good at catching the ball down field and the niners have had a problem defending deep balls lately.  Against Atlanta, they were getting confused and it resulted in the Falcons getting points.  They have got to get a pass rush on Flacco and the corners and safeties have to tighten up coverage down field. It would be great for Aldon Smith and Justin Smith to start getting some action in the Ravens backfield.

Where is the mismatch on the Ravens offense?  It has to be Tory Smith, but you cannot sleep on Anquan Boldin.  They have strong wide receivers.  The niners are going to have to lay big hits to jar the ball lose and use their hands to knock down passes at the point of contact.

Another factor is going to be ball control.  Getting those points on the board and chewing clock with the running game.  I really hope the 49ers can open up the offensive playbook and start pouring the points on.  I just hope that they stay away from the trick plays.

The SuperBowl and Beyond

Just a few hours away from the superbowl.  It is hard to believe that the 49ers are back into the big game.  It was only a few years ago that the team was down in the dumps and looking like they would never recover.  Enter Jim Harbaugh and it seems like we returned from Bizzaro world.  The quarterback play got better and we actually started winning football games.  It is amazing how much of a difference the head coach can make. He actually got Alex Smith and the Media to believe that Alex is an Elite quarterback.

There are lots of fans that were starting to pull for Alex Smith and you can understand that.  Are you really sorry for the guy for losing his job to Colin Kaepernick?  No.  Alex has made enough money off of the niners.  His play was nowhere near worth that money.  It was strange to see him hang around the 49ers for so long. It always made me wonder why they never cut him before.

The defense has been strong for a good while now.  I didn't understand the Mike Nolan hiring, but the team did focus on defense once he got here.  The draft picks that were made during his tenure really are the core of this football team now.

I had high hopes for Mike Singletary.  He had the tough talk and he was a good player, but the team seemed like they were not prepared sometimes.  The play calling really got predictable under his regime.  They had good personnel but could not bring all the parts together.  Trying to run the ball so much and having Alex Smith back there at quarterback was not a good combination.

Jim Harbaugh is just a genius.  He squeezed as much talent as he could out of Alex Smith. Michael Crabtree and the other wide receivers are looking like a brand new bunch with Colin Kaepernick.  I can vividly remember people calling Crabtree a bust and a diva.  News Flash, He was always good.  Alex Smith would throw passes that were not catch-able   Jim Harbaugh almost pulled off one of the greatest magic tricks ever by almost getting the 49ers past the Giants last year with Alex.  Truth be told, without those kick return fumbles, the niners might have won a super bowl last year.

This has been on heck of a ride.  The 49ers will play tomorrow and I hope they win another super bowl ring.  Alex Smith will be probably be playing somewhere else next year.  I hope that he can keep playing at a high level the way Jim Harbaugh has programmed him to do.

SuperBowl is Almost Here

Can't wait for the super bowl to get here.

49ers are back and it will be an interesting game.

The Ravens are the same type of team as the 49 ers.

Randy Moss got the week started off with those greatest receiver comments.

Jerry Rice was better hands down.

Joe Flacco has been stepping up in the playoffs.

Hope the 49ers will win.

Colin Kaepernick is a dual threat.  I think he will get loose on Baltimore.

He just needs to make sure that he gets down.  Don't let the Ravens attempt to hurt him.

Ray Lewis is still a good player, but I am hoping that the fast 49er tight ends can get a step on him.

Delanie Walker and Vernon Davis are super fast.  They just need to break free and take it to the house.

The Ravens offense is a deep threat.  Tory Smith is scary good.  Flacco has been heaving it up to him during the playoffs.

The 49ers secondary will need to break up those deep passes.  They have failed a lot during the post season on them.

Hopefully Patrick Willis will be able to separate Ray Rice from the Football.  He has fumbled in the playoffs.

That Baltimore Defense is going to be jacked up for this one.  I expect a lot of big hits.

San Francisco 49ers in the Superbowl

There were a lot of questions going into the NFC Championship game. This was the second playoff game for Colin Kaepernick and people were wondering if he would come back down to earth after that stellar performance against the Green Bay Packers a week earlier.

The game got off to a slow start for the 49ers. The defense was hit like a heavy weight boxer with a strong left hook and dazed.  Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons had an excellent game plan.   He was completing short passes to Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones.  The Falcons tried running the ball but the 49er defense kept the yardage to a minimum.

Matt Ryan was decisive and accurate in the first half.  It seemed like the 49ers had no answer for the Atlanta passing attack.  A quick look a the score board showed that Atlanta was packing on points like a gas station giving away free gas.

The 49ers offense was having a little bit of trouble with the crowd noise and the first half had a lot of three and outs.  It did not look good for San Francisco.

Niners fought their way back into this game.  Colin Kaepernick ran wild the week before against Green Bay and the Altanta Falcons were determined not to let that happen to them.

Colin Kaepernick went to the air with laser sharp passes to the open receiver.  Vernon Davis magically reappeared in the 49ers Offensive scheme and he gashed Atlanta for good yardage down the field.

Colin had all defensive eyes on him and the read option defenders were not letting him out of their site.   Cool Kaepernick took what the defense was giving him and he handed off the ball the majority of the time.   The 49er running backs had no problem breaking through the Atlanta defensive line and picked up good rushing yardage.

The second half told a different story for the Falcons.  The 49 er defense made adjustments and finally started to slow the falcons down.  The niners crept back into the game and made one final stand to stop the falcons at the end.

Bend don't break defense was the name of the game.   The 49er secondary was getting toasted during this game.  The linebackers should also be included in that toaster.  But they came up big when they needed to make a play and the went into Atlanta and emerged with a victory.  The 49 ers are headed to the Super Bowl.

NFL Playoffs Review

There is a lot to talk about this week.

The Ravens beat the Broncos

Nobody was picking the Ravens to go into Denver and beat the Broncos.  They didn't listen to the critics.  They came to play and they pulled it out in the end.  Ray Lewis will get to play another week and face Brady.  The Ravens gave up two big plays on special teams.  The game might not have come down to the last seconds if those kick returns for touchdowns didn't happen.  Peyton Manning through an interception that sealed the deal.  This was really a good weekend for football games.  They were not boring at all.

The 49ers Beat the Packers

There was a big question in the lead up to the 49ers Packers game.  Everybody was picking the Packers because of Aaron Rodgers and his playoff experience.  Add to the quarterback change in San Francisco, switching from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick and you had everybody tuned in.  Did Colin K show up?  Yep.  Big Time.  He was running all over the field and left the Packers Defense looking like a junior varsity team.  They could not even slow the 49ers down.  You have to give it to the packers d for trying to set the tone early.  They were talking a lot and they were trying to rough up the 49ers offensive players.  It didn't work.  It looks like it only pissed them off.

Aaron Rodgers really didn't get a chance to light up the 49ers defense.  The 49ers offense got rolling and it kind of took the wind out of the Packers sails.  This was also a good game.  People before the game probably didn't know Colin Kaepernick, but after the game they will know who he is around the league.

The Pats beat the Texans

The Pats were just better and you knew that they would beat the Texans.  Not even going to talk about this one that much.  JJ Watt was trying to bring pressure on Tom Brady and I think he got there once, but it was just not enough to slow down the Pats.  They had people getting open and Brady didn't have a problem connecting with the open receiver.

The Falcons beat the Seahawks

This might have been the best game of the weekend.  The Seahawks were on a tear coming into Atlanta.  Atlanta is known for getting into the playoffs and making a quick exit.  It almost happened again with the Seahawks. Atlanta got off to a fast start and by half time everybody thought that the game was over.  Everybody but the Seattle Seahawks.  Russell Wilson is a special player.  What is it about the second half with them?  It was like they were giving the Falcons a head start.  The Seahawks coaching staff is going to want to kick themselves for some crucial mistakes that lead to the loss.  They went for it on fourth down and came up short, when they should have just kicked a field goal.  They tried to ice the kicker at the end and ended up losing the game.  Seattle was probably the hottest team in the playoffs.

What is wrong with Tony Romo?

What is wrong with Tony Romo? The Dallas Cowboys have a quarterback named Tony Romo. He is an above average quarterback in the NFL. He plays really good football for the majority of the time. Something happens with Tony Romo when the games get more intense.

Tony Romo plays above average during the regular season. He completes passes to his wide receivers and tight ends with ease. Tony Romo can hand the ball off with no problem. The Dallas Cowboys can win games and look like a real contender for the Super Bowl every year. In order to get to the Super Bowl, an NFL team has to win in the nfl playoffs. Tony Romo just seems not to be able to lead his team at the most important times.

NFL fans know that making it to the national football league playoffs is a big deal. Teams can win the Super Bowl one year and they might miss the playoffs the next. That is why Dallas Cowboys fans must be beside themselves when it comes to their starting quarterback. He does a lot of things right for a lot of the time, but he makes the worst mistakes at the worst possible times.

One of the most important tasks of a good NFL quarterback is protecting the football. Protecting the football means holding on to the ball. It also means not turning the ball over to the other team through interceptions or fumbles. Tony Romo has turned the football over in critical moments that seal victory for the opposing football team. This has to be disturbing for the Dallas Cowboys fans.

Football fans can only take so much. When a team has a good franchise quarterback it can be hard to turn the page and look for someone better. The downside of making a change at quartback is not knowing if you are getting a better player than the one that you are letting go.

The Dallas Cowboys have suffered a lot of losses at the hands of Romo. He has also provided a lot of moments of joy for Dallas fans. Romo is like a top of the line luxury car that breaks down just when you are going on a long road trip. The car works fine when you are making the little trips around town. Can you imagine having a car that breaks down consistently when you are getting ready to head out for your yearly vacation on the way to the airport? Would you keep that car or would you decide to get another one?

What will it take for Romo to get over the hump and lead the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl? After yet another heartbreaking loss, Tony Romo might not get another chance. Has the Dallas Cowboys Franchise had enough of Romo?