allbayareasports.com

What’s up sports fans? Well we kind of new it could go this way. A way that showed the measuring line of two teams. For the Giants a team of experience and mental stability during a difficult position in a contest. For the 49ers a team with great potential but not experienced enough to get to the big stage. The 49ers don’t have to feel bad about anything. They came to this contest with their game face on, and it showed because even though New York won the game they didn’t run away with the win. They got the win on mistakes. Before the mistakes it was still anybody’s game. Even Tom Coughlin had that look of uncertainty. People will want to get upset at Kyle Williams for making a couple of miscues during crucial moments of the game, but really you can’t totally fault the guy.

What Niner fans won’t and can’t except about the game is it’s history during games like this. You have to credit the N.Y. Giants because they had something the Niners didn’t have in a situation like this, and that is experience. The history of the NFL in championship games is that the team who makes the most crucial mistakes is the team that ends up on the losing end of the contest. I know it’s hard. It was hard for me. I’m a die hard Niner fan, and as much as I wanted to see them advance to one of the greatest accomplishments in ten years, it just wasn’t going to happen that way. Why? Because San Francisco wasn’t experienced enough to be in the Superbowl. Look at what you had in this game. You had the New York Giants a Superbowl team with a Superbowl championship coach. The Giants had Eli Manning, who is experienced when it comes to playing in a NFC championship games.

The Giants had more experienced players on their team than ours. They still had more than 45% of their players from that championship team just a few years ago. On the other side we have the 49ers. A team that had been stepped on for over ten years. A team that needed to send a message to the league that this isn’t the same team you beat three years ago. A team that had to silence it’s nay sayers. They are a team with a rookie head coach in Jim Harbaugh, which when he took the helm at San Francisco many questioned if he knew what he was getting himself into. They had Alex Smith who really the whole league totally wrote off as an NFL quarterback. Vernon Davis and Frank Gore who were still trying to put together winning seasons, only to come up short once their seasons was done. But by the time Harbaugh & Co. got done the league realized they had to take them seriously. Because the team that everyone in the NFL wanted to laugh at was finding them hard to beat.

The Niners put up a 14-4 record for the 2011-2012 season. They have every reason to be proud of themselves. Even Eli Manning stated, “They gave us all they had, and we came up with the win. I’m just glad our guys hung in there. This was a game that could’ve went either way.” Not a bad contest by San Francisco to push the former NFC champions to overtime. Also what is notable is that the Niners are a team that was 6-10 last season. To go from 6-10 to 14-4 is highly unlikely in the NFL. What Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff did in the 2011 season is anything short of a miracle. We shouldn’t scrutinize Kyle Williams for his mistakes we should give him a pat on the back for a great season. Even though he made some mistakes, we true Niners fans know this season is no different than any other season, it isn’t perfect.

To Kyle and the rest of the San Francisco Big Red Machine, we want to let you know, thank you for this season and we’ll be rooting you on next season.The Giants had time and experience on their side. We at San Francisco are just getting started. Best believe we’ll be just as competitive next season as we were this season. Give me your take on next season. E-mail me or leave a comment. Remember folks it’s ALLBAYAREASPORTS.COM. Bay Area Sports Magnified!

Alex Smith Celebrates After Running For A Touchdown

What’s up sports fans? I guess this game was a game of answers. Because even though the Niners closed out the season with a 19 – 17 win over St. Louis, there were still questions over whether or not San Francisco would last in the playoffs, and if Alex Smith would move to the next level amongst the quarterback leaders in the NFL  Everyone in the NFL knew what the Saints could do. The question was if San Francisco could perform at playoff level on the bigger stage. Instead of New Orleans running through the Niners defense with their high flying offense. It was the Niners who scored first and actually was leading 17 – 0 just out of the first quarter. Both scores came on Drew Brees miscues and the Saints turning the ball over.

After this game I have to say that Alex Smith is my favorite 49er. I know a lot of you will say well Richard your just saying that now because they’re winning. The truth is, I thought he was my favorite after the first 4 games of the season. Simply because you have to like a guy like Alex. He endured a very tough road with this franchise. When he was losing I was like most people ready to throw him underneath the bus. I didn’t realize the complexity of his situation. The fact that the guy went through 7 offensive coordinators. It hard to be successful when you have that many people over time calling play and mixing things up so much that you can’t figure out your offense. He endured that and didn’t quit. He stayed with this franchise and continued to go out everyday practice and learn and develop. Same goes to Vernon Davis. He also was with Alex through that time and continued to persevere.

San Francisco has without a shadow of a doubt proven to sports spectators that not only do they belong in playoffs, but they are a serious contender for the Superbowl. Anytime you have a team come up with a win the way they did against a scoring machine like Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, if I’m the other two teams in the NFC right now I wouldn’t take these guy from the Bay Area lightly. The Saints did and look at what happened. The Niners didn’t run away with this one, but the team that was favored to win lost! That too me says that this season is anybody’s season right now. Vernon Davis had almost 200 yards receiving, and two touchdowns. He had a big day with one of those receptions being the game winning touchdown with just 13 seconds left in the game. After the catch Vernon ran over to the 49ers bench in tears. Why in tear you may ask? Consider where Vernon Davis was when he came to this franchise. Consider that he and Alex Smith along with Frank Gore were called the laughing stock team in the lowly NFC West division.

They were told for ten long years, ” The Phony Whiners. You don’t have what it takes to compete in this league, let alone the NFC West.” Tell that to the New Orleans Saints. They’re not thinking that now. This game was emotional from the start, a real roller coaster ride. And now Vernon can get emotional. He has every reason to be. He and the 49ers have earned their right to compete for the NFC title. Alex Smith finished with 24 of 42 for 299 yards passing, he threw three touchdowns and he ran for a 28 yard touchdown, that threw New Orleans defense off because they didn’t see it coming. Alex Smith was providing the offensive leadership this team wanted to see from him in a long time. When the game was on the line he delivered. If your like me a Niner fan, you should be proud of  San Francisco. Even if they don’t win it all this year, we as Niner fans have been given a lot to celebrate this year, from the team by the Bay.

They’ve worked hard, endured the tough seasons but we got something to celebrate because of guys like Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Justin Smith, Dashon Goldson, Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, Delanie Walker, Michael Crabbtree, Isaac Sopoaga, Parys Haralson, David Akers, Andy Lee, Adam Snyder, Aldon Smith, Kendell Hunter, Moran Norris,  Bruce Miller, Carlos Rogers, Ray McDonald, Donte Whitner, Tarell Brown, Ricky Jean Francios, Mike Iupatti, Navarro Bowman, Larry Grant, Ted Ginn Jr., Demarcus Dobbs, Chris Culliver, Anthony Dixon, Tavares Gooden, Anthony Davis, Collin Kaepernick, Ahmad Brooks, Blake Constanza, Tramaine Brock, Chilo Rachal, Jonathan Goodwin, Justin Peele, Joe Hastings, Frank Kilgore, CJ Spillman, Scott Tolzien, Shawntae Spencer, Ian Williams, and none of these NFL players would be able to accomplish what they’ve done this year without Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff.

I also wanted to add that Justin Smith is a Beast!! Can you read this? A BEAST!!! On one play I saw him single handed push the Saints offensive lineman all the way back into Drew Brees, reach over the lineman, and pull down Brees that almost resulted in a sack. The guy is a one man wrecking crew. Our Boys by the Bay deserve a big pat on the back for redeeming in the Bay Area.  So thank you San Francisco 49ers, we appreciate your hard work, perseverence and tenacity on the playing field. But they have another opponent to contend with. Will it be the New York Giants or the Green Bay Packers? And regardless of who it is, can the 49ers get the NFC title game? What’s your take on the playoffs? Tell me what you think. Remember folks it ALLBAYAREASPORTS.COM Bay Area Sports Magnified!

Highlights 49ers at Seahawks

►

What’s up sports fans? Did you have an interesting weekend? You probably did with the holidays being here and all. My weekend was the same as any other day. Reason why is because I don’t celebrate holidays. Now I know what your thinking is, “How could he not celebrate holidays?” Well the reason why is because it’s against my faith and I’ve been this way all my life. In any event every year it’s the same. People running around trying to get the special gift for that special someone. Well it appears that Jed York the owner of the 49ers got his gift. The San Francisco 49ers are, yes I know even I can’t believe I’m writing this but here it is. You ready? San Francisco is 12-3 ladies and gentlemen. Can you believe it!! 12-3!!! I’m using so many exclamation points because we Niner fans know what last year was like under than head coach Mike Singletary.

We struggled. We couldn’t wear our Niner gear in style or pride. Now we are the envy of most teams in the NFL. Not to mention we at allbayareasports.com have just learn that we have eight, count em,  eight players going to the Pro Bowl. San Francisco was behind in this one, down 10 – 3, when Frank Gore ran for a touchdown to even the score. Seahawks did make it interesting though. They relied on the running of their latest runningback  stand out, Marshawn Lynch. He’s called “The Beast” in Seattle. Seattle utilized him to get the first rushing touchdown against the Niners defense this season. Lynch also finished with over a hundred yards rushing at 107. Head coach Jim Harbaugh had the pulse of the game. “I thought it was, like I said, a real good preview for what the playoffs are going to be like,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Overcoming adversity. Nobody flinched. We had some real difficult situations, you know, some real pressure-to-perform situations, and our guys performed.”

The 49ers ability to overcome adversity will be the key in the playoffs. What was also significant was that 49er field goal kicker David Akers set another NFL record for field goals with 4 on the day. He now holds the most in the league surpassing Niel Rackers at 42. There was no question that San Francisco’s defense would be tested in this game as the two games before this one, with Patrick Willis still out with injured hamstring. They’ve been resourceful in finding suitable replacements with their starters. Exclusively in utilizing players like Larry Grant who has been a exceptional linebacker to fill in for Willis. He was able to make impact in this game by forcing a fumble and a turnover on Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson which gave them good field position and the ability to score.  “He doesn’t tuck it at all, he keeps it loose and keeps his eyes downfield,” Grant said. “Knowing he does that, when you’re coming from behind the first thought is you’ve got to rake for the ball.”

Michael Crabbtree had a sensational game with 5 catches for 85 yards, one of them was deep route thrown by Alex Smith for 41 yards.  It’s really the performance we Niner fans would like to see from him because we know he’s that talented. Alex Smith finished with 14 of 26 for 179 yards passing. Both runningbacks scored touchdowns. Frank Gore scored on a 4 yard run in the end zone, and Marshawn also ran the ball in for Seattle’s score. This is the first time San Francisco beat Seattle in Seattle since 2008. The Niners did have one flub and it came when Seattle’s Heath Farwell blocked an Andy Lee punt which set up Marshawn Lynch’s touchdown. As I said Seattle did keep it interesting when Tarvaris Jackson hit Doug Baldwin on a 13 yard pass to put Seattle ahead in the first quarter. He also feels very strongly about Lynch going to the Probowl. “If Marshawn Lynch isn’t in the Pro Bowl, there is something wrong with the voting system. Plain and simple, he’s proved it week in and week out.”

The Niners David Akers missed his first field goal try from 52 yards in the first quarter, and then the San Francisco 49ers let his boot do the talking. Akers hit from 53, 29,  and 44 yards. Davids Akers rewrote the NFL history book with his boot. “All our players and coaches, everybody is really happy for David’s success,” Harbaugh said. “Another great effort by him today.” All San Francisco has to do now is beat the Rams and they will have the coveted No. 2 seed going into the playoffs. Once again you have to credit San Francisco’s defense. They held Seattle to just 72 yards in the second half. The 49ers  coaching staff was so elated that as the game was ending they ran through the press box saying, “Merry Christmas everybody,” as Smith took a knee to drain the final seconds. San Francisco believes they’re in the drivers seat. What do you think? Can they get the No. 2 seed ? Or will it be another up hill battle? Tell what you think. Remember folks it’s ALLBAYAREASPORTS.COM. Bay Area Sports Magnified!