Are the 49ers for real? (1 Viewer)

[Ghost Rider]

It is hard to say that they aren't, at least right now. They are 4-1 and their last win was a 45-point win over a team that was 13-7 in their last 20 games. That is awfully impressive.

 

[Short Corner]

Confidence is a powerful thing...it breeds success, and the 9ers are getting more confident every week.

Confidence is terrible. Most of the great men in all walks of life lacked confidence. Its what gives them an edge. Since we're on the subject of football, let's point to Bill Belichick as an example. The guy has no confidence at all. Look at how he mumbles and worries in his press conferences. If you actually look closely, great minds share a sort of neurotic doubt that they use to FOCUS on the problems they face.When I look at the 49ers, I don't see confidence. I see focus. Focus is the key. Harbaugh has everyone on the team focused on doing their jobs.As the old saying goes: "Confidence is the greatest weakness; never be certain of anything". Another version of that is "the more you know, the more you know you don't know."If you want to improve the organization you are in charge of, the first thing you do is get rid of all the people that project confidence.

:X

That's the gut reaction many people have when it comes to Bill Belichick. They see his lack of confidence, and his inability to articulate, and they dislike him. If you were to select head coaches on the basis of "who looks like a head coach", you'd never pick him in a million years. That's why going with your gut is always so terribly, terribly wrong.Most masters in all walks of life have that "Belichick" quality, where they lack confidence and don't speak well.The greatest investor of our age is Warren Buffett. He's also very Belichick-like. He doesn't come across as very confident or smooth. He's very frumpy and struggles in public speaking. But he's the best at what he does.Kurt Cobain was the last musician to really alter the music scene. That guy had absolutely no confidence in himself at all. He was brooding and sad and blew his head off with a shotgun. Troubled genius, but awesome at what he does.Vincent Van Gogh. Amazing artist. Had zero confidence. Killed himself.All of these people are basically the same type of guy. Their lack of confidence was what gave them an edge, because it made them driven and more focused than any of their peers. And that bred massive success. We see it over and over again in history. I'd put Belichick on suicide watch.

Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, Charles Manson, and Ghengis Khan were all vegetarians. Draw your own conclusions using your logic from above.Pretty easy to prove any point you want when you cherry pick your data points.

 

[Fensalk]

Confidence is a powerful thing...it breeds success, and the 9ers are getting more confident every week.

Confidence is terrible. Most of the great men in all walks of life lacked confidence. Its what gives them an edge. Since we're on the subject of football, let's point to Bill Belichick as an example. The guy has no confidence at all. Look at how he mumbles and worries in his press conferences. If you actually look closely, great minds share a sort of neurotic doubt that they use to FOCUS on the problems they face.When I look at the 49ers, I don't see confidence. I see focus. Focus is the key. Harbaugh has everyone on the team focused on doing their jobs.As the old saying goes: "Confidence is the greatest weakness; never be certain of anything". Another version of that is "the more you know, the more you know you don't know."If you want to improve the organization you are in charge of, the first thing you do is get rid of all the people that project confidence.

:X

That's the gut reaction many people have when it comes to Bill Belichick. They see his lack of confidence, and his inability to articulate, and they dislike him. If you were to select head coaches on the basis of "who looks like a head coach", you'd never pick him in a million years. That's why going with your gut is always so terribly, terribly wrong.Most masters in all walks of life have that "Belichick" quality, where they lack confidence and don't speak well.The greatest investor of our age is Warren Buffett. He's also very Belichick-like. He doesn't come across as very confident or smooth. He's very frumpy and struggles in public speaking. But he's the best at what he does.Kurt Cobain was the last musician to really alter the music scene. That guy had absolutely no confidence in himself at all. He was brooding and sad and blew his head off with a shotgun. Troubled genius, but awesome at what he does.Vincent Van Gogh. Amazing artist. Had zero confidence. Killed himself.All of these people are basically the same type of guy. Their lack of confidence was what gave them an edge, because it made them driven and more focused than any of their peers. And that bred massive success. We see it over and over again in history. I'd put Belichick on suicide watch.

Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, Charles Manson, and Ghengis Khan were all vegetarians. Draw your own conclusions using your logic from above.Pretty easy to prove any point you want when you cherry pick your data points.

I see it all the time from personal experience too. The best people I personally know in various fields, all lack confidence.

 

[thecatch]

IMO, it just depends on the matchups. A team with a very good downfield passing attack (GB, NO, NE, etc.) will eat up SF's secondary and SF's offense can't come anywhere close to keeping up in a shootout. Philly was an anomaly in that regard because Philly just can't stop the run to save their lives. With Alex Smith and a still shaky OL, great defenses will shut them out. But on any given Sunday they can probably win against 20-25 of the league's teams the way they are playing now.

 

[BaBastage]

Confidence is terrible. Most of the great men in all walks of life lacked confidence. Its what gives them an edge. Since we're on the subject of football, let's point to Bill Belichick as an example. The guy has no confidence at all. Look at how he mumbles and worries in his press conferences. (...snip...)If you want to improve the organization you are in charge of, the first thing you do is get rid of all the people that project confidence.

I think you're confusing "Confidence" with "Arrogance". Confidence is the absence of self doubt, allowing one to focus on the task at hand rather than fearing the consequences. Arrogance is its undesirable cousin. What's funny about confidence and arrogance is that the more you think about having confidence, the less of it you usually have. And the less you think about having arrogance, the more of it you probably have.I love the fact that the 49ers are starting to show some confidence. Are they for real? We'll see. Next week against Detroit will be a big statement either way.

 

[Phenix]

That defense sure is, but do SF owners play them against Detroit?

 

[Fensalk]

This article proves my point and shows how Harbaugh is not really coaching with confidence, and instead has the team focusing on the details, producing results.

“No,” he said. “No, no, no, no – anything but. No secret. It’s all ball. Blue-collar. It’s all about the details.”

Harbaugh is a man with a healthy ego – trust me, it takes one to know one – but, to his credit, he doesn’t scheme or play-call like some ultra-confident coaches.

As Harbaugh left Candlestick and headed to his car an hour after Sunday’s game, I stopped him long enough to run that assessment of his current coaching style by him.

“I don’t think it’s simple, no,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can.”

See, Harbaugh gets it. He's not confident, doesn't express confidence even to the press. He's "just doing the best he can". This is about focus. Focus on the details.

 

[duaneok66]

in other words, he is NOT Rex Ryan . . .

 

[Uncle Humuna]

IMO, it just depends on the matchups. A team with a very good downfield passing attack (GB, NO, NE, etc.) will eat up SF's secondary and SF's offense can't come anywhere close to keeping up in a shootout. Philly was an anomaly in that regard because Philly just can't stop the run to save their lives. With Alex Smith and a still shaky OL, great defenses will shut them out. But on any given Sunday they can probably win against 20-25 of the league's teams the way they are playing now.

 

[Short Corner]

This article proves my point and shows how Harbaugh is not really coaching with confidence, and instead has the team focusing on the details, producing results.

“No,” he said. “No, no, no, no – anything but. No secret. It’s all ball. Blue-collar. It’s all about the details.”

Harbaugh is a man with a healthy ego – trust me, it takes one to know one – but, to his credit, he doesn’t scheme or play-call like some ultra-confident coaches.

As Harbaugh left Candlestick and headed to his car an hour after Sunday’s game, I stopped him long enough to run that assessment of his current coaching style by him.

“I don’t think it’s simple, no,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can.”

See, Harbaugh gets it. He's not confident, doesn't express confidence even to the press. He's "just doing the best he can". This is about focus. Focus on the details.

I think you need some work in the reading comprehension and logic department.

 

[drew726]

I love watching some of the formations and packages Harbaugh has set up. Love seeing the 5 receiver sets with 3 TE's or having two fullbacks one of which is a lineman. He sure knows how to maximize what the talent around him.

 

[Shutout]

I understand completely why the Dolphins owner got on that plane.

Harbaugh can obviously coach and it is kind of fitting that he is bringing synamic, creative WCO play back to San Fran.

In this division, the Niners can probably win the West this year. I don't think they are 12-4 good but I'm willing to bet that they will play smart ball all year.

 

[Fensalk]

I'll say it right now. Bold prediction. Jim Harbaugh will be the head coach of a super bowl champion.

 

[SacramentoBob]

They look like a pretty good team.

 

[Wingnut]

I'll say it right now. Bold prediction. Jim Harbaugh will be the head coach of a super bowl champion.

That sounds confident, you better check yourself.

 

[roadkill1292]

I'll say it right now. Bold prediction. Jim Harbaugh will be the head coach of a super bowl champion.

What do you win if you're right?

 

[Raider Nation]

Very impressive indeed. Harbaugh is a miracle worker.

 

[SacramentoBob]

They look like a pretty good team.

 

[ponchsox]

Impressive win by the Niners. And a little bad blood between Harbaugh and Schwartz now.

 

[SacramentoBob]

Impressive win by the Niners. And a little bad blood between Harbaugh and Schwartz now.

Ups the ante for the playoff rematch.

 

[Short Corner]

IMO, it just depends on the matchups. A team with a very good downfield passing attack (GB, NO, NE, etc.) will eat up SF's secondary and SF's offense can't come anywhere close to keeping up in a shootout. Philly was an anomaly in that regard because Philly just can't stop the run to save their lives. With Alex Smith and a still shaky OL, great defenses will shut them out. But on any given Sunday they can probably win against 20-25 of the league's teams the way they are playing now.

I actually feel better about this after today. Detroit is a pretty decent passing offense and SF held their own.

 

[thecatch]

IMO, it just depends on the matchups. A team with a very good downfield passing attack (GB, NO, NE, etc.) will eat up SF's secondary and SF's offense can't come anywhere close to keeping up in a shootout. Philly was an anomaly in that regard because Philly just can't stop the run to save their lives. With Alex Smith and a still shaky OL, great defenses will shut them out. But on any given Sunday they can probably win against 20-25 of the league's teams the way they are playing now.

I actually feel better about this after today. Detroit is a pretty decent passing offense and SF held their own.

I think a healthy Goldson helps. They are still prone to giving up the big play once in awhile (Calvin Johnson had a 40+ yarder today.)

 

[drummer]

IMO, it just depends on the matchups. A team with a very good downfield passing attack (GB, NO, NE, etc.) will eat up SF's secondary and SF's offense can't come anywhere close to keeping up in a shootout. Philly was an anomaly in that regard because Philly just can't stop the run to save their lives. With Alex Smith and a still shaky OL, great defenses will shut them out. But on any given Sunday they can probably win against 20-25 of the league's teams the way they are playing now.

I actually feel better about this after today. Detroit is a pretty decent passing offense and SF held their own.

I think a healthy Goldson helps. They are still prone to giving up the big play once in awhile (Calvin Johnson had a 40+ yarder today.)

I'm loving the defense. That Front 7 is playing awesome. The offense still has a ways to go though.

 

[Wingnut]

Impressive win by the Niners. And a little bad blood between Harbaugh and Schwartz now.

Ups the ante for the playoff rematch.

Are they for real? Yes.Do I think they can go far in the postseason?? Probably not. That said, this year is a quantum leap forward.

 

[Bri]

That's the gut reaction many people have when it comes to Bill Belichick. They see his lack of confidence, and his inability to articulate, and they dislike him. If you were to select head coaches on the basis of "who looks like a head coach", you'd never pick him in a million years. That's why going with your gut is always so terribly, terribly wrong.Most masters in all walks of life have that "Belichick" quality, where they lack confidence and don't speak well.The greatest investor of our age is Warren Buffett. He's also very Belichick-like. He doesn't come across as very confident or smooth. He's very frumpy and struggles in public speaking. But he's the best at what he does.

BB lacks confidence? HA!

 

[two_dollars]

They'll go as far as Alex Smith takes them. The rest of the pieces are there.

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Aldon Smith

 

[goldenchild]

(granted, it was the browns, but 6-1 is 6-1)

Baltimore and Pittsburgh are the really the only 2 tough games left on the schedule (I think that D will be too much for Eli to handle)...

With the way that Jim is coaching this group (using the big guys on O was genius - I forgot that Staley played TE in college), I'm feeling really good about the years to come.

 

[footballnerd]

(granted, it was the browns, but 6-1 is 6-1)

 

[Uncle Humuna]

I love watching some of the formations and packages Harbaugh has set up. Love seeing the 5 receiver sets with 3 TE's or having two fullbacks one of which is a lineman. He sure knows how to maximize what the talent around him.

link

 

[Tony Reali]

I really want to believe, but the absolute abomination of a passing game is leaving me doubting. I don't doubt at all that we can win 10 games (only real losses I see left are Baltimore, Pittsburgh, the Giants, and possibly the Seahawks in Seattle) and will go to the playoffs, but we will get killed with Alex "I can't throw for 200 yards a game" Smith.

 

[footballnerd]

I really want to believe, but the absolute abomination of a passing game is leaving me doubting. I don't doubt at all that we can win 10 games (only real losses I see left are Baltimore, Pittsburgh, the Giants, and possibly the Seahawks in Seattle) and will go to the playoffs, but we will get killed with Alex "I can't throw for 200 yards a game" Smith.

depends if we get someone we can run on, but yes, def a playoff limitation

 

[Reepicheep]

I really want to believe, but the absolute abomination of a passing game is leaving me doubting. I don't doubt at all that we can win 10 games (only real losses I see left are Baltimore, Pittsburgh, the Giants, and possibly the Seahawks in Seattle) and will go to the playoffs, but we will get killed with Alex "I can't throw for 200 yards a game" Smith.

I dunno man, he's been what they needed him to be, a game manager, and he's done it pretty well. He even came through in crunch time in the Lions game. I agree that it will be a problem if they get in a shootout, but so far the D has been lights out and not let it come to that. If they can hold Detroit to 19 points on the road, I think that bodes pretty well. The Giants and Steelers games will be the big tests to see if they can keep games managable.

 

[Uncle Humuna]

He didn't have a very good game yesterday (over-threw at least 2 or 3 open receivers on deep routes), but as has been the case since he came into the league, he keeps showing flashes. The 4th quarters of the Philly and Det games are perfect examples.

 

[SacramentoBob]

He didn't have a very good game yesterday (over-threw at least 2 or 3 open receivers on deep routes), but as has been the case since he came into the league, he keeps showing flashes. The 4th quarters of the Philly and Det games are perfect examples.

He seems like another one of those guys that are good enough to start somewhere and aren't good enough to keep his team from looking for a replacement.

 

[BaBastage]

At this point the defense has shown it's for real.

Anyone notice that the last 3 teams' starting running backs did not finish their games?

(LeGarrette Blount, Jhavid Best, and now Montario Hardesty).

I really liked what I saw on offense during the 1st half yesterday - quick reads, using the slant, aggressive playcalling.

The second half puzzled me though... either we started mis-firing, or started playing conservatively too early.

 

[xfactor99]

The funny thing is I don't even think Alex Smith is playing that much better under Harbaugh. Smith was very good last year after the We Want Carr debacle, albeit with accuracy issues. And we've already seen him air the ball out 40+ times a game to moderate success in 2009 under Raye, so I'd say he's capable of throwing for more. I'd argue that most of the 49ers' improvement can be attributed to the defense, which was one of the best in the NFL in 2009 and inexplicably regressed and melted down during key moments in 2010.

Our offense has a tendency to be completely awful one half and on fire the other. Sometimes it's the first half, sometimes it's the second. It's maddening.

 

[kombucha]

Lifelong niner fan here.

The defense is playing hard and mean, and I'd say they're for real. I'm still in disbelief that they're doing this well after the offseason, where we lost a number of players I liked and didn't seem to improve too much outside of the draft. I like Aldon Smith a lot and I'm amazed what an improvement Harbaugh has been. I expected at least another 2 seasons of terrible play before he could turn it around.

While they've got a nice record and have beaten some teams that surprised people (Lions and Eagles), I really don't see them doing a damn thing in the playoffs. I would love to be proven wrong on this one and will certainly root for them as always but they just look like a team that gets kicked out of their first game in the playoffs - with or without a bye.

 

[Chase Stuart]

The 49ers are a lot like the Jets under Sanchez, the Ravens of the last decade, and the Steelers of the last two decades when not with Roethlisberger. Don't sleep on them, they can definitely make noise in the playoffs. But with their conservative style, a lot of their games will ultimately turn on the fickle turnover gods. When they win the turnover battle, they're going to be in good shape, but a couple of bad bounces and they're toast. I also think spread teams will present significant challenges for them, which is unfortunate considering they'll probably have to play New Orleans and Green Bay. But they're for real and can give any team a challenge. The issue is their ceiling just isn't what other teams can do, because of the lack of the QB. Peyton Manning on his best day has ended seasons for the Jets and Ravens, as has Brady for the Steelers.

 

[goldenchild]

Lifelong niner fan here.

The defense is playing hard and mean, and I'd say they're for real. I'm still in disbelief that they're doing this well after the offseason, where we lost a number of players I liked and didn't seem to improve too much outside of the draft. I like Aldon Smith a lot and I'm amazed what an improvement Harbaugh has been. I expected at least another 2 seasons of terrible play before he could turn it around.

While they've got a nice record and have beaten some teams that surprised people (Lions and Eagles), I really don't see them doing a damn thing in the playoffs. I would love to be proven wrong on this one and will certainly root for them as always but they just look like a team that gets kicked out of their first game in the playoffs - with or without a bye.

Of course, it will all depend on who they draw in each round. If we finish at the #2 seed, then we may get a favorable 1st round matchup

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Ditto on the 2000 Ravens comparison.

Dominant run defense + excellent run game + good game mgmt (i.e. limited mistakes) from the QB

If they can continue to improve their pass D and pass rush, as they have their last couple of weeks, they could be real contenders.

 

[Tony Reali]

Lifelong niner fan here.

The defense is playing hard and mean, and I'd say they're for real. I'm still in disbelief that they're doing this well after the offseason, where we lost a number of players I liked and didn't seem to improve too much outside of the draft.

That's surprising. Nate Clements was terrible, Manny Lawson was a disappointment, and Taylor Mays was beyond awful. A waste of a 2nd round pick and a first rounder in that group alone. THe only one I was kind of upset about was Franklin, and Sopoaga has filled in alright.

 

[mcd]

Lifelong niner fan here.

The defense is playing hard and mean, and I'd say they're for real. I'm still in disbelief that they're doing this well after the offseason, where we lost a number of players I liked and didn't seem to improve too much outside of the draft.

That's surprising. Nate Clements was terrible, Manny Lawson was a disappointment, and Taylor Mays was beyond awful. A waste of a 2nd round pick and a first rounder in that group alone. THe only one I was kind of upset about was Franklin, and Sopoaga has filled in alright.

The 49ers upgraded over every defensive player they lost. Both Bowman & McDonald are playing at Pro Bowl levels. Letting Franklin walk & resigning McDonald was huge for this team. They hit on both Aldon Smith & Chris Culliver in the draft. Rogers is a plus over the departed Clements & the team is actually 5 deep at CB. That the team is able to get a very good pass rush without blitzing DB's will make the unit even more impressive once Fangio gets all his blitz packages installed.

 

[drew726]

Is this defense better than the TB defense that won the superbowl with Brad Johnson?

 

[Black Box]

He didn't have a very good game yesterday (over-threw at least 2 or 3 open receivers on deep routes), but as has been the case since he came into the league, he keeps showing flashes. The 4th quarters of the Philly and Det games are perfect examples.

He seems like another one of those guys that are good enough to start somewhere and aren't good enough to keep his team from looking for a replacement.

He's a top tier back-up, imho. He'll come in for a game or two and make you think he can start. But he really belongs back on the bench.

 

[Reepicheep]

Is this defense better than the TB defense that won the superbowl with Brad Johnson?

Ditto on the 2000 Ravens comparison.Dominant run defense + excellent run game + good game mgmt (i.e. limited mistakes) from the QBIf they can continue to improve their pass D and pass rush, as they have their last couple of weeks, they could be real contenders.

A few weeks ago they had Brian Billick on the radio, LaVar Arrington was asking him if he felt the Ravens' formula for winning it all in 2000 could still be successful today. At the time Grossman was still the QB, which is why they were asking. His answer was basically no. He said he felt they were able to take advantage of a very unique set of circumstances - basically the combination of a historic defense, and a relative dearth of elite QB play at the time. He made the observation that it was a time when Aikman, Young, Elway, Marino, etc were all gone or on their way out, and you really only had Favre and a very young Manning in the mix as truly great QBs. So they looked around the league and felt they could win without great QB play that year. It's not a coincidence that the last two teams to win the SB with a mediocre QB had literally the #1 defense in the league - you need to have a truly suffocating defense that is head and shoulders the best in the league to pull this off. The 49ers will almost certainly have to beat two of Brees, Rodgers, and Stafford to get to the SB, it is hard to imagine them doing that. But you never know, the ball bounces funny ways, and if they hit the right playoff match ups, they could definitely do it.Getting sidetracked at this point, but he also made some interesting observations about how hard it is to get it right on drafting and developing a franchise QB (he felt this was his undoing as HC), and how HCs rarely survive a bust 1st round QB pick.

 

[roadkill1292]

Revisiting an earlier post of mine, I'm not sure any more that big brother has the better team.

 

[Uncle Humuna]

Is this defense better than the TB defense that won the superbowl with Brad Johnson?

Ditto on the 2000 Ravens comparison.Dominant run defense + excellent run game + good game mgmt (i.e. limited mistakes) from the QBIf they can continue to improve their pass D and pass rush, as they have their last couple of weeks, they could be real contenders.

A few weeks ago they had Brian Billick on the radio, LaVar Arrington was asking him if he felt the Ravens' formula for winning it all in 2000 could still be successful today. At the time Grossman was still the QB, which is why they were asking. His answer was basically no. He said he felt they were able to take advantage of a very unique set of circumstances - basically the combination of a historic defense, and a relative dearth of elite QB play at the time. He made the observation that it was a time when Aikman, Young, Elway, Marino, etc were all gone or on their way out, and you really only had Favre and a very young Manning in the mix as truly great QBs. So they looked around the league and felt they could win without great QB play that year. It's not a coincidence that the last two teams to win the SB with a mediocre QB had literally the #1 defense in the league - you need to have a truly suffocating defense that is head and shoulders the best in the league to pull this off. The 49ers will almost certainly have to beat two of Brees, Rodgers, and Stafford to get to the SB, it is hard to imagine them doing that. But you never know, the ball bounces funny ways, and if they hit the right playoff match ups, they could definitely do it.Getting sidetracked at this point, but he also made some interesting observations about how hard it is to get it right on drafting and developing a franchise QB (he felt this was his undoing as HC), and how HCs rarely survive a bust 1st round QB pick.

Was thinking about this after I postedHere are the QBs from the last 20 SB winners:RogersBreesRoethlisbergerE. ManningP. ManningRoethlisbergerBradyBradyB. JohnsonBradyDilferWarnerElwayElwayFavreAikmanS. YoungAikmanAikmanSeems to support Arrington's point.Don't expect Smith to play to the level of Brady, Rogers, Brees, et al.The question is, can he play to the level of E. Manning or Roethlisberger?

 

[Chase Stuart]

Tom Brady in 2001 was nowhere near an elite QB. Eli Manning was an inconsistent but talented guy who led the league in INTs. Neither of those guys fit the "Elite QB" model by any stretch.

 

[Reepicheep]

Tom Brady in 2001 was nowhere near an elite QB. Eli Manning was an inconsistent but talented guy who led the league in INTs. Neither of those guys fit the "Elite QB" model by any stretch.

I don't think anyone said elite. Maybe it was implied.