you may be correct about the schedule strength…but(as a Niner fan) the minimum that needs to be done is win the division. we have a very good shot of doing that. also, last year’s schedule was not the cake-walk you make it out to be….

about the actual article…hey, good to have another RB with great potential. It’s very possible within 2 years the 49ers running attack will be spearheaded by hunter & james (with gore too old and jacobs gone/cut/retired). harbaugh knows ya gotta have a consistent running game.

yup, the same guy who was basically a no-show vs my giants in that game you alluded to. if the giants had even ONE legit o-tackle last year it never would have been that close.

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O RLY? you guys had a bit of luck in that game. Both these teams at full strength is a game that 6x’s out of 10, is going to go the 9ers way. Stop acting like that game should have been a blowout. if we would have had even a healthy Ginn, the game would have more than likely gone the 9ers way. Nevertheless congrats on ur team’s win and eventual SB victory. Just stop acting like a tool….umkay?

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Very good post. Luck plays a huge factor for the eventual SB champion in todays era. The days of the 60′s Packers,70′s Steelers,80′s Niners and early 90′s Cowboys playing the regular season on their way to their eventual coronation are long gone. If anyone says luck doesn’t play a factor,they are being a blind homer and have a closed mind. Sometimes they need help from other teams. Here are a few examples off the top of my head.

2011 Giants- if that punt doesn’t hit Williams in the knee,the Giants probably lose. The Bradshaw non fumble call can be added too. , they lose the SB if Welker makes that catch. Heck, the Pats don’t even make it if Lee Evans doesn’t drop that endzone catch in the AFCCG

2010 Packers- The Giants 2nd half choke against the Eagles in NY. The winning score wouldn’t have happened if they had just kicked away from Desean jackson. Had the Giants won that game,the Packers don’t make the playoffs. Like the Giants this year,they got hot at the right time.

2009 Saints- Mn. having 12 men in the huddle the play before Favre throws the Int. to Porter. AP in the same game fumbling the ball untouched on the Saints 4 yd line. He would have scored easily had he held onto the ball. If those plays don’t happen,the Saints lose and the Vikes play in the SB.

2008 Steelers- Shoddy Tackling attempts on James Harrisons 95 yd Int return before half. Had Larry Fitzgerald not been knocked out of bounds by his own teammate,he easily runs down Harrison,makes the tackle, prevents the score and the clock runs out.

2007 Giants- What more can be said about David Tyree’s catch? Asante Samuel also let a game winning INT go through his hands a few plays before. If Asante makes that pick,the heroic catch by Tyree never happens. The Pats then run the clock out and complete a 19-0 season.

I could go on and on,but I think I made my point. The Giants have 2 rings in the last 5 years. Had 2 plays went the other way,they are 0-2 and Eli faces the ?. can he ever win the big one? of course it wouldn’t be fair,but the difference between a Sb champion and a also ran is >.< this close in todays era.

yup, the same guy who was basically a no-show vs my giants in that game you alluded to. if the giants had even ONE legit o-tackle last year it never would have been that close.

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O RLY? you guys had a bit of luck in that game. Both these teams at full strength is a game that 6x’s out of 10, is going to go the 9ers way. Stop acting like that game should have been a blowout. if we would have had even a healthy Ginn, the game would have more than likely gone the 9ers way. Nevertheless congrats on ur team’s win and eventual SB victory. Just stop acting like a tool….umkay?

How the hell so? Didn’t play but ONE Division opponent the whole first half. Then flew to Detroit where they ENDED that Playoff team’s Win streak.

They played Cincinatti and Ended theirs too.
Oh correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t Natti a playoff team too?

Come from behind Win against the HEAVILY favored Igglets.

Beat the Skins in THEIR digs.
Beat the Giants at the Stick. Yeah we can debate on the friendly schedule there I guess. But they basically beat Manning up and down the field like the proverbial Redheaded stepchild in both games.

In fact the 9ers played a very TOUGH schedule last year. They lost how many games on the Road? Two? The Cards are no joke at Home and the 9ers went in there full of themselves. They had the game in hand and let it escape in the 2nd Half.

How many Playoff teams did the 9ers play last year? Ravens across country on 3 days rest? If that’s an easy schedule… O_o

i love how we are the most hated team in the league now that we are good , which rests my case! typical haters! the nfc west beat the new orlean saints in the playoffs 2 years in a row, the nfc west is alot harder than the broncos raiders cheifs and chargers division, seriously when was the last time any of those teams did anything, and the niners schedule? lets see the steelers theravens giants broncos lions eagles in the season and they were all playoff teams oh i forgot u must be a steeler, the team that got stomped by the niners, take any qb in the league and give them the niners offense and see if they could go 13 – 3 and get jipped out of the nfc chmpinship, the kyle williams fumble twice, bradshaw fumbling the ball and we didnt get the call, dashon goldson trying to steal an interception from his own teamate twice and dropping the ball and inuring his teammate so ur full of ish if u think we dont derserve to be there, oh yeah btw prerankings on espn 49ers number 1 , so u think ur smarter than espn?

Now, first of all I’m a huge fan of Gore and I like Hunter. However, Gore definitely lost a step as the season progressed and Hunter I don’t feel really proved he could take up the slack. After Gore got injured before the regular season Giants game Gore did not have a single game where he broke 100 yards. He just wasn’t the same guy. Maybe after the offseason he will get back to his old self, but I think it’s obvious that Gore is on the backside of his career and I’m glad the 49ers are addressing it. Sure that means they have a ridiculous number of running backs right now, but hopefully one of them will rise to the top in the next season to take over for Gore when he does retire in a couple years.

The Giants won the game fair and square. I give them their due. But please lose the NY attitude about this game. You and I and the rest of the NFL knows damn good and well that they got lucky and the Niners gave it to them. The Giants will see the Niners again this year. The Niners will have the same defense and a bunch of new speed and explosiveness on offense. We’ll see what happens.

Second you say Smith was a no show? You better go look at the stats again. He and Eli posted the same numbers. The only difference is that Eli had Receivers to catch the ball and Alex didn’t.

Come back when you and the entire Smurf fan base gain about a million IQ points. If you’re gonna talk smack at least talk INFORMED smack. Fool.

jdandcoke: oh you mean the Alex Smith that helped the team to a 13-3 record and a NFC championship game?

yup, the same guy who was basically a no-show vs my giants in that game you alluded to. if the giants had even ONE legit o-tackle last year it never would have been that close.
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I’m not going to play the would’ve, should’ve game but the 9ers O didn’t show up the 2nd half of that game (not just Smith, they all had a bad half) or you’re right it never would have been that close. They rolled out 1 legitimate WR in that game a bunch of practice squad guys. Congrats on winning the game and the Super Bowl, but the Giants were a .500 team that got very hot so don’t act like they were world beaters that the 9ers were lucky to beat while not scoring a 2nd half point. The 9ers played them extremely tough while very short-handed and we all know who really won that game for the G-Men, twice. Like I said, very short-handed and still put up a great fight. Besides winning, I’m not sure Giants fans can come troll 9er posts and tell us that it should’ve never been that close and the Giants are a vastly superior team becasue they aren’t. Laregely full strength, they got about as much as they could handle from a team that was very short-handed. We will have to see how 2012 shakes out, but I really like our chances. Congrats again on winning, no hard feelings here, but don’t be delusional about that win. I don’t mind a little trolling for gloating purposes, but don’t be delusional about it…

Do you realize smith’s best receiver last year was Michael Crabtree. Let me repeat that. The # 1 was Crabtree. Now with moss, manningham, and Jenkins. Smith will have a great year and everyone who’s scared of the niners can’t just point the finger @ Smith anymore.

Well if Mike Detillier says so…too bad Mike knows diddly poo.

you do know they drafted a qb in the 2nd round last year and signed fa josh johnson this off season…..right?

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Agreed,but at the same time I’ll say the Niners should start looking for a young prospect that can push Smith. Kellen Moore is still out there and I think SF would be a great fit. Please don’t take the following as flaming,but I don’t believe Smith will be anything more than a game manager the rest of his career. The Packers without question took the better Qb in that draft class. Teams like the Ravens and Niners have proven you can win with game managing Qb’s. The real question is can you win a championship with one. The jury is still out on Flacco and Smith.

I know Smith beat the Saints with a last minute drive. A huge part of that was Greg Williams calling an all out blitz and leaving Vernon Davis single covered by a safety. All any Qb has to do in that situation is lead davis and he’ll use his athletic ability to beat and outrun any safety in the league. Once again, I’m not saying Smith can’t get to the next level. he has some weapons now, so we’ll get a good idea how well he reacts this season.

yup, the same guy who was basically a no-show vs my giants in that game you alluded to. if the giants had even ONE legit o-tackle last year it never would have been that close.