I Refuse To Believe The 49Ers Are As Good As Their Record...

[bap1331]

http://www.49ers.com...n-schedule.html

Their schedule is easy. The only challenging teams they have faced is the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens. And they lost. What do you think?

[objectivecoltsfan]

http://www.49ers.com...n-schedule.html

Their schedule is easy. The only challenging teams they have faced is the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens. And they lost. What do you think?

They are legit. They play great defense and can run. Plus they actually beat the Giants, they didn't lose like you claim they did. They haven't beaten any of the elite teams but that do have some nice wins like at Cincinnati and at Detroit, both of those wins came when the Bengals and Lions were playing well. The most impressive thing about them though is that they are 4-1 in the eastern time zone, and all of those wins were early starts, for a west coast team, that is like playing at 10am. Their one loss in on the east coast was on a Thursday night (short week) against a good Baltimore team. This team is 11-2, they are good.

[Yehoodi]

while you are looking at SF's schedule, you might want to check out GB's schedule . . . .

Among the teams u mentioned, SF did play Dallas (who are leading the NFC East), Cinn and the 5-0 Lions in the handshake game, so they have faced some tough teams . . . my guess is that SF schedule is as tough as any top tier team . . . we'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the year unfolds . . . but they have won 10 games, one more than any team in the AFC . . .

[Andy]

Helps that they get 6 easy wins against crap teams. The only impressive game was their Giants game, but they haven't really beat anyone good. They lost to the Boys and the Ravens, two good teams. I fell you OP, Im not sold either, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have a playoff run because good Ds take you a long way... cough cough 2006 Bears cough cough.

[-JJ-]

Ah the "old you haven't beaten anyone good" Some never learn.

Oh what was that year the colts didn't beat anyone good <scratches head>

[21isSuperman]

I'm sold on them. Harbaugh has the team playing really well. Alex Smith is finally playing well, they have a solid running game and their defense is good. I'm sold on them

[WSO]

They have one of the best defenses in the league. Probably the deepest WR core I can think of off the top of my head and a very young and good O line. They are good in all 3 phases, ted ginn has done an excellent job on special teams this year. Lets be honest against the Ravens they were robbed a 75 yard TD, that chop block came while the defender was basically almost falling down, even Mayock thought it was an iffy call. Then they got the big return from Ginn called back because of a block in the back (which was on the 49ers, good call). I know ifs and buts don't work but it shows that they can play all 3 phases of the game.

They beat a 5-0 Lions team in their house, a Giants team coming off a win against the Pats, and came back from a 24-3 deficit to the eagles. They can do it on offense too. In the playoffs if you can run the ball and stop the run, you can beat ANYONE and the 49ers can do that. I'm most impressed with Aldon Smith, IMO he is the Defensive ROTY.

[bap1331]

while you are looking at SF's schedule, you might want to check out GB's schedule . . . .

Among the teams u mentioned, SF did play Dallas (who are leading the NFC East), Cinn and the 5-0 Lions in the handshake game, so they have faced some tough teams . . . my guess is that SF schedule is as tough as any top tier team . . . we'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the year unfolds . . . but they have won 10 games, one more than any team in the AFC . . .

Cowboys and Cinci were struggling at those points it was at the very beginning of the season

[bap1331]

Helps that they get 6 easy wins against crap teams. The only impressive game was their Giants game, but they haven't really beat anyone good. They lost to the Boys and the Ravens, two good teams. I fell you OP, Im not sold either, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have a playoff run because good Ds take you a long way... cough cough 2006 Bears cough cough.

agreed. Plus the Giants can be very inconsistent at times. I dont even think they will win their game after their bye week in the playoffs. Wild Card has come strong and basically won every super bowl in the past few years...

[Yehoodi]

Cowboys and Cinci were struggling at those points it was at the very beginning of the season

okay i bite . . . "I am not sold on the GB Packers" who have they played . . . they played the Tebowless Broncos, NO in game one where the host always wins, SD on the decline, an Atl team that always seems to choke, the Lions on the decline and an bunch of scrubs . . . so i guess the Packers aren't that good either . . . ?

i understand where you are coming from, but they have won 10 games and beat the same "level" talent that GB has beaten, so lets not throw them out with the bath water . . .

Andy you may be right and they may be the 2006 Bears, but time will tell . . .

[Andy]

They have one of the best defenses in the league. Probably the deepest WR core I can think of off the top of my head and a very young and good O line. They are good in all 3 phases, ted ginn has done an excellent job on special teams this year. Lets be honest against the Ravens they were robbed a 75 yard TD, that chop block came while the defender was basically almost falling down, even Mayock thought it was an iffy call. Then they got the big return from Ginn called back because of a block in the back (which was on the 49ers, good call). I know ifs and buts don't work but it shows that they can play all 3 phases of the game.

They beat a 5-0 Lions team in their house, a Giants team coming off a win against the Pats, and came back from a 24-3 deficit to the eagles. They can do it on offense too. In the playoffs if you can run the ball and stop the run, you can beat ANYONE and the 49ers can do that. I'm most impressed with Aldon Smith, IMO he is the Defensive ROTY.

Deepest receiving core? Deeper than the Packers, Colts, Saints, Giants, Eagles, Cowboys just to name a few... you got some learning to do.

[Blue Horseshoe]

Ah the "old you haven't beaten anyone good" Some never learn.

Oh what was that year the colts didn't beat anyone good <scratches head>

2011

[chad72]

Cowboys and Cinci were struggling at those points it was at the very beginning of the season

No, the Cowboys and Bengals had Miles Austin and their best CB Leon Hall respectively when the 49ers played them. Miles Austin went off in that game. How many teams can stop the run like the Ravens and rush the passer? The only other team is probably the Steelers but the Ravens are still better plus add a short week to it.

Miles Austin had a beast of a game that Cowboys vs 49ers game, plus the 49ers secondary has improved considerably since then, their numbers show it. The Bengals were the #1 D with their best CB Leon Hall in their line up and the 49ers beat them in a defensive battle 13-6 then.

The 49ers game vs the Steelers at home is another chance for them to show us what they are made of since the Steelers can stop the run and force you to throw it against their pass rush, which is exactly what the Ravens did. We will find out more. If the 49ers lose to the Steelers at home, yep, they will be a team that makes the playoffs but I do not anticipate great things out of them in the playoffs. If they do beat the Steelers, it will re-inforce the fact that they can hang with good experienced teams.

[GoPats]

Call me crazy, but I think the Harbaugh boys know what they're doing. I wouldn't take anything away from the 49ers... you play who's on your schedule. You can't control who you play, but you can control the outcome, and SF has done an outstanding job of that this season. They have the potential to upset the Packers in the playoffs, IMO.

[tonychen]

Playing the entire nfc west and win all games is surely nothing impressive. That's why I think the 2009 colts were not as good as fans thought to be.

[chad72]

Call me crazy, but I think the Harbaugh boys know what they're doing. I wouldn't take anything away from the 49ers... you play who's on your schedule. You can't control who you play, but you can control the outcome, and SF has done an outstanding job of that this season. They have the potential to upset the Packers in the playoffs, IMO.

Since 2006, teams that are from the NFC East or have played the NFC East in its entirety have won the SB - Colts, Giants, Steelers, Saints, Packers all fit that.

This year, the 49ers on the NFC side or an NFC East team and the Pats/Jets on the AFC side fit the same pattern for SB champs. We will see how it plays out . That would also mean that either the 49ers or an NFC East team or the Pats or Jets make the SB in the first place for that to continue.

[WSO]

Deepest receiving core? Deeper than the Packers, Colts, Saints, Giants, Eagles, Cowboys just to name a few... you got some learning to do.

First off reading comprehension, "probably", "off the top of my head"

They have one of the deepest easily

Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Braylon Edwards, Delanie Walker, Kyle Williams, Josh Morgan(IR), Tedd Ginn, Justin Peele.

All of them except Peele and Edwards have scored and contribute to the offense every week. Peele is the 3rd string TE and Edwards has only played 4 games. Ginn hasn't caught one but has done his fair share on special teams. The key thing is every one of these players are in and out of the offense.

Usually when you disagree with someone you provide some kind of retort like "this is why the 49ers don't have a deep core..." etc. I watch them play every single week living in CA.

[Flash7]

http://www.49ers.com...n-schedule.html

Their schedule is easy. The only challenging teams they have faced is the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens. And they lost. What do you think?

I think a good way to find out if you think they are a good team is to ask "if another team were given their schedule, what would their record be?" For example, It hink that we can agree that teams such as the Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Rams, Cardinals, Seahawks, Bills, Dolphins, Eagles, Redskins, Browns, Chiefs, vikings, Panthers, and Bucs would not have similar records. These teams are much too inconsistant on a weekly basis and given the same schedule, they would have worse records than the Niners currently do.

That leaves us with teams that are generally thought of as good teams throughout the league. You can argue that the Steelers, Patriots, Ravens, Giants, and Saints would have similar records given this type of schedule and for the Niners to be among this group indicates that they are a good team.

[Go Blue Horseshoe]

It is difficult to think of SF as a potential Super Bowl contender after their lack of success in recent years, but this team does seem to have it together pretty well. I don't really buy into the whole soft schedule argument for any team. I believe that every team is good in the NFL. Some are better than others obviously, but on any Sunday, Monday or Thursday one team can beat another team. It is never a foregone conclusion that a team is going to win or lose, even if certain people like to believe that they can always predict the outcome. Any time an NFL team can make it to the top of their division and make it into the playoffs it is a big accomplishment. This 49er team has earned their success this year.

[Andy]

First off reading comprehension, "probably", "off the top of my head"

They have one of the deepest easily

Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Braylon Edwards, Delanie Walker, Kyle Williams, Josh Morgan(IR), Tedd Ginn, Justin Peele.

All of them except Peele and Edwards have scored and contribute to the offense every week. Peele is the 3rd string TE and Edwards has only played 4 games. Ginn hasn't caught one but has done his fair share on special teams. The key thing is every one of these players are in and out of the offense.

Usually when you disagree with someone you provide some kind of retort like "this is why the 49ers don't have a deep core..." etc. I watch them play every single week living in CA.

Well then if Ginn hasn't caught a ball then he's not helping the offense, he's helping in a different way.

The Packers have Jennings, Driver, Nelson, Jones, Cobb, Finley... all big contributors.

Colts have Wayne, Garcon, Collie, Clark, Tamme and White (last year especially)

Saints have Colston, Henderson, Moore, Graham, Meachem, and Sproles

The 49ers have good contributors, but they don't have a star, besides Davis really.

[King Colt]

They play the Steelers next week --we shall see, I'm pulling for the 9erz, Harbaughs boys.

[seeblu]

http://www.49ers.com...n-schedule.html

Their schedule is easy. The only challenging teams they have faced is the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens. And they lost. What do you think?

I think this season has proven how good a coach Jim Harbaugh is. He took a QB that everyone said was toast, a club that played terrible football last year, and turned them into a winner. You are entitled to your opinion, but IMO, you are not giving credit where credit is due.

[Buck Showalter]

Harbaugh for Coach of the Year...

[eaglejoe8]

Harbaugh for Coach of the Year...

I think he's pretty much a lock for it at this point.

[21isSuperman]

I think he's pretty much a lock for it at this point.

I dunno man. Is it possible for a team to go 16-0 and the coach not win coach of the year? If the Colts went 16-0, would Caldwell have won coach of the year?

Note: the point of the second question is discussing winning coach of the year, not the decision to rest the starters. Hypothetical scenario where we went 16-0 regardless of resting the starters or not.

[manningstheman]

http://www.49ers.com...n-schedule.html

Their schedule is easy. The only challenging teams they have faced is the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens. And they lost. What do you think?

maybe they are not as good as their record. But isnt it interesting what good coaching can accomplish?

[eaglejoe8]

I dunno man. Is it possible for a team to go 16-0 and the coach not win coach of the year? If the Colts went 16-0, would Caldwell have won coach of the year?

Note: the point of the second question is discussing winning coach of the year, not the decision to rest the starters. Hypothetical scenario where we went 16-0 regardless of resting the starters or not.

I think expectations may play a factor. Green Bay may not have been expected to be unbeaten, but they were supposed to be good. SF was expected to be bad with having a new staff in place and they're on the verge of getting the #2 seed.

[Blue Horseshoe]

I think he's pretty much a lock for it at this point.

I think Fox will get it if the Broncos make the playoffs

[21isSuperman]

I think expectations may play a factor. Green Bay may not have been expected to be unbeaten, but they were supposed to be good. SF was expected to be bad with having a new staff in place and they're on the verge of getting the #2 seed.

True. But then no one expected the Broncos or Bengals to be in a position to make the playoffs and both teams are. In fact, some people had both teams in the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes

[eaglejoe8]

Fox could be a dark horse depending on how their season turns out, but I'd still put Harbaugh ahead of him.

[chad72]

This loss to the Cardinals did make a dent in the 49ers' reputation.

[IMissMarvin]

Deepest receiving core? Deeper than the Packers, Colts, Saints, Giants, Eagles, Cowboys just to name a few... you got some learning to do.

Josh Morgan, when healthy, is a game changing receiver, and Michael Crabtree is maturing into the big play receiver they expected him to be when they drafted him out of Texas Tech. Vernon Davis is a premier TE in this leage and they added Braylon Edwards for added depth in the off season. On top of that, WR Kyle Williams out of ASU has had a phenominal rookie season. Both he and Ginn Jr. have great speed to stretch the field. I think 49ers receiving core is definitely in the top tier of the NFL.

[gspdx]

I was wondering what people are thinking about the 49ers now. Best finish is 13-3. Worst finish is 11-5. I think this is a solid team. Maybe a bit of an inflated record due to the schedule, but you play who is on your schedule. If the they finish 12-4 or 13-3 and lose in the first round of the playoffs will you think they are as good as past Colts teams?

[-JJ-]

All I can say is that defense is naaaaaaaaasty!

[shakedownstreet]

all those years of high draft picks are paying off now that they have a coach

[tonychen]

Colts 2009 schedule was also vanilla. The only quality teams they played were the Pats and Ravens and it was just lucky to get those two wins.

[Andy]

Well, I'm sold on them now. That's the best D in the league, plus they're offense aint half bad.

[Kenny]

They definitely put it to the steelers. They definitely have a decent shot at going far into the playoffs if not win it all. The saints and packers are really tough teams too.

[IMissMarvin]

Football is a game that is won at the LOS and when you see their offensive line it is just full of studs (Joe Staley, Anthony Davis, and Mike Iupati are all 1st rounders). There defensive line, likewise: Isaac Sopoaga is a beat upfront, as is Ray Macdonald out of Florida. Justin Smith is still playing at a high level and Aldon Smith brings a dominant pass rush that was missing in years past - Aldon Smith was a MONSTER Monday night, He simply owned Max Starks all night long - 3 sacks, should have had 4 if it weren't for a pentalty. He has 13 sacks so far his season, which is not only 49ers rookie record, but 4 sacks away from the team record. Patrick Willis, their all-pro LB wasn't even playing and other guys like Navarro Bowman and Raheim Moore played so well they didnt't skip a beat.

Their secondary is also extremely underrated. Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner are second only to Polamalu/Clark as far as safety tandems go, and Carlos Rogers is playing his best ball in years. Terrel Brown, their weakest link has stepped up and has played really well lately. He did a phenominal job against Mike Wallace, and even came away with an INT.

And they STILL haven't allowed a rushing TD all season, really unbelievable when you think about it, This team may not be the best team in the league right now, but they are certainly the deepest IMO. 49ers GM Trent Baalke has done a spectaular job in rebuilding this team, and it goes without saying that Jim Harbough has done wonders for QB Alex Smith and the entire organization really.

[GoPats]

They can run the ball, they can play defense, and their quarterback generally does not hurt their chances by making boneheaded mistakes. That's pretty much the whole story right there. Tough and resilient team, and further proof that right now, the NFC > the AFC. Should be some really good playoff games in that conference this year with SF, the Packers, and the Saints all in the mix.