I decided yesterday morning that I could not do it. I was too loyal. Too passionate. And too dedicated to go through with it.
I will NOT boycott my San Francisco 49ers this season.
You probably assume that was an easy decision. Nope. Not at all.
I decided yesterday morning that I could not do it. I was too loyal. Too passionate. And too dedicated to go through with it.
I will NOT boycott my San Francisco 49ers this season.
You probably assume that was an easy decision. Nope. Not at all.
This. Is. Ridiculous.
I have been very busy lately with a lot of projects. As a result, I have been fairly absent from the blog. I apologize. It was not intentional but I am back. And I am back with a vengeance.
Ya’ll I am so annoyed, disappointed and frustrated with the San Francisco 49ers organization. How do we go from being a yard away from a 6th Super Bowl ring to being so out of sorts, order and everything else that we just might be the laughing stock of the league right now? Really, the 9ers? The laughing stock of the league? Let that sink in.
This picture sums up my feelings about my beloved San Francisco 49ers perfectly.
Well, it sums up exactly how I feel about our front office.
Rarely am I speechless but the past few weeks have left me with few words and a lot of head shaking. Let’s see, we have lost Frank Gore, Mike Iupati & it looks like Michael Crabtree is next. Patrick Willis retired. Chris Borland shocked the world and retired at the age of 24. Justin Smith is rumored to retire. And please do not make me go back and talk about Jim Harbaugh’s departure. Yeah yeah, the retirements are not the front offices fault but it does not lessen the sting. Especially not when we have lost so much production in other areas.
It is going to take some time for me to get over losing Gore. Talk about stunned.
I really do not know what to make of my beloved 49ers right now. The team is almost urecognizable. Never in my life have I seen such an exodus. Sad thing is, the exodus is so unnecessary but tell that to management and I am sure you will probably get the same look I have been giving them. It is as if they want us to have to rebuild but why? We already had most of the pieces in place. Just needed to plug some holes.
Sadly, I wish I could say I am surprised that it has come to this. The writing has been on the wall. When the rumblings started about Harbaugh being “released” at the end of this past season, I knew we were dealing with some not so smart execs in the front office. I mean really? Who even entertains the notion of “releasing” a coach who has taken you to three straight NFC championships and was one play away from ring number 6?
It just makes no sense whatsoever. There is no logical explanation for this ridiculousness. Can we trade our president and GM? Just sayin.
Sooooo. I thought I posted this last week. Better late than never, huh?
This will not take long.
With his win last night, Tom Brady has now joined an elite group. He is only the third quarterback to win four Super Bowls as a starter. Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana are the others. With his win, the talk has now begun about whether or not Brady is the best ever.
I can answer that for you. NO.
I know. I know. I have heard it repeatedly. Brady has been to more Super Bowls. Montana had Rice. Brady played in the cold. Montana was one and done in the playoffs three straight years. Brady came off the bench to to replace Bledsoe. Montana was put on the bench for Steve Young. Yada yada yada.
Despite all of that, there is one fact you cannot dispute. Montana was undefeated in Super Bowls. He three 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. Yes, I know. Brady has done more with less. I will never dispute that. It speaks to his greatness but if you want me to believe Montana would not have been capable of doing the same thing with that type of talent then you will be waiting forever. Ya’ll do know Montana lead the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC Championship game in 1993, right? Who were his wide receivers? Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
I could go on and on and on but I feel no need to do that. My mind is made up. Joe Cool stands alone. Brady does make my top 5 though. Will that satisfy you naysayers?
NFL Conference Championship Sunday I found myself in a struggle. Here I was, a die-hard San Francisco 49ers Faithful contemplating doing the unthinkable-cheering for the rival Seattle Seahawks.
Ok, let me back up. That particular Sunday, I was actually cheering for the Green Bay Packers. As a Faithful, there was no way I could cheer for our rival even if they had only recently become that. A rival is a rival and I draw the line deep in the dirt when rivalries are involved. I cheered against Seattle in the Superbowl last year and I have cheered against them all season. It was the right thing to do.
That Sunday, I left the house in confidence. I had been spending some time with my nephew and it was time to take him home. I know what you are thinking. She left during the game? Yes I did but any real football fan will have the NFL Mobile app on their phone so they always have access to the game. However, this particular time I did not even bother to turn the game on so I could listen. Green Bay had a 12 point lead with about five minutes left, I think. I was confident they were going to win and I could celebrate Seattle watching the big game at home, like us. You know payback for last year’s NFC Championship game. You still do not want to get me started on that.
I got out of my car at my brother’s, left my phone inside and got my nephew’s belongings. After chatting inside for about 15 minutes, it was back to the car to tune in to Green Bay’s celebration of their win and return trip to the Superbowl. WRONG!! Surely my eyes were deceiving me. They had to be! I know the score did not say Green Bay 19-Seattle 22. Ummm, what? What happened?? I was shocked, stunned and beffuddled. How could this have possibly happened??
Two words. Two words I am very familiar with. Russell. Wilson.
Early in the second half, in an ominous moment of foreshadowing, I sent out a tweet. It said, “Packers bet not let up. Never count out Russell Wilson! #GBvsSEA.” You see. I knew what Wilson was capable of. I saw his capabilities up close and personal when he was the starting quarterback of my beloved North Carolina State University Wolfpack. There were games where our wins could single handedly be contributed to Wilson’s uncanny nack for making things happen on the field. As long as he was behind center, we had a chance. Always. When his path to the NFL took him from Raleigh to Wisconsin, it was the same thing over and over. Wilson making things happen when it almost seemed impossible to get it done. So never count him out.
My return trip from my brother’s house included a stop at the grocery store. This is where NFL Mobile is clutch. The stop was necessary and me watching the game was definite. So there I was, in the grocery store, with a basket and my phone tuned into the game. Yes, the actual game. I pretty much got nothing accomplished. I should have just went straight home. I was by the salads when it happened. The legend of Russell Wilson grew by miles. Green Bay had tied the game right before the end of regulation to send the NFC Championship into overtime. Seattle won the coin toss and could punch their ticket to the Superbowl if they scored a TD on their first possession. Well, yep, that is exactly what they did. Wilson dropped one of the prettiest dimes I have seen him thrown perfectly into the waiting arms and hands of Jerome Kearse who then landed in the endzone to give Seattle a chance at being the first repeat champions since 2004.
Again, I was shocked, stunned and befuddled. How could this be? What happened? Oh, Russell Wilson happened. As I surprisingly rushed out of the store to get home and watch post-game coverage, all I could do was shake my head. Then it happened. En route, I found out that Wilson cried during his post game interview while giving God the credit. And everything over here changed.
I could no longer fight the love I have for my fellow Wolfpacker. Everyone who knows me well knows I am all the way loyal to my Wolfpack. However, when it comes to professional football, my loyalties lie with my teams first, Peyton Manning second then my Wolfpackers third. Sometimes, I will pull for my fellow Wolfpackers when they are playing against Peyton if the win is needed to help boost their possible playoff appearance. No matter what though, I pull for no one over my 9ers or Panthers. So imagine the disloyalty I felt to my 9ers when I begin to feel happy for Wilson. This was not suppose to happen or was it? Could I possibly be happy for Wilson without being happy for his team? Eh. Not really but you catch the drift.
Ever since he stepped foot onto the campus at North Carolina State, Wilson has exemplified what it means to be a champion. He has proven himself to be humble, a great role model, a leader, an inspiration and one of the top quarterbacks in the league. As a Wolfpacker and a person who just generally likes to see good guys win, it is almost impossible not to cheer for him and want to see him succeed.
With that said, Go Russell!!!! Go get that second ring! This 49er Faithful is rooting for you! For now….
OH HAPPY DAY!!!!!
I can hardly contain my excitement. The day I have waited for since February has finally arrived.
Since I am a writer and I love sports, I know you all are expecting me to issue some predictions. I have said over and over that I hate doing predictions. They hinge on so many things: who stays healthy, who performs the way that they should, which coach best utilizes its players, yada, yada, yada. However, without predictions, it would not give journalists much to talk about, huh?
So you are expecting a Super Bowl prediction. Oh boy. Can I pick two teams? Sure I can. It is my blog. I fully expect Denver to be in the Super Bowl again. Aaaaaaaand I expect their opponent to be an NFC team. Haha. Ok, for real because I do not think Seattle will repeat, I am going to go with New Orleans. Denver will win and Peyton can ride off into the sunset like Ray Ray.
I would have loved to have picked my beloved 49ers. Sadly, I think I window of opportunity may have closed. I do not even want to get into it. Even with the departures, suspensions and distractions, I still think we have tremendous talent and players in place to win it all. The question is, can they gel together to get it done? Only time will tell. I hope my prediction is wrong!
I think my beloved Panthers will be solid again this year but I do not expect them to have the same success as last year. I honestly cannot even tell you why. Just a gut feeling. I hope my prediction is wrong!
So here we go, my predictions for the week…
Seattle over GB
NO over ATL
STL over Minnesota
Cleveland over Pittsburgh
Philly over Jax
Jets over Oakland
Cincy over Baltimore
Buffalo over Chicago
Wash over Houston
KC over Tenn
NE over Miami
Panthers over Bucs
9ers over Dallas
Denver over Indy
Detroit over NYG
SD over AZ
We shall see what happens.
Enjoy the first weekend of the NFL!!!
Six years. $110 million dollars. $61 million dollars guaranteed. $12 million dollar signing bonus.
I will say it again, Kap got paid! Cha ching. Using a Quill pen yesterday, Colin Kaepernick solidified his claim as the franchise QB for my beloved San Francisco 49ers. The question is did he deserve that kind of money? My answer is no. First, I have to try and not get on my athletes make waaaay too much money soapbox. Second, he only has 29 starts under his belt. Frankly, over in Kassie’s world, the jury is still partially out on Kap. Now do not twist my words. I am glad Harbaugh pulled the infamous San Francisco Switcheroo in 2011. In two and a half years, Kap has already managed to take us to two straight NFC Championships and was a yard away from being a Super Bowl champion.
However, I just we had more time to evaluate Kap before we shelled out that kind of cash. I would like to see more consistency from him. We all know he can run. We all know he can throw. Now it is up to him to prove to us that he understands the game to the point where he knows when to run and when to throw. 29 starts is barely scratching the surface in the National Football League so he still has a lot to learn. Unfortunately for the franchise, it was a deal that needed to get done before the season so there would not be any “distractions.” Oh and it also forces ESPN to find a new 9ers story for the season.
The NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” (except for when we are talking about Tony Romo) and if you put Kap up against the other top QBs in the league then it is easy to make sense of why his pockets are now fully loaded. Based simply off of that, he deserves the money he got. Again, do not twist my words. What I just said does not contradict what I said earlier. Kap got his start at just the right time. Three years before his contract ends. With his resume, my 9ers had to pay him what they did or someone else would have. That is just the nature of the biz.
With the stroke of that pen, Kap and the 9ers also managed to create a mess for other teams. The struggle that is the salary kap just got extra real for some teams. I am not sure what some of their kap space is looking like but I can assure you that other top QBs who have contract negotiations coming up were taking notes yesterday. I wonder if Russell Wilson will thank Kap when he signs his new contract. He should. He already had his Super Bowl ring as leverage and Kap just added to his stash. Can you say cha cha ching?
So there you have it. Kap got paid. I wish we could have waited. And FOOTBALL SEASON is still months away. Sigh. Oh and this Niner Faithful is accepting nothing less than a Super Bowl win this year from Kap and the Niner Gang. It is time to complete the Quest for Six.
Until next time…TOODELLS.
P.S. But for real though, how many days until FOOTBALL SEASON?? Sista over here feenin. Bad.