Dear players, coaches, and fans of the San Francisco 49ers,
I'm sorry. I was wrong. You guys are good. Perhaps, you're even great.
All season long I've been saying the 49ers --now 8-1 -- weren't as good as their record was suggesting. They certainly weren't the second best team in the NFC (Green Bay Packers). They would win the NFC West, but not because they were that good, but because the NFC West is dreadful --the other three teams have a combined record of 8-19. Alex Smith isn't a strong quarterback. They don't have enough big talent. I basically had every excuse for them not being the team their record was suggesting they might be.
I'll repeat, I was wrong. Well, I was wrong on all counts except for the NFC West being dreadful. I think I'm right on that one.
I'm still not totally sold on Alex Smith. However, that statement comes with an asterisk. He's not a Tom Brady or an Aaron Rodgers. Chalk it up to good coaching perhaps, but Smith is being put in positions week in and week out where he is most built to succeed. Not only that, the 49ers are not running a scheme where everything falls to Smith. They've been running the ball and playing exceptional defense. Smith, though playing well, is able to fill in the gaps where needed as opposed to being the heartbeat of the team. Credit is to be given to the coaching staff for knowing how to maximize what they have.
What's really interesting about the 49ers is that they currently hold their 8-1 record, but yet have only played one game within their porous division. For all you math people out there that means of their seven remaining games, five are against NFC West rivals. Not only is this team showing itself to be entirely legitimate, they have an entirely realistic chance to be running with the big dogs towards the end. If they play their cards right, they could be looking at 13 wins or more. Also, they currently are just one game behind the Packers for the top seed in the NFC. They might just sneak in to that seed with their schedule.
Whether it's Jim Harbaugh, the players, fate, or destiny, these 49ers are for real. It took me a while to believe it, but I do now.
For my delay, I apologize.
Brian is a lifelong football fan --specifically of the Chicago Bears, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed the National Football League throughout.
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