Why 2013 Will Also be a Lost Cause for the 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a great team that just fell short by a few yards of achieving their goal of winning a Super Bowl. As good as they were in 2012, they will not even get back to the Super Bowl in 2013. Here's why:

1. No losing team in the big game has gotten back to the Super Bowl since the Buffalo Bills of the early 1990's (last appearance 1994). Forget the fact that the Pats are the last Super Bowl winners to return the next season. History is not on San Francisco's side.

2. Frank Gore will be 30 years old next season. While the team will likely be moving towards an offensive system that will be more beneficial for Colin Kaepernick, they will still be reliant on a running game and their star back isn't getting any younger. More carries might be given to Kendall Hunter and/or LaMichael James which means instability in the backfield.

3. Front line was very fortunate this season. There might've had minor hits and bruises but nothing serious affected the offensive front line which was very fortunate for the 49ers in 2012. Their luck up front, however, might run out next year.

4. Can Colin Kaepernick manage to stay healthy an entire season? He doesn't seem to run it as much as Robert Griffin III or Michael Vick but the verdict so far on running quarterbacks is that they cannot last an entire season without being out for some time. Making sure that Colin is healthy for the 2nd half of the year and possibly the postseason is another reason why a solid running game (reason #2) is important along with trying to create a more friendly quarterback playbook for Colin.

5. A tough NFC West to fight through now. Seattle proved to be a very tough team in 2012, so much so that they were labeled as a Super Bowl contender. Mix this in with the fact that the Rams looked solid with Jeff Fisher as their coach and the Cardinals are looking to reboot somehow with their new coach Bruce Arians makes it no guarantee that the 49ers even make the postseason in 2013.

As pessimistic as I do seem to be about the 49ers chances next season, they can still be considered contenders. The team overall is still solid, they are now strong at the quarterback position, and they have Alex Smith as a marketable commodity.

If there is one thing that San Francisco needs to improve the most during the off season it's their secondary. Pass defense is something that needs attention which seems weird to say considering they were fourth in the league in pass defense. However, their defensive line was a big reason for that coupled with the fact they made team's one dimensional with their run defense. Getting some better (and less homophobic) defensive backs will make that team a true nightmare to move the ball on.

Despite how good the team looks now and the moves they will make during the off season, there is no way I am picking them to win the Super Bowl next year. I don't have a guess for 2013 yet, it's way too soon to do that. But I can say it won't be my beloved 49ers.

2012 NFC West: Go for Gold

The NFC West was my favorite division to watch last year mainly because my 49ers were there kicking a** and taking names. They were one of the surprise teams of the NFL what with the season they had in 2010 and how good their defense was performing last year. It's obvious who my favorite here is.

But before I claim the title of "Captain Obvious," let's see how the rest of the division fares. Two of the other teams have interesting QB conversation. The first being the Seahawks naming Russell Wilson as their starter instead of Matt Flynn who they traded for. There is no doubt that Russell Wilson was the better starter in the preseason and he deserves the starting role but that team is likely going to be middle of the road at the best, even with Matt Flynn as their starter.

The other team with the QB controversy is the Cardinals. They name John Skelton as their starter instead of Kevin Kolb who was injury prone a season ago. It might not matter at all who they put out there considering they still have Larry Fitzgerald to throw to.

As for the Rams, I'm not sure which direction this team will be headed, especially at the QB slot. Will we see an improved Sam Bradford or the one we saw last year? They might still have Steven Jackson but I don't see them doing much in Jeff Fisher's first year as head coach.

So the favorite is no doubt the 49ers. Now anything can happen in the NFL but I have to believe after last year's performance that the 49ers are the best team in the NFC West. I have watched them all preseason long and while they don't look great I still like what I see. They still don't have a great pass defense to go along with that amazing run defense they showed last year but as long as you can make the other team one dimensional you have a great defense.

The offense could still use improvement. Alex Smith hasn't been impressive but he hasn't been horrible either. Maybe Jim Harbaugh is not tipping his hand so to speak. Quite frankly I'm hoping that this is the case. What I did see, however, was a very good Colin Kaepernick. I was very impressed with his performance in that last preseason. He seemed like he could step in no problem if something happened to Smith. Now I am routing for Smith to do well (which is something I haven't done in a while) but it's nice to know where the back up is.

49ers are the favorite this year and have to be considered Super Bowl contenders seeing how far they got in the postseason. Here's hoping they get a bit further.

P.S. Despite my enthusiasm for the team, I can't help but feel worried. I am a pessimist at heart so this whole post is out of character. I can't help but feel like something will go horribly wro wro wro.... I shouldn't think this.