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.
Showing posts with label Seattle Seahawks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle Seahawks. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
No More Head Coach Vacancies in the NFL
Two more head coaches were hired in order to fill every vacancy in the league.
First, defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, Gus Bradley, is hired to be the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bradley is the only coach of all hired this off season to be from the defensive side of the ball. Bradley managed to mold the Seahawks into arguably the best defense in the NFL. They ranked first in points allowed in 2012 allowing 15.3 points per game. He now takes over a Jaguars team which is tied for 29th in points allowed, 30th in overall defense, and had a 2-14 record. At least he gets the 2nd pick in the NFL Draft to work with.
The 2nd and final vacancy of this off season was filled by Bruce Arians as he goes to the Arizona Cardinals. Arians was the offensive coordinator for the Colts and the interim head coach for most of 2012 due to Chuck Pagano's leukemia. He now takes over a 5-11 Cardinals team which was dead last in total offense and 2nd to last in points scored. He might have Kevin Kolb but they have a lot of work to do.
Hiring season for head coaches being over seems a bit disappointing what with the fact that Lovie Smith didn't get another head coaching job in the NFL. A lot of unproven NFL head coaches in the bunch with the notable exception being Andy Reid. Which of these new coaches will shine brightest in 2013?
First, defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, Gus Bradley, is hired to be the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bradley is the only coach of all hired this off season to be from the defensive side of the ball. Bradley managed to mold the Seahawks into arguably the best defense in the NFL. They ranked first in points allowed in 2012 allowing 15.3 points per game. He now takes over a Jaguars team which is tied for 29th in points allowed, 30th in overall defense, and had a 2-14 record. At least he gets the 2nd pick in the NFL Draft to work with.
The 2nd and final vacancy of this off season was filled by Bruce Arians as he goes to the Arizona Cardinals. Arians was the offensive coordinator for the Colts and the interim head coach for most of 2012 due to Chuck Pagano's leukemia. He now takes over a 5-11 Cardinals team which was dead last in total offense and 2nd to last in points scored. He might have Kevin Kolb but they have a lot of work to do.
Hiring season for head coaches being over seems a bit disappointing what with the fact that Lovie Smith didn't get another head coaching job in the NFL. A lot of unproven NFL head coaches in the bunch with the notable exception being Andy Reid. Which of these new coaches will shine brightest in 2013?
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Falcons Win a Playoff Game and Pats Destroy Texans... Again
Today were two more playoff games with conference championship appearances at stake.
First one had the Seattle Seahawks seeing if they could remain hot against the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons. It was the Falcons, however, that played well starting off the game leading 20-0 heading into halftime. The Seahawks then managed to make a great comeback in the 2nd half. Still being down by 20 heading into the 4th quarter, Seattle managed to score 3 touchdowns to take a one point lead with just 31 seconds left.
Seemingly down for the count, the Falcons didn't give up. Thanks to a good kickoff return from Jacquizz Rodgers and a couple of nice passes from Matt Ryan, they had a chance to grab the lead back with a field goal. After Pete Carroll attempted to ice the kicker with a timeout, Matt Bryant made a 49 yard field goal to take the lead back. Seattle got it back with just 8 seconds left and failed to make a Hail Pass that picked off by Julio Jones in the end zone. Falcons win it 30-28 and advance to the NFC Championship game. It was the first playoff win for Matt Ryan and tight end Tony Gonzalez.
The 2nd game featured the Houston Texans traveling to New England once more to take on the Patriots. The Texans got blown out in Gillette Stadium in week 14. The outcome wasn't too different. The Patriots managed to humiliate the Texans once more leading by as much as 25 early in the 4th quarter after Shane Vereen scored his third touchdown of the game. Houston came back a bit but still fell way short. Patriots win it 41-28 and head back to the AFC Championship game. This win for Tom Brady gives him more playoff wins (17) than any other quarterback in history.
Th conference title games are set. In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers will face the Atlanta Falcons. It will be the first time that Atlanta is hosting the NFC title game. The AFC has a rematch from last year with the Ravens facing the Patriots again in Foxboro. New England won last year's AFC title game vs. Baltimore but the Ravens did beat the Pats back in September with a last second field goal by Justin Tucker. Looks like a couple of great match ups.
First one had the Seattle Seahawks seeing if they could remain hot against the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons. It was the Falcons, however, that played well starting off the game leading 20-0 heading into halftime. The Seahawks then managed to make a great comeback in the 2nd half. Still being down by 20 heading into the 4th quarter, Seattle managed to score 3 touchdowns to take a one point lead with just 31 seconds left.
Seemingly down for the count, the Falcons didn't give up. Thanks to a good kickoff return from Jacquizz Rodgers and a couple of nice passes from Matt Ryan, they had a chance to grab the lead back with a field goal. After Pete Carroll attempted to ice the kicker with a timeout, Matt Bryant made a 49 yard field goal to take the lead back. Seattle got it back with just 8 seconds left and failed to make a Hail Pass that picked off by Julio Jones in the end zone. Falcons win it 30-28 and advance to the NFC Championship game. It was the first playoff win for Matt Ryan and tight end Tony Gonzalez.
The 2nd game featured the Houston Texans traveling to New England once more to take on the Patriots. The Texans got blown out in Gillette Stadium in week 14. The outcome wasn't too different. The Patriots managed to humiliate the Texans once more leading by as much as 25 early in the 4th quarter after Shane Vereen scored his third touchdown of the game. Houston came back a bit but still fell way short. Patriots win it 41-28 and head back to the AFC Championship game. This win for Tom Brady gives him more playoff wins (17) than any other quarterback in history.
Th conference title games are set. In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers will face the Atlanta Falcons. It will be the first time that Atlanta is hosting the NFC title game. The AFC has a rematch from last year with the Ravens facing the Patriots again in Foxboro. New England won last year's AFC title game vs. Baltimore but the Ravens did beat the Pats back in September with a last second field goal by Justin Tucker. Looks like a couple of great match ups.
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