When the 2010 NFL schedule was first released, Sunday’s game against Kansas City was considered by most fans to be an automatic win. The Chiefs have been pretty bad lately and last year won only four games. Which doubled their victory total from the 2008 season.
Unfortunately, things look a bit different now that the game has actually arrived. The Chiefs are 2-0, the 49ers 0-2. The Chiefs beat the Chargers on opening day, while the 49ers lost in Seattle. It’s possible the Chiefs view the Niners as an automatic victory now, more than the other way around.
Losing this game would pretty much let the air out of the season for the 49ers. At least for the fans, anyway. The team would still have to finish out the schedule and would no doubt stage another late season victory teaser, but a team that can’t win a necessary game on the road in a loud stadium against a lesser opponent is not the team that fans were expecting to see this year. Not by a long shot.
The Seattle loss has tentatively, on this site anyway, been written off as the Opening Day Aberration game. A loss to the Chiefs, however, would change that perception. The Seattle game would no longer be considered an Aberration, but a Big Ass Clue.
Including this year, the 49ers have been teasing their fans with “approaching greatness” going on four years now. That’s too long. It has to end. Either get great or get serious, but get off the “getting there” mantra and get real. It’s time to get it done.
Sunday is not a MUST win game. Afterall, this is the NFC West. The Niners could get into an 0-5 hole and still rally to win the division and go to the playoffs. Nobody else in this division is likely to win even 8 games this year.
No, Sunday is an IDENTITY game. A who the hell are you guys game. Can you win if it’s a little noisy? Can you win on the road? Can you play two good games in a row? Is this a real team or a bad joke?
Monday’s game against the Saints showed the team is capable of playing toe to toe with the elite teams. But the team proved that point last year in Indianapolis and Minnesota. It also proved it could lay an egg just as easily.
Another season of good, but not good enough, and bad, but not awful would not go over well with the fans. To say the least. The fan base would become Snide Remarks, Inc. Reporters covering the team would be leering when they asked questions. Snickering when the questions were answered. Mike Singletary would be reading the pulse of the room and detect that everyone pretty much thought he was full of BS. Office pools would spring up for when Singletary would go ballistic and how it would rate compared to some other historical melt downs, like Jim Mora’s or Dennis Green’s. Beer commercial reps would book appointments with Singletary’s secretary.
Speculation aside, I would strongly suggest to the 49er team that they win this game. It might be nice to win it handily, even. A good stomping would be quite well received. But win the damn game at all costs! Got it fellows? Good. Now hoof it to Kansas City and do it.
If the play calling is like the first quarter of the Saints game, we lose. If it is like the last three quarters, we win.
Berg, would you like me to just end each day’s entry with “Berger says ditto to his remarks yesterday”? It would save you some typing.
skeebs , hold on here …
he didn’t mention moran norris yet !
;D
Obviously nothing is changing on the coaching side. When the play calling improves I will move on. Is it my posts are monotonous or is it the play calling. I say let Yahoo call the plays!
When Moran Norris is the focal point of the offense you can’t win.
Is that better rob?
LOL
whatever yahoo decided to make moran norris the ‘lynch’-pin of the offense should definitely NOT be calling plays for this team !
after watching that complete fiasco take place on the goal line pass attempt to norris in seattle at such a crucial point in the game OMG !
norris looked like an elephant performing in the nutcracker ballet on that play !
If only, Rob. Those elephants were light on their feet and had good rhythm and balance.
I didn’t check this out but it seems Maiooco is saying Gore gained 38 yds on 10 carries.
He had 122 yards total with a 5.6 avg. Well, I got out my handy dandy calculator and figured that Gore gained 74 yards on 10 other carries. That means he had a 3.8 avg with Norris in and a 7.4 avg with him out.
Now, should we run plays with Norris in the game or on the bench. I’ve been saying this since last year and feel very frustrated that I can so easily see this and the coaches getting millions can’t. If I were the coach I would cut Norris because he takes up a valuable roster spot.
When I see somebody backing the play calling with Moran Norris in the game I get that same feeling of when I see a car with an Obama sticker on it. I always want to see what the driver looks like because it gives me an idea of what an idiot looks like. Sorry Jimmy Raye fans, but that is how I feel. I would bet he voted for Obama.
Yeah, in the NO game, Norris caught a pass with no one around him and 2 blockers. What should have been a 12-15 yard gain turned into an 8 yard trip and fall affair.
It baffles me to no end.
There are decoiys, and there are crash test dummies. My feeling is they use him because the coaches on the other team think “there’s NO WAY they throw to that stiff…”
WIN the goddamn game. Don’t care how, don’t who does it, don’t care period. Just don’t lose. Just… don’t…lose. Don’t do it. Do not do it. I’m running out of patience, and I’m running out of toleration. That’s it, I will not tolerate a loss this Sunday. You hear me, I will not tolerate it.