Gotta love Akers and Lee. David Akers might have been the best player addition by the 49ers in the offseason. Pretty close with the addition of Carlos Rogers. Brad Seely is a hell of a special teams coach.
Thank you. It was a very satisfying win. Especially after a disappointing loss to Arizona last week. What really surprised me about the performance by the 49ers defense tonight, is that they did it without Patrick Willis. This defense really is elite.
It's nice to have perhaps the two best kickers in the league. Only twice did the Steelers start at better than their own 20. Lee had a 62 yard punt, a 57-yarder and put three inside the 10 (and another at the 14). That is just unbelievable punting. Game balls to Lee, Akers and Aldon Smith! Also, what a game by Grant in relief of Willis.
WEll, it's better than kicking in the snow, but the swirling winds at Candlestick actually make things tougher. It's just that SF and Oakland actually used draft picks on kickers (Oakland on Janikowski and SF on Lee) and SF believes in paying good money. Of course, SF doesn't exactly have a QB who requires top $, so it's easier to pay a bit extra to go after a kicker like Akers as a FA. Special teams has been a HUGE part of the 49'ers success this season. I think having the kickers they do allows Harbaugh to go conservative inside the 30 and not have to ask Smith to take chances. That's cut down on Alex' TO's and made him a serviceable QB. I know it's considered a slap to call him a "game manager" but I think that fits. Smith stays within his abilities, tries to make the correct decisions, and lets Gore, the defense and special teams win the majority of games for SF.
