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As a Phins fan I can say the Bills losing and the Pats losing are great SB's for me, also when the Jets..... oh wait they hadn't been in a SB since Namaith nevermind.
*yes I know as a Phins fan I can't really talk crap*

Also Thriller I agree the 9'ers called it pretty conservitive but I thought the lack of WR's catching balls was also an inditment on how poor of a WR core they have as well as NY's defense.
 
Objectively, I'd have to put the Giants/Patriots as the greatest SB ever.

Subjectively, Mike Jones tackling Kevin Dyson a yard away from the end zone was the greatest SB play ever.
 
//r00t 4 Jazz said:
As a Phins fan I can say the Bills losing and the Pats losing are great SB's for me, also when the Jets..... oh wait they hadn't been in a SB since Namaith nevermind.
*yes I know as a Phins fan I can't really talk crap*

Also Thriller I agree the 9'ers called it pretty conservitive but I thought the lack of WR's catching balls was also an inditment on how poor of a WR core they have as well as NY's defense.
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This may be before your time; but I would say The Dolphins just getting to the Super Bowl in 1982 with David Woodley as their starting QB has to be the greatest moral victory in the history of the NFL.

Giants/Pats was the biggest upset in Super Bowl History since the merger of the AFL/NFL. Whether or not that makes it the greatest game I guess is another discussion - but no one in the country gave the Giants much of a chance outside of NY/NJ.
 
YB85 said:
Objectively, I'd have to put the Giants/Patriots as the greatest SB ever.

Subjectively, Mike Jones tackling Kevin Dyson a yard away from the end zone was the greatest SB play ever.
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Santonio Holmes and Big Ben would disagree with you on this statement :)
 
Cope said:
Santonio Holmes and Big Ben would disagree with you on this statement :)
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Not even close. Now, if you were to say "Eli Manning and David Tyree...", I'd listen, but not agree. That play by Jones is an all-timer.
 
candrew said:
This may be before your time; but I would say The Dolphins just getting to the Super Bowl in 1982 with David Woodley as their starting QB has to be the greatest moral victory in the history of the NFL.

Giants/Pats was the biggest upset in Super Bowl History since the merger of the AFL/NFL. Whether or not that makes it the greatest game I guess is another discussion - but no one in the country gave the Giants much of a chance outside of NY/NJ.
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Not true. The Jets beating the Colts in SB III was the biggest upset ever, at least if you're going by point spread because that, I believe, was 18. The NY/Pats one was somewhere between 8.5-11.5. I forget exactly where but nowhere near 18.
 
YB85 said:
Objectively, I'd have to put the Giants/Patriots as the greatest SB ever.

Subjectively, Mike Jones tackling Kevin Dyson a yard away from the end zone was the greatest SB play ever.
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There have been many, many excellent SB's over the last decade or so but all pale in comparison to the Giants /Bills one for me. I know we each hold things special in our memories but I still remember but much of that game vividly. We were in the middle of the war in the Middle East or whatever we called it and there therefore was much precaution taken to ensure there was no terrorist activity. The Americana/tension vibe in the building was palpable. Then, Whitney came in, partly lipsung or not, and crushed the National Anthem pushing the patriotism/SB feel to an almost off the charts level. Then, the game started. It was the unstoppable juggernaut of a Bills team (who I believe scored 49 in the first half the previous week vs. Oakland in the AFC Championship game) vs NY, the tough, grind it out, full of heart Parcells coached team. They were the antithesis of one another. And the game was always close throughout and full of memorable plays that kept this sort of David vs. Goliath going. My favorite two were Ottis (OJ) Anderson's run (off tackle left I picture it) in which about ten yards down the field, he gave a wind-up forearm shiver to a Bills tackler. Later on, on a drive that I believe was a must score mid-way or late through the 4th for the Giants, NY converted on a 3rd and 15 or something like that in which Hoss completed about a 9 yard pass which the receiver then took, juking defender after defender, fighting for every little inch, to get the first down. Just some of the most gutty plays you could imagine. Buffalo got the ball last, and I recall a run (or maybe screen pass) which Thurman Thomas took for a big gain, maybe 35 yards or so, I believe between the right guard and RT, down the right side. Back and forth. Back and forth. A great team vs. a great team. And one that came down to the last play.

Some of these other ones were great but did not have the background drama and also weren't great throughout. The Rams/Titans one was boring as hell in the first half. The Pats/Carolina one was also a snoozer in the first half. The Rams/Pats was sort of meh before the ending. The Giants/Pats was great because of the undefeated season but I never remember feeling that intangible, that something so special is in the air feeling, like I did with NY/Buffalo. But that's just me.
 
Okay. I finally feel ready to talk about it.

What a heart breaker.

I want so badly to blame Kyle Williams, and I still wonder what could have been, if even one of those mistakes never happened, but alas, he was really only part of the problem.

The offense just stalled in the fourth quarter. They looked bad.

Interestingly, the Giants didn't look much better. But they capitalized the two times they had an extremely short field, so kudos to them.

The silver lining is, this season wasn't a fluke (despite what some bitter Saints fans may think). The Niners need to bolster their receiving corps. One big-play receiver could make a world of difference for them. We'll see what they can do during the off season. But I think they will be around for a while.

Congratulations to the Giants. They deserved that win, and I wish them best of luck in the SB.
 
I think the Niners are the NFC's Jets.

Rex Ryan looked wonderful his first year. He also had a dominate defense and a "don't screw it up" offense. Until the Harbaugh's open up the playbook, both will continue to come close but fail to get into the SB.

Niners: Awesome defense (we'll see if they continue to be dominate. Teams will study to see how to beat Justin Smith and those linebackers. In addition, teams will look to pick off those good defenders via FA).
Horrible offense.

As far as big play WRs, don't they already have Crabtree? If he isn't a big play WR, who is? Niners aren't going to get Calvin Johnson anytime soon.

I think too much blame goes on Alex. Too little goes on Saint Harbaugh and his ultra-conservative offense.

Until they change this attitude, I don't see them winning anything anytime soon. Cool. Change the QB. Bring in Thomas Brady. cool. Bring in Larry Fitz and Calvin Johnson. Cool. But if he's still only throwing it a handful of times and the WRs only get 2-3 touches a game, you're going to struggle in today's NFL. This ain't the 50s no more.
 
The Thriller said:
Horrible offense.
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I don't agree with this, but I guess it depends on your definition of horrible. They are certainly not the Pats, or Saints, or Packers, but they have a strong running game, and an average passing game. Plus a great kicker. They are the team they are because of their defense, for sure. But even the best defense can't cover for a horrible offense. They did go 13-3 this year.

As far as big play WRs, don't they already have Crabtree? If he isn't a big play WR, who is? Niners aren't going to get Calvin Johnson anytime soon.
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Thanks for clearing that up. Reall though, I'm not so deluded as to think you can just go down to the corner bodega and pick up a big play WR. But that is where they lack the greatest. I think they need to concentrate some effort in that area. Whether or not they can fill the void remains to be seen.

Crabtree is all bark, no bite. Did he look like a big play WR this year? He didn't to me, and I pay extra special attention to the Niners.

You're right that Alex shouldn't take all the blame, and the play calling could definitely open up, but I think it's important to recognize that Harbaugh's system has given the Niners a level of confidence they haven't seen in years. Hopefully he builds on it. And maybe he is a saint, if he can take a team from 6-10 to 13-3 with most of the same pieces.
 
Bronco70 said:
I don't agree with this, but I guess it depends on your definition of horrible. They are certainly not the Pats, or Saints, or Packers, but they have a strong running game, and an average passing game. Plus a great kicker. They are the team they are because of their defense, for sure. But even the best defense can't cover for a horrible offense. They did go 13-3 this year.



Thanks for clearing that up. Reall though, I'm not so deluded as to think you can just go down to the corner bodega and pick up a big play WR. But that is where they lack the greatest. I think they need to concentrate some effort in that area. Whether or not they can fill the void remains to be seen.

Crabtree is all bark, no bite. Did he look like a big play WR this year? He didn't to me, and I pay extra special attention to the Niners.

You're right that Alex shouldn't take all the blame, and the play calling could definitely open up, but I think it's important to recognize that Harbaugh's system has given the Niners a level of confidence they haven't seen in years. Hopefully he builds on it. And maybe he is a saint, if he can take a team from 6-10 to 13-3 with most of the same pieces.
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Kiper's first mock draft had the Niners taking Alshon jeffrey, WR, South Carolina in the 1st. I like him. A lot. And I think he'd be exactly what they need.
 
I don't agree with this, but I guess it depends on your definition of horrible. They are certainly not the Pats, or Saints, or Packers, but they have a strong running game, and an average passing game. Plus a great kicker. They are the team they are because of their defense, for sure. But even the best defense can't cover for a horrible offense. They did go 13-3 this year.
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No, they don't. They have a very strong running game, and the 29th ranked passing game. That's not average.

I think where most niners fans and I will disagree, is WHY the offense is so bad.

Most, will lazily blame Alex Smith for everything. They will also maybe ask for a big name WR.

I think it goes beyond that.

It goes with the ultra conservative scheme. The predictable playcalling.

IN an effort to "not screw up" they end up screwing up. The Niners aren't the only team with this issue. The other Harbaugh had the exact same issue. Bolden was lined up against a WR playing DB. Yet, the Ravens rarely picked on this very favorable matchup. Rarely exploited it. In reality, they should have been going to Bolden EVERY SINGLE PLAY.

Likewise, the Niners have matchups across the board, Crabtree and Davis. Yet, they're too afraid of "screwing up." Too conservative. They'd rather grind out the game wiht Gore. That works... Especially if you have strong defenses to back it up. But eventually, you'll need the offense to make plays. Eventually, you'll need to open up the playbook.

The Niners teased you in the final few minutes against the Saints. The Niner defense was sucking and being torn up like it were Heidi Montag at a free plastic surgury clinic. However, they opened up the offense, allowed Smith to create, and launched the ball downfield to Davis.

Result? Win.

So while everyone agrees that the offense isn't that good. Most will refuse to blame Saint Harbaugh and will quickly just blame the easy guys, guys like Flacco and Smith. In reality, the scheme was too basic, they didn't do their playmakers any favors, and the whole "offense don't screw it up" attitude ends up limiting the team's success.
 
You're right that Alex shouldn't take all the blame, and the play calling could definitely open up, but I think it's important to recognize that Harbaugh's system has given the Niners a level of confidence they haven't seen in years. Hopefully he builds on it. And maybe he is a saint, if he can take a team from 6-10 to 13-3 with most of the same pieces.
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The same could be said about the Jets and Ravens.

Especially, the Ravens.

Crabtree is a big play receiver. Is he Calvin Johnson? No. But I don't see the Niners doing much to get him the ball. Put him in motion, run some WR screens, give him the ball off reverses...

Folks like to dismiss Bill Bilicheck and his offense for having great players. Which, they obviously do. But then again, you won't see another team in football (other than maybe Oregon) utilize their talent as much as the Pats do. They'll put Hernadez in the backfield. They'll pick off big defenders to open up things for Wes Welker. They'll match Gronk on a slow linebacker. They'll split him out on one side of the field while going trips onto the other side of the field to allow him to work one on one.

they have playmakers... And they seek every opportunity to get those playmakers the ball in very successful situations.

Teams that don't focus on offense/run conservative offenses, don't do this. Why don't the Niners ever go into trips? Why don't they ever attempt to go no huddle? Why don't they ever run reverses? Why don't they ever run a trick play? Why don't they ever put Crabtree in motion? Why don't they continue to lob the ball up to Davis? Why not split Frank Gore out as a WR? Why not go 5 wide out of the shotgun and give Alex a pass/run option? If the defense sags to cover the receivers, Alex should be uncovered and can run a QB draw. If the defense keeps someone in, then a WR or two should be wide open.
 
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