Since I am married to a football-lover and live in Northern California, I have become quite a faithful football-watcher and SF 49ers fan.
We loved that they made it to the Superbowl last year (and almost came back for a win).
You may recall that we traveled to Candlestick park this fall to see the Niners live in September, in their last season in this stadium and watched a very disappointing game (loss) to the Colts.
As a fan, you both love and hate the current QB, Colin Kaepernick (an adopted guy who rose to the top after a timely [or untimely if you're Alex Smith] team injury last season but who is still pretty "green").
Check out this blurb from Bill Simmons, "The Sports Guy," a couple of days ago which (in lesson No.1 of many NFL Lessons Learned) pretty well sums up how I feel about "our" QB who is generally on the brink of brilliance or incompetence (please pardon some of the language).
"Lesson No. 1: Colin Kaepernick is a man's man.
Like everyone else with an IQ over 70, I watched that Niners-Packers game wondering, Why in God's name would Kaepernick NOT wear sleeves in zero-degree weather? It was like watching one of those drunken maniacs in the stands who goes shirtless just to impress a bunch of strangers. The Wall Street Journal reports that, in the five coldest-weather playoff games of the last 10 years, Kaepernick was the only QB reckless enough to go sleeveless. You know who did opt for sleeves? Bart Starr and Don Meredith during the Ice Bowl! Exactly who were you trying to impress, Colin Kaepernick? But after seeing Kaep generate some monster plays down the stretch, avoid a double amputation and officially apply for "Packer Killer" status, I came to appreciate the no-sleeves idea. How could any Niners teammate let the windchill affect him when his lunatic QB wasn't wearing sleeves???
In general, Kaepernick has to be considered our 2014 playoff wild card. He's not as famous as Manning and Brady, as familiar as Brees and Rivers, as respected as Wilson and Luck, or even as hyped as Newton. In 23 regular-season starts, he's thrown for 300-plus yards only two times, landed under 210 yards 13 times and rushed for more than 70 yards only twice. But he's been better in his four playoff games — 256.3 passing YPG, 90.5 rushing YPG, three different come-from-behind fourth-quarter drives (none at home) — and along with Wilson and Rodgers, Kaepernick has to be considered a cocaptain of the "We're Gonna Sack — Wait, How Did He Just Pull Off That 3rd-And-12?????" Club.
What makes him stand out other than the no-sleeves move? No QB vacillates between "Holy ****, that was amazing!" and "Oh god no, that's getting picked!" quite like Kaep. You're terrified when you wager against him … only you never feel comfortable if you wager ON him, either. That makes him this year's winner of the Brett Favre Award for "Playoff QB Who Makes You Uneasy At All Times No Matter How You Wagered," a trophy that has been hoisted by the likes of Jake Delhomme, Jim Kelly, Jake Plummer, Ken Stabler, Eli Manning, Aging Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason. I don't know if I am taking Carolina or San Francisco in Round 2 yet; just know that I'm scared of Kaepernick either way."
In any case, we had a "good" day today, so bring on the Seahawks next weekend!
We loved that they made it to the Superbowl last year (and almost came back for a win).
You may recall that we traveled to Candlestick park this fall to see the Niners live in September, in their last season in this stadium and watched a very disappointing game (loss) to the Colts.
As a fan, you both love and hate the current QB, Colin Kaepernick (an adopted guy who rose to the top after a timely [or untimely if you're Alex Smith] team injury last season but who is still pretty "green").
theawkwardyears.wordpress.com
Check out this blurb from Bill Simmons, "The Sports Guy," a couple of days ago which (in lesson No.1 of many NFL Lessons Learned) pretty well sums up how I feel about "our" QB who is generally on the brink of brilliance or incompetence (please pardon some of the language).
"Lesson No. 1: Colin Kaepernick is a man's man.
Like everyone else with an IQ over 70, I watched that Niners-Packers game wondering, Why in God's name would Kaepernick NOT wear sleeves in zero-degree weather? It was like watching one of those drunken maniacs in the stands who goes shirtless just to impress a bunch of strangers. The Wall Street Journal reports that, in the five coldest-weather playoff games of the last 10 years, Kaepernick was the only QB reckless enough to go sleeveless. You know who did opt for sleeves? Bart Starr and Don Meredith during the Ice Bowl! Exactly who were you trying to impress, Colin Kaepernick? But after seeing Kaep generate some monster plays down the stretch, avoid a double amputation and officially apply for "Packer Killer" status, I came to appreciate the no-sleeves idea. How could any Niners teammate let the windchill affect him when his lunatic QB wasn't wearing sleeves???
In general, Kaepernick has to be considered our 2014 playoff wild card. He's not as famous as Manning and Brady, as familiar as Brees and Rivers, as respected as Wilson and Luck, or even as hyped as Newton. In 23 regular-season starts, he's thrown for 300-plus yards only two times, landed under 210 yards 13 times and rushed for more than 70 yards only twice. But he's been better in his four playoff games — 256.3 passing YPG, 90.5 rushing YPG, three different come-from-behind fourth-quarter drives (none at home) — and along with Wilson and Rodgers, Kaepernick has to be considered a cocaptain of the "We're Gonna Sack — Wait, How Did He Just Pull Off That 3rd-And-12?????" Club.
What makes him stand out other than the no-sleeves move? No QB vacillates between "Holy ****, that was amazing!" and "Oh god no, that's getting picked!" quite like Kaep. You're terrified when you wager against him … only you never feel comfortable if you wager ON him, either. That makes him this year's winner of the Brett Favre Award for "Playoff QB Who Makes You Uneasy At All Times No Matter How You Wagered," a trophy that has been hoisted by the likes of Jake Delhomme, Jim Kelly, Jake Plummer, Ken Stabler, Eli Manning, Aging Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason. I don't know if I am taking Carolina or San Francisco in Round 2 yet; just know that I'm scared of Kaepernick either way."
In any case, we had a "good" day today, so bring on the Seahawks next weekend!
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