“Alex Smith is putting the team on his back,” said sophomore Josh Fagel, when asked about the quarterback efficient play.
The biggest addition to the 49ers in the off-season was head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh, fresh off an Orange Bowl victory, was hired away from the Stanford to provide leadership and heart to the 49er team and organization
Because of the NFL lockout, just as Harbaugh stepped in as head coach, he was restricted from communicating with his players in any form. When the lockout was finally lifted, the 49ers were expected to be in the running for marquee free agents such as Nnamdi Asmougha and Matt Hasselback; instead, the Niners had to settle for solid but not as exciting signings in CB Carlos Rogers and C Jonathan Goodwin. Rogers has been an instant success with interceptions now in multiple games.
So far though, none of these issues seem to be an obstacle for Harbaugh’s team. On opening day, the Niners beat division rival Seattle Seahawks behind an outstanding special teams effort, which included two Ted Ginn Jr. touchdown returns. The following week, the Niners lost a tough game to the Dallas Cowboys, led by an inspired quarterback Tony Romo in overtime. This loss seemed to fuel their determination and it’s been smooth sailing since. They pulled out a win in Cincinnati with a strong defensive effort and an unexciting but efficient offense.
The 49ers then traveled to Philadelphia to face the Eagles who were picked by many to win the Superbowl. The Eagles rushed to a 21-3 lead at halftime but the game was far from over. A year ago the 49ers would have been done and the game would have been all but decided. This 49ers team is different behind Harbaugh at the helm. They stormed back to steal the game away from the Eagles in front of their home crowd (22-21).
“When the Eagles lost to the 49ers I was so devastated; the Eagles haven’t lived up to their preseason billing, but as much as it kills me to say this, the 49ers are the real deal,” said passionate Philly fan Andrew Durlofsky.
The 49ers came back to San Francisco brimming with confidence and they showed it with their absolute thrashing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (48-3). Fan’s started to recognize this team’s potential and excitement was at a recent high heading into the heavyweight challenge against undefeated Detroit at Ford Field.
The Niners knew that it would be a daunting task defeating the upstart Lions at their home field. After years of being historically bad Detroit had stockpiled enough talent to turn the tide and enjoy some early success in the season. The Niners seemed to be phased at first by the insane sound produced by Detroit fans in the domed stadium, racking up more penalties than first downs in the first quarter.
The defense came up big again however and kept the Niners in the game even though the offense was struggling mightily against the ever-increasing decibels of sound. In the end however Alex Smith didn’t make any critical mistakes and made key clutch plays towards the end of the game. The Niners won the game in emphatic fashion (25-19); players and coaches were visibly excited and pumped up after the game.
Six games into the season with the team headed into the bye fans can be confident in the teams ability to play stellar defense and not making critical and game changing mistakes on offense. More success can be expected in the near future if consistent offensive playmakers Vernon Davis and Frank Gore keep making plays and leading the way.
The one wild card for this Niners season will be the play will be the quarterback play, if Alex Smith can continue to be average and not make mistakes then this team will be fine.
If the Niners can keep to their winning formula then playoffs are certainly within reach. The NFC West is notoriously bad, the Seattle Seahawks are extremely inconsistent, the Arizona Cardinals are terrible on defense and the St. Louis Rams have caught the injury plague and are currently unable to win.
With Harbaugh at the lead, a shutdown defense and an offense thats just getting the job done, the San Francisco 49ers are breathing new life and a run to the Super Bowl is not as far fetched as it once seemed.
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