“We want Carr, we want Carr.”
Say these words to a 49ers fan and we will cringe like remembering some God awful drunk thing we did the night before. What were we thinking?
Rewind back to the 2010-2011 season. Alex Smith is throwing incomplete after incomplete. The man is color blind, throwing to the other team like he has their defense on fantasy football that year. The crowd boo at his every mistake, his team mates don’t trust him and his coach doesn’t either. Then went into week & with a 1-5 record (losing some tight games and their only win was over the Oakland Raiders,)against the Carolina Panthers. The Niners Nation had enough. Alex Smith had to go! We got our wish after Smith was sacked in the 3rd quarter of that game as David Carr stepped onto the field on the next drive. Smith was done in our eyes, over rated overall number 1 pick and curse the 49ers head office for not going for Aaron Rodgers instead.
So what did David Carr do? Down 23-20, near the end of the game he throws a stupid pick ending our chances of a comeback. Didn’t even need to research that stat because it hurt so bad. Needing a much needed resurgence, Carr is dropped for the next game in Wembley against Denver Broncos for Troy Smith. The 49ers win the game thanks to Smiths 50 yard throw in the fourth (As the ball is launched in the air recklessly towards Vernon Davis in double coverage, and I cursed him venomously from the stands until miraculously it was caught at the goal line) and have a mini comeback on the season before finally finishing 6-10. Which was close since the NFC West so awful that year that it sent the 7-0 Seahawks to the playoffs.
Alex Smith finished the season with 14 Tds, 10 INTs and a 82.3 passer rating. To put perspective on that, this year Michael Vick has 6TDs, 6 INTs and a 78.8 passer rating (shall I pile on the misery to Eagles fans by adding that he has 8 fumbles, losing 5 with only 1 rushing TD? . . . Nah). Yet the calls for Vick to be dropped are not as loud as Smith was. And lets face it, we didn’t see David Carr as a messiah, we saw him at Houston! The 49ers fans were just desperate for change and were pinning everything that went wrong on the quarterback. Sound familiar? Hi, New York Jets! Looking right at ya!
Mark Sanchez, like Michael Vick, has 6TDs and 6INTs this season with a lowly 66.6 passer rating! His team and fans have lost complete faith in him. And there is a man on the sidelines who the Jets fans have been begging for since in pre season, whose name they cheer loudly even when getting defeated on home turf, their messiah, Teeeeeebbbooooowwwww!! This switch has inevitable at the start of the season. Sanchez’s days were numbered the second the team lost faith in him as were Alex Smith’s a few years ago. The only question now is when will coach Rex Ryan pull the trigger and unleash Tebowmania officially in New York. I believe that happens after this weeks loss to the Colts.
Where the 49ers right to drop Alex Smith in 2010? Yes, the team performed much better in the second half of the season (going 5-4). Every 49ers fan thought Smith was done, not only in the organization but the league. Alex Smith showed incredible mental toughness to come back from that, taking a pay cut to stay and fight for his place. And with 108.7 passer rating so far this year, is one of the best quarterbacks in the league today (damn, did I just type that . . . And mean it?). Dropping Sanchez does not necessarily mean he is finished either but there is simply just too much to over come in this year for him to continue as starter. The longer he stays under centre, the worst it’ll be for the Jets. Jets go to New England next week, they’ll need motivation and a momentum shift to have any hope in that one. A loss to Indy will give Ryan no other option . . . . Tebow Time is upon us
On to this weeks picks after the Ravens broke my heart by not evening getting a TD last week against the Chiefs:
FALCONS (-9.5) over Raiders
The Atlanta Falcons have had the perfect start to the season so far and Matty Ice and co are not going tom let the Raiders put a damper on it especially in the Georgia Dome. In Oakland’s two road games this season, they have loss heavy in both (37-6 to Broncos, 35-13 to Miami), this trend continues tonight
TEXANS (-3.5) over Packers
The Packers are not good this year, there I said it. The defense is no good and apart from one good quarter last week against the Colts, neither are the offense. Rodgers go to guy in Greg Jennings is not available and neither is the running game. It’s hard to believe that this is the same team that were 15-1 last year going in to the playoffs. Texans have one of the best offenses in football, the line is too low on this one folks as Houston start to become a real contender for the Superbowl along with Atlanta.
Patriots (-3.0) over SEATTLE
How is this Brady’s first ever visit to Qwest field? You can argue to me bout how Brady won’t expect the noise level in the stadium that only Seattle can bring along with the number one ranked defense. Really? Your argument is that Tom Brady, who has been in 5 Superbowls and has been a starter for 11 years is going into unfamiliar territory? Seattle have struggles since their questionable victory over the Packers in week 3 (which looks less and less remarkable as the season continues). 3 points is not enough to bet against Tom Brady and the Pats in this one who have already had their slump this season.
Colts (+3.5) over JETS
When a home game feels like an away one for your quarterback, it is never a good sign. If Luck outplays Sanchez early, the Tebow chants will be deafening. At +3.5, backing the Colts allows for the improbability of Sanchez being replaced by Tebow and somehow the return of Tebow Time in the 4th to lead the Jets to an unbelievable victory and everyone reliving those great moments of last year . . . Or the Colts just outright beating New York which is much more likely to happen
Lions (+3.5) over EAGLES
If Eagles somehow win this, it’s coming down to the wire. Lions off a bye week have a chance to get their season back on track. Eagles got stung by a team last week coming off the bye week in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Expecting the same to happen again to them in what promises to be a turnover filled game.
Plus:
Niners (-6.5) over GIANTS
The line is very high in this one, as is emotions, as we revisit the NFC Championship clash last year and Kyle Williams worst nightmare in my weekly convincing myself that not only will we win but also cover prediction. As a Niners fan, how do I truly feel in this one? San Francisco have to travel to New York against Eli Manning and the Superbowl champs. It’s not like the 49ers offense has improved drastically over the pass year (so much so that going 1 for 13 on third downs will not happen again) or the Niners are currently out scoring New York teams 79-3 this year so far(Don‘t tell me that the Jets and Bills suck, not the point here). This is not a revenge game, it’s a statement game for the San Francisco 49ers if they want to show that they are a strong contender for the Vince Lombardi trophy this season. Yep, that’s how I feel and I’m sticking to it
Last Week: 3-2
Season: 14-14
Accumulator: 0-5
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