Published December 21st, 2011 at CSNBayArea.com
Before I get into my thoughts about Monday Night’s 49er victory, there’s something I need to get off my chest. I don’t want to hear anyone blaming fans for selling their tickets to “the enemy.” This is America. When you own something, you have the right to do whatever you want with it. A fan buying a season ticket has one obligation: make sure the check clears. After that, he can go to the games, sell the tickets, set them on fire, etc.
It’s the team’s job, in my opinion, to create a product and an atmosphere so compelling that anyone holding a ticket would feel like they were missing something if they didn’t go. I don’t remember a lot of talk about 49er fans selling their tickets in the 1980s and ’90s, do you?
On to the game. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement surrounding the 49ers’ thrashing of the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night, but there is one big reason to resist. I’ll get to that, but first allow me to highlight the things that went exactly as fans hoped:
The offense scored two red-zone TDs
This has been the single biggest concern this season, and during the first half it was still looming. First-and-goal at the 2-yard line? Sorry, guys, that has to be a TD. When the 49ers challenged a call that ruled Vernon Davis out at the 1-yard-line in the second half, announcers on both TV and radio simultaneously claimed that the challenge was due to the team’s struggles scoring from in close (How do I know? I watch the game with the sound up and listen to the radio in one ear. Pretty normal, huh?). The fact that they got two red-zone TDs, with relative ease, was a great relief to everyone in the stadium not dressed in black and yellow (More on that later).
Special Teams continue to be, well, special
Andy Lee had one of his best games ever, and for a guy who’s been as good for as long as he has, that’s significant. The highlight was when he (with the aid of a Pittsburgh penalty) completely “flipped the field.” The 49ers were on their own 12-yard line when Lee, punting from near the goal line, sent a soaring punt all the way to the Steelers’ 26. The ball was returned, as long kicks like that often are, but there was a holding penalty on the kick that was marked off 10 yards from the spot of the catch. By the time the Steelers lined up on their 16-yard-line, the net on the play was 72 yards!
Overall, the kick coverage units continued to excel for San Francisco.
The Steelers didn’t start one drive outside their own 30-yard line. This has been a constant for the 49ers this season, and is an overlooked part of how successful their defense has been.
Aldon Smith looks like the steal of the draft
This guy is incredible. Justin Smith told postgame interviewers “He just has the ability to get skinny and slip through there.” The rookie will continue to draw more and more resources from opposing offenses, and open up more opportunities for the rest of the line to pressure the QB. He broke the team’s rookie record for sacks, and he had another one nullified because of an illegal contact in the secondary. His rush was so impressive that, rather than show the penalty, the TV producers showed two replays of him sacking Ben Roethlisberger even though it didn’t count.
This 49er coaching staff will not be outcoached by anyone
People are heaping credit upon Jim Harbaugh for the team’s turnaround, and he deserves every bit of it. He’s going to be a runaway winner of the NLF Coach of the Year award, even if the San Francisco loses its last two games. What has gone unnoticed, especially on the national level, is that the most important thing he did was assemble an incredible coaching staff. In Vic Fangio, Greg Roman and Brad Seely, he has three coordinators who are all at the top of their game. The position coaches are all great teachers, and player after player has said that the biggest difference between this year and last has been the clarity of the lessons to be learned. The prior staff would talk about what they wanted done, this staff tells the players how to do it.
Now, here’s the stuff 49er fans don’t want to hear:
The 49ers did not beat an elite QB Monday night
First, spare me all the stuff about how everyone has injuries, they don’t matter, the result is everything. That’s all true except when you’re trying to get a handle on how good a team really is. The sad truth is that Roethlisberger, for all of his courage and toughness, was a shell of his usual self on Monday, and still he threw for over 300 yards. More importantly, he converted eight out of 14 first downs. His inability to move around and keep the play alive, probably his biggest asset, was what led to his interceptions and his sacks. I’m giving the 49ers credit for playing well. I’m not prepared to say that if these teams met with a healthy No. 7, the result would not have been dramatically different.
OK, I hear you, you’re talking about the 49ers being without Patrick Willis. Well, the Steelers didn’t have James Harrison, and if you don’t think that was a factor in Alex Smith keeping his uniform clean, you’re not paying attention.
I’m not saying that it doesn’t matter that the 49ers won the game. If they had lost to a Steelers team with a banged up Big Ben and no Harrison, it would have been a really bad sign. I’m just saying we need to keep the win in perspective. They should win their next two games, and their biggest test will be New Orleans in Round 2. If they win that one, I’m convinced.