Pats vs. Niners - Initial Thoughts

[IllegalContact]

I think this is a little harsh. The Pats have had problems with quick, elusive RBs in the past, rookie or not. And James is very talented, regardless of how much he's gotten on the field - just like Shane Vereen, he's very elusive in the open field. And like Vereen, the amount of playing time he's gotten doesn't reflect his potential as a weapon.

I say BS.......9 touches all year......did hunter get hurt this sunday? nope.....they're not going to 'unleash' him in this game.....that would be poor coaching when you have the options you do on the team. the pats force fumbles....the niners cannot afford a turnover in this game.

I just don't think he will be an impact because he won't be asked to be an impact.

Aldon Smith is certainly the #1 threat. But you can't discount either Justin Smith or Ahmad Brooks. Justin Smith has only 3 sacks on the year, but they've all come in the last 4 games, and he's had 7.5 and 8.5 the last 2 seasons. He was an outside pass rusher coming out of college before re-inventing himself. If he's not double-teamed he's more than capable of getting to the QB, as is Brooks. Along with Aldon Smith, those 3 guys have 28 of SF's 32 sacks (Navorro Bowman has 2, and no one else has more than 1). I'm sure BB will be preaching to not lose sight of those other guys, even though eyes will be on Aldon Smith at all times.

most of their sacks have come against teams that have problems protecting their QB anyway. the texans have a better pass rush, and how many sacks did they have? the pats are ready for pressure

Sure they're familiar with it, but they've still been susceptible to TEs from other teams. Dennis Pitta was effective against us week 3, Dwayne Allen in the Indy game, and Scott Chandler in both second Buffalo games. I'm sure that containing Vernon Davis will be one thing BB focuses on.

this is not a convincing point......

I agree that the 49ers aren't particularly versatile. They are who they are. They are extremely strong, and they dare you to beat their strength. So far it's held up pretty well. They've been lucky to stay healthy, but they're obviously extremely durable and well conditioned.

and based on their roster usage, pretty thin......they can be worn down

As for Kaepernick, I think that Jim Harbaugh has obviously gambled that Alex Smith is not going to take him past the rest of the NFC, particularly the Giants, and that he needs to add an extra dimension to his team. He may not get there with Kaepernick, particularly this year, but he has guts to take that gamble in mid-season, with a playoff team.

Alex Smith wasn't the problem.....Alex Smith did not single-handedly blow a football game......Alex Smith would have gotten them to the superbowl had it not been for special teams fumbles.

Kaepernick is exactly the kind of player that shoots the team in the foot

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

On a random side note, isn't it wierd that Brady has only played SF once his entire career. And that game was totally meaningless, last week of 2004 we had the 2 seed wrapped up and couldn't pass Pitt for #1 since they were a game up and had the tiebreaker on us.

 

[IllegalContact]

I'm still looking for the last quality win the niners have had

 

[Deus Irae]

I'm still looking for the last quality win the niners have had

You mean besides the Packers, Seahawks and Bears games?

 

[patfanken]

You mean besides the Packers, Seahawks and Bears games?

The Packers game was game one. No team is even close to the same as they were in that time of the season. Look upon this game like I do the Bronco game. If/when the 2 teams meet again, the results of that game won't have much meaning. The Bears played their back up QB. So in the end only the Seahawks were the true test of a major power, that occurs within the 2nd half of the season.

Now I don't doubt that the Niners are as good a team as there is in the NFL. And their defense is could be the best there is. But lets not over hype their record and who they have played. Lets just trust that this is a game the Pats can lose if they don't play to their best level, and one they should win......if they do

 

[49erfan]

49er fan here just to give an opponent’s perspective on the game this Sunday Night. I will be brutally honest when I say that all the realistic 49er fans in the Bay Area know that this will NOT be a cakewalk for the 49ers in Foxboro, in any way, shape or form. However, I think the 49ers will definitely put up one of the best fights, if not the best, the Patriots have seen ALL season (yes, even the Ravens and Steelers). Here are my reasons why:

1) The Patriots do not have a lot of experience playing the 49ers. This can go both ways as well but I think this presents the factor of the unknown. The Patriots have had tough battles against the Steelers and Ravens every year, but you guys know those teams VERY well which is why the match-up is always very close. You can reference the battles that the 49ers have had with the Rams this season in comparison. The Rams are not among the best teams in the NFL, HOWEVER, they match up very well with the 49ers and also are very familiar with each other (we play each other twice a year). I think this means that anything is really up for grabs this game and I wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers defense holds Tom Brady and the office to under 20 points. To assume this game will be a blow-out in the Pats favor would be idiotic…

2) Physicality is the name of our game. Ever since Harbaugh took over the reins in SF, he and his coaching staff has taken this defense to beastly level. Every game we have played this year, our defense has left the other team dazed and confused (you can argue the game against the Giants was the only one where our defense was flat). It will take PERFECT execution by the Patriots offense to avoid at least a few turnovers due to big hits by Goldson/Whitner/Bowman/Willis or sacks by Aldon. Also, look out for one of the most underrated LB’s on our team not named Willis, Bowman, or Aldon. I of course would be referring to Ahmad Brooks. I don’t doubt that the Patriots can’t deliver that perfect game but our defense is on a mission to prove a point… I also would not be surprised if we shut down Ridley/Vereen/Woodhead to under 100 yards rushing leaving the game in Brady’s hands…

3) The tempo of the game by the Patriots and how the 49ers defense adjust will be key. The good thing about our defense is we have VERY good depth on defense so it wouldn’t be a difficult to give our players a breather between plays. With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Harbaugh also came out with a “No Huddle” of his own with Kaepernick running this offense. Along with Gore and Lamichael James, I can see big plays coming out of a ‘No Huddle’ while the Patriots defense tries to decipher what is going on with all the shifts/motions/formations/read-option/flea flicker/etc. The 49ers biggest problem (quite literally) will be dealing with Wilfork. We have had problems in the past dealing with “huge” NT’s like Ngata so the match-up between Wilfork and Goodwin/Iupati/Boone will be interesting. However, our OL is chalk full of 1st rounders that actually play and look like 1st rounders so I don’t have too much trouble sleeping at night.

4) I also expect Special Teams to play a HUGE role. We will need to make sure we contain Wes Welker in the return game and we need to hope David Akers shows signs of his old All-Pro and Pro-bowl self and not what he has shown the last couple weeks… ehhh

At the end of the day, I think the score will be extremely close and “low” for the Patriots standards and will be the hardest hitting football game on Sunday Night this season… 49ers 20 – Patriots 17

 

[everlong]

To assume this game will be a blow-out in the Pats favor would be idiotic…

Welcome to the board. There's a predict the score thread and I think you'll find 90% of the predictions are single digit point differential. There's a lot of respect both ways.

 

[mayoclinic]

I'm still looking for the last quality win the niners have had

Last I checked they had 9 of them.

I think every single coach in the NFL would say that every win in the NFL is a quality win. It's just not easy.

 

[Deus Irae]

...To assume this game will be a blow-out in the Pats favor would be idiotic…...

Why do you make this claim? I could certainly see the 49ers spitting the bit if they get behind by a couple of TDs early. We just saw that same thing happen with the Texans, after all. The Giants beat the hell out of the 49ers in week 6, after all, so we're not talking about something unprecedented here.

 

[patriot.de]

2) Physicality is the name of our game. Ever since Harbaugh took over the reins in SF, he and his coaching staff has taken this defense to beastly level. Every game we have played this year, our defense has left the other team dazed and confused (you can argue the game against the Giants was the only one where our defense was flat). It will take PERFECT execution by the Patriots offense to avoid at least a few turnovers due to big hits by Goldson/Whitner/Bowman/Willis or sacks by Aldon. Also, look out for one of the most underrated LB’s on our team not named Willis, Bowman, or Aldon. I of course would be referring to Ahmad Brooks. I don’t doubt that the Patriots can’t deliver that perfect game but our defense is on a mission to prove a point… I also would not be surprised if we shut down Ridley/Vereen/Woodhead to under 100 yards rushing leaving the game in Brady’s hands…

I think this argument is not meaningful, because the 49ers have the same non experience playing the patriots.

 

[49erfan]

Why do you make this claim? I could certainly see the 49ers spitting the bit if they get behind by a couple of TDs early. We just saw that same thing happen with the Texans, after all. The Giants beat the hell out of the 49ers in week 6, after all, so we're not talking about something unprecedented here.

i already admitted that the 49ers did come out very flat against the giants in that game earlier this year but the patriots also lost to those same giants TWICE in the superbowl so i don't think using the giants in a comparison of the 49ers vs. the patriots is very relevant. the giants have beat both teams in recent history, albiet the victories agaisnt the patriots came in the biggest game of the year . so once again... to assume the patriots would blow out the 49ers would be idiotic

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

49er fan here just to give an opponent’s perspective on the game this Sunday Night. I will be brutally honest when I say that all the realistic 49er fans in the Bay Area know that this will NOT be a cakewalk for the 49ers in Foxboro, in any way, shape or form. However, I think the 49ers will definitely put up one of the best fights, if not the best, the Patriots have seen ALL season (yes, even the Ravens and Steelers). Here are my reasons why:

I hope you put up a better fight than the Steelers

 

[Deus Irae]

i already admitted that the 49ers did come out very flat against the giants in that game earlier this year but the patriots also lost to those same giants TWICE in the superbowl so i don't think using the giants in a comparison of the 49ers vs. the patriots is very relevant. the giants have beat both teams in recent history, albiet the victories agaisnt the patriots came in the biggest game of the year . so once again... to assume the patriots would blow out the 49ers would be idiotic

The Giants have not blown the Patriots out, so your deliberately inflammatory allusion to those games, which didn't even take place this season, is completely meaningless.

Look, I'm not trying to bust your balls here. I'm just asking for your reasoning in defense of your claim, when the 49ers have been rolled already this season. If you don't have any, you might want to re-think your earlier position.

 

[UTSFFAN]

49ers fan here,
I've read through this whole thread and most of it is really good stuff, really informative. I think it should be a great game, I'm excited to see how SF stacks up against Brady and BB. I feel like this should be a much better game and tougher match up for the Pats than the Texans. Someone posted that the Pats have faced better TE's in practice than Vernon Davis....That's def debatable. There is not a TE in the league with the size speed combination VD has. Not to say Gronk and Hernandez aren't great but it's hard to compare them when those two have Tom Brady throwing them the ball. To compare VD to Ben Watson is ridiculous.

 

[Deus Irae]

49ers fan here,
I've read through this whole thread and most of it is really good stuff, really informative. I think it should be a great game, I'm excited to see how SF stacks up against Brady and BB. I feel like this should be a much better game and tougher match up for the Pats than the Texans. Someone posted that the Pats have faced better TE's in practice than Vernon Davis....That's def debatable. There is not a TE in the league with the size speed combination VD has. Not to say Gronk and Hernandez aren't great but it's hard to compare them when those two have Tom Brady throwing them the ball. To compare VD to Ben Watson is ridiculous.

As the one who mentioned Watson, you didn't read that very well. I compared their styles. I did not rate them as equal quality TEs. I'll leave the Gronk/Hernandez stuff to others.

 

[DocHoliday]

49ers fan here,
I've read through this whole thread and most of it is really good stuff, really informative. I think it should be a great game, I'm excited to see how SF stacks up against Brady and BB. I feel like this should be a much better game and tougher match up for the Pats than the Texans. Someone posted that the Pats have faced better TE's in practice than Vernon Davis....That's def debatable. There is not a TE in the league with the size speed combination VD has. Not to say Gronk and Hernandez aren't great but it's hard to compare them when those two have Tom Brady throwing them the ball. To compare VD to Ben Watson is ridiculous.

It was a comparison of style, not ability.

Call me crazy though, I think I'd rather have Hernandez than VD

 

[UTSFFAN]

It was a comparison of style, not ability.

Call me crazy though, I think I'd rather have Hernandez than VD

You're crazy!

 

[IllegalContact]

49ers fan here,
I've read through this whole thread and most of it is really good stuff, really informative. I think it should be a great game, I'm excited to see how SF stacks up against Brady and BB. I feel like this should be a much better game and tougher match up for the Pats than the Texans. Someone posted that the Pats have faced better TE's in practice than Vernon Davis....That's def debatable. There is not a TE in the league with the size speed combination VD has. Not to say Gronk and Hernandez aren't great but it's hard to compare them when those two have Tom Brady throwing them the ball. To compare VD to Ben Watson is ridiculous.

who gives a crap about 'speed/size' combination......gronk is both a better and more productive pass cathcer and a MUCH MUCH better blocker. and hernandez is much more versatile than either.....so yeah, the pats defense has to work against a better TE in practice

VD can't hold gronk's jock.....literally and figuratively.....any questions?

besides......of you combine size and speed I'm not sure VD beats gronk anyway....gronk is much bigger and I don't think VD is that much faster

 

[49erfan]

The Giants have not blown the Patriots out, so your deliberately inflammatory allusion to those games, which didn't even take place this season, is completely meaningless.

Look, I'm not trying to bust your balls here. I'm just asking for your reasoning in defense of your claim, when the 49ers have been rolled already this season. If you don't have any, you might want to re-think your earlier position.

No need to start an argument, especially since it seems like the majority of Pats fans here are not expecting a blowout. I'll change my stance to it would be unlikely to see a typical patriots blowout (the 49ers defense is only giving up around 26 ppg.). this 49ers defense, with the exception of the Giants game this year where they actually were playing very closely with them to start the game, RARELY gets blown out. Again, much still to be seen between these two teams who rarely face eachother.

Also, in all honesty I think a healthy Vernon Davis/Delanie Walker combo is closer than you think to a Healthy Hernandez/Recovering from injury Gronk… I would think healthy Vernon > recovering gronk and Hernandez > walker

 

[IllegalContact]

No need to start an argument, especially since it seems like the majority of Pats fans here are not expecting a blowout. I'll change my stance to it would be unlikely to see a typical patriots blowout (the 49ers defense is only giving up around 26 ppg.). this 49ers defense, with the exception of the Giants game this year where they actually were playing very closely with them to start the game, RARELY gets blown out. Again, much still to be seen between these two teams who rarely face eachother.

Also, in all honesty I think a healthy Vernon Davis/Delanie Walker combo is closer than you think to a Healthy Hernandez/Recovering from injury Gronk… I would think healthy Vernon > recovering gronk and Hernandez > walker

gronk > davis + walker

don't even bother trying