Since the San Francisco 49ers Playoff games seemingly have the colossal responsibility of being the measuring rod for NFL greatness. And because the question that’s always relevant, and asked, “first, we take a look at what the Niners have done,” before any ranking or judgment should be attempted. What else’s left to do still seems to be a good question,

As the 49er Classics continue to build; The Catch, The Stop, The Grab?, The Catch 11, The Catch 111, The Run, The Bootleg, and since these classics, with others help keep the heart-beat of the NFL alive. And since the Niners are definitely back and keeping their responsibilities —What else’s left to do doesn’t seem to want to go away?

I think Coach Harbaugh said the 9ers are ready. When asked about last week’s victory over the New Orleans Saints, and what that meant for Sunday’s match-up, he said, “…It felt like somebody locked the gates and put us in here and we got 70,000 people and a city behind us. I hope we get that this week.” I think that he thinks —the Niners are ready for the Giants.

But this is the NFL, the place where everything is possible. With all the experts, ‘holding the fort’, at every door, did they forget to bring some —Chicken Soup?

Yes, chicken soup. Since the outcome of today’s game often depends on ‘game day’ adjustments. And since people have said the names Alex Smith and Joe Montana in the same sentence —How is Alex Smith feeling today could be a very important question? Did he awake this morning with the flu?

In 1979, on an extremely cold day in Texas, a young Notre Dame quarterback who was battling the flu, and also the Houston Cougars, had to leave the game in the third quarter because of hypothermia.

That young quarterback became legendary 49er QB Joe Montana.

He ran straight to the locker room for some chicken soup. It apparently relieved all pain. He returned later and resumed his position behind center, and eclipsed a 22 fourth quarter deficit with a game-winning TD throw, ending the game, 35 – 34 or —in favor of chicken soup!

Chicken soup somehow made that special variable inside Joe Montana obvious, and later we all saw the culmination of that as he helped San Francisco with 4 Super Bowl Championships.

As the clock ticks away to kick-off time, I’m ambivalent. I wonder, did Alex Smith awake this morning with the flu?

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When the season started the 49ers made an effort to be team that ran the football often, which became very predictable for opposing teams. It is the reason why Frank Gore struggled to get going the first three games of the season when he carried the ball 59 times for 148 yards, 2.51 yards per carry average, and a long of 16 and scored one rushing touchdown.

As Gore became the focal point of opposing defenses to stop it also meant that Smith wasn’t able to get going throwing the football and for the 49ers the team was put in third and long situations more times than not, which resulted in additional pressure on Smith, yet even with the pressure, he did not make many mistakes with the football. He’d take the sack or throw the ball away instead of attempting to make a risky play and was the main reason why the 49ers did not turn the ball over. The pressure and sacks resulted in Smith averaging just 168 yards passing and only throwing two touchdowns.

After game three the 49ers made much more of an effort to throw the football, which made it more difficult for defenses to determine if the 49ers were going to run or throw, which also meant that Gore was able to get going on the ground and from that point on Gore’s numbers were 1,063 yards rushing, a 4.8 yards per carry average, a long of 55 and seven touchdowns. Smith in the remaining 13 games averaged 203 yards passing and threw 15 touchdowns.

Even with more success moving the football the 49ers still ranked 24th in passing touchdowns, 26th in total yards, 29th in passing yards and 31st in passing attempts. Running the football the 49ers were much better ranking third in attempts, eighth in rushing yards and 12th in rushing touchdowns.

Yet, the saving grace for the 49ers was the play of their special teams. Punter Andy Lee and kicker David Akers both made the Pro-Bowl and the 49ers coverage team on punts and kick returns were outstanding all year long, which allowed for the 49ers to win the field position battles and because of that success the 49ers didn’t need sustained long drives to get into field goal range for Akers.

The play calling in the red zone nearly cost the 49ers against the New Orleans Saints. After Dashon Goldson had made an excellent return on an interception of Drew Brees the 49ers just needed to punch the ball in from four yards out. Instead of using Gore, the 49ers went to the air. The Saints were able to get pressure on Smith forcing two straight incomplete passes and it appeared another wasted opportunity in the red zone and on the third down play the 49ers used the aggressiveness of the Saints defense to their advantage as Smith threw a quick pass to Michael Crabtree for a touchdown.

Almost immediately after the touchdown the 49ers were again in the red zone after recovering a fumble by Courtney Roby at the 13 yard line and this time the 49ers were unable to move the football and forced to settle for a field goal. By not being able to score the touchdown it was reminiscent of the 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals on the road where the 49ers had a number of opportunities in the red zone and managed field goals instead.

As the Saints offense got rolling it appeared that red zone trip that resulted in the field goal instead of a touchdown was going to cost the 49ers. Yet, were able to catch the Saints off-guard by being aggressive with their play calling. One play was the roll out by Smith running the ball 28 yards for the touchdown instead of just handing the ball off to Gore for better field goal position and another example of the aggressiveness was on the final drive of the game when Smith took advantage of the one-on-one coverage Vernon Davis had.

For the 49ers to beat the New York Giants today the play calling needs to be aggressive much like the ending of the Saints game, so the Giants have a hard time predicting what the 49ers are going to do.

It’s been the main topic of human discourse since the beginnings, when football players wore leather helmets. Mark Twain was also irritated about this so-called weather phenomenon, he said, “Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it.” That’s right —nobody does a thing about it.

What could you have done to prepare an NFL team for The Fog Bowl? That was a grumpy weather pattern that obscured everything …

It was in 1988, the Chicago Bears were taking on the Philadelphia Eagles. The Fog Bowl began in the second quarter. The fog crept in to eventually rest right there on Soldier Field, barely yielding —visibility. The weather took on both teams in a single day and won, allowing each team only a short field-goal kick in the second half.

But perhaps my favorite ‘weather bowl’ was the 1976 AFC Championship between the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburg Steelers. That weather bowl was called “The Steelers Ice Bowl.”

…It’s a huge conspiracy, Coach John Madden and owner Al Davis screamed. Mark Twain would have loved this. The Raiders organization actually tried, in a sense, to blame the Pittsburgh Steelers for — weather.

John Madden came running at the grounds-keeper, accusing him of —‘Doing this on Purpose’. Apparently, yes, the field was covered with a tarp, but the moisture slid down the cracks and the next day it was solid ice along the edges, narrowing the ‘big-play’ philosophies of the Oakland Raiders. The Steelers were eventually victorious.

As we approach Sunday’s NFC Championship game in San Francisco —I will monitor the weather, personally. The outlook is: Okay. Meteorologists across our great country anticipate some showers on game day, with some winds. The chance of precipitation is around 60 percent.

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About Sunday’s NFC Championship battle against the San Francisco 49ers, he says “…I might be a little biased, but in our minds, we can’t be beat …”

It’s almost as if pirates’ have stolen NFL history as well. Since major web sites have boycotted the SOPA Bill with Blackouts on their sites, particularly Wikipedia, and since this is the very place where our history is stored, in some reality —all history has been erased?

Because …obviously now, he’s confused himself with another New Yorker, ex. New York Jet, “Broadway Joe.” In 1969, when Joe Namath, or, “Broadway Joe,” the QB for the New York Jets was making predictions that his opponent, the hugely favored Baltimore Colts would lose, and then, when all this came true with a 16 – 7 victory in Super Bowl 111, is nothing but classic, “Broadway Joe” …Hey …the guy is obviously cool. Especially if you consider, that about the same time he’s making these bold predictions, he’s also doing gigs with babes like Farrah Fawcett,

…With Antrel Rolle, the successful severing of every brain-nerve-ending is further documented. And the irony is —this is the very same person the SOPA Bill is trying to protect. His ‘intellectual property’ has vanished?

He says, “We’re extremely confident and we’ve given ourselves the reason to feel that way. We have to continue to give ourselves those reasons, and we will. We have no doubts. It’s right there at the tip of our tongue.”

“Blah, blah, blah.” Most of the time …Joe Namath was too busy being funny. When asked about Astroturf and grass he said, “I don’t know whether I prefer Astroturf to grass. I never smoked Astroturf.” That’s funny. When asked about pain after a game he said, “When you win, nothing hurts.” That’s not funny, but something that brings a wry smile?

Okay …Joe Namath was a snappier dresser than Antrel Rolle. When hurt, he hung out on the sidelines, dressed in furs, with beautiful women. His coaches blew gaskets. That’s also funny to watch.

But …Antrel Rolle is just a victim of the ‘falling-short’ efforts of SOPA. He case is further documented,

In week one the Washington Redskins faced Antrel Rolle’s team, the New York Giants, and they were beaten. Immediately after, Antrel Rolle said, “As a team and organization we know that the Washington Redskins are not a better team than us. We know that. Hands down. If we played them 100 times they might win five.”

What Antrel Rolle says is also funny, but not “Broadway Joe” funny. Several weeks later they again faced the Washington Redskins, only to lose again, which makes it —Antrel Rolle funny.

As the San Francisco 49ers head into this Sunday’s NFC championship, they just hope Antrel Rolle keeps on speaking …history?

The End

The shoot-out is dead —dead —dead —dead. All the participants have either died or killed each other. And it’s sad.

So now we look at the San Francisco 49ers to pick up the pieces, because being born on the frozen tundra or the un-frozen tundra is certainly a prerequisite to a Super Bowl Championship? It’s something that’s been there, always. Or …will the Patriots, the last of the Shoot-Out artists, show us a different story —complimented by six-shooters on their hips?

Now …the Dallas cowboys aren’t continuing with the Playoff run because they’re mediocre. Then …the cowboy, the American Cowboy briefly flourished, and then died. The cowboy experience lasted from around 1860 to around 1880. It was a fad to be a cowboy, and, experienced by a single generation of Americans. That’s it.

So, our mission is obvious? We’re here to differentiate whether the ‘Shoot Out’ style NFL offense is a fad or a trend?

I believe the only way to achieve this is to transcend the sports world, and make comparisons to other areas that encompass our life.

A perfect example of Fads happens quite frequently with fashion. It’s one of the three essential ingredients for survival: Food, shelter, and clothing. And more importantly —we don’t want to give the clothes off our back. Right? So we wear, ‘stretchy-pants’, bell-bottoms, skinny-jeans, acid-wash jeans, hippie-wear, disco-get-ups, raves, and then, the Fashion Police comes to blur our different worlds? Nonetheless, these are obvious Fads,

A trend is something different. A trend was Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers winning their first Super Bowl. A trend has the possibility, after time, of possibly dominating a certain industry, for example, the San Francisco 49ers, which became one of the sports franchises admired throughout the entire sports world.

These differences, I believe, are very important. For us to survive we must know the difference between a fad and a trend. Of course the Niners didn’t want to face a ‘Fad’,

They wanted to play the New York Giants instead of the Green Bay Packers. What reasonable mind wants to face a pugnacious, little punk, like —Billy the Kid? A Fad-setter. Perhaps, the assassins, the ‘Shoot-Out’ artists are better left to wither and die alone,

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Also, and this is very important, with all of this ‘tebowing’ going on, I’m not in the least concerned with what Tim Tebow thinks about Alex Smith, and or, what he thinks of resurrections in general. By this time next year, Tim Tebow might just be too far gone to renew his subscription. I anticipate that the form letter, “Cancelled,” will visit Tim Tebow …shortly.

So —“The Game of Superlatives,” or Saturday’s battle between the Saints and the Niners, is actually the first time an NFL player has patented more than one classic in a lifetime, and —amazingly, it’s Alex Smith patenting two classics in a single game.

Now enter Alex Smith’s first Niner classic: The Bootleg!

Jim Harbaugh will get an assist for this Now-Niner-Classic. What a call! It was 3rd and seven. The ‘Sticks tundra was already screaming —Classic. Jim Harbaugh loaded the playbook, and the Bootleg Classic was born. The Niners needed to keep the drive alive. They actually needed to score. Jim Harbaugh called the play, Alex Smith took the snap, and all alone he ran 28 yards for a TD. This classic is now simply called: The Bootleg.

Like everybody said, what a call! R .W. McQuarters, cornerback for the Chicago Bears, agrees. He hates Bootlegs. The Bootleg has been the cure for fast, over-perusing defenses all year.

“…and then the offense goes with what looks like the same running play you’ve been killing and you feel real good, because all of the action is going the same way. But then the quarterback fakes the run to the back and keeps the ball and pivots and now he’s reversing the field …”

He goes on to say —“It’s like egg in your face.”

But apparently, one Niner-Classic wasn’t going to be enough for a 49er win Saturday. Drew Brees and the Saints weren’t ready to just sit and take it. They drove down the field and scored, just like that.

Now the Niners needed …another ‘Stick miracle! They needed another 49er classic. Alex takes the snap and it’s a pass too Vernon Davis —and another pass …

The Niners reach the Saints 14 yard line. Alex Smith takes the snap and it’s a 14 yard Td pass to Vernon Davis. The Niners take the lead with 9 seconds remaining. It’s over with a 49er victory!

Of course, some classics are very reminiscent of other classics. I’ve tried to talk to the 49ers creative director about the naming of last Saturday’s classic, but to no avail. I believe this second 49er classic seems to in need of a better title.

I heard some people refer to this play as: The Catch 3. What? And also, I’ve heard people call it: The Grab. That’s horrible. Could the creative director of the Niners be Sylvester Stallone? He always seemed to come up with titles with a number following them. That’s just bad, and it shows an incredible lack of imagination.

So I ask: What should the second 49er classic be named?

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After San Francisco’s epic 36-32 win over the New Orleans Saints in an instant classic, one may have to wonder if the 49ers may soon provide Bay Area residents with their sixth San Francisco treat.

Thanks to timely throws by quarterback Alex Smith, a 180-yard, two touchdown performance by tight end in Vernon Davis and a suffocating defense led by Aldon Smith, Justin Smith and Patrick Willis that held New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees in check, the 49ers—not the defending Super Bowl champion Packers, or the New York Giants may be the team to beat in the NFC.

While San Francisco does not have the explosive high-flying offense of either Green Bay or New York, what the Niners do have is—perhaps—the most dominating defense west of Baltimore.

The Niners would sack Brees three times and intercept him twice, and ground the Saints early 17-0, before putting the clamps late.

While the Niners would give up a score to Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, it was Alex Smith—not Drew Brees—who would make the big play.

In an eerily similar play that Hall-Of-Fame quarterback Steve Young threw to wide receiver Terrell Owens, Smith would find Davis on a 14-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left.

Smith, who earned many votes—including mine—for 2011 NFL Comeback Player of The Year, showed flashes of why he was selected number one overall out of Utah by making timely and crisp throws downfield to Michael Crabtree and Davis late would finish with 299 yards and three touchdowns.

Smith would rush for a 28-yard touchdown to give the Niners a 29-24 lead, before New orleans would respond with Graham’s 66-yard touchdown reception.

San Francisco may not be flashy like New Orleans, Green Bay or New York, but on this day, they showed that thanks with a stout defense, game-changing tight end and a balanced offense that they may be the team that represents the NFC in Indianapolis in three weeks.

Follow me on Twitter, @Dawgfather_76

After all, Saints QB Drew Brees has a reputation as one of the more clutch quarterbacks in the National Football League.

But who could have possibly imagined that 49ers quarterback Alex Smith would have out-Breesed Drew Brees?

In a game that should go down as one of the greatest in the history of the NFL postseason, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith hit tight end Vernon Davis for a game-winning 14-yard touchdown with just 9 seconds to play.

The play was reminiscent of The Catch II, when Steve Young connected on a 25-yard scoring strike to Terrell Owens with just 3 seconds remaining to beat the Green Bay Paclers 27-23 in the 1998 wild-card round.

For those of you who don’t remember the original Catch, that came in the 1981 NFC championship game when Joe Montana hit Dwight Clark for a six-yard game-winning touchdown with just 58 seconds to play.

The Saints and 49ers combined for 28 points in the final four minutes and two seconds of the game. After Saints running back Darren Sproles took a screen pass 44 yards for a touchdown to give the Saints 24-23 lead with 4:02 left, Alex Smith led the Niners on a long touchdown drive. The drive culminated in a wacky 28-yard touchdown run with 2:11 left, a play in which Smith took the snap, ran to the left, and raced in untouched for a touchdown.

But the Saints responded, as Brees hit tight end Jimmy Graham for a 66-yard touchdown with 1:37 to play. Brees hit Sproles for the conversion and the Saints led by three.

Ener Alex Smith. Smth promptly drove the 49ers down the field in the final minute and a half, the drive ending in a touchdown to Vernon Davis with just seconds to play.

For the day, Smith completed 24 of 42 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 103.2. Davis caught seven passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

Brees completed 40 of 63 passes for 462 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He finished the season with the following statistics: 541 for 763, 6404 yards, 53 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and a 110.5 passer rating.

Yet Brees’ incredible performance wasn’t enough to overcome the 49ers, who forced five turnovers on defense, and used a pair of late fourth quarter touchdowns to reach the NFC championship game for the first time since the 1997 season, when they lost 23-10 to Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.

Crabtree, a third-year player selected tenth overall in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Texas Tech, may play a key role in how the 49ers offense attacks the suspect Saints defense downfield.

Crabtree appears to have developed a real chemistry with quarterback Alex Smith as he would lead the 49ers in receiving with 874 yards, catches with 72 and yards per reception with 12.1 during the regular season.

Crabtree would also lead the 49ers in targets with 114.

For the 2011-12 regular season, the Saints defense gave up the third most yards passing at 259.8 yards a game. New Orleans also ranks 12^th in the league in rushing yards allowed, giving up 108.6 yards a game.

Look for San Francisco to attack New Orleans downfield off play-action with Crabtree, since the Saints will have to honor the threat of Pro Bowl running back, Frank Gore.

And look for Crabtree to play a factor in deciding the outcome one way or another.

Follow me on Twitter, @Dawgfather_76

As we approach the NFL Playoff game between the 49ers and the Saints, only today’s play will determine the winner. We, they, have done the analysis, the extensive scrutiny, and today, the battle will commence.

This game should bring out the best of both teams. Both teams will be afraid, but the 49ers will not lose their sense of duty, their sense of manhood. This will be an epic battle and I’ve already titled it: “It’s Born on ‘Frozen Tundra’ Versus the Shoot-Out at the O.K. Corral.”
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We have the title, we’ve done the analysis, and, in the words of General George S. Patton, some inspiration,

Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood.

Too much? Nonetheless …ready, set, play …The battle begins today —On the ‘Sticks tundra!

The End