The Official 2012 NFL Thread

[elbacalao]

It is 100% Harbaugh's fault. The Niners had the better team and they showed that in the second half.
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WHAT?! They certainly werent better in the last two minutes of the game when they couldnt get into the endzone from the freakin 5 yard line. The Ravens were 3 points better than the 9ers yesterday. End of story. Any other statement is pure bullshit.

 

[zombi]

lol @ dude who took rap for Ray Lewis double murders had a rap song where he said he should have stabbed Ray Lewis too http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1108943/2/index.htm

 

[Zerox]

WHAT?! The Ravens were 3 points better than the 9ers yesterday. End of story. Any other statement is pure bullshit.

C'mon man, be honest. When the score was 28-6, weren't you thinking the Ravens were still the points spread underdog?

 

[Marlowe]

WHAT?! They certainly werent better in the last two minutes of the game when they couldnt get into the endzone from the freakin 5 yard line. The Ravens were 3 points better than the 9ers yesterday. End of story. Any other statement is pure bullshit.

5 points, the safety was a sacrifice.

 

[elbacalao]

5 points, the safety was a sacrifice.

Sacrifice or not, the points still count. 5, 10, 40 years from now, there will be no asterisk next to the games score with the word sacrifice next to it.

 

[Eldritch]

Sacrifice or not, the points still count. 5, 10, 40 years from now, there will be no asterisk next to the games score with the word sacrifice next to it.

It's not to take anything away from the Ravens, but my point is, the Niners lost because they did not respect them enough. If they played in the first half like they did in the second half, they would have won by a significant amount. The arrogance of the Niner nation over the last 2 weeks, which was carried by the team, has actually had me starting to root against them, which usually isn't the case since the Niners and Steelers are my typical second choice teams.

 

[zombi]

for the most part, maybe Randy Moss and Chris Culliver aside, I didn't see that arrogance from the team. Maybe from some of the local media or bandwagon fans. Maybe from that moronic old York lady when she guaranteed a dynasty in the post-NFC Championship. Somebody got to remember to lock that old broad away from now on.

But mostly I did not see that from the actual 49ers, certainly not the biggest names. I think you are spot on that they could have wiped the Ravens if they had showed up to play in the first half, or even if not for so many other little quirks of fate. Probably that's what makes the loss so easy to take. Not like when the Steelers lost in 96, when it was a miracle they got there and you knew they wouldn't be back, or when they lost in 2011 after winning in 2006 and 2009 and you get that feeling like that might have been their last chance with that particular "dynasty". This 49ers outfit right now could contend for a while and that is huge news after so many years of utterly shit 49ers seasons

 

[Zerox]

The arrogance of the Niner nation over the last 2 weeks, which was carried by the team, has actually had me starting to root against them, which usually isn't the case since the Niners and Steelers are my typical second choice teams.

That was just the typical 2-week overhype leading up to the Super Bowl, makes anyone who isn't a team's hardcore fan get a bit sick of it all.

I liked Ravens' coach Harbaugh's quote, where he didn't think it was possible to be 100% elated (for his team) and 100% devastated (for his little brother) at the same time.

 

[Bay Arean]

Niners seemed more dazed than arrogant. It was weird. After they blackout, they looked more like they have been before.

But like I said, a team that couldn't beat the Rams with two chances was never a shoo-in. That's why I refused to predict a Niners victory, because I didn't know which team was gonna show up, that team which lost to the Rams and Seahawks or the conference winner. That plus the fact that the Ravens are a quirky but gritty team. I've always rooted for them in their conference and I've always liked Flacco. I didn't learn the dirt on Lewis until this week but I do feel he was an anointed unofficial symbol of the NFL, like RGIII, and Clay Matthews. I tend to end up rooting against teams with the anointed players, just by contrariness or something. Now, I officially don't like Lewis a bit...oh well...

 

[Dubbington]

I think we did see the real 49ers actually. They play smash mouth offense and run stopping defense. That's what we saw. With a 75% Justin Smith, they had no pass rush and Flacco torched the defensive backs.

The Niners play conservative in that they run the ball, chew up clock, wear the opposing defense down and score enough to win. When in todays game it seems you gotta come out firing, put up points quickly and get the other team playing from behind and on their heels, make them one dimensional.

The Ravens came out firing, used the run game just keep the Niners honest and lit up the DBs. The Niners kept it conservative and tried to run run and then pass. Too many 3 and outs with no points.

The 2nd half Niners is who we will see more of next season. The new rules make it too easy to pass. Even Jerry Rice agreed early in the year and said he'd get 2,000 yards a year with how receivers and qb's are protected. Defense I does not win championships anymore.

Terrell Suggs praising Kaepernick after the win http://sports.yahoo.com/video/suggs-shockingly-nice-comments-kaepernick-040000278.html

 

[Bowling4Bikes]

I don't know if the 9ers underperformed.

Let's not forget to give credit to the inspired effort and outstanding execution by the Ravens. I'm still in awe of that one 30-or-so yard completion Flacco made while being chased out of bounds...I thought he was throwing it out of bounds! terrific play.

I knew it was going to take a great effort by the Ravens to beat the 9ers. The Ravens did their part. Could the 9ers have played better? Hard to say, when I recognize how well the Ravens played.

 

[Zerox]

Since the AFC just won the Super Bowl, plz don't forget about the AFL.

 

[Bay Arean]

Hey, when you live in Raider country, you NEVER forget the AFL. That's why they picked on Mr. Davis all those years.....

 

[elbacalao]

It's not to take anything away from the Ravens, but my point is, the Niners lost because they did not respect them enough. If they played in the first half like they did in the second half, they would have won by a significant amount. The arrogance of the Niner nation over the last 2 weeks, which was carried by the team, has actually had me starting to root against them, which usually isn't the case since the Niners and Steelers are my typical second choice teams.

You claimed the losing team was better than the winning team, but hey its not to take anything away from the Ravens. Sure, if the 9ers had played the first half the way they played the second, they win. But guess what? If the Ravens had played as well in the second half as they did in the first, the score would have been 42-9. Whats the point of even mentioning shit like that?! Woulda coulda shoulda doesnt mean anything. The Ravens buttfucked the 9ers for 30plus minutes, the lights went out and then the 9ers started hitting back. Alas the game ended with them tripping up on the five yard line. Taken as a whole, they weren't better than the Ravens at all. They were in fact, 3 points worse. It was a great game, minus the power outage.

I didnt perceive any real arrogance from 9ers fans/players myself. Considering that team had been one of the worst over the past dozen years, I think they were just super happy to be going to the big show. Rightfully so.

 

[Zerox]

I didnt perceive any real arrogance from 9ers fans/players myself. Considering that team had been one of the worst over the past dozen years, I think they were just super happy to be going to the big show. Rightfully so.

Right it was only 2 yrs ago the Niners were a doormat team, with many years of being a losing team leading up to it. So who wouldn't be happy to be in the NFC title game one year, and Super Bowl the next. MF'ing amazing turnaround really, any team fan would be out of their mind with glee.

 

[Eldritch]

You claimed the losing team was better than the winning team, but hey its not to take anything away from the Ravens. Sure, if the 9ers had played the first half the way they played the second, they win. But guess what? If the Ravens had played as well in the second half as they did in the first, the score would have been 42-9. Whats the point of even mentioning shit like that?! Woulda coulda shoulda doesnt mean anything. The Ravens buttfucked the 9ers for 30plus minutes, the lights went out and then the 9ers started hitting back. Alas the game ended with them tripping up on the five yard line. Taken as a whole, they weren't better than the Ravens at all. They were in fact, 3 points worse. It was a great game, minus the power outage.

I didnt perceive any real arrogance from 9ers fans/players myself. Considering that team had been one of the worst over the past dozen years, I think they were just super happy to be going to the big show. Rightfully so.

There is no disputing who won, I'm simply discussing why. Not only do the statistics through the playoffs show the greater 49er Star Power, the fact that in the Superbowl itself they outagained the Ravens in almost every category further goes to support that. It's simply case in point for the same shit you're trying to argue with me. Numbers, stats and stars don't mean shit. Football is a game of heart and psychology. The Ravens showed that in this Superbowl and that is my point. They had the right mindset and the right psychology to not get in their own way. They played as a team with passion to win, so they did. The Niners have the numbers to SHOW they had the better talent, they lost because they didn't have the right heart to execute the play they were capable of until it was too late.

 

[elbacalao]

There is no disputing who won, I'm simply discussing why. Not only do the statistics through the playoffs show the greater 49er Star Power, the fact that in the Superbowl itself they outagained the Ravens in almost every category further goes to support that. It's simply case in point for the same shit you're trying to argue with me. Numbers, stats and stars don't mean shit. Football is a game of heart and psychology. The Ravens showed that in this Superbowl and that is my point. They had the right mindset and the right psychology to not get in their own way. They played as a team with passion to win, so they did. The Niners have the numbers to SHOW they had the better talent, they lost because they didn't have the right heart to execute the play they were capable of until it was too late.

So according to your theory, the 9ers didnt score at the end simply because they didnt have more heart than the Ravens? Your desire to romanticize football is admirable, but really not rooted in reality. The Ravens made a bunch of plays. The 9ers made a bunch of plays. Before the clock ran out, the Ravens had made more. Skill, heart, talent, psychology, sure all of that goes into good football (or bad) to varying degrees. So does execution. and luck. If it makes you feel better to believe that the 9ers are a better team than the Ravens, but simply were beaten because of having less intangibles like "heart" and the wrong "pychology" then by all means believe so. All I know is that the Ravens have beaten the 9ers the last two times they've played them. I think that's because they're more talented. We can agree to disagree.

 

[Marlowe]

28-6 after 55% of the game is played probably had something to do with it.

 

[zombi]

Right it was only 2 yrs ago the Niners were a doormat team, with many years of being a losing team leading up to it. So who wouldn't be happy to be in the NFC title game one year, and Super Bowl the next. MF'ing amazing turnaround really, any team fan would be out of their mind with glee.

This.

The Ravens knew that this was their big chance. It doesn't really matter how good they are in a given year, because 99.9% of the time they are going to be 2nd best at best at best in the AFC North and not make the playoffs let alone SB. the Ravens will not be back to the SB in the next 10 years, but the 9ers could easily be back 4 more times in that space.

Kaepernick, despite the SB loss, still got a shot to get up with Joe Montana if he makes it to the SB 3 x in a row. of course, he would need to start winning those SBs lolz. just ask the Bills, nobody remembers the Bills as the 2nd greatest of all time lolz

 

[Zerox]