Posted December 6, 2011 by ogbaysean in 2011 SF 49ers. Tagged: city of santa clara, green bay packers, new york giants, nfc standings, skip bayless. 7 Comments

You’d think I’d be celebrating the 49ers’ first NFC West division title since 2002, but I’m not. I should be rejoicing Alex Smith’s renaissance into a quality quarterback too. I should even be stoked the team and City of Santa Clara secured the funding for a new stadium in 2015! But I’d rather not.

I WANT MORE!

Face it, comrades. It’s time to start thinking about the postseason; NFC playoff positioning to be specific. Yes, Jim Mora. I’d like to talk about playoffs.

So let’s dive right into it.

When you look at the current NFC standings, three teams pop out at you. After that, it’s a free-for-all for the 4, 5 & 6 seeds. The team that has all but clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs is the Green Bay Packers.

Who’s got it better than us?! Well, perhaps Green Bay does. Sitting at 12-0, the Packers appear to be invincible. They haven’t even trailed in the 4th quarter this year. And all week ESPN personality Skip Bayless denounced Aaron Rodgers’ ability to lead a meaningful 4th quarter drive. He sure silenced him.

Following a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion from the New York Giants, Rodgers led one of the most impressive drives I’ve ever witnessed. And he did this on the road at MetLife Stadium with only 58 seconds left on the clock. Smooth, systematic, surgical and seriously ridiculous, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense look like the Spartans from 300. They are going 15-1 at worst.

So how the hell do you stop these guys? I’ll tell you how. First of all, you can’t blitz Rodgers. Unless you have Darrelle Revis and Johnathan Joseph as your corners, you aren’t going to get away with releasing the hounds on A-Rodg. He will find the open receiver every single time. Which is why you need your defensive line to have a beastly performance, providing constant pressure on Rodgers without blitzing. Drop everyone else into coverage and pray for the best. And on every snap you need one linebacker to stay home, spying on Rodgers if he scrambles out of the pocket. Rodgers’ scrambling ability is what separates him as the best QB in the league. A daunting task no doubt, but I think I have just the kryptonite.

Which leads me into our San Francisco 49ers, who will most likely clinch the #2 seed in the NFC. Even if the Saints win out and the Niners lose to the Steelers on Monday Night Football, the Niners still hold the tiebreaker should each team go 13-3. They are 8-1 in the conference while the Saints are 6-3.

But back to the lecture at hand, the defensive end and defensive tackle aren’t the sexiest positions in football. However that is where games are won and lost, especially in the playoffs. The Niners’ 3-4 defensive scheme is anchored by three men amongst boys: Justin Smith, Ray McDonald & Isaac Sopoaga. Together they are just what the doctor ordered for Green Bay’s offensive prowess. A team like the Niners will be more competitive against the Packers than the Saints, Giants or Cowboys would, especially in a game played at Lambeau Field. The Niners are much more accustomed to playing in cold, slippery weather.

A change the 49ers must make in order to become more explosive is to play WR Kyle Williams over Braylon Edwards. Though not a big body receiver like Braylon, Kyle is healthier and is a flat out burner. The kid’s got a little Wes Welker in him with his elusiveness, strong hands and ability to stretch the defense like teammate Ted Ginn, Jr.

With the Packers and Niners claiming the top two spots, it’s fair to assume the New Orleans Saints will lock up the NFC’s #3 seed. But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill #3 seed. Let’s forget about their defensive playmakers and concentrate on their offensive weapons. As a proud fantasy football owner of TE Jimmy Graham and RB Darren Sproles, I can tell you that these guys can get up and down the field as well as anybody.

Jimmy Graham is virtually unguardable. Go ahead and put two guys on him because he’s too fast for you to put a linebacker on him and too big to put a defensive back on him. Good luck with that one. Darren Sproles might have the quickest first step in the NFL and changes the game on 3rd down. Graham is Brees’ go-to option on blitzes while Sproles is the preferred screen play target. Similar to Rodgers, if Brees has time to throw he will pick your defense apart. A strong game up front is vital in beating the team hailing from the Big Easy.

As for the winner coming out of the NFC East, I give the nod to the New York Giants. I’ll take Eli Manning over Tony Romo until #9 can prove he can carry his team. I see the Atlanta Falcons sneaking into the playoffs as the #6 seed right behind the Cowboys.

From this we see the two first round matchups:

Falcons at Saints

Cowboys at Giants

So there you have it! Packers, Niners, Saints, Giants, Cowboys & Falcons, respectively. And as far as I’m concerned, the Niners should start watching Saints game film because Drew Brees & Co. are coming to town in January. And Candlestick will be rockin’.

A few random thoughts:

1. The BCS system sucks. Unless you voted for John McCain, nobody wants to watch Alabama play LSU again. Somebody send those Wall Street protestors to go occupy the BCS.

2a. Everyone needs to relax over Tim Tebow. He just beat the 2-10 Vikings. The Broncos haven’t played anyone yet. Until then, I’m not impressed.

2b. Besides, isn’t Tebowing just another form of Christian Pondering?

3. The Miami Marlins are quickly becoming the most athletic and marketable team in Major League Baseball. Hanley, Reyes, Morrison, Stanton and Sanchez? Get real. And what if they sign Pujols?

4. Welcome back, Tiger. Thank you for making the PGA watchable again. It’s people like Jerry Sandusky that keep me coming back to you.

5. Major props to Dallas Cowboy head coach Jason Garrett for icing his own kicker. Jerry Jones was unavailable for comment.

In the time it took you to read this blog, Pat Burrell just made another inappropriate advance on your girlfriend.