Chopra: Backed Against a Corner
Backed Against a Corner, the 49ers Find a Way to Win
by Vini Chopra - 'The Vin'
It's Tuesday morning and by this time most NFL teams are washing away the stenches or riches of Sunday's happenings. Most teams and their players have begun to focus on next week's opponent, paying keen attention to their mistakes just a short 48 hours ago. This is fine for most NFL franchises; however, when you're a 49er's fan you have to learn to savor these wins that the team puts out every now and then. Afterall, in the previous three years the 49ers have only managed to win 11 out of 39 games (a woeful 28% winning percentage). So first and foremost, pardon this 49er fan for clinging to this win, but just like viewing one of those fancy comets, you never know when you'll have the oppurtunity to see another one. One thing that the 49er fans saw this week was a new attitude resulting from the team being backed into a corner (or hung off of a ledge, depending on how realistic you are) and desperate for results.
Full Story...
In all of the previous weeks, the 49ers had seen the worst of the worst. The season began on a positive note, with an unlikely win against the rival St. Louis Rams. Since that win, the 49ers had managed to lose five in a row, all in one form of demoralization or the other. From heartbreaking losses (Cowboys game) to embarassment on foreign soil (a blowout loss to the Cardinals in the NFL's first game outside of the U.S. in Mexico) and the Revenge of the Gibbs (a 52-17 loss just two weeks ago to the Redskins), the 49ers weren't just headed for disaster, but they were also embarassing themselves and the history of the franchise along the way. For example, on one reiteration of ESPN's NFL Live Ron Jowarski proudly claimed that the 49ers were so bad that they deserved to give back one of their Lombardi Trophies. Ouch. And there wasn't a single thing the 49ers could say about these shots, being that the team was down and out for the 10 count.
But like Rocky Balboa before them, the 49ers bounced back on Sunday as a result of desperation and hunger. Here was a team with nothing to lose; a team that had been the butt of every joke in the NFL for weeks. With John York's PR department working on overtime, the 49ers even managed to concoct the "Red Fog," a rally cry for fans to show their support by covering the stadium in red to illicit fear in the opposition. At least that was the theory. Judging by the crowd size when I attended the game, it wasn't exactly red in every corner or engulfing, but the show of support was strong by the few that showed up. Much like the team before their eyes, the San Francisco 49er fans were also tired of Monday mornings at the office and constant harassment from co-workers and Raider fans alike. So team and fans in unison, all backed into that coffin corner, managed to spark some excitement.
Along the way, players such as Cody Pickett, a hard but unheralded worker, stepped up and made major plays. The Cody Picketts of the team, the guys who aren't necessarily known but that work hard and show determination by doing all that is necessary, are the types of players that the 49ers need more of on this team. While Ken Dorsey floated and flopped passes left and right, Pickett's presence ignited fans and team with chants of "CODY CODY CODY!" and hugs from the offensive linemen just because the former rodeo star actually completed a pass (a rarity when Dorsey is behind center).
Whether this was only a one night stand, a fling, a sign of desperation that'll quickly melt over into the same mediocrity we have witnessed in weeks past remains a mystery. But perhaps the team has learned a thing or two in this win. The team seemed much looser, at least on the defensive side of the ball, than the previous weeks. Whereas before players were scared to make mistakes, blow coverages, or add pressure, this week saw the DBs play without as much remorse and a "We just need to go out and play" type of attitude. That idea, of improvement rather than winning the NFC West, will very much improve players. But don't let reality deceive you. The 49ers are still not a playoff calibre roster. The difference in the 2nd half of the season will instead have to be felt with the level of enthusiasm, effort, and will that the team shows. That is if the team continues to improve and show up in the form of this victory against the Buccaneers, rather than the team that laid a fat egg in Washington.
One thing is enjoyable though. For the first time in five weeks, the 49ers fans get to rub it into a playoff calibre team like the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers learned the painful lesson that should a team fall into that lonely, empty corner and be forced into desperation, they are fully capable of anything. The 49ers need to be that team more often. Kudos on the win.
Filed Under: 49ers
by Vini Chopra - 'The Vin'
It's Tuesday morning and by this time most NFL teams are washing away the stenches or riches of Sunday's happenings. Most teams and their players have begun to focus on next week's opponent, paying keen attention to their mistakes just a short 48 hours ago. This is fine for most NFL franchises; however, when you're a 49er's fan you have to learn to savor these wins that the team puts out every now and then. Afterall, in the previous three years the 49ers have only managed to win 11 out of 39 games (a woeful 28% winning percentage). So first and foremost, pardon this 49er fan for clinging to this win, but just like viewing one of those fancy comets, you never know when you'll have the oppurtunity to see another one. One thing that the 49er fans saw this week was a new attitude resulting from the team being backed into a corner (or hung off of a ledge, depending on how realistic you are) and desperate for results.
Full Story...
In all of the previous weeks, the 49ers had seen the worst of the worst. The season began on a positive note, with an unlikely win against the rival St. Louis Rams. Since that win, the 49ers had managed to lose five in a row, all in one form of demoralization or the other. From heartbreaking losses (Cowboys game) to embarassment on foreign soil (a blowout loss to the Cardinals in the NFL's first game outside of the U.S. in Mexico) and the Revenge of the Gibbs (a 52-17 loss just two weeks ago to the Redskins), the 49ers weren't just headed for disaster, but they were also embarassing themselves and the history of the franchise along the way. For example, on one reiteration of ESPN's NFL Live Ron Jowarski proudly claimed that the 49ers were so bad that they deserved to give back one of their Lombardi Trophies. Ouch. And there wasn't a single thing the 49ers could say about these shots, being that the team was down and out for the 10 count.
But like Rocky Balboa before them, the 49ers bounced back on Sunday as a result of desperation and hunger. Here was a team with nothing to lose; a team that had been the butt of every joke in the NFL for weeks. With John York's PR department working on overtime, the 49ers even managed to concoct the "Red Fog," a rally cry for fans to show their support by covering the stadium in red to illicit fear in the opposition. At least that was the theory. Judging by the crowd size when I attended the game, it wasn't exactly red in every corner or engulfing, but the show of support was strong by the few that showed up. Much like the team before their eyes, the San Francisco 49er fans were also tired of Monday mornings at the office and constant harassment from co-workers and Raider fans alike. So team and fans in unison, all backed into that coffin corner, managed to spark some excitement.
Along the way, players such as Cody Pickett, a hard but unheralded worker, stepped up and made major plays. The Cody Picketts of the team, the guys who aren't necessarily known but that work hard and show determination by doing all that is necessary, are the types of players that the 49ers need more of on this team. While Ken Dorsey floated and flopped passes left and right, Pickett's presence ignited fans and team with chants of "CODY CODY CODY!" and hugs from the offensive linemen just because the former rodeo star actually completed a pass (a rarity when Dorsey is behind center).
Whether this was only a one night stand, a fling, a sign of desperation that'll quickly melt over into the same mediocrity we have witnessed in weeks past remains a mystery. But perhaps the team has learned a thing or two in this win. The team seemed much looser, at least on the defensive side of the ball, than the previous weeks. Whereas before players were scared to make mistakes, blow coverages, or add pressure, this week saw the DBs play without as much remorse and a "We just need to go out and play" type of attitude. That idea, of improvement rather than winning the NFC West, will very much improve players. But don't let reality deceive you. The 49ers are still not a playoff calibre roster. The difference in the 2nd half of the season will instead have to be felt with the level of enthusiasm, effort, and will that the team shows. That is if the team continues to improve and show up in the form of this victory against the Buccaneers, rather than the team that laid a fat egg in Washington.
One thing is enjoyable though. For the first time in five weeks, the 49ers fans get to rub it into a playoff calibre team like the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers learned the painful lesson that should a team fall into that lonely, empty corner and be forced into desperation, they are fully capable of anything. The 49ers need to be that team more often. Kudos on the win.
Filed Under: 49ers
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