Pigskin and Pine Tar

The 49ers and the Seahawks played 3 decisive games last season and made their case for the top rivalry in the NFL. This year, instead of battling for the division crown, the traditional powerhouses are squaring off for the right to chase the league’s best team, the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s what to watch for after your feast:

1. 49ers Linebackers vs Marshawn Lynch

Both of the 49ers premier inside linebackers are out for this game. The last Seattle-San Francisco match up resulted in Navarro Bowman’s grisly ACL injury and team legend Patrick Willis is out with a toe injury. Must be a pretty severe toe injury to put a guy out for a season, but hey, whatever. I can only say that because the rest of the San Francisco linebacker corps has really stepped up. Rookies Chris Borland and Aaron Lynch have played themselves into Rookie of the Year conversation. Borland, a third round pick out of Wisconsin, has been a tackling machine ever since coming into the starting lineup. Lynch, meanwhile, seems to have sorted out the off-field issues that plagued him in college and led to him slipping to the later rounds of the draft and has emerged as a quality pass rusher opposite of Aldon Smith. Smith has been consistently plagued by suspensions during his time in the NFL, but when he is on the field, there are very few better at the outside linebacker position. Michael Wilhoite rounds out a group that many would never have imagined in August. On the other side, is Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. “Beast Mode” is nearly impossible to take down and burned the 49ers in last year’s NFC Championship Game. In the 49ers win over Seattle last year, they contained Lynch, a key factor in any victory over the Seahawks. Despite speculation about locker room fragmentation and Lynch’s issues with the media, the man still runs like a wrecking ball on the field. Lynch’s strength and power is apparent in every run and it will be a difficult task to slow him down. The 49ers must be sound in their tackling fundamentals, take out the legs (cleanly), and wrap up to ensure they get Lynch on the ground.

2. Colin Kaepernick vs The Legion of Boom

Kaepernick is perhaps the league’s most frustrating QB. All the physical talent in the world, but it seems like half the time he doesn’t have the brains to take advantage of it. I can’t count the number of times I have wanted to pull my hair out watching Kaepernick take forever to figure out the play and snap the ball, and have to burn a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty, Half the time they call sixteen different audibles, sent three guys in motion (which is illegal if they are doing it at the same time), snap it with :01 on the clock, and get a paltry two yard gain on third down. It’s excruciating to watch. In addition, Kaepernick seems to take forever to make his reads and ends up taking a sack or chucking it to Crabtree and hoping for the best. (How well did that work out last year?) Then, out of nowhere, Kaepernick is firing bullets through the eye of a needle, picking up yardage in huge chunks, and dropping dimes in full sprint. I don’t understand how someone who is so bad for so much of the game goes into God mode in the clutch. It’s nice to have it, but if we could do it all game long, we wouldn’t need to have thrilling come from behind victories and many Niners fans would have a lot fewer gray hairs. Hopefully he will have solved the problem by the time that becomes a factor for me. This week, Kaepernick cannot amble aimlessly for a 35% completion percentage and 100 yards through three quarters and then kick it into overdrive in the fourth. That type of play will cut it against an awful Washington team, but if Kaepernick plays like that against the likes of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor, it will be a long day for the 49ers. Thomas, Chancellor, and Sherman are among the leagues best and Sherman seems to have a personal hatred for Michael Crabtree, Kaepernick’ s favorite receiver. Crabtree could shut Sherman up real quick by doing well against him, but Sherman has had the better end of this match up for a few years now. It’s an interesting phenomenon, because as poorly as Crabtree plays against Sherman, he owns Patrick Peterson, who many consider to be the superior corner. Thomas is the best safety in the game and Kaepernick will need to bring his A game if the 49ers want to come out on top.

3. 49ers D-Line vs Russel Wilson

Russel Wilson is one of the league’s premier scrambling quarterbacks. Blessed with an innate ability to run and throw on the run, Wilson has evolved from a game manager to a bona fide star. Wilson burns teams on the ground and through the air, and has carried the Seahawks to several victories this year that they would not have won without him. Keeping Wilson contained will be up to Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, and Quinton Dial. It will be a tough task for 30 year old, 6-5, 300 pound linemen to chase after a fleet footed athlete in his prime. Nobody said it would be easy, but it’s time to step up for this experienced line. Dial is just a rookie but has been used extensively due to many D-Line injuries. Smith and McDonald are seasoned veterans used to playing in big-time games such as this one. Football games are won and lost in the trenches, and it will be no different when this one kicks off at 5:00.

San Francisco is playing at home, taking away the Seahawks’ ace in the hole, their dominant home field advantage. Still, I just don’t trust Colin Kaepernick enough to call the 49ers winning this one. I hope Kaepernick proves me wrong. One way or another, it’ll be a thriller. Happy Thanksgiving!

As promised, so delivered.

1. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals were already pretty good in 2013. They won 10 games and were the only team to beat the Seahawks at home. Michael Floyd and Tyrann Mathieu emerged as young playmakers and Carson Palmer had a career saving revival. Despite all that, the Cardinals were edged out of the playoffs in a tough NFC. If the Cardinals had played in the AFC, they would have been in the conference championship game. This year. Mathieu is back after a torn ACL sidelined him prematurely last season. The Cardinals are also getting back Jonathon Cooper, their 1st round pick from a year ago. Cooper missed all of his rookie campaign with a broken leg suffered in training camp. The Cardinals also added talented safety Deone Bucannon in the first round of this year’s draft. A secondary of Bucannon, Mathieu, Antonio Cromartie, and Patrick Peterson ranks as one of the league’s best. Offensively, the Cardinals started slow last year before Carson Palmer really picked it up after some early stumbles. The Cardinals play in a killer division with powerhouses Seattle and SF and the talented young Rams. This year, they will capture the second NFC Wild Card spot.

2.  Chicago Bears

Da Bears. I’m cheating a little bit here, picking them after they beat the Niners, but the talent is there. The offense is simply unstoppable and the defense stepped up nicely last week.  Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey are both monster receivers with terrific hands. You can’t double team both of them. That doesn’t mention Matt Forte, perhaps the league’s most dynamic receiving back. QB Jay Cutler may have the most natural arm talent in the NFL when he can stay on the field. The defense raises major concerns, especially now that Lance Briggs is getting a little long in the tooth and Charles Tillman is done for the season with a triceps injury. Rookie Kyle Fuller looked really good against San Francisco last week. The NFC North features 4 teams with major flaws. If the Bears stay healthy, they could steal the division.

3. Detroit Lions

Much like the Bears, this team is loaded with offensive talent. Matthew Stafford has an absolute cannon, Calvin Johnson is an all-time great, and Reggie Bush is a threat in either the passing game or on the ground. This year, they’ve finally added a legitimate number 2 receiver in Golden Tate. Tate has spent his entire career to this point with the Seattle Seahawks, and he was a key piece in their championship run last year. Tate has great hands, which is a perfect fit for the Lions because the number one issue for Detroit receivers other than Megatron last year was drops. They also added an exciting young tight end in Eric Ebron. On defense, DeAndre Levy is making a name for himself as one of the premier linebackers in the NFL. Detroit has the talent to go 10-6 or 11-5

 

The majority of football experts are blowing off the rough start by the 49ers to the preseason. No reason to panic, they say. The 49ers have gone to the NFC Championship Game the past three years, they say. They will figure it out by the start of the season, they say. I’m not so sure about that. The 49ers have lost by a combined score of 57-3 over their first two preseason games. I see a complete lack of fire from any of the units, whether it be first, second, or third string. These guys have been on a brutal grind since May in preparation for the season. They risk their bodies and health for the game they love, and the privilege to play the game of football at the highest level, and they can’t even get hyped for a preseason game? Much was made of the 49ers new and improved receiving corps this offseason. Stevie Johnson, Bruce Ellington, Brandon Lloyd. So far, it looks like it will be back to the status quo, the Anquan and Vernon show. Crabtree, the team’s number one receiver, has dealt with a variety of nagging injuries this offseason and has a less than stellar injury history. The defense, once so feared and highly touted, has fallen off. NaVorro Bowman, perhaps the league’s best linebacker, won’t be back until midseason and most likely will not be back to full strength until 2015. Veteran enforcer  Strong Safety Donte Whitner went home to Cleveland before it was cool (@Lebron). Aldon Smith will likely face a minimum of a 4 game suspension. Starting corner Tarell Brown and veteran Carlos Rodgers departed in free agency, thrusting the unproven Chris Culliver into a starting role. Kapernick has looked fairly decent in his small sample size. That’s huge, considering how awful his backups have been. Blaine Gabbert is one of the worst statistical passers in the past 20 years of NFL history. He simply is not accurate-a key trait for a QB at any level. Backups Josh Johnson and McLeod Bethel-Thompson haven’t been much better. All 3 backups are turning the ball over way too much. In addition, the division isn’t getting any easier. The defending Super Bowl Champs up north aren’t going anywhere. Arizona’s offense looks crisp and Michael Floyd is primed to become a Pro Bowl caliber player. Arizona also features a secondary to rival the Seahawks: Antonio Cromartie, Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, and first round pick Deone Bucannon from Washington State University. That’s downright scary. The Rams, last year’s doormats, have 2 of the top 15 picks from last year’s draft  and have a ferocious defensive line with Robert Quinn and Chris Long to go along with a much improved offense. They feature a much improved QB in young Sam Bradford who has looked sharp, and a bruiser and break neck combo of Zac Stacy and Tavon Austin to wear down defenses. The 49ers are going to have to step in up in 2014. An offense that looked inert so often last season will have to make up for a weakened defense, reversing a trend that has been in place since Harbaugh has taken over in the city by the bay. The season rests on the shoulder pads of No.7. Nobody knows yet if he can bear the burden. He certainly couldn’t last year. If that continues into 2014, it will truly be Panic Time for the San Francisco 49ers.

First of all, it’s way too early to be making these predictions. The preseason hasn’t even started yet and a lot could change between now and September. Forgetting all that, here are 5 teams destined for failure in 2014.

1. Dallas Cowboys.
The offense is full of question marks. Will Jason Witten be the same player at as he ages? Can Dez Bryant stay out of trouble? Who will be the other receiver opposite of Bryant? Can Tony Romo stay healthy? Do I even want Romo to start if I’m a Cowboys fan? (The answer to the last question is yes-If Romo gets hurt, Cowboys fans are looking at Brandon Weeden as their starting QB.) Romo has been one of the most un-clutch quarterbacks in recent memory. His regular season numbers are very good, but he always seems to find a way to mess up late in games and cost his team a victory, even if it’s something as simple as holding a snap for a field goal. Bryant is a poor man’s Calvin Johnson, which is still pretty darn good. However, Bryant is a hothead who is likely to get himself into trouble off the field, troubling news for an organization short on receivers. Running backs DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar are talented, but injury prone and inconsistent. Then there’s the defense. I’d like to say the defense has some holes in it. In truth, the entire defense is a hole in the team. When defense accounts for 45% of the team and the game, you’ve got a problem. Dallas let DeMarcus Ware walk, one of the league’s best pass rushers of the last decade, and then defense anchor Sean Lee went down for the year with a torn ACL. The defense was a question mark before the Lee injury, but now it’s generally believed that the Dallas defense will be among the League’s worst.

Predicted Record: 6-10 (-2)

2. Houston Texans

The good news for Texans fans is that it’s hard to get much worse that 2013’s 2-14 debacle. The bad news is that it’s not likely to get much better. The Texans axed Gary Kubiak an tossed Matt Schuab to the trash heap last offseason in a rebuilding effort. They replaced Kubiak with Bill O’Brien and Scuab with Ryan Fitzpatrick. O’Brien is thought of as a quality coach but it will be tough to win with this roster. Fitzpatrick is a mid-level backup in the NFL, but not starter material. Rookie Tom Savage has potential but is a couple years away from being ready to start. There’s no gurantee that bell cow Arian Foster wil stay healthy, and quality backup Ben Tate has left to pursue the starting job in Cleveland. Aging star receiver Andre Johnson is unhappy with the Texans having to start another rebuilding process but is unlikely to be traded. No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney just had sugery to repair a sports hernia. A healthy Clowney, JJ Watt, and Brian Cushing would form a terrific defensive trio to build around. No one question’s Watt’s greatness, but Cushing is injury prone and Clowney unproven. There is hope down the line, with Clowney and talented young receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Just not this year.

Predicted Record: 4-12 (+2)

3. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers won 12 games in 2013 and were one of the NFL’s top teams. The talent in Carolina is too great for this team to truly flop, but they will drop in the standings. The NFC south has retooled and amped up the pressure. The Saints went out and got Jarius Byrd, one of the league’s top safties. The Buccaneers have a new coach and offensive coordinator ready to turn Tampa Bay’s potential into production. The Falcons are gettign Julio Jones and Roddy White back, and added tackle Jake Matthews in the draft. Every team in the NFC south got better except for…Carolina. Cam Newton is as great an athlete in the world alive today. The guy can do it all. Unfortunatley, it doesn’t look like he is going to get any help on the offensive side of the ball. Steve Smith, a Panthers legend, was uncerimoniously booted from the team as they chose not to resign him. Ted Ginn Jr and Brandon LaFell are gone. DeAngelo Williams is old and Jonathan Stewart is injury prone, so there won’t be much help from the running backs. Defenesively, they still have reigning Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly and great defensive lineman. I don’t think the defense can do enough to get them back into the playoffs.

Predicted record: 8-8 (-2)

4. Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City got off to a blazing 9-0 start before falling off to finish 11-5 and get dropped in the first round of the playoffs. KC played a ridiculously easy schedule in 2013, aided by the fact that they had the worst record in 2012 (which gives you the easiest schedule the following season) and the fact that the play the Raiders twice a year. The Chiefs will have tougher schedule in 2014 and enter the season with several questions. The Chiefs narrowly avoided losses to the Bills and Browns last year, two of the league’s worst teams. The receiving core in 2014 is weak and the defense has been plagued by injury so far this offseason. There’s no doubt that the Chiefs were better in 2013 than in 2012, but how many of the 11 wins came by luck rather than skill is up for debate. The Chiefs will take a step back in 2014 but still have a chance to make the playoffs in a weak AFC conference.

Predicted Record: 7-9 (-4)

Let me know who you think will burn out next season. Teams that will rise coming soon.