SPORTS BALL!!! v2.0

[Xprimentyl]

What the last game taught me, as a 49ers fan, was to stop following football discourse. We win 4 games in a row, we're unstoppable juggernauts! MVP of all time for Brock Purdy! CAN THIS MAN BE STOPPED?!

Lose two games in a row "The 49ers are frauds. They were never that good. Brock Purdy's been getting lucky."

Are you new to sports fandom/discourse? This is nothing new or surprising. The more success anyone has, the higher the standard, and the more hyperbolic the questions become following defeat. This is what you get when 3 hours of game time is all anyone has to talk about the other 165 hours a week between games. The Niners are still a team to beat, and the other 31 teams are more than capable of doing so. "Any given Sunday" is an adage I've learned to live by during my +30 years of 49ers fandom, and have learned to take criticism in stride. ONE team has gone undefeated and won a Super Bowl, and ONE team has gone undefeated and lost a Super Bowl, so given the nearly 60 years of the Super Bowl era, that tells us that by far and away, no team wins every game. 2 losses following a string of substantial success is not the end of the world nor a reason to question a team's credibility. I mean with a record of 5-2, our two losses total a single touchdown; that's not bad given we handed out our far share of double-digit victories over teams who don't have a comparable record.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Texas Rangers won their first MLB World Series last night .13 years living in Texas, and for the first time, I actually felt a twinge of pride in one of Texas' sports teams. Not a whole lot of pride; I don't even follow baseball, but I'm friends with enough Rangers fans to be happy for them. I actually watched the game which is unprecedented.

 

[Kyrian007]

One of my colleagues is a lifelong Rangers fan. As a Blackhawks fan I totally get what he was feeling yesterday. The 'Hawks hadn't won a Stanley Cup in roughly the same amount of time the Rangers have been without a World Series win. The team I cared the most about hadn't ever won a championship in my whole lifetime. Then finally, in 2010... I can still see that final OT goal in my head. Kane celebrating as he skates back down the ice while everyone else is waiting for the signal because Kane is the only one who really saw it go in. Towes handing the cup off to Hossa, then the long suffering and fan favorite Pat Sharp. It's all burned into my memory. It's going to be the same for him with the Rangers World Series win. I am glad he gets to enjoy that.

Oh, and I hope a bye week helps the 'Niners shake off... whatever it is. Two weeks ago I'd have said you then have a couple of good "get right" games after the bye... but even Jacksonville is looking a little touch-and-go after the last few weeks.

 

[Xprimentyl]

One of my colleagues is a lifelong Rangers fan. As a Blackhawks fan I totally get what he was feeling yesterday. The 'Hawks hadn't won a Stanley Cup in roughly the same amount of time the Rangers have been without a World Series win. The team I cared the most about hadn't ever won a championship in my whole lifetime. Then finally, in 2010... I can still see that final OT goal in my head. Kane celebrating as he skates back down the ice while everyone else is waiting for the signal because Kane is the only one who really saw it go in. Towes handing the cup off to Hossa, then the long suffering and fan favorite Pat Sharp. It's all burned into my memory. It's going to be the same for him with the Rangers World Series win. I am glad he gets to enjoy that.

It has been pretty cool for Rangers' fans down here. Even the news teams have eschewed their professional attire for Rangers gear the past couple of days. They actually cancelled classes in several independent school districts in North Texas to accommodate the parade slated for this afternoon. It's madness, but as a die-hard fan of sports, I get it, and I'm happy for them (I'm still advocating for the Monday after the Super Bowl to be a National Holiday, so who am I to judge?) That said, I will enjoy the parade vicariously from as much afar as I can muster. Arlington traffic sucks on any given Tuesday at 10am; can't imagine what it's going to look like this Friday at NOON with road closures and thousands of rabid fans trying to get a glimpse of their first-time champions.

Oh, and I hope a bye week helps the 'Niners shake off... whatever it is. Two weeks ago I'd have said you then have a couple of good "get right" games after the bye... but even Jacksonville is looking a little touch-and-go after the last few weeks.

"It" is Steve Wilks (Niners' defensive coordinator,) missing Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel, and offensive play calling that leans so heavily on McCaffrey (also nursing injury) that our scheme has looked more like the menu at In-N-Out Burger than an enigma that baffles defenses. Also, I think Brock Purdy's confidence has been shaken a bit. The whole "Mr. Irrelevant" talk while he quietly went on the kind of Tom Brady-esque tear that no one expected from a dead-last pick set expectations a little higher than reality predicts; I just hope these lows haven't scared him away from being the QB he was, playing for a chance to prove himself and nothing to lose.

That said, as an effectively life-long fan who's feels as passionatly about the losing seasons as the winning ones, the house is NOT on fire. We still have the talent to make the run for a SB, and adding Chase Young? Yeah, if Wilks can pull his head out of his ass, we can be formidable again. Added bonus, as an Ohio boy and Buckeyes fanatic, seeing Chase Young and Nick Bosa on the same team again, and it's MY NFL team, I couldn't be happier. QBs, be afraid. Be VERY afraid. These Buckeye Boyz comin' for ya', and ya' ain't finna stop 'em both...

​

 

[Phoenixmgs]

"It" is Steve Wilks (Niners' defensive coordinator,) missing Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel, and offensive play calling that leans so heavily on McCaffrey (also nursing injury) that our scheme has looked more like the menu at In-N-Out Burger than an enigma that baffles defenses. Also, I think Brock Purdy's confidence has been shaken a bit. The whole "Mr. Irrelevant" talk while he quietly went on the kind of Tom Brady-esque tear that no one expected from a dead-last pick set expectations a little higher than reality predicts; I just hope these lows haven't scared him away from being the QB he was, playing for a chance to prove himself and nothing to lose.

That said, as an effectively life-long fan who's feels as passionatly about the losing seasons as the winning ones, the house is NOT on fire. We still have the talent to make the run for a SB, and adding Chase Young? Yeah, if Wilks can pull his head out of his ass, we can be formidable again. Added bonus, as an Ohio boy and Buckeyes fanatic, seeing Chase Young and Nick Bosa on the same team again, and it's MY NFL team, I couldn't be happier. QBs, be afraid. Be VERY afraid. These Buckeye Boyz comin' for ya', and ya' ain't finna stop 'em both...

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I still think the Niners are the best team in the NFC. The Eagles are definitely in the conversation, but the Cowboys are pretenders like always, the Lions are solid but that's it, and even though the Seahawks lead the division, nobody is scared of them at all.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I still think the Niners are the best team in the NFC. The Eagles are definitely in the conversation, but the Cowboys are pretenders like always, the Lions are solid but that's it, and even though the Seahawks lead the division, nobody is scared of them at all.

I personally feel the Niners the best team in the NFL, but I'm biased.

Seriously though, while I appreciate the vote of confidence, "Any Given Sunday" are words I've lived by since forever; I don't look past any team. There's a lot of ball left this season, and time will tell who's the "best," but the only game I'm thinking about today is the Jaguars next week.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I personally feel the Niners the best team in the NFL, but I'm biased.

Seriously though, while I appreciate the vote of confidence, "Any Given Sunday" are words I've lived by since forever; I don't look past any team. There's a lot of ball left this season, and time will tell who's the "best," but the only game I'm thinking about today is the Jaguars next week.

The AFC doesn't look as good as promised but the Bengals look like they're back, you can't count out the Chiefs with Mahones (but they aren't looking that dominant), the Dolphins can't play a physical game, I don't trust Lamar as legit playoff QB, and the Bills are the Bills.

But yeah, anyone can win any week but I don't trust many teams in playing 3-4 straight good games against good teams in the playoffs.

 

[Xprimentyl]

My Niners pulled off a convincing win yesterday against the Jaguars, a team all the pundits have been raving over given they HAD the longest winning streak in the league until we punched them in the mouth, 34-3.

Highlight of the game? The play in the 2nd quarter when BOTH Nick Bosa and his old Ohio State teammate Chase Young (recently picked up from the Commanders) got to Trevor Lawrence at the same time! It was the kind of glorious that words can't accurately describe. Transcendent? Euphoric?

 

[BrawlMan]

Lions win last night! It was really close game that had my family on edge. The Lions can use a good motivation. Not every game is going to be an easy victory no matter how much fans or the audience who want it to be.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Jesus, did anyone (@Offworlder) watch the Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills game last night?? Broncos squeaked it out, 24-22. How? Because the Bills put on a master class lesson on how to beat yourself. That was hate masturbation. I think Bills' Josh Allen had more completions to the defense than his own offence, and their defense looked like a 19th century piece of cheese cloth that belonged in the Smithsonian.

I had no dog in the fight; I didn't really care who won, but at some point, I found myself pulling for the Bills, if only because I couldn't watch the meltdown of a team once favored for a deep playoff run anymore (and that's coming from a Niners' fan who watched 3 losses in a row, but none so egregious that I thought we'd given up.) Allen is simply too talented for the kinds of mistakes he made last night.

 

[Offworlder]

Jesus, did anyone (@Offworlder) watch the Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills game last night?? Broncos squeaked it out, 24-22. How? Because the Bills put on a master class lesson on how to beat yourself. That was hate masturbation. I think Bills' Josh Allen had more completions to the defense than his own offence, and their defense looked like a 19th century piece of cheese cloth that belonged in the Smithsonian.

I had no dog in the fight; I didn't really care who won, but at some point, I found myself pulling for the Bills, if only because I couldn't watch the meltdown of a team once favored for a deep playoff run anymore (and that's coming from a Niners' fan who watched 3 losses in a row, but none so egregious that I thought we'd given up.) Allen is simply too talented for the kinds of mistakes he made last night.

I watched the replay and yeah, that was something. Like most sports fans I was reactionary to the start of the season, we're slowly clawing back. I don't want to be reactionary again buT WE'RE WINNING THE WHOLE THING THIS YEAR. Nah, but it's something it build on. If we go from strength to strength things might be looking up come next season, even if this was a squeaked out win won off a cheap special teams penalty its a win.

What was most interesting was the Bills reaction to the game. Firing the OC and players refusing to give interviews. I wonder if there's more going on underneath and that's whats causing the instability on both sides of the ball. It felt more like they gave us the game than won and that's not the firs time they've refused to win a game in recent memory. With be an interesting second half of the season for both teams for sure.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I watched the replay and yeah, that was something. Like most sports fans I was reactionary to the start of the season, we're slowly clawing back. I don't want to be reactionary again buT WE'RE WINNING THE WHOLE THING THIS YEAR. Nah, but it's something it build on. If we go from strength to strength things might be looking up come next season, even if this was a squeaked out win won off a cheap special teams penalty its a win.

What was most interesting was the Bills reaction to the game. Firing the OC and players refusing to give interviews. I wonder if there's more going on underneath and that's whats causing the instability on both sides of the ball. It felt more like they gave us the game than won and that's not the firs time they've refused to win a game in recent memory. With be an interesting second half of the season for both teams for sure.

The Broncos certainly have some momentum, and I wish them nothing but the best; anyone in the same division as the Chiefs has my support. But the Bills lost that game more than the Broncos won it; you're right. It was a comedy of errors; that 12-men on that last kick was nothing short of the icing on the cake being consumed by those who think the league is rigged. I mean, you can't write a better story than a Super Bowl-potential team losing to remotely playoff-bound underdog team after an insipidly stupid special teams blunder with the 12 men on the field. What are the chances the offense misses a game-winning chip shot at the same time the defense has 12 men on the field??? And it wasn't one guy jogging off while the offence snaps the ball; motherfuckers were lined up like everything was all good!!! My girlfriend actually commented on how unexpectedly passionate I got [for the Bills] towards then end of the game, and I had to assure her that, as a football fan, watching it played badly, even by a team you care nothing for, is almost as painful as watching a team you love lose.

I think firing the OC was a knee-jerk reaction; someone's head had to roll after that travesty, and they went as far up as they could without rattling the tenuous cages of the fundamental organization. Josh Allen has the most turnovers of any QB in the league, but given the life and hope he's given the team the past few years, they'll fire the stadium janitor before questioning replacing him. I'm not suggesting they should replace Allen, just noting that a dude lost his job because Allen insists on playing superhero ball when at times the team just needs an accountant, i.e.: a 5-yard check down for a first down is a lot more helpful than a 35-yard bomb that gets intercepted.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Eagles vs. Chiefs was a decent game. Didn't go the way I wanted, but a good game is a good game. It was odd seeing neither team really showing the dominance prescribed to them, but both showing the competency and ability to win. It was a game that held my attention from start to finish because it could literally have gone either way at any moment. I wanted the Chiefs to win only because the Eagles' win put my Niners #1 seed in the NFC that much further from reach, but as a fanatic believer, I don't look at homefield advantage as "necessary" i.e.: we can come to your house and beat you if that's what it takes. Homefield would be great, but the game is played on the ground, not on a map. Besides, Niners' fan travel well; we can make any game a home game when we're looking like the Super Bowl is a real possibility.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

With the current game being Commanders vs Cowboys, and considering the holiday (Happy T-day by the way) it got me thinking, who the hell chose the new name? Given its implied connection to their last name, is it really any less offensive. Was it not U.S. military forces that drove the indigenous off their land in the first place, ultimately “commanding” them unto the Trail of Tears? FFS the DC can’t even get this right.

Then when all is said and done much of the vacated land was turned into goddamn slave plantations. God bless America.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Today I learned the origins of the iconic “We are Penn State” chant that’s been a rallying cry at the Penn State University events for decades. Apparently, in the 1940s, Penn State (PSU) was to meet Southern Methodist University (SMU) for a football game, but in the then segregated south. SMU wanted to meet with PSU to discuss PSU leaving their two black players behind, and a white player simple said “We are Penn State. There will be no meeting.”

As an Ohio State Buckeye fan, I’m hardcoded to dislike the other teams in the Big 10, so I’ve no love for Penn State, but that is a cool story, and I gained a little respect for their chant at least.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I went into yesterday's 49ers vs Eagles game with extreme reticence. The latter has the winningest record in the league and it was a home game for them in the rain. I hoped my Niners would keep it close, but felt in my bones that we would ultimately lose...

We did not lose. WE BEAT THE EAGLES, 42 - 19!!!!!

​

My cousin, a HUGE Eagles fan, won't pick up his phone or answer my texts. I'm worried about him. Is it too soon to contact local authorities to do a wellness check on him?

 

[BrawlMan]

Lions won their game yesterday! Tough one.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Lions won their game yesterday! Tough one.

The Saints are my neutral team, the only team I actively root for when not rooting for my Niners. That was a hard one to watch, even as my gf sat across from me with her Alvin Kamara jersey, I found myself going for both teams: 1.) I love the Saints, and 2.) I like seeing "rebuilding" teams showing that the rebuild is actually working. Well fought. I'm actually happy for the Lions. They've been a laughing stock forever, then, they pop up this year as formidable contenders. I would love to see a deep playoff run for the Lions. I don't wan to see them past my Niners, but am glad they've shaken up the NFC North; who'd have thought the Packers and Vikings would be 3 games down from the front of the pack this year?? Well played, Lions; if we meet in the playoffs, I hope we put you down with the respect you've garnered this year.

That said, I think Taysom Hill might be my favorite non-Niner player in the league. He plays damn-near every position for the Saints, and does so with the kind of selfless aplomb that is simply inspiring and magnetic. He's the wildcard that the coach pulls when the defense needs to be thrown off guard, and he does it willingly. I bought my gf a Hill jersey for Christmas, and this is before hearing her say "put Taysom in!!!" a dozen times yesterday.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I went into yesterday's 49ers vs Eagles game with extreme reticence. The latter has the winningest record in the league and it was a home game for them in the rain. I hoped my Niners would keep it close, but felt in my bones that we would ultimately lose...

We did not lose. WE BEAT THE EAGLES, 42 - 19!!!!!

​

My cousin, a HUGE Eagles fan, won't pick up his phone or answer my texts. I'm worried about him. Is it too soon to contact local authorities to do a wellness check on him?

I picked the Niners to win but put them the lowest in my confidence pool, I should've put them higher over a few other games though (without the hindsight obviously). I figure the Eagles at best have an edge in a close game but if the game is to be a blowout, it would be the Niners doing it (which they did do), the Eagles weren't doing that unless there's a few weird turnovers and special teams plays.

I still wanna see some games the Niners have to come back in to see how well they (mainly Purdy) do in that situation but, if healthy, Niners definitely seem like the best team in the league by quite a bit honestly, especially after trading for Young.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I picked the Niners to win but put them the lowest in my confidence pool, I should've put them higher over a few other games though (without the hindsight obviously). I figure the Eagles at best have an edge in a close game but if the game is to be a blowout, it would be the Niners doing it (which they did do), the Eagles weren't doing that unless there's a few weird turnovers and special teams plays.

I still wanna see some games the Niners have to come back in to see how well they (mainly Purdy) do in that situation but, if healthy, Niners definitely seem like the best team in the league by quite a bit honestly, especially after trading for Young.

The Young trade made offences have to account for a lot. I was knee-jerk mad that Young and Bosa didn't see more action yesterday, but realized that was because the offence was throwing everything at them. That left holes for receivers and running backs; more power to them.

Yes, we've yet to be tested for a true comeback, but that also bodes well for that fact we haven't had to. I believe in Purdy (was wearing his jersey yesterday; ) he reminds me of Steve Young insofar as he's inherited a franchise with a storied history and capability that he simply needs to live up to, and he's doing it. I just hope we stay healthy, because injuries have been the deciding factor for us the past few years.