SI: 49ers next year's Cards

[Upton]

SI has dubbed the niners as "the most likely team to make a Cardinal-like impact in the NFC next season".. going on to suggest Patrick Willis may be the best inside LB in the NFL.

The NFL's premier franchise is on it's way back.

[Auggie]

1. Link?

Oh, and one minor detail: did they happen mention who was playing Quarterback?

I'm a 49er fan, but I find this prediction...

ABSURD!

:rofl:

[Upton]

4. Check it out

a piece in SI by Ross Tucker...so I don't think the jinx applies.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ross_tucker/02/04/takes/index.html?eref=si_topstories

[Auggie]

12. Don't need a jinx

Tucker's premise is based on what happened last year under a Nolan/Singletary coached team and Martz offense. Two of those coaches are gone. Singletary is untested in coaching a team from scratch and new O.C. coordinator Raye has never been consistently successful. The O-Line is under-sized and lacking a decent tackle. They need a pass rush. They need a better safety. And there's no Quarterback with playoff experience.

Oh, and one more thing: Jed York.

[Upton]

13. As a 49er fan

I should think a little more optimism would be in order. They finished last year 5-2...I see no reason they can't compete for the division this coming season.

I do share your concerns about Raye, I wish they had kept Martz, but he's experienced and will finally provide the 49ers the continuity they've been looking for in the OC position.

[Auggie]

14. One thing in the 49ers favor...

is a softer schedule. There's some optimism for you.

:)

No one wants to see this team excel more than I. And that 5-2 run was a lot of fun last year. But there are many issues to address. When the 49ers make the playoffs I want them ready to go all the way.

[AsahinaKimi]

16. Wishful thinking at best...

Jed York fired Nolan. Hires Singletary. They add Jimmy Raye. Ok, I am part of the 49er Faithful as well, but are you expecting Singletary to walk on water and raise the Niners from the dead now? Please...Stop. Your embarrassing us.. The damn draft hasn't even happened yet. The 49ers MAYBE A BABY step closer to making the playoffs.. or MAYBE A BABY STEP TOWARD winning their division, but are not Superbowl-ready by any means. That's Just insane!

[Upton]

17. Look at it this way

the 49ers finished last year 7-9, two games behind the division winning Cards. If not for the niners coming up 1 yard short in the game against Arizona in the desert...they would have tied for the division title. All this despite the fact that they started 2-7...Singletary finished the season strong at 5-2.

Are the 49ers among the Super Bowl favorites...of course not, but I would suggest there are reasons for optimism...Singletary will get a full season, the NFC West is winnable, and, as was proven by the Cards this year, once you get in the playoffs anything can happen.

[AsahinaKimi]

19. I have more then enough optimism for the 49ers...

But I refuse to be arrogant about our team. Its like Dallas calling the Cowboys "America's Team". All that got them was being hated. I am exciting about next year, but I would not go around boasting until they do win another ring. Let's get there first. Every coach will tell you, you have to play one game at a time.

[madinmaryland]

2. Nice post, cboy.

Yeap.

:spray:

[Upton]

5. Thanks Pacman

[dakota_democrat]

3. How early before a season starts does the SI curse come into play?

[Upton]

6. I think the SI jinx

only applies to their preseason picks on the cover.

[nickgutierrez]

7. Bookmarked.

If - no, not if, when - this doesn't happen, this is getting kicked.

[cboy4]

8. Excellent news.

[Yavin4]

9. As Someone Who Followed The 49er Dynasty in the 80s

That is one really sad statement: "49ers next year's Cards".

Man, how far has that franchise fallen.

[Onceuponalife]

10. So they'll be the next team to blow it in the Super Bowl?

:rofl:

[MrSlayer]

11. They may well be. The NFL is ridiculous anymore.

I've said this before. It's become an 8-8 league with just a few teams better and a few teams worse, except the Lions. Nearly any team can come up and win it all. A bounce or a call here and there is the difference between 11-5 and 7-9. They truly have achieved the parity they wanted.

[KamaAina]

15. So, basically, they're going to suck slightly less than the other three teams in the division,

then catch a few breaks in the playoffs, then almost pull off a monumental SB upset?

Hey, I'd take it.

edit: spelling

[hughee99]

18. Cards? As in "fold like a deck of"?

Willis is awesome, though, but I think you're still a few years away.

[joeybee12]

20. Or as in 9-7?

Congrats to the Cards for this year, but 9-7 usually don't get you into the playoffs.

[cboy4]

21. Arizona folded like a deck of cards? .. If coming within a couple

of minutes of winning a ring against a tough Steelers team is a "collapse," I'll take that opportunity every year.

[hughee99]

22. Actually, I was wondering if he was comparing them

to a different type of cards. SF is in the right division to struggle (which a young team will) and still make the playoffs, but they don't have a seasoned enough offense or defense to make the same type of run the Cardinals did. They are, at best, 2 or 3 years away.