San Francisco 49ers: What a Difference a Year and a Coach Make

[hordman]

got this off the Big Lead Sports blog:

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/10/10/san-francisco-49ers-what-a-difference-a-year-and-a-coach-make/

depressing to read that and think that Ross could have had Harbaugh come to MIA and clean house. THAT would have been nice.

[Sunstroke]

As a diehard 49ers fan since the 70's, it does my heart good to see a new coach having such a positive effect on the players. It has been soooo long since I've seen my Niners go into games this well-prepared, with this level of confidence... It is a beautiful thing to see.

Still not 100% behind Alex Smith though...I am still waiting for the Colin Kaepernick era to begin.

[CF DolFan]

got this off the Big Lead Sports blog:

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/10/10/san-francisco-49ers-what-a-difference-a-year-and-a-coach-make/

depressing to read that and think that Ross could have had Harbaugh come to MIA and clean house. THAT would have been nice.

I don't think we ever really had a shot at Harbaugh.

[Sunstroke]

Good article on Coach Harbaugh in today's SF Gate:

http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2011/10/10/jim-harbaughs-imprint-starting-to-show/

I don't think we ever really had a shot at Harbaugh.

You're right...he was SF-bound the whole time.

[Pappy13]

Not to rain on your parade Sun, but I seem to remember a 1-15 Dolphins team getting a  new coach, him installing this new fangled thing called the wildcat offense and his team going 11-5 the next year and everyone just assuming that it was nothing but up from there.

Just sayin'.....

[Sunstroke]

Not to rain on your parade Sun...

^^^ No worries... Precipitation like that evaporates long before it hits my atmosphere. The parade is safe for now!

[Sunstroke]

Dear Megatron,

Take that!

Jim "Optimus Prime" Harbaugh

[CF DolFan]

I was all excited to watch the fight I heard about. I think that was way more silly than Harbaugh's celebration.

[Sunstroke]

Great line from Harbaugh at a press conference today...

"As a team, we always strive to get better. I'll try to work on getting better at the post-game handshake."


Dear Jim Harbaugh,

I love you, man!

Sincerely,

Sunstroke

[Guru-In-Vegas]

^ This

My brother's a Niner fan first and a Phins fan second like me but reversed.  I have the looks and the brains so you  do the math,  . 

Anyways, huge win yesterday!  We were watching the game together and yelling like maniacs.  Excellent turn around!!

[dolphins4life]

Ted Ginn has been contributing for the 49ers. 

He is currently fifth in the NFL in kick returns and ninth in punt returns.

He set up the winning score against the Lions with 40 yard punt return.

The Niners got a steal in getting him for just a fifth round pick.

I said from the first day that it was stupid to trade Ted Ginn and it looks like I was right.       

[Sunstroke]

Ginn is doing very well for us, though I think you got some of the numbers a little off.

Ginn is actually 4th in punt return average (13.7 yds) and 1st in total punt return yards (273)
Ginn is 4th in kick return average (31.8 ) and 4th in total kick return yards (414)

He's also one of two NFL players this year with both a kick return and punt return for a TD (Devin Hester is the other)

http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/returning/sort/kickReturnYards

[Pappy13]

I said from the first day that it was stupid to trade Ted Ginn and it looks like I was right.

A 5th rounder for a decent return guy seems like a pretty even trade if you ask me. Miami used a 5th round pick to take Reshad Jones who's been the starting safety in Miami this year. I'm not sure if it was the fifth rounder they got from SF and Jones hasn't exactly been playing all that well, but still I don't think you can link SF's success to Ginn in any way shape or form.

[Sunstroke]

Miami used a 5th round pick to take Reshad Jones who's been the starting safety in Miami this year. I'm not sure if it was the fifth rounder they got from SF

Nah, Reshad Jones went a dozen or so picks later. Miami used their pick at #145 on Nolan "Burnt Toast" Carroll.

but still I don't think you can link SF's success to Ginn in any way shape or form.

Sure you can, at least a little. He has definitely been a Godsend for a team that, prior to his arrival, had one of the worst return games in the league. I think you can add up SF's success to this point this way:

1) The team had more talent than most folks realized...it was just misused by the former coaching staff, or gelling together as units, in the case of some of the young talent.

2) Jim Harbaugh brought in some outstanding coaches to fill out his staff, from DC Vic Fangio, OC Greg Roman, QB coach Geep Chryst, Seely on special teams...all the way down the line. The coaching staff has done a great job of creating good game plans, preparing the team each week andf making adjustments during the game.

3) Frank Gore is 100% healthy for the first time since roughly 3rd grade, and he runs behind an O-line that's invested lots of high draft picks in the beef market. Joe Staley, Iupati, Rachal, Snyder...when these guys aren't playing football, they're posing for road-grader equipment catalogs.

4) The development of NaVorro Bowman into a tackling machine (5th in the NFL). Between Patrick Willis and Bowman as our inside LB duo, if you want more than a couple of yards, you better run to the edge...and one of them will still be there waiting for ya.

[dolphins4life]

I think you can.        

Returns are an important part of the game and can change momentum in a game.

BTW, we picked Nolan Carroll with that pick.    

The Niners are using Ginn the right way.

The Dolphins kept trying to make him into a number one receiver, something he was not.