Are They Who We Thought They Were?

Are they who we thought they were? That question has two meanings based on tonight’s game. The first is are the Bears who we thought they were? The answer is yes they are. Their defense was better than we thought but their offense and in particular Cutler who was as erratic as we thought he could be.

Also are the 49ers defense who we thought they were? I thought I was going to be writing this article stating they were not who we thought they were. With the way that last drive was unfolding with Cutler marching down the field it looked as if those four interceptions were going to be for naught. I thought I was going to have to bring up the defense that has lost the games for us instead of the offense not winning the games. Think about it, our first loss comes at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings after the defense couldn’t hold them on a final drive and Mark “Oh Shit” Roman was out of position for the last game winning touchdown pass from Favre. The next game the 49ers got destroyed by the Falcons at home where Michael Turner and Roddy White ignited Candlestick Park. The next loss came at the hands of the Houston Texans where the defense gave up a 21-0 lead at halftime, then came Alex Smith?!? leading the 49ers back into the game while the defense came back to life and surrendered only 3 more points in the second half-but still lost. I thought I was going to have to talk about the Colts game where the defense shut Manning not down, but out of the end zone-only to ultimately give up the game winning touchdown pass to JOSEPH ADDAI! Of course the defense had help in losing this game as Alex Smith tossed an INT to cement the loss.

For once the defense did not lose this game. By all account the defense WON this game. Other than a couple Crabtree passes and a Gore touchdown with a few decent runs the offense might as well not have taken the field. The defense held its ground at the end when it mattered most. People say this is a “proud” defense, finally they have a real reason to feel that way. 5 interceptions is a hell of a feat, Cutler can clearly go either way in a game and credit the 49ers for making sure he went south tonight. If Mark “Oh Shit” Roman can get an interception, you know things are going your way.

Now the team needs to build off of this game, a cliché I know, but the defense did a lot of things right aside from getting blown up on screen plays to Matt Forte all night long. I guess they made up for that by shutting down his rushing attempts for the duration. The offense clearly needs a defibrillator on the sideline to shock some life into the offense. I think the Bears were intent on shutting Vernon Davis down and they did. Last time I checked there were 10 other guys out there with him, Jason Hill was a ghost this week. Josh Morgan wasn’t much better. This offense needs all the skill players to step up if they want to change this from a long season to a lengthy season. Last point, the new slogan for this team should be “It’s the defense, stupid.”