Paper Champs

You’ve got questions, no one has answers. At least it’s fair to say the 49ers have no answers. The owner of the team states they are going to win the division. The coach will likely stick with the same quarterback causing both men to be out of jobs by the end of the season if not sooner. Yes, these are the 2010 paper division champs.

There are a lot of problems in this organization and they really work their way from the top down. Everyone is quick to blame Alex Smith and coach Mike Singletary, but the problems existed before they arrived on the scene. Those two have only made things worse. The best way to a solution is to simply eliminate the problems. Last night’s game against the Eagles demonstrates just how bad things are, the 49ers best player Frank Gore has his worst game of the season. Alex Smith starts out perfectly on the opening drive culminating in a touchdown to Michael Crabtree. Things are looking food until later on when he throws a horrible interception. Later Smith scrambles to his left with pressure coming from the right and holds the ball out for the defense to slap it away and run it in for a touchdown. He then makes 3 bad throws on the next possession and gets chewed out on the sideline by the head coach. The fans being chanting “We want Carr,” Singletary listens and Alex Smith gets benched momentarily but somehow persuades Singletary to keep him in the game. The boos are raining down from the stands and living rooms across the country as fans have finally had it with these stumbling and bumbling 49ers. What happens next is a thing of beauty, Alex Smith with the pressure of his entire career on his back leads another touchdown drive to put the 49ers within 3 points. Three points the 49ers gave away whenJoe Nedney missed the 40 yard attempt earlier in the game. So once again it comes down to one last defensive stand and the offense to deliver on one last drive. The defense does its job, Ted Ginn Jr., one of the few bright spots in the game has a great punt return and the offense begins to attempt the come from behind drive. The end result? You guessed it, an interception.

Last week the Falcons field goal with 2 seconds left literally brought Singletary to his knees. This week the quarterback and head coach nearly came to blows during the game, on the sideline in front of a nationally televised audience. Things are beyond out of control. The owner believes his team is still going to win the division. The fans will continue to watch and hope for a win, for something positive to happen with this team. It seems to me that no matter what happens now that the season has been shot to hell that something positive will happen. Either we have some sort of miracle and Alex Smith plays the rest of the season like an MVP, coach Singletary gets the divine inspiration to become an offensive mastermind and the 49ers play like everyone expected them to. Or, and more likely they continue to implode, Singletary gets fired, Alex Smith gets benched and subsequently released at the end of the season and the 49ers can then hire a coach with coaching experience and sign or draft a franchise quarterback worth a damn.