I hope you won’t mind if I indulge myself now and again by posting some articles about US sports that I find on the interweb.
Warning…they will tend to be about my favourite teams the Oakland Athletics (baseball), San Francisco 49ers (football), San Jose Sharks (hockey) and the Golden State Warriors (basketball).
This upcoming season the San Francisco 49ers will try to do something that only the 1972 Dolphins were able to accomplish. That is to win the Superbowl following a loss the year before. Reaching the Superbowl in no easy task, but because so many teams have struggled the following year after reaching the big game, the media and fans have identified the problem as being a hangover from the sucess of the previous year.
There are exceptions to the rule of course. The New England Patriots had a great season last year (a year after loosing to the Giants in Superbowl XLII) and managed to reach the AFC title game. As far as the 49er chances are concerned, you have to go back to the 1993 Buffalo Bills as the last team to reach a Superbowl a year after loosing it.
There are many factors that prevent sustained excellence in the NFL. Free agency, injuries, and mental fatigue are the more common reasons but the schedule also plays an important role. All-Pro Linebacker Patrick Willis recently described their upcoming schedule as being “no joke.” With games against Green Bay, Houston, Atlanta and two against Seattle, reaching the same level of success as last year will be a difficult task.
But these 49ers are more than capable. These 49ers under Jim Harbaugh have put in a system and a culture that is fueled by hard work and being physical. Even with the loss of Dashon Goldson, the niner defense will still be a top five defense in the league. One of the most important things that a football team must do in order to win is control both lines of scrimmage, something that the 49ers have done well over the past couple of seasons. Last year the 49ers were one of two teams (Washington) to be in the top five in both running the football and stopping the run.
This brings us to the best offensive line in the NFL and the continued success of the running game. Last year in three playoff games, the 49ers averaged 218 yards on the ground and with the emergence of young LeMichael James, Frank Gore will have less of a load to carry and improve his durability for whole season.
The biggest reason why the 49ers are poised to make another Superbowl run is Colin Kaepernick. After a fantastic season and an even better playoffs, Kaepernick will look show the league that he is ready to become an elite quarterback. Not only does is he one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the NFL, but the loss to the Ravens has made him even more hungry.
The 49ers are one of the most complete teams in the NFL, stacked with talent and proven veterans that know what it takes to win football games. The organization is now at a point were anything less than a Superbowl victory is a failure and everybody on the roster knows that and is ready for the challenge.
Be sure to check out other great articles at isportsweb.
