American Football Spectacular: There Are Wins, And Then There Are Wins That Don't Help.
Welcome back, or welcome to your holiday American Football Spectacular, depending on whichever sets of traditions you choose to salute. Everyday is a holiday if you feel like it.
This is the bear time of American Football, where the NFL's regular season gasps its last, college teams compete through the institutional irregularities of the bowl games, and high schoolers are home for the holidays. Mmmm... home cookin'.
Here's the problem: your San Francisco 49ers won! Really! 24 - 20, sweeping those dastardly St. Louis Rams for 2005. Sure, they were somewhat depleted in Saturday's Christmas Eve matchup, but so what. We win. Hah!
And, yeah, that's good, but no, that's mostly bad. Well, at least that makes things more difficult for the franchise, because the Niners were lined up for a shot at the top of the draft going into the offseason. Now? Pfffft. It looks as though the Niners will landing at-or-about the fifth draft slot right now, after winning where they were not expected to win -- and where they should not have won -- running right through the Rams like Theoden's charge back through the Hornburg's gates. Boy, did Frank Gore look good. Looks like risking that draft pick on him to recover from his college injury paid off. The Gore payoff is the opposite of the Niners' Cade McCown affair -- a few years back SF signed the UCLA alum QB in the hopes that after shoulder surgery he would contribute. McCown never fully recovered. Glad to see that at least with Gore, karma comes through every so often.
And now we don't have to talk or hear about Reggie Bush coming to San Francisco anymore. It was foolish from the first; as further proven by last Saturday's game, the Niners have more pressing needs than running back. And that, gentle friends, is an American Football Spectacular column slated for later this week.
SFist Christopher Rogers, contributing
So here's where we stand: if Houston wins next wknd, the draft order goes like this: "New Orleans," Green Bay, the New York Jets, Houston, and then the Niners in the fifth slot. If Houston loses, then they go to the head of the class.
Regarding our current quarterback of the future, we can't stand to keep recapping his accomplishments saying "Smith this," and "Smith that." It's too imprecise. Heck, there's even another Alex Smith in the NFL playing for Tampa Bay! Verily, our lad needs a nickname. So! It is decided, the first American Football Spectacular Contest: we want you to create a nickname for Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers. The winning name will become the proper name in which American Football Spectacular will regard Mr. Smith in future columns. Please send your entries to christopher.m.rogers [at] gmail [dot] com. Your deadline is Sunday, the first day of 2006, and the winning entry, if any, will be related to you in next week's column. Let fly your emails, o readers!
As for your Raiders, let's put it this way, when we knocked on his door during the game, American Football Spectacular's favored Raiders Consultant MC Fried Chicken wasn't even bothering to watch those accursed Broncos have their way with our Silver And Black. We sure's hell don't blame him. The game was horrid. The final score was 22 - 3, and it wasn't that close.
It was a terrible thing to watch Shanny's guys wad up the Raiders, but that was the order of the day. There was no resistance. Thusly the mind's eye shifts to the thought of since Norv's team has given up on him again -- who'd be the best man to coach the Raiders?
And then, of course, the next question would be which puppet will Al actually install to be his coach? You tell me: christopher.m.rogers [at] gmail [dot] com.
Next week brings the merciful/unmerciful end of the National Football League's 2005 regular season. Both of our Bay Area NFL teams are already looking ahead to 2006, imagining with eyes pinched tightly shut a season in the future where wins are something to be built on. May we all have such hope for the future.
Next up on your American Football Spectacular: Reviewing the 2005 season for our local college teams, and previewing the whole college bowl thing. Should be pretty fun.