Any questions about whether Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers could throw the ball around washed away with the rain against another overmatched NFC West opponent.Smith threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and the 49ers forced five turnovers to blow past the Arizona Cardinals 23-7 on a soggy Sunday at the Candlestick Park.
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Quit the giggling. There’s work left to be done. When the 49ers, holders of the NFL’s second-best record take the field this afternoon, they’ll find themselves facing a new challenge. They’re supposed to beat the Arizona Cardinals, the first of five seemingly easy affairs left on their schedule. The rest of the doubts about these 49ers were erased last week when they beat the New York Giants with Frank Gore gaining a grand total of zero yards. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
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There are similarities between the 1981 49ers and this year’s team, especially the fact that the success of both teams was totally unexpected.
But the reaction of their fans has been quite different.
In 1981, as the team began piling victory upon victory — especially the 45-14 dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth game of the season — fans grew very excited. I went to a couple of 49ers Booster Club meetings and they were positively giddy.
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Frank Gore’s highlights are a little more crowded this year.
When Gore breaks into the opposition’s secondary on one of his long runs, he usually has company as he weaves his way through those linebackers and defensive backs.
That’s because Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin, Adam Snyder or Anthony Davis is usually out there running with him.
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Vic Fangio, the 49ers defensive coordinator, said last week that he hasn’t seen another NFL team running Bill Walsh’s offense. He’s right, despite all the talk about the West Coast offense. And, the 49ers under Jim Harbaugh don’t run it, either.
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Critics take note: As the Alex Smith redemption tour makes its way to the nation’s capital Sunday for the 49ers-Redskins game, San Francisco’s once favorite whipping boy is now the NFL’s eighth-rated passer. Who’da thunk it?
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It’s a whole different ballgame.
From here, the 49ers must prove they can play with expectations tapping them on their shoulders.
The scene in Santa Clara has shifted 180 degrees. Seven weeks ago, the Cleveland Browns were supposed to be the up-and-coming franchise, and a big challenge for the 49ers. Now, the 49ers are considered shoo-ins to win this afternoon.
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Why has Jim Harbaugh been able to turn the 49ers around?
Part of it is lineage. Harbaugh’s father was a coach, and both Jim and his brother, John, are now successful NFL head coaches. The 49ers’ game in Baltimore with the Ravens, coached by John Harbaugh, should be a lulu, which is why the NFL has scheduled it for Thanksgiving Day.
But lineage alone is not enough. Mike Nolan is the son of Dick Nolan, a successful 49ers coach 40 years ago, and all he seems to have gotten from that is his father’s wardrobe.
Here are some reasons for Harbaugh’s success:
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Maybe they should rename it bye-bye week. NFL teams have been getting their break, and many subsequently have been breaking down. That sobering thought was presented Wednesday at Ninerville by Alex Smith, who along with his teammates is coming off a bye.
“I’ve seen the reports,” said Smith, the 49ers’ quarterback. “Teams coming off their bye week this season are 3-9.”That’s not the only reason Smith worked out on his own during a week 49ers players were not required to practice.
He is aware of what has been accomplished and doesn’t want to see it change.
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And on the seventh weekend of the NFL season, the 49ers rested.
The 49ers’ body of work so far has been so off the charts, it defies anybody from saying they saw it coming.
The No. 2 defense in the league. Sweeping three games played in the Eastern Time Zone. A 2½-game lead in the division. Frank Gore looking as good as new. Alex Smith looking better than new.
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URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/archive/105/105?page=35
