Week 3 - kicking sand in the weakling's face

You know, I almost pity the Lions. Almost. What a train wreck! And how fortunate that the Niners got to play them this year. A game against the Lions is as close to a gimme as you're going to find in the NFL. The 31-13 final was entirely predictable.

The Niners looked great on both offense and defense. The defensive improvement is a MOST welcome change, given that they seemed to be tackling with their purses against both the Cactus Wrens and the Seabags.

But it's the Mike Martz offense that's generating all of the energy for this team. Holy cow, is that a potent offense! Check this out:

Quarterback rating: JT O'Sullivan (career 3rd string QB): 4th
Rushing yards: Frank Gore (man among boys): 5th
Team Offense: 11th (vs. 32nd last year!)
Team Defense: Tied for 9th (OMG!!!!!!)

I'm still only guardedly optimistic; after all, we all had our hearts broken last year when big expectations didn't pan out. And the worst stretch of the season starts Sunday, a stretch that could result in an 0-5 run. Here's the gauntlet: at New Orleans, New England, Philadelphia, at New York Giants, and the Seabags. I'd be thrilled if the team can emerge from this tough schedule with 2 wins in the 5 games. Why? Because the second half of the season is a cakewalk compared to the first half. There's the Rams twice - two guaranteed wins. Miami, Jets, Pinkskins - 2 wins is reasonable from those teams. That leaves the Cowturds and the rematch with the Cactus Wrens. We MIGHT beat the Cactus Wrens, but we go down hard against the juggernaut that is (Central) America's Team.

What does this mean? There's a very real chance that, with a few breaks, the Niners could go 9-7 and make the playoffs!!!!!!!!

* Vulture takes another puff *
Dude, it could happen! Really!