Maybe we're not ready yet

As I watched the Niners fall to the Seahawks today, I had the same thought Ben Kingsley (playing Gandhi) had in the '82 classic film, after hearing of violent outbreaks in India: Maybe we're not ready yet.

Maybe the Niners aren't ready to compete with the NFL powerhouses. Of course, it makes my stomach turn to think of Seattle as a powerhouse, and we Niners fans can take solace in the fact that the remaining schedule isn't tough. Still, what the heck was that today? No offensive line, absurd penalties, horrible turnovers, and a sudden cry for Alex Smith? But I'm not even sure ASmith could've led a TD drive today. Or Peyton Manning for that matter. The offensive line was THAT bad. Even though Gore did all he could, even though the defense came up with some big stops and stopped Seattle for losses a bunch of times, it just wasn't there.

Nothing sums up the game better than Dilfer throwing a pick right after the Niners recovered an onside kick at the start of the second half. We had better see a much better effort (and a win) against the Ravens next Sunday. Think the NY market will want to put another Niners game on TV any time soon? Good grief.

As for the "big" game, here's all you need to know about the Sunday Night affair: I turned it on with under 3 mins left in the 4th and only then did I realize the game was being played in the Meadowlands, not Philly. From the looks of it, a garbage game. Dunno what was more surprising: the Giants' D or the Eagles' lack of O. In any case, don't expect either team to play in January.

So while the Niners and Eagles join the teams that "are not what we thought they were," they can feel comfortable knowing that that group is a big one. San Diego, Chicago, Baltimore, the Jets, Houston, Carolina, Minnesota...all teams that suffered very disappointing losses today. Could the Chargers miss the playoffs? Would anyone bet against a 9-7 season losing tiebreakers to Jacksonville and/or Cincy? Nice to see the Bills get a win. But don't be fooled by what you saw today from the Chiefs, Browns, or Raiders. All we know is what we've always known: the Colts and Pats own the AFC, no questions asked. Ho-hum.

But crazy is as crazy does in the NFC, where I suppose we can make plans for a good ol'-fashioned Packers-Cowboys NFC title game in Dallas...? Don't miss their Nov. 29 tilt on a Thursday night in Big D. I wouldn't have been shocked had the Cowboys been forced to win a very close game against the Rams, but Romo and co. left no doubt about who's the best team in the conference with that drubbing. It's amazing how well the Bucs played today; given the ineptitude of the rest of the NFC South, they will contend for the remainder of the year. Finally, how the heck is the NFC North completely upside-down? If the Bears can't hold the Lions under 37 points, you know they're not cut out for a return trip to the Supe. For some reason, this Bears team reminds me of the September Mets. All hype. The Lions will at least make things interesting and exciting the rest of the way. And the Cards are no pushover.

Last words: Brett Favre. When I first saw him play in the early 90s, I was in awe of his ability and leadership of a Packers team that hadn't been good since the 60s. Then the Packers got really good and started beating the Niners, so naturally I've disliked Favre since then. But now I can't help but appreciate what he's doing. A Packers team with no running game and supposedly no chance of competing is 4-0 thanks to a graybeard QB showing no signs of slowing down. Congrats on breaking the record.