One down

Going into the game last night, the Niners had two objectives:

1. Win
2. Play well

I didn't care if it turned out to be a close game. After all, the Cards have talent and would be fired up for their new coach. As it turned out, neither team looked anything like a playoff team...Playoffs? PLAYOFFS? Are you kidding me - PLAYOFFS? I just hope we can win a game!

Win we did, but it was absolutely ugly. Magical, lucky, but ugly. 66 passing yards for Mr. Smith before the last drive. What if the Cards made that 3rd and 10? What if Alex didn't get the 4th and 1, or Battle didn't make that catch, or DJax didn't recover that fumble? Disaster. But the Niners secondary played exceptionally well, and Pat Willis is a major force. I think the offense will play a better game in St. Lou, but it'll be tough to win against the cheating Rams. Good to see Gore is healthy though. And most importantly, we won for Coach Walsh.

Some other thoughts from around the league:

It's only Week 1, so wins and losses don't mean much. Big thing at this stage is injuries. I'll start with Kevin Everett - terrible news. Just reminds us how dangerous this sport is, and I'm sure we all hope for any good news and progress. Bears losing Mike Brown (again???) and Dvoracek: the defense is still solid, and they should still win the division handily. Unlike....the Giants and Jets, who are both basically done. I know it's only Week 1, but, can you trust either team to win a tough game? Or even a road game? No, I never thought Eli Manning would be a "devastating loss" either, but, Lorenzen isn't a starting QB. Cowboys losing Ferguson is big news; in a 3-4 defense, you can't afford to lose your star nose tackle. Orlando Pace is a big loss for the Rams too. And the Ravens had better hope the McNair/Ogden/Ray Lewis injuries are minor. Otherwise, it'll be a long autumn in Baltimore.

One last theme to consider: the Colts blew out the Saints, the Chargers smothered the Bears, and even the Dolphins kept it close against a better Redskins team. The AFC rules right now, no doubt about it. Pats, Colts, Bolts, Steelers...should be a fun year for that conference.