Hey Cheeseheads, Pay Attention

So the Green Bay Packers are having a potentially historic season thus far starting off 9-0 after spanking an inept Minnesota Viking squad on Monday Night. You have Aaron Rodgers looking like a world-beater, and an offense that looks like it can score at will in any situation regardless of how bad their defense is (they are pretty bad). I’m here to tell you Green Bay faithful that although the road to the Super Bowl looks like it’s paved with Velveeta (smooth and delicious is what I’m going for here) it could be very tough and rocky if you let it sneak up on you. What I witnessed on Sunday in San Francisco was a team that can definitely beat the Packers, and that team is the San Francisco 49ers. It’s interesting because coming into the season it was widely thought that the Saints, who always seem to be in contention during the Drew Brees era, and the Eagles who were dubbed as “The Dream Team” during the pre-season, were the teams that were supposed to challenge the Pack in the NFC. Well here we are, into the second half of this season and another team has emerged. The Saints are still around standing at 6-3 after an OT victory that was handed to them by the Falcons on Sunday. As for the Eagles, well their playoff hopes came to an end when the Arizona Larry Fitzgeralds beat them in Philly (yikes talk about dreams turning into nightmares).

I’m willing to bet that very few people outside of San Fran thought that this team would even be in the “potential Super Bowl” discussion at anytime during this season, but here we are about to kick off Week 10 with the Niners positioned at #2 on most Power Rankings. #2! What? I have to be honest I picked the Niners to make noise last year not this season. This season I thought they would win this failed abortion of a division in the NFC West, and then make a spirited but early exit in the playoffs. That, to me, was a fair prediction. But upon further review, I vastly underrated this team. They have talent galore, and it’s finally starting to show up in the form of wins. Jim Harbaugh has to be the leading contender for Coach of the Year in the NFL; him, or John Fox (that’s if Fox pulls off a miracle playoff run with Tebow at the helm, that would be award worthy). I mean what the Niners are really proving is that Mike Singletary (as much as I loved him as a Linebacker and are afraid of him) was an awful head coach in this league. Sorry Mike, it’s true.

Harbaugh has people saying that Alex Smith might actually be a viable starting quarterback in the NFL after all. Now how many times has that happened in the history of this league? How many times has a QB started for 6 seasons, posted a career 75.3 QB rating and then, out of nowhere become a top 10 passer in this league. Not many. Harbaugh has an already decent defense looking like the Jets or the Ravens defense, stingy and punishing. And forget about that running game. For a guy that had the luxury of a QB the caliber of Andrew Luck at Stanford, this guy has brought the Ground and the Pound to San Fran and he’s got these guys believing they can push anyone around on that field.

The Niners vs. Packers match up, if it were to come about, is very reminiscent to the match up in Super Bowl 25, when the Giants beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in perhaps the greatest Super Bowl I’d ever scene to date.

You had the ultra high-powered offense of the Bills, with a wealth of talent and Hall of Famers at QB, running back and two wide receivers. An offensive line that kept Jim Kelly upright, and opened huge holes for Thurman Thomas, and an opportunistic defense that had a Hall of Famer on the line in Bruce Smith.

On the other side, you had the Giants with a journeyman QB who never really lived up to potential in Jeff Hostetler (Phil Simms was injured late in the season), a veteran running back who may have been playing his last game every time he laced them up in OJ Anderson, and one of the best defenses led by LT, Pepper Johnson and Leonard Marshall.

In that game if you recall, the Giants played possibly the perfectly planned and executed game of football that I’ve ever seen. They kept Jim Kelly and his explosive offense off the field for nearly 40 of the 60 minutes played. It was game planning perfection; the game Bill Parcells actually won from the sideline. And I know what you’re thinking, even then it took a missed 52-yard FG to seal that win. That’s what has to happen to beat a nearly flawless football team. Sometimes it’s the hand of God.

The Packers would play the part of the Buffalo Bills in this play, with the high powered O, and the opportunistic D. The Niners would play the role of the New York Giants with their weary but able QB, strong running game and solid D.

Now, in no way am I saying in Week 10 of the regular season that these are predictions, or even solid comparisons (there’s way too much time left in the season for that) but the similarities are there and with a historical reference to look back on, it’s something that came to mind……I’m just sayin’. They’d need to mount the perfect effort, but I feel it’s the best shot any team in the NFC has of beating that Packer team.

So I just wanted to send the message to the cheeseheads in Wisconsin right now. You are great there is no doubt; you may even go 16-0, I can see that happening. However, don’t sleep on the 49ers come playoff time, because like the ’90 Bills, you don’t want to hear those magic words “wide right, wide right” and be sitting in your seat at Lambeau wondering what the f**k just happened.

Just a side note, if the Jets lose to the Denver Tebows tonight, I may kill myself. Jets fan, OUT!