1/9/11

After hour prayer

So every night I try to say a quick little prayer, you know the typical, thank you for my family, thank you for trees, thank you for this and that, please help my cussing, please help my 49ers and ESPN addiction, you know the typical.

Well tonight that's how my prayer started. It was good! Then next thing you know I realize I'm practically praying 20 years down the line. I was praying for wisdom that I will chose a wife that will make me a stronger christian, that she might build me up so I can be the stepping stone for my family, that my kids will grow up and see God and know him through me by my actions, that I will be a leader in the church, that I can follow in the footsteps of my grandfather and father and be a leader that leads not follows, that I can be like my mother and grandmother who love their family more then themselves and work as hard as they can to make their kids happy.

Ya....it was one of those prayers. After I finished, I laid there......and thought.....WOW. That's all I could think to come out of my mouth. I got nervous, what if I'm not like those things, what if I'm totally different and don't do what the Lord wants me to do. It freaked me out. But I feel like God helped me through that prayer and it WILL have a positive effect in my life.

Through all this thinking, it brought out one of the many weaknesses I have. And that is...I hate not knowing things. I plan. I like to know things. If my friends want to go out for dinner, I want to know when we want to be there, what time we want to eat, and what time we need to be back. If someone doesn't step up and give me times I start busting out orders like the old AFJROTC days (the glory days). It's not pretty. I plan. I am a planner. I'm a Type A personality. OK more like an A- type personality but it's there. But the fact is I don't know things. I don't know if I'm going to graduate. I don't know where I'm going to work. I don't know my wife's name. I don't know how I'm gonna support my family. I don't know things. That scares me. I don't like not knowing. Now I don't like not knowing when I'm going to eat next so think of how small that is then compare it to not knowing where your gonna work. AHHH Drives me insane.

So pretty much, God decided it was going to be a typical college night for Nate, because I can't sleep! I try to sleep, and start thinking about these things! Just like a school week, I start to sleep, then BAM!!!!  I remember I have a history test in two weeks lol. Which is TWO WEEKS AWAY but it still bothers me haha. Well anyways. I'm done here. I don't know how to end this, cause ending the sports blog I just stopped talking (typing) so....I'm going to...slip away...right...now....

1/7/11

Alex Smith

I am a 49er fan. And I am a Alex Smith fan. And normally, those two do not go hand in hand.

Alex Smith had all the credintials to be the #1 overall pick in 2005. People can argue that Aaron rodgers was the right choice, but i'm here to argue otherwise.

First, let's look at what Smith has gone through. Smith through 6 seasons has had 2 different head coaches (Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary) and 6 different offensive coordinators (Mike McCarthy, Norv Turner, Jim Hostler, Mike Martz, Jimmy raye II, and Mike Johnson). So through 6 seasons 8 coaching changes. Are you kidding me? 6 seasons, 6 brand new offenses. That's insane to even comprehend. Mike McCarthy had a very west coast scheme installed, he was good but was hired the next year by Green Bay. Norv Turner, the king of throw the ball and pray your quarterback wont get hurt (which by the way AS did that year). Jim hostler.....exactly WHO IS JIM HOSTLER?!?!?! Then Mike Martz. Were going to line up like were gonna run the ball, with all running personell on the field, and throw the ball. Surprise surprise. Then we have the infamous Jimmy Raye II which was known for falling asleep in film sessions. You are a coach in the NFL getting paid thousands of dollars! Who does that? Then FINALLY. Someone gets it right. Mike Johnson. He remembered something "Oh wait a second...Alex smith ran the spread in college....that might work....." And what happened? 31-7 over Arizona. Thank you common sense.

That's just the offenseive coordinators. We can talk about Mike Singletary. "Were going to run the ball, 3rd-15? Run the ball. 2nd-25? Run it. This guy never used his brain. I guess he thought this was the 1980's when you could run the ball with an amazing running back and throw it every 2-3 series and be ok with it. This is the era of the Quartersbacks (See ESPN article). You have to throw the ball. And when Singletary wanted to throw the ball was when EVERYONE knew it was coming. Genius.

AS also hasn't had the luck of being that healthy either. He suffered a shoulder injury in 2007 that still haunts him. Rocky Bernard from seattle tackled him and slammed him into the ground on his throwing shoulder (similiar to Sam Bradford). Smtih had surgery that year and because of that surgery basically got benched.

The next couple seasons would be confusing. He got becnhed the whole season because of the Nolan-Smith fued. Then Nolan was fired. But the 49ers rightfully still wanted to retain AS, but only with a paycut. He took it. He knew/knows he had it. Halfway through the season Shaun Hill (Yes that Shaun Hill, the DETROIT QB lol) was doing horrible and falling behind to the texas 21-0 he got becnhed. Alex Smith came in (with the spread offense) and threw the TD's to TE Vernon Davis. The next wek he was the starter, and overall that season only playing 11 games he threw for 2,350 yards and had a passer rating of 81.5 with a TD/INT ratio of 18/12.

But of course, Mike Singletary had to be Mike Singletary. Even with the success of the passing game he wanted to install a run first team. Drafting 2 "supreme" offensive lineman. Well look how that turned out. We ran the ball on 1st and 2nd down, passed on 3rd, punted on 4th. Come on man!!!!! You can't do that. You need to pick an offense and stay with it. If yo watched any games, when we were behind and started playing the spread thats when AS look comfortable, he looked posied, he wa setting his feet, making accurate throws. But because of Jimmy Rayes offense and Mike Singletarys horrible way of coaching he got benched for 5 games during the season but STILL finished with 2,370 yards and a passer rating of 82.1and a 14/10 ratio.

My point is, give Alex a coach that will run a offense similiar to the Patriots/Saints/Colts, run the ball, but not 1-2-3-punt, and let Alex do his thing. Spread them out, NO defense can cover Crabtree, Davis, and Morgan, and not worry about Frank Gore up the gut for 50 yards.

Roger Goodell

Roger Goodell.

This guy kills me. I sometimes try to think about what goes through his head, but then I realize he doesn't think!

First off excessive celebration penalties. The commissioner is taking the fun and celebration out of football. There is nothing fun about scoring, handing the ball to the ref, running to the sideline, and sipping Gatorade into you go back on the field again.This is my problem. A guy worked his whole life to play in the NFL. He finally gets there and does very well in what he does. And then he does something not a whole lot of other people do, such as score on a 60 yard punt return, or make a game saving interception, anything of that nature. He does that chest bumps his teammates because hes happy for his team and what he has done, and then BOOM. There is that little piece of yellow cloth. That little piece of yellow cloth that those striped shirt guys use to annoy fans, players, coaches, owners.....everyone!!! 15 yard penalty for celebrating with your teammates. Now there is a big big difference in celebrating with your teammates and celebrating over your opponent. i don't support that. But if your chest bumping your teammates, high fiving them, saluting the crowd, whats wrong with that? NOTHING. Next point.

Fines. When a defensive ends rushes a QB he doesn't think about where he hits the QB he thinks about how he is going to hit the QB. Sometimes when you don't get to him the defensive end might want to just "let the QB know he is there" and tap the back of his helmet FINE!!!! These days you cant do that! You literally cant touch the QB. While people like Hines Ward are out there breaking jaws, if you even bump a Tom Brady wrong you might as well sign a $50,000 check to Commissioner Goodell himself. And not only that they're starting to move these fines to "defenseless receivers". Come on now. Whoever makes these rules needs to pick up their lipstick and hop on out of here. A receiver is supposed to be scared to run across the middle, that's when safety's will light you up, make you wish you were at home making cookies with your mommy, make you think your on a beach with a really bright sun. That's supposed to happen. That's football. But if you do that. FINE. And that is stupid.

Overall I just don't like the guy, hes not fun, this is supposed to be fun. football is fun. but if we're not seeing big hits, celebrations (everyone liked Steve Smith/T.O./Ochocinco's celebrations!) and all that fun stuff people will stop watching! Get you act together Mr. Commisioner!!!