The 49ers have signed 32-year old long snapper Ryan Pontibrand.  He played in 11 games (0 starts) for the Browns last year.  He has now played in 134 games (0 starts) in his first 9 years in the NFL.  Pontibrand has been a really good long snapper for a long time, but he had a couple bad snaps late in games last year that cost the Browns possible wins, which is why they let him go.  A change of scenery is likely to do him a lot of good.  I like this signing for the Niners.

48-year old Jim Harbaugh has been named the NFL’s Coach of the Year for 2011.  Harbaugh led the Niners to a 13-3 (81.3%) record during the regular season and he was 1-1 in the playoffs.  Harbaugh molded the 49ers into the type of team he had at Stanford.  They improved on both sides of the football in 2o11 as they averaged 23.8 points per game while giving up 14.3 points per game.  I look for Harbaugh to win more awards in the near future as he is a very good coach.

The Niners basically lost this game because of WR/KR/PR Kyle Williams yesterday.  He was 0 for 4 catching passes and he lost two fumbles that led to 10 points, including the Giants’ game winning field goal in overtime.  Alex Smith was so-so in this game as he completed 12 of 26 passes for 196 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 42 yards (7.0 ypc) in this game.  Frank Gore led the way on the ground for the Niners in this game with 74 yards rushing on 16 carries (4.6 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 45 yards (7.5 avg) in this game.  Kendall Hunter pitched in with 31 yards rushing on 4 carries (7.8 ypc).  TE Vernon Davis led the way in the passing game with 3 grabs for 112 yards (37.3 avg) with 2 TD receptions for the Niners.  The 49ers finished up with 150 yards rushing on 28 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 26 passes (46.2%) for 178 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:18.

The Niners have some coverage issues yesterday and it hurt them in the end.  The Niners had six sacks as they were laying a big time beating on Eli Manning, but he kept getting up and making big throws.  LB NaVorro Bowman (14 tackles, 1/2 a sack and 1 QB hit), CB Carlos Rogers (11 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and LB Patrick Willis (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 2 QB hits) led the way for the 49ers in this game.  DE Justin Smith (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 4 QB hits) and DT Ray McDonald (5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits) also had rock solid games for the Niners in this game.  The Giants finished up with 85 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 32 of 58 passes (55.2%) for 267 yards.  It’s a shame that the NFC Championship came down to a punt returners mistakes.  Kyle Williams is probably the most famous man in San Francisco today…..for all of the wrong reasons.  The 49ers’ season ended with a thud.

The San Francisco 49ers got an improbable win over the Saints in the final minute last weekend as Alex Smith turned in a Montana like effort.  He might have to do that again this Sunday as the Giants looked pretty damn good in thumping the Packers at Lambeau Field last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in the NFC Championship Game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to come out running the ball with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter in this game.  They should have success on the ground as the Giants are a little soft in the middle and at linebacker.  The Niners need to establish a good running game to A.) keep the clock moving, B.) slow the Giants pass rush and C.) keep the Giants offense on the sideline.  If the Niners are forced to be one dimensional by throwing the ball in this game, QB Alex Smith is going to get battered and bruised.  The Niners have had protection issues at times this year, but for Smith to have a chance to make some big plays down the field…he’s going to need time to throw the ball.  The Giants’ safeties are no match for TE Vernon Davis, so he should have another big game.  WR Michael Crabtree is going to have to man up and put his alligator arms away for this game.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants saw the tape last week of the Saints’ game against the Niners.  I expect that they will only run enough to keep the front seven of the Niners somewhat honest.  The Giants know that they aren’t going to move the ball by running it with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs against the very stingy run D of the Niners.  The Niners will need DE Justin Smith, OLB Aldon Smith and the rest of the defense to get after Eli Manning.  Manning will make mistakes if he’s getting rushed or hit.  If he has time to throw the ball though, he has as many weapons as Drew Brees had last weekend.  WRs Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and TE Jake Ballard are all good targets in the passing game.  The secondary is going to have to step up this Sunday if the Niners are going to the Super Bowl.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 27, 49ERS 17

Lefty throwing QB Steve Young bided his time behind Joe Montana as his backup.  But, when he got his chance to shine….he took full advantage of it.  Young played 13 seasons for the Niners and he led them to a 91-33 (73.4%) record as their starting QB during the regular season.  He played in 150 games (124 starts) during the regular season for the Niners in which he completed 2,400 of 3,648 passes (65.8%) for 29,907 yards with 221 TD passes and 86 INTs (101.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 608 times for 3,581 yards (5.9 ypc) with 37 TD runs.  Young also started 14 games in the playoffs for the Niners and he compiled an 8-6 (57.1%) record.  He played in 20 games (14 starts) in the post-season for the 49ers and he completed 292 of  471 passes (62%) for 3,326 yards with 20 TD passes and 13 INTs (85.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 96 times for 594 yards (6.2 ypc) with 8 TD runs in the post-season.  Young’s time to shine came in the 1994 Super Bowl when the Niners played the Chargers.  The 49ers won the game 49-26 over the Chargers.  Young completed 24 of 36 passes (66.7%) for 325 yards with 6 TD passes and 0 INTs (134.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for 49 yards (9.8 ypc) in that game.  After the game Young joked that he wanted someone to get the monkey off his back.  That was because he was always being compared to Joe Montana.

Whenever anyone asks me who the best QB I have ever seen was…..the answer comes easy to me and it is Joe Montana.  Montana played in 13 seasons for the San Francisco 49ers and he led them to a 100-39 (71.9%) record during the regular season.  Montana played in 167 games (139 starts) in his career with the Niners and he completed 2,929 of 4,600 passes (63.7%) for 35,124 yards with 244 TD passes and 123 INTs (93.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 414 times for 1,595 yards (3.9 ypc) with 20 TDs for the Niners during the regular season.  He seemed to always take his game to a higher level in the playoffs.  The Niners were 14-5 (73.7%) in the post-season with Montana under center.  He completed 375 of 593 passes (63.2%) for 4,758 yards with 39 TD passes and 17 INTs in the post-season.  He also carried the ball 55 times for 296 yards (5.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs in the post-season.  The 49ers were 4-0 in the Super Bowl under Joe Montana as they outscored their opponents by a combined score of 139-63!  Montana was flawless is his four Super Bowls as he completed 83 of 122 passes (68%) for 1,142 yards with 11 TD pass and 0 INTs (127.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 17 times for 105 yards (6.2 ypc) in his Super Bowl appearances.  Montana is the all-time leader in the Super Bowl in both TD passes (11) and QB Rating (127.8).  He is also #2 in passing yards (1,142) behind only the amazing Kurt Warner.

The 49ers had a really solid 2011 NFL Draft.  Here is a look at how well the rookies adapted to the NFL in their first taste of it:

22-year old OLB Aldon Smith came to the 49ers in the first round.  He played in 16 games for the Niners this year and he had 37 tackles, 14 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 4 passes defensed.  Smith was awesome as a rookie and he will likely just get better.

24-year old QB Colin Kaepernick was a 2nd round pick for the Niners.  He played in 3 games for the 49ers this year and he completed 3 of 5 passes (60%) for 35 yards without a TD pass or INT (81.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 2 times for -2 yards (-1.0 ypc).  Kaepernick will be Alex Smith’s backup for a long time.

23-year old CB Chris Culliver was picked in the 3rd round pick by the 49ers.  He played in all 16 games for the 49ers this year and he had 35 tackles, 7 passes defensed and 1 interception. Culliver could be a starter in the near future for the Niners.

23-year old RB Kendall Hunter came to the Niners in the 4th round.  Hunter played in all 16 games for the 49ers this year and he carried the ball 112 times for 473 yards (4.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 16 passes for 195 yards (12.2 avg) this year.  He is behind Frank Gore, but they make a nice tandem.  Hunter also returned 6 kickoffs for 156 yards (26.0 avg) for the Niners this year.

24-year old OG Daniel Kilgore came to the Niners in the 5th round.  He only played in 1 game off the bench for the Niners in 2011.

23-year old WR Ronald Johnson was picked in the sixth round.  He was cut before the season started and ended up with the Philadelphia Eagles, but, he didn’t get into any games for them.

24-year old safety Colin Jones was picked in the sixth round.  He played in 13 games for the Niners this year and he had 6 tackles.

24-year old fullback Bruce Miller was also picked in the sixth round by the Niners.  He played in 15 games for the 49ers this year and he carried the ball 4 times for 8 yards (2.0 ypc).  Miller also caught 11 passes for 83 yards (7.5 avg) with 1 TD grab and he had 6 tackles as he also helped out on special teams.

23-year old OG Mike Pearson and 23-year old CB Curtis Holcomb were both picked in the 7th round by the Niners.  Pearson didn’t get into any games.  Holcomb spent his entire rookie season on I.R.

GRADE FOR 2011:  B+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+

This was one of the best playoff games I have ever seen.  There were four lead changes in the last 4:02 of the game today!  The Niners were down 32-29 with only 1:37 left in the game, when Alex Smith led the Niners on a 7-play, 85 yard drive that resulted in a game winning TD.  Smith hit TE Vernon Davis with a 14-yard TD pass with only 9 seconds left in the football game to essentially seal the win for the Niners!

Alex Smith certainly was not in game manager mode today as he completed 24 of 42 passes for 299 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for a 28-yard TD run.  Frank Gore led the way on the ground for the Niners today with 89 yards rushing on 13 carries (6.8 ypc).  He also caught 7 passes for 38 yards (5.4 avg) in this game.  Kendall Hunter pitched in with 23 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.8 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 13 yards.  TE Vernon Davis was the star of the show in the passing game for the Niners as he caught 7 passes for 180 yards (25.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  WR Michael Crabtree dropped a lot of passes in this game but he still finished with 4 grabs for 25 yards including one that went for a TD.  The 49ers finished up with 143 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.5 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 42 passes (57.1%) for 264 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:40.

The defense gave up a lot of yards and points to the Saints….but they also made some big plays that helped the Niners win this game.  Safety Dashon Goldson (11 tackles, 2 passes defensed and a interception that he returned 41 yards) and LB NaVorro Bowman (11 tackles) led the way for the 49ers on D in this game.  LB Patrick Willis (8 tackles, 1 fumble recovery), OLB Aldon Smith (3 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 4 QB hits) and DE Justin Smith (3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 5 QB hits) also had big games for the Niners today.  CB Tarell Brown (interception), safety Colin James (fumble recovery) and LB Blake Costanzo (fumble recovery) also pitched in with big plays for the 49ers in this game.  The Saints finished up with 37 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 40 of 63 passes (63.5%) for 435 yards in this game.  The 49ers will either host the New York Giants or head to Lambeau Field to deal with the Packers next weekend.

The San Francisco 49ers are in for a challenge tomorrow afternoon at Candlestick Park.  The Niners are an old school team that wins by running the ball and playing defense.  They are built to win on any kind of field regardless of weather.  The Saints on the other hand, are a team that wins by outscoring their opponent with a high powered offense.  But, the Saints are nowhere near as good of a team on the road as they are at home in the SuperDome.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to tighten their chinstraps and try to run the ball right down the Saints’ throats tomorrow with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter leading the way.  They should have success running the ball as the O-Line is nasty in attack mode.  If the Niners are successful running the ball, they should be able to hit some passes off play action.  WR Michael Crabtree and TE Vernon Davis are likely going to be the Niners’ top targets in the passing game.  The 49ers need to give Alex Smith time to throw the ball as the Saints love to blitz.  I think he’s going to have a decent game throwing the ball tomorrow.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out throwing the ball in this game.  The Niners are going to have to get after Brees with the Smith & Smith connection.  Rookie OLB Aldon Smith has been a pass rushing beast this year, and Justin Smith is also going to get to Brees in this game.  The Saints have an outstanding set of WRs and TEs in Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem….so the Niners’ secondary are going to be challenged big time tomorrow afternoon.  The Saints should be able to corral Darren Sproles, Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas in this game as Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman are going to be locked in.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 23, SAINTS 20

27-year old Alex Smith was much more than a game manager as he led the Niners to a 13-3 record and a first round bye in the playoffs.  Smith played in 16 games (all starts) for the 49ers this year and he completed 274 of 446 passes (61.4%) for 3,150 yards with 17 TD passes and only 5 INTs (90.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 52 times for 179 yards (3.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs this year.  Smith has now played in 70 games (66 starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 1,138 of 1,960 passes (58.1%) for 12,549 yards with 68 TD passes and 58 INTs (76.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 181 times for 629 yards (3.5 ypc) with 4 TD runs so far in his career.  The 49ers are now 32-34 (48.5%) with Smith as the starting QB.  Alex Smith is starting to repay the 49ers for not giving up on him when it would have been really easy to do.

24-year old rookie Colin Kaepernick pretty much just held a clipboard in his rookie season.  He played in 3 games (0 starts) for the 49ers this year and he completed 3 of 5 passes (60%) for 35 yards without a TD pass or INT (81.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 2 times for -2 yards (-1.0 ypc) this year.