Golden Nuggets: Sunday Is Too Far

by James Brady on Jan 20, 2012 2:00 AM PST in 49ers Links

We're just a couple days out from an NFC Championship game. While I've found it hard to get interested in the playoffs the last few years, I still generally watch the NFC Championship. When this season began, I didn't really expect us to be in this position. I always have the necessary amount of blind faith to think there's a chance every year that this team will make the Super Bowl, but it's usually just false hope. Needless to say, this is going to be a helluva long couple of days here. Let's get to the links.

49ers starters CB Tarell Brown, LB Patrick Willis miss Thursday's practice (Examiner.com)

Madden NFL 12 Roster Updates: Justin Smith Gets 99, Carlos Rogers Gets 90 For 49ers (SB Nation Bay Area)

Jim Harbaugh, the media and psychology (BayAreaSportsGuy.com)

Advice from ex-49er: 'Go out there and kick their face in' (SFGate.com)

Kristin Chenoweth, Brad Paisley to perform at NFC Championship Game (Examiner.com)

Forget trash talk, let's check out the deeper meanings of quotes from Harbaugh, Rolle and Admiral Halsey(MercuryNews.com)

49ers' offensive x-factor should sound familiar to the Giants (BayAreaSportsGuy.com)

How the Niners offense will attack the Giants defense (PressDemocrat.com)

49ers hope they learned from 1st game with Giants (SFGate.com)

Harbaugh: Red sky in morning, sailors take warning (CSNBayArea.com)

Jed York gives vote of confidence - and, he hopes, eventually a new contract - to Alex Smith (MercuryNews.com)

49ers hold bigger special teams advantage over Giants than Saints (BayAreaSportsGuy.com)

Understanding the Harbaugh lexicon (PressDemocrat.com)

Smith, Fangio Change 49ers Defense (49ers.com)

49ers to Host 8th NFC Championship (49ers.com)

Being a Sheep

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Huge news here in the UK

And also for the NFC West.

The Rams are going to play one regular season game each year at Wembley.

Feels like the first step towards a team being based here, potentially. Wonder how the Rams feel about that. Wonder how the people of LA feel about that? Has London overtaken LA to be first in line for the next expansion team? Lots of questions, plus the tantalising possibility (for me) of the Niners playing here more often, either in an annual game or, if the Rams were ever to move here permanently, for one divisional road game each season.

by LondonNiner on Jan 20, 2012 6:03 AM PST reply actions

That would be one annual trip to London for me!
Yeah!

Proud Night Owl from Niners Nation

by zemd on Jan 20, 2012 6:15 AM PST up reply actions

Hopefully they'll be non-divisional games

Adding the additional 6 hours of travel time would be brutal although that hasn’t stopped them in the past.

I don’t think anybody in L.A. gives a crap about the Rams. Same withe the Raiders. They’ve been jilted. My take is that the team most people would want is the Chargers.

"It's impossible to hide the fire inside" - Bob Seger

by Jaxson876 on Jan 20, 2012 6:32 AM PST up reply actions

Interesting on the Chargers

But Jacksonville are most likely to move to LA if anyone does, right? LA Jaguars and London Rams, maybe?

by LondonNiner on Jan 20, 2012 6:37 AM PST up reply actions

The Chargers need a new stadium

Qualcom, or whatever it’s called these days is old and tired. If they build a new stadium in LA down by Staples Center I would have to think the Chargers would be interested.

Plenty of rumors about the Chargers moving. All that being said I have no idea what legal restrictions are in play.

"It's impossible to hide the fire inside" - Bob Seger

by Jaxson876 on Jan 20, 2012 7:41 AM PST up reply actions

Thinkin' the Raiders will be in play for L.A. ...!!

I'm your " Huckelberry "...it's just my game ..( .AleX ) was asked , what do you think about all the game manager talk ... AleX i guess i just managed myself a VIctory ... Extend the Man ...!!

by Edggy on Jan 20, 2012 7:48 AM PST up reply actions

Just saw this this morning...

I’d actually like for the Niners to make that trip one year, because I’d save my pennies for a trip out to Wembley to watch it, even if the Rams are abyssmal at that time.

As for a London team, I doubt it will happen. Remember that the owners have to approve it and they aren’t stupid enough to want their teams to make that long flight annually; especially for the teams that will be in the division with them. And the Rams being that team doesn’t make sense for division alignment since three teams would have to fly across the US and then across the Atlantic. They would have to re-align the divisions and make the London team and Eastern division team. It’s more likely that Toronto gets a team first.

by 9thevolution on Jan 20, 2012 7:30 AM PST up reply actions

You could well be right

The talk here is that the Rams have a three-year lease remaining in St Louis. I don’t know if that’s true, but they just signed for three years at Wembley once per season, so folks on this side of the Pond are putting two and two together and speculating that in three years the Rams move to London. If that happened – huge if – then the Niners are here once a year. Amazing for me, and plenty of vacations for you guys!

Just for the record, when Fooch came here the last time the Niners were in town, I bought him lunch, but if everyone started coming all the time, I’m gonna have to re-think that :)

by LondonNiner on Jan 20, 2012 8:17 AM PST up reply actions

That'd be insanity!!!

A league team that far away!!! But annual Niner games would be huge, no doubt.

by brundylop on Jan 20, 2012 8:29 AM PST up reply actions

If it does happen and a team goes to London permanantly....

then there’s no way that team remains in a western division. The owners and competition committee wouldn’t allow it. It’s far too much travel, though I think even the east coast teams would be concerned with the travel.

by 9thevolution on Jan 20, 2012 10:38 AM PST up reply actions

Agree on the West. Let’s say – and this is all very hypothetical – that the Rams became the London Rams. They would have to go into an East division.

by LondonNiner on Jan 20, 2012 12:01 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions

Colin is a chump...

Says we are a one season hit wonder…. F him….

"You have to reinvent yourself each year, ... What helped us was that there was some turnover each year." Bill Walsh...

by AzNiner on Jan 20, 2012 8:15 AM PST via Android app reply actions

Great weekend ahead of us Niner Nation ...

… A new Idiot Aboard is on this Saturday , then of coarse the Biggest Game in a Decade on Sunday … Happy Friday …!!

I'm your " Huckelberry "...it's just my game ..( .AleX ) was asked , what do you think about all the game manager talk ... AleX i guess i just managed myself a VIctory ... Extend the Man ...!!

by Edggy on Jan 20, 2012 8:29 AM PST reply actions