The Bay Area is Back!

Can this finally be the year for the 49ers and the Giants? By the way things are shaping out, this year looks promising for both teams. The Giants are in the thick of the playoff chase and the 49ers are poised to return to the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

The Giants:

Coming into the season, many people had questions about the Giants’ offense. The Giants passed on Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, and instead signed journey men like Aubrey Huff. They did not have much money to play with and hoped that superior pitching and an average offense will push them into the playoffs. The Giants have come a long way and look promising as they lead the wild card chase and are 1.5 games behind the surprising Padres. Rookie phenom Buster Posey is hitting the ball very well and the Giants offense is consistent enough to win games. Even though Pablo Sandoval is not having a great year like last year, players like Uribe, Renteria and Burrell have provided timely hitting. This Giants group is playing with high confidence and they truly believe that they can compete with anyone if they are given the opportunity to make the playoffs.

49ers:

The 49ers look very promising on paper but success will be measured by how far Alex Smith takes them. One has to remember that this guy went through 5 offensive coordinators in 5 seasons and this is the first time he has had one offensive coordinator for consecutive seasons. He is saying and doing all the right things but it really comes down to how he performs on the field during the regular season. After being hyped up and picked number 1, Smith has been extremely inconsistent and many fans (like me) are getting tired of his erratic play. Like the Giants, the 49ers have not put the emphasis on offense but rather on strong defense and special teams. However, this year it seems as though Smith finally has two reliable targets to throw to- Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. From all the training camp gossip, it seems as though Smith has developed a great bond with Davis and it seems like Crabtree is ready to take the next step after a solid rookie season.

Another positive is that the 49ers play in a dismal division. The Cardinals have lost so many pieces from the Superbowl team, the Seahawks are going in the right direction but still do not have a strong and healthy Hasselback, and the Rams look like they will have the 1st pick in the draft again. It seems as though all the stars are finally lining up for this team to make the playoffs and be a good solid team under Mike Singletary. Anything less will be a disappointment.

The Bay Area is finally buzzing and excited to possibly see both teams in the playoffs after a long hiatus!

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