gatskier

Well, I am sure that this is a common theme among the knowledgeable NFL followers.  But the 49ers are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel through several seasons of pretty good draft picks.  The last 4 years in particular. 

Although 2005 #1 draft pick Alex Smith still has the jury out deliberating, I believe he will start building confidence and becoming the player we know he can be.  I have to rely heavily on the fact that it took Drew Brees a handful of seasons to finally come into his own.  Look at the several of the great QB's in the league.  Not every single one of them were completely great right from the start.  I even believe it took Steve Young some time behind Joe Montana to learn his greatness.  Although I will not ever compare Steve Young and Alex Smith. Look at players like Doug Floutie, Randall Cunningham, Drew Brees, late bloomers like Kurt Warner, Rich Gannon and so on.  These QB's were in the league for a while before they became very good or at least got their shot be very good. 

Regardless back to the theme of this message.  The 49ers are finally starting to draft the right players.  I believe with a few good choices for the offensive line and a good pass rusher, we will be set for the future.  I love what Mike Singeltary is doing. 

The early 2000's picks were a little shaky excluding injury prone Julian Peterson,
2000  Julian Peterson, I would love to see this guy next to Patrick Willis in their primes.
2001  Andre Carter, never really made any impact for the team
2002  Mike Rumph, is he still playing?  Don't think, no pass coverage
2003  Kwame Harris, flop
2004  Raushaun Woods, Who, LOL
The Change Begun!
2005  Alex Smith, jury may be out, but I believe he will be sound enuough to lead this team into the future 
2006  Vernon Davis and Manny Lawson, Vernon is coming into his own finally and Manny is a solid defensive player
2007  Patrick Willis and Joe Staley, both are proven assets to the team
2008  Kentwan Balmer:  Could be a good threat as he matures in the position
2009  Michael Crabtree:  Looking Pretty Good So Far

I was just reading an article by Mark Henderson from Times Online about the 5 Simple Things to a Healthy Life:

Steps to happiness

Connect
Developing relationships with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours will enrich your life and bring you support

Be active
Sports, hobbies such as gardening or dancing, or just a daily stroll will make you feel good and maintain mobility and fitness

Be curious
Noting the beauty of everyday moments as well as the unusual and reflecting on them helps you to appreciate what matters to you

Learn
Fixing a bike, learning an instrument, cooking – the challenge and satisfaction brings fun and confidence

Give
Helping friends and strangers links your happiness to a wider community and is very rewarding 

 Well after reading this list I can truly say that I spend way to much time on sportsline.com, simply because I think that all of those needs are met while I browse the threads, make entries and comments to blogs, play fantasy sports and interact in the communities.  Hmmmm, I guess I am happy.  Enjoy!

Over the last several years the NFL has been dominated by the AFC teams.  I have been reviewing the NFC teams over and over again, mainly for fantasy football reasons and just completely saw the AFC as this powerhouse.  When was it going to end!  Well this season looks to take a big swing back towards the NFC.  The great defenses of some of the storied NFC teams like the Bears, Vikings, Giants, Eagles, etc are finally looking up to the match against the AFC teams.  The best part though is not just the defenses, the offensive talent is also starting to pick up in the NFC.  The best quarterbacks in the game are still Tom Brady (barring a healthy return next season) and Peyton Manning, but the youth coming up the pipeline in Tony Romo, possibly Jason Campbell, Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers is exciting.  Then there are a lot of skilled position players also coming into the NFC.

All in all, it looks exciting again for NFC teams!