I know the site needs advertising and I'm not against that, but can anyone explain to me why some of the ads have to be so ridiculous. I'd really rather not be looking at some random dude in a facemask and whitey tighties when I come to this site. It's not only on both sides of the page but also randomly between articles. I can't stand it. I may not be returning to Ninersnation on my computer (mobile app doesn't show this dumb stuff) for a month or so until the ad changes.

I don't know what you all think about it or if it even bothers anyone else but it would be nice if we forced to look at ads if it didn't have to be stuff like that.

I don't know about you guys but I get a subscription to Sports Illustrated and because I don't live in the Bay Area or even in California for that matter, I don't receive tons of 49ers news, especially from a national source and not a local source. So when I opened up my issue of SI from this week, I was excited to see an article about my 49ers. I opened it up this morning only to find an article written by a guy who obviously either didn't do his research before writing or knows very little about the 49ers themselves and tried to make it look like he knew something.

There were a few things that really set me off about the article because they were very easy to notice if someone had just done a little bit of research. The first thing I noticed was that the writer (Taylor) said that Colin Kapernick was a 4th round pick. Really? How about a 2nd rounder. It's not even like he can say it was a typo because he didn't type a 3rd rounder or a 1st rounder. Just google his name and you can easily find out where he was drafted. 36 overall my good sir!

Secondly, Taylor consistently ripped Alex Smith and his performance over the past few years (rightfully so), however he stated that Smith has "not exactly made (Harbaugh and Balke) look like visionaries so far (in the preseason)." Really? Through, two weeks and even after last week's tremendous improvement, I can't believe that we aren't already going to the playoffs guys! Taylor also misspoke when talking about Alex Smith's "descent performace" last week. He claimed that Alex had two scoring drives, which in reality it was only one. Had he watched the game film of Alex last week, he could have easily deciphered that information.

Another interesting comment about Smith was that "the Niners seem confident that Harbaugh can transform Smith into at least a competent quarterback." So first, Alex Smith is underperforming through 2 weeks in the preseason and is making Harbaugh look bad. Then Harbaugh is attempting to turn Alex into a competent qb. Alex made a stupid throw last week that got picked off, but anyone that watched that game last week (or most games over his career) can easily say that he is a "competent" QB. A competent QB implies someone who is "acceptable and satisfactory, though not outstanding" (definition from dictionary.com). Alex Smith's name is a synonym for competent in the dictionary. He is acceptable and satisfactory and that is why he is seen in some circles as a bust. He was picked 1st overall, he is supposed to be outstanding. We aren't looking for competent. Trust me Taylor.

The last exaggeration that frustrated me was concerning the 49ers coaching staff. The article made a reference to the fact that Harbaugh is the 49ers 6th coach since Walsh's "protege" George Seifert left in 1997. It then states that "ONLY (emphasis mine) these teams have had as many in that period" and then goes on to list NINE TEAMS that have also had that many coaches. That's almost a third of the teams in the NFL. The author is trying to claim that the 49ers are in some crazy minority and then goes on to list nine other teams. JEEZ.

I know it's a common complaint but I am frustrated to a certain degree with the national media and their coverage of the 49ers. I wish that people who wrote articles for magazines (aside from authors on other blogs) would do a little research. Even a 49ers fan who lives out in South Dakota and doesn't get his regular daily dose can easily disprove this author. It's a little annyoing...

Remembering back to the game on Sunday, there was one thing that I remember being an absolute life saver for us. While the 49ers were already down, the Broncos ran a flea-flicker that if it weren't for a penalty flag, would have been the nail in the coffin for the 49ers and we would have gone on to lose that game. But this brought up a question that I have about the 49ers defense this year. Why are we so bad when it comes to flea-flickers, screens, and play-actions?

Those plays are designed to hurt an aggressive defense and from what I have seen out of our defense this year, we have not been an aggressive defense. We aren't sending all kinds of different blitzes at the QB, we aren't getting a large amount of sacks and our defense does a pretty good job at containment (especially when it comes to another trick play, the reverse). So why have these plays been so effective? Is it because of the play-calling? Is it the fault of the DB's and Safety's being too aggressive and biting on plays? And what do you think should be done to fix it. Whenever we get hit with a 2nd or 3rd flea-flicker in a season and it continues to work, something is very wrong.

Alright, I know its coming for this post, but I want to make it clear first of all that I love Frank. I root for him every week. I have his jersey and I own him on my fantasy team.I love Frank Gore and want to see more games like the first against Seattle in his 49ers career.

But, unfortunately, it seems like something bad is happening to Frank. Don't get me wrong, I know our O-line isn't getting a push and the play calling has really gotten away from the run in the past couple weeks, but he isn't finding the holes like he used to. So, I wanted to pose a discussion question. What is happening to Frank Gore? Is his tenure as a 49er coming to an end? If you think so, what should we do? Should we make an attempt to trade him while he still has much value? Should we draft another top running back who could run better out of the spread? Depending on your response to the poll, what should happen?

For those who have attended 49ers games this year or live in the bay area, how has the 49er fan attendance been this year? I live in the Midwest and from the look on the television it seems that the stadium is not full. Have there been black-out problems in the SF area or no? I know that there have been many issues with the NFL blacking out games but I didn't think it would be an issue with the 49er faithful. Just out of curiosity.

I have to be honest, before this season I was not an Alex Smith supporter. I did not think he would ever mean anything to the Niners again and I saw Shaun Hill starting for the entire season (not putting up great numbers) and then we would draft a solid QB next season if Davis was someone that was always going to be a back-up.

This offseason, I was hoping, praying that the 49ers would find a QB that could ball. I wanted to see someone who could bomb the ball, who could make deep throws that would open up the running game. As much as I knew it would cost the 49ers too much, inside I was slightly hoping that they would make a play for Cutler. But, this Bears situation with him should teach us all a very important lesson. That lesson is that the QB isn't everything on the football field.

Being so sick of seeing lackluster QBing from the 49ers since Garcia left, I was desiring a solid QB desparately. So were the Bears. Orton was to the Bears as Shaun Hill was to the 49ers, someone who was a game manager, nothing fancy. They felt that if they got a good QB, everything would take care of itself, and I was even guilty of predicting the NFC North to be one of the toughest divisions (the Lions aside) in the NFL and the Bears to win the division. The problem is that the QB isn't everything. The Bears don't have an O-line (they are worse then ours) and they don't have solid receivers (they are worse then ours).

The 49ers need some time. I'm not saying I don't think they can make the playoffs, but give them another year or two. Give Alex the rest of this year and maybe even next year as well. He doesn't have a real good o-line. Cutler can make great throws, so can Alex, if they have time in the pocket. His receivers are ok, but not the greatest yet. I think this is one reason that he has looked so bad at times. Cutler was so good the past few years with the Broncos, but put him on a different team and he is terrible. QB's like Joe Flacco should be so happy with their situation. The Ravens had a whole team except a QB and last year they proved it. I really believe that Alex Smith can be a great QB, if the rest of the team builds around him. Keep the coaching staff (we NEED stability at the OC), keep building our O-line in the draft and I really think he's gonna be ok. We all desparately want to see winning now (I do more than most), but I think this is a situation where no matter what happens this season, we can't call for anyone's head. This year was a great learning year (whether we make the playoffs or not) now lets keep building and get out there and dominate next season. Let's draft an O-lineman in the first round and bring some more stability there and then see how Alex plays.

               I have to be honest. After all of the interaction from Big Blue Shoe, I was quite disappointed and annoyed by the attempt to bad mouth our team. But, I realized that honestly this isn't the first interaction that I have had with a Colts fan that went sour. One of the guys in my dorm when I was in college in Ohio was a die hard Colts fan and he honestly acted the same way. Whenever something went wrong for their team it was someone else's fault. He accused teams of cheating (especially when the Colt's were getting dominated by the Patriots) and was honestly the worst winner and worst loser I have ever seen.

               All this being said, I can't seem to think and enjoy the fact that Colts players are dropping like flies. According to Adam Schefter's twitter account, "To recap, S Bob Sanders out for year, CB Kelvin Hayden out 1 month, CB Marlin Jackson out for year, WR Anthony Gonzalez out 2 to 3 weeks."

               Now, I am never the one to root for injuries or to take pleasure in the fact that someone is physically injured, but I can't seem to think that many Colts fans are getting what they deserve. Sure I envy their 7-0 record, but I sure as heck hope they lose out the rest of the season and lose out in the first round of the playoffs. I'll be rooting for it for the rest of the season and hopefully for many more seasons to come.

Hey everyone...so, I just bought my first tickets on May 5th to sit in the bleachers of Wrigley Field. I have been to about 20 cubs games in my 5 years in Chicago and this will be my first time in the bleachers. Can anyone give me suggestions on best places to sit and things to do? I plan on getting to the game before the gates open 2 hours before, but I wanted to make sure I don't miss out on something memorable while I am there. What are your favorite things to do and some good memories from your times out there? 

EDITOR'S NOTE 1:10PM: I was going to post something about this.  KGB was placed on waivers by the Packers today.  He is guaranteed his salary so if somebody claims him I think they'd have to pay him the prorated version of his $6.15 million salary.  If he clears waivers, he'd still be guaranteed the salary, but his next time would then be able to sign him for the veteran's minimum.  I know we've been trying to switch to the 3-4, but with a sufficient mix of the 4-3, is it worth making a move for him?  Or maybe the team should just see what Ahmad Brooks can do at defensive end.  Thoughts?  I'm going to add a poll to this.

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Knowing all of the major issues that the San Francisco 49ers have with the pass rush, what would everyone think about having Kabeer Gbaja- Biamila?

Kabeer was released today by the Green Bay Packers ( link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3676640) and he was a great pass rusher in his time there. According to the article on ESPN, Kabeer has 74.5 sacks in his 9 seasons with the team which was more than Reggie White's 68.5.

He could be a great addition to this team, so tell me, what do you think? Should we try to pick him up off of the waiver wire or leave him?