Another year, another disappointing end to the season.
A Batman without his Robin. After Greenlaw going down in one of the cruelest ways possible, Fred Warner had to carry on. Say what you will, but goddamnit, the defense, including Fred, gave all that they had.
Here is how the end of the Super Bowl went for me and my family. I was tense the whole f**king game. And as many know, I am a proud Arkansas Razorback. To watch Dre Greenlaw go down, the way he did, and what it could mean for his career, I was absolutely floored. Pissed because how unfair it was, but more somber as time went on. No ward of the state that climbed his way out of hell deserves this.
As you know, it went to s**t from there. False starts, the timeout, the running game disappears, the weird ass ball bouncing off a foot moment, and the OT decision. In the overtime, I threw my 49er toboggan and cursed the inability of the defense to stop the Chiefs as they came back to win. My kid, who has seen the niners lose a super bowl as a three year old, watched her niners (I HAD EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HER FANDOM) lose one as a seven year old. That meant, she understood what she was seeing. And then came the tears. It was her tears that immediately snapped me out of my funk. It was unfair, she said. I agreed, it was. But, I believed, I told her, that the Niners gave their all. It was, I surmised, all we could ask. It was unfair, she said more emphatically. I said, indeed, it is. That's life, though. I told her that my wife and I have waited 29 years, and we will keep waiting till the Niners do it. My wife and I consoled her further than I scooped her up and carried her off to bed (It was way past bedtime. I had let her stay up to see the niners win it. Welp that went terrible, lol.). All the way, I was thankful for my life, wife, kid, and dog. And well, since that moment, I have been okay. Sad. Disappointed. But, generally, okay.
I share this story because some of you have gone to places I used to go when the niners lost. Maybe, it is because I am older, but while I hurt when the team loses, I refuse to not live my life because of it. And well, I may not know you, but I hope you will find your way back from disappointment to realize, you and your life matters. As a community, we will see the niners win. I just no longer know when. And that is for the best for you and me. Better to learn the lesson of patience and appreciation than to rush into declarations of an immediate return to glory only to be bitterly disappointed once again.
Bravado is a game for the stupid and arrogant. We all, young and old fan, have been repeatedly humbled. I promise you our time will come. And to my friend, Jerry. We will get that hat and shirt, brother.
Final thoughts
Many of us old hands are likely clearing out our Ninertalk lockers this week. Packing up our fandom, personas, ready to retreat to our lives so that we can breathe once more, and heal up for the next campaign. Meanwhile, the diehards, the blue collar backbone of the Zone will plug along. People will clash and argue. They will call for firings, while the calmer ones will laugh it off. This is the way of things, the way of this place. It should be no other way. Because everyone of them cares. Love em or hate em, they all f**king care. They all want to win.
As I started packing my mental baggage from my locker, I thought about what needs to change. And well, it must be something. Certainly, with Wilks being shown the door today, the process of change has begun. Say what you will about Shanny, he has gotten better about jettisoning things he thinks does not work. First, Lance and now Wilks. That is growth. It may not be much for many, but for me it shows growth and I will take it.
Heavy is the brow of the one that wears the crown. Love him or hate him, you cannot deny he has had to shoulder a great deal of blame for events that were not always his fault.
The Prodigal 49er Son, Kyle Shannahan, still has a ways to go, though. But s**t, don't we all? And if he is the new Andy Reid, we better figure out how to get him what he needs to take the next step. I am going to say it once again, I would not run him off. Unless, he loses another Super Bowl because I am just not sure the fans could handle losing a third one (fourth overall) on his watch. If anyone deserves to win it, isn't it him?
As for the Yuk situation, I want him back, but, and I hinted at this earlier this season, I am going to tell you that this was the last ride for many of the Niners as we know them. The hope, though, is that most of the core lives on to enter into the breach once more. But going into this offseason that is not a guarantee. Something needs to change, Wilks was the first domino, not the last. Who knows, we may even trade one of our core. If I have learned anything over all these years of fandom it is that I have no idea what could happen.
Reflection on two decades worth of adding nothing useful to your life.
Speaking of years, in five days, I will reach my twentieth year on the Zone. I came here 9 years after the 94 Championship team because, well, we were in a weird place where we won, but could only get so far (sound familiar?) and I wanted to find a place I could meet other fans and grow as a writer. I have been here ever since. I keep swearing to myself as my post count per day dwindles that I will retire. But, I am still here. Waiting with all of you for a chance to see the view from the top of the mountain.
As with my family, I remain grateful to have been a part of this place for so long.
See you next season, Niner Gang. Bang, f**king, bang.
For twenty years, I have been Fropwns. Let's see if we can make it twenty more.
[ Edited by fropwns on Feb 15, 2024 at 7:41 AM ]
