Rob,

You might be right. It is a difficult position to find oneself as a fan, when you feel that the head coach of your team has made a mistake that you think will hurt the team's chances of success, and then to see your fears come to fruition in a game like last night's, but not feel free to say so because of the expectation of reactions like yours.

I happened to fear that changing to an inexperienced quarterback in the second half of the season would have unforeseen knock-on consequences. I believe we're starting to see those.

The offense has been boom or bust for several weeks now. It is discombobulated. Injuries are happening more often because of confusion before and after the snap. The offense is not staying on the field long enough per possession for the defense to get enough rest. All these things.

Seeing that, and alluding to it, doesn't make me an ex-fan.

Pointing out how troubled Harbaugh looked after the game doesn't constitute a swipe.

Pointing out that Kaepernick played poorly - which is apparently taboo for the "faithful" - doesn't make me obsessed with feeling sorry for Alex Smith. In fact I pointedly refrained from making any direct comments about Kaepernick's performance during the game. I pointedly refrained from sharing my reaction to the expression on Kaepernick's face when the camera cut away to him moments before the game began - he looked like someone with a bad migraine, or someone who had awoken from one of those dreams where you haven't prepared for an exam and found out that it was real. He did not look like a confident man ready to win a football contest. That didn't make me hate him, or feel anything about Alex Smith; it simply made me extremely worried for my team's chances in this game.

It is simply my opinion that the team would be in better shape now and in coming weeks if Smith had been reinstated as the starter when he recovered from his concussion.

It is also my opinion that we are seeing the team's chances for success this season sacrificed for Harbaugh's longer-term plan.

A plan that I'm beginning to suspect will not turn out the way he might think it will.

So yeah, if thinking all of that is hurting my enjoyment of the games, so be it.

Maybe I should take a break, and give most of the rest of you a break from my "negativity" too.

Happy holidays.

Last Edited By: Win80 12/24/12 10:51 AM. Edited 2 times.