Not quite over it yet.

First thing... My team made it to the Super Bowl after being out of the conversation for close to a decade.

Second... My team staged an amazing comeback and darned near got it done.

Third... The team has a lot of work to do to get back to the Super Bowl.

We're in a good place. We have our QB. He's young, he's talented, and he's got both playoff and Super Bowl experience. And we have a very good offensive line in place.

Our problem on offense is receiver depth. Will Manningham and Williams come back healthy? Fast? Reliable? And will they stay healthy? Is A.J. Jenkins an official bust? They're questions that have to be answered.

I also have questions about Frank Gore's future with the team. I don't really know why. I don't know why I'm so eager to see him replaced. I don't know why I focus on how many times he takes himself off the field these days, or how many times he gets stuffed behind the line. I mean, I know his numbers look good at the end of the year... but all I seem to see are the negatives.

I want a power runner, running the power game, behind that huge offensive line of ours. And Frank only seems to be able to do that once or twice a game these days. The guy I'd love to see playing for the Niners is Toby Gerhart of the Vikings. Dixon is okay, but Gerhart is better. I'll come up with some other names during the free agency period and the draft... but I'll be looking for guys who run like Gerhart. He's got at least another year on his contract with the Vikings, but I wouldn't be shocked to hear that the Vikings might be willing to trade him for a couple of later round draft picks. They have A.P. He's the best RB in football. Toby will not beat him out for the starter's job. So odds are, Toby is interested in leaving the Vikings, and if he leaves after next year they get nothing for him. A deal is possible.

Jack

You mentioned yesterday that you didn't know why Vernon always seems to jump up to catch the ball these days... even when the ball isn't that high. I noticed that myself a while ago and asked a friend who payed receiver and he said it was because Vernon either doesn't want to... or doesn't think he can catch the ball with his hands. He wants to trap the ball against his chest. Trap it, or have his chest as a back-stop because he's sure the ball is going to go through his hands. And no, it's not a good thing.

As for the defense... our secondary has been getting torched lately. Two ways to fix that. Get better secondary men. (Helpful, eh?) But first, get our front seven back in order. When our front seven could both stop the run, and pressure the QB, our secondary guys had an easier time. The injury to Justin Smith showed us how important he is to the whole defense, and it showed us how thin we are on the line. That's why I'm hoping we grab Alabama's Jesse Williams in the first round this year. His combination of power and speed is remarkable, and the time to bring in Justin's replacement is now... not after he's gone. Which might be after next season. Give Williams a year to learn from Smith, and I think you've got something special.

Oh, but do get some better secondary men.