As much as I hated to see Mike Singletary go, it is great to see that the 49ers have become a playoff contender once again with a strong showing early in the season with the guidance of Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh’s gamble on bringing Alex Smith back has definitely paid dividends. On the subject of quarterbacks, I saw that Scott Tolzien has been signed as well. As a University of Minnesota grad, I have witnessed Tolzien’s exploits with the University of Wisconsin and his appearances in the Champs Sports Bowl and the Rose Bowl. He would make a great backup for Alex Smith. Another great acquisition in the offseason was the addition of the Pro Bowl wide receiver Braylon Edwards who should be back on field against the Browns this Sunday after suffering from an injury.

The Niners started of the season in an exceptional fashion with a convincing victory over their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, at home in Candlestick Park. Furthermore, the two coaches Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll had an intense rivalry in college with Harbaugh coaching Stanford and Carroll being at the helm of their Pac-12 rival USC. Although, the loss against the Cowboys was heartbreaking, the Niners have had some impressive victories against the dream team Philadelphia Eagles and the resurgent Detroit Lions. The 48-3 triumph over Josh Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should give some indication of the Niners improvement. This could be attributed to the flexible game plans with the offense and the defense centering on the team that they are playing against that week.

The 49ers are definitely in prime position in the NFC West and the things should stay that way from what I have been seeing. Coming off their bye, the Niners will face off against the 3-3 Cleveland Browns at home this Sunday in what should be a great chance for the Bay Area team to go to 6-1. The 49ers will have some challenges in a week 12 Sunday Night encounter against the Baltimore Ravens and an exciting Monday Night game against the Steelers in week 15.