Things could have gotten worse for the Niners this weekend: The latest loss could actually have counted in the standings. But it doesn’t, so the horrible, stinking, filthy, impossible to watch mess that the Niners were on Saturday is already old news.

Don’t get me wrong, the images of Alex Smith’s 2.8 quarterback rating (I still don’t really understand a lot about quarterback ratings, but I know 2.8 is brutal), the Niners' 105 total yards, Kaepernick's 52 yards passing yards, another offensive line breakdown, and a time of possession battle that left Harbaugh's boys completely limp.

"It's a bitter pill to swallow when you're beaten that thoroughly in pretty much all phases," Harbaugh said after the game.

We spend all year grading each performance, but Harbaugh kept it simple: "Defense wasn’t as bad as special teams and special teams weren’t quite as bad as offense."

In other words, let’s say: Defense: D, Special Teams: D-, Offense: F.

Obviously there are some things we know, things we think we know, and some things we really don’t know. We know Alex Smith is the quarterback. We know these games don’t count in the standings. We think we know the lockout had an effect on off-season planning. (We know that we won’t hear that excuse from Harbaugh).

We don’t know how much of the playbook they’re using. We know they lost huge pieces of the D in the off-season. We know Gore isn't out there yet. We know Crabtree isn't out there yet. We don't know how they'll look once the season starts. We think we know they're going to lose more games than they win this year. But we also think we know Harbaugh is a winner long-term.

They look hellish, hideous, heinous and horrible all wrapped into one. But it's too early for hopeless.

For 49ers news on Twitter, follow @49ers_Live.

Follow Blog Blitz on Facebook and join the conversation.

-- JAY KLOSEVITZ
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com

"A" is for Alex. But if you ask Niners fans, "B" is for Bust, "C" is for Come On Already, "D" is for Done, "E" is for Errors, and by "F" it's getting pretty nasty.

You get the idea.

Unfortunately this isn’t Sesame Street, although the prospects of Alex Smith under center when the season begins has most of us feeling like Oscar the Grouch.

Please understand that up to this point, Jim Harbaugh has made the decision he had to make. And while it's been clear to many of us that Alex would not / could not / should not ever step on the field again as a Niner, Harbaugh wasn’t left with much to work with during his first months on the job. He couldn't enter the season with no quarterback, he couldn't even enter the summer with no quarterback. For that matter, he could barely exit his first press conference with no quarterback.

The season ended with the spotlight on Aaron Rodgers and Big Ben, and the year before that it was Brees and Manning. Every weekend during every month of every year we're reminded over and over and over how important the QB position is, and how crappy it is that we don't seem to have a very good one.

Which gets us back to the Harbaugh/Smith marriage made out of absolute necessity. Brightened up with a pretty bow, this Niners situation has been created because of the league situation, and the situation only.

Harbaugh can't think Smith is actually going to actually turn his career around now, can he Regardless, was Harbaugh going to spend the summer with no quarterbacks even on the roster? With all the uncertainty he gave the playbook (literally) to the guy who could start with the least amount of notice.

So now Smith is holding workouts, and all Niners fans are hoping this all gets settled. Without time between an agreement and the start of the season, there's no time for a Plan B.

And we’re not crazy about Plan A.

For 49ers news on Twitter, follow @49ers_Live.

Follow Blog Blitz on Facebook and join the conversation.

-- JAY KLOSEVITZ
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com

"You don't know when it's good or bad. You really don't know, because you don't know what we're trying to do, you guys don't look at the films. You don't know what happened. You really don't know. You think you know, but you don't know. And you never will." -- Jim Mora

When it comes to the NFL and the especially the NFL Draft, truer words have never been spoken. You can shove all the Mel Kipers, Todd McShays, Matt Maioccos and Eric Branches in room, shake it vigorously (in that case let's add Chris Berman just for kicks) and you still can't make heads or tails about what's really gonna happen on draft day.

And this year's first round was no different. The Niners jumped in on the wild fun, pulling an Al Davis move and going after "their guy," Aldon Smith, regardless of where every "expert" had him pegged to go.

The pick was greeted immediately with a number of emotions, at least in the room I was sitting in. I recall:

Anger: (voiced with "#%@*!")
Confusion ("What the #%@* just happened?")
Denial: ("You're #%@* kidding me!")
Reserve: (stunned silence)
Despair: ("Oh ... #%@*!")
Reverence: ("Holy #%@*!")

Some of this could come from hours of studying either film or Niners' draft history, but probably none came from watching hours of film and traveling the country meeting potential draft picks. That is left to Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh, who will rightfully sink or swim depending on picks like this one. We're all entitled to our opinions, but think about it: How many of us in our living rooms have even done 1/20th of the research these guys have? Fans have eyes and watch the players play, but the draft is a crap shoot regardless of how much we think we research. Every year "safe" picks become busts, and "reaches" become starters in the league.

You think you know, but you don't know.

For 49ers news on Twitter, follow @49ers_Live.

Follow Blog Blitz on Facebook and join the conversation.

-- JAY KLOSEVITZ
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com

After a 6-10 season and a coaching change, people wouldn’t expect optimism on the horizon for the San Francisco 49ers. Thanks to a dominant run defense and some very skilled offensive players at skill positions, there is reason for hope. But before they start buying plane tickets to the Super Bowl, the Niners front office brass should focus on improving the team that they might go to war with through the draft. Here are the Niners' three most pressing needs as the draft approaches next week, in order of most important to least.

Coach: Oh wait, never mind ...

Cornerback: The best thing that Mike Singletary did as Niners coach was give San Francisco a top ten pick this year in a draft loaded with secondary help. After addressing their safety need in last year's draft with Taylor Mays, San Francisco should move to the outside to improve on its 24th ranked pass defense of last season. The logical move, one that is expected by many, is for the Niners to grab LSU CB Patrick Peterson with the seventh pick, a move that would be both logical and smart. Peterson is about as much of a sure thing as exists in this year's talent crop, and not taking him if he is available at seven would be a joke. If Peterson is taken, Nebraska;s Prince Amukamara could be a logical pick.

Quarterback: They tried over and over again. And once everyone thought that was it, they tried one more time. And Alex Smith failed. Over and over again. And with the lack of a true offseason, it sure seems that the only way to find a replacement for Smith is through the draft. Currently, the only quarterback on the 49ers roster is David Carr. I would be willing to personally guarantee to anybody that David Carr will not make the opening game start next season, whenever that will be. The most logical options early in the draft are likely to be off the board, namely Auburn's Cam Newton and Missouri's Blaine Gabbert. If the 49ers are truly set on taking a quarterback in the first round, they could move down and aim for Washington's Jake Locker or Arkansas' Ryan Mallett. Or they could wait until the second or third rounds and go for Nevada's Colin Kaepernick or TCU’s Andy Dalton. The Niners have a lot of room and a lot of options. They need to utilize them and grab a passer.

Running back: Frank Gore will be 28 by the time the season starts (if it starts). Most backs tend to decline rapidly once they hit the age of 30. While Gore hasn't yet shown signs of slowing down, he has had trouble staying healthy, issing the end of last season with a broken hip. Anthony Dixon looked good in spurts as a backup last year, but questions remain about his speed. If the Niners don’t feel like Dixon, a sixth-round draft choice last year, isn't their future starter, then they should make a move for a ball carrier in the middle of the draft somewhere. There are a number of potential sleepers in the middle of the draft board, including Oklahoma State's Kendall Hunter, Eastern Washington's Taiwan Jones and Cal's Shane Vereen. Any one of them could be a future difference maker and would make a good back up this year for Gore.

For 49ers news on Twitter, follow @49ers_Live.

Follow Blog Blitz on Facebook and join the conversation.

-- DANIEL RUBENS
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com

Here's a breakdown of the schedule for Jim Harbaugh's first season as coach of the 49ers:

Sept. 11 vs. Seattle
September 18 vs. Dallas
September 25 at Cincinnati
The highlight of September for many will be Dallas coming to town, because we'll get to talk about "The Catch"... the greatest single history-changing play for any franchise in any sport, ever. That said, the real highlight of September should be the "What's Your Deal?" rematch between Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh.

The Scene: Nov. 14, 2009. Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal pounding Carroll and USC 48-21. Following a late touchdown, Harbaugh decides to go for two, just to hang 50 in the Coliseum. During the on-field meet and greet, Carroll is notably sour, asking: "What's your deal?" Harbaugh stares back and says: "What's your deal?"

The rematch comes Sept. 11

Oct. 2 at Philadelphia
Oct. 9 vs. Tampa Bay
Oct. 16 at Detroit
Oct. 30 vs. Cleveland
Reunion time, as the match-up with the Browns marks a return of Mike Holmgren, who started with the Niners in the 80's under Walsh, and has been rumored as a future coach of the franchise 1,764 times since he won a ring in Green Bay. Dwight Clark again can enjoy a link to the story line, as he will watch his Niners take on the team that employed him from 1998-2002, then spared him by not dumping him in Lake Erie when they didn't win enough games.

Nov. 6 at Washington
Nov. 13 vs. New York Giants
Nov. 20 vs. Arizona
Nov. 24 at Baltimore
In the Niners' biggest marquee matchup to date, it's brother vs. brother in the John vs. Jim pass-the-stuffing Thanksgiving Night extravaganza. (Conveniently on the NFL Network, the greatest produced and thrilling joy ride you can ever take in the confines of football broadcasting.) Two brothers have never faced off against one another in an NFL game, although it is widely believed that Bill Walsh was so smart he could have coached both the Niners and their opponents on most game days.

Dec. 4 vs. St. Louis
Dec. 11 at Arizona
Dec. 19 vs. Pittsburgh
Dec. 24 at Seattle
Jan. 1 at St. Louis
Seems as if the schedule makers got to the end of day and realized the Niners hadn't played many division games. "Ah, just send'em out on the road a bunch a times late." Well, at least they get a nice break from brutal division battles to host the friendly Steelers on Monday Night Football. They're a nice group of young men. Luckily for the Niners they'll have revenge for the lone loss 27 years ago, when the 1984 49ers were robbed of Shula-esque immortality by the great Wersching clanker. (Ray, you have long since been forgiven. You were kicking at Candlestick -- we understand.)

It will be a December to remember for Harbaugh, because it will be his first as an NFL head coach. What remains to be seen is if it will be memorable to us fans. Let's hope there's something more to play for than "building for next year" or "playing the spoiler role".

For 49ers news on Twitter, follow @49ers_Live.

Follow Blog Blitz on Facebook and join the conversation.

-- JAY KLOSEVITZ
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com