Gold.

A lot has happened since the beginning of the 2006-2007 49er's season. Just barely missing the playoffs, we showed a glimmer of our true capacity. We beat the Seattle seahawks twice, and would've taken the NFC west if we could've just played them one more time. Melis and I attended one of the more memorable games when the Niners beat the seahawks at The Stick (in November '06; pictured). There we got to see the greatest receiver (likely best player) who has ever played the game, The Flash, #80, Jerry Rice, officially retire and catch one final touchdown pass from the highest rated QB (career) is league history #8 Steve Young. Then Melis and I came back to Seattle to see our boys beat the hawks AGAIN at Qwest field when nobody thought they could. It was awesome.

Since the 2003 destruction of the roster by John York and Terry Donahue, my Niners have simply been bad. I wanted them to hunker down and endure the gauntlet they've had to run without tarnish the greatness they've achieved. It could've been worse but they did not come out unscathed. We were shutout for the first time in decades, ending the longest streak in NFL history. We had no quantifiable receivers for the first time since Freddie Solomon in 1975. We let the bass-ackwards AFC cruise into the NFC's limelight.

But that is all over. The 49ers have put their foot down and drawn a line in the sand. We will surrender this far and no further! We will give some instead of taking it! We will push back and make the league realize the threat we are. The respect is back, the management is back, the hype is back, the roster is back, the talent is back, the fans... never left. This season we're hunting for birds, goats, tigers, steel workers, regular-sized giants, pirates, browns who don't understand color, norsemen and cats.

Sourdough Sam has a gigantic, pointy, gold-plated pick-axe for each of ya.

As we review our weaponry we have a QB ready to become a premier passer, deep threats at WR and TE, the best RB in the conference, a solid Kicker and great special teams, and a MONSTER, biggest-sleeper-in-the-league defense. We have drafted well (ILB Patrick Willis, OT-Joe Staley, etc.) and played free agency well (WR-Darrell Jackson, shutdown CB-Nate Clements, WR-Ashlie Lelie, etc.). The squatter seahawks have had the NFC West on LOAN from us. The 49ers ARE the NFC West, it's OUR division, and OUR conference, there is red and gold ALL OVER that title, and we coming for it.