It’s taken me some time to cope with the 49ers loss against the New York Giants in the NFC Championship.

It hurts just typing it out.

I went from being pissed off, frustrated, and extremely sad in the last 72 hours. I’ve heard all the crap talking that’s been going around. Everyone shared their opinions. And now that I have a clear mind, I feel that I’m ready to talk about last Sunday’s game.

It’s time to put in my two cents.

We all know what happened. Kyle Williams fumbled the ball. Not once, but twice! He made two huge mistakes. But are they great enough for you to blame this kid for the 49ers losing the game?

As I recall (correct me if I’m wrong), #10 wasn’t the only guy on the field playing against Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants.

I can draw up a chalkboard full of reasons as to why the 49ers didn’t come away with the win.

Alex Smith did not give a great performance last Sunday. It’s that simple. He could not manage the game. Yes, he made two touchdown passes to Vernon Davis. That’s awesome.

At the same time, Alex couldn’t maintain his composure as the QB. It was obvious that he felt pressure in the pocket. His passes weren’t accurate and I witnessed a lot of running in his part.

But it’s not only his fault.

What about the rest of the offense? Maybe he felt pressure because the O-line couldn’t keep him protected. Maybe his receivers shouldn’t have dropped the ball one-too-many times.

They only made 1-for-13 on third downs against New York! Are you kidding me?!

Is it fair to say that the 49ers were not prepared for the Giants defense? I think so.

And what about the would-be turnovers? For a team known for practically forcing turnovers all season, they sure forgot how to do so in this last game.

It doesn’t help that Goldson bumped into Brown in the first attempt, but he also crashes into Rogers in the next try. The secondary just could not stay in sync.

But there should have been a fumble! You all know it too.

It was that stupid forward progress call and Ed Hochuli’s quick whistle that messed up the whole play! Whether you’re a 49ers fan or not, I’m sure we can all agree that it was a bad call.

The Niners made mistakes & the Giants capitalized on them. The Superbowl wasn’t in the cards for San Francisco. Not this year.

Now, I’m not pointing out all these aforementioned errors to remind you of their loss. I also want to bring to your attention all of their success.

No one (including myself), expected them to make it this far. The NFL lockout and the new head coach had me skeptical. The fact that they only won 6 games the season before, didn’t give me any encouragement either.

But Harbaugh and the coaching staff made a huge impact. They changed Alex Smith and the rest of the squad. Literally! It was like night and day.

They swept the NFC West division and came out with a 13-3 record (1-1 in the post season). Did you see that one coming?

I didn’t think so.

As a team, the 49ers averaged 23.8 points and a +2 turnover ratio per game.

David Akers was a pleasant surprise. He surpassed Jerry Rice’s record for the most points made in a season within the San Francisco 49ers franchise. A kicker did that!

Frank Gore achieved first place in the 49ers all-time rushing list, beating Joe Perry.

Their defense is one of the top (if not the top) defense in the league. They’re amazing, and there’s nothing more I can say about that.

Aldon Smith should be named Defensive Rookie of the Year with his 37 tackles and 14 sacks.

Jim Harbaugh should get the award for Coach of the Year. Hands down!

So if this is just the beginning of what Harbaugh and the 49ers have to offer their fans; well then, I can’t wait for the next season!

But whenever a local sports team does well (let me rephrase that – does REALLY well), it brings the surrounding communities together. People get excited and everyone wants to talk about how great so-and-so are doing.

However, when that team loses and fails to reach the desired goal (in this case – Superbowl XLVI), that tests the loyalty of the fans who have rooted for them all along (and those who just started in the post season).

That’s my sugar-coated way of calling out those who have recently hopped on the 49ers bandwagon and have suddenly disappeared.

With that being said, I welcome all of the new fans who have decided to stay a 49ers Faithful, but remember the keyword folks…

FAITHFUL!!

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