By Frank Luna

I’m hearing a lot about, what could have been from 49er fans. It seems many of them think the NY Giants’ Super Bowl victory over the Patriots automatically projects the Niners as defacto champions themselves. The overtime loss to the Giants in the NFC Championship game apparently leads some fans to believe the 49ers not only should have been in the Super Bowl, but would have also prevailed over New England. While I don’t disagree San Francisco’s defense would have put a hurt on Tom Brady and the Patriot offense, my impression of yesterdays game was that the Giants won by passing down the field on their final drive. In my opinion, the 49ers and Alex Smith don’t have the offense that could have duplicated that feat. Let’s give Eli Manning the credit he deserves. His play was brilliant down the stretch and this is the second time he’s pulled this off in the Super Bowl. This is the stuff of legends and Alex Smith and the Niners don’t quite have that ability just yet. But San Francisco fans shouldn’t worry too much. While they probably won’t win 13 games next year, they’re a virtual lock to make the playoffs again. With their great defense, anything can happen. Just bring along a better offense and there’s no telling how far they’ll go.