Great Expectations

This book is an excellent account of the 49er's 1990 season, in which they sought - and narrowly missed - a third straight Super Bowl win. It covers each game of the season, in varying levels of detail, and profiles many of the teams' players and coaches.In covering the 1990 season, which had the potential to be one of the more significant events in NFL history, the author also interweaves coverage of the 49ers run of success throughout the 1980's. Overall, it presents an excellent picture of the Dynasty era Niners - which may never again be seen in the NFL, given the advent of free agency and the salary cap in the 1990's. Some of the most interesting passages, for example, are on the 49ers dealings with the notoriously demanding Bay area sportswriters throughout the 1980's. What neither the author nor his subjects realized at the time, however, was that the 1990 season would turn out to be the last campaign of the Joe Montana era team. Montana would never play another meaningful game for San Francisco, and Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig and others would soon be gone. (The 49ers went on to win another Super Bowl follwoing the 1994 season, but with a much different team that featured Steve Young and Deon Sanders). In that respect, it serves as an excellent coda on the Montana era 49ers.However, the book is not without its faults. While many players are profiled, little attention is given to Roger Craig, who would turn out to be the most significant player in 1990. His early season injury and rushed return, with little productivity, was the key to the season. While the author generally covers the team's injury problems and the gradual decline brought on by getting each opponent's best effort every week, he doesn't provide much analysis of what was really happening on the field late in the season - Namely, that the ineffectiveness of Roger Craig and the running game, whether from injury or other reason, left the team with a one dimensional attack. As opposing teams realized this, the 49ers began to struggle, culminating in the NFC Championship loss to the Giants. The author's coverage of the Championship game also seems a bit terse and abrupt, especially in contrast to coverage of an earlier Monday Night game against the Giants. Perhaps that was consciously done to show the shock of the game slipping away late, but one can't help but wish for some of the sideline details provided on earlier games. What was being said, for example, after the plays on which Montana was injured and Craig's fumble was recovered by LT ? Also, no mention is made of Montana being seriously ill in the days before the game, which was widely discussed in the press coverage of the game.Despite these shortcomings, the book remains one of the best on the Montana era team. It doesn't have the personal viewpoint and corresponding limitations that the various books by players, coaches, and journalists involved with the team all seem to contain, nor does it have the chrono

Wow! With a nice, down-to-earth style that most folks can follow without moving their lips too much whilst reading, Dennis Pottenger does a bang-up job of updating Charles D!ckens' classic tome of a boy's going from rags to riches! The similarities are astounding! Except for the key characters, that is. And the time setting. And the fact that the new version's subject is NFL football. Oh yes, the new rendition's ending isn't as happy as the original's was (well, for Niners fans anyway). Actually, now that I think about it, there's almost no similarities at all between D!ckens' timeless story and Pottenger's memoirs of his seven-month experience with a team that was on the cusp of destiny. Except for the title, that is. And the fact that both were written in English. Well, actually, the first "G.E." is written in what most non-Yanks would consider proper English, whilst "G.E.2" is penned in that despised, bastardized American English. You know, words ending in -or, instead of -our, or `program' instead of `programme', `parking lot' instead of `car park', and the like...But I digress. If you've ever wanted to take a behind-the-scenes look at the Niner's 1990 season of hard-fought triumphs and ultimate tragedy, this tome is the best way to go about it. Their quest for the three-peat- a still-unprecedented three consecutive Super Bowl victories- is shown from the author & players' view of the game-day field, the locker room, and the training field. From their victory at Super Bowl XXIV that sparked the quest to the aftermath of their dream-ending conference-championship loss the following season, the author takes the reader on a week-by-week tour of every hard-fought victory and horrific loss.Although he does go into the lives of the team's marquee players like Joe Montana & Ronnie Lott, Pottenger focuses mainly on a handful of lesser-known red-and-gold-clad warriors. There's tight end Jamie Williams, considered the best-blocking TE in the league at the time. Leg break-prone WR Mike Sherrard once again facees the ordeal of yet another leg fracture that further stymies his playing ability. There's center Jesse Sapolu's tribulations trying to stay healthy and not let his teammates down with his absence. There's hard-hitting safety Chet Brooks' knee problem that cuts down his playing time. Rookie RB/ kick returner Dexter Carter's inconsistent effort is getting to him. And former Giants NT Jim Burt is just itchin' to get back at his old team! The week-by-week reactions & insights of these players and others really gave me a small idea of what it's like to play in the big leagues, and trying your damnedest to get the job done as every weekly opponent gives their all to stop you & your teammates from making history.Quite a bit of attention is paid to `Frisco's two big games against the New York Giants. Pottenger gives the first game, a hard-hitting 7-3 Niner Monday-night victory, and almost play-by-play feel to it. He also does the same (though to