Credit: Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner talked on Monday about his jarring hit on New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas and how each day he is asked about it.  Whitner gets so much attention now because of the hit that he tried taking class at San Jose State in the offseason to finish his degree in business and consumer affairs, but had to start taking online courses because people kept bugging him about the hit.  When discussing the hit that knocked out Thomas, Whitner could not hold back his thoughts on the Saints bounty scandal, saying,

If you have the right type of guys in that room, you don’t have to set bounties or pay money for guys to play physical and play hard. It’s going to come naturally. That’s the type of guys we have on our defense. That’s why we don’t have to do those type of things.

Saints starting linebacker Scott Shanle, who has played in New Orleans since 2006, took issue with Whitner’s comments and took to Twitter to express his discontent.  Shanle wrote on Twitter,

Guy needs to shut his mouth and mind his own business. Don’t remember them winning the superbowl. U still ringless. We got one and working on two now. Try to keep up.

This started off a Twitter war of words not between Shanle and Whitner, but between the Saints linebacker and 49ers fans.  Here are some highlights,

@ericloera wrote,

WTF Scott…first off we got 5 superbowls..so i don’t know what the (expletive) your talking about….so keep up sucka..scrub

Shanle responded,

this century?

@NinerNiral tweeted back,

Your precious ring has an asterisk by it because of the bounty scandal. You guys put cheap shots on Favre all game long.

Shanle hit back with,

no it doesn’t see no asterisk! (The tweet included this picture of the bird.  No, not the Twitter bird but of the flipping off variety.)

In the end Shanle tweeted,

Alright 49ers fans its been fun but I got 2 get back 2 work. That’s something we do in Louisiana so our state isn’t bankrupt. Im outta here.

Social media has no many positives in our world, but also just as many negatives.  I would file this one under positive because it is a hilarious and witty exchange between Shanle and Niner fans.  Shanle’s last tweet about California being bankrupt is priceless because it is true.  Three cities in California (San Bernardino, Stockton and Mammoth Lakes) have all filed for bankruptcy in the last month.

Apparently, the hit from Whitner on Thomas is still a “sore subject” with Saints fans.  We expected that, but now we know with Shanle’s reaction to Whitner’s and Niner fans comments it is still a sore subject with Saints players.  Ask a Saints fan and they will say it was a cheap, helmet-to-helmet hit from Whitner that knocked Thomas out of the game.  The hit on Thomas stopped the Saints opening drive and turned the momentum towards the 49ers early on in the game.

For all of the big hits Saints defensive players handed out during the course of their bounty hunting days, it’s funny that it wasn’t a Saints player who laid out the most memorable hit of the NFC Divisional Playoff game, but it was a 49ers player delivering the hit that changed the game.

In case you forgot or live under a rock, Saints defensive coordinator Greg Williams was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for implementing a bounty system which awarded money for knocking out a player from the opposing team for the game.  During the week of the 49ers vs. Saints playoff game, Williams was recorded instructing his defensive players to target specific areas of the body on 49ers offensive players.

The 49ers will travel to New Orleans this season on November 25 to play the Saints.  There was already a big, red circle around the game on the 49ers Faithful and Who Dat Nation calendars.  Now, there are a lot more circles and the ink is turning crimson red.

The NFL over/under for the 2012 season were recently released. I have stated in previous blogs that the NFL season means it’s time to root for the San Francisco 49ers and start gambling. The Niners unexpectedly won 13 games in the 2011 season. It is hard to expect the Niners winning another 13 games in 2012, especially with a very tough schedule approaching them. To my surprise the Niners over/under is set at 10 games. One of my fellow bloggers predicted that the Niners will win at least 11 games. I also believe that the Niners will win around 11 or 12 games. Let’s remember we have the entire defense returning (Free Safety Dashon Goldson still needs to sign his tender) and we have added many weapons on offense. Also the Niners play in a weak division which helps the cause of winning more games.

The concerns are that the Niners play the NFC north and the AFC east; to very good divisions. They will face teams such as the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers. On top of that the two extra games in the Niners schedule are against the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants. The Niners have very difficult opponents, but they did so last season too. I believe the Niners are equipped to be a juggernaut in the 2012 season. Teams like the Bears and Lions will be more nervous to play us then us playing them. If you are a gambling man or woman I suggest taking the over on the Niners.

Some other teams that have intriguing over/under are the Denver Broncos at 9.5 wins. I believe the under has to be taken under consideration. The status of QB Peyton Manning is still uncertain. There are many critics around the league that believe that he will not be able to finish the season. Let’s say he is able to play the whole season, you have to believe that there is going to be some rust after missing the entire 2011 season and he has a new receiving crew to get accustom to. 9.5 wins just seems too high.

Another team is the New Orleans Saints at 10 wins, which is way too high with all the off season distractions and suspensions. The year suspension to head coach Sean Payton is a big blow to the Saints, he is one of the top five coaches in the league. With all the problems facing the Saints organization, they still have not agreed with QB Drew Bress on a long term contract. They also play in an improving NFC south division. I would take the under.

Lastly I want to mention the New York Jets. The Jets over/under is at 8.5 wins which I believe is ludicrous. The team is looking old and in the last couple of years they have not added any young noticeable players. With the signing of QB Tim Tebow, the Jets were asking for a quarterback controversy. Let’s face it QB Mark Sanchez has been very inconsistent during his time with the Jets, if he starts the season slow expect Jet fans to cheer for TEBOW! TEBOW! TEBOW! I could see the Jets finishing last in their division, obviously the New England Patriots will finish first, many believe the Buffalo Bills will be much approved, and the Miami Dolphins were coming on towards the end of last season. Take the WAY under on the Jets.

It should be fun to see what ultimately pans out. There are always teams that surprise and those that disappoint. I hope the Niners continue to surprise and win another 13 games or more. I want the season to start already! GO NINERS!!!!!!!!!!

Notable over/under: New England Patriots 12 wins, Cincinnati Bengals 7.5 wins, Houston Texans 10 wins, Kansas City Chiefs 8 wins, New York Giants 9.5 wins (defending Super Bowl Champs), Green Bay Packers 12 wins, and Carolina Panthers 7.5 wins

Niner Noise readers let me know what you think. Would you take the over of under on the Niners. How do you feel on the other teams over/under. Please leave comments.

The San Francisco 49ers are three and a half point underdogs for their home playoff game against the Saints on Saturday.  Usually, a second seed in the playoffs with a home game would be the favorite team to win.  When you look at how the 49ers earned a first-round bye this season, not much was conventional.  The team had a freakish plus-28 turnover margin, the defense did not allow a rushing touchdown until week 16, had a kicker break records and all with Alex Smith at quarterback.  Really, the only thing conventional about the 49ers was the solid power running game behind Frank Gore.

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