10 things for which 49ers fans can be thankful at 2019 Thanksgiving

No. 1: All Those Doubters Across the League

Whether it be NFL Network’s Adam Rank predicting the 49ers would go 3-13 this season, the controversial O.J. Simpson saying Jimmy Garoppolo “can’t crack corn” or the slew of pundits, analysts and fans believing the Niners were fraudulent, because they “haven’t played anybody good yet,” there has been no shortage of doubters San Francisco has had over the course of 2019.

San Francisco 49ers

The string of events almost looks like this:

• 49ers win a game
• Doubters: “They haven’t played anyone yet. Wait until next week.”
• 49ers win a game
• Doubters: “They haven’t played anyone yet. Wait until next week.”

10-1.

Perhaps Richard Sherman said it best after one of those 49ers wins back in October:

"We want them to sound dumb at the end. Stick to your guns. If you were calling us pretenders in the beginning, call us pretenders now. Call us pretenders now. Because you got to be that way, you don’t get to go hindsight is 20/20 with it every year. Just stick to your words. Stick to your guns. We’re a terrible team. We don’t have enough talent. We’re just on a rebuilding year. Whatever the case may be. Whatever your word was, please stick to it. For those that believe in us, The Faithful, continue to believe in us, continue to be humble. We’re going to give you guys a show, we’re going to fight as hard as we can."

It’s taken 12 weeks, and likely the win over the Packers, to convince most of the doubters the Niners are for real.

Players like Sherman have used the doubt for motivation, to be sure. Going out week to week with the proverbial “chip on the shoulder” certainly can be beneficial. And with Sherman being one of the key players in the locker room, his attitude about the doubt surely has rubbed off on his teammates.

So, while the doubt and naysaying likely angers most 49ers fans, it’s also served as a tremendous source of motivation for the players on the field.

Be thankful for that, too.

And on behalf of everyone here at Niner Noise, we’re thankful for all of you, too. Enjoy this holiday season, and let’s ride out the rest of 2019 together in support of the red and gold.