Wildest Dream

By Ivette Ricco

September 14, 2004

In Los Angeles Oprah Winfrey had a surprise for the 276 members of her studio audience on Monday’s season opener. She gave them all new cars.

“No dream is too wild, no surprise too impossible to pull off," Winfrey said during the telecast. “

In San Francisco the San Francisco Forty Niners had a surprise for the 61,430 football fans at their home opener at Candlestick aka 3-Com on Sunday September 12, 2004.

They only lost by 2 points and only 2 of their 3 quarterbacks were injured.

Dennis Erickson was heard to tell the team after the game, “No dream is too wild, no surprise too impossible to pull off.”

In an informal survey conducted by Femmefan.com before the game long-time 49er fans expressed their Wildest Dreams for their beloved San Francisco Forty Niners:

Tammy:
Wildest Dream?
That they finish 0-16 and we get the first pick in the draft and pick a stud offensive player.

Kathy:
My Wildest Dream?
That I could hit the instant replay button and go back to Mariucci, Rice, TO and Steve Young. But I’ll settle for 4-12 this season.

Theresa:
My wildest dream? That Ty Willingham becomes the Niners coach next year.

Jesse:
My wildest dream? That the Niners shock the world and win the division.

Doug:
My wildest dream? That Denise and John York build a new stadium here and attract a Super Bowl game to the Bay Area.

Tony:
Wildest Dream? That Ken Dorsey takes over at the quarterback position and wins 8 games for the Niners this season.

Jen:
Wildest Dream? That Julian Peterson goes home with me.

Annie:
Wildest Dream? Oh I think the Niners will be fine this season. But I've prepared myself for the worst. I have a good stock of pharmaceutical products and a pantry-full of alcohol to help me through the season.

Stacey:
Wildest Dream?
That Kwame Harris becomes a good player sooner rather than later.

John:
Wildest Dream?
That we move up the rankings from 30 to 29.

So friends there you have it. The Forty Niners did make a comeback and the defense was able to contain the wiley Michael Vick, but Niners fans are trying very hard to grin and bear it, to be patient. The fans are willing to watch a young team develop, but only if it will only take 1 or 2 years to be competitive enough to reach the playoffs.

Around the league:

The first week of NFL action held a few surprises and some very close games.

The best and the rest:

The Best

The Thursday night NFL kick-off game between the Colts at the Pats was a great game and a replay of last year’s AFC Championship game. The Colts get oh so close but can’t seem to get the job done. The Pats looked solid at all positions and Tom Brady looks like he’ll have another fantastic season.

Pats 27 Colts 24

The Eagles are flying high after decisively beating the Giants behind the leadership of Donovan McNabb and the talent of Terrell Owens. Kurt Warner is going to give way to Eli Manning before too long and the G-Men are having internal problems caused by Tom Coughlin’s strict rules.

Eagles 31 Giants 17

The AFC West battle is always a competitive and interesting division. This season will be no exception. The Chiefs were a scoring-machine last season, but their defense was a sieve. This game was close for 3 quarters and then the Broncos took control. This is going to be a division race to keep an eye on.

Broncos 34 – Chiefs 24

The Rest:

Steelers 24 – Raiders 21

Raiders run defense is still an issue.

Falcons 21 – Niners 19

Niners’ offensive line is a health risk for quarterbacks.

Lions 20 – Bears 16

The Lions finally won a road game.

Jets 31 – Bengals 24

Pennington is going to make a difference this year.

Chargers 27 – Texans 20

Bolts really surprised everyone. Drew Brees may be “the guy” after all!

Rams 17 – Cardinals 10

Rams are not a powerhouse any longer and almost lost to the improved Cardinals.

Redskins 16 - Bucs 10

Joe Gibbs made a triumphant return to the NFL.

Seahawks 21 – Saints 7

The Seahawks overpowered the Saints.

Jaguars 13 – Bills 10

The Jags eeked out a last minute “W”.

Browns 20 – Ravens 3

The Browns spanked the Ravens in Jeff Garcia’s debut.

Vikings 35 – Cowboys 17

The Vikings went balls out!

Titans 17 – Dolphins 7

The Fish just can’t catch a break and now there’s a QB controversy.

Packers 24 – Panthers 17

The Pack stunned and stuffed the Cats.

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