The Best Player on the Niners

Watch Justin Smith on this play.

People talk about Kaepernick, Gore, Crabtree, Davis, Bowman, Willis, Aldon Smith...but for my money, the best player on the field is Justin Smith.  I knew the guy was good, but it didn't become clear to me how good until they played without him for a little bit last year and the defense stunk.  In contrast, when Aldon Smith was out for 4 games this year, the team hardly noticed.

Talent-wise, our two linebackers:  Bowman and Willis are in the same league as Justin Smith, but I simply think Defensive Tackle is a more important position than linebacker, which is why I give the nod to Smith.  Vernon Davis is our most important player on offense and Boldin, probably our most valuable player on offense, but the heart and soul of this team is the defense.  Gore, career-wise, has an argument to be made in his favor, and I love the guy, but in terms of value to the team on a given game -- the Niners are one of the top teams in the league with Smith and simply not one of them without him.