Thoughts on Alex Smith and his future

Originally posted by Spoonerism:


lol And don't be surprised if we go 14-2 either.

I cannot say how good Alex Smith is going to be but I can tell you he is a solid QB and anyone that disagrees just doesn't know that much about QB's. I want to see what he does with a good line in front of him and throwing lanes and another year under the same system. I don't know if a lot of you guys get this but the only reason we dink and dunk and run out of the gun is because our line was so inept at pass blocking.

And, I will be VERY surprised if we go 14-2. I mean, I like your optimism but there's just no way. But yes to your o-line comment.

Originally posted by chico49erfan:

Originally posted by Spoonerism:


lol And don't be surprised if we go 14-2 either.

I cannot say how good Alex Smith is going to be but I can tell you he is a solid QB and anyone that disagrees just doesn't know that much about QB's. I want to see what he does with a good line in front of him and throwing lanes and another year under the same system. I don't know if a lot of you guys get this but the only reason we dink and dunk and run out of the gun is because our line was so inept at pass blocking.

And, I will be VERY surprised if we go 14-2. I mean, I like your optimism but there's just no way. But yes to your o-line comment.

I wouldn't be that surprised. It really isn't optimism. Our team is on the up and up. With a few solid pick ups we're going to be really hard to beat.

Originally posted by chico49erfan:

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
I am so glad FINALLY a thread about Alex Smith! I have been waiting and hoping for this day when somebody would start a thread about Alex, and now that day has come, I'm so excited I might just pee myself.... wait I think I did!
Mods do your stuff and merge this bad boy, hell merge all the Pro Alex threads and all the Anti-Alex threads into one mighty thread, so long and so vast it would be unreadable!

Especially at the bolded part.

yup

Alex Smith is a nice guy. Big deal! He is a lousy qb and that's all that matters.

Why do people have to make excuses for these highly paid players? That is their job. If they can't do it, put someone in who can. I don't wish for Smith to fail. I want this team to win. If he can do it, fine. If not, then so be it. Someone else will have to do it.

Originally posted by Spoonerism:

Originally posted by fly15:
I really wish we could share the same mentality, i was actually excited 4 him as he got a second chance during the Houston game. However, enough is enough. i dont think he needs more time to develop.

If he starts in 2010, i wish him the best, but dont b suprised we end up .500 or lower.

lol And don't be surprised if we go 14-2 either.

I cannot say how good Alex Smith is going to be but I can tell you he is a solid QB and anyone that disagrees just doesn't know that much about QB's. I want to see what he does with a good line in front of him and throwing lanes and another year under the same system. I don't know if a lot of you guys get this but the only reason we dink and dunk and run out of the gun is because our line was so inept at pass blocking.

First of all, Im not going to get into the whole 'I know more about football that you do debate' because we all know they dont go anywhere and tend to detract from the topic at hand - But Alex Smith cannot be considered solid. He is a fringe starter in this league that is incapable of operating an offense from under center; he is extremely inconsistent in terms of accuracy, possesses average arm strength, and below-average pocket presence.

I will admit that his performance out of the spread last year was impressive at times, but the fact that he could only put those numbers up out of the shotgun almost nullifies the achievement completely in my book.

I honestly hope that he is able to prove me wrong this year, but unless he demonstrates the ability to move this offense out of pro-style sets, he is not going to make it in this league, and definitely not on a team coached by Mike Singletary.

Originally posted by nflguy49:
Alex Smith is a nice guy. Big deal! He is a lousy qb and that's all that matters.

As they say, talk is cheap. Nice speeches don't impress me from anyone associated with the 49ers offense. How many 3rd downs did you guys convert last season? Thought so.

Originally posted by djfullshred:

Originally posted by nflguy49:
Alex Smith is a nice guy. Big deal! He is a lousy qb and that's all that matters.

As they say, talk is cheap. Nice speeches don't impress me from anyone associated with the 49ers offense. How many 3rd downs did you guys convert last season? Thought so.

Originally posted by djfullshred:

Originally posted by nflguy49:
Alex Smith is a nice guy. Big deal! He is a lousy qb and that's all that matters.

As they say, talk is cheap. Nice speeches don't impress me from anyone associated with the 49ers offense. How many 3rd downs did you guys convert last season? Thought so.

Please enlighten the board with his stats on 3rd downs please.

Originally posted by Godsleftsock:

Originally posted by djfullshred:

Originally posted by nflguy49:
Alex Smith is a nice guy. Big deal! He is a lousy qb and that's all that matters.

As they say, talk is cheap. Nice speeches don't impress me from anyone associated with the 49ers offense. How many 3rd downs did you guys convert last season? Thought so.

Please enlighten the board with his stats on 3rd downs please.

"how many 3rd downs did you guys convert last season?" WTF? You said that like you're a fan of another team.

Originally posted by Spoonerism:

Originally posted by chico49erfan:

Originally posted by Spoonerism:


lol And don't be surprised if we go 14-2 either.

I cannot say how good Alex Smith is going to be but I can tell you he is a solid QB and anyone that disagrees just doesn't know that much about QB's. I want to see what he does with a good line in front of him and throwing lanes and another year under the same system. I don't know if a lot of you guys get this but the only reason we dink and dunk and run out of the gun is because our line was so inept at pass blocking.

And, I will be VERY surprised if we go 14-2. I mean, I like your optimism but there's just no way. But yes to your o-line comment.

I wouldn't be that surprised. It really isn't optimism. Our team is on the up and up. With a few solid pick ups we're going to be really hard to beat.

I agree, that we could have a really good record, but i wont say 14-2 because we got the pack/eagles/saints next year.

The thought should be go get an actual good starting QB for this team or Pete Carroll may win the freaking division next year, assuming Lion-heart is the new starter in Zona.

Are his hands big enough to hold the Lombardi trophy?

Originally posted by abowers1984:

Originally posted by luckofirish:
Listened to the interview that was posted a couple of days ago with Comcast sports, I can't exactly put my finger on it, but every time I hear Alex interviewed I come away more impressed. He has great maturity and seems to be a truly good person with some real depth. As a football player he has a quiet confidence and a bit of a chip on his shoulder in a good way. I loved when the question was asked why he resigned with the niners instead of going somewhere for a fresh start , he said because I had unfinished business ! I needed to prove to myself , my teammates and Niner fans that I can play at a very high level. I truly believe that if we can grow as a team in terms of confidence ( wins against quality opponents like the colts, saints, Vikings, pats ect…) it will have an expediential effect on Alex as a QB. He is still after 5 years in the league, only 25 yrs old. He may never be Montana or Young but he certainly could be a top 15 QB or better . He has the physical ability to make all the throws, although he still needs to work on his pocket presence. I would like to see him move in the pocket more affectively , use his athleticism to get outside and run or throw . I don't think we have seen the best of Alex Smith by a long shot and I have a hunch that our qb coach Mike Johnson maybe just what Alex needs. Lastly, I am now more convinced than ever that Mike Nolan was a cancer to this young football team and Alex specifically. Nolan as a head coach was an empty suit who was a self serving ego maniac in way over his head. Can’t wait for 2010 Go Niners !!!!!

But ask anybody within the football operations department, and they will tell you that this team would not be close to where it is today had Nolan never been a part of the organization.

Alex's current plight as a borderline starting caliber QB in this league is nobody's fault, just simply a lack of the skills / instincts necessary to play the position at this level. I sincerely hope that he is able to show significant improvement this year, but Im certainly not expecting it. Nate Davis is the future for this team, and if/when Smith again fails to live up to eveybody's expectations, I just pray that the excuses stop and Singletary makes the change.

Good post. Respectfully, I have to somewhat disagree with you when you say "simply a lack of the skills / instincts necessary to play the position at this level". I am not making excuses for Smith, but our organization really didn't set him up for success having a revolving door of OCs the past several years. But you're absolutely correct: he needs to show improvement (i.e. deliver on what's expected of him), and if he's making excuses then I hope he understands excuses don't cut it in the pros.

Originally posted by excelsior:
Good post. I share your optimism.