Alex Smith Looks Confused. John Carroll

Here's a good article written about the last game from the San Francisco Chronicle's entertainment journalist. It's not so much another Alex Smith critique piece as it is an observation from a professional writer and ordinary fan.


I am aware that many of my readers do not care that the football season is under
way. I get a kinder, gentler crowd, people who want sports to be noncompetitive. The only truly noncompetitive sport I know of is earthball, and I don't think people are playing that much anymore. Nice while it lasted.

I, on the other hand, love all sorts of competitions. I like "Project Runway" and baseball, citywide treasure hunts and tennis, chess and poker and rugby. And nothing comes as close to the discredited but oh-so-amusing gladiatorial ideal as football. It's pretty much indefensible on an intellectual level, but as entertainment - pretty much fun.

Which brings us to the San Francisco 49ers, the team with which Bay Area residents are supposed to have fun this year. We might have fun with the Oakland Raiders, but they are run by an older gentleman who seems to have lost his grip on many things. The game, as they say, has passed him by, and until he releases the team from his iron grip - and, pre-mortem, that seems unlikely - it would be masochistic to root for the Raiders.

In a sense, rooting for any team is masochistic, because at the end of each year, only one team can be champion. But some of them at least have had a chance to win it all, and the Raiders do not have a prayer. I'd say the over/under on Raider victories this year would be four, and that could be generous.

The 49ers are in a crux year. Ol' Linebacker Eyes himself, coach Mike Singletary, has proved himself to be a molder of men and a fiercely independent man of character. He has not yet proved himself to be a football coach, though, and that makes me nervous. Now he has his pieces in place, his team on the field, and we are led to believe that the playoffs are not an unreasonable expectation.

Except ... well, there's Alex Smith, our allegedly brainy hope of the future who has already arrived at the future without justifying much hope. His passes are often wayward, and his game-management skills are questionable, as his career has been studded with panicky timeouts called, apparently, because he has become confused. Confusion is not a good look for a quarterback.

It also seems to me, heresy of heresies, that Singletary becomes confused in game situations. A confused coach guiding a confused quarterback - not a good thing. Apparently both men are hardworking, studious, straight-shooting human beings admired by all who know them. Everyone so wants it all to work out well. And maybe it will, but the game against Seattle on Sunday was not encouraging.

Understand: I don't have the inside scoop on anything. I am not a sportswriter; I do not cover games; I do not have off-the-record chats with people in the know. I just hang around in front of my television on Sundays and suffer. I believe that the offensive line will improve. I believe that our receivers will remember their skill sets. I believe our defense will discover its inner angry child. I can live with all that.

But ... let me tell you about a fellow named Sam Bradford. He was a quarterback at Oklahoma who won the 2008 Heisman Trophy. Then he ripped up his shoulder in 2009, got it fixed up and entered the 2010 NFL draft. He was picked first by the St. Louis Rams, who haven't had a decent quarterback since Kurt Warner left town. Bradford started his first game as a professional football player on Sunday. He went 32 for 55.

And he looked like the real deal. He looked realer than Alex Smith looked. His first game in the NFL, and he looked like the hope of the future. Not that the Rams will improve; he's probably the hope of someone else's future. But ... gosh darn it anyway, the Niners are the team of John Brodie and Joe Montana and Steve Young. We are entitled to greatness.

Now, I admit that exactly one game has been played in the 2010 season. I admit that generalities and received wisdom may have crept into my penetrating analysis. But that is the right of every fan, to hold as many opinions as he wants, opinions that he may very well change after the next game - which will be Monday night against the Saints, so also maybe not.

That's the whole point of spectator sports, to allow amateurs to argue about things that do not matter at all. Hooray! Boo! There's always next year!

Cheer, cheer, for your San Francisco 49ers, who seem confused and preoccupied but what the heck.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/15/DDCU1FD9SR.DTL#ixzz0zbpkn5CV

"But ... let me tell you about a fellow named Sam Bradford. He was a quarterback at Oklahoma who won the 2008 Heisman Trophy. Then he ripped up his shoulder in 2009, got it fixed up and entered the 2010 NFL draft. He was picked first by the St. Louis Rams, who haven't had a decent quarterback since Kurt Warner left town. Bradford started his first game as a professional football player on Sunday. He went 32 for 55.

And he looked like the real deal. He looked realer than Alex Smith looked. His first game in the NFL, and he looked like the hope of the future. Not that the Rams will improve; he's probably the hope of someone else's future. But ... gosh darn it anyway, the Niners are the team of John Brodie and Joe Montana and Steve Young. We are entitled to greatness."

That was worth reading after skimming the article. Good points.

I like the fact that a non sports writer weighed in on our team. Sports, while we all love various ones, is merely entertainment. I'm as die hard as any but the last few years I have been getting better at not letting the 49ers success (or lack of) ruin my life. It's merely entertainment. Not life and death.

I will have BETTERDAYZ when the 9ers can finally get their act together. In the meanwhile I will hope for the best and suffer or rejoice for a few hours on Sundays.

Excellent article. It's amazing to me how this fan (among many others) see that confusion and poor throws in Alex Smith, but the coaching staff and front office does not. I support Alex because he is a 49er (for now), but I can no longer buy that Alex is our future QB line the Brass has been stuffing down our throats. Not that we have a better option, but if Alex does not DRAMATICALLY improve we had better not resign him unless its for the league minimum and the 3rd QB spot. IMO he has not even shown he can be a reliable backup.

No other team has ever given this much time for a QB to develop. It's just crazy.

This something that most of us competent football fans already know.

Originally posted by a24hrdad:
Excellent article. It's amazing to me how this fan (among many others) see that confusion and poor throws in Alex Smith, but the coaching staff and front office does not. I support Alex because he is a 49er (for now), but I can no longer buy that Alex is our future QB line the Brass has been stuffing down our throats. Not that we have a better option, but if Alex does not DRAMATICALLY improve we had better not resign him unless its for the league minimum and the 3rd QB spot. IMO he has not even shown he can be a reliable backup.

No other team has ever given this much time for a QB to develop. It's just crazy.

The majority of the fans in this forum have noticed these things but the ones who refused to see it called it "Niners Talk at its best". It doesn't take Bill Walsh to see that Singletary is missing some fundamental management skills under pressure.

Although Smith played like s**t in game 1, I won't put the delay of games and TO usage completely on him. We've learned that old man Raye and dumbass Singletary are more to blame for that one.

Our whole team and coaching staff looked confused.

alex smith is the main problem, but we have no other option right now

omg

[ Edited by defenderDX on Sep 15, 2010 at 11:36:24 ]

Can we PLEASE stop with the Alex Smith threads already? PLEASE?!??! Jesus f**king christ, is it really necessary to post EVERY single article up about Alex Smith from the internet in reference to the week 1 game at Seattle???

Originally posted by WestCoast:
alex smith is the main problem, but we have no other option right now

this. Watching the game again right now. Should of been up 17-0 in the first half had it not been for Alex Smiths overthrows of both Morgan and Norris. Flawless first 25 minutes by our D. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[ Edited by SybErkRimInAL on Sep 15, 2010 at 11:38:22 ]

GODDAMN HIPPIE IS RIGHT!!!!


BURN IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by SybErkRimInAL:

Originally posted by WestCoast:
alex smith is the main problem, but we have no other option right now

this. Watching the game again right now. Should of been up 17-0 in the first half had it not been for Alex Smiths overthrows of both Morgan and Norris. Flawless first 25 minutes by our D. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Your watching that again ? You must be really into self mutilation.

Everyone will be back on Alex after Monday. He's our guy and he'll lead us in to the playoffs