ESPN Latest on Alex Smith

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by kray28:

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by binary2nd:

Originally posted by ElDannMann:


1. Great QBs can still make that perfect pass even under duress. Not always, but still completing over 50% of their passes is ideal. Alex simply cannot do that, practically ever. In these cases it could make him more worthy of a QB if he would use his mobility to get some yards or even a first down, or simply to escape the pressure and find an open receiver.

What Alex's ceiling is, who knows, we won't know until he's with an OC that knows what their doing. But I agree with you here, and a lot of it is mechanics. Alex doesn't have a very strong arm and has a big windup to his release. He needs space and an extra bit of time to get his pass off. Because of this, if he's under pressure, his mechanics go crazy and his passes become horrible.

Yeah, exactly. Get him a OC like Norv Turner or Mike Martz and lets see what he can do. Oh, wait...

Uhm....he actually did reasonably well in 1 full season as a starter under Turner. (that's right, he's actually started 1 full season for us so far)

He never even saw the field under Martz. It was the JTO/Shaun Hill show.

And why didnt he see the field under Martz ?

Cause he BROKE his collar bone in a Preseason game had to have surgery and was OUT for the season. DUH!Don't try to twist it into something it ain't.

~Ceadder

HAHAHAHA OWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by kray28:

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by binary2nd:

Originally posted by ElDannMann:


1. Great QBs can still make that perfect pass even under duress. Not always, but still completing over 50% of their passes is ideal. Alex simply cannot do that, practically ever. In these cases it could make him more worthy of a QB if he would use his mobility to get some yards or even a first down, or simply to escape the pressure and find an open receiver.

What Alex's ceiling is, who knows, we won't know until he's with an OC that knows what their doing. But I agree with you here, and a lot of it is mechanics. Alex doesn't have a very strong arm and has a big windup to his release. He needs space and an extra bit of time to get his pass off. Because of this, if he's under pressure, his mechanics go crazy and his passes become horrible.

Yeah, exactly. Get him a OC like Norv Turner or Mike Martz and lets see what he can do. Oh, wait...

Uhm....he actually did reasonably well in 1 full season as a starter under Turner. (that's right, he's actually started 1 full season for us so far)

He never even saw the field under Martz. It was the JTO/Shaun Hill show.

He was below average under Turner and lost out to JTO in pre-season. I'm not saying the guy has looked like a total bum; but, he hasn't played all that great either...

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by kray28:

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by binary2nd:

Originally posted by ElDannMann:


1. Great QBs can still make that perfect pass even under duress. Not always, but still completing over 50% of their passes is ideal. Alex simply cannot do that, practically ever. In these cases it could make him more worthy of a QB if he would use his mobility to get some yards or even a first down, or simply to escape the pressure and find an open receiver.

What Alex's ceiling is, who knows, we won't know until he's with an OC that knows what their doing. But I agree with you here, and a lot of it is mechanics. Alex doesn't have a very strong arm and has a big windup to his release. He needs space and an extra bit of time to get his pass off. Because of this, if he's under pressure, his mechanics go crazy and his passes become horrible.

Yeah, exactly. Get him a OC like Norv Turner or Mike Martz and lets see what he can do. Oh, wait...

Uhm....he actually did reasonably well in 1 full season as a starter under Turner. (that's right, he's actually started 1 full season for us so far)

He never even saw the field under Martz. It was the JTO/Shaun Hill show.

And why didnt he see the field under Martz ?

Cause he BROKE his collar bone in a Preseason game had to have surgery and was OUT for the season. DUH!Don't try to twist it into something it ain't.

~Ceadder

Wasn't it already known that JTO was going to be our starter at that point? Come on, if Alex was half as good as you think he is, why would Martz not see it and want to start JTO instead?

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by kray28:

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by binary2nd:

Originally posted by ElDannMann:


1. Great QBs can still make that perfect pass even under duress. Not always, but still completing over 50% of their passes is ideal. Alex simply cannot do that, practically ever. In these cases it could make him more worthy of a QB if he would use his mobility to get some yards or even a first down, or simply to escape the pressure and find an open receiver.

What Alex's ceiling is, who knows, we won't know until he's with an OC that knows what their doing. But I agree with you here, and a lot of it is mechanics. Alex doesn't have a very strong arm and has a big windup to his release. He needs space and an extra bit of time to get his pass off. Because of this, if he's under pressure, his mechanics go crazy and his passes become horrible.

Yeah, exactly. Get him a OC like Norv Turner or Mike Martz and lets see what he can do. Oh, wait...

Uhm....he actually did reasonably well in 1 full season as a starter under Turner. (that's right, he's actually started 1 full season for us so far)

He never even saw the field under Martz. It was the JTO/Shaun Hill show.

And why didnt he see the field under Martz ?

Cause he BROKE his collar bone in a Preseason game had to have surgery and was OUT for the season. DUH!Don't try to twist it into something it ain't.

~Ceadder

Wasn't it already known that JTO was going to be our starter at that point? Come on, if Alex was half as good as you think he is, why would Martz not see it and want to start JTO instead?

Not defending A. Smith here but it was already known that JTO was brought in because he knew Martz offense vs. Hill and Smith who had to learn on the go.

- 98

Originally posted by Byisgod:
lol Whether or not Alex finishes strong is irrelevant. He is gone next year. There isn't a single doubt in my mind.

yeah I'd say he pretty much needs a miracle at this point. But hey winning cures everything right.

Originally posted by ninerlifer:

Originally posted by scopur49er:

Originally posted by ninerlifer:

Originally posted by BETTERDAYZ9ERS:

Originally posted by ninerlifer:

Originally posted by BETTERDAYZ9ERS:

Originally posted by ninerlifer:

Originally posted by SY9er8:

Originally posted by 1251alex:

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by kray28:

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by binary2nd:

Originally posted by ElDannMann:


1. Great QBs can still make that perfect pass even under duress. Not always, but still completing over 50% of their passes is ideal. Alex simply cannot do that, practically ever. In these cases it could make him more worthy of a QB if he would use his mobility to get some yards or even a first down, or simply to escape the pressure and find an open receiver.

What Alex's ceiling is, who knows, we won't know until he's with an OC that knows what their doing. But I agree with you here, and a lot of it is mechanics. Alex doesn't have a very strong arm and has a big windup to his release. He needs space and an extra bit of time to get his pass off. Because of this, if he's under pressure, his mechanics go crazy and his passes become horrible.

Yeah, exactly. Get him a OC like Norv Turner or Mike Martz and lets see what he can do. Oh, wait...

Uhm....he actually did reasonably well in 1 full season as a starter under Turner. (that's right, he's actually started 1 full season for us so far)

He never even saw the field under Martz. It was the JTO/Shaun Hill show.

And why didnt he see the field under Martz ?

Cause he BROKE his collar bone in a Preseason game had to have surgery and was OUT for the season. DUH!Don't try to twist it into something it ain't.

~Ceadder

no s**t right?

you tell em Ceadder.

im backing Ceadder on this one!

I dont understand ZRF's continued belief that Alex failed under Martz. SMH

You guys have short memories. JTO had already beaten out Smith in Pre season prior to Smith breaking his collarbone. Duh

Eat more green vegetables.

Yeah playing on a bad shoulder the same shoulder that was ruined the year before. No Matter, JTO beat no one out, he got the playing time because of his knowledge of the system. FACT.

Keep grasping.

You guys need to get your stories straight before you defend poor little Alex.

lol, ummm, ok

Guys, for the record...

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26354573/

"O’Sullivan was picked to start San Francisco’s preseason opener Aug. 8 against Oakland and has been practicing and playing with the first unit since. He didn’t take any snaps in 11-on-11 team drills during the first seven days of training camp as Smith and Hill got all the work.

But both players struggled to grasp new offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s complex system, and O’Sullivan was given a chance in the lead role earlier this month."

...Smith was not injured. He just couldn't pick up the offense.

right because it takes exactly 7 whole days to pick up an extremly complex offensive system. JTO was gonna start regardless because he knew the O

True but Alex Smith's problems don't stem from his lack of system familiarity.

He is innaccurate, crumbles under pressure, makes errant throws too often and in general makes poor decisions during critical moments of the game.

He's the kind of guy that could thrive only under perfect conditions but then again most QBs in the league probably could.

Let's just accept the fact that the guy is destined to be mediocre his entire career and move on. Everyone else around the league sees this. I don't understand why people here still have a hard time coming to grips with it.

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by Byisgod:
lol Whether or not Alex finishes strong is irrelevant. He is gone next year. There isn't a single doubt in my mind.

yeah I'd say he pretty much needs a miracle at this point. But hey winning cures everything right.

Not in this case. What everyone seemingly forgets is that JED is the key to the team. He was not in charge when we drafted Alex and is therefore more inclined to let him go. The guy is young and unlike his father, he WANTS to win. He is willing to spend money as evidenced by our recent extensions and past willingness to invest big money in free agents.

I can almost guarantee that the following will happen at years end:
Sing will be fired

Johnson will not be retained as OC

If guys like Wade Phillips get fired, Manusky will be demoted.

Alex will be gone

If he doesn't go to the Cowboys, Gruden is our best bet for a coach

We will draft a Qb in the first round. If we hire Gruden he will push for drafting
Andrew Luck (provided he declares). He likes smart Qbs with good mechanics.

Originally posted by Byisgod:

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by Byisgod:
lol Whether or not Alex finishes strong is irrelevant. He is gone next year. There isn't a single doubt in my mind.

yeah I'd say he pretty much needs a miracle at this point. But hey winning cures everything right.

Not in this case. What everyone seemingly forgets is that JED is the key to the team. He was not in charge when we drafted Alex and is therefore more inclined to let him go. The guy is young and unlike his father, he WANTS to win. He is willing to spend money as evidenced by our recent extensions and past willingness to invest big money in free agents.

I can almost guarantee that the following will happen at years end:
Sing will be fired

Johnson will not be retained as OC

If guys like Wade Phillips get fired, Manusky will be demoted.

Alex will be gone

If he doesn't go to the Cowboys, Gruden is our best bet for a coach

We will draft a Qb in the first round. If we hire Gruden he will push for drafting
Andrew Luck (provided he declares). He likes smart Qbs with good mechanics.

still, winning, at least going 8-8 with a division title, may give alex a chance to stay. who knows. these are all predictions. what if by the end of the season the staff/coaches FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYY realize what has worked and what hasn't. we'll never know. this is the NFL now, anything can happen!!!!

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by Byisgod:

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by Byisgod:
lol Whether or not Alex finishes strong is irrelevant. He is gone next year. There isn't a single doubt in my mind.

yeah I'd say he pretty much needs a miracle at this point. But hey winning cures everything right.

Not in this case. What everyone seemingly forgets is that JED is the key to the team. He was not in charge when we drafted Alex and is therefore more inclined to let him go. The guy is young and unlike his father, he WANTS to win. He is willing to spend money as evidenced by our recent extensions and past willingness to invest big money in free agents.

I can almost guarantee that the following will happen at years end:
Sing will be fired

Johnson will not be retained as OC

If guys like Wade Phillips get fired, Manusky will be demoted.

Alex will be gone

If he doesn't go to the Cowboys, Gruden is our best bet for a coach

We will draft a Qb in the first round. If we hire Gruden he will push for drafting
Andrew Luck (provided he declares). He likes smart Qbs with good mechanics.

still, winning, at least going 8-8 with a division title, may give alex a chance to stay. who knows. these are all predictions. what if by the end of the season the staff/coaches FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYY realize what has worked and what hasn't. we'll never know. this is the NFL now, anything can happen!!!!

I remember Gruden saying that he liked Alex coming out in 05 & if we didn't get (Alex) Gruden would've. Jus' Sayin'

Originally posted by Nes49:

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by Byisgod:

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by Byisgod:
lol Whether or not Alex finishes strong is irrelevant. He is gone next year. There isn't a single doubt in my mind.

yeah I'd say he pretty much needs a miracle at this point. But hey winning cures everything right.

Not in this case. What everyone seemingly forgets is that JED is the key to the team. He was not in charge when we drafted Alex and is therefore more inclined to let him go. The guy is young and unlike his father, he WANTS to win. He is willing to spend money as evidenced by our recent extensions and past willingness to invest big money in free agents.

I can almost guarantee that the following will happen at years end:
Sing will be fired

Johnson will not be retained as OC

If guys like Wade Phillips get fired, Manusky will be demoted.

Alex will be gone

If he doesn't go to the Cowboys, Gruden is our best bet for a coach

We will draft a Qb in the first round. If we hire Gruden he will push for drafting
Andrew Luck (provided he declares). He likes smart Qbs with good mechanics.

still, winning, at least going 8-8 with a division title, may give alex a chance to stay. who knows. these are all predictions. what if by the end of the season the staff/coaches FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYY realize what has worked and what hasn't. we'll never know. this is the NFL now, anything can happen!!!!

I remember Gruden saying that he liked Alex coming out in 05 & if we didn't get (Alex) Gruden would've. Jus' Sayin'

A lot of coaches liked him back then. That means nothing.
Nobody has a firm grasp on how to gauge player potential. It's just impossible to tell how someone will pan out - hence Brady being a sixth round pick. One of 100 examples that can be given like that.

Originally posted by scopur49er:

Originally posted by ninerlifer:

Originally posted by scopur49er:

Originally posted by ninerlifer:

Originally posted by BETTERDAYZ9ERS:

Originally posted by ninerlifer:

Originally posted by BETTERDAYZ9ERS:

Originally posted by ninerlifer:

Originally posted by SY9er8:

Originally posted by 1251alex:

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by kray28:

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by binary2nd:

Originally posted by ElDannMann:


1. Great QBs can still make that perfect pass even under duress. Not always, but still completing over 50% of their passes is ideal. Alex simply cannot do that, practically ever. In these cases it could make him more worthy of a QB if he would use his mobility to get some yards or even a first down, or simply to escape the pressure and find an open receiver.

What Alex's ceiling is, who knows, we won't know until he's with an OC that knows what their doing. But I agree with you here, and a lot of it is mechanics. Alex doesn't have a very strong arm and has a big windup to his release. He needs space and an extra bit of time to get his pass off. Because of this, if he's under pressure, his mechanics go crazy and his passes become horrible.

Yeah, exactly. Get him a OC like Norv Turner or Mike Martz and lets see what he can do. Oh, wait...

Uhm....he actually did reasonably well in 1 full season as a starter under Turner. (that's right, he's actually started 1 full season for us so far)

He never even saw the field under Martz. It was the JTO/Shaun Hill show.

And why didnt he see the field under Martz ?

Cause he BROKE his collar bone in a Preseason game had to have surgery and was OUT for the season. DUH!Don't try to twist it into something it ain't.

~Ceadder

no s**t right?

you tell em Ceadder.

im backing Ceadder on this one!

I dont understand ZRF's continued belief that Alex failed under Martz. SMH

You guys have short memories. JTO had already beaten out Smith in Pre season prior to Smith breaking his collarbone. Duh

Eat more green vegetables.

Yeah playing on a bad shoulder the same shoulder that was ruined the year before. No Matter, JTO beat no one out, he got the playing time because of his knowledge of the system. FACT.

Keep grasping.

You guys need to get your stories straight before you defend poor little Alex.

lol, ummm, ok

Guys, for the record...

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26354573/

"O’Sullivan was picked to start San Francisco’s preseason opener Aug. 8 against Oakland and has been practicing and playing with the first unit since. He didn’t take any snaps in 11-on-11 team drills during the first seven days of training camp as Smith and Hill got all the work.

But both players struggled to grasp new offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s complex system, and O’Sullivan was given a chance in the lead role earlier this month."

...Smith was not injured. He just couldn't pick up the offense.

right because it takes exactly 7 whole days to pick up an extremly complex offensive system. JTO was gonna start regardless because he knew the O

True but Alex Smith's problems don't stem from his lack of system familiarity.

He is innaccurate, crumbles under pressure, makes errant throws too often and in general makes poor decisions during critical moments of the game.

He's the kind of guy that could thrive only under perfect conditions but then again most QBs in the league probably could.

Let's just accept the fact that the guy is destined to be mediocre his entire career and move on. Everyone else around the league sees this. I don't understand why people here still have a hard time coming to grips with it.

I actually think he plays his best under pressure, because he can't think he just has to go out and play.

Originally posted by Nes49:

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by Byisgod:

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by Byisgod:
lol Whether or not Alex finishes strong is irrelevant. He is gone next year. There isn't a single doubt in my mind.

yeah I'd say he pretty much needs a miracle at this point. But hey winning cures everything right.

Not in this case. What everyone seemingly forgets is that JED is the key to the team. He was not in charge when we drafted Alex and is therefore more inclined to let him go. The guy is young and unlike his father, he WANTS to win. He is willing to spend money as evidenced by our recent extensions and past willingness to invest big money in free agents.

I can almost guarantee that the following will happen at years end:
Sing will be fired

Johnson will not be retained as OC

If guys like Wade Phillips get fired, Manusky will be demoted.

Alex will be gone

If he doesn't go to the Cowboys, Gruden is our best bet for a coach

We will draft a Qb in the first round. If we hire Gruden he will push for drafting
Andrew Luck (provided he declares). He likes smart Qbs with good mechanics.

still, winning, at least going 8-8 with a division title, may give alex a chance to stay. who knows. these are all predictions. what if by the end of the season the staff/coaches FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYY realize what has worked and what hasn't. we'll never know. this is the NFL now, anything can happen!!!!

I remember Gruden saying that he liked Alex coming out in 05 & if we didn't get (Alex) Gruden would've. Jus' Sayin'

ha ha ha, people say all kinds of whacky s**t when it is inconsequential.

FACT. Nobody has ever tried to trade for Alex Smith. So evidently, NOBODY likes him that much.

When Gruden comes, Alex will go...and no off hand ancient comment is going to change that.

Originally posted by kidash:

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by Ceadderman:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by kray28:

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by binary2nd:

Originally posted by ElDannMann:


1. Great QBs can still make that perfect pass even under duress. Not always, but still completing over 50% of their passes is ideal. Alex simply cannot do that, practically ever. In these cases it could make him more worthy of a QB if he would use his mobility to get some yards or even a first down, or simply to escape the pressure and find an open receiver.

What Alex's ceiling is, who knows, we won't know until he's with an OC that knows what their doing. But I agree with you here, and a lot of it is mechanics. Alex doesn't have a very strong arm and has a big windup to his release. He needs space and an extra bit of time to get his pass off. Because of this, if he's under pressure, his mechanics go crazy and his passes become horrible.

Yeah, exactly. Get him a OC like Norv Turner or Mike Martz and lets see what he can do. Oh, wait...

Uhm....he actually did reasonably well in 1 full season as a starter under Turner. (that's right, he's actually started 1 full season for us so far)

He never even saw the field under Martz. It was the JTO/Shaun Hill show.

And why didnt he see the field under Martz ?

Cause he BROKE his collar bone in a Preseason game had to have surgery and was OUT for the season. DUH!Don't try to twist it into something it ain't.

~Ceadder

Wasn't it already known that JTO was going to be our starter at that point? Come on, if Alex was half as good as you think he is, why would Martz not see it and want to start JTO instead?

Not defending A. Smith here but it was already known that JTO was brought in because he knew Martz offense vs. Hill and Smith who had to learn on the go.

- 98

I agree with that, no doubt; but, if Alex was so much better of a skilled QB, then he should have been able to learn the playbook and excel under Martz's tutelage... He should have been able to beat out JTO at least enough so that Nolan (who was still pulling for Smith at that time) would force Martz to play the guy with better upside.

I think Martz didn't think Smith have it in himself to be an NFL caliber QB...

I really dont know how to take this. It's great that he's showing improvements or dare I say "flashes of brilliance", but what does that mean in the big picture? Do we bring back Smith AGAIN next year because Sing (or whoever the coach will be) thinks he's getting better and needs to be in the same system with Johnson to succeed?

Unless Alex figures out how to play well in a whole game, not just the first two and last two minutes, it really doesnt mean that much. Overall his play was good against Philly, but he's still making crucial mistakes.

Originally posted by mickey49:
I really dont know how to take this. It's great that he's showing improvements or dare I say "flashes of brilliance", but what does that mean in the big picture? Do we bring back Smith AGAIN next year because Sing (or whoever the coach will be) thinks he's getting better and needs to be in the same system with Johnson to succeed?

Unless Alex figures out how to play well in a whole game, not just the first two and last two minutes, it really doesnt mean that much. Overall his play was good against Philly, but he's still making crucial mistakes.

Smith will be "allowed" to test the free agent market next year. The 49ers will draft another QB, and sign a veteran to help bridge the gap. The veteran could be Alex Smith, if he's not signed by another team, and he plays well enough to finish out the season.