Anybody worried that Alex will rely TOO much on check downs to Gore?

It is terribly important to have communication between the WRs and the QB. The coach is the guy who makes sure that happens. Palmer retired rather than play another year on a team that lacked that communication (my supposition). When I saw Smith and Crabtree have an incomplete pass together or an Int, and Crabtree comes out of the game and sits next to Troy Smith...what does that say about communication. A Smith should have sought him out to get it straight but there was no commoraderie between them. Perhaps this is one reason VD got in Crabtree's face?

It is a two way street but if most of the receivers are fine with the QB but one is not, that indicates a problem with the odd man out.

Ginn is evidently making progress this camp and (along with Edwards) this bodes well for the offense. Most excited I've been in a number of years about this team!

Originally posted by Young2Rice:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by jimmy49erfan:

Originally posted by oldman9er:
People just don't want to face the idea that our WRs simply were not getting open very much. Watching other QBs, they all have the same issues with precise route timing and missing the exact window due to extra caution. The difference? Those WRs would attack the football as if it belonged to them. Our boys acted as if the ball should always land softly in their hands not outstretched.

Oh come on did you even watch the games last year? Smith threw the ball like s**t, All the WRs were making catches stretching out risking injury on poorly thrown balls. Crabtree got upended and landed on his neck. Morgan tried to catch everything and was beat the fk up on Smith passes. Walker, VD, same thing tried to catch those high wobblers and were blasted. Its takes some amazing bias to blame our receivers for Smiths mediocre passing.

As usual, you got it all wrong due to your own intense dislike for Alex.

Yes, I watch, record, and watch the games over and over again. Huge disparity in ability/effort from our receivers to those on most other teams. It's absolutely no surprise that Alex lost faith in throwing to his targets.

Well Jim Harbaugh seems to think that the WRs we have ability and give effort. I don't think coach would keep a player that didn't have either of the two.

He didn't cut or release any of them. He seems to think highly of D Walker and VD, who have become good receivers. All we did this year was went out and got Edwards and drafted R.Johnson in the late rounds.


If our WRs are as bad as you say, A.Smith and the 49ers will have the same problems. He will ahve to check it down because Edwards is not known for his precise routes or his hands. I don't consider Edwards elite. R.Johnson is a late round pick and may not make the team.

Unless you think Edwards and Johnsn and 10 UDFA WRs will be the key for Smith to have better success, we are sunk this year.

I believe Harbaugh has taken the same position with the WRs as he has with Alex; to wit, until he has a chance to coach them up and see what they actually can do, he isn't going to cut them. This doesn't mean any of them will be here next season, rather it shows that Harbaugh, like the FO, has seen how poorly coached and developed the current roster is and until they have had proper instruction it would be foolish to cut a player just because he has not been well coached or has even been in an offense that actually has a chance to work.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:


It is a two way street but if most of the receivers are fine with the QB but one is not, that indicates a problem with the odd man out.

Wow, fantastic point here! We all know Crabtree is an odd duck to begin with.

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:


It is a two way street but if most of the receivers are fine with the QB but one is not, that indicates a problem with the odd man out.

Wow, fantastic point here! We all know Crabtree is an odd duck to begin with.

I agree Crabtree has some maturing to do but I also believe Harbaugh will either pull him into line or he won't be on the field. A lot of reports from the Stanford days said that Harbaugh doesn't waste time with guys who don't buy into the system and don't have a good work ethic.

I think Crabtree is going to get a giant wake-up call if he doesn't get his act together once the boot comes off his foot.

I don't think Crabtree has a problem with the system, or a problem with his work ethic, the recurring foot problem is what worries me, hope it isn't a chronic recurrence.

Originally posted by PatrickWillisHOF:
As we all know, Alex is the check down master. Now that we are installing the West Coast Offense, are you worried that he will continue to not go through his reads and just check it down to Frankie?

Of course because the check down is the only thing he's become comfortable with over the last 6 yrs. Until or unless we actually see anything different from him on the field, you can only assume it'll be the same old Alex.

I cant believe how many people blame just the receivers...OR just Alex, or Just the coaching. Alex Smith and EVERYONE besides Vernon and Patrick Willis have EVERYTHING to prove this year. Coaching to me is the biggest fault of the past several years, BUT almost no one besides a few lived up to standards as far as individual play goes. Forgot Justin Smith too and a few others did well. But i have decent-good expectations of them this first year under Jim Harbaugh, but no one knows how this will work. Most analysts are just now starting to talk about us and no one gives us a chance but this is the sport/league where you can go from bottom/middle to the top in one year. We shall see.

This will probly be Smith`s best year by a longshot.

Ahhhh no

Originally posted by OptimusPrime52:
for sure, i know guys like favre and brady will yell and scream at a coach to get this ******* guy out of the huddle if they are doing stupid stuff and not 100% focused. alex might have to man up and do the same and take the bull by the horns. i just think he might be to nice of a guy to do something like that.

Alex better not try that stuff. Crabtree and others would kick his ---- if he tries. You can't jump on players when you have been horrible your entire career and still dancing on thin ice.

Originally posted by PatrickWillisHOF:
As we all know, Alex is the check down master. Now that we are installing the West Coast Offense, are you worried that he will continue to not go through his reads and just check it down to Frankie?

No; but, I'm worried that he will get overhyped just like he always does this time of year. Then let us down when the regular season starts...

Originally posted by Nighner:

Originally posted by OptimusPrime52:
for sure, i know guys like favre and brady will yell and scream at a coach to get this ******* guy out of the huddle if they are doing stupid stuff and not 100% focused. alex might have to man up and do the same and take the bull by the horns. i just think he might be to nice of a guy to do something like that.

Alex better not try that stuff. Crabtree and others would kick his ---- if he tries. You can't jump on players when you have been horrible your entire career and still dancing on thin ice.

valid point but alex hasnt been given a chance to succeed either. not only that but if you have 4 ints go off of one players hands(crabs) then i think you have the right to talk as much smack as you need to.

Originally posted by OptimusPrime52:
valid point but alex hasnt been given a chance to succeed either. not only that but if you have 4 ints go off of one players hands(crabs) then i think you have the right to talk as much smack as you need to.

He's been given 6 years to succeed. How many losses and failed seasons must Niner fans endure before this organization admits that which clearly obvious to the rest of the NFL world, that Alex Smith is a Bust. Its been time to move on. However we have to endure a 7th season trying to prove that Alex Smith can play QB. They fired Singletary and brought in Harbaugh. What happens when Alex starts the season 0-5 and we missed the playoffs again, because of his incompetence, in weakest division in pro football history, a division in which most NFL experts believe the Niners have the best talent in the division other than QB. If the Niners had a QB of the level of Orton, there is not doubt they would be picked to win the division and would win it.

Originally posted by Nighner:
He's been given 6 years to succeed. How many losses and failed seasons must Niner fans endure before this organization admits that which clearly obvious to the rest of the NFL world, that Alex Smith is a Bust. Its been time to move on. However we have to endure a 7th season trying to prove that Alex Smith can play QB. They fired Singletary and brought in Harbaugh. What happens when Alex starts the season 0-5 and we missed the playoffs again, because of his incompetence, in weakest division in pro football history, a division in which most NFL experts believe the Niners have the best talent in the division other than QB. If the Niners had a QB of the level of Orton, there is not doubt they would be picked to win the division and would win it.

Harbaugh brought back Alex.

He's a 49er.

No point in complaining about it before we even play a game.

Originally posted by Nighner:
He's been given 6 years to succeed. How many losses and failed seasons must Niner fans endure before this organization admits that which clearly obvious to the rest of the NFL world, that Alex Smith is a Bust. Its been time to move on. However we have to endure a 7th season trying to prove that Alex Smith can play QB. They fired Singletary and brought in Harbaugh. What happens when Alex starts the season 0-5 and we missed the playoffs again, because of his incompetence, in weakest division in pro football history, a division in which most NFL experts believe the Niners have the best talent in the division other than QB. If the Niners had a QB of the level of Orton, there is not doubt they would be picked to win the division and would win it.

i am going to make a couple of assumptions here. the first assumption that im going to make is that harbaugh is a very competent coach who pays special attention to detail unlike our previous regimes. the second assumption im going to make is that harbaugh being an ex-nfl qb himself has an eye for the position more so than some fan forum posters on the internet. if jim harbaugh thinks that we can win with alex smith then i support him 110% of the way. he had the chance to bring in numerous qbs via free agency or trade and he didnt for one simple reason. alex smith was better than every qb available in harbaughs eyes. i have known for years that alex is much better then he has shown. but he was forced to play a style that didnt fit his game. i could go on and on but i believe alex can be a player in this league, and i think harbaugh agrees as well.