How much are Harbaugh, Edwards, West Coast Offense, etc. worth to Alex Smith's game?

None of us will know how Alex does this year until we look at the film.

Originally posted by jimmy49erfan:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/comeback.cgi?player=SmitAl03

4 4th qtr comebacks and 6 game winning drives.

The only game he really came from behind wass the SEA game. Not like he back from being down more than 10 points in any of those...

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
he should have a couple more where the D just blew asignments the saints, and texans come to mind

yea, it was the defense fault

Sprow's reference to 2010 defensive stats isn't as helpful from my standpoint. The 49ers have new defensive coaches, a new defensive scheme and as many as six new starters on that side of the ball. Whether Harbaugh's attention to detail helps the 49ers win close games stands out as more important in my view. The 49ers lost four games by three or fewer points during their 1-6 start last season. They were 1-4 overall in games decided by three or fewer points. If better coaching gets them to 3-2 in those types of games, with all else equal, it's reasonable to expect improvement in the standings.

Per Sando - 49ers underrated?

Originally posted by LambdaChi49:

Sprow's reference to 2010 defensive stats isn't as helpful from my standpoint. The 49ers have new defensive coaches, a new defensive scheme and as many as six new starters on that side of the ball. Whether Harbaugh's attention to detail helps the 49ers win close games stands out as more important in my view. The 49ers lost four games by three or fewer points during their 1-6 start last season. They were 1-4 overall in games decided by three or fewer points. If better coaching gets them to 3-2 in those types of games, with all else equal, it's reasonable to expect improvement in the standings.

Per Sando - 49ers underrated?

Hope they stay underrated all season too

I think Alex will do better, but will still have mistakes that will cost the game. In addition, I don't know if he has the ability to come back from a poor defensive p[erformance. For the sake of the team, I hope I am wrong. However, history would suggest that Alex needs all other parts of the team functioning for him to function as well. He is not a "put the team on the back and carry them to victory" kind of QB. Good QB's will be called on to do so once in a while during the season, and they will succeed. I am not so sure Alex has that capacity.

Originally posted by SJniner7:
I think Alex will do better, but will still have mistakes that will cost the game. In addition, I don't know if he has the ability to come back from a poor defensive p[erformance. For the sake of the team, I hope I am wrong. However, history would suggest that Alex needs all other parts of the team functioning for him to function as well. He is not a "put the team on the back and carry them to victory" kind of QB. Good QB's will be called on to do so once in a while during the season, and they will succeed. I am not so sure Alex has that capacity.

He is a Trent Dilfer game manager type of QB. The best that could be expected of him, historically speaking anyways, was to not f**k things up. I hope the light comes on in year 7 with Harbaugh as his HC.

Originally posted by tohara3:

Originally posted by LambdaChi49:

Sprow's reference to 2010 defensive stats isn't as helpful from my standpoint. The 49ers have new defensive coaches, a new defensive scheme and as many as six new starters on that side of the ball. Whether Harbaugh's attention to detail helps the 49ers win close games stands out as more important in my view. The 49ers lost four games by three or fewer points during their 1-6 start last season. They were 1-4 overall in games decided by three or fewer points. If better coaching gets them to 3-2 in those types of games, with all else equal, it's reasonable to expect improvement in the standings.

Per Sando - 49ers underrated?

Hope they stay underrated all season too

Using Sando's numbers...we're a 8-8 or 9-7 team with better coaching.

I'd mess myself if we went 9-7.

Originally posted by LambdaChi49:

Originally posted by tohara3:

Originally posted by LambdaChi49:

Sprow's reference to 2010 defensive stats isn't as helpful from my standpoint. The 49ers have new defensive coaches, a new defensive scheme and as many as six new starters on that side of the ball. Whether Harbaugh's attention to detail helps the 49ers win close games stands out as more important in my view. The 49ers lost four games by three or fewer points during their 1-6 start last season. They were 1-4 overall in games decided by three or fewer points. If better coaching gets them to 3-2 in those types of games, with all else equal, it's reasonable to expect improvement in the standings.

Per Sando - 49ers underrated?

Hope they stay underrated all season too

Using Sando's numbers...we're a 8-8 or 9-7 team with better coaching.

I'd mess myself if we went 9-7.

i completely agree they were a few games we were outplayed no doubt but i can count a couple games where we lost because of some one in a million thing happening and bad coaching

last year with good coaching (gameplanning in game adjustments etc) without the boneheaded mistake i think we were an 8 to 9 win team

i expect 8 to 9 wins this year but wouldnt be too surprised to see 10 wins

Originally posted by MiamiNiner:

Originally posted by dj43:
^^^

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
We'll just have to wait and see. I have heard Harbaugh is a qb guru, but think Smith might be his biggest challenge considering the damage done by former coaching. I have always believed that Smith could be a decent qb with the proper coaching, and that he was best suited for the WCO. Walsh used to say that to see how good a qb can be you takes his ten best plays. Then you coach that player into being consistently that good. During the Walsh years if a play was sloppy in practice, Walsh would make the team line up and run it until they could execute it without having to think about it. When I saw that under Nolan they would just move on if the play was ragged, I just could not believe it. Needless to say, this terrible practice continued under Singletary. With Harbaugh and the return of the WCO, I expect the consistency to go up not just with Smith, but with the team in general. I feel better about this team now than at any point in the past decade. We might not be playoff bound this year, but I fully expect to field a more competitive team this year.

^^^

agreed!

Well read through all the posts and this one sums it up best and needs to be stated again.

My prediction has been 8-8 or 9-7 so I think Sando is a genius! As for % of improvement? In what area? I would expect a slightly higher completion percentage but he had 59.6% & 60% the last two years, which isn't bad. 10% more passing yards? Don't care if the running game is kicking it.

More TDs and fewer Ints would be a decent measure, along with number of wins. Ten percent more wins would have meant the playoffs, but this year might not be enough. I will be disappointed if we are not all able to see a huge difference in Smith from last year--calmer, more efficient, better leader, more sustained drives, and more wins (more wins being the least important).

Originally posted by nw9erfan:
None of us will know how Alex does this year until we look at the film.

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
We'll just have to wait and see. I have heard Harbaugh is a qb guru, but think Smith might be his biggest challenge considering the damage done by former coaching. I have always believed that Smith could be a decent qb with the proper coaching, and that he was best suited for the WCO. Walsh used to say that to see how good a qb can be you takes his ten best plays. Then you coach that player into being consistently that good. During the Walsh years if a play was sloppy in practice, Walsh would make the team line up and run it until they could execute it without having to think about it. When I saw that under Nolan they would just move on if the play was ragged, I just could not believe it. Needless to say, this terrible practice continued under Singletary. With Harbaugh and the return of the WCO, I expect the consistency to go up not just with Smith, but with the team in general. I feel better about this team now than at any point in the past decade. We might not be playoff bound this year, but I fully expect to field a more competitive team this year.

Agree completely. Nice post.

Originally posted by SJniner7:

Originally posted by jimmy49erfan:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/comeback.cgi?player=SmitAl03

4 4th qtr comebacks and 6 game winning drives.

The only game he really came from behind wass the SEA game. Not like he back from being down more than 10 points in any of those...

So, you're saying he only led us on one game-winning drive? I'm confused, because the numbers right there say six.

Noticed someone said if he had any "comebacks" they were all meaningless games. I think the Seattle and Denver games definitely weren't meaningless.

2006:
Week 15 @ SEATTLE (8-5) - With Seattle only needing a win to clinch the division, and the 49ers trailing in the second half, Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another en route to knocking off the division-leading Seahawks in their house 24-14. This win not only prevented Seattle from clinching, but it kept the 49ers alive in the race for the NFC West. http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2006121400/2006/REG15/49ers@seahawks#tab=recap&recap=fullstory

Week 17 @ DENVER (9-6) - Denver needed just a win at home in their season finale to clinch a playoff spot. They tied the game late with a touchdown to Scheffler, but Smith drove the 49ers down the field in OT, with a critical third down conversion to get the team into field goal range. Nedney would kick the game winner and Smith would have his 2nd comeback in three weeks. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8011c0cc/49ers-26-Broncos-23

Two game winning drives on the road. Just giving credit where credit is due.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
So, you're saying he only led us on one game-winning drive? I'm confused, because the numbers right there say six.

Noticed someone said if he had any "comebacks" they were all meaningless games. I think the Seattle and Denver games definitely weren't meaningless.

2006:
Week 15 @ SEATTLE (8-5) - With Seattle only needing a win to clinch the division, and the 49ers trailing in the second half, Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another en route to knocking off the division-leading Seahawks in their house 24-14. This win not only prevented Seattle from clinching, but it kept the 49ers alive in the race for the NFC West. http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2006121400/2006/REG15/49ers@seahawks#tab=recap&recap=fullstory

Week 17 @ DENVER (9-6) - Denver needed just a win at home in their season finale to clinch a playoff spot. They tied the game late with a touchdown to Scheffler, but Smith drove the 49ers down the field in OT, with a critical third down conversion to get the team into field goal range. Nedney would kick the game winner and Smith would have his 2nd comeback in three weeks. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8011c0cc/49ers-26-Broncos-23

Two game winning drives on the road. Just giving credit where credit is due.

Thank you for pointing out facts to refute negative opinion.