Is David Akers the best kicker we ever had?

Anybody that goes through so much effort in making a big deal of this Manning-Alex thing clearly... clearly... is pushing forth their agendas against their own QB. They really need to take a look at their own bias, and where their overall priorities are.

Just my thoughts... not interested in the individuals that this shoe fits.

Originally posted by oldman9er:
Anybody that goes through so much effort in making a big deal of this Manning-Alex thing clearly... clearly... is pushing forth their agendas against their own QB. They really need to take a look at their own bias, and where their overall priorities are.

Just my thoughts... not interested in the individuals that this shoe fits.

It's an issue that the organization did to themselves. There's a reason why Harbaugh is in spin control mode right now. It's not to convince me.

Originally posted by tjd808185:
It's an issue that the organization did to themselves. There's a reason why Harbaugh is in spin contro mode right now. It's not to convince me.

There is no issue. The only issue is with the fans that want to beat this dead horse again and again to make a big deal out of something in the ultimate efforts try to push their beliefs on everyone else.

Originally posted by oldman9er:
There is no issue. The only issue is with the fans that want to beat this dead horse again and again to make a big deal out of something in the ultimate efforts try to push their beliefs on everyone else.

So Harbaugh is just bringing this up for no reason.

This topic wasn't started by Anti Smith guys either. It was Alex fans trying to argue the points that Harbaugh was to selling them.

I think I feel the same way about Alex that the organization feels about him. He's a good qb. The league just doesn't always settle for good.

It is understandable and natural for a 49ers fan to defend and support their QB. What is not natural is a 49ers fan that tries so very hard to dispute everything that may cast a positive light on their starting QB. Especially a QB that had a good year and helped get our Niners to the first playoffs we have enjoyed in nearly a decade.

Originally posted by mug0mug:
Reading the comments on the recent articles about what Harbaugh and Smith said on wednesday, most commenters are saying Harbaugh is flat out lying.

I put forth that Peyton never got an offer and Alex always had an offer which could be signed at anytime. I think Peyton is the type of player a front office would be stupid to ignore, but that we wouldn't have signed him unless he looked healthy and was willing to come on the cheap (ala Randy Moss).

I don't recall exactly who leaked that Harbaugh had sat in on a throw-around (which I think was a Titans workout), but the 'info' the TMZers of the football world (LaCanfora etc) relayed from anonymous sources were extrapolated into some serious pursuit that I don't think ever really happened.

What do you think?

http://www.49ers.com/media-gallery/videos/Harbaugh-Clarifies-Manning-Evaluation/96fba58d-3b75-47f9-a86d-c1a3a72a1339

The original post states both sides fairly and then asks, "What do you think?" So the door was opened to those who want to conjecture. Since we can probably never know all the facts it seems silly to continue to try and paint either a pro or anti Alex case based on Harbaugh watching a Hall of Fame QB throw the ball around.

Some feel free to call Harbaugh a liar, which bothers me as it seems like they are shaping/adding to a distrust between the media and 9ers. But, Harbaugh will use this as a team building exercise and winning again this year will allow him to do so. If he begins to lose then the Cohns of the world will be out for his head quickly.

Originally posted by oldman9er:
It is understandable and natural for a 49ers fan to defend and support their QB. What is not natural is a 49ers fan that tries so very hard to dispute everything that may cast a positive light on their starting QB. Especially a QB that had a good year and helped get our Niners to the first playoffs we have enjoyed in nearly a decade.

We had the opportunity to squash this and firmly cement the fact that Alex Smith was our franchise guy and it's obvious we didn't.

From the contract length, amount, and our involvement with Peyton Manning I don't think you can expect the fanbase to circle around Alex when the organization isn't doing it as well. Actions speak louder than words.

Originally posted by oldman9er:
It is understandable and natural for a 49ers fan to defend and support their QB. What is not natural is a 49ers fan that tries so very hard to dispute everything that may cast a positive light on their starting QB. Especially a QB that had a good year and helped get our Niners to the first playoffs we have enjoyed in nearly a decade.

Well stated! Even if a fan does not have faith in Smith's ability to become an elite QB it seems odd that they would almost relish negative statements towards him as if to prove years of frustration correct. And this QB is such a high character guy that some want him to come down to earth...as if playing for Nolan and Singletary didn't do that enough!

Originally posted by dtg_9er:
Well stated! Even if a fan does not have faith in Smith's ability to become an elite QB it seems odd that they would almost relish negative statements towards him as if to prove years of frustration correct. And this QB is such a high character guy that some want him to come down to earth...as if playing for Nolan and Singletary didn't do that enough!

I don't think anyone can ever call out Alex on his character. Our organization has put him thru so much sh** and he's improved every single year.

Originally posted by tjd808185:
I don't think anyone can ever call out Alex on his character. Our organization has put him thru so much sh** and he's improved every single year.

Agree and believe he will reach his ceiling in about three years if he is able to maintain his starting position. This year will be a full blown learning year with the first GREAT WR he has ever worked with (if Moss can live up to the spring hype). He evidently has great rapport with Moss, already had it with VD, Williams is working harder than ever before and Crabtree is working out and running routes...in spring!

So Smith will begin to learn how to adjust to a WR who knows how to adjust to the ball. He will have to learn to trust his WRs and take a few chances. Instead of having guys turning around in circles trying to find the ball, Moss will go up and take it away from the DBs. I saw a little of this in Edwards but then he faded due to injury. Morgan also had this ability but was injured early.

If Smith can raise his play given new weapons the team will be a super bowl contender for a few years. If he doesn't then we will have to develop CK or Johnson or find another QB. I'm going to root my rear end off for Smith!

Originally posted by tjd808185:

Originally posted by oldman9er:
It is understandable and natural for a 49ers fan to defend and support their QB. What is not natural is a 49ers fan that tries so very hard to dispute everything that may cast a positive light on their starting QB. Especially a QB that had a good year and helped get our Niners to the first playoffs we have enjoyed in nearly a decade.

We had the opportunity to squash this and firmly cement the fact that Alex Smith was our franchise guy and it's obvious we didn't.

From the contract length, amount, and our involvement with Peyton Manning I don't think you can expect the fanbase to circle around Alex when the organization isn't doing it as well. Actions speak louder than words.

49ers FO would be stupid to sign a player to a huge contract after 1 good season. They say they didn't want to sing Manning to 1/16 of their salaray, why would they pay an unproven QB a good amount when he may not work out? They didn't do it to dogg Alex like your post suggest, they did because as I said he hasn't proven anything yet besides the fact that he deserves his chance again next season. It really really simple to me. If Alex comes out and lights it up, he get's his contract. If Alex comes out and doesn't improve the things our offense struggled at last season, he's gone.

It's a smart FO, that's all it is. People like take every thing involved with Alex to the extreme. And I'm pretty sure a major in economics is smart enough to know the 49ers stance. Alex sais the FO has been open with him since day one. He know's he's on a leash in a low risk, high payoff situation. To sit and say basically the 49ers never wanted him back is completely heresay and made up. They've been saying Alex is our guy from the end of the season. Have they every said Alex is our future? No. But for right now Alex is our guy. Let him earn his contract rather than just give him one after one good showing.

Yall make it seem the FO hates Alex. But to me they are just being smart in not singing a guy that has only had one good season under his belt to a lot of money. It's really that simple.

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
49ers FO would be stupid to sign a player to a huge contract after 1 good season. They say they didn't want to sing Manning to 1/16 of their salaray, why would they pay an unproven QB a good amount when he may not work out? They didn't do it to dogg Alex like your post suggest, they did because as I said he hasn't proven anything yet besides the fact that he deserves his chance again next season. It really really simple to me. If Alex comes out and lights it up, he get's his contract. If Alex comes out and doesn't improve the things our offense struggled at last season, he's gone.

It's a smart FO, that's all it is. People like take every thing involved with Alex to the extreme. And I'm pretty sure a major in economics is smart enough to know the 49ers stance. Alex sais the FO has been open with him since day one. He know's he's on a leash in a low risk, high payoff situation. To sit and say basically the 49ers never wanted him back is completely heresay and made up. They've been saying Alex is our guy from the end of the season. Have they every said Alex is our future? No. But for right now Alex is our guy. Let him earn his contract rather than just give him one after one good showing.

Yall make it seem the FO hates Alex. But to me they are just being smart in not singing a guy that has only had one good season under his belt to a lot of money. It's really that simple.

Well said... thanks, I was feeling lazy to bother. Also and again, I don't think Alex is about the money or ego that comes with the bloated contract. He's playing the game because he loves it and wants to get this team another SB ring. He's got plenty of money already. What he didn't have a lot of, is leverage. Everyone knows that Alex wanted to be a 49er... and everyone knows that he would have to start all over somewhere else and that his success chances in doing that would drop if he had to go to the few remaining crappier teams that needed a QB.

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
49ers FO would be stupid to sign a player to a huge contract after 1 good season. They say they didn't want to sing Manning to 1/16 of their salaray, why would they pay an unproven QB a good amount when he may not work out? They didn't do it to dogg Alex like your post suggest, they did because as I said he hasn't proven anything yet besides the fact that he deserves his chance again next season. It really really simple to me. If Alex comes out and lights it up, he get's his contract. If Alex comes out and doesn't improve the things our offense struggled at last season, he's gone.

It's a smart FO, that's all it is. People like take every thing involved with Alex to the extreme. And I'm pretty sure a major in economics is smart enough to know the 49ers stance. Alex sais the FO has been open with him since day one. He know's he's on a leash in a low risk, high payoff situation. To sit and say basically the 49ers never wanted him back is completely heresay and made up. They've been saying Alex is our guy from the end of the season. Have they every said Alex is our future? No. But for right now Alex is our guy. Let him earn his contract rather than just give him one after one good showing.

Yall make it seem the FO hates Alex. But to me they are just being smart in not singing a guy that has only had one good season under his belt to a lot of money. It's really that simple.

Where did I say we never wanted him back? That's a complete lie and you clearly need to go back and read what I've actually posted. I've said or implied that we consider him to be a good qb a good 3 or 4 times. Organizations don't strive for good though and that's why we gave him a contract that we could get out of and flirted with a great qb albeit someone with injury concerns that should scare anyone into investing into.

I actually agree with you though. We gave Alex a contract that says you still have more to prove, and that was the right move on our behalf. I never implied we were trying to dogg Alex with the contract either. It's a fact. We did not give him a contract that commits to him as our qb. It's a fact we were flirting with another qb and that's not a behavior teams do when they have a franchise qb. Just because you consider someone to be good does not mean you're fully invested into them.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by tjd808185:
I don't think anyone can ever call out Alex on his character. Our organization has put him thru so much sh** and he's improved every single year.

Agree and believe he will reach his ceiling in about three years if he is able to maintain his starting position. This year will be a full blown learning year with the first GREAT WR he has ever worked with (if Moss can live up to the spring hype). He evidently has great rapport with Moss, already had it with VD, Williams is working harder than ever before and Crabtree is working out and running routes...in spring!

So Smith will begin to learn how to adjust to a WR who knows how to adjust to the ball. He will have to learn to trust his WRs and take a few chances. Instead of having guys turning around in circles trying to find the ball, Moss will go up and take it away from the DBs. I saw a little of this in Edwards but then he faded due to injury. Morgan also had this ability but was injured early.

If Smith can raise his play given new weapons the team will be a super bowl contender for a few years. If he doesn't then we will have to develop CK or Johnson or find another QB. I'm going to root my rear end off for Smith!

I think it will be sooner than that. Remember that Tampa game. Pretty much one of the best offense game from Smith and the offense. And that was coming off a 3TD second half come back in the Eagles game. Had the receivers stayed healthy they could have easily build from that into a very good offense. With Morgan hurt, they had to go back into their shell again against the Lions the following game. Smith and the offense is very capable of putting up good number passing wise next year. I expect nothing less. Young offensive system but we have pretty much all vet players on offense. It will happen sooner than most people think.

Originally posted by tjd808185:

Originally posted by JiksJuicy:
49ers FO would be stupid to sign a player to a huge contract after 1 good season. They say they didn't want to sing Manning to 1/16 of their salaray, why would they pay an unproven QB a good amount when he may not work out? They didn't do it to dogg Alex like your post suggest, they did because as I said he hasn't proven anything yet besides the fact that he deserves his chance again next season. It really really simple to me. If Alex comes out and lights it up, he get's his contract. If Alex comes out and doesn't improve the things our offense struggled at last season, he's gone.

It's a smart FO, that's all it is. People like take every thing involved with Alex to the extreme. And I'm pretty sure a major in economics is smart enough to know the 49ers stance. Alex sais the FO has been open with him since day one. He know's he's on a leash in a low risk, high payoff situation. To sit and say basically the 49ers never wanted him back is completely heresay and made up. They've been saying Alex is our guy from the end of the season. Have they every said Alex is our future? No. But for right now Alex is our guy. Let him earn his contract rather than just give him one after one good showing.

Yall make it seem the FO hates Alex. But to me they are just being smart in not singing a guy that has only had one good season under his belt to a lot of money. It's really that simple.

Where did I say we never wanted him back? That's a complete lie and you clearly need to go back and read what I've actually posted. I've said or implied that we consider him to be a good qb a good 3 or 4 times. Organizations don't strive for good though and that's why we gave him a contract that we could get out of and flirted with a great qb albeit someone with injury concerns that should scare anyone into investing into.

I actually agree with you though. We gave Alex a contract that says you still have more to prove, and that was the right move on our behalf.

I was going to fix this, but I was referring to popular consensus, not you personally. I understand where you thought I was jumping you. You were saying I don't expect the Niner fan base to circle around him. And I was saying it's not the fact that Alex sucks he didn't get a big contract, it's the fact that he's unproven. To not like Alex and not support the QB for your team, because of a 3 year contract, 1 year option or what ever, doesn't make sense. But that convo's been had many of time I guess.