In case you didn't know, Alex Smith was selected with the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. The 49ers were a once great franchise looking to rebuild by selecting its next legendary signal caller. Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young gave way to pro bowler Jeff Garcia. After a year of Ken Dorsey and Tim Rattay it was time to find the next great 49ers quarterback. It didn't work out that way. The 49ers then coach, Mike Nolan, wanted to build his team with a good defense, an old fashioned running game and a quarterback who could steer the ship. So what did he do? He drafted a 20 year old quarterback from a spread offense to reshape his franchise. Square peg, meet round hole. They should have just tried to get a Chad Pennington. Although there was also another pretty good quarterback option in that draft class who grew up a 49er fan. Some guy named Aaron Rodgers.
Alex Smith came into the league on one of the worst offensive rosters in recent memory. His horrific rookie season saw him throw 1 touchdown pass (in the last game of the season) against 11 interceptions. He was throwing to the likes of Johnnie Morton, Brandon Lloyd and Arnaz Battle behind a sieve of an offensive line. Not that it mattered, he was completely overwhelmed. What sticks out to me most about that season was the timing in which they decided to give Smith his first start. Against a loaded, undefeated Colts team that went 14-2, Alex threw for 74 yards with 4 picks highlighted by a long bomb that looked like he essentially closed his eyes and threw it as far as he could. It was intercepted. My god, did Mike Nolan ever want him to succeed?
But things were looking up for Alex and 49ers in 2006 and I was optimistic. They had Frank Gore ready to be a full time back, drafted Vernon Davis and brought in Antonio Bryant at wide out. They had a new offensive coordinator (this will become a theme) in Norv Turner after Mike McCarthy somehow managed to parlay the 2005 49ers offense into a head coaching job. McCarthy's done pretty well since which shows you how bad the 2005 49er offensive personnel was. The team went 7-9 and Alex showed he might be a good quarterback after all. He threw for 3 touchdowns against the Raiders and pulled off a bootleg for the ages against the Seahwaks on a Thursday night. The 49ers finished the year with a win at Denver. This could have been the start of something. The pieces looked to be in place.
In 2006, the San Diego Chargers went 14-2. This was followed by another quick playoff exit for a coach who had too many of them. Marty Schottenheimer was then fired by the team. That didn't matter to me. It's not like they were going to hire Norv Turner who had already had 2 subpar stints as a head coach with Washington and Oakland. Nothing was going to derail the 49ers coming back to prominence. In 2007, the San Diego Chargers hired Norv Turner has their new head coach. Alex Smith and 49ers were looking for a new offensive coordinator again. Nolan promoted Jeff Hostler to offensive coordinator for the 2007 season. It was around now that I started thinking maybe Mike Nolan doesn't really quite know what he's doing. The season started out ugly but okay. Alex engineered a last second win against the Cardinals to open the season and played well enough to beat the Rams. The team was 2-0…they would pick it up offensively right? Following a loss to the Steelers, the 49ers hosted Seattle. It was here that Rocky Bernard sacked Alex, essentially taking away the next two years of his career. He tried to come back in 2007 but it was evident to everyone, except apparently Mike Nolan, that Smith was still badly hurt. Nolan called Smith out for being soft. Reports said he could barely lift his arm. The 49ers finished 5-11. This injury would also lead to Alex missing all of 2008 which saw the 49ers bring in another offensive coordinator in Mike Martz and fire Mike Nolan mid-season. The team finished strong though and there was some hope with new coach Mike Singletary.
In 2010, people were excited. Everyone ignored the fact that the team's head coach was crazy and knew nothing about x's and o's. The 49ers were a preseason sleeper pick to win the west. Then the season started. The 49ers began 0-5 and changed offensive coordinators yet again. Mike Johnson, who is now out of football, took over. Alex Smith played like a quarterback trying to hard not to make mistakes so in turn he was making major ones. On a Sunday night against Philadelphia, it all came to a head. It will forever be known as the "We Want Carr" game. The fans chanted for Alex Smith's head after he ran backwords to avoid a sack and fumbled the ball away for a touchdown. Mike Singletary yelled at him like a little kid in view of everyone in the stadium. The 49ers were a joke. Shortly thereafter, the team went with Troy Smith who managed to fool some people into thinking he could play for about a month. After the second to last game of the season, Jed York came to his senses and fired Singletary. Interim coach Jeff Tomsula tagged Smith to start the last game of the season. Alex threw for 276 yards and 2 scores in a route of the Cardinals. His contract was up and after the game he was asked if he could ever see himself back with the 49ers. Smith couldn't help but laugh.
In my opinion, Jim Harbaugh may be the best coach in the NFL. When he was introduced as the new 49ers head coach before the 2011 season he said he liked Alex Smith. I thought he could give Alex a call and tell him that because there is no way he will be playing for the 49ers in 2011. People will burn down Candlestick! But Harbaugh brought him back. There were no expectations. "Experts" said the 49ers would finish in last place and Harbaugh's biggest mistake would be hitching his wagon to Smith. But Harbaugh and Smith proved everyone wrong. Alex played smart and mistake free football in 2011. He threw 17 touchdowns to only 5 picks and led the team to a 13-3 record. But could he win in the playoffs? In the 2011 divisional game Smith led the 49ers back twice against the Saints, culminating with a touchdown throw to Vernon Davis that still gives 49er fans chills to this day. If not for a couple muffed punts and a fumble by Ahmad Bradshaw that wasn't called, he would have led the team to the Super Bowl. He was cast off, humiliated, and thrown under the bus by coaches and fans. Despite it all, he rose from the ashes to become a clutch, consistent NFL starter.
By the start of the 2012 season I had come to respect Alex Smith more than any other 49er. I couldn't help but pull for him. He started the season on fire out playing Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford. After a hiccup against the Vikings, the 49ers went back to dominating beating up on the Jets and Bills. In the Bills game, Alex Smith hurt a finger on his throwing hand. The 49ers had a big game coming up against the team that beat them in the 2011 NFC championship, the Giants. Smith could not have played worse. His turnovers put the 49ers in a hole they could not get out of. The next week he played poorly against Seattle on a Thursday night, almost throwing the game away on a pick in the endzone. Doubts started to creep back in. Was his finger hurt? Did he hit his ceiling? Smith responded with what might have been his best pro game. On the Monday night stage, he completed 18 of 19 throws for 3 touchdowns against the Cardinals. That was his last full game before getting a concussion against the Rams that led way to the future. The team was now Colin Kaepernick's.
Obviously, the move to Kaepernick was the right one. Colin is a superstar in the making and will keep the 49ers in the running for a long time. But the move almost felt dirty for a while. I was thrilled the team was winning and knew Harbaugh did what he had to but Smith had earned so much more than that. He earned our respect. I know there are Smith supporters and Smith haters out there in Niner Nation but I can't imagine anyone can say they don't respect him for the way he has handled himself during his career. The path he has taken to NFL respectability is like nothing we have ever seen before. I wish him luck in Kansas City and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to be rooting for the Chiefs next year. It's been real Alex, and lately it's been fun. It just wasn't always really fun. Hope they appreciate the check down in Arrowhead. Best of luck.
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