Alex Smith can be a lightning rod for 49er fans. He is, arguably, the poster child for the lean years of the Nolan/Singletary/Tomsula (1 game) era. There is the ever-present "Smith taken ahead of Rodgers" storyline, or the way he was Wally Pipp'd by Colin Kaepernick on the way to a Super Bowl season.
All of that aside, Alex Smith is one my favorite 49ers of the last twenty years. It was not his fault that he was drafted #1 overall to a team that was nowhere near ready to compete. It's not his fault that, during his tenure in San Francisco, he had 4 different head coaches and SEVEN different offensive coordinators (Mike McCarthy, Norv Turner, Jim Hostler, Mike Martz, Jimmy Raye II, Mike Johnson, and finally Greg Roman). That is a Murderer's Row of mediocrity and ineptitude that would derail ANY quarterback, not to mention the sieve that was the 49er offensive line during the beginning of his career.
Despite the above dysfunction, Smith was the consummate professional. He did not blast his coaches, his teammates, the front office, ownership, or anybody else. He put his helmet on and went out on the field to compete to the best of his ability. Once he was placed in an offense with a competent play-caller and solid protection in front of him, he flourished and led the team to the 2011 NFC Championship Game. I will never forget the naked bootleg around left-end that he ran in for a 28-yard touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional round of those playoffs, and the throw to Vernon Davis for the go-ahead touchdown with just nine seconds left in the same game (The Catch III). I get chills just writing about it!
I was sad to see him traded to Kansas City, but rooted for him at a distance. I was heart-broken for him when Mahomes surpassed him, just like Kaepernick. I was excited to see him shipped off to Washington for yet another chance. When he went down with his horrific leg injury I was devastated once again. What else did this man have to go through in his career? The subsequent stories that came out about his recovery from the broken leg, the SEVENTEEN surgeries that he endured, the near-amputation of the leg due to continued infections made it seem like his career was virtually over.
On Sunday, August 16th, 2020, 21 months after his injury, Smith joined his teammates on the practice field for the Washington Football Team. I don't think I can adequately express just how proud I am of a man I have never, and probably will never, meet. I was smiling from ear to ear as the coverage showed him walking out on to the field, helmet in hand, taking dropbacks, and making throws.
I don't care if Matthew Stafford leads the Detroit Lions to a Super Bowl victory, I don't care if Todd Gurley breaks the NFL rushing record, and I don't care if Cam Newton runs for 2000 yards in whatever single wing offense Bill Belichick is scheming up over in Foxboro…
Alex Smith is the Comeback Player of the Year.
- Brian Renick
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Written by:A full-time educator, lifelong Niner fan, and Co-Host of the 49erswebzone No Huddle Podcast on the Audacy Network.
