Alex Smith scoffs at suggestion he could return to 49ers

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
its a 2 way street

alex worked hard in offseason but for a qb to do well he eeds stability its very hard learig a new offense every year and go out and perform im sure for those of u who are engineers or something can relate learning a new program for eample one year u do c ++ the next year u have to learn some other program

i agree alex is partly to blame but i think the nienrs orginization should take 70% of the blame especially considering before the draft urban myer told us what to do with alex and we did the complete opposite

Yeah, I know that Alex was in a bad situation here, but for chrissakes...the guy was the #1 pick in the draft. At some point, talent rises to the top.

Gary Plummer (the KNBR color guy for 49er radio in Nor Cal) was just on with Gary Radnich talking about Mike Singletary. Among other things, he said he initially thought Singletary would be great but failed to put good coaches in charge of players and demanding accountability FROM THE COACHES when players did not perform. He drew parallels between what he went through in SD when the Chargers were bad and then coming to SF with Bill Walsh and how crisp and animated practices were, finally noting that Singletary's practices were more like Plummer's old days in SD than the Walsh years. "duh" Plummer made it pretty clear that he put a lot of the blame for the 49er lack of success this year on the coaching staff.

The answer lies somewhere in the middle. I mean even with good coaching, you are only as good as the players you have.

Either way it's a moot point, because Alex Smith won't be back. Even if we land someone like Harbaugh, the situation for Alex isn't likely to change. That situation has progressed into one where he is booed every time he throws incomplete passes. Who wants to play in that kind of environment? Good luck somewhere else Alex.

Originally posted by SF69ers:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by bzborow1:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by Gavintech:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by 49erFaithful6:

Originally posted by Byisgod:

Originally posted by OKC49erFan:

Originally posted by Byisgod:
Woah. I'm kinda surprised.

Sarcasm?

No lol. I'm being serious....really. I just can't imagine Alex saying something like that. He just seems too classy.

Maybe the class is just a front he uses for the media. Once he knows it's over he doesn't hesitate to drop the nice guy act. Appearently Alex is a little two-faced. Good thing we gave this classless two-faced small-handed loser 6 years of our lives

It is beginning to sound like this "scoffing" quotation was either made up or taken out of context. On at least two other occasions after that incident, Alex has stated specifically that he would wait until he sees who the new HC is and GM are and how that may affect him...and THEN he will make a decision as to his future.

So while your final sentence indicates you tend to hold onto false reports and made up things, the reality seems to be that Smith has NOT ruled out a return to the 49ers.

Personally, I believe he will choose not to come back but that is another topic.

Do you think he'd come back if the 49ers offered him the best contract?

My guess is that money will have nothing to do with his choice. He already has plenty of money. The only way I see him coming back is if the new HC is either Gruden or Harbaugh and they make a personal appeal to him to return. That appeal would have to include a comprehensive outline of the kind of offense they would run and who the OC and QB coaches would be. Even then, Alex knows the fan base has been so poisoned by the last 8 years of failure of this organization and the effect that has had on the fans, that he will have a target painted on his chest every time he steps on the field. The statement he made about fans booing him for an incompletion when the team had a two touchdown lead is very telling.

Of course, Alex will definitely figure into the new HC discussions at some point and at some level. All of the HC candidates will have done considerable research on the QB situation and how that will effect their chances for success next season. With serious question marks as to whether or not a reasonable FA will be available or a trade possible for a vet starter to come in, the question of convincing Alex to return will be a part of the conversation. For a new HC to start the season with Troy Smith and a rookie whose name is NOT Andrew Luck is not a very enticing situation.

Guys like Gruden and Harbaugh already have solid opinions about McNabb, Palmer, Kolb and Orton, along with the rest of the sordid bunch of QB FAs, and I am sure they are not very excited about any of them, especially if they have to give up a 1st or 2nd round draft choice to get one of them. While we can sit an argue about whether or not Alex is better than any of those names or not, he would definitely be in the discussion and to have him available for at least next season and NOT have to give up a draft choice, would be a much better scenario than the alternatives.

Agreed. The sad reality in how far this franchise has fallen lies in its QB situation. If the starter next year is not Alex Smith, then who the heck is it? I wouldn't feel happy about giving up a 2nd rounder for a player like Orton when I can get similar production from a guy like Smith and save the draft pick.

It will be an interesting off-season because any new coach will consider the 49ers QB situation before accepting a job here, and the QB will be waiting for a decision on the coaching structure before committing. It's the classic chicken or the egg distilled for football use.

Harbaugh is really going to want a challenge if he chooses the 49ers. This is an offense with a major hole at QB, let alone all its other problems (o-line, wr's). To say we have the talent is being disingenuous to the rest of the NFL. The o-line is leaky, our best offensive player is an aging RB, and our best receiver is a TE that can't read defenses. Oh yeah....and the defense can't rush the passer or defend the pass.

Quite the contrary, this team needs more than just a new coach in order to become successful.

(Bolded) Good analysis. Spot on.

I don't agree with that at all. Our offense is filled with talent and they're still pretty young. Vernon Davis, despite inconsistent QB play, still had 7 TDs and over 900 yards receiving. Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan are still young and played pretty well. Our o-line is still young and we have a legit guard in Iupati who could be a pro bowler for years.

Our defense definitely has its issues, but we were still one of the top defenses against the run. Yes, we still need that pass rusher and our secondary needs to get younger, but there is still talent on that side of the ball.

OK, I'll take it bit by bit. VD has good numbers but is widely known to not be good on hot reads, which are a critical part of any offense. A TE who is good at hot reads is a QB's best friend. Guys like Whitten and Finley who don't get the glossy numbers are a better contributor to the OVERALL offense than Davis who not only is not good at hot reads but only runs seam routes effectively.

Crabtree is still a very immature receiver who could be good if the new HC comes in and demands a work ethic and holds him accountable. Right now Crabtree would be lucky to be a #3 receiver on a good passing team.

Morgan wouldn't even make the roster in Philly or Green Bay or San Diego.

The fact the OL is young and inexperienced does not make up for the fact they were the main reason for most of the offensive failures. Baas will most likely be allowed to walk in FA. Heitmann may never play again due to his neck injury. Rachal didn't get it done. AD led the league in false starts, penalties and sacks allowed at one point in the season. Staley seems to have been hit with the injury bug. Iupati was the one bright spot in the second half of the season but was part of the problem in the first half.

...but yes, there are some young guys that could be better, depending on the HC and his staff.

Originally posted by SF69ers:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by bzborow1:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by Gavintech:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by 49erFaithful6:

Originally posted by Byisgod:

Originally posted by OKC49erFan:

Originally posted by Byisgod:
Woah. I'm kinda surprised.

Sarcasm?

No lol. I'm being serious....really. I just can't imagine Alex saying something like that. He just seems too classy.

Maybe the class is just a front he uses for the media. Once he knows it's over he doesn't hesitate to drop the nice guy act. Appearently Alex is a little two-faced. Good thing we gave this classless two-faced small-handed loser 6 years of our lives

It is beginning to sound like this "scoffing" quotation was either made up or taken out of context. On at least two other occasions after that incident, Alex has stated specifically that he would wait until he sees who the new HC is and GM are and how that may affect him...and THEN he will make a decision as to his future.

So while your final sentence indicates you tend to hold onto false reports and made up things, the reality seems to be that Smith has NOT ruled out a return to the 49ers.

Personally, I believe he will choose not to come back but that is another topic.

Do you think he'd come back if the 49ers offered him the best contract?

My guess is that money will have nothing to do with his choice. He already has plenty of money. The only way I see him coming back is if the new HC is either Gruden or Harbaugh and they make a personal appeal to him to return. That appeal would have to include a comprehensive outline of the kind of offense they would run and who the OC and QB coaches would be. Even then, Alex knows the fan base has been so poisoned by the last 8 years of failure of this organization and the effect that has had on the fans, that he will have a target painted on his chest every time he steps on the field. The statement he made about fans booing him for an incompletion when the team had a two touchdown lead is very telling.

Of course, Alex will definitely figure into the new HC discussions at some point and at some level. All of the HC candidates will have done considerable research on the QB situation and how that will effect their chances for success next season. With serious question marks as to whether or not a reasonable FA will be available or a trade possible for a vet starter to come in, the question of convincing Alex to return will be a part of the conversation. For a new HC to start the season with Troy Smith and a rookie whose name is NOT Andrew Luck is not a very enticing situation.

Guys like Gruden and Harbaugh already have solid opinions about McNabb, Palmer, Kolb and Orton, along with the rest of the sordid bunch of QB FAs, and I am sure they are not very excited about any of them, especially if they have to give up a 1st or 2nd round draft choice to get one of them. While we can sit an argue about whether or not Alex is better than any of those names or not, he would definitely be in the discussion and to have him available for at least next season and NOT have to give up a draft choice, would be a much better scenario than the alternatives.

Agreed. The sad reality in how far this franchise has fallen lies in its QB situation. If the starter next year is not Alex Smith, then who the heck is it? I wouldn't feel happy about giving up a 2nd rounder for a player like Orton when I can get similar production from a guy like Smith and save the draft pick.

It will be an interesting off-season because any new coach will consider the 49ers QB situation before accepting a job here, and the QB will be waiting for a decision on the coaching structure before committing. It's the classic chicken or the egg distilled for football use.

Harbaugh is really going to want a challenge if he chooses the 49ers. This is an offense with a major hole at QB, let alone all its other problems (o-line, wr's). To say we have the talent is being disingenuous to the rest of the NFL. The o-line is leaky, our best offensive player is an aging RB, and our best receiver is a TE that can't read defenses. Oh yeah....and the defense can't rush the passer or defend the pass.

Quite the contrary, this team needs more than just a new coach in order to become successful.

(Bolded) Good analysis. Spot on.

I don't agree with that at all. Our offense is filled with talent and they're still pretty young. Vernon Davis, despite inconsistent QB play, still had 7 TDs and over 900 yards receiving. Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan are still young and played pretty well. Our o-line is still young and we have a legit guard in Iupati who could be a pro bowler for years.

Our defense definitely has its issues, but we were still one of the top defenses against the run. Yes, we still need that pass rusher and our secondary needs to get younger, but there is still talent on that side of the ball.

OK, I'll take it bit by bit. VD has good numbers but is widely known to not be good on hot reads, which are a critical part of any offense. A TE who is good at hot reads is a QB's best friend. Guys like Whitten and Finley who don't get the glossy numbers are a better contributor to the OVERALL offense than Davis who not only is not good at hot reads but only runs seam routes effectively.

Crabtree is still a very immature receiver who could be good if the new HC comes in and demands a work ethic and holds him accountable. Right now Crabtree would be lucky to be a #3 receiver on a good passing team.

Morgan wouldn't even make the roster in Philly or Green Bay or San Diego.

The fact the OL is young and inexperienced does not make up for the fact they were the main reason for most of the offensive failures. Baas will most likely be allowed to walk in FA. Heitmann may never play again due to his neck injury. Rachal didn't get it done. AD led the league in false starts, penalties and sacks allowed at one point in the season. Staley seems to have been hit with the injury bug. Iupati was the one bright spot in the second half of the season but was part of the problem in the first half.

...but yes, there are some young guys that could be better, depending on the HC and his staff.

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by SF69ers:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by bzborow1:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by Gavintech:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by 49erFaithful6:

Originally posted by Byisgod:

Originally posted by OKC49erFan:

Originally posted by Byisgod:
Woah. I'm kinda surprised.

Sarcasm?

No lol. I'm being serious....really. I just can't imagine Alex saying something like that. He just seems too classy.

Maybe the class is just a front he uses for the media. Once he knows it's over he doesn't hesitate to drop the nice guy act. Appearently Alex is a little two-faced. Good thing we gave this classless two-faced small-handed loser 6 years of our lives

It is beginning to sound like this "scoffing" quotation was either made up or taken out of context. On at least two other occasions after that incident, Alex has stated specifically that he would wait until he sees who the new HC is and GM are and how that may affect him...and THEN he will make a decision as to his future.

So while your final sentence indicates you tend to hold onto false reports and made up things, the reality seems to be that Smith has NOT ruled out a return to the 49ers.

Personally, I believe he will choose not to come back but that is another topic.

Do you think he'd come back if the 49ers offered him the best contract?

My guess is that money will have nothing to do with his choice. He already has plenty of money. The only way I see him coming back is if the new HC is either Gruden or Harbaugh and they make a personal appeal to him to return. That appeal would have to include a comprehensive outline of the kind of offense they would run and who the OC and QB coaches would be. Even then, Alex knows the fan base has been so poisoned by the last 8 years of failure of this organization and the effect that has had on the fans, that he will have a target painted on his chest every time he steps on the field. The statement he made about fans booing him for an incompletion when the team had a two touchdown lead is very telling.

Of course, Alex will definitely figure into the new HC discussions at some point and at some level. All of the HC candidates will have done considerable research on the QB situation and how that will effect their chances for success next season. With serious question marks as to whether or not a reasonable FA will be available or a trade possible for a vet starter to come in, the question of convincing Alex to return will be a part of the conversation. For a new HC to start the season with Troy Smith and a rookie whose name is NOT Andrew Luck is not a very enticing situation.

Guys like Gruden and Harbaugh already have solid opinions about McNabb, Palmer, Kolb and Orton, along with the rest of the sordid bunch of QB FAs, and I am sure they are not very excited about any of them, especially if they have to give up a 1st or 2nd round draft choice to get one of them. While we can sit an argue about whether or not Alex is better than any of those names or not, he would definitely be in the discussion and to have him available for at least next season and NOT have to give up a draft choice, would be a much better scenario than the alternatives.

Agreed. The sad reality in how far this franchise has fallen lies in its QB situation. If the starter next year is not Alex Smith, then who the heck is it? I wouldn't feel happy about giving up a 2nd rounder for a player like Orton when I can get similar production from a guy like Smith and save the draft pick.

It will be an interesting off-season because any new coach will consider the 49ers QB situation before accepting a job here, and the QB will be waiting for a decision on the coaching structure before committing. It's the classic chicken or the egg distilled for football use.

Harbaugh is really going to want a challenge if he chooses the 49ers. This is an offense with a major hole at QB, let alone all its other problems (o-line, wr's). To say we have the talent is being disingenuous to the rest of the NFL. The o-line is leaky, our best offensive player is an aging RB, and our best receiver is a TE that can't read defenses. Oh yeah....and the defense can't rush the passer or defend the pass.

Quite the contrary, this team needs more than just a new coach in order to become successful.

(Bolded) Good analysis. Spot on.

I don't agree with that at all. Our offense is filled with talent and they're still pretty young. Vernon Davis, despite inconsistent QB play, still had 7 TDs and over 900 yards receiving. Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan are still young and played pretty well. Our o-line is still young and we have a legit guard in Iupati who could be a pro bowler for years.

Our defense definitely has its issues, but we were still one of the top defenses against the run. Yes, we still need that pass rusher and our secondary needs to get younger, but there is still talent on that side of the ball.

OK, I'll take it bit by bit. VD has good numbers but is widely known to not be good on hot reads, which are a critical part of any offense. A TE who is good at hot reads is a QB's best friend. Guys like Whitten and Finley who don't get the glossy numbers are a better contributor to the OVERALL offense than Davis who not only is not good at hot reads but only runs seam routes effectively.

Crabtree is still a very immature receiver who could be good if the new HC comes in and demands a work ethic and holds him accountable. Right now Crabtree would be lucky to be a #3 receiver on a good passing team.

Morgan wouldn't even make the roster in Philly or Green Bay or San Diego.

The fact the OL is young and inexperienced does not make up for the fact they were the main reason for most of the offensive failures. Baas will most likely be allowed to walk in FA. Heitmann may never play again due to his neck injury. Rachal didn't get it done. AD led the league in false starts, penalties and sacks allowed at one point in the season. Staley seems to have been hit with the injury bug. Iupati was the one bright spot in the second half of the season but was part of the problem in the first half.

...but yes, there are some young guys that could be better, depending on the HC and his staff.

You put a lot of blame on Vernon not being able to make the hot reads, but he's still a playmaker with the ball in his hands. Whether it's a seam rout or a screen, the guy makes plays. He's also arguably the best blocking tight end in the league. I'll take that.

Crabtree is still young and although he had better numbers this year than last, the production wasn't as consistent. We can look at it as a down year due to the QB position or him missing out on the preseason, but you can't deny his talent when he has the ball. He's a possession receiver and does well after the catch. And according to Jerry Sullivan before the season started, Crabtree has very crisp route running.

The o-line I understand is very inconsistent. Staley, IMO, is overrated and played pretty bad this year. Iupati was a bright spot. Baas was also inconsistent. Rachal wasn't very good. Anthony Davis had a rocky rookie year, which I expected out of a 20 year old right tackle, but he did show some flashes which is a good sign.

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
its a 2 way street

alex worked hard in offseason but for a qb to do well he eeds stability its very hard learig a new offense every year and go out and perform im sure for those of u who are engineers or something can relate learning a new program for eample one year u do c ++ the next year u have to learn some other program

i agree alex is partly to blame but i think the nienrs orginization should take 70% of the blame especially considering before the draft urban myer told us what to do with alex and we did the complete opposite

Yeah, I know that Alex was in a bad situation here, but for chrissakes...the guy was the #1 pick in the draft. At some point, talent rises to the top.

Gary Plummer (the KNBR color guy for 49er radio in Nor Cal) was just on with Gary Radnich talking about Mike Singletary. Among other things, he said he initially thought Singletary would be great but failed to put good coaches in charge of players and demanding accountability FROM THE COACHES when players did not perform. He drew parallels between what he went through in SD when the Chargers were bad and then coming to SF with Bill Walsh and how crisp and animated practices were, finally noting that Singletary's practices were more like Plummer's old days in SD than the Walsh years. "duh" Plummer made it pretty clear that he put a lot of the blame for the 49er lack of success this year on the coaching staff.

There's plenty of blame to go around for our record, but all I'm saying is that blaming the coaching staff for Alex's failures is an over-exaggerated point that's used by many Niner fans.

Gore found a way to become a perennial Pro Bowler despite having the same coaching staff. Vernon Davis has grown visibly in the last 4 years. In my life experience, it's VERY hard to keep capable people from showing their competence, regardless of what's going on around them.

Alex didn't succeed because he's not very good. He's not awful, and I respect his resilience, but if he was a legitimate NFL QB we wouldn't be having this conversation 6 years later.

[ Edited by LA9erFan on Jan 4, 2011 at 11:49:11 ]

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
its a 2 way street

alex worked hard in offseason but for a qb to do well he eeds stability its very hard learig a new offense every year and go out and perform im sure for those of u who are engineers or something can relate learning a new program for eample one year u do c ++ the next year u have to learn some other program

i agree alex is partly to blame but i think the nienrs orginization should take 70% of the blame especially considering before the draft urban myer told us what to do with alex and we did the complete opposite

Yeah, I know that Alex was in a bad situation here, but for chrissakes...the guy was the #1 pick in the draft. At some point, talent rises to the top.

Gary Plummer (the KNBR color guy for 49er radio in Nor Cal) was just on with Gary Radnich talking about Mike Singletary. Among other things, he said he initially thought Singletary would be great but failed to put good coaches in charge of players and demanding accountability FROM THE COACHES when players did not perform. He drew parallels between what he went through in SD when the Chargers were bad and then coming to SF with Bill Walsh and how crisp and animated practices were, finally noting that Singletary's practices were more like Plummer's old days in SD than the Walsh years. "duh" Plummer made it pretty clear that he put a lot of the blame for the 49er lack of success this year on the coaching staff.

There's plenty of blame to go around for our record, but all I'm saying is that blaming the coaching staff for Alex's failures is an over-exaggerated point that's used by many Niner fans.

Gore found a way to become a perennial Pro Bowler despite having the same coaching staff. Vernon Davis has grown visibly in the last 4 years. In my life experience, it's VERY hard to keep capable people from showing their competence, regardless of what's going on around them.

Alex didn't succeed because he's not very good. He's not awful, and I respect his resilience, but if he was a legitimate NFL QB, we wouldn't be having this conversation 6 years later.

I still think coaching has a lot to do with it. Alex still has those accuracy issues, but when I look back to how he performed in 2006 with Norv Turner, last season with Raye (before Sing tightened the leash on him in 2010), and the last game against the Cards, coaching had plenty to do with it.

Singletary wanted a QB to play it safe. He tightened the leash on Raye causing the the offense to be less aggressive in 2010. When Troy Smith torched the Rams for 300+ yards, all Sing kept talking about was "weeding out the bad tendencies" then suddenly, they had Troy being more conservative with the ball. With Tomsula coaching the last game this season, he had Mike Johnson open up the playbook and Alex was definitely flinging the ball in the air, something I hadn't seen a lot since 2006.

Hopefully Alex will sign with a team that plays more aggressive on the pass. I think he'll still be pretty good if given the chance.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
its a 2 way street

alex worked hard in offseason but for a qb to do well he eeds stability its very hard learig a new offense every year and go out and perform im sure for those of u who are engineers or something can relate learning a new program for eample one year u do c ++ the next year u have to learn some other program

i agree alex is partly to blame but i think the nienrs orginization should take 70% of the blame especially considering before the draft urban myer told us what to do with alex and we did the complete opposite

Yeah, I know that Alex was in a bad situation here, but for chrissakes...the guy was the #1 pick in the draft. At some point, talent rises to the top.

Gary Plummer (the KNBR color guy for 49er radio in Nor Cal) was just on with Gary Radnich talking about Mike Singletary. Among other things, he said he initially thought Singletary would be great but failed to put good coaches in charge of players and demanding accountability FROM THE COACHES when players did not perform. He drew parallels between what he went through in SD when the Chargers were bad and then coming to SF with Bill Walsh and how crisp and animated practices were, finally noting that Singletary's practices were more like Plummer's old days in SD than the Walsh years. "duh" Plummer made it pretty clear that he put a lot of the blame for the 49er lack of success this year on the coaching staff.

There's plenty of blame to go around for our record, but all I'm saying is that blaming the coaching staff for Alex's failures is an over-exaggerated point that's used by many Niner fans.

Gore found a way to become a perennial Pro Bowler despite having the same coaching staff. Vernon Davis has grown visibly in the last 4 years. In my life experience, it's VERY hard to keep capable people from showing their competence, regardless of what's going on around them.

Alex didn't succeed because he's not very good. He's not awful, and I respect his resilience, but if he was a legitimate NFL QB we wouldn't be having this conversation 6 years later.

The relationship between QB and coaches is different than any other player/position on the team. The QB is expected to be an extension of the HC and his philosophy, therefore, when he takes a very conservative option instead of a risky one, it is likely related to the desires of the HC. Other positions on the team do not have that option. They run one route or block one guy and that is it, but the QB has to make choices based on the programming he has received from the staff.

Alex didn't play this way at Utah. The only reason I can think of is that it has been the result of coaching.

Do I think he will be great? No, but I am convinced he can play consistently like he has since Mike Johnson took over, and that would put him in the top half of QBs in the league. That should win the West and a playoff game or two. And until a rookie can step up and replace him, that would be the best option. Will he take it? It will depend on the new coach.

All a QB wants is to have a chance to execute a reasonable playbook. Alex did that fairly well when Turner was here, but since then, he has either been injured or saddled with Jimmy Raye.

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
its a 2 way street

alex worked hard in offseason but for a qb to do well he eeds stability its very hard learig a new offense every year and go out and perform im sure for those of u who are engineers or something can relate learning a new program for eample one year u do c ++ the next year u have to learn some other program

i agree alex is partly to blame but i think the nienrs orginization should take 70% of the blame especially considering before the draft urban myer told us what to do with alex and we did the complete opposite

Yeah, I know that Alex was in a bad situation here, but for chrissakes...the guy was the #1 pick in the draft. At some point, talent rises to the top.

Gary Plummer (the KNBR color guy for 49er radio in Nor Cal) was just on with Gary Radnich talking about Mike Singletary. Among other things, he said he initially thought Singletary would be great but failed to put good coaches in charge of players and demanding accountability FROM THE COACHES when players did not perform. He drew parallels between what he went through in SD when the Chargers were bad and then coming to SF with Bill Walsh and how crisp and animated practices were, finally noting that Singletary's practices were more like Plummer's old days in SD than the Walsh years. "duh" Plummer made it pretty clear that he put a lot of the blame for the 49er lack of success this year on the coaching staff.

There's plenty of blame to go around for our record, but all I'm saying is that blaming the coaching staff for Alex's failures is an over-exaggerated point that's used by many Niner fans.

Gore found a way to become a perennial Pro Bowler despite having the same coaching staff. Vernon Davis has grown visibly in the last 4 years. In my life experience, it's VERY hard to keep capable people from showing their competence, regardless of what's going on around them.

Alex didn't succeed because he's not very good. He's not awful, and I respect his resilience, but if he was a legitimate NFL QB we wouldn't be having this conversation 6 years later.

The relationship between QB and coaches is different than any other player/position on the team. The QB is expected to be an extension of the HC and his philosophy, therefore, when he takes a very conservative option instead of a risky one, it is likely related to the desires of the HC. Other positions on the team do not have that option. They run one route or block one guy and that is it, but the QB has to make choices based on the programming he has received from the staff.

Alex didn't play this way at Utah. The only reason I can think of is that it has been the result of coaching.

Do I think he will be great? No, but I am convinced he can play consistently like he has since Mike Johnson took over, and that would put him in the top half of QBs in the league. That should win the West and a playoff game or two. And until a rookie can step up and replace him, that would be the best option. Will he take it? It will depend on the new coach.

All a QB wants is to have a chance to execute a reasonable playbook. Alex did that fairly well when Turner was here, but since then, he has either been injured or saddled with Jimmy Raye.

You nailed it man. Alex was a stud for coming out of the MWC and was destined for a middle round pick and then they smashed Pitt and Alex threw these numbers up 29-37 for 328 4td and no picks and had an unbelievable combine and then boom the perfect storm of bad coaching and injuries hit him like a ton of bricks. Best of luck to him and I will be rooting for him even when/if he plays the 9ers.

Originally posted by GhostofJimmyDean:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
its a 2 way street

alex worked hard in offseason but for a qb to do well he eeds stability its very hard learig a new offense every year and go out and perform im sure for those of u who are engineers or something can relate learning a new program for eample one year u do c ++ the next year u have to learn some other program

i agree alex is partly to blame but i think the nienrs orginization should take 70% of the blame especially considering before the draft urban myer told us what to do with alex and we did the complete opposite

Yeah, I know that Alex was in a bad situation here, but for chrissakes...the guy was the #1 pick in the draft. At some point, talent rises to the top.

He floated to the top. Like a turd. Does that count?

Shaj'sTurd?

I may get some heat for this, but I'd love to see what Harbaugh could do with A. Smith...

I could see him coming back. We don't have anything better for next year. What a rookie? A castoff FA? He may buy us a year while we develop our rookie.

The fans are unfair to him IMO. He had a real good last overall game. And they boo 1 incomplete pass like they expect him to be perfect... You know Manning, Brady and Brees throw some incomplete passes.

A change of scenary would be good for him. But I could honestly see him back too.

Originally posted by foreign49er:
I may get some heat for this, but I'd love to see what Harbaugh could do with A. Smith...

QB development matters too. He had NoWin and Dingletary. The 2 worst QB developers of all time. Of course Harbaugh could do a lot more with him. Alex would be coached up instead of down. I wouldn't expect him to be spectacular. But he would be better for certain.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by foreign49er:
I may get some heat for this, but I'd love to see what Harbaugh could do with A. Smith...

QB development matters too. He had NoWin and Dingletary. The 2 worst QB developers of all time. Of course Harbaugh could do a lot more with him. Alex would be coached up instead of down. I wouldn't expect him to be spectacular. But he would be better for certain.

Agree with everything.

Originally posted by foreign49er:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er[quote=foreign49er:
I may get some heat for this, but I'd love to see what Harbaugh could do with A. Smith...

QB development matters too. He had NoWin and Dingletary. The 2 worst QB developers of all time. Of course Harbaugh could do a lot more with him. Alex would be coached up instead of down. I wouldn't expect him to be spectacular. But he would be better for certain.

Agree with everything.
I second that, but it just shows that the ownership wasn't thinking right when they picked a defensive minded hc during a time when qb development was imperative.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by foreign49er:
I may get some heat for this, but I'd love to see what Harbaugh could do with A. Smith...

QB development matters too. He had NoWin and Dingletary. The 2 worst QB developers of all time. Of course Harbaugh could do a lot more with him. Alex would be coached up instead of down. I wouldn't expect him to be spectacular. But he would be better for certain.

This week I have been without a schedule and it has been too cold and rainy outside for golf so I have spent a lot of hours here and on other football sites reading what experts and fans have to say about our QB situation. What I have found is that a lot of people who had been quite critical of Alex Smith in the past, have now taken a look at the alternatives and now believe that bringing him back is the best that can be hoped for now. That becomes even more realistic if Harbaugh is the new HC.

So while Smith may not prove to be a superhero, with the help of a known professional with a track record of developing QBs, he could turn out to be a more than adequate QB for this team.