What is Alex's ceiling?

Originally posted by danimal:
consider Terry Bradshaw.

Please someone chime in with a better comparison if you have one, but I know of no other QB that had a rougher beginning yet lasted so long in the NFL.

For the record I don't think Bradshaw is a great QB, and with 4 Rings and he virtually never appears on Best QB's of all-time list....I would say I am not alone.

This man was HORRIBLE in the first 3 years of his career. Alex Smith and Bradshaws numbers are almost dead on in terms of QB Rating.

So unless we plan on gaining about half a dozen Hall of Famers anytime soon, there really is no other example of a turn around that would best compare to just how bad Alex looked in his trial by fire.

Jim Plunkett?

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by jeepzilla:
I hope Alex does great, however, watching him in preseason showed that his mechanics were still very bad. Then in the Houston game, he looked good. So I am very afraid that we will get a good game, followed by a not so good game. I hope I am wrong, but I don't know how he could have corrected years of bad mechanics in 7 weeks? If anyone knows, fill me in.

It is called having a good position coach, it does make a difference. His mechanics were already showing improvement in the preseason. It just blows my mind that since he was drafted the coaching staff couldn't get someone in here to help him work it out, even Martz, the supposed guru of the passing game.

Alex's preseason took a turn for the worse when Brandon Jones got injured. Then Josh Morgan had "tired legs", so he looked bad too. That left Isaac Bruce, Battle, Zeigler, Jason Hill and Spurlock. No Crabtree at that point, obviously. Vernon was playing decently, but he wasn't getting thrown to much during the preseason. If you recall, Shaun Hill didn't look that great either. He played well on the opening drive of some game. Maybe Alex picked Mike Johnson's mind and learned a whole bunch. Improving his footwork, the timing of his release and getting the ball out quicker.

This Sunday is going to reveal a lot of stuff, and I'm nervous and excited at the same time.

The sky.

Originally posted by Psinex:

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by jeepzilla:
I hope Alex does great, however, watching him in preseason showed that his mechanics were still very bad. Then in the Houston game, he looked good. So I am very afraid that we will get a good game, followed by a not so good game. I hope I am wrong, but I don't know how he could have corrected years of bad mechanics in 7 weeks? If anyone knows, fill me in.

It is called having a good position coach, it does make a difference. His mechanics were already showing improvement in the preseason. It just blows my mind that since he was drafted the coaching staff couldn't get someone in here to help him work it out, even Martz, the supposed guru of the passing game.

Alex's preseason took a turn for the worse when Brandon Jones got injured. Then Josh Morgan had "tired legs", so he looked bad too. That left Isaac Bruce, Battle, Zeigler, Jason Hill and Spurlock. No Crabtree at that point, obviously. Vernon was playing decently, but he wasn't getting thrown to much during the preseason. If you recall, Shaun Hill didn't look that great either. He played well on the opening drive of some game. Maybe Alex picked Mike Johnson's mind and learned a whole bunch. Improving his footwork, the timing of his release and getting the ball out quicker.

This Sunday is going to reveal a lot of stuff, and I'm nervous and excited at the same time.

I think many of us here are pinning our hopes for the season on Alex Smith. If he reverts back to the old Alex, we are going to have some problems in terms of our QB situation. If Smith does very well and shows signs of improvement, I think we might have something here to work with that just might get us into the playoffs. Bottom line, Smith's fate with the 49ers will be determined in the next several games and on.

Originally posted by danimal:
consider Terry Bradshaw.

Please someone chime in with a better comparison if you have one, but I know of no other QB that had a rougher beginning yet lasted so long in the NFL.

For the record I don't think Bradshaw is a great QB, and with 4 Rings and he virtually never appears on Best QB's of all-time list....I would say I am not alone.

This man was HORRIBLE in the first 3 years of his career. Alex Smith and Bradshaws numbers are almost dead on in terms of QB Rating.

So unless we plan on gaining about half a dozen Hall of Famers anytime soon, there really is no other example of a turn around that would best compare to just how bad Alex looked in his trial by fire.

Jim Plunkett?

id say around garcia even higher if our o line could get better

If we can spread the defenses out and the Oline can protect him as well as they did in the 2nd half against Houston, he could be a Pro Bowl QB.

To be honest, I don't think there's much seperation between Brady and a handful of QBs in the league. The Pats spread teams out and protect him very well. Plus, they always give him a quick read option, usually to Welker/Edelman or Faulk. Their system is a QB's dream. What seperates Brady is his familiarity with the system and his ability to get through his progressions quickly, making good decisions. I'm not trying to discount his preparation, but it's largely a product of his experience/comfort in the system.

It's the reason Cassel was able to step in and produce at a comparable level. From what I remember, Cassel struggled for about a month and he was kept on a leash during that time. By the end of the year, he was playing as well as anyone else in the league. However, now, Cassel looks mediocre in a "pro-style" offense in Kansas City.

It can't all be put on the QB though. There's a reason some teams constantly suck on offense. Likewise, there's a reason that teams are able to constantly produce, regardless of who's at the helm. Guys like Norv Turner, Tom Moore, Bill Belichick, Cam Cameron, Mike Shanahan, etc. seem to get the most out of their QBs. Camerson has turned the Raven's lackluster offense into a legit threat in just over a year, with a rookie QB. That's impressive, IMO.

People are paying too much on physical attributes. Alex Smith haters often criticise Smith for only having above average arm, only good running speed, only above average height.

By all physical attributes, Alex Smith is better than Chad Pennington. If Alex Smith has Pennington's mental skills at reading defense and finding the open receiver, Alex Smith would be better than a healthy Pennington. And I have to say, a healthy Pennington, who finished second in MVP voting last season, is very good.

The problem is a lot of QB has better physical attributes than Pennington. The question is how good is Smith is reading defense and finding the open receiver once he completely learned an offense.

G.O.A.T

The sky is the limit for him really. He has a strong arm and good legs (not talking about his picture in the graduation gown). He's not the kind of player who is gonna make something out of nothing like a Favre or Elway as we've all read many times about him. But he can make plays with his legs from time to time.

If he can get comfy in our system and just start making the reads and throwing the ball away if it's not there, he'll be fine. That much has proved to be challenging for him so far in his career, but this is likely the most simplistic system he's ever played in as a pro.

This is his best chance so far to succeed in the pros. And I believe he will this time under Raye's less complicated system.

If they kept Martz, Smith would be leading this team to a ring.

We'll never know now. I regret that Singletary feels that he and Martz can't coexist on the same coaching staff. With a few years continuity under Martz, who knows what Smith could do?

But I stand by my opinion that Raye gives Smith his best opportunity to succeed yet. The less complex system should mean that Alex can get in the groove of things faster. We're about to find out.

Troy Aikman

i know there werent this many Smith supporters before last sunday. so we have alot of bandwagoners around here lately. if you called him Alex Leaf, just admit it. dont try and pretend like you were with him all along.

i have been a Smith backer since 2005, and will continue to be even if his Niners career doesnt work out and he moves on elsewhere. he hasnt gotten a fair shake here yet, and it looks like he might be starting to get it finally now. we will see what happens. now we find out what we really drafted.

i think Smith could be a top 10 QB in the NFL. more towards 10 obviously, but its do-able. ive seen flashes of things to the point where if he could harness those skills, he could be a top 10 kind of player. it looks like hes had the time to figure things out. i look forward to seeing him succeed.

Joe Montanax10000000