Alex with an offseason as the starter

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by DownSouth:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by ApatheticIAm:

Originally posted by D-NOTTE:
Really, is this the new excuse for him? With an offseason, he would still STINK........ We need a QB

Yea but I like this excuse though. It makes sense to me.

Is everyone forgetting that Alex DID have an offseason with these guys??? Remember that there was an open competition where both Alex and Shaun got half the reps??? It lasted until the 3d exhibition game!!!

Just another excuse to stay on zombie-eyes' nuts!

Blind sheep, my friend. Even with an entire offseason under the same system, next year's excuse would be:

A) it's Raye's playcalling
B) he's only 26 years old
C) he needs two probowl receivers like Ariozna, then we can truly assess him.

Exactly! It never ends with these guys and that is what pisses me off the most! The average NFL career is 3.5 years and this guy is going on 6, yet he still needs "more time" to develop. s**t! How much time and why should we invest more in him??

They want everyone around him to be at a pro-bowl level in order to even assess or judge him! Nobody deserves that! You should be assessed based on what YOU can do as a player, regardless of your supporting cast. The O-line sucks, but they don't suck and get pressure on him on every play!

And the Alex Smith Excuse-Parade is on!

Sorry, guys. The time for "potential" and "excuses" is long gone. I don't care if he'd been injured for 2 years, is on his 5th OCs in 5 years, and was just unfrozen and reanimated to life. What has he done on the field? If he doesn't produce on the field, he's still a bust. Yes...STILL a bust b/c he's never proven himself to be anything else.

Flashes of great improvement, a half game full of great throws, some fine decisions, decent grit and leadership, just a few plays away from some wins, you say? Wake up people! We saw the same things from him years ago when he was healthy. Flashes and then crashes.

So far, the only things that have changed about Smith are the excuses for his consistent underachievement. All new excuses this year--Raye's awful offense, yet another OC, not the starter in the offseason, no chemistry with the WRs, blah, blah, blah. Just new excuses, but we get the same results from the Qb position we got before he was hurt. Just good enough to tease the fans and then lose the game.

He's got 7 games left to prove he's a starter in the NFL. I hope he does, but don't hold your breath.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is a realist about this guy!

"Realist"? is that what they call it these days? We used to call it ignorant.

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by DownSouth:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by ApatheticIAm:

Originally posted by D-NOTTE:
Really, is this the new excuse for him? With an offseason, he would still STINK........ We need a QB

Yea but I like this excuse though. It makes sense to me.

Is everyone forgetting that Alex DID have an offseason with these guys??? Remember that there was an open competition where both Alex and Shaun got half the reps??? It lasted until the 3d exhibition game!!!

Just another excuse to stay on zombie-eyes' nuts!

Blind sheep, my friend. Even with an entire offseason under the same system, next year's excuse would be:

A) it's Raye's playcalling
B) he's only 26 years old
C) he needs two probowl receivers like Ariozna, then we can truly assess him.

Exactly! It never ends with these guys and that is what pisses me off the most! The average NFL career is 3.5 years and this guy is going on 6, yet he still needs "more time" to develop. s**t! How much time and why should we invest more in him??

They want everyone around him to be at a pro-bowl level in order to even assess or judge him! Nobody deserves that! You should be assessed based on what YOU can do as a player, regardless of your supporting cast. The O-line sucks, but they don't suck and get pressure on him on every play!

And the Alex Smith Excuse-Parade is on!

Sorry, guys. The time for "potential" and "excuses" is long gone. I don't care if he'd been injured for 2 years, is on his 5th OCs in 5 years, and was just unfrozen and reanimated to life. What has he done on the field? If he doesn't produce on the field, he's still a bust. Yes...STILL a bust b/c he's never proven himself to be anything else.

Flashes of great improvement, a half game full of great throws, some fine decisions, decent grit and leadership, just a few plays away from some wins, you say? Wake up people! We saw the same things from him years ago when he was healthy. Flashes and then crashes.

So far, the only things that have changed about Smith are the excuses for his consistent underachievement. All new excuses this year--Raye's awful offense, yet another OC, not the starter in the offseason, no chemistry with the WRs, blah, blah, blah. Just new excuses, but we get the same results from the Qb position we got before he was hurt. Just good enough to tease the fans and then lose the game.

He's got 7 games left to prove he's a starter in the NFL. I hope he does, but don't hold your breath.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is a realist about this guy!

"Realist"? is that what they call it these days? We used to call it ignorant.

= Alex
= You

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by DownSouth:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by ApatheticIAm:

Originally posted by D-NOTTE:
Really, is this the new excuse for him? With an offseason, he would still STINK........ We need a QB

Yea but I like this excuse though. It makes sense to me.

Is everyone forgetting that Alex DID have an offseason with these guys??? Remember that there was an open competition where both Alex and Shaun got half the reps??? It lasted until the 3d exhibition game!!!

Just another excuse to stay on zombie-eyes' nuts!

Blind sheep, my friend. Even with an entire offseason under the same system, next year's excuse would be:

A) it's Raye's playcalling
B) he's only 26 years old
C) he needs two probowl receivers like Ariozna, then we can truly assess him.

Exactly! It never ends with these guys and that is what pisses me off the most! The average NFL career is 3.5 years and this guy is going on 6, yet he still needs "more time" to develop. s**t! How much time and why should we invest more in him??

They want everyone around him to be at a pro-bowl level in order to even assess or judge him! Nobody deserves that! You should be assessed based on what YOU can do as a player, regardless of your supporting cast. The O-line sucks, but they don't suck and get pressure on him on every play!

And the Alex Smith Excuse-Parade is on!

Sorry, guys. The time for "potential" and "excuses" is long gone. I don't care if he'd been injured for 2 years, is on his 5th OCs in 5 years, and was just unfrozen and reanimated to life. What has he done on the field? If he doesn't produce on the field, he's still a bust. Yes...STILL a bust b/c he's never proven himself to be anything else.

Flashes of great improvement, a half game full of great throws, some fine decisions, decent grit and leadership, just a few plays away from some wins, you say? Wake up people! We saw the same things from him years ago when he was healthy. Flashes and then crashes.

So far, the only things that have changed about Smith are the excuses for his consistent underachievement. All new excuses this year--Raye's awful offense, yet another OC, not the starter in the offseason, no chemistry with the WRs, blah, blah, blah. Just new excuses, but we get the same results from the Qb position we got before he was hurt. Just good enough to tease the fans and then lose the game.

He's got 7 games left to prove he's a starter in the NFL. I hope he does, but don't hold your breath.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is a realist about this guy!

"Realist"? is that what they call it these days? We used to call it ignorant.

Yes, all of us who can see that Alex isn't any good are just "ignorant"

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by DownSouth:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by ZRF80:

Originally posted by Norcal9erfan:

Originally posted by ApatheticIAm:

Originally posted by D-NOTTE:
Really, is this the new excuse for him? With an offseason, he would still STINK........ We need a QB

Yea but I like this excuse though. It makes sense to me.

Is everyone forgetting that Alex DID have an offseason with these guys??? Remember that there was an open competition where both Alex and Shaun got half the reps??? It lasted until the 3d exhibition game!!!

Just another excuse to stay on zombie-eyes' nuts!

Blind sheep, my friend. Even with an entire offseason under the same system, next year's excuse would be:

A) it's Raye's playcalling
B) he's only 26 years old
C) he needs two probowl receivers like Ariozna, then we can truly assess him.

Exactly! It never ends with these guys and that is what pisses me off the most! The average NFL career is 3.5 years and this guy is going on 6, yet he still needs "more time" to develop. s**t! How much time and why should we invest more in him??

They want everyone around him to be at a pro-bowl level in order to even assess or judge him! Nobody deserves that! You should be assessed based on what YOU can do as a player, regardless of your supporting cast. The O-line sucks, but they don't suck and get pressure on him on every play!

And the Alex Smith Excuse-Parade is on!

Sorry, guys. The time for "potential" and "excuses" is long gone. I don't care if he'd been injured for 2 years, is on his 5th OCs in 5 years, and was just unfrozen and reanimated to life. What has he done on the field? If he doesn't produce on the field, he's still a bust. Yes...STILL a bust b/c he's never proven himself to be anything else.

Flashes of great improvement, a half game full of great throws, some fine decisions, decent grit and leadership, just a few plays away from some wins, you say? Wake up people! We saw the same things from him years ago when he was healthy. Flashes and then crashes.

So far, the only things that have changed about Smith are the excuses for his consistent underachievement. All new excuses this year--Raye's awful offense, yet another OC, not the starter in the offseason, no chemistry with the WRs, blah, blah, blah. Just new excuses, but we get the same results from the Qb position we got before he was hurt. Just good enough to tease the fans and then lose the game.

He's got 7 games left to prove he's a starter in the NFL. I hope he does, but don't hold your breath.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is a realist about this guy!

"Realist"? is that what they call it these days? We used to call it ignorant.

Rather than refuting what I said about Smith or support your post with anything resembling a fact, you make a vague statement essentially saying "nu uh." Either respond with facts or hold on to that "ignorant" label b/c you'll be needing it.

Originally posted by 9erfanAUS:

Originally posted by Squirrel:

Originally posted by Cuphalffull:
Even aside from the injuries, he's had plenty of time to work on those things that are correctable – I disagree here completely. If he was a true #1 pick (pro ready out of the gate) I would agree. I don’t think that he was worthy of a #1 pick and therefore is in need of time to progress. Additionally, his progression was hampered by management. That said, we can’t wait around hoping he will develop. He must produce by years end or we need to move on.

Something I noticed in the Smith vs. Rodgers blog posts, Alex pretty much suggested that he should not be starting from day one. In a pre-draft visit, he said:

"That definitely depends on how well I'm doing coming into camp, how well the other quarterbacks are playing, how well I'm picking up the system. So it's tough to say. I feel like I can step in right away and if all goes well, play early. But that's tough to say right now. We'll see when we get into minicamps and summer throwing the ball and then into the real camp and playing in some preseason games. That will show for sure.''

That suggests to me that he would have been happier sitting on the bench for a while before getting thrown into the starting line up. I wonder how he would have done if he had time to sit and watch for a full year. . . .

To me, he's saying that if he is not comfortable and settled, then he shouldn't start.

-9fA

To me, he's saying, "I'm gonna get paid phat, even riding the bench!"

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Alex Smith has this year to prove he is the long term answer. He knows it and so do all the 49ers staff. He maybe the starter at the start of next year, but he will never be the long term answer unless he proves it this year - end of.

Originally posted by Danoschar1:
Alex Smith has this year to prove he is the long term answer. He knows it and so do all the 49ers staff. He maybe the starter at the start of next year, but he will never be the long term answer unless he proves it this year - end of.

This

Originally posted by Danoschar1:
Alex Smith has this year to prove he is the long term answer. He knows it and so do all the 49ers staff. He maybe the starter at the start of next year, but he will never be the long term answer unless he proves it this year - end of.

What if he starts off next year lighting it up? then what?

Originally posted by backontop:

Originally posted by Danoschar1:
Alex Smith has this year to prove he is the long term answer. He knows it and so do all the 49ers staff. He maybe the starter at the start of next year, but he will never be the long term answer unless he proves it this year - end of.

What if he starts off next year lighting it up? then what?

If he doesn't start lighting it up by the end of this year he won't light it up next year. We've got to plan for the future.

I've been a big Alex Smith supporter and I think he has had a tough time of it, but for him it's this year or bust.

Originally posted by smileyman:

Originally posted by backontop:

Originally posted by Danoschar1:
Alex Smith has this year to prove he is the long term answer. He knows it and so do all the 49ers staff. He maybe the starter at the start of next year, but he will never be the long term answer unless he proves it this year - end of.

What if he starts off next year lighting it up? then what?

If he doesn't start lighting it up by the end of this year he won't light it up next year. We've got to plan for the future.

I've been a big Alex Smith supporter and I think he has had a tough time of it, but for him it's this year or bust.

And you know this how??? Maybe next year there are some key FA moves and draft picks that solidify the OLine and essentially finally giving him time to throw the ball with out having to run for his life.

Alex, I support ya and I'm gonna let you finish the year, but beyonce had the best music video of the year

I totally agree with the thread starter. I would like to see all ou new and young skill guys have an offseason with raye. Include new player upgrades at LG and RT and we may have something.

Get a legit olb and fs on defense and we are rocking.

Originally posted by bigwads:
I totally agree with the thread starter. I would like to see all ou new and young skill guys have an offseason with raye. Include new player upgrades at LG and RT and we may have something.

Get a legit olb and fs on defense and we are rocking.

Originally posted by smileyman:

I've been a big Alex Smith supporter and I think he has had a tough time of it, but for him it's this year or bust.

Me too and I agree. This week will be his 35th start (36th game played). That's the start of year three. Put up or sit down.

Originally posted by Cuphalffull:

Originally posted by 4evrfan:
I've tried to give Smith the benefit of the doubt, esp since he got such an unfair intro to the NFL, but there are some undeniable facts that the Smith apologists refuse to acknowledge. After all these years, he still has some glaring problems that seem only minimally improved only:
He continues to stare down receivers.
He often fails to see open receivers or throws to them too late.
His accuracy is still inconsistent.
Those last 2, even when he has adequate time.
His pocket presence is lacking.
And, most importantly of all, he seems to lack that "instinct" or "it factor" that all top-tier QB's have. This alone would prevent him from getting to that elite level.
Even aside from the injuries, he's had plenty of time to work on those things that are correctable. He's a cerebral Qb whose strength is playing by the book, but not necessarily off the cuff. These next 7 games should tell us a bit more, and for his sake, I hope it's positive.

He continues to stare down receivers – this has dramatically improved. Isolated incidence rather then regular occurrence as has been the case historically.

He often fails to see open receivers or throws to them too late – this is more of a timing issue. It is not uncommon for a good QB to have timing issues. If this does not improve by the end of the season then we can say that this is a real problem.

His accuracy is still inconsistent – I am not sure just what your problem is here. This is the one area that I would say has really improved (not great yet but major improvement) He has had many throws that have been perfect. His completion percentage has greatly increased. This is the main area that I think Alex has improved.

Those last 2, even when he has adequate time – time is a luxury that our Oline has not given Alex. He has done a decent (not great) job of buying more time with his legs (something that Hill really struggled with).

His pocket presence is lacking – This is an area that I agree has been lacking. While greatly improved from a couple of years ago, he has had moments where he looks comfortable while other times he appears lost and skittish.

And, most importantly of all, he seems to lack that "instinct" or "it factor" that all top-tier QB's have – I think that this is something that I have seen a great improvement on. He is not at a Bret Farve or Peyton Manning level yet, but I have seen improvement. His teammates seem to be rallying around him and I think that he has grown up a lot. Question is has it been enough. Does he have enough leadership to put the team on his back and make great things happen? That is something that time will only tell. It is so hard to judge a QB after only a couple of starts. By the end of the season we will have a better idea of what he really has.

Even aside from the injuries, he's had plenty of time to work on those things that are correctable – I disagree here completely. If he was a true #1 pick (pro ready out of the gate) I would agree. I don’t think that he was worthy of a #1 pick and therefore is in need of time to progress. Additionally, his progression was hampered by management. That said, we can’t wait around hoping he will develop. He must produce by years end or we need to move on.

He's a cerebral Qb whose strength is playing by the book, but not necessarily off the cuff. These next 7 games should tell us a bit more, and for his sake, I hope it's positive – I agree with you here 100%. These next games will give us a better picture of what we have in Alex. I personally think it is useless to bash him and hate on him at this point. In a couple of months if he does not produce/drastically improve, then the bashing will be more justified. Right now it is all speculation based upon ones perception.

Now this is how debates should be handled. Point by point and no insults. You make good observations and we just interpret the facts differently. I'm still not convinced the new and admittedly improved Alex is improved enough, esp in the consistency arena, whether it's staring down or looking off, accurately hitting his target or timing his throws. At times, he's dead on, and others you wonder where the ball was supposed to be and if the fault was the receiver's route running. It's a teeter totter ride sometmes and I'm looking forward to the day (if it comes) when we feel we can truly count on Alex. It probably won't happen this season, but I'd like the signs to point in that direction by season's end.