Razzano remarks

I love Alex Smith, but his horizon looks as if it can go only so far (to the pinnacle of border-line mediocrity).

Alex Smith has the looks of a Drew Bledsoe, he'll get us to the playoffs, and maybe even the Superbowl... but winning it all is not within his destiny.

I'm not saying Nate Davis is our savior, but this team has become stout at letting better players go to other teams cause they were so hung up on not giving up on certain "starters" sooner (cause they were high-end draft/trade picks).

Originally posted by SnakePlissken:
I love Alex Smith, but his horizon looks as if it can go only so far (to the pinnacle of border-line mediocrity).

Alex Smith has the looks of a Drew Bledsoe, he'll get us to the playoffs, and maybe even the Superbowl... but winning it all is not within his destiny.

I'm not saying Nate Davis is our savior, but this team has become stout at letting better players go to other teams cause they were so hung up on not giving up on certain "starters" sooner (cause they were high-end draft/trade picks).

OMGSss Alex Smith will lead us to eleventy billion superbowelz and divide by adn zeroh and stuf

This guy thinking that Davis should be out there now starting destroys any credibility he might have had for something that happened 30+ years ago. He doesn't seem to be able to get it that people that work hard to can become better. I hope Davis pans out because he has a good skill set physically, but the QB position requires more than just that, and that more is just what he is struggling with now. Any fool with a strong arm can thro0w the ball 50 yards, it takes brains to be a QB.

Originally posted by hofer36:
I'll side with Walsh on this debate

I´m with you on this one, especially since it is not enough to just pick someone; after drafting them, coaching the guys right and tailoring the team the way that the players fit correctly is even more important, in my book.

I mean, just look at all the players who were high draft choices, did not pan out or struggled at first and then thrived later, if sometimes only elsewhere. I mean, the guy was with the Niners when we had such a guy as a backup QB who made exactly that turnaround, he should know better! (and for all who don´t remember: I think that Steve Young dude we picked up panned out alright in the end )

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
This guy thinking that Davis should be out there now starting destroys any credibility he might have had for something that happened 30+ years ago. He doesn't seem to be able to get it that people that work hard to can become better. I hope Davis pans out because he has a good skill set physically, but the QB position requires more than just that, and that more is just what he is struggling with now. Any fool with a strong arm can thro0w the ball 50 yards, it takes brains to be a QB.

Jamarcus Russell

Originally posted by BHulman:

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
This guy thinking that Davis should be out there now starting destroys any credibility he might have had for something that happened 30+ years ago. He doesn't seem to be able to get it that people that work hard to can become better. I hope Davis pans out because he has a good skill set physically, but the QB position requires more than just that, and that more is just what he is struggling with now. Any fool with a strong arm can thro0w the ball 50 yards, it takes brains to be a QB.

Jamarcus Russell

Thanks for making the point.

Nothing like another Alex thread to stir up the natives...

Originally posted by hofer36:
the comments maiocco posted today by Dave Razzano bring to mind the debate on Joe Montana--whether Tony Razzano or Bill Walsh was the person responsible for the niers taking Joe Montana...Razzano always seemed to go out of his way to try to claim credit for taking Montana, but Walsh is the one in the Hall of Fame, and certainly he had the last call on who would be picked...

I'll side with Walsh on this debate

I think I'll side with Walsh as well. The other thing that we've seen in the Alex Smith era, is that it all depends on how a QB is handled.

Would Joe Montana have flourished anywhere else BUT the 49ers? I don't know. I think a QB's success always depends on how they're developed. We know Joe Montana sat out his first year, but was put into the end of games where Walsh KNEW Joe would have success. In that case, it was probably a perfect example of a QB sitting for his first year.

We've seen a guy like Peyton Manning thrown in there from Day 1 and succeed as well... That's a key example of a QB starting from Day 1.

Who cares if Razzano was the one who found him. The credit should go to the guys who groomed Montana into the HoF QB that he is.

As for whether Alex Smith can be "the guy." That's what our season pretty much hinges on. I think Razzano is right that Nate Davis may be more "gifted" than Alex Smith, but Davis' learning disability really limits him. I think of the 3 QBs we have, in 5 years, Nate Davis could possibly be the most successful, but he's going to take time... And given how slowly he's coming along now, most teams would probably give up on him after a year or two.

What I'm saying is, Alex Smith gives us the best shot right NOW. The 49ers are doing exactly what they should be doing with this QB situation. Nate Davis isn't anywhere near to ready, and I don't have much faith in David Carr. Since Alex Smith is the most ready now and showed some flashes last season, he's the best choice.

Originally posted by RumphLegacy:

Originally posted by sixbricks:
This..

Im 8 years old and what is this?

Now it makes sense......

Razzano has been spot on regarding Alex so far. Not sure about Nate though. Nate has some serious learning disabilities that will make it difficult for him ever to start in the NFL.

Lets just hope Alex plays at least pretty good. Like, 3,300+ yards, 22+ TD throws, and less than 14 INT's.

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
This guy thinking that Davis should be out there now starting destroys any credibility he might have had for something that happened 30+ years ago. He doesn't seem to be able to get it that people that work hard to can become better. I hope Davis pans out because he has a good skill set physically, but the QB position requires more than just that, and that more is just what he is struggling with now. Any fool with a strong arm can thro0w the ball 50 yards, it takes brains to be a QB.

You don't know what you're talking about. This is football, not differential equations or multivariable calculus. Intelligence is probably the 3rd or 4th skill set required to be a good QB, behind system continuity and leadership skills. Thats Razzano's point. And all this talk about Alex Smith being so 'smart' is BS too. How is he smart? b/c he got a high Wonderlick score? Thats just another test used to make certain groups appear superior and others inferior. (Frank Gore is living proof the wonderlick means nothing---as he shows great intelligence on the field.) When has Alex Smith ever exploited an opponent with his so-called intelligence? Umm...never. His college coach called him "non-functional" until he knows things inside out. Sounds pretty average to me. As a QB Smith is no smarter than anybody else...including Davis. Lets stop all this IQ nonsense. Smith is average. This year, we will see how functional he is.

Originally posted by ninerlegacy:

Originally posted by Memphis9er:
This guy thinking that Davis should be out there now starting destroys any credibility he might have had for something that happened 30+ years ago. He doesn't seem to be able to get it that people that work hard to can become better. I hope Davis pans out because he has a good skill set physically, but the QB position requires more than just that, and that more is just what he is struggling with now. Any fool with a strong arm can thro0w the ball 50 yards, it takes brains to be a QB.

You don't know what you're talking about. This is football, not differential equations or multivariable calculus. Intelligence is probably the 3rd or 4th skill set required to be a good QB, behind system continuity and leadership skills. Thats Razzano's point. And all this talk about Alex Smith being so 'smart' is BS too. How is he smart? b/c he got a high Wonderlick score? Thats just another test used to make certain groups appear superior and others inferior. (Frank Gore is living proof the wonderlick means nothing---as he shows great intelligence on the field.) When has Alex Smith ever exploited an opponent with his so-called intelligence? Umm...never. His college coach called him "non-functional" until he knows things inside out. Sounds pretty average to me. As a QB Smith is no smarter than anybody else...including Davis. Lets stop all this IQ nonsense. Smith is average. This year, we will see how functional he is.

Your bolded statement is so easily dissected and ripped apart that I'll leave it for someone else to do.

But I will say that for you to say being intelligent is not one of the top two things you need to have to be a good QB is almost laughable. You might not need Calculus but you better damn well be football smart, which is it's own science. I'll leave the rest to everybody else.

Even as a Smith supporter, it's hard to argue against him that Smith's career has been anything else except mediocre.

But it's interesting that what he doesn't acknowledge is that Smith has clearly improved in each of his season's in the league. It's not as if he's digressed or even clearly hit his ceiling.

And ROFL at Mark Sanchez = Nate Davis evaluation.

-9fA

Originally posted by Nes49:

Originally posted by RumphLegacy:

Originally posted by sixbricks:
This..

Im 8 years old and what is this?

Now it makes sense......

Hmm..I think he's another one of those Satirical posters in the mold of NHAP.

Gotta love the Zones creativity

And also, there's absolutely no way in hell Nate Davis gives us a better shot to win now in comparison to Smith.

That is ridiculous.

-9fA