Just when you thought there was no real NFL news during the lockout, Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, presumably without prompting or provocation, delivered Tweet No. 1,430 of his career this afternoon.
White’s missive reads as follows: “Why is the 49ers wasting their time with alex smith they need to move on better yet try to get luck next year would be good for them”
White quickly followed with career Tweet No. 1,431: “2 coaches have been fired for tht mans performance.”
A few hours later, White “apologized” … “Ok 49ers fans I’m sorry I take tht back alex smith is a great players and the 49ers should sign him to a 5 year deal btw I don’t have anything against alex smith wht so ever he is a great guy”
and u thot the 49ers’ 2010 season was bizarre lol
49ers RSS feed
Roddy white is smarter than i thot!!
Obviously, by the way, take a look at your spelling and grammer.
jfletcher12,
Maybe you didn’t read the whole post, but I’m pretty sure Fortunat44 was mimicking Mr. Branch, the writer of this story. Look at the last line…
Read First,
I’m sure Mr. Branch was mimicking Roddy White because as well all know that’s not Eric’s style of writing. When have any of us read an article with the word “U” instead of “you”, followed by a LOL
haha i’m sure you knew this though but in case you didn’t know well know you know
“2 coaches have been fired for tht mans performance.”
The obvious flaw in logic is that the coaches could have benched Alex. But apparently, they were too dumb to do so (if indeed, Alex is an incompetent). So they got fired for being stupid. But no QB can win with a stupid coach. Which is what Alex apologists say.
The question is, what can Alex do with a smart coach? We might find out. Which is really a fascinating experiment to see. At least, for me it is.
Let’s see Eric that makes NFL anylst,Hall of famers like Young/Rice,and now current players that all think Alex sucks like most 49er fans.. You think the front office by now would get the picture,but no!
Do your homework…SY never said AS sucks. Many times on KNBR he actually complimented AS. He knows MN and MS never had a system or program in place for QB’s. Now JH is HC and he knows how QB’s think and the best way to make them successful. If JH thinks he can turn AS career around why not trust him – he is a straight shooter – it’s not about being personal and blaming AS for *all* of the teams shortcomings.
Hofer like it or not Alex is a perceived loser. By players, by the media. Just because you “think” you see something in the kid doesn’t make it so. And SY’s comment was great QB’s have six gears. Lienhart has 3 and Alex is stuck somewhere in 4. Don’t know what part of that is a compliment, but to me it is a RIP.
Bay, you liked the JH hire but when he speaks positively about AS he is only saying it because of the CBA issues or he is all of a sudden clueless? JH has always been a straight shooter and he could find a Q QB such as a Bulger or Hasselbeck if he chose to do so. They offered AS a one year contract worth $10M so they are serious.
So to answer your question, it’s not just because I “think” AS can be productive. JH is realizing that the QB’s in the draft and the FA’s just aren’t better than AS. I’ve got faith in JH that he can make AS productive. Clearly JH has a system and plan/program. He has hired coaches that are teachers.
For me it’s not personal – if JH thinks he can turn AS career around I’m all for it.
bafanatic….. maybe it’s been the Yugo he’s had to drive, it certainly hasn’t been a high end sports car. Hard to hit 6th gear when the pit crew and the car suck. lol
while i *think* Alex Smith isnt the answer at qb for the Niners, i now *know* is a complete horse’s a$$
sorry, correction: now know Roddy White is a complete horse’s a$$
BTW what has RW ever done? He has too much time on his hands obviously to be worrying about a QB not in is division or on his team that has absolutely no outcome on his success – weird!??
What has White done? He’s burned plenty of NFL defenses — something Alex Smith could never do.
Yeah right – no QB and a new HC – whatever!
He is a two time Pro Bowler on a playoff caliber team in one of the toughest divisions in football. Players take swipes at other players like Alex because he has received more opportunities than he deserves and that breeds animosity. What has Alex Smith EVER done?
Breeds animosity? Why the hell does Roddy White care how many chances anyone gets in the league? Roddy White can’t even spell animosity. The only motive he has is in running his mouth.
Who cares what he thinks.
I don’t care what he thinks. The question was what has he ever done? I responded honestly. Players gossip and diss other players all of the time. He is a very good player that “Tweeted” something that many other people around the league think, like it or not. I didn’t rip Alex personally like others, but what has he done?
I don’t know anything about other players “dissing” each other in the media or what anyone else around the league thinks. I can’t read minds. All I know is that this guy is pretty much a Tool. Or maybe something you wipe off the bottom of your shoe. Sounds like a whiny little Diva with a third grade education.
Don’t care what he thinks or what he’s done for that matter.
When another player says something like that it is kind of a barometer for the opinions of other players-you should care about that. He may be a tool, but I guarantee you his Tweet was inspired by someone else’s words. Two things can be equally true.
White is right, Smith is a bust and it’s time to move on… New HC, new GM, time for a new QB. Sure, you can blame the past coaches for this team’s mess… But you’re only fooling yourself if you don’t think Smith is equally responsible…
What is your definition of a bust – anyone other than Montana? The last two HC’s had nothing to do with it??! No system and no program??! Bad HC’s and little to no help from OC’s with no power. Now we have JH and he believes AS has upside – JH is a straight shooter and wouldn’t say so unless he believes it – perfect HC for a QB and for AS!!
So what if he’s right. It’s unprofessional to do that to a fellow NFL brother. Hold your tongue and respect this great game you play. This is not about Smith. It’s about White and his disrespectful stance as a player in the league. Then, he comes back with a weak and insulting apology only to prove my point. He doesn’t care, plain and simple. When you don’t care, it shows. Just ask Dez.
My definition of a bust? That would be a former #1 overall pick who consistently failed under some damn good NFL offensive coordinators; a former #1 overall pick who lacks the needed accuracy; a former #1 overall pick who doesn’t have the ability to improvise when needed; a former #1 overall pick who can barely complete his favorite “pass” — the check-down; a former #1 overall pick who can’t rally his team when needed and was once referred to by teammates as the “Cowardly Lion.”
You can make all of the convenient excuses you want, but all one has to do is look at a rookie QB like Sam Bradford — no supporting cast other than SJ and the kid leads his team into the last game of the season competing for the division title… Alex could only dream of such a thing… He’s had 6 years to show something… All he’s shown is that he was a
badhorrible pick by the 49ers’ brass.Let’s not discuss OC’s – MN and MS called the shots. MN started AS his rookie year and created the model of what not to do for rookie QB’s. Everyone has changed the way they handle QB’s due to the 9er HC MN – now they are handled differently. Remember, AS wasn’t a 23 year old rookie – he was 20 and he was young and MN threw him to the wolves. MN hired OC’s that had different philosophies and systems. Every year was a different OC. MS had the opportunity to hire top notch OC’s but they didn’t agree with his philosophy so he settled for JR. Blaming everything on the QB is the easy way out and simplistically makes the losing better!!??
Wow Sam Bradford? You played the Sam Bradford Card? Didn’t we BEAT the RAMS with Alex Smith under Center? Only reason they won the last game was cause TROY Smith was under Center in that game and the hook had to be sent in. Unfortunately it was too little too late. And this is with a Coordinator less than half as knowledgeable as Shurmur is.
If you want to know how bad our Coaching Staff was just look at Shaun Hill. He sucked big time after Martz was fired. Alex Smith put up better numbers in the 10.5 games that he Started after Sing pulled Hill. But then Hill goes to Detroit and had some really solid games despite losing. Hell he even found his Spiral. No more ducks coming out of that guy’s hand. I about fell out of my reclined LaZboy when I saw him throw a rope. I never saw him throw a prettier spiral when he played for the 9ers. In fact I never thought he would ever throw one in his entire career. Goes to show what playing in a Dome can do for you and what good coaching looks like. Even his Receivers caught more Passes than ours do.
And its PROOF that a QB can’t do it all by himself. Not that 9er fans know much about that. According to most 9er fans Joe and Steve made their Receivers look good. Funny how Garcia was seriously maligned by most 9er fans and then when Alex Smith was our QB they act like they’d always been Garcia fans. What a bunch of whiny glass is half empty sky is falling know nothing pessimists.
Correction, we beat the RAMS with Troy Smith under center. Nice try though. It was at the stick and I was there. That game opened everyones eyes as to the success we could have when a QB actually looks and throws downfield.
Hoferfan67- Keep on with the excuses, LOL… I expected nothing more.
Ceadderman- We beat the Rams with Troy Smith in the first game and then let Alex Smith turnover the game in the second… Hard to read anything further than that goof… Now what were you saying about those darn “whiny glass is half empty sky is falling know nothing pessimists”? LOL…
Red, I’ve one my mock draft that has the 9ers selecting two QB’s. So even though I disagree with you and look beyond *one* guy to blame for bad HC’s, OC’s, bad ownership hires, not hiring a Walsh lineage guy from his coaching tree, etc, more QB’s are a good thing.
JH wants AS so I’m open to see how he performs with a HC that knows how to get the most out of his players especially a QB.
Yes, more QB options is a good thing! Hey, at least we can agree on something ;-)
RednGold: Stick with CSN buddy, i’ve seen your posts over there before and they are all constant rants with not much thought behind them. Go over there if you want to troll, and if your gonna use the Bradford card i would SUGGEST waiting and see how he does this year with a new OC.
dannyshoe- CSN? I like Maiocco’s articles, but I don’t post over there. You must have me mixed up with someone else. You claim I’m trolling because I and many others don’t feel Alex Smith is the answer at QB? Hahahaha… Don’t take it so personal. You must be one of ‘those’ who predicted great things for Smith year after year… At some point, you just have to realize you were wrong.
Lost me at: “…under some damn good NFL offensive coordinators.”
Not even in the same universe.
I’m still waiting for all the Smith haters to explain the part about “Harbaugh didn’t mean any of the nice things he said about Smith.” A couple of guys in here were mimicking the hate-fest over at Comcast. I’m waiting to hear what’s next.
Ridiculous. Watch the piece Trent Green put up at the NFL site. Smith has some good points. He needs (and has always needed) help to develop those good points and to weed out the bad habits. Never had it. I’m not sure where the damned fine coordinators comes from.
Martz? He pulled O’Sullivan out of a hat because O’Sullivan was supposedly an expert in Martz’s offense. That went well. Not sure how that benefited Smith. Jimmy Raye has an almost exclusive record of losing. Norv Turner, maybe? Might have been OK had he stuck around. Two separated shoulders kept him out of action as well, thanks in part to an O-line that ranks toward the bottom in pass protection.
The Smith bashing is stupid. Do the math and you’ll see what most of us agree on, there are problems ALL over this team. You want to peg all that on Smith, fine, but you’re fooling yourself. This team doesn’t improve in some key areas, I don’t care if you put Peyton Manning back there – not gonna work. The other point is, most of us saw the Smith re-signing attempt coming, took Harbaugh at his word. Obviously there’s something there that Harbaugh likes. He could certainly pull any other FA off the list (provided the CBA is cleared up). The fact that it was offered says what, exactly? Where are the haters on this?
This stuff just goes around and around. It’s all nonsense. The guy either succeeds under Harbaugh and this new coaching staff or he’s pretty much finished. Simple as that. And Harbaugh and Baalke apparently offered him a deal for “some” reason.
I’ll take Harbaugh’s word again that it doesn’t matter what the fans say. They booed John Brodie for years early on – he didn’t come in to his own until much later in his career, Steve Young at first (who also wasn’t a “somebody” until his sixth or seventh year), and I believe at some point there was a little of that for Joe. Sorry… some of the people in the stands are idiots. Harbaugh nailed it.
The Yugo comparison – right on the money! Good call.
A first overall QB selection is expected to be a franchise player. He is expected to be a perennial Pro-Bowler. He is expected to turn your franchise around. When your selection doesn’t do that he is considered a bust. For all of the excuses given to Alex the team was still the preseason favorite to win the division on several occasions during his six seasons including last year. Meanwhile, Bradford was tearing it up as a rookie in St. Louis with Steven Jackson as his only weapon. He looked calm, confident and acted like a leader. The Rams were picked to finish dead last by almost everyone in the NFL. Bradford didn’t have MC, VD, DW, JM, or FG. He has a defensive minded head coach. He was learning a new system-he was a rookie. Almost identical situations except Alex threw ONE TD to go along with his 875 yards his rookie year and Bradford threw 18 TD’s with 3,512 yards passing. Some QB’s just have IT.
21st in the league in passing I wouldn’t say is tearing it up. 18/15 TD to INT isn’t all that great either but… I will agree with you Bradford will probably be a good player in the league.
Let’s not forget Danny Amendola – hell of a player. Bradford had more weapons than just Jackson. Smith had Lelee and Barlow his first year. Not exactly apples to apples here.
Also, and more importantly, the Rams have the 16th best (middle of the pack) O-line pass protection ranking. The 49ers on the other hand? 27th. Just five spots from the absolute worst in the league in pass protection.
I do agree with you though that #1 overall pick is expected to be at a high level. I think the Niners dropped the ball in a few drafts after that (pretty much until the Baalke draft of last year) by not building something around Smith. Gore and Davis, good moves. The rest? Crabtree and Coffee in 2009? Peter King said at the time Crabs was supposed to be a superior Anquan Boldin. In fairness Crabs had 55 catches, 7 drops, 6 TDs in 2010, he improved from 2009. If he actually ever gets in to camp and is on the same page with the QB he may end up being outstanding.
Coffee, before he found Jesus and a handgun, was supposed to be bowling over defenders by now. 2009 was almost a complete waste, thanks Scott! 2008 was worse, Chilo Rachal, Kentwan Balmer, Reggie Smith, Cody Wallace? We got Josh Morgan out of 2008 – that’s it pretty much. I would think Rachal steps up this year or he’s gone – may be gone anyway.
It seems to me we need to kick back and just let the adults take this now. We apparently (finally) have some visionaries running things now. I’m totally fine with letting these guys experiment with Smith as long as we draft a QB as well. And… as long as Ballke has another good draft. We haven’t had one since 2006 with Staley and Willis.
Kinda took a tangent there :P
Compared to Smith’s rookie year Bradford tore it up. The Rams put the ball in Bradford’s hands last year and he elevated the play of everyone around him, Amendola included. Amendola is a good slot receiver, that’s about it. The Rams line benefitted from Bradford getting rid of the ball quickly, and still has holes on it. Despite the 49ers questionable drafts, they were still considered to have a “talented young nucleus” that was favored to win the NFC Worst this past year. I like Alex Smith as a person and don’t rip him on a personal level, but I think I have a very realistic take on the situation in the face of unfounded optimism.
Yeah… that’s my point, compared to Smith. Not exactly apples to apples comparison there. At least Bradford had a few play makers his first year out.
Bradford had more playmakers than Smith? Enlighten me please. Who? No one at tight end. A primary receiver who is an undersized smurf that consistently ran the same underneath route and a young wideout on the other side. No running game as Steven Jackson is slowing down. Face it, Bradford made quick decisions and he was accurate in his delivery. He also had good pocket presence and scrambled effectively.
Adam:
Bradford didn’t have any play makers around him, that was the whole point. It was an almost identical situation as Smith’s rookie year but Bradford excelled. It is comparing apples to apples. The exact same scenario with much different results because the QB was superior. Superior college player, superior pro prospect, superior first year in the league under the exact same circumstances.
Bay, the 9ers had Bajema at TE in 2005. Let’s not forget they also had Barlow at RB. Bradford has a legitimate threat and pro-bowler at RB with Jackson which does/did take the pressure off of the QB. AS also had a 1st year HC in MN – Spagnuolo had been the HC for a year when Bradford was drafted and OC Shurmur had a year under his belt as OC so returning players on offense had experience with his offense even if Bradford was a rookie – so advantage Bradford.
Point taken except for one thing. I am not comparing Bradford to Alex in his rookie year. I am saying that Bradford his rookie year is better than Alex in his 6th. And he was better with less weapons.
It may be close in the running game but the Niners had to do it with Beasley, Hicks and the rookie, Gore.
WR:
Rams: Donnie Avery: 47 receptions, 589 yds, 5 TDs.
49ers: Arnaz Battle: 32 receptions, 363 yds, 3 TDs.
Rams: Mark Clayton: 23 receptions, 306 yds, 2 TDs.
49ers: Johnnie Morton: 21 receptions, 288, yds, 0 TDs.
Rams: Danny Amendola: 85 receptions, 689 yds, 3 TDs.
49ers: Brandon Lloyd: 48 receptions, 733 yds, 5 TDs.
Rams: Brandon Gibson: 53 receptions, 620 yds, 2 TDs
Rams: Danario Alexander: 20 receptions, 306 yds, 1 TD.
Rams: Laurent Robinson: 34 receptions, 344 yds, 2 TDs.
Rams: Mardy Gilliard: 6 receptions, 63 yds, 0 TDs.
49ers: Rasheed Marshall, Otis Amey, Marcus Maxwell, Jason McAddley either didn’t play or had such small numbers it doesn’t matter.
2010 Rams total receiving yards: 3,865
2005 49ers total receiving yards: 2,190
OK, so Brandon Lloyd ties Donnie Avery in TDs. Otherwise, by the numbers, 2010 Rams had an advantage over the 2005 49ers at the wideout spot. Brandon Lloyd was it for the most part for the Niners. Some Johnnie Morton help but not much. Rams have more depth at position for Bradford’s rookie year.
RBs:
Rams: Steven Jackson: 1,241 yds, 6 TDs.
49ers: Could either go with Gore or Barlow. Gore: 608 yds, 3 TDs.
Barlow: 581 yds, 3 TDs.
Rams: Kenneth Darby: 107 yds, 2 TDs.
49ers: Maurice Hicks: 308 yds, 3 TDs.
2010 Rams: 1,578 total yards
2005 49ers: 1,689 total yards
Niners had more depth at RB in Smith’s rookie year and one more rushing TD than the Rams.
TE:
Rams: Billy Bajema: 14 receptions, 145 yds, 2 TDs.
49ers: Billy Bajema: 5 receptions, 54 yds, 0 TDs.
Rams: Daniel Fells: 41 receptions, 391 yds, 2 TDs.
49ers: Steve Bush: 3 receptions, 21 yds, 0 TDs.
Rams: Michael Hoomanawanui: 13 receptions, 146 yds, 3 TDs.
49ers: Patrick Estes, Brian Jennings, Terry Jones, have no recorded stats.
Rams: Fendi Onobun: 2 receptions, 15 yds, 0 TDs.
Rams: Derek Schouman: 9 receptions, 103 yds, 0 TDs.
Rams: Darcy Johnson, no recorded stats.
49ers had Billy Bajema and then the Rams had Billy Bajema. He’s more productive with the Rams. Rams have the advantage (and depth) at Tight End.
2010 Rams O-line pass protection rank: 17th, index score of 61.2
2005 49ers O-line pass protection rank: 32nd (dead last), index score of 11.9.
Huge difference here. Advantage Rams.
There’s no real comparison between the two teams other than it took the 49ers three backs to equal one Steven Jackson (to get similar results).
Clearly the 2010 Rams had a better team around Bradford than the 2005 49ers had around Smith (and everyone else). I don’t see how this is even a question.
But again… apples to oranges. Smith only played nine games, seven of which he started. He shared time, as you will remember, with Rattay, Dorsey, Pickett. Where as Bradford played all games. (They should have kept Rattay around instead of trading him after the fourth game.)
I don’t see any way the 2005 Niners had better talent than the 2010 Rams though.
Correction from above: Ashley Lelie (and he was 2007 not 2005.)
Bay, point is SB wasn’t better than AS last year. SB had Shurmur (OC) who was mentored by Reid who was mentored by Holmgren who was mentored by Walsh – advantage SB.
Spagnuolo (HC) was also on Reid’s staff in Philly as a defensive coach working for the great DC Jim Johnson. Do you think Spagnuolo learned a thing or two from Reid about mentoring QB’s even though he was a defensive coach? Advantage SB.
With that said, AS had a slightly better year than SB even with the limitations at coaching – philosophy, in-game adjustments, play calling, etc.
You could put all-pro players in every position but if their strengths aren’t utilized and there is not program or system in place, they won’t yield many wins.
You realize how rediculous you sound right? Bottom line the fact is Bradford a rookie with less weapons outplayed Smith in his 6th year. That is FACT. Also it was Bradfords first year in the system. The stuff you bring up is an opinion. Point taken but still an opinion.
Everything on here is opinion…some just do a better job backing their opinions with facts.
Regarding SB, they are replacing Shurmur a WCO guy with McDaniels who uses the Pats offense which is a combination of many offensive philosophies including the spread. Same mistake MN made with the 9ers when switching from McCarthy. We’ll see how it affects SB who barely got a taste of Shurmur’s offense and now all terminology and plays are going away. It will be interesting!
Adam:
Don’t you see the irony in the stats you provided? They prove that he distributed the ball much better and that he was accurate. He made those receivers better. To back that up, WR is listed as the #1 priority for the Rams on most draft boards. Compare Amendola’s stats from 2009-2010. Compare Brandon Gibson’s stats from 2009-2010. Compare Laurent Robinson’s stats from 2009-2010. Do you notice any trends? Their basically doubled their stats from the previous year with a rookie QB at the helm. Amendola is overrated, as his 85 catches for only 689 yards and 3 TD’s prove that he is not explosive but merely force fed the football. Bradford also had ten receivers with double digit catches. Smith:seven. Thats not indicative of the receiving talent, it shows that the QB will/can get the ball to whoever is open. The Rams were almost universally picked to finish dead last in the division and now they are widely favored to win the West next year because of Bradford. They had the same bad situation during their rookie years but Bradford excelled. EXCELLED. Smith threw one TD the entire year in the last game of the season. Smith was expected to win the division and lead the team to the playoffs in his 6th season and was outperformed across the board by a rookie on a team expected to finish dead last in the leagues worst division by a wide margin. I’m sure he will do well with Josh McDaniels as his OC next year as well, even though it will be a new system.
This is another case where a professional can’t be just that, a pro. He doesn’t respect his profession enough to understand you don’t throw another fellow NFL pro under the bus like that. It’s like these WRs feel as though they’re above the social norm. Dez Bryant is at the extreme, but White should know better. And that feeble and insulting apology only exacerbates the situation.
He’s classless, period.
No Rody White is right about something you Alex lovers can’t accept! Alex Smith is a bust.. Thank you Roddy for saying something most real 49ers fans know to be true!
No! It’s unprofessional. Again, so what if he’s a bust. That’s for we fans to argue. Not a fellow NFL player. You can argue all you want about Smith’s failures. I personally wish him the best in another team, but don’t want him back.
Again, irrelevant. White is classless and a disrespectful lil kid who wants to show off. Paul, it’s an issue of respect. If you can’t see it, then that’s on you. RESPECT! It’s lost.
Exactly Tico. I’m glad someone besides me sees what a punk that kid is being. I don’t care if people like or hate Smith. The fact that a player in the league even makes this kind of statement in print is just insanely stupid.
To me this is about as bad as when T.O. outed his starting QB in a Playboy interview. At least Owens played on the same team as the guy. He’s lucky I wasn’t his QB. His bell would be getting rung by every physical DB in the league. White has never even lined up on the field with Smith. So he doesn’t know jack crap about what Smith is or isn’t capable of. Lord help the man if Smith ever takes the field at the same time. Might hang that doosh out to dry. I know that I would if it were me under Center. You just never know and Karma can be a royal Bish.
Tico,spot on brother. Whatever Alex qualities are as a pro from my view he conducts himself as a gentleman and in a professional manner in public. Trashing a fellow player in the media unwarrantedly shows a character devoid of discretion and maturity. Simply put the guy needs to go to “cool” school.
I guess this is where the wonderlic comes into play again, because White is acting like that score is also an indication of how old he is acting, 4.
NinerTico:
The fact is White is saying something that many other players think. The league is about players earning the respect of their peers. When he rips Smith it’s because Smith hasn’t earned anyone’s respect. I agree it’s unprofessional, but the bigger issue is that Smith hasn’t done anything in six seasons to EARN anyones respect. In the NFL if people don’t want to give you respect you go out there and take it from them. If you can’t take it from them you should do something else.
“The fact is White is saying something that many other players think.”
I’d LOVE to know where you’re sources are to verify this ‘fact’. White clearly showed his ignorance when he stated, “2 coaches have been fired for tht mans performance.” I’m actually a bit shocked that an NFL player could be so dense as to not see that those two coaches were fired because they were simply bad head coaches. I’m also shocked that an NFL player wouldn’t realize that Alex really has never been ‘coached’ on the NFL level. The fact that an NFL player, on offense, wouldn’t see how poorly Alex has been handled by two staffs is beyond me.
This is a guy who saw a young QB come into the league. He watched as the team surrounded him with talent (including a LT that same draft). He watched the coaches coach his QB up and install a system that fit what he was good at and comfortable with. With all of that… how is he so obtuse that he doesn’t see how much of a role that has played in Ryan’s success?
Oh… that’s right. He scored a 4 on the Wonderlic that shows he’s barely able to breathe on his own…
Never received NFL level coaching? C’mon. Maybe, White being a Pro Bowl receiver-has seen enough of Smith to formulate the opinion that he is not a NFL level QB? Matt Ryan brought the Falcons back from the ashes after the Mike Vick fiasco with a team that was not considered very talented. He had Michael Turner, who is similar to Gore at best. They won in a better division and he cemented himself as one of the best young QB’s in the process. He has a defensive minded head coach but that hasn’t stopped him from being productive. Ryan has been coached up as an NFL QB, but he didn’t need to learn how to be a NFL QB. You defend Smith without acknowledging any of his shortcomings as a QB or being objective about the situation.
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“You are not giving Jed York enough credit if you think Alex Smith will be back with the team next season.” -Eric Davis, CSNBA
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“As for the San Francisco 49ers I don’t see a bright future the way things are going now. I know the players on the roster are merely OK. Young quarterback Alex Smith is overrated and is not the next great 49ers QB.” -Jerry Rice
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“At the end of the day, I’m sure he’s good enough,” Casserly said. “I’m not sure the arm strength is good enough to make the throws you need to make. The consistency I don’t think is good enough. There’s something missing there. Ultimately, I don’t think he’s the answer for the 49ers or any team in the National Football League.”
-Charly Casserly, longtime NFL G.M.
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“I thought he was way over-drafted and way overrated,” Razzano said. “I don’t think I’ve been proven wrong. The guy hasn’t done it, and he’ll get another opportunity. He’s getting a little better with the touchdown throws to Vernon Davis. But, boy, the guy I saw at Utah, I was shocked people had him rated that high. I think he’s exactly what I thought he’d be — maybe a little worse,” Razzano said. “I thought he’d be a decent backup. But I watch him now, he just doesn’t have the winning mentality. But he’s a good kid and a smart kid and he probably looks good in practice. He misses simple 7-yard outs. He’s just not accurate and he doesn’t have the moxie.”
-Dave Razzano, former NFL scout
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“Mike Johnson did his thing. He did what he was supposed to do. He got everybody the ball. Only thing is, Mike Johnson can’t THROW the ball. He can just call plays.” -Michael Crabtree
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Former Ravens coach Brian Billick then was asked to assess the team. Billick said of the eight teams that made changes at head coach, the 49ers might be the most talented. He attributed their lack of success last year to break downs at QUARTERBACK.
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They won due to a strong running game and defense. He was clearly better than Alex was his first season, but he had a MUCH better team around him. No rookie QB was going to take that ’05 Niner team to the playoffs… not many vets could have even accomplished that. That still doesn’t take away from the fact that the Falcons put Ryan in a position to succeed. My point had little to do with a comparison of those two QBs… I’ll take Ryan any day. The point was that Roddy White saw how a QB SHOULD be handled and should have known better than to trash a QB publicly who has been handled improperly at every point in his career.
I’m not debating whether he was right or not… he’s entitled to his opinion. I’m just saying that an NFL player (in particular) should recognize the value of good coaching and system, especially in the early stages of development. Again, point is… it was a stupid and classless move.
Shootme:
“They won due to a strong running game and defense.”
No they didn’t. Jackson had a good year, but he was the only weapon teams had to game plan for. The Rams had one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL, yet Bradford passed for over 3500 yards with 18 touchdowns at a 60% clip-as a rookie. Bradford attempted almost twice as many passes as Alex did last season and outperformed him in every category. He had better stats as a rookie than Alex has ever had in six seasons. Alex had Gore, Davis, Crabtree, Walker, and Morgan. Bradford had Jackson and Amendola (who nobody had heard of before last season). To say Bradford had a MUCH better team as a rookie is absolutely false. To say Bradford is a MUCH better QB is absolutely true. It was obvious watching him play last season.
I was talking about the Falcons (Ryan’s rookie year), not the Rams. The rams didn’t win much…
Hoferfan67,When you been in the league 6 years and the only thing your good for are excuses.. Your a bust! No other team would keep that clown for 6 years of losing,period!
And yet the Steelers kept Bradshaw nearly that long before he Started winning consistently. Guy ended up with 4 Rings on his fist and in the HoF. There is something to be said about a change of philosophies at the Head Coaching position. Nolan and Sing were cut from the same ideological cloth. You fail.
Paul, what you are missing is that you can’t start a 20 year old QB without a solid plan and program. MN never was a HC and had no clue how to handle QB’s let alone a rookie QB that was 20 years old. MN was very good with defenses but he was not a offensive genius.
Even when Siefert assumed the HC role from Walsh he had been under the Walsh system and program. He was with Walsh 10 years so he knew how to handle QB’s and stay out of the way of the offense and coaches that handled the offense.
Too easy to blame AS for the ownership hiring bad coaches, starting a rookie too soon, not having a program or system in place for ensuring QB success, and not having continuity on the offensive side of the ball.
JH has mentioned that AS can be turned around. JH speaks his mind and is a straight shooter – he wouldn’t say that AS has skills unless he truly believes it. If AS is successful with a JH system and program will your forget the past??
You Alex haters love to bring up the “excuses.” It’s funny because by not looking at the rest of the team you give them ALL a pass. And then somehow facts are also excuses – which is fairly delusional but whatever.
By the way: Six years? Steve Young. As I mentioned above it also took Brodie many years to come in to his own as well. You want to pile on the QB, fine, but you’re missing a much, much bigger picture.
They did go back to V.D. again except teams were ready for it in 2010. They dared Smith to beat them with other options and he couldn’t-even though he had gone through a second offseason with the same OC, etc.
Roddy white statistically has been the most productive wr in the nfl for the last 3 yrs. Alex smith, granted had poor coaching and he has a lack of the “it” factor…combine the two and u get a bust.
The lack of the “it” factor didn’t stop him from connecting with Vernon Davis for 10 TDs’ the year before last did it? Now if only our Receivers would catch the damn ball(where is Keyshawn when you need him) maybe whoever is Starting under Center will have more success. I don’t have the numbers on hand but if the Receiver catch HALF of the drops that hit them or were “catchable” the season would have been MUCH different and you whiny fans wouldn’t be talkin out the side of your necks about Alex Smith.
I swear, the people that are talking the most trash are the people that claimed they were behind Smith all the way right up until this last season. You guys would complain if the Hangman pulled out a new rope when you went up to the gallows. Give it a freakin rest already. We know you guys get paid Millions to bring QBs’ along and you know that the It factor is the best tool in a QBs’ arsenal. In case you don’t get that smell it’s 50% irony and 50% sarcasm. Smells good don’t it.
It is so easy to use the QB as the scapegoat. If AS ran more to extend plays, MS would have taken him out of the game or read him the riot act. If AS starts going rogue QB the OC and MS take him out of the game. The QB has to follow the game plan and philosophy of the HC. He can’t do whatever he wants or he will be sitting, cut, or traded. AS is a good soldier in that he followed whatever his QB coach, OC and HC asked him to do.
Do the successful QB’s in the league follow their HC’s and OC’s or do they do it *all* alone?? Success is a team effort and the best offenses attack a defense and not play it safe. JH will follow the Walsh style of attacking and keeping the defense off balance. Any QB JH uses to run his offense will be miles ahead of the offense the last two HC’s used. If JH decides AS is his guy and AS comes back, he will be more successful.
Hofer you always talk about Alex not running the ball because he wasn’t allowed to. Until you have some evidence of that quit throwing that out there as fact. I feel just as strongly that Alex did not run because he lacked the guts and the instinct to step up in the pocket and “go”. He always bailed out to the right and either took the sack or threw it away. The result you cannot argue. What he was supposedly “told” to do is just an assumption.
Bay, we’ve discussed this…in a press conference MS was asked why AS doesn’t run more since he is productive when he takes off once in a while…MS response was that is why we have FG – to run the ball.
So what do you think MS thinks about AS running!!?
Empirical Evidence that Alex Smith was not allowed to mess with the game plan:
’09 the team went to Sing and asked his permission to address Jimmy Raye and ask for a better system that FIT their talents. Sing relents and SpreadCoast is born. Alex Smith and Vernon Davis hook up for 10 TDs’ Alex has his first 300 yard game and the Offense scores in multiples through the air. Something that hadn’t happened regularly in quite a few years.
’10 The personnel doesn’t dramatically change on Offense and yet the 9ers revert to the yawnsville approach. Instead of going back to what worked the year before the 9ers keep going back to Bell Cow, stack the box with Rookie Linemen Starting and basically stacking the box against themselves by CONTINUALLY calling Draws up the Middle. Frank is Successful, the passing Offense is not because the Defenders don’t vacate the Box except in instances for Raye/Johnson calling the occasional Spread formation or when Smith has NO OTHER choice but to do as he sees fit due to the plays getting mic’ed to him late. 12 seconds is the cutoff point on the Play Clock. When has anyone seen hand signals used since the WCO was removed back in ’04?
Has Sing ever struck anybody as being afraid to send the hook in on a guy when they don’t do as they’re told? What gives anyone pause that he would hesitate if Smith decided to run the SpreadCoast on his own? Yeah I don’t believe that for a second either.
Sing was the man calling the shots, I doubt that Raye could forget THAT quickly, Alzheimer’s or no, the success this team had from the year before. It’s too bad that Ginn was our number 3 Receiver and that Hill was cut. Sullivan cost many Receivers the opportunity to play and show what they’re capable of. Not that that matters much when your Caveman Head Coach decides to throw his Offense under the Bus. “You mean what was I thinking on 3rd and 1 in the 4th quarter when I chose to Punt?, I haven’t had time to look at Film. Ask me that tomorrow after I’ve had time to process the film”. Excuse me Coach Sing but weren’t you the man in charge on the Sidelines?!!!
As bad as Nolan was he at least could give you the answer on the spot even if it was a stupid reason. Sing “had to go to film to remind himself why he did what he did” . Anyone that knows me knows I said it wasn’t a good move to make Sing the Head Coach because he had the EXACT same Offensive philosophy. That’s what killed the Coaches with this team. Not the QB. The inability to change and adjust during games and during the season is what did them in, not Alex Smith. When did you EVER see the 9ers make game time adjustments countering what the Opposing team made DURING the game? The only time I ever saw an adjustment was when the Team would come back out of the Tunnel to start the 2nd Half. Sadly the Opposing teams ALSO make adjustments when they go in for the Half.
But yup that’s all Alex. Even when Alex isn’t on the field it’s Alex. Even when the man is on the IR, it’s Alex. Damned Ignorant Harbaugh anyway. What’s he thinking by extending an olive branch to Alex Smith. That coach killer is going to cost us yet another season. Oy.
Good points!
What I saw was a 49ers team that, in many games, would get ahead and then do NOTHING to adjust once the other teams figured out what they were doing.
The only adjustments I saw were when they got behind and decided it was desperation time and went to the spread. That almost worked against the Eagles but not quite.
Coaching, play calling, clock management, banged up O-line with two Rooks, receivers (besides Davis) not catching the catchable balls or running suspect routes, and some of Smith’s own mistakes. That’s what it’s all about. You clean up the whole thing, you’re going to have some success. Business as usual? Nope.
The lack of the “it” factor didn’t stop him from connecting with Vernon Davis for 10 TD’s the year before last did it?
———————————————————————-
No, but it did prevent the team from a winning record and a playoff appearance for the fifth time in his five seasons.
Damn that Nate Clements for not having the “It” factor.
A Smith I so want you to come back and show your football lineage. You have football running through your veins. I have read your pedigree and believe in you. Please give SF one more shot. Here is to the armadillos!
Please Alex go far away! We don’t want you or your brand of losing.. Also please take your fans with you,thanks!
Alex bashers never ever talk about the 6 different coordinators, two incompetent head coaches, and play calling of games that every single one of you said to yourself about 50 times a game ” why would you run that play”, or “I totally knew that play was coming”.
Someone above made a great point about Shaun Hill. When Stafford got hurt in Detroit and Hill took over, Hill had Scott Linehan calling the plays who’s a coordinator coaching real pro-style offense. Meanwhile back at Santa Clara, Coach Singletary and the master tactician and ultimate chess match coordinator, James Arthur Raye jr. were constructing weekly game plans that centered around run left, run right, 3rd and 11, bring the house, down goes Alex for5 about 20 games with no variation from week to week.
In two years Raye and Singletary made our offensive line look small, our widerecievers slow, our QB’s dumbfounded, and Frank Gore great. Can some of you hater please standup and recognize this insted of putting it all on one guy. The coaches and systems Smith played in are not excuses as to why he has not succeeded, its the absolute reality of it.
Thank you i’ve been saying the same thing for a looong time now, the bashing fans always say how much of a bust AS is or how JH can only make AS decent at best (TIM,Bay). But honestly who are we to say how good he can make a player? We are fans and your either with it or not, that’s it. I’m all for AS turning his career around, that’s one more pick to use on other positions of need if we can sort that position out. He made Josh Johnson into a respectable player, and i think he can do wayy more with Alex.
P.S. i would still want Andrew Luck no matter what though, i just think being reunited with Harbaugh would make a great story on how they won multiple super bowls together in the future haha imho
THANK YOU!
Question for the Smith Haters…
So Alex Smith sucked right? His W/L record proves it right? So I take it that means you were HAPPY with Nolan and Sing’s stumblebum approach to the Offense?
Just go away until you learn something about Football. If you have to apply to be the team tackling dummy maybe getting smacked around by the Defense will inspire some lucid thought about what Football is about and why we failed epically over the last 7 years. I doubt it but I’ll continue to hope that it will finally click for you. Anything is possible.
So is Alex good or not?
Alice Smith is a coach and offensive coordinator killer.
For all Niner fans who loves and believes in him, I commend you on your faith and hope. However, he had six seasons to prove something, and he failed miserably on every single one. You may if you wish continue to have faith and have hope in him. That is your right and perogative.
I, for one, will watch with realistic expectations that 2011 will be a sub-par 500 season if Alice is under center. I hope Harbaugh can make something of Alice. But I am honestly and realistically doubtful.
Go Niners…
You guys that resort to the name calling (because you can’t back anything up) always crack me up.
You resort to that because you’ve got nothing.
Coach and OC killer? For real? Wow.
But you’re good for a laugh.
Come on…did you ever play pro ball? He was good enough to go to college and NFL playing at a high level and you are resorting to calling him a female name?!! Not sure if it is relevant especially since he plays at the NFL level. Class act…not!
Alice, huh? Good one! hee heeeeeee
Well said, NinerFaithful. You are right on! Whatever happens in 2011, with Alex under center, I will just watch, expectingly. Can’t believe people here still have hope on Alex Smith. He has not done anything for six years, and people are hoping that Harbaugh can make something from nothing. Oh yeah, that’s what Nolan and Singletary said and hoped too. And where are they today? LOL…
lol… Alex sucks….! Past performance IS A GUARANTEE of future failures.
ALEX SUCKS!
ALEX SUCKS!
ALEX SUCKS!
ALEX SUCKS!
ALEX SUCKS!
Oh goodie, another adult.
I agree with Hoferfan67, no need for name calling. I think it’s time to move on from the A.S. project but I genuinely like the guy and have always wished him the best. I will continue to wish him the best in the future.
Arguing with all the Alex haters is like arguing with a bunch of mentally challenged people…don’t make no sense.
Funny. I was thinking the same about Alex supporters, lol!
Chester:
Since you are a Alex fan after six seasons of losing football and arguing with “mentally challenged” people I thought this would be fitting for you.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Right BigP. Change the system and maybe we don’t run up the gut the first two plays of each offensive series. You’re absolutely right.
Or just keep the same QB and expect him to “take the next step” like we have been doing for the last six years. Better yet, don’t surround him with competition so that when things inevitably go bad there isn’t a viable option to turn to! It’s a sad day when you trade Shaun Hill because your worried about your starting QB feeling threatened by his backups presence.
“Or just keep the same QB and expect him to “take the next step” like we have been doing for the last six years.”
Many of us only believe he can ‘take the next step’ because a coach with a history of developing QBs sees enough in him to offer him a $10million contract. If not for the Harbaugh angle, only the Alex fan boys would still accept him back. The biggest legit knock on Alex is his accuracy. This always makes me think back to one of the announcers talking about how his passes sail often because he tends to lock his front leg. If mechanics can turn him into a top-10 QB, that would be great. You can win a SB with a top-10 QB (hell, you can win one with a mediocre QB, as we’ve seen).
I said LEGIT knock because all of the other things – the ‘it’ factor, leadership, competitiveness, etc – are things that nobody watching from the outside can actually know. You don’t have to be ‘fiery’ to be a good leader. Was Joe [Cool]? Is Brady (he was this past season, but that seemed to be a result of the media saying he wasn’t)? You’d have to be in the locker room to know any of that for sure.
Thus, if he comes back and Harbaugh helps him ‘take that next step’, great. The team would finally get a return on that high draft pick. If he doesn’t? Fine, he’ll be gone, it’ll be clear that not even good coaching can help him, and a young QB can be developed in the mean time. If the team finds a better option via FA or trade? Great. Perhaps the team can even win a playoff game or two. Whatever the BEST solution is at QB for this season… I’m all for it.
“It’s a sad day when you trade Shaun Hill because your worried about your starting QB feeling threatened by his backups presence.”
Seriously?? Where’d that come from??
C’mon man.
Shootme:
I’m not going to sit here and make excuses for Alex or pretend like I feel Harbaugh can make him great. I have watched Smith for years now, he is just not that good. It’s nothing personal. He has been in the league for SIX years now. SIX. He has been good at times at his best and downright horrible at his worst. Joe Montana and Tom Brady are fiery leaders, don’t know where you got that from. It sounds like your comfortable with a average QB, I’m not and the majority of 49er fans aren’t either.
Adam:
Shaun Hill was traded to Detroit because Dingleberry didn’t want Smith to be looking over his shoulder if he a hit rough spot during the season. Hill was extremely popular with teammates and won games, as his 10-6 record points out. He felt Smith would be better off without the pressure, that he would play better if the 49ers were “all in” with him. So he signed David Carr, which was supposed to be an upgrade at the backup position. That was proved false after his first pass, actually even before that by none other than Patrick Willis himself.
“We have three quarterbacks that are better than [Carr],” Willis says. “That’s a waste of time.”
He also says that, if the team is going to get another quarterback, it should “spend money on a difference maker,” and Willis specifically points out Mike Vick.
Though Willis has since posted an apology and vowed to “embrace” Carr, his point has been made. And since Willis rarely complains about anything, his point should resonate with 49ers fans.
Funny how Willis basically acknowledged that Smith wasn’t a difference maker. Funny how he is rumored to be working out with Roddy White also.
“It sounds like your comfortable with a average QB, I’m not and the majority of 49er fans aren’t either.”
Not at all. But it all goes back to one thing… what are the better options available? If there were a quality QB available in FA, I’d be ecstatic. Unfortunately, Smith may be the best option and if Harbaugh thinks he can turn him into a quality starter… what’s the downside?
This isn’t because I particularly like Smith… I’ve said it numerous times before, I HATED the pick in ’05 and was hoping they’d spend it on damn near any other position because the top QBs were nothing special. I do not, for one second, believe that Rodgers would have had much more (if any more) success than Smith just because of the situation. I am, however, a realist and I see that there just isn’t much available, either in FA or the draft. The draft has a LOT of great athletes who might become great QBs, but nobody who could step in and start right away… particularly if there’s little to no camp.
The only reason I have to be at ALL optimistic about Smith being able to get better is because I’ve seen him look quite good when running the hurry up and variations of the spread. If those are his strengths, play them up. In the right system and if some work on mechanics can sure some of his accuracy woes (particularly the high throws), I see no reason why he couldn’t be a top 12-ish quarterback. It’s a lot of ifs… but there’s nothing else available that I couldn’t even give that to.
“Shaun Hill was traded to Detroit because Dingleberry didn’t want Smith to be looking over his shoulder if he a hit rough spot during the season.”
I don’t recall every hearing that exactly. I’m sure some speculated that was the reason he was let go. He probably had a year left on his contract and they do what they always do, trade for draft or another player.
Doesn’t matter either way.
He was very popular with teammates. He was known as a winner. The perception is that Alex was handed the job and that irritated some of the veterans because they felt Shaun (although limited athletically) was a better football player. He was 10-6 during the games he started. The team was 3-1 before Sing yanked him for Alex. Carr was brought in to be a backup that wouldn’t/couldn’t challenge/threaten Smith. It was painfully obvious just how terrible Carr was when he threw his first pass against (I believe) Carolina.
yu guyz donts nose nuthin boud nuthin aneewayz so sha rap alls of yuz cuz ya’lll don’ts now nuthin nd i speeka lenghlish good and i haeet comas adywya i donte eevn know was dey do anyeways so sha rap alls of yuz i likkey cookeez
Two things for sure:
AS is an enigma.
Don’t twitter without thinking.
Wasn’t there a point in time in the season that we had the other team calling out our plays?Would be hard for you to do your job if you didn’t have the right tools. ie…..head coach. Then the last game of the season. Although Alex didn’t look exactly like all you haters want him to look. Wiped the field when the OC didn’t have an idiot looking over his shoulder.
Yeah they were calling the run plays because Iupati was leading Frank. Also when we ran the no huddle which we ran really efficiently AS was making the play calls, so maybe that was also an indicator of the system. Also when i remember one of the last games when he started calling audibles and making the defense react to him he was doing pretty good.
First I hate when people say “real 49er fans know that Alex Smith is a bust”
You dont know me and u don’t know how long I’ve been a fan, or any other person on this blog!
As for *ayfanatic; ur punkass said Troy Smith was the future for the 9ers, shows what u know about QB play, not even JH has anything to say about him, ask him about Alex and he’ll tell you, and Troy will never be a starting QB in the NFL.
I will say I do feel frustrated with Alex’s play but just think of how many times they ran the ball up the middle.
I think a Carolina player said “all we have to do is go where Iupati is going and that’s where their going to run the ball” How can any QB succeed with that type of offense!
By the way *ayfanatic, I only use that as my username, I have never brought up the other teams!!
U only talked about the dodgers cause the giants won the WS, talk about the Lakers, oh u can’t their 2 time defending champions, u don’t know s**t!! Shut ur mouth, before u get bitch slapped!
Bay for your safety, don’t be the next Giant fan to get attacked, it can get ugly.
Still my regards go to Bryan Stow’s family with best wishes, he didn’t deserve what happened..
9er you are Ghetto. I’ll leave it at that.
Such banter shows no class. However, it’s no secret around the league when a number one draft pick doesn’t live up to his billing he is going to get hammered .
Hammered by a WR who probably knows nothing in life except how to spend his millions and the plays he runs in his playbook. Who is Roddy White and who cares what he has to say. The fact is JH and the Niners believe in AS, otherwise why would an offer be on the table?
ask roddy to play big pocket takes small pocket and lets see who wins!! We all know AS has way more money than roddy roddy piper.
White should have done this before the Atlanta game last season and would help fire up Alex Smith. For some reasons, Smith needs something like this to get him going… Come on, give him more $%^& White…
It’s pretty difficult to play beyond a Dog of an Offensive philosophy.
The dog part was this incessant need to stack the box against weak Offensive Lines. The Great Dane of it was doing so when you know that spreading out the formation allows you to open things up for the Running Back and you STILL call IFormation plays to bring them right back in. I don’t get paid to install Formations etc, and even I see the folly in this style of Offense. You want to take as much pressure off the Line as you can. Run plays do that to an extent but then what happens when you’re 3rd and Long because you stick to an unwavering script and the Opposing Defenses keep you from getting chunks of yardage? Oh wait we gotta throw a Bubble Screen now huh?
I think part of Smith’s problem, yes he did have problems, was that he didn’t believe in the game plan any more than the Opposing teams did. That will affect the throws of the QB. It’s like telling a Salesman they have to sell a dead wreck and it’s sitting next to a solidly performing vehicle. And that he has to sell it for the same amount. You think that vehicle is going to be sold with as much determination as the vehicle next to it? Yeah, I don’t think so either. They’ll go out there cause they gotta put food on the table but don’t expect much.
Those who deplore R White’s lack of professionalism hit the nail on the head. He is yet another example of WR gone stupid, thinking about himself before thinking of the game. Seems to be an epidemic these days.
It would be great for Harbaugh to coach Smith and several other QBs with a chance to be good. Those who hate Smith evidently do not honor hard work, professional committment to a team, and toughness; all these were exhibited by Smith and I certainly don’t appreciate posts using derogatory terms rather than facts or logic. You can want a player gone without calling him names.
Well done Eric. All you have to do is bring up Alex to satisfy the 49er fanatics for probably the whole weekend. I assume everyone remembers the glowing reports from just about everyone about how great Alex was looking last pre-season. Then he got in the game and lost the first five. Will anyone explain the absolute horrendous decisions the man made in that first game against Seattle? Alex is damage goods for all the reasons state repeatedly on this blog for what seems like years. Can he be fixed? Maybe, but it is a risk for both coach, Alex, and the Niners. I don’t think it is worth it.
It’s no risk is JH/TB sign AS and he agrees to terms. No different than the risk of signing Bulger, Hasselbeck, or any other FA. The main risk to the fans that blame AS for every loss the last six years is that JH just may turn his career around…armadillo skin – classic JH!
The 9ers will draft at least one QB and possibly two. Let them compete and we’ll see how this plays out.
Actually,
It was Frank Gore and Patric Willis who lost the first five games. I’m sure they played in those games. If Gore would have run for more yards and scored more TDs and if Willis would have made more tackles and had more Ints., the niners would have one. It has to be their fault.
I get the feeling there are a LOT of fans who don’t actually watch the games. Blows my mind.
I get that feeling too, Adam.
I DON’T watch the games. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch a few games a year, but I don’t have DirectTV and live in CO. I listen to the radio broadcasts and often follow the play by play on CBS Sports (seriously). It amazes me that I can gather more information from those few mediums than fans who ATTEND the games seem to be able to. It’s as if they view the QB in a bubble and nothing around him affects his play / stats.
Putting this out there:
I may be wrong but I recall this past season being ahead in the fourth quarter only to see our defense give up leads in many games. Maybe our D should be a higher priority.
Just a thought …
I wonder if you divided Alex Smith’s IQ by Roddy White’s IQ … would the answer be a number greater than two??? It appears to me that that might very well be the case!
One thing being overlooked in all this is that White could possibly be speaking on other players behalf. After all its no secret that Takeo Spikes and Patrick Willis have been working out in the Atlanta area………
You actually think that Takeo Spikes and Patrick Willis are not adult enough to behave like grown men? You are pathetic!
Actually that is a theory being floated. Barrows brought that up, I believe.
Do you remember how Pro-Troy Takeo was last season? He didn’t hide his preference for Troy after his hot start. I would think it would embolden White to make such a statement if he heard something similar from a reputable teammate or ex teammate.
Shouldn’t Roddy White be focusing on the Falcons and why they choked in the playoffs?
The lockout is gonna be bad news for players like this. You know what they say about idle hands.
Rowdy Roddy White’ comments may have been out of line, but he was not far from the truth. I will not go as far as saying A.Smith has been a bust, but he has been a major disappointment. We all know of Alex’ snakebit career and we all have given a him a measure grace for that, but Alex has failed to establish himself as a true starter when given the opportunity and that does not bode well for his future. Alex has become the most scrutinized player on the team and after six seasons he deserves the freedom to find a chance to succeed elsewhere. I think we make a move for drafting C.Ponder (although past injuries are a red flag), and as an insurance pick, I would take R.Mallet in the second and let them battle during TC for who becomes eventual starter in 2012. As for this season; maybe M.Bulger to bridge the gap to next year.
Roddy White is a pro bowl receiver who is a baller, Alice Smith is a proven loser that hasn’t beaten one winning team outside the division in 6 years, he is a pathetic inaccurate scrub…. If the niners sign a qb that has gotten two coaches fired Harbaugh will and deserves to be the next one fired. Look at history the kid sucks…. You don’t get this many chances in any industry. Alice Smith is a loser, he is a cancer, please remove him so we can win, you are ruining the careers of 51 other players for one pathetic bum.
You are just plain rude. You don’t have the ability to disagree without becoming a rude-boring person.
Don’t worry about it. These guys that resort to name calling have nothing and just make themselves look small. Totally irrelevant.
RealNinerFan:
Your out of line dude. Grow up. To label someone a loser and a cancer is ridiculous. He may not be a good NFL QB but to use those terms is reflective of your character-or lack thereof.
If alice smith isn’t a bust there is no such thing as a bust…. You can argue he is the worst bust in nfl history because he has gotten more chances than the others mentioned and failed with a team full of talent in the worst division… If he played in any other division they would win 1 game a year due to alice “deer in headlights” Smith…. Pull the plug on this loser this is lunacy.
Ryan Leaf and JaMarcuss Russell are bigger busts. Smith at least shows flashes where those 2 did absolutely nothing.
you are the lunatic.
they offered that bust 10M over one year??????? WOW he is the king of eating 49ers dollars. lets please get ride of him for both sides better to move on Harbaugh is stubbom Just like Mike Singletary with this AS BS. go away alex you are not wanted anymore.
also if he does return sorry 49ers and Harbaugh is no smarter than Singleberry and Nolan. Wait……. if Norv Turner couldn’t develop him What makes you think JH can?????? BOOOOOO ALICE YOU BUST.
Roddy White scored a 4. Yes, a FOUR on the wonderlic. If you wouldn’t take advice from somebody who is mentally retarded on how to manage your franchise… You probably shouldn’t take it from White. A score of 10 on the wonderlic correlates to around an 80 IQ which is softly retarded. A four puts him somewhere around a 65. He literally qualifies as a waterhead.
Peyton Manning’s father Archie played for arguably the worst franchise (Saints) and despite the lack of coaching and surrounding players, he is well remembered by his peers as one of the best that played in that era. That was words from his peers, not me. While his teams failed and lost consistantly, his skills and talent was NOTICIBLE.
Yeah, I remember the Aints. Remember the guys with the paper bags over their heads? I always felt sorry for Archie. Bad time for that organization. Good for the Niners though! Back when the Saints were in the west.
Thanks to HoferFan67, Ceadderman & FDM…….your comments relative to the 49er’s and their problems speak volumes about your knowledge of the game, and not the tunnel vision most of the others have. I’ve said this before and I’m saying it again, Alex is only one of the problems…not the total sum of them. BTW, alexalexgoaway, Turner was the OC here for one season….hardly enough time to fully develop a QB…..Flip3, two coaches weren’t fired due to the performance of Alex Smith…… they were fired because they were the terrible head coaches, and had bad judgement in hiring offensive assistants (excluding McCarthy and Turner) and running a professional football team. And if Alex is a head coach and coordinator killer, as posted by Niner Faithful, hindsight shows that he was in a target rich environment (excluding McCarthy and Turner). And Chester, you are absolutely right with your point………I can’t remember when any of the Alex Haters posted comments relating to how poorly any of the the other Niners played, or the lousy decisions made by the coaching staff, that had no bearing on any of the losses in their minds.
I was reading an article about Mark Cuban, the owner of the Mavericks. He had an interesting comment, he said,” I’ve learned that players make the worst GMs”.
So, read this article with a grain of salt
Yes Alex was definately not the only problem with the 49ers, but a change has to be made. Two years in a row a forty niner defender has intercepted the ball and subsequently had it knocked out by our friend Roddy White. The one that happened 2 yrs ago via bonehead Dre Bly was ridiculous when a guy showboats like Neon Dion 70 yards away from paydirt. The one last year that happened to Nate Clements (10yrs pro) showed the problems with the whole team not aware of game situations. On other teams, you would have seen several players asking him to get down and secure the ball even if nate forgot to, but our guys made a wall instead. If nate only broke to the right he would have scored instead following the wall and allowing white to strip from behind. The previous year we would have won a game I attended in the Snow in Philly where our 2nd tight end Delaney Walker failed to secure a pass he caught inside the 5 yrd line and had it stripped. Other teams like the rams of the past had their receivers simply fall down and not take the hits or lose posession. This is just one of many angles where our coaching staff has not made any adjustments (ie TEACH) these guys how to win although you expect a 10 yr vet to understand by now these important in game nuances by now.
Wrong route running (as argued by Billick and others in the booth) isn’t a nuance. It’s a disaster. Poor clock management isn’t a nuance either. Statistically proven poor O-line pass protection is also not a nuance.
I’m not sure what you expect him to do. when he does the smart thing and grounds the ball he’s practically skewered by the “real fans” and when he tries to force a pass on a route he’s not sure the guy is going to be where he’s supposed to be or that the DBs haven’t had this thing telegraphed from 2 miles away.
You tell me. He only has control over what he has control over. I don’t see anyone on here banging the drum that Anthony Davis was beat on the edge, not once… but consistently. Just an example and a slight exaggeration – most of that are paying attention are bringing this stuff up. To deaf ears mostly.
I think if you read what im talking about is that I agree that Alex Smith is not the only problem with the 49ers. The plain fact is that like in Montana’s case ( please dont take it the wrong way he is a legend and prob in my opinion the best to ever play the position ) he got most of the credit for the team winning , not harris barton, jessie supolu, dwaine board etc…, but these intricate pieces are paramount to any quarterbacks success. Yes anthony davis got beat often, chilo rachel had more than his share of breakdowns etc…but it is just BAU that quarterbacks get the blame when the team doesnt win and too much credit when the team wins.
What are under his control is the little dump off passes that consistantly end up out of Gores reach, the inside 10 yard passes that are always too high and are dangerous to his receivers and end up getting batted up in the air and almost always picked off by the opposing team. The play at the goal line that caused a delay of game because he kept waiting for the play to come instead of calling a play on his own befor the clock runs down and makes a 4th and 1 at the goal line a 4th and 6. Do you really think that Tom Brady or Peyton Manning would allow this to happen in a critical situation despite the OC lack of efficiency or a prob in the helmet.
I agree that Alex is not the only problem, but a significant problem that needs to be corrected. He has had pleanty of time to learn how to throw simple swing passes, manage the clock etc….As I stated before Archie Manning had bad coaching and lack of quality teamates, but had the respect of his peers despite the lack of support. Alot of changed need to be made, and Alex is one of them.
Did you seriously just blame smith for expecting the coaches to get the play in on time? A big difference between Peyton and Brady compared to Smith is that the former two are ALLOWED to change calls, make calls on their own, etc. Singletary was clearly one who got pissed when a player opted to improvise, so I can’t really blame Smith for not ‘going rogue’, particularly early in the season.
Didn’t the forty niners have that game win in Atlanta? Had it not been for Clements…
These whiny Alex Smith nut-huggers on here are hilarious… At least they have something going for them. Let me guess – these guys must be “haters” too, LOL..:
“At the end of the day, I’m not sure he’s good enough,” Charley Casserly said in regards to Alex Smith. “I’m not sure the arm strength is good enough to make the throws you need to make. The consistency I don’t think is good enough. There’s something missing there. Ultimately, I don’t think he’s the answer for the 49ers or any team in the National Football League.”
“Former Ravens coach Brian Billick then was asked to assess the team. Billick said of the eight teams that made changes at head coach, the 49ers might be the most talented. He attributed their lack of success last year to break downs at quarterback.”
Good riddance, Alex! Time for some legit QB play in SF…
And the answer at QB is…? What do you propose the Niners do? I’m assuming they jump up for a QB. That seems to be the consensus around the league in the last several days. OK, so you grab Gabbert, Locker, Ponder, Dalton or CK in the first round, then what? Throw him out there to start like Nolan did with Smith? That went well. Maybe the head coach can throw him under the bus and call him out in the media after a grade three shoulder separation too. Why not?
OK, let’s assume the CBA is on it’s way some time after June or July, then what? You ever look at the FA list? Guess who’s probably the best on the list? Smith.
You can hope the Bengals release Palmer, he stays healthy behind a line that continually ranks below 20 in the pass protection category AND that he looks better than he has in a while AND that Mike Brown actually lets him go (which he won’t on principle.)
Or… you could try to trade for Kolb with next year’s picks – which the league has apparently told the teams that without a labor agreement it’s “proceed at your own risk” which essentially means any deal could fall through.
Kyle Orton, according to Elway, is going nowhere.
Leaves maybe Hasselbeck and the old Rams QB (that hasn’t played in at least a year) off the FA list that might (emphasize might) be able to play for us. Maybe you can get McNabb to hobble out for a few games or screw Vince Young’s head back on straight.
I think I’ll go with Coach and Baalke on this one. 1 year deal on the table for Smith.
You got a better option, let’s hear it.
Many would make the claim that clements cost them that game, and that was a crucial play that contributed to the loss. I dont believe that in any game you can just use a single play and say that it was soley the reason for the loss. I would not blame Alex, nate , or anyone else exclusively for any loss. The defense could not get a stop or prevent a first down and 15 plays after that allowed a field goal to be made. Again Its not all alex’s fault on any of the losses, but when you look at his total body of work, it is clear that he has been a disappointment. The real excrutiating pain recently in the last two years is that the mistakes, miscues, mishaps, seem to come at the very worst possible time (red zone), which to me shows that they panic under pressure at inopportune times. Against the Raiders this year, I sat at the 50 yard line front row, and listened to a heckler in the 3rd row drop F bombs on alex and was ashamed that a niner fan would display that kind of behavior. I think that Alex has been a gentleman and professional in how he has conducted himself with the forty niners, but I dont feel that he is what we need to get over the hump. We may have wasted our 1 round pick on A. Davis and Rachel is another question mark. Clements is overpaid and cant cover the deep pass any more. Not sure about our young safety Mays we drafted last year either. We dont have a pass rush. His passer rating for 2010 was 82.1 and 22nd in the NFL His supporters would argue this is the fault of JR and MS, but the reality is it is a combination of all three and the other offensive players. His in-accuracy is really the issue as well as checking down too soon.
Im not an Alex basher but we nee to move on. The rookies and second yr players need more time before being considered busts
Yeah but you’re missing the point. Who are you going to bring in to replace him if he doesn’t take the one year deal? 2012 draft pick trades the league has warned against. The FA list? He’s the best on the list.
Bulger? McNabb? Maybe. Vince Young? doubtful. Palmer? Brown won’t let him go. Same with Orton, Elway is adamant. Hanie? One of the other backups?
The only other option is starting a rookie. We’ve done that experiment already. Not good.
I don’t understand how there are some fans who are excited about the Harbaugh hire yet already question his judgment. They laid out a contract for Smith. Two things here: one, Harbaugh believes Smith can win (and I’m assuming this is because he realizes the lack of talent and a REAL system was missing here) and two, they need him. The FA list is almost devoid of real talent.
Pretty simple. And again, I’ll go with Harbaugh and Baalke on this one. When you do the math, almost all the other options are not good ones. Either Smith succeeds or he doesn’t. Or you throw in the rookie. Probably a 50% chance Harbaugh can turn Smith around. And again, that’s if Crabs runs routes right, Delanie Walker can catch a ball and somebody steps up for the missing Jason Hill (sorely missed) and can actually stretch the field. That also assumes the O-line is out of the bottom quarter of the pass protection stats as well. Greater odds of a rookie dismal failure here as well – Ponder looks the closest to being ready to start – and that would be with a good team around him. And that’s a huge IF. Locker can probably run for touchdowns, if nothing else and who knows what Gabbert is actually capable of. If Mallet had two or three seconds in the pocket? Maybe. First time he gets hit… I dunno.
FA QB? Most have a lower QB rating than Smith. And trades may not happen at all.
It’s fine to say, “good bye Smith.” Not so easy to see beyond that. And don’t forget, Smith has moments where he’s brilliant. The trick is to wear him out with Walsh-style reps. Make him what you want him to be, or design to his strengths. Weed out the bad stuff like the Gore overthrows. I don’t mind a checkdown at all as long as there’s positive yardage. Wide receiver screens, for example, never work. Why we keep doing that blows my mind. But whatever – that’s a different gripe.
System. Scheme. Few new pieces here and there. Massive improvement in coaching. It’s all good. Better chance with Smith than 95% of the other options. The other 5% probably aren’t happening. We’ll see.
I think that one year contract is the best hope for 2011. And like I’ve said before, it took Steve Young six or seven years. He got lucky a guy named Bill Walsh saw something in him because the fans sure didn’t. Same with John Brodie. Miserable early years, but he finally came in to his own with a better team around him and was successful. Who knows what can happen.
I agree with your assessment, Adam, but I’d probably go a little further. You’re right; of all the free agents out there, Alex actually has the best stats, and for a lot of intangible reasons (physical and mental toughness, team player even in the worst conditions, etc) would clearly be the best option.
BUT, I’m so excited about Coach Harbaugh and what he brings to the party that I’d probably want Alex to stay, even if there were some statistically seemingly better choices. I’m dying to see what Alex can do with some decent coaching! IF he’s as good as I think he can be, I’ll predict that a lot of the people posting here these days will change their screen names…
Here’s the way I look at this, Rusty. Smith may succeed under Harbaugh or he may not – I give it pretty much even odds. The reason I favor it is that I see something there, don’t know what it is exactly, he is a competitor and has a college background of success for sure and has flashes of brilliance when the right plays are called. On the flip side, Bay and some others may be right that he lacks down field vision and that he may be too quick to checkdown and that he’s not assertive enough. I think there are some reasons for some of this having to do with his own mechanics, with the O-line and the receivers that makes a lot of this happen but I’ve been over that, stats bear it out in some cases, etc.
The other major problems are with the offense that was put in to place the last several years. Two up the gut and then a three step drop short route where receivers are either smothered or the O-line collapses right on top of him. Spread worked, and five-step drops worked with seam routes. 50 of the slants and little buttonhook routes to Crabtree worked but were predictable. Crabtree dropped five. Not a huge deal and Crabs improved from 2009 to 2010 – that’s the good news (he looks better in stats than I originally gave him credit for.) Overall though playcalling was predictable and way too conservative.
There’s a guy who runs a site called advancednflstats.com and I’ve been looking at his stuff along with some of Stats’ and Pro football’s reference’s stuff too. When I look at some of the numbers I see imbalance – what we all know was happening with the conservative play selection anyway but it’s backed up by the numbers. We all saw games where the other teams didn’t win, we beat ourselves. We saw games where we lead at the half and then don’t do a thing but try to preserve that win – and in being less aggressive, we lose.
So one big problem is already fixed – new regime, new playbook. I think Harbaugh can drill mechanics in to Smith and I think these other new position coaches will improve the rest of the team as well. This is all provided there’s actually any kind of camp at all. No off-season? All bets are off.
Those two things being fixed though – better coaching, better playbook – will solve 90% of the problems and will win games, in my opinion.
The other part about keeping Smith is purely a pragmatic approach. Nobody else really looks much better than Smith out there. I don’t have a problem if they want to bring Gradkowski or Bulger or whomever in to compete. Hell maybe Harbaugh takes an interest in David Carr too. I don’t know. The other scenarios, Palmer, McNabb, Kolb, etc., I don’t see happening but I could be wrong. I think Kolb is stuck. The CBA fouls him up. Starting a rookie? Bad idea. I like Dalton’s fiery competitiveness for example and he’s a proven winner, but I don’t see him starting. Same with CK and Locker. Gabbert is a mystery to me and I don’t know how he would respond. Newton might survive with is feet and Mallett would survive if receivers are open EVERY down. Ponder could probably do it in a pinch. I’m hesitant on Stanzi but maybe if it was run-heavy.
Dunno. It mostly seems practical to me to keep Smith. But… the added side benefit of that move is that maybe Harbaugh turns him (and everyone else) around. We’ll see. It’s a small window for Smith – one year. And we know that Harbaugh’s track record shows that it takes him a couple seasons to build a winner. Smith would have to move a lot faster than he’s ever been able to. Maybe he can do it or maybe he’s just a bridge to whoever is next.
Tough call but I think it’s the only call to make.
Mark Sanchez was 29th in 2010 and had an even lesser rating of 75.3. The reason most would take him over alex is because he is clutch in crutial situations. Can you ever remember alex driving us down the field for the go ahead score late in a game.
against Arizona in the season opener a couple of years ago hahaha when he brought all the way back that’s one!!! and he has a couple 4th quarter comebacks to tell you the truth
There were at least two games last season (NO and ATL) where Alex ‘drove us down the field for the go ahead score late in the game’ – with about a minute left to play… then the defense gave up the go ahead score. I’d say that Alex is probably BETTER in the clutch than he is at other times in the game. Proof? Look at how much better he seems to play when they get into the two minute drill. Part of it is that he is calling the plays, so the defense doesn’t know if they’re going to run or pass on a given down (novel concept, I know)… but he also just seems more composed. Myself and others kept griping last season that they didn’t run a hurry up more often. When your QB seems better in those situations… WHY THE HELL AREN’T YOU RUNNING THEM???
you’d think Mr. Clutch there in NY could do a little better with the leagues 4th best rushing attack and a top defense to get him the ball back. It also must have been nice as a rookie to have 3, I repeat 3 probowl lineman protecting him. Oh yeah, I forgot, those things don’t matter, just like hiring two offensively and I mean offensively clueless HCs like Nolan and Singletary. As far as Smith at the end of the game, how about the Saints game to tie it with a 2 pt conversion then to have your not so top rated D give up a drive for a winning Saints FG. Don’t let your hate cloud your vision of the big picture. Again, the old saying it’s hard to soar with the eagles when you’re surrounded by turkeys. There’s been a lot more eagles in Sanchez’s surroundings than Smith’s by a huge number.
Twice last year and twice the year before. ATL and NO last year, AZ and HOU the year before, but you have to be KIDDING ME, the DEFENSE and COACHING lost a game that AS put us into position to win! Who would’ve thought such a thing to be possible?
We had the talent the last 2 seasons to go the playoffs even with bad coaching and a average o-line but if you skillposition(QB) doesnt cope with the pressure,…
To Adam who thinks he knows better: McNabb and Hasselbeck would be much better than Smith cuz there intangibles and leadership is much better than Smith,same if we would trade for Palmer or Johnson.
And BTW if the lockout is lifted Palmer will be dealt you can be sure of this cuz the Bengals have enough holes to fill to just dont letting Palmer go withouth compensation.
Even starting some rookies who have experience in a pro style college offense(Ponder,Stanzi) would fare better than Smith.
If we want to get our beloved franchise back on the right track we should take the best and proven recipe and thats moving on with a new and unbiased QB.
Really? Even though both Hasselbeck and McNabb had statistically worse seasons while being in better systems, they’re somehow a better option than Smith?
It’s highly unlikely Palmer will be traded. Doesn’t sound like that’s Brown’s MO. Johnson? Maybe… since teams aren’t allowed to even talk about trades, nobody knows if it’s even a real possibility. Would he be a better option than Smith? Who knows… he looked HORRIBLE in his few starts in ’09.
Starting rookies is even a worse idea if there’s limited to no training camp. You want throw a guy out there that no only isn’t used to the speed and coverages of the NFL… but also doesn’t know the playbook? Can you say disaster?
Knows better than what? You don’t like the club putting the one year deal on the table? Talk to Harbaugh and Baalke. My point is: that was a smart move. Look at the free agent list and tell me what you see.
Like I said before, maybe McNabb or Hasselbeck have enough left in the tank. Maybe not. Who is left? Bulger? OK, maybe. Hey, maybe Brown reverses himself and Palmer walks – most of the experts say no. He can’t do it because it sets a bad precedent for everyone else that wants out of there. But sure, it could happen.
Harbaugh is talking to Smith, not directly, but through the media. Armadillo skin? Not worrying about the haters? Good moves. Harbaugh was in the league a long time, he knows how this works.
Starting a rookie? Probably a bad move and just about everyone knows it. Ponder is a big maybe and while I like Stanzi, it looks to me like he needs a little bit of time.
Roddy White’ wonderlic score is not on trial here. What has been on trial over the last 6 seasons is the obsession some of us have had with the pipe dream that A.Smith is somehow going to have a revelation and turn it around. My gut instinct tells me Alex is a great person who is liked and respected by his teammates. But it is also tells me that Alex needs to put the last six years behind him and find a fresh start eleswhere. Alex will be the TARGET for everything that can go wrong on the team if he stays, and that is not fair to him and the team. Here’s a hypothetical scenario; if Alex wins 3-4 games in a row and looks bad in the next game, he will be unmercifully booed because he has become an enigma for failure. Lets face it, the marraige between Alex and the fans has become sadly twisted and tenuous at best. If he somehow choses to stay lets give him our best support, but if he can find a better offer eleswhere (CBA notwithstanding), I for one wish him the best in his new endeavors.
Well said.
Roddy White’s Wonderlic score isn’t on trial, A, but it IS a big piece of evidence, when you’re wondering how much credibility to give someone trashing another player. I don’t know much about the guy, but I do know he wasn’t diligent or interested enough to learn how to speak and write the English language, in spite of a free-ride education through college. THAT may not seem significant to you, but it sure does to me…and that’s why I’m not at all interested in his dumbass opinion.
I respect your opinions, AES, but like some of the guys around the league are saying: If the boos and jeers were the determining factors in these things guys like Brodie and Young wouldn’t have lasted. Or how about Plunkett or Bradshaw?
Here’s the thing: Nobody knows. It’s all a crapshoot on this thing, just like the draft. Maybe Harbaugh gets through to this team as it stands (including Smith) and works some magic. Maybe he has to start over. I have no idea.
But Harbaugh is right, these guys have to have tough skins. Think how it was playing for the Saints back in the bad old days when they were booed for just taking the field. Yet they still did their jobs.
Is it better for Smith to move on? Maybe. I think he’d be foolish not to hear other offers. But then again, starting over with the Niners is the same thing as starting over somewhere else – new coach, new players coming in, etc. If the boos effect him then he can’t play anywhere. He’s going to have to be a Favre kind of guy and beat adversity. Figure out how to win like the other guys did who’ve been in this spot.
I agree 100%.
Like the saying goes, “it is what it is”. This season may be a bit of a wash based on the labor issue. Moreover, the 49ers best option may be Alex Smith at QB for this season. I certainly think the 9ers should draft a QB with their second pick…wherever that may be. Playing in the west coast offense may play to Alex Smith’s strengths…who knows?
It is truly unbelievable that the same people can sit here every single article, for years on end, and post the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. You think Alex Smith sucks, you think Alex Smith got a raw deal……..there have been 1 million articles on this, and 1 billion comments below the articles. Its all been said. We get it.
Thanks for the ALWAYS ADDED emphasis, Dan!
HoferFan67, Ceadderman, FDM, and Adam …
The world is NOT black and white. No one is saying that it’s been ALL Alex’s fault for the recent losing seasons. The point is that Alex has not lived up to what we expect from a first overall pick. You can claim crappy HC, OC, o-line, and lack of talent elswhere on the roster, but at some point the QB will/should show something, anything that’s expected from a 1st rounder. QBs like Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, A. Rodgers all have displayed flashes of brilliance in the NFL. 7+ years with Alex and we’ve yet to see anything that would suggest that he’s anything but a BUST.
Nickrow, you’ve posted some excellent comments here in the past but I respectfully disagree with you on this one…the folks you mention and I have *ALL* stated that AS could do better under JH’s mentoring but the 9ers still need to draft a QB or two. It is fine to disagree with us but you need to get the gist of our comments correct.
This team is not as loaded with talent as some believe. There are holes that need to be addressed and blaming only the QB is not correct or fair. Is it the HC’s, lack of system and program or only AS?
If AS can get an 82 QBR with an archaic system, what can he do with a hybrid WCO offense with a known offensive attacking HC that will keep the defense on their heels??!
JH will take a chance on AS so I’m all in!
Only 6 years and a year-and-half was injury.
I’m not going to argue the fact that he’s a below average quarterback on a bad team because… I would agree. But if everyone agrees Harbaugh is a QB guru then… hell, that’s exactly what Smith needs. IF (and it is a gamble) Smith succeeds under Harbaugh then we know concretely how terrible the system and coaching was for the past six years (and longer than that). If Smith can’t hack it? It’s a one year deal, he’s the best of the FA and all you guys want is a bridge QB anyway. What’s the problem?
But I disagree that he hasn’t shown some things. He has shown flashes of brilliance in some instances. That’s what is so frustrating about the whole thing. The circumstances are different with those other guys as well.
You’re both right in different ways, I think.
HoferFan67, I was talking with a buddy the other day and we were going through names of free agent QBs this year. The list is not impressive and settling for AS at this time might not be a bad thing. We’ll see what JH can do with AS given the challenges of possibly no OTAs, training camp, or pre-season.
But, it’s still hard for me believe – even though I want to – that AS can be a consistent, solid starting QB for the Niners.
A press democrat writer says it best. But with the pro alex 4 it will carry no weight….
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110416/SPORTS/110419551?p=2&tc=pg
Yeah sorry, Cohn’s snarky columns do nothing for me. He may be right (although, I’ll trust the experts) but I can’t stand to read him.
Bay, you would trust LC over JH? Who is the coach? LC knows that QB success is tied to a system, program and plan. The 9ers had little of each. MN couldn’t even replace a WCO OC with another one to keep the same system. MS wanted an OC that would run the offense based on his philosophy.
We don’t even know if the 9ers and AS will agree to terms. All of this banter is for not and yes I did get caught up in it. Regardless, I expect the 9ers to draft one and possibly two QB’s. Can’t wait until the draft – 10 days and counting.
The anticipation for this years draft is killing me. There have been years such as 05′ where I did not get excited because the top ten talent just wasn’t there. This year there is REAL value.
I know it does no good looking back but what were the Niners thinking not starting Nate Davis in the last game against the CARDS???????????
We would be sitting in the number 5 slot right now.
They couldn’t start Nate Davis because he was in the practice squad, and if i do recall correctly Bay you can’t bring up players from the PS after a certain amount of games. Although i forget what number that was.
You sure about that? I thought you could call up PS guys whenever you wanted.
There is a cut off date as to when you can no longer bring players up, i’ll put my honor on the line and if i’m wrong i won’t post anymore
*shrugs* I can’t find anything about WHEN they can be promoted. The only thing I can find is that the player has to be on the active roster for 3 weeks, or at least paid for three weeks if he’s cut. No mention of whether or not that promotion has to be made at least three weeks before the end of the season, but perhaps?
Two things, number one, Roddy White’ education or lack thereof really does not concern me whatsoever. Whether he took advantage of the educational ‘free-ride’ given him in college is between him and that college, it has no bearing on me or my future. The wonderlic proves one thing, you don’t get paid to be a genius off the field, you get paid to perform on the field, so enough said about that.
Number two; Adam, you know I have mad respect for you, heck, you helped me with the little tech gliche I was having a month ago. Your comment regarding the boos not stopping players like Brodie, Plunkett, and others has some merit. But lets take into consideration that the players mentioned were of the pre-Montana, and S.Young era. I think that we can all agree that the bar has been set high through these H.O.F. players. This of course is no fault of Alex, but it is a fact that can’t be denied. Another undeniable fact is the outrageous cost of game and season tickets in this era vs. yesteryears prices. We demand more for our hard earned money and if the product does not measure up to that demand, I believe the fan has every right to protest and question the product. Alex for whatever reason has (and I don’t like it) become the ‘face’ of the ‘poor product.’ That’s why I personally would like to see him get a fresh start eleswhere.
I agree, the bar here is set very high. Probably to the point where it’s unhealthy. But again, you have to remember Steve Young’s early days, right? Fans were NASTY to him. Had he taken all that to heart, the fumbling bumbling and the picks, etc., he’d have been finished that seventh season. But he didn’t, he plowed through it.
I totally agree on ticket prices too. I rarely go anymore because of it.
You know, your post makes me wonder again if we do indeed have unrealistic expectations. I mean the 80s and 90s, we were spoiled rotten, everyone I’m sure agrees with that. The Niners organization is responsible for straying from that, in my opinion. But still… maybe we have to come down out of the past. We had it too good for too long. Could be worse, we could be Lions fans :P
Shoot Me your response says enough for me LOL.
Its a typical response of someone who cant or wont see the weaknesses of Smith.
McNabb,Palmer and Hasselbeck at least showed some consistency and they havent really choked as hard as Alex did.
So yes they would be a upgrade.
And also i rather start a rookie with more intangibles and qualities than Smith cuz Smith will even get more problems with a limited camp and he still hasnt got mastered a playbook fully even after 6years in to the league./
I hear ya Adam. But as of now, A.Smith can’t be mentioned in the same breath as Steve Young. I saw S.Young play for the USFL and I can say that although he ran like a crazed man, he showed flashes of greatness. Even while at Tampa Bay, Steve showed flashes of greatness and thank God the incomparable B.Walsh was able to tap into it.
And speaking of Steve Young, I will never forget his comments regarding Alex after a national televised game when describing Alex’ play. S.Y. said, (paraphrased not verbatim) “even if your QB is young and plays for a poor team, you still want to see something good in his play that tells you there is hope for the future. I can’t say I have seen that yet in A.Smith’ play.” Alex’ mistakes have far outweighed the brief flashes to this point. Please know that I will give my support to Alex if he stays, but I will cringe everytime he runs out of the pocket to throw a pass, and at this point in his career he should be (and frankly, we as fans) beyond that.
I’ll probably cringe with you.
Still though, he’s either the best FA available or damned close. I just don’t see any other solution for 2011.
Plus… it’s only a year contract (if he takes it). He either responds positively or he’s that bridge QB while the rookies are groomed, right?
To me it’s a no-brainer. Not exactly a win-win but it’s not a loser either necessarily.
On Young, if you look at his numbers, he wasn’t great until his 7th season – many seasons where he came in and played, he wasn’t even “good.” He was roundly criticized and many believed him to be a permanent backup, a guy you wouldn’t want starting long-term. You’re absolutely right on Walsh. But who’s to say Harbaugh can’t do the same with Smith?
I have no idea, I’m not going to predict one way or the other – too many absolutists on this site look foolish enough as it is.
From a practical standpoint though – Smith doesn’t hurt us. Worst case scenario, we bomb the season and we have another round of high draft picks next year. Next year’s crop of QBs is supposed to be insanely good. Those who wanted the Smith experiment would be satisfied, the rookies would be trained up, and we’d be back up the board for the next draft, etc.
Sooner or later, now that we have a potentially great coaching staff, something is going to break in our favor. Not too worried about it.
Agree with Hofer and Bay. Bring on the draft!!! Can’t wait. :)
Agreed Adam, it took S.Young about seven years to become a star. But as I mentioned, you could see flashes of greatness interspersed with flashes of ‘boneheadiness.’ The absolutes that S.Y. had in the lean years that I have not seen in Alex’ game? I will start with ‘huddle leadership,’ Steve was not afraid to rip into teammates who were underachieving. ‘Courage,’ Steve would never shy away from the hit, and in fact seemed to thrive when he was hit or under pressure. ‘Will to win,’ Steve was willing to put the team (regardless of how good or bad) on his back and make every effort to win. I honestly don’t see these intangibles in Alex’ game, and frankly, I don’t think you can find these in a playbook.
I don’t want to argue too much on the Steve Young thing, mainly because I grew to respect him as a player and secondly because I only use that as an example of the time it took for him to arrive. I could easily use John Brodie, drafted in ’57 and starts to come alive by 1965.
By today’s expectations, we’d have dumped Brodie after his second or third season but eventually… he got there. Couple of Pro Bowls, etc. The guy ended up passing for 35,000 yards or something to that effect. 16 or 17 years in the league.
Disagree on the shying away from hits thing. I have to agree with Harbaugh on that one. But… I will concede there is something lacking in the leadership department in as far as getting in guys’ faces. Style question I guess.
Young was gutty for sure. My second favorite play of all time was the helmet flying off and Young running and staggering in to the end zone. (Second only to ‘The Catch’.)
I don’t mean to compare the two in any other way besides the time-line. It could be that it also takes Smith some time (with decent coaching) to finally achieve what everyone hoped for. I honestly don’t know the answer to that and neither does anyone else. But if he’s back in 2011, I hope for his sake (as well as our sanity) that he makes some real progress.
I am sorry, but I just cant stomach Steve Young being compared to Alex Smith at any point in his career. One second while I throw-up. Thank you for your patience. You guys that are behind Alex are going to be behind him no matter how many stats, human reasonings, or scnerios are presented to you. I like to listen to your remarks and agree to disagree etc… up to a point. So when you start comparing him to Steve Young at any level that is going way beyond reasonable. Let me remind you that the 49ers shipped Joe Montana out of town because they were sure in what they had in Steve, and in no way were they hoping or gambling. If you ask any quarterback, they will tell you that coming off the bench is the hardest thing to do for a quarterback, which was what Steve was mostly doing. Alex has been the starter for most of his career, and most including myself admire his professionalism on how he has handled the fans and his coaching staff. His on field performance is extremely sub par. I still have nightmares of the eagles saying “boo” and the sheer fright on Alex’s face just before he dropped the ball for no reason ending up in a free touchdown for the opposition. Thats the reality of how he reacts under pressure. I dont know what games you guys are watching, but please get a grip. Anything new would be welcome as far as I’m concerned.
Read above. The comparisons are meant as way of looking at various players, Young, Brodie, Bradshaw, Plunkett (I’m sure there are others), etc., and how long they took to “develop.” Doesn’t have a great deal to do with side-by-side comparisons. And again, I grew to love Steve Young. No gripes here.
There’s no argument, and Bill Walsh always made this clear, when a player’s time was up, it was up. Montana had a bit left in the tank and still had some trade value (first round draft pick as I recall from the Chiefs.) We’ll see this with Frank Gore in the not-too-distant future (unfortunately. It will be a sad day.)
I absolutely agree with you that Smith is subpar. He’s average-to-below average on a bad team with terrible coaching. But the other side of that is that occasionally he flashes.
The argument is whether or not you take a chance (for one year apparently) with coaches (we all believe are going to be outstanding) to see whether those flashes can be cultivated or whether you’re going to go cold off a free agent list that features players that are arguably worse performing than Smith. Or whether or not the flashes of greatness that Alex will show from time to time are due to something external to him. Are there parts of his game that can be taken and fixed? Are there parts of the team’s performance that can be fixed around him?
Is it the fouled up coaching and system that’s saddled this team for the better part of ten years? Or is it that he’s just mediocre at best?
My thing is: I don’t know. Now there are all these so-called experts that say they knew all along… blah blah blah. However there were many draft experts that had him exactly where he was: Top 10 talent. So I guess I’m curious to see where the truth is here. Not interested in fickle fans’ opinions, I’m interested in what the experts believe they can do with him (or not do with him – either way.) If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work but at least we have an answer. In the meantime, if he comes back, it’s only a year – he’s either much improved or he was the bridge tot he future. Not a bad thing either way.
The thing that bugs me is that we’re not looking hard enough at the past coaching staff (including Nolan’s.) I’ve said this before: We had two number one draft picks on this team and a Heisman winner this past season, and we couldn’t get anything significant out of any of them? Who’s fault is that? Nate Davis even had some promise. If he didn’t why did Pete Caroll pick him up off the practice squad?
The past coaching staff also took a pass on LeGarette Blount. Big mistake. They should have recognized the talent and figured out a way to shoehorn him in. Sure, Coffee finding Jesus wasn’t expected, but still.
Don’t we all agree that there were players on this team who were poorly used? Where was Westbrook? Isn’t it remotely possible that Smith has also been misused?
I like the point you made of Westbrooke being misused which who knows maybe Smith was as well. But like most of have said if JH takes a chance on him, we all have to be behind him or start cheering for the Ray-Duhs. Let’s get the CBA done, the draft done, and get this season going
The 49ers didnt pass on LeGarette Blount. None of the 32 teams drafted him in all 7 rounds of the draft, then Singletary offered him a contract as an undrafted free agent and he signed it. Another team made him an offer afterwards and he called singletary and was let out of his contract by singletary. ( why sign a guy that doesnt want to play on your team )