SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Alex Smith’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.
Have you had a chance to reflect on the journey you took to get here? How would you put this opportunity in perspective?
“Had a great season up to this point. Got ourselves the bye. Put ourselves in a good situation. It doesn’t guarantee you anything beyond that, we all understand that. So much of the playoffs is the hot team and the team that’s peaking and continuing to get better here at the end of the season. That’s really our focus, is just to continue to get better. Make use of this bye week. Continue to take steps. This isn’t a relax, go take time off bye week. It’s something we need to take advantage of as far as getting healthy and getting better.”
You noted that not a lot of people in the locker room have been to the playoffs here. Does it feel like a young team though? It seems like there’s a bit of maturity…
“I don’t. I don’t feel like this is a young team. I feel like this is a team that’s mature enough, that understands the opportunity we have in front of us and that we need to take advantage of these opportunities. I think because of that, don’t come around all that often. Take advantage of this time to rest, like I said, and get better. Get healthy and get better. Haven’t skipped a beat as we make use of this week and next week, and we’ll come out on Saturday.”
Has anybody spoken to that effect? Talked to the team about…
“I think it’s the consensus. I think everybody has that same feeling. No one is looking at this as time off. We’re still here, we’re still practicing. It is a chance to get healthy though. I think that’s make use of that.”
Were you here Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday?
“Yes.”
When you say get better offensively, what does that mean?
“I think there are aspects to improve all over the place. For us in the passing game, me and the receivers, our focus will be: continue to get better on third down, continue to get better in the red zone. That’s situational football that we need to improve on.”
The last time you played in a postseason was in a bowl game your senior year. Do you recall much of that? Are you going to try to draw from any of that? That’s so long ago.
“I guess all these games, the bigger the games get, I think you fall back on your routine and your preparation. What you’ve always done, the things that got you here. Continue to fall back on all those little things. Putting in the time, making sound decisions, things like that. Not trying to do too much just because the stakes get bigger. It’s still the same game. You don’t need to do anything different. I think that’s what needs to be the focus for all of us.”
Did that game though kind of reaffirm your belief that you can just play at a higher level after a regular season?
“We’re just still playing the same football. I think it reaffirmed. Obviously, the games get bigger, the emotions get bigger. The stakes get bigger. Like I said, I still think it falls back on your fundamentals, your preparation, things like that. Those things shine through. And then it goes back to the team that continues to get better week in and week out through the progression of the season and into the postseason.”
Alex, do you think the first team versus first team work helped you guys out in the end zone?
“I do. It’s tough. Obviously the scout team guys do so much for us, but just getting that game-speed tempo, especially on Friday’s getting the work versus the ones. Getting realistic looks, not knowing what you’re going against, just going out there and reacting I think is great for us.”
Was the competitiveness really sort of coming out in practices?
“Yeah, no question, especially that chunk of practice. No question. It always gets competitive when you have something like that. So, there’s a lot of talking. Stakes could raise a little bit.”
The team had first team meetings yesterday, correct?
“Yes.”
Did you have a complete team meeting at all with everybody?
“We didn’t. All the guys came in. We all had to be here, but there wasn’t a team meeting.”
Alex, is your record this year any vindication for the doubters for the season?
“Not thinking about any of that. We’ve got a game to play. I had a great season up to this point, but like I said, just got us a ticket to the dance like everybody else. And gave us this week to get healthy, but we’ve got to continue to get better. We’ve got a game to play.”
Alex, T Joe Staley had expressed some frustration. He said his last postseason game was the Motor City Bowl and he didn’t get really good stuff. He got like a duffel bag and a watch. From your last bowl game, what did you get?
“I guess thinking back we got some pretty good stuff. It was the Fiesta Bowl. So, some pretty good gifts. I think we got like a portable DVD player and obviously got a ring, things like that.”
49ers RSS feed
Loading ...
i swear if i didnt see the headlines.i would have thought the interview was from coach harbaugh.looks like as has really found a coach he can relate with.thank you jed/trent and anyone who had a hand in getting coach harbaugh here.here we go!dang two weeks…its killing me!!!!
Not two weeks anymore. 8 1/2 days away. lol I hate the rain, but I hope it pours next Saturday. Ill bring my custom made Niner rain suit. WHEEEW!
The he worded that sentence feels like he’s implying that’s going to change. Funny.
Uhh Grant. The headline says “I had a great season up to this point” I read “Had” and “We” and “Us” alot. Was there a typo? Or did I miss something?
I agree Smith has had a great season so far, but I like his way of thinking. Its US…not I. The guy has always been a class act. I hope he can deliver a bigger season in Chapter 2……Meaning the Playoffs!
Second to last answer is where the quote came from.
Thanks Matt.
Not only a class act Md but one of the hardest most studious type of athletes. From what I read, he’s at the practicee facility 24/7.
What I love about him is that he is always talking about getting better. The second thing is his toughness. Most sacked QB this year and started all 16 games. My books, thats a warrior. Last thing, he’s young, the ceiling has not been reached just yet.
Does he need to improve, absolutely, specifically the deep ball and confidence. JH was the best thing that ever happened to Alex.
Primetime. This must be a miracle. This is the first time Ive read something I agree with. And you showed some class like Smith. Wow. Maybe there is hope. LOL JK But I am impressed Prime. Cheers!
100% Prime Time. AS has been very impressive all year and I’m looking forward to to his and the rest of the teams performance next week.
I’m happy the offense finally has a coach like Harbaugh. You absolutely have to have an offensive-minded coach because if you don’t, you’re at the mercy of your OCs. And, as we’ve seen, they disappear to take other coaching jobs and they take their offensive systems with them. Chaos. I feel really bad for Sam Bradford. If the Rams don’t clean that up, Bradford is Smith 2.0. Not fair to the players or the fans.
If the Yorks learn nothing else from all of this, I hope it’s that. Offensive head coach. Close second would be: don’t fix what isn’t broken. The WCO should never have been allowed out of the building here. It came to maturity here and it needs to stay here permanently. Period. Those trophies out front are due in large part to Walsh’s offense. As soon as that is forgotten, it’s back to the bottom of the league.
Yeah not sure that Erickson would have run it to the degree that Mooch did. Not that Mooch’s WCO was a pure reflection of Walsh’s WCO.
The problem was that Erickson didn’t have a history with it but had enough knowledge with his own system to implement it.
What made things worse is that we had ELEVEN new Starters to start the ’04 season having lost 7 or 8 Starters from the Offense alone. Streets, Owens, Garry Hearst, Garcia, Ray Brown(if I remember correctly) etc. You can’t lose over half your Starters and expect to remain a contender. Not even during the Walsh, Seifert and Mooch eras did we have that kind of turnover. Alot of those guys were still young and in their productive prime. Hell Garcia got his head kicked in with Cleveland and Detroit because of Donahue’s reckless disregard for the Cap health that Walsh got the team back to. Walsh even said before he left the team, that there would still have to be some future cuts to keep the team in the black.
But he didn’t say one thing about cutting half the team. –
MD,
This two posts of yours in a row I’ve agreed with. Weird, very weird.
When I read the headline I thougth, “What the hell?” Clearly, if Smith had started the sentence with a pronoun, it would’ve been we rather than I.
Typo or was there something between the lines that isn’t coming through reading the transcript?
Grant,
Sorry about that. I should’ve read the whole thread before responding. Having said that, it seems the headline is a little out of context relative to the interview as a whole.
clearly the title quote was a slip up…..his first paragraph clearly was pushing the team thing…..and he probably meant the same thing in the second to last paragraph but just slipped…..and of course the reporters jump on …… just to stir their pots
Just Grant doing his thing …!!
As said earlier the title came from deeper down in the article. Is not Grant being Grant. ; )
i had already acknowledged it but …..
“When you say get better offensively, what does that mean?”
I wonder who asked this question ?
The questioner sounds like the man who appreciates the remarkable season and with some emotion…then the dopey primitive that’s answering. Where’s that Alex brainpower? If he graduated early at BYU,the BA education must be in tinker toy or slinky motion and mechanics.
I just saw -again– that commercial where the hot girls look up at the guy with the ripped body and abs..then pan up to see a Alex hounddog face. Cracks me up. At least in the real world Alex pulls out his bank statements.
@stan..i believe alex graduated from utah.not byu.must have steve young on your mind.
Stan usually doesn’t worry too much about facts; he just dumps on us whatever occurs to him. Stream of thoughts. The Ferlinghetti of Football Bloggers.
You’re a mean one Stan…
Stan, do you think AS cares about any of this “required” questioning or he is mainly focused on the playoff game? Do you know what focus is Stan?
@hof
Read Stan’s post (last para) and you will have your answer about focus as it relates to Stan.
@Stan
Yeah. JR of the Raiders was so much better spoken than AS could ever be.
Since you compare…the OLD Raiders were guys you wanted to hang with..and they did hang at local bars.
Alex and Jim?..they wouldnt spend a second with a die hard 49er fan.
Today’s athletes probably hang out less in local bars as a matter of conditioning. The days of drunk Stabler or Fred Dean smoking a pack of Kools in the weight room are long gone.
@Stan
Take a good look at a lot of posts here the whole season.
The old Raider teams were loved as long as they won the game.
This years Niner team has been blasted upon for doing noting but win.
I wouldn’t feel the urge either to hang around a bunch of people who scream at me all the time either. Especially if alcohol is involved.
“Might wake up with all sorts of parts missing.” – Mel Gibson in Maverick telling Jodie Foster the thief what might happen if they sleep together.
Adam,
Speaking of Fred Dean, do you remember his quote when asked where weight training fit in to his fitness routine?
If memory serves, his answer was something like this: “Every time I think about lifting weights, I go into a dark room and lie down until the thought goes away.”
Can you imagine that guy if he had trained? The future Aldon Smith, anyone?
He graduated from Utah with a BA in Economics. Gotta have some pretty good brain power for Econ.
Funny-but when I was the first bay arean to point out Huff’s gut,double chin and beer storys..all I heard was “booze is good for athletes” over at SF Gate/Hate.
Now,its the prohibiton argument here!
You know..I wonder how often you would hear it if ANY local writer had solved Russell,Lincecums,Huffs, Gores(still waiting for confirmation) like I did? I truly think they would be nominated for a pulitzer..OR think they should get one. Tim Kawakami would have killed to be right on Lincecum like I was ..
Just a thought…
What the Hell are you going on about? Start making sense, man.
Seriously, the random stream of consciousness stuff is getting aggravating.
I’m sure Tim K. is exploding with jealousy over whatever story you’ve uncovered.
Moving along…
Stan has diarrhea of the jaw.
Yes, yes he does. I think he needs a private mescaline treatment to deal with his duality complex.
Jim has done a great job with Alex this year. This team as a whole in fact. I’m jacked up for Jan. 14. Go Niners!!!!!
Well said Prime Time.
Alex had a great season for him, I guess he is on the curve, if this was Aaron Rodgers, or Tom Brady, this season would not be so good. But you have to give him props, but he does need to get out of his shell and throw a 300 yard game against prolific offenses such as Green Bay or New Orleans or come up with more big plays.
Only way that happens is if they increase the number of attempts per game and/or receivers get more YAC.
The attempts aren’t going to change much.
Also if they get way behind
True.
@Neal
Adam is right.
Look no further than Andrew Luck.
How many games does he have 300+ yards passing in his career at Stanford? Keep in mind SY’s quote. “Everybody is open college. Nobody is open in the NFL.”
Also check out the results in those games AL threw for over 300. Did Stanford win. If so, by how much? AL’s passing yard totals are from out of this world. What AL has is what every great QB has to have. The abiity to manage games. It just so happens thst he is better at doing that than any other QB in at least a decade at the college level. True AL has great accuracy and strong arm, but so do a lot of guys taken in the 1st round. What makes him better (supposedly) is his understanding of the game.
One has to assume that a QB will probably not throw that much more in the NFL than in college. Where the NFL is harder.
Fact is JH is coaching AS not all that differently from AL. AL just doesn’t have the bad rep AS has.
I don’t think so, if we continue to suck up in the red zone, continue to run bang up Frank Gore on 3rd and 9 play’s and not convert first downs and just kick field goals, we will lose, unless the defense plays off the charts, we get two turnovers a game,we have none and the offense can score at least 21 points we might have a chance but we are not going to win a shoot out 38 to 35. Having the field goal record in nothing to brag about.
Any know what his major at Utah was? Just curious.
economics
Economics, completed in 2 years I think?
Economics at Utah..is taught like creationism. 2 years is 1year and 11 months 3 weeks and six days,23 hours, more then needed….
Now,MIT…
@stan
dude, you’ve got issues. We’re all quite glad that you get to make anonymous slams against a nice guy (a better NFL QB than you, and many of HIS peers) and feel better about yourself. I’m sure you’re a Rhodes Scholar, with a double PhD in Economics & Humanities–hence your extensive knowledge and wisdom of all things Alex Smith and the U.U. Econ program. Oh wait, you probably couldn’t graduate from any CC in Cal. Get over yourself and give us all a rest.
Need I point out the hypocrisy in Keno’s post? lol..man, too easy.
I think hevmay have been a double major, but I don’t know the subjects.
I do know he is one smart dude. Graduating in less than 4 years while playing well enough to be the #1 overall pick from a college that is not up there with the likes of USC/Notre Dame etc.
Boy has gifts. No doubt.
If it was economics,then he is in good shape to handle all those tens of Millions of dollars he has received from the Yorks over the last 6 years ! (and the additional $$$ he will probably be getting from them when he signs again in the off season,although I hope it’s not for too much,since he hopefully will be backing up in future years).
That should be anybody, not any.
We better work on that running game to beat the Saints. We need to grind out that clock and keep Mr. MVP Brees on the sidelines watching.
Thanks Arjinca.
You too Prime Time.
If the Niners win the toss on Saturday, what do we do? Receive or defer?
I think if it’s the Saints, you might want to keep Brees & Co. shivering on the sidelines to start the game. And if we can manage a 1st down or two, we can at minimum have Andy Lee pin them back to start their first possession. If we score, bonus!
The key to stopping any rhythm offense is to get them out of sync. A great way to do that would be to keep Brees waiting patiently on the sidelines for many minutes prior to each drive.
Harbaugh will defer
I agree. Set the tempo early with a three-and-out.
Harbaugh will take the ball. This is the most dangerous offense in football right now. You don’t conceivably want to begin the game down 7-0 in the first three minutes. It will take the crowd out of it.
Bay- Aren’t the Niners the most dangerous defense in football right now? I can’t imagine Harbaugh thinks “Oh man, we don’t want to be down 7″ You go with YOUR teams strength to start a game, which is obviously the D.
Bay- This is the most dangerous defense in football right now, don’t ya think? I can’t imagine JH saying ‘Man I really don’t want to be down 7″ That is a defeatist attitude, he’s not like that.
You go with your teams strength which is the D.
Normally yes. Not against this type of opponent. You try to score and win the field position game from the get go period.
because akers will force saints to start at the 20
Sorry for the weird double post, my first one didn’t show until the second one went through!
I for one am having fun just talking about the Niners this way, it’s been the better part of a decade for us fans to get all slathered up for a PLAYOFF game at home!!! Yeah Buddy!
Alex really doesn’t care what anybody says about him anymore. It’s the team that matters, not his stats or pride. A sign of a true competitor.
Everyone seems to think that a 300 or 400 yard game by AS will make for a win. You usually get those numbers when you are losing and those numbers accelerate in the 4th quarter. What we really need is a 150 yard game by Gore and a 100 yard game by Hunter. With that we keep the defense fresh and the Saints offense on the bench. They can’t score from the bench. I hope.
Well said, but 300-400 yards wouldnt hurt either. ;-)
MD,
I’m liking the new you!
Funny, I was just listening to ESPN radio on the way home from work and they were talking about the run game. They were talking about how teams are devaluing the running back position now because of these big air attack teams.
So… anyone that still uses a running game can pick up really good backs in the draft in lower rounds, etc.
Interesting!
Makes sense, very interesting. It’s usually a good idea to contrarian when it comes to finding overlooked opportunity.
to be contrarian
@Adam and exgolfer:
In addition, as more teams construct their defenses primarily to defend against the big air attack teams, those defenses will tend to be less effective against a power running attack.
In that way, the contrarian approach has a double benefit – you get better players for your system at a lower cost (you can get them in lower rounds of the draft, the market rate for their salaries will be lower, etc.) and you build an offense whose strength can exploit your opponents’ weakness.
It’s not unlike what Bill Walsh did. When everyone else was focused on the power running game, and defenses had to concentrate in the middle of the field to defend against it, Walsh designed an offense that featured short passes to the edges. When everyone else was throwing deep to small, fast receivers, requiring defenses to play small fast cornerbacks, Walsh featured larger WRs who could break tackles and get yards after the catch.
I really like where Harbaugh seems to be coming from strategically. I just hope he doesn’t burn out or burn out the team too quickly.
@claude
Exactly.
When BW came into the league, much of the league was geared to stop big bruising backs. Now, it is very hard to win in a league where you don’t do the same thing as everybody else.
But, like BW was able to do, and JH has so far, if you are able to succeed doing something different, nobody is equipped to beat you. lol
So, if you can manage to be that mutant team that is different from everybody else, but still win games, you setup perfectly.
You know/are equipped to beat any other team (because you are winning), but they are not equipped to beat you since you don’t do what everybody else does. They don’t have the right players/player mindset/coaching to beat something they have not seen.
Advantage: You
The flip side to that coin is that it is harder to find enough good CB’s to cover the WR’s with more teams implementing multiple wideout sets. In the bigger picture, the NFL is moving towards a much more wide open game. Points sell tickets and bring in viewers. The teams that take advantage of the rule changes benefit. 5000 yards passing is the new 4000 yards. 30 TD’s is the new 20. Look at Cam Newton in Carolina this year. Pretty amazing season for a rookie considering they were dead last in basically every single offensive category last year and the worst team in the league. Their coaching staff did a great job of utilizing his talents instead of forcing him into a certain offense like the Niners did with Smith as a rookie. Harbaugh has maximized what the Niners have, brilliantly. He is also smart enough to realize that he won’t always have a historically good defense and special teams units. The offense will have to be more prolific in future years if they hope to have a sustained run of success.
Football has become a more passing oriented game over the years, but there is still no substitute for a dominant running game. Winning the LOS is still the key to winning football games and always will be. I’d much rather have the balanced offense over the arena league style. There’s just so much more you can do to keep defenses guessing.
Rocket,
I agree with much of what you say. I just think it’s going away from the traditional smash mouth style to a certain extent. If QB’s get grazed in the pocket it’s a flag. If the wide receiver get bumped just a little bit past five yards it’s a flag. If a defender accidentally hits his helmet on a receiver because the receiver lowered his head, it’s a flag. The NFL is looking at the big picture. They don’t want parents holding their children back from playing football because they are worried about concussions. They want a fresh crop of talent every year. It has nothing to do with the players health, it has everything to do with keeping the money flowing. It just happens to be in an area where the NFL can pretend they give a hoot about player safety.
@BigP,
Excellent point and a good observation. I hate the way the rules are going but it’s not going to change. How long until players start playing with pillows strapped all over them?
How many teams passed for 300 yards or more and lost this year? Anyone got that stat.
A ton.
Romo, Rivers, Cam for starters.
@papastan
I think undercenter meant how many times a QB threw for 300 and lost.
Romo, Cam, Rivers all had games over 300 and lost. Add Vick to the list.
The yards didn’t lose the games. Turnovers and or poor defense lost the games.
Ronnie Brown anyone?
Brees threw for over 3oo in 2 of the 3 NO loses (over 400 in the loss against the pack).
That’s cherry picking stats Ribico. Brees threw over 300 yards in 14 games this year. The Saints were 12-1 in those games.
Brees threw under 300 yards twice. Saints 1-1 in those games.
The POINT is, you can still lose while throwing for lots of yards (naturally, if you are behind). I beleive thats what the opening post of this thread was getting at.
Try this link out. Pretty good stuff.
http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/football/nfl/stats/300-passers
Heh. Too bad they didn’t include W/L on that chart. I guess that’s no longer important as long as you pitch it for 300.
Found it at pro-football reference:
66 300+ yard games this year. Record of 66W – 55L
Interesting numbers; I would have expected the losses to be higher.
Doh! Typo. 121 300 yards games this year, not 66. Pardon.
@msc
Now tell me the W-L for teams who threw for under 300 yards.
If the winning % is equal or lesser than 66-55, then all this BS about AS needing to throw for 300+ yards like DB is pointless.
Idiotic. Seriously yards and production are a plus period. Yards have nothing to do with losses. That shows ignorance. Only someone that knows nothing about the game would attempt to draw a direct correlation between big passing yards and losses.
Losses are caused by turnovers and poor defense. If poor Cam Newton had a defense behind him, he would be in the playoffs and teams would fear facing that offense.
The people that bring up big passing yards as if they were a “negative” thing are the ones that are trying to make excuses for weaknesses in Alex’s game.
What is the next stat you are going to show? That third down conversions don’t matter much? Give us a break…..
Non 300 yard games are 62W – 73L
MSC,
a better more revealing stat would be records over the last five years for teams that averaged 190 yards passing per game.
Instead of attempting to discount what large chunks of yardage get you. ( which is the goal by the way ) Lets focus on what low production passing gets you in terms of wins and loses over a period of 3-5 years.
The sample size is likely too small Bay. Most teams don’t keep QBs that average 190 yards a game.
Unless they were a former number one draft pick that they paid a lot of money to and he was the best option to move forward with in a strike year : )
I’m being sarcastic of course but MSC you are correct.
The most telling stat related to this team is 13 wins. There are multiple reasons for wins and losses that can’t be summed up with stats. In some games the passing yards are needed and influenced a win. In others, the passing yards had little influence because they came in a loss where the losing QB was throwing agaisnt a prevent trying to put some points on the board in garbage time.
I’m not sure why we are trying so hard to find reasons not to like this team. If you’re worried about the future, than save it until this season is over. Right now what this team has done is win 13 games. That is the only thing that matters to me at this time.
@bay:
I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but I think you misunderstand the point. There certainly is a correlation between passing yards and losses. A team that is losing a game tends to throw and complete more passes in an effort to catch up. The further behind, the more pass heavy its offense will become. As a result, such teams tend to have high passing yards. Given that they were already losing when they started throwing more and that increased passing leads to increased turnovers, such teams also tend to lose those games. That’s where the correlation comes in.
Losses are caused by turnovers …
Yes, and the more you throw, the more turnovers you are likely to have – interceptions and fumbles. You cannot throw an interception on a running play, and oddly enough, more fumbles are lost on passing plays than on running plays. See http://www.advancednflstats.com/2010/01/fumble-rates-by-play-type.html
The more you know.
>>Yards have nothing to do with losses
Yards have nothing to do with anything.
You can rack up big yards if playing from behind. You can rack up big yards if your special teams gives you poor field position. You can rack up big yards and give the ball back on turnovers. You can rack up big yards and still have to settle for threes. If you depend on big yardage for success, your entire team can quickly go into the toilet if one of more of your key playmakers goes down.
What consistantly wins games over the long haul is offensive/defensive/SP balance. Duh.
If poor Cam Newton had a defense behind him, he would be in the playoffs and teams would fear facing that offense.
If poor Cam Newton had a defense behind him, he also wouldn’t be throwing as many passes, and his passing yardage would be lower.
Claude,
I see what you are saying to a degree. Offenses are not all throwing a ton because they need to play catchup. Offenses are also attacking more because of the defensive rule changes. Teams like the Patriots, the Packers, the Saints, Carolina are stepping on peoples throats and scoring as much as they can.
So while you are right to a degree, you are also wrong to a degree as am I.
@bay:
I did not mean to suggest that there is a 1.0 correlation, just that there is a correlation. I understand that rule changes have given teams incentive to throw more and that many teams are doing so successfully.
It’s not just about yards, it’s about production. The NFL is a passing league now. The rules favor the offense. There is a reason three players threw for 5000+ yards this year and two of them broke Dan Marino’s record. Three QB’s threw for 40+ TD’s while Brady had 39. Rodger had the best season of all of them. All four of those teams (NE, GB, NO and Det) have made the playoffs despite all having defenses in the bottom third of the standings. Two of them are #1 seeds. Msclemons67 provided the info on the win loss records of 300 yard passers and non 300 yard passers, I’m sure it raised a few eyebrows. 300 yard passers: 66-55. Non 300 yard passers: 62-73.
@msc
I thought that the under 300 wins would have been a little more, but I am not that shocked by it.
Consider this though:
DB/AR/TB threw for 300 yards routinely. That is 3 QB’s out of 32 or 9.4% of the starting QB’s. Total winning % of those teams is 54.54%
I bet those three accounted for way more than 9.375% of the teams who won throwing for more than 300 yards. Take those 3 out, and I wonder what the numbers would be.
To be fair, take out the 13 wins AS had throwing under 300 yards (because like those other 3, he routinely won games throwing for under 300, just as those 3 other QB’s routinely won throwing above 300). Is anybody else aware of another QB who won so many games this year and did not throw for 300 yards? Total win % of teams who threw under 300 yards is 46%.
Funny how their was an equal unit separation from being 50/50 for throwing under 300 (-4) as opposed to throwing over 300 (+4).
There are a lot of things one can do to lean the stats their way (see BigP), but I still think there isn’t that much better a chance to win if you throw for 300 as opposed to throw for under 300
@claude
“If poor Cam Newton had a defense behind him, he also wouldn’t be throwing as many passes, and his passing yardage would be lower.”
I believe of all of Cam Newton’s wins, more of them had him throwing for under 300 yards than him throwing for 300+ yards.
At any rate, it is my understanding that the Carolina improved as the year went on…and Cam’s passing yards decreased more or less as the year wore on as well.
Again, it’s about production, not leaning on stats. Cam Newton is a rookie. No offseason. New offensive system. New teammates. New team. New coaches. Carolina had the worst offense and the worst team in the NFL last year. They were #32 in the red zone last year. They are #7 this year. They went from #32 in scoring last year to #5 this year. As a rookie, the kid produced 35 TD’s, 26 of those came in the red zone. He threw for 13 TD’s and ran for another 13 TD’s in the red zone while throwing 3 picks. Pretty impressive.
Cam Newton is a great example of why the passing yardage is useless though. He threw for over 300 yards three times this season and lost all 3 games. In the wins he passed for a little over 200 yards or less. It’s not like he ran wild in every one of those games either as he averaged under 50 yards rushing in the wins. The difference was efficiency and lack of turnovers. That is what wins games; not yardage totals.
It’s true that the game is more pass oriented, but a lot of the teams that are pass heavy are throwing a high number of swing passes, screens, hitches you name it. In other words they are replacing the runs with short passes. It’s really not unlike what Walsh did when he came up with the WCO. Obviously there is more passing now, but the types of passes aren’t that different than they were before in regards to moving the chains.
What you can do with the running game that you can’t with the passing is beat up a defense. Running the ball is still the best way to beat down and demoralize a defense. Our defense has been great this season, but a big part of that is how little time they’ve had to spend on the field. The 9ers always win the time of possession battle and it benefits the defense a great deal.
I’ll agree on that Ninermd.
Eagles did against the Niners. Vick had a career high in yards completed but still lost. That’s the only one I could think of. Probably because the second half set the tone for the team this season.
Eagles lost because Maclin fumbled twice. The last one came as they were about to win the game.
revisionist….no matter what it was a football game and in football games defense creates opportunities …..niners made it happen and niners won….so stop being so weak with comments
JG,
Do you remember the Ronnie Brown play? The Eagles lost that game as much as we won it.
I am extremely impressed with Alex as a man, a professional and as a QB this year. As business man i would hire him on the spot for his work ethic. I truly wish Alex and the Niners the best, hopefully he can have the best performance of his life during the playoffs to help our team get to the big stage. GO ALEX and the NINERS I will be rooting you on
………… On? lol what happened Chi. Did your phone die? lol
In the quote in the article above Alex DIDN’T say “I” had a great season up to this point. He said “Had a great season up to this point. Got ourselves the bye. Put ourselves in a good situation. It doesn’t guarantee you anything beyond that, we all understand that.
Alex is to class a guy to say “I” had a great season ! What he actually said is “WE” have had a great season up to this point .He said “ourselves” (twice) and “we” once and “I” ZERO times .
Who writes the headlines for you Matt ? It was misleading and made it sound like alex was doing what Hue Jackson did the other day when he went on and on about “me” and “I” and threw his players under the bus.
Alex is all about the team and that is one of the reasons I respect him .
look under the question:
“Alex, is your record this year any vindication for the doubters for the season?”
it’s in the middle of the paragraph.
and I’m pretty sure Grant posted this. Easy mistake, too many Matt’s on the Niner beat!
Tim – Read the entire post. Check answer of 2nd to last question and then you should feel the guilt creaping in.
Why isn’t anyone taking about the fact that our defense could slow Brees down far more than expected, our offense won’t have the burden of having to score 31+
I think it is probably because our weakest link on defense is the secondary and Brees strength is his ability to pass against even the strongest secondary…and because Brees gets rid of the ball so quickly that our pass rush probably won’t have the time to get to him to help out our secondary.
But on grass and with our very good defense and ST’s who knows,maybe a couple turnovers and we have a good shot ?
If you remember a year ago the 49ers nearly beat the saints..
…And who is to say we won’t score 31+ points ? The Saints defense is not exactly the ’85 Bears defense. And our O line and QB have improved somewhat against the Blitz since that Preseason game against the Saints ,where they killed Alex and the O line with Blitz after Blitz. I hope if they try that again that Alex has learned how to make a Blitzing team pay for vacating the defense to come after him. Maybe he has been saving that learned skill for the playoffs ?
This time we’re playing them here at the stick not at NO the chances are great for the 49ers.. Niners have a better odds here at home against brees and inc. Alex Smith is going to have big games through out the playoffs and got a feeling maybe win th NFC championship..and on to the Superbowl..
@Tim
I think AS was one of the best QB’s against the blitz this year.
I don’t know how the final stats ended up, but at one point I think only AR had a better QB rating agaist the blitz.
As long as the OL holds AS will smoke the Saints! lol
Remember the Ainst lost to the Rams and Tampa away. No way they beat us.
@Drty 49
Because that would be a positive outlook. Not allowed. Do so upon penalty of death!
Just kidding…kinda. lol
A team that consistently win, don’t need their Qb to throw for 300 yards a game.. What counts is the the wins, Nothing esle !
But the ability to throw for 300+ yards is an asset. Brees does it before he rolls out of bed every morning ,even in games where the Saints lead all the way and he doesn’t need to throw to come back.
I am not saying alex NEEDS to throw for 300,just that he might need to show that ability if Gore doesn’t carry the team.
You’re always worrying about A. Smith, he proved it game after game this year that he can step up with the good ones..He doesn’t throw at high percentage rating but when it counts hes dependable..
I agree,Alex is dependable(no turnovers) ! But I guarantee you that his HC worries about him,as do most of the loyal 49ers fans who worry while they cheer for him. I hope we can all worry together all the way to the SB win ! (if you don’t worry about him then I am happy that you are not a worrier and nothing makes you worry ,I wish I could say that and not look at the reality of the situation.).
I don’t know about you Tim but I used to worry about Montana and Young, too.
@Tim
We agree on something!
I too worry for AS. I worry about his health playing behind a line that can go for long stretches forgettng their assignments and blocking technique.
C’mon, face it, we’re worried every down and for every player. We’re fans! We live and die with this stuff. We want Carlos to get interceptions, not get burned. We want Smith to hit Crabs. We worry Ginn will drop a long one or Goldson miss a tackle on a bad angle.
We’re all tense (and intense) on Sundays – I’ve seen Hofer’s posts on game day on my phone! I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley on game day. :P
@Tim
I think Alex did show that he can throw for 300 yards. He went for 291 (not exactly 300, but close) against Philly on the road, I the Saints’ defense is not as good as the Eagles. So if we had to, I think we’ll be fine.
Tim I know that you’ve been traumatized and suffer from PTSD because of the last 7 years of 49er football (like many other people), but I think now we all can begin our healing. Heading into the playoffs will test our wills and our ability to grow beyond our recent history. Stay the course in hope and we’ll be fine. I trust you’re a die hard fan (by all accounts on this blog) so if someone like is coming around to believe and have 100% (or close to it) faith again, then we’ll be fine!
I must admit. I finally gave up on Smith last year. I held out supporting him for so long but couldn’t bare it anymore after last year. Those flashes of brilliance mucked up by fumbles and poor decisions finally broke my AS supporting back. I must say, it is so awesome to finally see him “flowering” under JH. So pumped to see what he and this team can do next week.
Go Niners!!!!
Long time blog reader, first time poster. Love reading this blog.
Yep,it sure makes a huge difference that Alex finally learned to protect the ball and not turn it over. He even makes some plays here and there to contribute ,so he has come a long way from his “pathetic” days of yesteryear. If we are going to beat the Saints and GB,Alex will either have to come make several further strides quickly or we will need great games by the defense and ST’s and running game. Either way,we DO have a decent chance against both the Saints and GB,especially if the weather is really bad in GB and the best running game wins ! But first things first,let’s tear up the Saints next week ! Who knows ,maybe that nut of a coach in Detroit will do us a favor and we will get the Giants or even the Falcons next week ?
I said in the offseason that Harbaugh would have to weed out the “bad” Alex and really strengthen the “good” Alex.
So far, other than a few things that could be better, he’s done a good job at it. For me it’s never been about “can” Smith do this or that, it’s always been about “will” he do it.
Welcome aboard, NinerRider. Good to see the fans coming in. Keep up the positive vibes – I think they help! Kind of a new agey weird sorta thing but it can’t hurt! :P
@NinerRider
Welcome!
I myself was a long time reader as well.
@Tim, the only reason I mention 31+, is because of all the people saying Alex can’t do it
@DS9, Our o line probably is the real key to this being a w for us.
@drty 49
The OL puts together 3 good performances in a row, and we will have 6 Lombardi Trophies. : )
actually Stan you couldn’t be further from the truth. The UofU’s Econ program has a reputation for being quite radical in its approach as opposed to creationism like you stated. Thanks for being stereotypical though, the 65% non mormon population in SLC appreciates it. Anything to take a dig at Smith must be warranted right? While we’re on the subject though, did you go to M.I.T?
I’m soooooo pumped for the playoffs I can’t see straight! Go Smitty, punk those haters!
Gore, and Hunter won’t have difficulty running if our O line does its job, and it is a big if, we need a repeat of our latest mon night performance from them.
How would you rate a QB with lifetime stats that read, 57.4 completion percentage and never thrown more than 19 touchdowns in any season?These stats were through a 16 year career. And if I told you that those stats would be worth 5 NFL Championships, you’d say impossible, right? These are the stats for Bart Starr. If Alex can bring Championships who cares about stats and arm strength.
Andrew from R… – I like the positive nature but you’re comparing stats from the 1950-60′s to the present? They threw the ball about 15 times a game back then. 19 TD’s would be alot for back then.
I agree, who cares about stats if you win the Super Bowl.
I think Alex has developed into a good QB this year and he will get better but let’s keep it real with comparing stats from 60 years ago.
Oh Andrew, If a man slept with over 20,000 women, you’d say impossible, right?
Wilt Chamberlain did! :-)
Hef has not disclosed his totals YET.
Crab15
I happened to have been to many games in the 50′s and 60′s. I was at Yankee Stadium in 1963 and watched Y. A. Tittle pass for 7 touchdowns against the Redskins. We can go back to the 50′s when the LA Rams had one of the great passing attacks of any era with Bob Waterfield and Norm VanBrocklin alternating at quarterback. So the forward pass was not invented since Brady and Brees came on the scene.
The TV industry wanted more scoring, thinking this would attract more viewers. So new rules came into play that literally put handcuffs on the defense. So now many top teams rely on offense with little regard for defense. Now, the current generation thinks this form of Arena Football is the real deal. It’s not, I hope the 49ers take down the Saints and Packers in succession and show current fans that Defense is alive and well.
Use a better an analogy that Wilt, doesn’t quite make it.
To me the thing is our defense! If we can slow down brees and rodgers we have a chance! GB D isn’t that good and we can play our style of football..
Who knows what time the game is being played?
1:30, that way they minimize any chance of the lights going out and affecting the game.
LOL
The fun has just begun Alex.
Fact to remember: The ’81 9ers attempted 560 rushes, 517 passes [ http://bit.ly/w1eNtU ]
Not saying Alex = Joe, am saying if you’re “Greg Cosell,” this can only mean Walsh was trying to “hide” Montana.
Careful latopia
There are those here who don’t give JR/RC/JT/RL and all the rest of the team ny credit for Joe winning 4 Super Bowls.
Nope. JM blocked, threw, caught, ran after the catch, rushed the ball along with play D and kick.
JH is not hiding AS, just as BW didn’t hide JM. As it turns out, JM actually got better as time went by. As I am certain AS will as well.
Yeah. I listen to Cosell about Smith like I listen to seashells for financial advice.
@latopia
I bet the sea shells offer better advice than the financial institutions or government. : )
Cosell…nope. I’ll trust the sea shells over him.
I don’t blame some of the faithfulls being nervous, until january 14, 2012. Imagine for the first time since the last 49er Superbowl championship team in 1995. We all have a chance again to witness another Superbowl in the making. Maybe the tide has turned for the niners, and this might be the year that all the niner fans going to celebrate the 6th Superbowl Championship.. Just my feeling its time for the San Francisco 49ers to be champions again, they all deserve it and the fan base!
Grant,
I just watched the interview that these quotes came from and Alex never said “I had a great season up to this point”, his exact quote was: “Not thinking about any of that. We’ve got a game to play….had a great season up to this point, but like I said, just got us a ticket to the dance like everybody else. And gave us this week to get healthy, but we’ve got to continue to get better. We’ve got a game to play.” He seemed to still be referring to the questions by say “we” like he did in the beginning.
I’m not accusing you of anything unscrupulous, but simply adding the “I” in the beginning of that phrase makes Alex come off as uncharacteristically self-serving. It’s probably best to quote him exactly when he leaves words out, it eliminates the chance of sparking controversy (regardless of how mild it might be).
Good point. Particularly since it’s the lede. Especially since beatwriters know Smith’s tendency towards self-effacement and the pluperfect “we” when describing anything “great.”
Is Grant an Alex-hater? Doesn’t matter.
Does Grant report quotes accurately? Matters.
certainly…difference between saying “I had a great season….” versus “WE had a great season…” is a big difference, or even simply “HAD a great season…” (which is what Alex said).
It’s always tough to trying to translate what someone DIDN’T say. But if you are serving as the middle man in the conversation, it’s usually best to let the person you’re relaying the message to translate the “unspoken” on their own. This goes a long way in eliminating sensationalism.
I listened to this interview on CSN. I’m not so sure he said “I” had a great season (2nd to last paragraph). Sounds more like “had” a great season. At least that is what I heard from the video.
Can anyone else check this out? Not important…just curious.
You’re right! I posted that just a little earlier. Alex only said “had”. Not sure why Grant added the “I”…
Everyone is falling into Grant’s trap of “I” said by Alex Smith… Muahahahaha…