I’m not saying Alex Smith is a better quarterback than Aaron Rodgers, but which guy played better this weekend?
Smith led two game-winning drives, he threw three touchdown passes and ran for one more, plus he finished with a 103.2 QB rating. Rodgers didn’t lead any game-winning drives, he threw a pick and his quarterback rating was a mere 78.5.
It used to be you couldn’t mention Smith and Rodgers in the same sentence. Now you can say that Smith played better than Rodgers in the 2011 playoffs.
Rodgers is still the best quarterback in the league, but Smith outplayed him this weekend.
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Alex is better……
..I am guessing cuz Rodgers has a SB ring that makes better or…. is it cuz he has more talent at WR…..or is it cuz he has been in a system for 5+ and he is maximizing the opportunities on offense…
…What if he went through everything Smith went through, you think he would have won a SB in SF already or would be a top 10 QB in the league. Is that your point?
When would this have been? ……..
In which year do you look back at the 49ers and think, if only they had Rogers from the start they would have won the SB that year or he would be the best QB in the league….?
@oneniner
For better or worse (gee sounds like a marriage vow) we seem to often have the same idea floating around in our heads. lol
….could be cuz my mom was an alien immigrant…..
…Alex (Brady, Eli, Manning) are better because even when things look bad in a game they are disciplined enough to stay in the pocket and stick with the system….
….anyone notice how Rodgers (Rothl, Brees, Vick) always turn to RB’s once its clear to them they are playing a good defense……..
its a mental thing…….the skills maybe closely related but Alex is mentally better than Rodgers……
Who cares whether Rodgers is the best QB in the league? Who cares whether Rodgers is better than Smith or not? As Harbaugh says: “It’s THE TEAM THE THE TEAM..!!”
The only thing we care is that the Niners are two wins away from hoisting the sixth Lombardi trophy to end a magical season. That’s the only thing that counts. I’m still savoring the
So the East Coast Media are already looking forward to a Brady-Eli Superbowl? Tough – that’s not gonna happen. Niners will fight the G-men in the trenches, Niners will fight the G-Men in the air, and the Niners will emerge bloody but victorious, and board the flight to Indy. And the New York media will be reminded that you cannot spell “Eliminate” with “Eli”.
Go Niners!
+1
This week Alex was clearly the better quarterback. It wasn’t even close. In the 1st and 4th quarters Smith was brilliant.
Rodgers looked rusty and discombobulated all day. Maybe he should have spent more time watching film and less time filming Discount Double-Choke commercials.
Yeah well all that needs said is
who’s going to the NFC Championship ?
Wow, what a year!!! I always have high hopes for my team and want them to do the best, but who couldve dreamed that the NFC championship would be played at the Stick, unbelievable! This team will not take anything for granted and will prepare and play there hearts out. After that win against NO, I say we can beat anybody!! Go Niners, no sleep till Indy!! After the SB win of course!
@Grant
Without his WR’s making great catches and dropping a bunch of passes, how is AR better or worse than AS?
When he was playing great, you’d notice how great his WR’s were. When they weren’t great, neither was AR. The Chiefs game was similar with similar results.
The only QB I know of who could “will” his team to victory was Steve Young time after time.
Today, GB needed AR to “will” them to victory. He failed as you pointed out.
And being a fan and hoping for a Super Bowl win, what measurment are you using to distinguish between the two? They would each have 1 apiece after 7 years.
Taking into consideration all that AS has been thru, and compare that to AR’s much easier time, is it fair to compare their stats at all? And after seeing AR not “will” his team today, do you think he could have gone thru what AS has, and gotten to the NFC title game this or any other year?
Would AS have been good in GB?
If you don’t think AR could have done what AS has done (I’m talking the whole time here dealing with Nolan and Sing and everything in-between, then how can one say AR is really better than AS?
At the very least you have to say that the Niners made the right choice drafting AS and not AR.
Steve Young was slightly above average. You meant to refer to Joe Montana. Keep it real! Montana>Smith>Young, when all is said and done!
Pork Bao…you’re hilarious.
Young is in the HOF; I like Alex Smith but I seriously doubt he’ll make that much improvement. For one thing he doesn’t have anything approaching Jerry Rice/Terrel Owens, John Taylor, Brent Jones, and Roger Craig/Ricky Watters/ William Floyd as receivers, or an OL molded by the great Bobb McKittrick.
@M2
Nobody is ever going to be close to JR. So that is not fair.
But consider this.
SY was not 22 when the Niners had him start. He was a bit older. I think he was just about AS’s age now. So AS can easily last as long as SY with a great HC. And that is what you NEED to have…as this year proved.
Look how good a job TB did drafting and signing the right FA’s. While it is not likely that TB will have an off-season like this every year, it stands to reason that in short order the Niners will be getting more playmakers sooner rather than later. Added to those injured this year, and that is impressive upgrade from this year to next.
Nothing like JR/JT/RC, so don’t compare that. The good news is nobody since that trio has as good of playmakers as thoat trio, so we don’t have to as good as back then.
Just good enough to be better than the guys we line up against.
And we have proven this year we are better than 28 teams already.
Things are only loking up faithful!
Steve Youngs first playoff start he was 31….Alex is 27. Steves super bowl was at 33 years old. Thats 6 years on Smith. Still lots of time for this all to work out. Bradshaw didnt have the best of starts in Pitt but it worked out there, who knows what could happen here. Lets all remember this is year one in this system, not year 4 or 5.
smith better then young? smoke some more bro..
…..”The only QB I know of who could “will” his team to victory was Steve Young time after time.”…
…..I believe that also…..
If memory serves, Steve Young had one playoff late game TD drive to bring the Niners from behind.
Alex Smith just doubled that in a little under 4 minutes!!!
Steve was better because he was a real good runner, and knew how to scramble, if Joe was good at that he
might have lasted longer.
Also, something to think about, when we win the Super Bowl it will have taken Alex Seven years vs. Aaron Rodgers Six, given the different circumstances surrounding them, I’d say that’s not too shabby, not too shabby!! Go Niners!!
Joe Montana was a mobile QB,he just wasn’t as good of a athlete as Steve Young. All this Rodgers comparison is out of line. Remember we to focus on Eli Manning first.The Giants are dangerous.
@squash
Comparisons between AS and JM/SY/AR are what people have been doing this whole time. Whether they want to admt it or not.
Doubt me?
What other teams blog would be so negative going from 9 years no playoffs 6-10 to 13-3 2nd seed as this had been all regular season?
When Smith has a Super Bowl ring, maybe we can finally put 2005 to rest. . .
+1
If I recall, the Giants had problems with VD in the first game. Doubt they’ll have the problem solved by Sunday. If the O-line doea a repeat performance sans sacks, AS and VD should be able smack around the Giant secondary. Even better will be MC and KW rebounding from their poor performance.
I believe that we had an injury one the Line in that game didn’t we? Either Staley or Snyder got injured. I forget which but they were on the sideline for a bit during that game and during the Baltimore game. :(
Guess AR rested on his butt for too long. lol
Naw he got a hernia from putting on the Imaginary WWE title belt.
..:-)
Too many car commercials.
Should have insured his body.
Grant, did I not say I was doubling down when 9ers secured 2nd seed? Where are my winnings?
Nevermind, just let it ride. Alex Smith and Harbaugh take the 9ers to the Super Bowl next. :D
I’ll take a blue-collar QB over a stat QB any day.
I wonder much of an impact the loss of their OC’s son had.
My heart goes out to him and his family.
I was really surprised to see Philbin coaching today. If one of my kids died I’d be useless for months.
I think that could have affected them, but it could have also worked the other way, as an emotional uplifter.
The Giants have been red-hot, period. Packers never really had a chance. Previous Super Bowl winners haven’t had the luck of late.
@La-La
That’s what the Packer brass was counting on…emotional lift.
The Giants are pretty fearsome
I’m not gonna make light of losing a child. Nobody should outlive their kids.
But in my case I lost my kid brother, and my boss asked me if I needed to take the time off. To be honest I did think about it but I told him no and it was good for me to keep busy. If I didn’t have my work at the time I woulda gone nuts, so I can see how he could go to work to try to accomplish something while at the same time staying busy.
Many sympathies to Coach Philbin and his family.
Yeah, that was awful. Definitely, best wishes to the coach.
I understand that this is not a serious comparison … Rodgers is deservedly considered among the best 2 or 3 QB’s in the league. But a real comparison isn’t even possible. Rodgers has been in the same system for 7 years, has better protection, and he is throwing to Jermichael Finley, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and misc. TE’s. Those guys usually get separation and are dependable receivers (though you couldn’t tell that today). Eli Manning has also been in the same system his entire career, based on the GB game he generally gets all day to throw, and he has Manningham, Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Barnum and Ballard as receivers.
Alex, on the other hand, is in his 7th system, gets little time to throw, and has Vernon Davis and a few WR’s that managed 7 catches for 47 yards yesterday. It’s kind of amazing that Alex does as well as he does.
Note: The same draft that earned us the slow, sulking, and undependable Michael Crabtree @ #10 produced Hakeem Nicks @ #29. Who would you rather have today?
I’d like Victor Cruz, that’s who I’d like. Imagine Alex’s stats then.
Michael Crabtree @ #10 vz Hakeem Nicks @ #29. Who would you rather have today?
…great question………I will still pick Crabtree…
Any of the giants three receivers (Cruz, Nicks and Manningham) have all had better seasons than crabtree who is over rated and mediocre at best
@one
Hopefully some on the blog will take note of your post here and stop with the “one is only an AS fan, and hates MC” talk.
Next time anybody says that about you, just reference the above post and thank them for your concern. lol
You’ll be right and respond in such a manner where any neutral person would question the person who would be upset with your reply.
I agree with Jimmy. Call me crazy but I just happen prefer receivers with size, speed, separation and sure hands.
Crabs had a bad game, that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t be so keen on taking Nicks over him just yet…..
Don’t ignore the fact the Niner receivers have to learn new system every year too. For MC, what…3 different ones? They are on the same boat as Alex. People are writing off MC too soon, just like they did to Alex.
Okay, um I’ll give you Sullivan. I wouldn’t wish that guy on a ward of psychosomatic patients who need to catch a cold to stay sane.
But please do not even compare the Receiver position to the QB position. Yeah they have to have their plays memorized but Smith has to have EVERYTHING memorized. Crab was also late to the game in his Rookie season (not Smith’s fault) and if it weren’t for Smith he wouldn’t have made half the impact he did. Also his second year he missed too much time (took himself out for the stinger) and it impacted the chemistry between him and his QB. This year was the foot. Notice how little he was on the field early on. Can’t blame Smith for this.
But granted learning a new Offense is tough when it’s repetitive the way it was for our guys. I’m not condemning Crab, just pointing out where your case is flawed. Even with the minimal time early on Crab has had a fairly good season. Still I hope to see more and not the same types of drops he had Saturday. 2 of the 3 straight drops hit him in the hands and the 3rd one was helped out of his hands by a good Defensive play.
So I will give the guy the benefit of the doubt but please don’t make excuses for the first two seasons. He gets a pass like everyone on this team did when Harbs took over. But the leash will be very short.
We do need a big presence on the Line of Scrimmage that will draw double coverage and allow the other playmakers the opportunities that none of our Receivers seem to be able to contribute consistently.
@c-man
So you’re for sure Crabtree didn’t draw double coverage one single time. And you didn’t mention his TD catch. Either he caught it or it’s FG time. He had his drops, but look at the Packers. All I’m saying is teams like the Packers and Giants, they don’t have to learn a new system as a collected group. Let Crabtree learned the playbook and in sync with Alex and the other receivers and see if things get open up for them, is all I’m saying.
No one’s blaming Alex and you, sir, is the one uses injuries and missed camp time as excuses.
And didnt Vernon said he almost quitted after seeing the playbook? The coaches will be the ultimate judge,
who see more than what’s shown on TV.
@Albert
I think Ceddarman was just pointing out that a WR does not need to know everybody’s role from day 1. Where they need to line up, shift (ex. where a FB shifts does not impact his individual play directly), and everything else that goes into running the offense smoothly. And if the WR does not know what to do on a particular play, it does not always end up in disaster (TO).
Whereas if the QB does not know what each player has to do from day 1, the whole offense may suffer. For instance if the FB lines up in the wrong spot, and the QB does not know this, the two may run into one another due to thinking one is supposed to run one way, but they don’t. The QB may fumble the ball, and D recovers for a TO.
@DS9
I wrote my comments after reading at least 2 posters opined that Crabtree is “mediocre at best”, which I took exception.
C-man himself wrote Crabtree has done well before, and my thinking is he can get much better than mediocre when everyone is on the same page.
C-man’s post is all over the place. Don’t blame Alex.. a
guy named Sullivan. excuse me, what? LOL
If he thinks Crabtree and other WRs can jump right into a new system and run the routes, read the defense at each x, y, z whatever positions while thinking as a group, that’s fine. I said give the receiver core a chance to improve together.
See the separation Crabtree got on his TD catch in the NO game, and his 2 TDs in a game couple weeks ago and nice plays he made before and say he’s mediocre?
Albert… my point was that there isn’t a single Receiver besides Battle that was consistent during Sullivan’s career with the 9ers. He rode Fizgerald and Boldin’s performance coattails and got the job. Since that time the 9ers have ruined more Receivers careers than any other team in the league. Only one guy escaped and that was Antonio Bryant.
When your Receivers aren’t prepared and do not know their routes QB play is going to suffer. When you don’t know where to line up, or how deep you’re going to make your cut or where you have to run after you make your cut how can anyone expect the QB to perform to expectations? Nevermind the ability to get separation is often determined by footwoork and not by speed.
Jerry Rice and John Taylor were not the speediest of Receivers but their footwork was bar none. There was a reason they could get the separation they did and it wasn’t straight line speed.
I’m not saying that Crab sux. I’m just saying that you cannot blame people for calling him out.
I don’t think I have to go back into all the reasons why a lot of fans were down on the guy. He pretty much did it to himself. You can’t blame Sullivan for him missing the first 6 games of his career. Can’t blame Sullivan for him sitting out all of camp with a stinger. Those were choices.
Alex Smith stayed at 4949 Centennial, when Crab showed up 7 weeks in. He ran Crab through the routes he needed to know and Crab was better off for it. But the problem is he was walking a very tight rope where I and a lot of fans were concerned. 2 years in a row, the guy had issues. After he got injured to start THIS season(his 3rd) people didn’t know what to make of it so due to injury and not a whole lot of information to go on and based on the previous two seasons, people were done with the guy.
Crab was even sat for the first few games because Harbs couldn’t trust he was healthy enough to play and he didn’t want to take the chance of ruining the chemistry Smith had built with his Wideouts.
There is a reason Braylon is no longer here. He wasn’t healthy and it was starting to impact chemistry.
I blame Sullivan because his unit never seemed to be or was too often unprepared. That’s what I think you are mistaking for me being all over the map. I tend to go right to the problem and point out why it is a problem. You don’t have to agree with me but since Sullivan was canned this unit has been better.
Still, as I pointed out the QB has a lot more to remember than the Receivers. Some Receivers have to know all the routes that his unit is going to run, but for the most part that’s all taken care of in Team meetings and film study. They get their game plan and are given an outline of what routes they’re responsible for in the game.
Hopefully I have cleared up my point.
@c-man
O’ Sullivan. OK. got it now.
The more reasons to give Crabtree more ropes. I know all the distractions he went thru. You write about the inconsistency the receivers has had thru the past years. Guess what? Aren’t getting familiar with the playbook a major part of it? New systems, revolving door of receivers, JTO, Hill, Smith, patched up OL…
those affected everyone.
The people who are down on Crabtree, I bet, are the ones who are down on Alex. Give the guy a chance instead of “mediorce at best.”
Well it is very clear now that Nicks is hands down the best receiver to come out of that draft. Sure if we could go back in time we would get nicks, but there was no way any team in the NFL would have passed up Crabtree for Nicks on draft day.
I’m just stoked for NFC championship!! If our offense can do the same next week watch out Giants! Everyone has been undermining Alex smith this year how many come back wins has he got us? I am loving life right now and hopefully our defense keeps making hits and plays like we did yesterday; those hits had me going crazy, love it!!!!
How many remarks were made when Harbaugh claimed that Smith was a pro bowl QB? There were dozens of critical remarks and now he is a hero. As I have said on many occasions. Alex Smith is an excellent QB, but it is not a one person game. It takes a team to win and not a bunch of individual stars. On paper NO, GB and the Giants have a better group of high performance players than the 49ers. Any one of those teams should beat the 49ers with the difference they have in talent. The reason that the 49ers win is that it is a team effort. A will to win as a team instilled by the coaching staff. From what I have read there have been no tantrums by deprived stars this season. When all is said and done it will be the best team that will win the championship game and the best team that will win the Superbowl. At this time the Harbaugh bowl could see prime time on Superbowl Sunday if the Ravens can beat the Pats. I hope that Delanie Walker is able to play, but if not may the others pick up the slack this weekend. We will need all the receivers catching the ball and the OL opening some holes and giving AS time to pass. In this game I believe that the Niners are the better team.
@mavin
There were quite a few.
Many laughing.
Many saying “What else can he say?”
And a few out liers who said “Maybe we should take JH at his word. We have trusted him so far, and he hasn’t been wrong.”
Guess which group I was in?
They doubted him, but this success will have everyone believing in coach for years to come!
It takes a special quarterback to make the final few throws that Alex made on Saturday. The deep ball to Veron was a dime and under complete game situation pressure. The Catch 3 throw was an all pro throw that will forever change how Alex Smith is viewed by football experts and fans alike. There are only a handful of quarter backs in the league today that have the ability to step up and throw a ball like that prior to the receiver braking. I’ve always doughted Alex but made the decision to think of him like a rookie as this is his first year with any chance to perform. I think we’ll see the true AS come to life for the rest of his career as his brain power will finally pave the way for his physical abilities. He’s a very smart young man and a talented quarterback with a bright future. Who knows and who cares how he compares to the other elite passers in the game. It’s not like there are other Eli Mannings or Drew Brees’s setting on the sideline waiting for a chance to start for the 49ers next year. He certainly didn’t play well the entire game but he’s proven himself to us faithful for the first time. Lets hope his ability catches up to his brain power and that he can continue his development with the help of the best coach in the league. The niners have the weakest group of recievers in the league outside of Veron who has also proven to be inconsistant at times. I think we’re just starting to see the best of AS and VD… I think they both just got it at the same time. Look for the Niners to play another smash mouth game on Sunday and to win a close one behind the best defense in the league (outside of Baltimore) who probaly wont make it beyond thier game with the Pats due to that quarterback match up.
Unfortunately, I think next year everyone is going to say “but can Alex do it again? All the greats do it day in and day out, year in and year out…blah blah blah”. The good thing is that their insistence on disrespecting the 49ers and Alex Smith will be our motivation to repeat the SuperBowl.
@Ninersroc
Well, at least for 1 season, us fans of the team can just bring up that AR’s failed to get another one the following year. : )
Of course that’s what will happen. It’s about trying to rationalize away the performances.
Trent Baalke is plotting right now which wideouts he’ll take in the 2012 draft and/or which big time free agent he’ll try to get. Add those players with a team that should improve across the board as they are young and in their primes and there is a lot to look forward to.
Rodgers is a great, great QB, has everything it takes. I have not been an admirer of Alex Smith over the years. I’ll just say that I have watched that last drive a number of times now, really looking at everything Alex did – his command over the team, his pocket presence, timing, his absolutely fantastic passing and I’m telling you – I’ve been watching 49er football since 1967 and I’ve not seen it done any better by ANYONE, and that includes Joe. You can youtube the winning drive in the SB against Cinci and you’ll see what I mean. Brady, Rodgers and Manning have each had just one head coach their ENTIRE careers in the NFL (and Brees just one in all his years with the Saints). Now Alex has a coach who knows his business. And this year we are seeing the start of a great NFL careerr for Alex. He’s been making plays and leading this team all year. But you’ve got to do it under pressure in the playoffs, and he just did, in spectacular fashion (as JH would say).
Kezar: I get your point, but Rodgers has had 2 coaches…and I’m not sure which Manning you are referring to.
So who was the other coach that AR had, I think you are wrong, I’m sure Rodgers has had only one, and that is Mike M.
I don’t know his name.
But AS and AR were drafted in the same season. And the Pack current HC was the Niner OC who choose AS over AR.
So obviously, AR must have had 2 HC in GB since their current HC was our OC at the time of he draft.
Sherman.
Seemed like the coach Harbaugh and the offense was totally at a lose of what to do late in the 3rd quater, can’t remember a Niner playoff team looking that bad before. The run play to Gore where he tried to pass it back to Smith was the lowest point in the game. I think the Niner got reall lucky to pull out the win. Crabtree chocked and the only way they won was because of the best 3 throws of Alex’s career. The defense deserves more credit then the offense as Justin Smith is the teams MVP and my favorite defensive Niner since Brant Young retired… The play where he bull rushed the OL man and pulled Brees down in one motion was unreal!
If you don’t remember a 49er playoff team looking that bad before, then you probably don’t remember 1987 at the Stick when the 49ers were by far the best team in the NFL all year and then the Vikings came in – “the fizzle in the drizzle” – Joe was benched towards the end of that game. And the playoffs in 1986 against the Giants when we lost something like 49 – 3, game Jim Burt knocked Montana out. Or in 1985. Yes, we rebounded in 1988 in “spectacular fashion”, but that’s football, baby. As Bill Walsh liked to remind people, THERE’S ANOTHER TEAM PLAYING AND THEY WANT TO WIN TOO.
KezarMike, good stuff, that’s the thing that’s been bothering me…this kind of emotional, crazy comeback (complete with tears) reminds me of these comebacks, which proved to be the high water mark of those years. But i think/hope now that we have beaten a crazy offensive machine like the Saints, and have an NFC Championship at home, that we have a chance to go all the way. I hate any reference to the TO-Stever Young “Catch” – yes, it was a great play, but it was the last great memory of that year. As a Niner fan, i can enjoy any season, but the real standard for a season is, did we win the Super Bowl.
And I have to add because you hear these things by the “experts” – Alex’s problems with “accuracy”, “ordinary arm” “won’t throw downfield” blah blah blah. Actually what I want to do is just tell all these folks that in the USA now, there are many, MANY places that specialize in eyeglasses. You can get free exams, two pairs for the price of one, even contacts if you think you look bad in glasses. Lenscrafters, mom an pop places even if you want to patronize non chain stores. Take advantage of them.
I was never a fan of Smith but always felt that he never got a chance with the Niners (although he got plenty of money). I’d have been perfectly happy if he had left for a team that would have given him a chance to succeed. I bet Baalke would have been fine with letting him walk. I’m glad that Harbaugh and he made the right call.
Accuracy can improve steadily with proper coaching. Niners could use a genuine deep threat at WR — something they have been searching (along with a true pass rusher) for years. It took several years before they found the pass rusher. Luckily the WCO does not rely on a deep threat, and Niners don’t have to overpay a FA for that position.
I’m in a writing mood today I guess. This thing about grading QB’s in a game is very bizzare – like they are figure skaters or something. Grading them on mistakes made throughout the game, like your grade goes down from a potential A+ if you make a mis-step. ??????? This is football, folks, FOOTBALL! Montana threw THREE interceptions in “the catch game” 30 years ago. But he also made some tremendous plays (see if you can find that first TD to Clark in that game where Joe looks like a football version of Dr. J with his great athleticism) and down the stretch in an 89 yard drive, he was other worldly with his accuracy and presence. Uhm, he doesn’t get an A+ because he wasn’t great in some parts of the game? Surely you jest. Alex simply had a game for the ages, one of the all time 49er games by a QB. He matched Joe, Steve and Jeff’s best. Do I want to see another one? Oh yeah, a Super Bowl this year would be sweet, man.
Kezar
Keep up the writing!
e fans, especially the young ones, tend to look at the Niners glory years with rose-colored glasses. They need to be reminded that Joe and Steve had plenty of bad plays and bad games. And this focus on individual performances in a team game is beyond ridiculous, and reveals a lack of appreciation of the complexity of the game.
I don’t think we have seen the ceiling for Alex Smith. He has the tools and mental makeup to be a consistent top-10 passer in the league, and a top-5 QB if he stays healthy and hungry.
I found this website that has some old Niner game highlights:
http://www.hulu.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers
But of course the highlights don’t usually include the bad plays.
Nice site! Thanks, DS.
Where are the Alex Smith haters now. One game away from the Superbowl and home field advantage. My whole theory on Alex Smith is that 6 of the last seven OC staked there jon on Alex. When you are making hundards of thousands of dollars you are not going to stake that kind of money on someone who does not have talent.
God Bless
@Larry Rowe
There hate is still there. It has already been directed at those who supported AS.
Some are no longer haters, and that is good for everybody . : )
Some are haters who just hate anything/anybody. : (
Some people just can’t give others credit for taking a stand earlier.. and end up being right while they get bashed for taking a position which was not popular at the time, but ended up being true. A nice concise post saying “You were right.” would go a long way towards mending things.
9erGirl – She’s baaaack!! (NYGiantsGirl)……keep her in check 9erGirl!
http://nygiantsgirl.com/
You single fellas wouldn’t “kick her outa blog!”
We’ve got Marissa Miller. Did you see her tweet before the game? No parties, she was watching the game with her dad – wanted maximum focus and concentration on the game.
Rock on, Marissa Niner!
NO DROOLING ADAM!
Is this what you were referring to Crab?
My 2 cents:
NYGiantsGirl is pretty…but Adam has a point – Marissa should be the poster woman for “49erGirl” – she’s waayyy hotter than NYGiantsGirl :-). And, apparently a serious fan as well!
I’d give her my name if she wanted it, lol!
Comparing Rodgers with Smith is a joke cuz Rodgers is still way better and that stays so, with a guy like Rodgers we would contend every year for a SB, wait till teams figure us out than its bye bye Smith.
And they will figure us out, that is one thing I don’t like about JH. He doesn’t game change, and he has already said that he will not change the way they play, that could be there biggest down fall.
@Ron
Don’t change what isn’t broken.
Especially since it got us to 13-3 2nd seed and a bye in the playoffs.
Then a win in the playoffs, and the title game in SF again.
Tell me again why JH should change things up?
Don’t make the other team determine how you start playing the game. How does that help us win? By playing their game, what are chances we win as opposed to them being forced to play our game?
And definitely don’t change when you are not forced to do so. Coaches do that all the time, and they out-think themselves out of a win.
Ouch! Colin Cowherd just said, “who does Alex Smith have after Vernon Davis? Michael Crabtree? Crabtree is a B- guy with bad hands.”
I suspect the first time he’s watched a Niners game this season was on Saturday. Crabs has good hands, just not super physical, can’t get a lot of YAC.
Don’t know about Aaron Rodgers but Jim Mora Sr. just said, “Alex outplayed Drew Brees (which is hard to do.)”
Adam – Colin Cowherd said this a few weeks back about Mark Sanchez, “behind Rogers and Romo–he’s probably the best thrower on the run in the league.” He said Romo was the 2nd best QB in the league earlier in the season! There goes Clownherd’s credibility. His top QBs are home watching the playoffs now!!
What about the Packers so-called stud WR’s dropping 10 passes the last 2 games? Are Jennings and Jordy B- now too? Drops are part of football.
Crabtree did have 3 drops (2 were pathetic) but he did catch the TD that put us up 14-0. He will bounce back, just a bad game. I would’ve blamed Crabtree if we lost that game.
I’m surprised anyone still thinks Colin Cowherd’s opinion is worth their time.
Yeah, I’m not a big talk radio fan in general. Most of these guys are blowhards and like the TV heads, they’ve been wrong on the Niners all year long.
Thought I’d listen today to see what the buzz was on the Niners.
Talking about being a prisoner of the moment, one game makes Alex Smith in the same category as Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has a Super Bowl, Smith does not, if he knocks off the Giants I would be more open to this conversation and if he wins a Super Bowl, I would say yes he is in the same category. Also I have never seen so many drop passes from the Packer’s receiver’s.
I believe that when I was doing that comparison a few months back comparing Alex Smith to other QBs – the team with the highest percentage of drops was actually Green Bay. As good as their receivers are they do tend to drop quite a few. But… they also come up with some big plays.
@Adam
I saw on GB game where the announcers just blasted the WR for not coming up with a ball which was a good yard behind the WR who was running full speed and the ball was thrown low to boot. Basically it was a piss poor pass by AR, but the announcers completely blamed the WR for not being a contortionist.
I don’t know if that counted as a drop, but the announcers sure made it seem that way.
Yeah, Rodgers didn’t look good yesterday. Definitely rusty. Guess they’ll all question the three weeks off up there in Wisconsin.
@Adam
Maybe rust.
But, I’ll bet it has a lot more to do with him playing a good defense (NY) this year. He has not had to play a lot of good defenses. And he has not dominated those few games where he did play them. Think there is something to that?
NY Giants have both a good defense and offense. We do as well. But, we’re better.
Could be. We have to watch for that too. The Giants had a bunch of guys injured when we played them last so they’ll be a bit of a different team.
Fortunately, we’re a different (more mature and confident) team, too.
Should be a hell of a game. I’m glad for our fans that it’s a home game. We all need this after a decade of mediocre football.
I’m taking a break from the excitement today (Saturday wore me out :P) but I’m gonna start ramping it back up tomorrow! Positive vibes head to The Point!!
@Adam
But this time the field will be soggy and wet and horrible.
So, the speed on the Giants outside will be nullified quite a bit. The last time the two teams played, I believe it was the speed of the WR’s which gave the Niners some trouble.
While the soggy field in one way favors the offense since they know where they are going, and the D is reacting, that cancels itself out as well since both offenses have that advantage.
And our DL can put pressure on anybody without blitzing. GB could not. Let’s not forget about that Adam. That exposes the secondary. Our OL plays like they did against NO, we are going to the Super Bowl. No doubt.
That play by JS was awesome. 3 man rush and he just dominated the OL. Took DB down even though he didn’t get the sack. That was greatness.
Enjoy your day Adam! : )
KNBR stole my “Empire Strikes Back” theme music and notion.
I want some sort of payment. lol
49ers vs. Giants comes down to Anthony Davis and Joe Staley keeping those rushers off Alex Smith. If they can give up less than a couple sacks … we should win the game.
Let us not forget…without all those turnovers the game isn’t even close. Alex didn’t look very good for the first 3 and a half quarters, especially in the second half. Alex Smith is our weak link. If he plays like he did the last 3 minutes we have a chance, if he plays like alex smith, we don’t…
Go Niners…
please don’t mention A.Smith with any super bowl winning qb, please
AS only looked bad when he had to throw the ball away due to pass rush or receivers not open. Add the drops, and AS had a hell of a game. The 1st qtr was good and the 4th qtr was perfect. GR was a bit conservative in the 2nd and 3rd qtrs which didn’t help but at least he made the calls necessary in the 4th qtr.
I don’t know what game you were watching, but AS had two good
quarters, the first, and the last half of the 4th.
“please don’t mention A.Smith with any super bowl winning qb, please”
Why not?
@Adam
Have you read his past posts?
That will explain why.
Never seen the name before.
Didn’t miss anything of merit then.
You can go back and look for his name if you like, but knowing what ticks you off, I get a feeling you would not like what was posted .
“Alex didn’t look very good for the first 3 and a half quarters”
He had 2 TD passes in the 1st quarter. Did you even watch the game at all?
That’s plain whack logic, you can’t take away the turnovers, 4 of them were EARNED by the defense and ST. Just take away the 2 ‘prayers’ that Brees just threw up there that resulted in TD’s and the game isn’t even that close.
The TEAM was conserative in the 2nd quarter because we had a big lead, once the Saints actually got back in the game, they unleashed Alex and he played GREAT.
3rdKing- You gotta come stronger than that, way too many people actually know what they’re talking about on this blog.
“”With Rodgers we would be contending for the Super Bowl every season”" or something like that was said before by someone.
Really? Before last season all Rodger could muster was ONE game in playoffs and he lost. Then last year he won the Super Bowl. Then this year he had ONE game and lost.
I know Smith has just had ONE playoff game and won. But the reality is that every single year more often than not you need a complete team to be fully focused and engaged to make it and win it. It is not about whether Marino had more yards than Montana, ergo he will win; or Brady is leagues better than Eli, ergo he will win.
Green Bay last season had one of the top defenses, one of the top offenses, and cannot recall their specila teams. So, complete, focused and engaged team = they win. This season, their defense was missing in action = they lose.
Niners have been a complete, focused and engaged team. If we continue like that we have a great chance of winning vs Giants or New England or Baltimore.
And next season, if we come back as complete, focused and engaged, we will do it again. If all of a sudden Somebody “leaves for vacation” from offense or defense or special teams, we will not.
But we will. Baalke will resign the people that need to be resigned. He will try and bring more good complements. Harbaugh will go out on a massive manhunt for Mr. Soft and bludgeon him once again.
This team is special, not because of highlight preatty plays, but because they are a complete, focused and engaged team. We WILL be ready to battle the Giants.
They come to our house as another complete, focused and engaged team. It will be a great battle, one which I am confident will be won by the better team: 49ers.
And Rodgers is not invited. Let him take out his ring, polish it, shed a tear, I could not care less.
David H.
Nice quote and reference from facts. : )
All that talk was just masking the utter hatred some had for AS. AR was not all that great before last year. That would be year 6 for him.
If AS wins the Super Bowl in year 7, I don’t see how AR is all that much greater than AS.
Give AS some awesome WR’s and a weak schedule, and see what he can do. And I don’t care if doesn’t throw for 4000 yards. AS gets comeback wins on the road and a 13-3 like record, and I’ll be happy with that. Go into the playoffs and take your chances.
I don’t know everybody is so gung ho about “elite QB”. Especially since there is no real definition of the word “elite QB”. So, why does everybody bring it up and want it when we can’t all decide what the term means anyway?
After all, there may be a handful of elite QB’s, but at the end of the year, only 1 will have been successful. The others would have failed. Does that drop their status? If not, why? If an elite QB ha s not won a Super Bowl after a number of years, does he lose his elite status? If somebody was not “elite” before then wins, does that make them elite just because they won the Super Bowl? And if they win now, does that mean that they were elite all those years before they won? If you think AR is elite, then you must answer yes to that last question. Because he did not have a great W-L record in the regular season (until this year) or the postseason (last year). So by what basis does one go one that determines AR’s eliteness? What if AR’s had gone 16-0 with 3500 yards passing and 20TD’s and 12picks. Would that make him elite? That would make him a “game manger QB”. Is he elite? Or what if he throws for 7,000 yards with a record of 9-7? If winning games is a requirement how good a record does a QB need to post? And for how many seasons? Will 1 good season outweigh 5 mediocre ones?
Before people decide whether somebody is elite or not, or can ever be..we all have to decide what “elite” means. And stick to that definition. An impossible feat to be sure on a blog, but that is what must be done to put away this silly useless argument.
Hahaha… Ratto:
“If (or when, for you pigheaded optimists) the 49ers get their new stadium, there should be a statue of Alex Smith near the front gate. He will be standing in uniform, a football in one hand, and an upraised middle finger adorning the other.
http://www.csnbayarea.com/01/16/12/Alex-Smith-detractors—-take-your-medic/landing.html?blockID=632126&feedID=5884
What he neglects to mention is that the middle finger will be directed to HIM, and all the jerks who trashed Alex for the past 8 years. Pigheaded? Ratto leads the pack!
@rusty
Nothing false in your post.
I would add though that he is consistent in his pigheadedness. And that takes some doing.
I’m not sure about that. Many months back Ratto started changing his tune on Smith a bit, “nobody is sure what Smith can do because of all the chaos around him.”
He’s a curmudgeon for sure, but kinda funny :P
Actually, early in the season Ratto said it was time to stop critiquing Smith and see what he could do with a full season under Harbaugh. He has not ripped him at all this season.
@Adam/rocket
But I prefer to ignore this season’s work, and judge him strictly by his past work. I reserve the right to not acknowledge anything he has said/wrote this year. lol
Let’s keep it real. Rodgers is, most days, more accurate, with a stronger arm and quicker release. Probably he reads defenses better, and he’s a quicker decision maker. But this weekend Alex was a better quarterback, one great throw after another, and it’s so wonderful that we’re having this discussion, and people are even wondering, is this the next great 49er quarterback after Montana, Young, and Garcia. Amazing and fantastic.
What the Green Bay game showed more than anything was that rating a quarterback by his numbers is not an exact science and depends as much on his protection and receivers as it does on his skill level. Yesterday the Giants were putting a lot of pressure on Rodgers and his receivers weren’t getting wide open like they usually do, and because of the fact that it wasn’t going like it usually does, there were drops and inacurrate passes.
I’m really, really happy for Alex. He’s done everything he could to get better, and the stars have aligned, and he deserves it.
So much for the ‘this is a passing league’ the football talking-heads have been peddaling throughout the season.
All the ‘big numbers’ QB’ (Rodgers, Brees, Stafford) are gone. Their 300 – 400 yard passing games are suddenly pedestrian and unsubstantial at the moment.
The pundits pushed their agenda that we needed big numbers from our QB to win during the season and especially in the playoffs. Now, they will need to quickly scramble to adjust their theory.
Harbaugh and Co is breaking the mold, and producing ‘game managers’ may become the NFL norm after our SB win.
I know that Harbaugh deflects all personal accolades, we seen it last year after Stanford won their big bowl game and this season as well. But Harbaugh has made the 49ers ‘relevent’ and ‘highly respected’ once again.
What a ‘ride!’
wht a douche baggy 3rdking is_prob one of thos lil boys who talks like he’s ev playd a day of ball in his pathetic existence
Which nutcase said Steve Young was only above average? You don’t lead the league in touchdowns and qb rating for four straight years, and rating 6 of 7, if you are merely above average.
Rodgers had a great regular season but Alex Smith played better when it mattered MOST.
I went to a bar in LA and these Niner fans broke out on old classic…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEVsF4KDnME
thought I’d share…
I prefer the song of the 80′s that I always would sing to my co-workers who were Rams or Cowpies fans(etc). (after we crushed them).
…Were the 49ers,we won’t stop until we reach the top,were the 49er,were dynamite,were outta sight !
Honestly 45 tds to 17 tds, 4 playoff wins to one playoff win, 15-1 to 13-3, 24th pick to 1st overall, 4600 yds to 3400??? Don’t even bring them up in the same sentence
The comparisons are both inevitable and fair given their draft history. You have to ask that had Rodgers been drafted first instead of Smith, would he even still be here? This raises questions about both durability and personality.
As important as the issue of coaches and coordinators is, an even more important question is how many QBs would still be playing anywhere if they had been on those 2005-7 49er teams? The O-lines were awful and the 2007 team finished game 16 with it’s fourth string QB on the field. Smith had a destroyed shoulder and Shaun Hill had a broken back. Meanwhile Rodgers spent those years in a protective bubble carrying a clipboard watching Brett Favre play. As a starter, he has had concussion issues that raised durability issues about him as recently as last year. He would undoubtedly have taken more punishment as a 49er.
The other amazing thing about Smith (and we’ll probably never know this about Rodgers) is his willingness to put up with abuse and still return to try again. He has been booed relentlessly in his home stadium, called “Alice,” and the “Bust” on 49er blogs, and had his sexual orientation questioned by some. I’m guessing Rodgers would have been given better treatment as a NoCal boy, but this is a fan base with high standards and even he would have faced issues on those teams.
Who would come back for more of that? Alex Smith did and it is hard to imagine the 9ers would still be playing had Harbaugh chosen any of the other alternatives out there this spring. Smith had the intelligence to see that this was his best chance to win (which he has done with amazing regularity everywhere else), and the determination to finish what he started. You flatter Aaron Rodgers or anyone else to assume they would have done as well.
@chargerfan.
WOW
1. Your name is familiar. Have we ever conversed?
2. Please become a Niner fan and post here on a regular basis.
That was absolutely fabulous.
@Benny:
What about the following sentence?
Alex Smith is preparing to play in the NFC Championship Game while Aaron Rogers is clearing out his locker and reserving tee times.
Is that okay?
From Matt M:
“Former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo will be the team’s honorary captain Sunday during the coin toss before the team’s NFC Championship Game against the New York Giants, 49ers president Jed York announced Monday.”
Nice! Even more connections to 1981!!
Love it!
Rodgers had his worst day of the year,probably many years. Alex had his greatest game ever,especially in the 1st and 4th quarters.
But there is no debate about who is the vastly superior QB. I am a homer and love my Niners,but I would never say that My player is better than your player ,just because one of the players is on MY team. I like to think we ,as Niner’s fans ,can be objective.
That being said,if Alex keeps up like he did on Saturday and keeps improving,,we won’t need Rodgers to win the SB and to be an elite team for years to come.
I have said for a long time that I didn’t think Alex could ever be the Franchise QB …BUT I also ALWAYS added that if Alex keeps up the improvement and tales huge steps foreward,that he himself has the possibility of being the upgrade we have needed at QB for years. Alex played two great quarters and two fair quarters on Sat. But most QB’s don’t play lights out every play of every game. Alex played great Saturday,overall, and if he keeps it up ,with our Defense and ST’s and coaching ,that should mean we are the SB Champs in 3 weeks time ! I have always said that with this D and ST’s and coaching,that if Alex starts to contribute as much as they do that it would just be gravy…well,there was gravy all over the table on Saturday !!!
GOOD JOB ALEX !!! Now do it again,and again !!! I always say that if you show you can do it once,there is no reason you can’t do it over and over again !
Jim,Beat the Giants and then go beat up your older Brother . I had an older Brother 6 years my senior and my advice to you Jim is to do what I did…Kick him in the balls !!! LOL
…And those who don’t like the fact that Alex and the offense went to sleep for over 2 quarters… Dwight Clark and Eric Davis and Alex himself mentioned it after the game,so you know it’s not just “haters ” sayingv it,unless Alex hates himself.. It’s not a rip of alex to tell the truth. Alex had a great game overall and had his greatest plays when it counted,so there is nothing but respect for what Alex did on the field Saturday ,from me. I love it when I respect Alex’s performance ON the field as much as I respect Alex as a person off the field !!! Hasn’t happened all that much in the past,but with that performance on Sat. it looks like I may be able to say that quite a bit more often in the future.,..I hope so !
Alex holding the SB trophy ,I can envision it now !!! I am so happy for him (And ME !).
The thing is, who the hell cares that they didn’t score for two quarters? Neither did the Saints. Do you want to start ripping Drew Brees? The Niners just won a game on the arm of Alex Smith. I know it’s hard for guys who have ripped him for years to accept, but it’s time to suck it up. Focusing on what the offense didn’t do when they just won a playoff game against the hottest team in league coming in, is so ridiculous I can’t even put it into words.
I’ve followed Aaron Rodgers since his days at Cal, and he was already completing close to 75% of his passes in a pro-style offense. He has that pitching motion when he throws, and he can do it while he’s running, so I wasn’t surprised that he’s a very accurate pro passer. As a 49er fan, I was a little disappointed when Alex Smith was picked, but I’m convinced that either of the two quarterbacks would have been set up for failure in the 49ers’ system of Mike Nolan/Singletary. I like the drafts conducted during the era of the two Mikes, they just didn’t know how to put the talent together. Time will tell if Nolan was correct when he said “Alex Smith will be the better QB in the longer term”.
I will say “No”, Aaron Rodgers is definitely the more talented QB, and he will continue to be a star.
Alex Smith will eventually be known as an above average QB. He will never be a 5000 yard elite passer that occasionally makes mistakes. Instead he will be a 3000-4000 yard passer that almost never makes mistakes. I’ll be happy to take that as a Niner fan.
Alex had a sensational final four minutes of the game, two great long drives with some good, accurate passes. On that final drive, prior to the long completion to Vernon Davis, he made another solid pass that could have been a TD if Brett Swain had kept running.
But in the first 56 minutes of the game, Smith had about 140 yards passing. In those 56 minutes, he didn’t make NO pay for their blitzing, he couldn’t convert on 3rd down and he (and the rest of the offense) kept the 49ers defense on the field way too long. That was how Smith played for most of the year.
So what’s he going to be like next weekend, next year and beyond? I’m rooting hard for the guy to carry those last four minutes and a boatload of confidence over to the Giants and beyond. But there’s a very long track record with Smith.
“So what’s he going to be like next weekend, next year and beyond?
We’ll find out! He will be signed to a long term contract and with some help from the draft, some talent at WR that can improve his play even more.
Go 9ers!
Oh look, the kitty is back, and he is trying to convince us that we didn’t see what we saw and that he really wasn’t wrong about Smith.
In those 56 minutes, he didn’t make NO pay for their blitzing
You mean except for that first TD pass to Davis.
But there’s a very long track record with Smith.
Yeah, except that it is largely irrelevant. What he did or didn’t do during six years of consistently changing schemes, incompetent coaching, rosters lacking in talent and injury is not very predictive of what he can do and is doing under Harbaugh in this system with this team.
I’ll take a 100 yards if it comes down to making the play(s) to win the game.
@rocket
It’s called consistency.
Here’s what our “game manager” did:
1) Alex Smith is one of only four quarterbacks to throw 3 TDs, run 1 TD and have 0 interceptions in a playoff game.
2) Smith became the only player in NFL history to score two lead changing touchdowns in the final 3 minutes of a playoff game.
Fitting that it happened in San Francisco, the land of football miracles :)
I can’t believe we still have some people trying to minimize this guy. He just won the 9ers a freaking playoff game bbthekitty. What the hell do you want from him? They won the game, Smith was the biggest reason and you still want to talk about what he didn’t do. Unbelievable.
@rocket:
Haters gonna hate. That same attitude would have excoriated Joe Montana for the three picks he threw in the 1981 (season) NFC Championship game.
It also completely ignores the fact that there was another talented team on the field trying to stop the 49ers from scoring.
It blows my mind Claude. One of the best wins in franchise history which is saying something, and we’ve got people on here bitching about the QB and offense not scoring enough at other points in the game. Meanwhile the best offense in the league did the exact same thing and also lost. I can’t even stomach this crap anymore.
@rocket
You can’t stomach this?
That is why I do what I do. You have my reasoning right there.
While I think it is, at the very least, amusing to hear from both sides of the Alex Smith coin now… i.e. continuing haters and hater converts, in a scientific vein, isn’t the empirical evidence of Alex’s quality pretty much sufficient at this point to end the debate. Who cares why it’s happening or who’s responsible for the excellence of his performance… facts are facts… it has been excellent.
Lowell, on the Cohn Zohn was kind enough to reprint an article by Jim Trotter from SI. The article chronicles allot of background into Alex’s story since arriving here in SF. It’s a good read. Even so, putting the maudlin aside… if you are willing to admit it… it would have been enough to make most all of us quit a long time ago. IMO, the fact that he had the balls to stick with it and prove to everyone that he could do it and that he was something much better than a first overall draft pick dud says much more about the quality of this guy than even his performance on the field.
@Morg
I said the debate would end this season and got pumelled for saying so at about mid-season.
And you are right. It is over.
@DS94
Totally agree… it’s over. One word description for Alex and the whole team in general… “Character”
Too much cool aid… nah
: – )
Oh man, I am DYING laughing right now!!
The ultimate Harbaugh vs. Schwartz image: http://i.imgur.com/YqFMW.gif
Ahhh… I have to catch my breath.