As you may have heard, Alex Smith accepted the AP Coach of the Year Award for Jim Harbaugh on Saturday.
Here’s what Smith said, courtesy of the SF Gate:
“I was trying to think what Coach Harbaugh would say if he was here. He would probably say that he doesn’t deserve this. It’s just the type of guy he is. He’d give all the credit to the players, to the assistant coaches. It’s just who he is. And from someone who’s had one or two coaches in my career, I’d just like to tell you that this is well-deserved. Congratulations, Coach. Thank you.”
What’s the subtext of this? To me, it’s clear – Harbaugh is Smith. Smith is Harbaugh. They’re each other’s biggest advocates. They see themselves as a perfect match – head coach and quarterback, and they’re going to be working together for a while.
It’s easy to see why they like each other. From Smith’s perspective, Harbaugh pretty much saved his career. From Harbaugh’s perspective, Smith is everything he wants in a quarterback. He has no ego, he never gives up, he’s best when he’s behind in the fourth quarter and he follows Harbaugh’s extensive instructions to a tee.
Smith is not merely the 49ers place holder at QB until Colin Kaepernick improves. Smith is Harbaugh’s guy.
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Smith is Harbaugh’s guy until JH finds a better guy.
I don’t think Harbaugh is going to be actively searching for a better guy. one may magically appear. CK may grow into that guy. But I think if there’s one position where JH is not looking at making a move, it’s QB. for better or for worse.
Any good organization or coach should always be looking to improve their roster. You can never have too many good Qbs in this league! With that said, whatever Jim H decides i will trust his decision since he is putting his job on the line. I believe Alex Smith is going to grow and become even better next year with a full off season to work with Jim Harbaugh. GO NINERS and Alex
I agree with Brady on this one. QB is pretty far down on the priority list for Harbs.
And I’m good with that. I think Alex will continue to improve as he continues to learn the offense and gets better weapons and protection around him. He wont be a Brady, Brees, or Rodgers, but he’ll be just what we need and he’ll get us that “W”. Of coarse with the aid of an amazing defense.
I believe Alex has the potential to be a high caliber QB once he has the complete knowledge of the system and support of his coaching staff to let it lose! Alex has played in a very disfunctional system that was not suitable for developing a QB! Just look at the NFL, all the teams with success have a foundation for promoting a TEAM, so the players can execute as one. Jim H will make Alex shine in the future.
sorry for the typo: dysfunctional
I don’t think that the offense is being held back by a lack of confidence in Alex to “turn it loose”. I think that what you see is JH’s idea of how he wants the offense to operate and he likes Alex because he follows his instructions to a T. Even better, Alex takes all the criticism for the conservative play calling and is thick-skinned enough not to complain.
@Grant
Do a blog post comparing JH and AS. How their careers went/are going.
I think you’ll find them to be freaky similar. That when JH looks at AS, he sees JH minus a few decades.
Grant, thanks for the read.
Seems to me that AS is just part of the JH plan for winning in his system and program. Clearly JH sees AS improving and becoming more of a player the 9ers can continue to get better with and win with. There is little doubt that if AS doesn’t continue the commitment to improve and show degrees of improvement, he won’t be on the team. I’m not so sure there is much more than that. Maybe mutual respect for both of them working hard day in day out, but NFL football is a business and that is where the loyalty ends.
Well said Hofer
Hofer we truly had the chance to take the trophy! GO NINERS
If JH does in fact see AS as a mirror image of himself, we can only hope that this year wasn’t the high water mark like ’95 was for JH.
It only went downhill for JH as a player after losing that championship game.
one can only hope
Jack and Neal, dream, dream, dream away boys, Alex is here to say! Love it more so than hearing you guys squirm at how much you loath him.
Don’t worry though the bandwagon will always welcome people like you on it, more so to check the oil and wash it once in awhile.
@prime
No matter what the haters say, AS was done with the team. Likely going to AZ or Seattle where he could show his passion twice a year, and once a year in SF. JH had to convince AS to stay. AS did not go to JH and beg for a job. JH trusts AS more than any HC has ever trusted any NFL player. JH gave AS a FA his playbook! This happens in ABC family original movies, not in the NFL! JH said AS should be a pro bowler, and I don’t think he was convinced by a blog to say that. JH said “Maybe it’s time to give AS some credit.” JH said “I think I’ve made my feelings clear” on the question of whether to bring AS back.
The haters can’t alter history.
DS,
What does trust have to do with your QB not pulling the trigger?? If he trusts you to go and win the game and you’re scared to complete passes, have you betrayed his trust??? Alex is a class act and a loyal soldier. I wish he were as good a QB. Then we would have something!
The only haters on this site are the AS fan club, they hate everyone who does not support their man crush.
What’s so funny is both sides are wrong. AS isn’t a terrible QB, “afraid to pull the trigger”. AS is also not the second coming. At least not yet, anyway. It just can’t be denied that he left plays on the field against the Giants [although, the 49ers should've won anyway - many times over, actually].
If he continues to improve at the rate he has so far under Harbaugh, he will be at least a really good NFL QB by the end of next year. He may have reached his ceiling already, but I doubt it.
Getting him a full compliment of NFL quality WR’s wouldn’t hurt either. Not to mention reducing the sack total from 44 down to, say, 22 [yes, yes, some of the sacks were AS's fault, but most were the fault of the OL].
@exgolfer
I never saw DW running free. The only time the camera ever remotely showed DW on the sideline was that play where the defender stopped covering DW was because AS was gettimg bodyslammed. Before the sack, DW had a good case against the defender of molestation, he was so close on him.
I have not read/heard/seen anybody besides Cosell (he does not count) bring the play up besides the haters (who also don’t count).
The post-game crew on CSN never brought it up, nor did the KTVU guys I hear. Until Cosell said it, it was not discussed.
@PrimeTime
What do you think of Lexx?
That was me who brought up Lexx.
And, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nothing like it before, during or since.
What happened to the good old days when SB kickoff was at 3pm?..and in January!
And why couldn’t Harbaugh get it himself? And why would Alex Smith fly across country just to sub?..was it given at Indy?
Harbaugh is playing in the ATT golf tournament at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills next week.
SB kicks off later for prime time. Its in February for sweeps ratings and the season starts later (I believe) and theres the bye week.
And was noted Harbaugh was busy and he wouldnt have gone if he wasnt, not his thing.
Alex was there cause, dun dun dun, he was a finalist for the Comeback Player of the Year award.
Stan needs to pay more attention.
god bless america and the military industrial complex thats ruined the economy.
The NFL just cant say no.
@Stan
Have you ever watched “Why We Fight?” You can see the whole movie on youtube. It’ll let you think about the military industrial complex in a lot of ways.
Yes, defense spending has been out of control, but reducing any problem, much less one so complex as the economy, to such simple terms is myopic, IMO.
“Why We Fight”. Absolutely great film. It should be required viewing in high school civics classes. I expect it would be classified as a security threat, or some other form of subversive propaganda, and banned if anyone tried to add it to the curriculum.
Even in Canada? lol
But that film definitely shown a light on things for me. Saw it on PBS. Liked it so much, I donated money to PBS to get the DVD.
Cause Harbaugh could care less. He doesn’t want to be the next Rex Ryan. Plus I think he wanted to send a message to everyone that Smith is his QB going forward. Like I said, can wait to see what the offense does next season with the playbook fully utilized. Btw, great piece Grant.
Rex Ryan could never have PM as a QB, his ego is too big to share with PM.
The NFL cant celebrate peace? It has embrace war? I cant wait until the Occupy party president takes over in 20 years…
The Occupy Party President? The lefties have done enough to dismantle America, the last thing this country needs is a President that supports the actions of the Occupy movement. The ideals of the movement are to be applauded, but the means they’re employing in order to achieve those dreams aren’t helping their cause.
……a teabagger sighting……..
…After 8 yrs of Bush you actually have the audacity to mis-inform on the history of dismantling America…..
Make that 30+ years of insane Reaganomic policies that have ruined our economy
This is a football blog but if you want to take it to a different direction by spitting all the fox news bs that has brain washed you at least try to have a logic for your opinion! What you label, the lefties have not dismantled America my friend! Greed, corruption, unjustified war which is costing our country over 1.29 trillion has bankrupted our country. All this bs right and left is just an easy method to create distraction among us so we cannot focus on why our system has been corrupted! We all want the same thing regard less of our spiritual belief or cultural heritage: Freedom, Equality, Opportunity, Peace and a community where we stand as one as an intelligent social being. Although our welfare system needs to by modified, the people on our welfare alone are not dismantling America, or even our current president! Our entire system is a byproduct of a global scheme to generate fear, hatred among us to gain power and wealth. I am an executive for corporate America and believe in a free enterprise as long as we all pay our fair dues to our society and contribute to make this planet a better place for all our children.
Contribute? Why contribute when it is so much more fun to collect? Besides, how are you going to go occupy something that is not yours if you have to go to work and contribute? How are you going to find the time go blog all day about how unfair life is if you have to go to work? Why contribute when all you need to do is take and complain?
“Plutocracy”. Look up the word 55Niner. We’re living it.
AND if the 49ers are only worth 360 mill-I’ll take two. Owners are the biggest liars in sports.
Patriots are crap
That TD pass should have been Int. Stupid, stupid, stupid LB never looked for the ball!
Did you see that fumble by Cruz that was called a fumble but was nullified by the Pats having 12 men on the field?
Tell me that wasn’t the exact same thing Bradshaw did against us! Cruz forward progress was stopped and he probably went back a full yard before the ball was ripped out. Makes me sick!
Yeah Montana
I had the same thought.
I’ll tell you, if the Niners were playing, TB would be playing his last game. He looks horrible for the 2nd straight playoff game.
And, Eli’s TD pass was ill advised. Pats really show why their D is so bad. God awful!
I wish the 9ers were playing! This is kinda boring. TB is playing horrible. All I’m hoping for is to win on one of these boards I’m on. Damn safety kinda killed me on my numbers! lol
The Bradshaw play was even more of a fumble.
I thought Grant was doing a live blog of the game? hmm,It was a good idea.
I think he is off the clock
Alex Smith would never have thrown that TD. That was elite!
That is a QB, that is a real NFL throw, AS does not have the nerve to pull the trigger on that play, he probably would of been dumped in the pocket.
would of?
Are you guys talking about Tom Brady’s TD pass that was thrown right where the LB would’ve been had he just looked for the ball?
Eli Manning, not Tom Brady
Eli’s passes today have a Montana-esque wobble to them…
Montana would never take a safety in a SB..more of his superior to Brady play.
Eli > Brady
Eli > Peyton
Montana > Eli > Young
Are we going to have idiotic debate during the Super Bowl.? Give it a rest…
Read my previous post Neal.
Brady looks sleepy.
I agree. Truce during the Super Bowl from me.
Victor Cruz or Kyle Willams? Manningham or Crabtree? Gee let me think?
Hmmmm, Eli or Alex? Oh my bad prime, forgot you see only one side of the coin.
Give us a break already bud.
Give it a rest
At leat til the end of the super bowl
I’m surprised the Patriots aren’t being trounced yet.
That should have been a interception. Putrid doesn’t even describe the Patriot’s D.
I rented a Chevy Sonic..not a bad little car. But it would have to fall out of an airplane to accelerate.
Niners look much better than Pats
Eli was lucky his TD pass wasn’t an INT what is lucky QBing
Ya if Mayo was looking that would have been a dumb pass. I think it was Mayo!
EM TD pass was not elite skill.
More like elite luck.
I cared so much for this game I woke up in the latter part of the second quarter. It’s 6:05am in India. And all I feel is disgust.
I feel you Andrew. I’m hoping that somehow both teams lose.
Dull game so far.
Maybe Pats are going to get it going,hope so hate the Giants.
That is how you catch a football Crabtree.
Hey PBL, Patriots are such crap that they are leading the frickin Super Bowl. Brady is going to tear their hearts out in the 2nd half. He is the best QB of his era.
Brady is good but Justin and Aldon would have torn off his head and pooped in his Uggs by now.
/sigh
Madonna doing Vougue. Hip in 1990.
I think the Super Bowl Committee should have invited Jimmie Hendrix or Jim Morrison to perform the halftime show, they would definitely give a better show than Madonna.
Really,just prop up Cobain from his grave and stick a a gutiar in his hands.
Madonna’s tribute to herself is a bit long..
I had to squeeze this in, I have a hunch Madonna didn’t even know which two teams were playing.
Don’t know what’s worse, the commercials or the halftime show.
Amen. Just comment on the game.
Please let this torture end and get back to the game.
I was kind of hoping for a wardrobe malfunction at half time. The game is dull as hell; so much for “elite” QBs. So… The only takeaway I have for this game… Well I guess there are two things: Madonna is still a skank and Brady could make a sandwich back there, he has so much time.
I was terrified that Madonna’s pants would fall down and expose her nipples.
Yea I’m sure they would not be saggy, surgery can be uplifting.
I gave up and turned it off. Bleh… who cares.
I’ll take the game over the commercials and halftime show ANY DAY.
I fell asleep watchng Mondonna.
That was easy enough. Anybody tell NY it’s the SB?
The Giants’ crap defense is showing itself today. A real defense (49ers) would have stopped that drive before the Pats got to mid-field.
True but both teams have a much better offense then we do.
And yet the Pat’s “much better” offense didn’t score any more than we did two weeks ago.
It’s a different game on artificial turf in a dome. The game was meant to play in the open air.
I said before the season Alex would improve under Harbaugh. The question remained how much? More than I imagined and I expect more of the same next year.
Why are you trying to start another Alex debate?? Give it a rest.. There will be Plenty of time during the off season to debate who should be play at each position, to include QB
…there really isn’t a debate on who the QB is……….
@oneniner
“…there really isn’t a debate on who the QB is……….”
Agree with that oneniner
Wow! Eli threw it at his feet! I thought Alex was the only qb in the history that does that!
Give it a rest
Ball seems to be bouncing the Giants way……again.
When the Giants recovered their own fumble for the second time I began to think that Fate had a favorite in the game.
Yahoo sports has a headline about Brady and the Pats make SB history…wierd huh?..they see the future?
@Stan
Then Brady throws the 4th quarter Int.
NFL, networks and sponsors have their dream, a game decided late in the 4th quarter even though the game stinks.
Remind you of the NBA?
Here is the New York Times article admitting the Giants realize they were lucky to get to the Super Bowl. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/sports/football/five-moments-when-luck-went-the-giants-way.html?_r=2&hp
Niners shoull have been on the field in Indy tonight. So depressing…
LOL, I was expecting the article to be about the five key lucky breaks the Giants got in the NFC Chamionship game.
Typical TBrady Superbowl bbbooorrriiinnnggg! Still no signature moment. Add another INT that should have never been thrown. Those that try to compare TBrady to JoMo are trying too hard… lol
Eli is the ‘honeybadger’ he takes whatever he wants. He don’t give a s….!
EManning has 3 talented WR’s and a decent TE. It helps to have options!
Not sure if the Giants receivers are that good or if Eli makes the look good.
Well if Brady had Rice and Taylor he’d be doing a lot better.
Sounds like a Bradyexcuse. LMAO!!
Exactly ;)
Eli is on the same level as Brady but as far as Joe, forget about it.
Can anyone explain why that antic before that touchdown wasn’t flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct? Another example of the refs not doing their job.
Williams gave the Giants our destiny.
Ayup. I must be a masochist for watching this. Two crappy defenses and two finesse offenses. The 49ers beat both of these teams eight times out of ten.
Yep.
Well I guess the greatest ever QB debate has been put to bed. TBrady didn’t do a damn thing with 57 seconds left. lol
Agreed Hofe. The great Joe Montana still stands alone!
JM is the GOAT!
that was his chance to shine, but oh well.
Comparisons of Brady to Joe were nonsense.
Just shows to go you , even great QBs need their receivers to catch the damn ball to make things happen. LOL
Stop Andrew, you’re opening the wounds again (lol).
WORST SUPER BOWL GAME EVER!!!!! And that’s not because the Niners didn’t make it. The game was that bad despite the close score.
Best game of the year was the 9ers vs N.O. period!!!!!!!
Yes Hofe, Alex carried the team against NO, and his star was at it’s brightest peak!
AES, I’d say it was a team win. The defense played well and the offense made clutch plays when they had to. Damn can’t wait for the draft after this crap game.
I cannot wait for draft. I also want to see who the niners sign as free agents
I really regret watching this game.
to think what could have been..
This was Ny’s year period. All the bounces went their way during the playoffs. The sad thing is we are better than both teams….shoulda coulda woulda…..
If Kyle Williams is on this team next year I’ll puke.
9ers could have won this game. The so-called awesome NYG DL played mediocre. TB had way too much time but it didn’t matter…he’s no Joe! lol
puke away
No doubt Hofer. The 49ers are better than both of the teams I watched tonight. A 9-7 team versus a team with absolutely no defense.
I’m going to go punch myself in the groin a few times.
You got to be kidding the Giants are better then the Niners, Giants defense is good and our defense is great. Giants offense is great , and our is good sometimes and crappy other times, Eli or Brady would never go 1 -13 in third down down and 4 and out in a 4th quarter of a championship game.
Neal, do you have any idea how many of the 13 3rd down plays were runs versus passes?
When you have Eli and Brady, you know you are not going to run on third downs. AS needs to have every thing right to succeed, the stars need to be align and GR needs to call the game of his life. GR called a horrible game and AS does not have the abilty to improvise. Yea I know AS has bad receivers but Brady does not have top receiving corp either.
Who is the Niners Welker?
Neal, the 49ers were the better team against the giants. They only lost cuz they lost 2 fumbled punts deep in their own territory. Imagine if it was the other way around, the 49ers would have won by 10 points, at least. We play the G-men 10 times, we win at least 6, probably 8 of ‘em.
I’ve gone through plenty of losses in life but I don’t know why this feels so bad.
Cause 21-17 was a winnable game for the 9ers. That’s why.
Hope the Giants paid well. If I were in charge it would have to last Williams a very long time.
Amen. Nothing good about it. Bad commercials, bad halftime show, bad game. I expect to be entertained, not wanting to pound my head against the wall. What a way to end the season. I don’t care who won. I just expected a better game.
Congrates to the Giants. Can’t wait to see our boys kick their @$$ next year at The Stick. Revenge will be sweet!
I agree with you Hammer, but this is something you can’t get back.
It will be better revenge if we beat them at the stick in the playoffs.
I am happy for Bear Pascoe, I really wished thee niners had not released him
Pascoe is not as good as Davis, Walker or Byham. He wouldn’t make the 49ers team this year.
Yeah except the Byham ended up on IR early in the season and Peele had to be called in. ;)
Oh, and also would Norris have been a Camp Casualty if Sing never got rid of Pascoe?
Injuries happen. If the coaches could see into the future they might keep a scrub like Pascoe in case someone got injured.
I hate Singletary with a passion but cutting Pascoe wasn’t a mistake. He simply wasn’t as good as the other TEs on the 49ers. And he still isn’t.
Pascoe is a good receiver, but cannot block at all.
Another example of the blunders of Mike Singletary.
9ers and the NYG game was so much better than this yawner, unfortunate that a couple of poor ST plays kept the 9ers out of the SB. Time for the 9ers to use this as drive/passion for next year to get better overall as a team and not just QB or WR!
guess one could say the niiners were involved in the two most interesting games of the post season …. except for the tebow pittsburg thing…..
Trying to unsomber, guess who the NFL thought was going to win with ex-Pat coach Raymond Berry giving the trophy.
That certainly has to sting Pats fans. I think the Visa Super Bowl Commercials came back to bite Pat Patriot in his buttocks. Hahahaha
Montana could run and throw. Brady can only throw. No contest as to who is the best in the Super Bowl.
We are only a few recievers away….
When is the Combine? Bring on 2012. Hopefully Alexis will show the same type of growth next year.
Congrats to the NY Giants, they showed they are the best team in football, they turned it on when it counts. I don’t expect AS to ever be in the same category as Eli as he has a trigger and he is so accurate and clutch, we can only hope that AS can get to the next level with a couple of good receievers. I hope we can get a top free agent and a steal in the draft.
This game sucked. Just depressing because the Niners could have beaten either team with how they played.
Nobody was really very good. No QB, unit, coach,nobody. Letting the other team score a TD…has that ever worked? The football Gods do not look upon doing that lightly.
That is 0 for 2 in the Super Bowl. The Patriots play like they want to win, and they hold NY to a FG, a FG wins the game. The Giant secondary was very lucky that last drive. A couple of drops let them off the hook. Had the Pats held them to a FG, and those same plays happen with the Pat WR’s catching the ball, the Pats get yet another chance to win a Super Bowl with a FG kicker.
Neither of those teams deserved to be there due to beig the better team in the Championship games. The Ravens should have won that game. That WR had posession of the ball in the endzone with 2 feet down before the ball was knocked out. Game should have been over right there.
DS,
You sure don’t know your football!! What is wrong with you?? A receiver has to maintain possession for tge entire play got it to be ruled a touchdown. You’ve not seen a soul complaining about that play. Why would you? Because your football knowledge won’t even allow you to know the rules. Iw was not a touchdown because he lost possession idiot!
Jordan,
You’re not right about nobody saying anything about Evans drop/stripped would be TD catch. Practically every analyst was critical of the John Harbaugh for not insisting on a review of that play [yes, I know it's not a challenge in the last two minutes, but you can bet if the refs are asked to look at a close play, they will]. Peter King said he wasn’t sure that wasn’t a TD and it should’ve at least been reviewed. He faulted the referee first and Harbaugh second for not taking second look at the play.
Dwight Clark on CSN said it looked like a TD. Or at the least deserving of a review.
JH had to run out onto the field, stake and tied himself onto the field until that play was reviewed.
He knows more than me, you or 23J.
DS,
Aparrently not, because the ravens lost. Just like the Bradshaw play against us. It was not a fumble. He was bring pushed backwards and then he got stripped. The play was over. Only Niner fans wanted a fumble. I never thought it was a fumble.
Jordan,
Just because a call wasn’t made, and said non-call has a certain effect, doesn’t prove the call in question was right. Every analyst I heard, or writer I read, who made a comment on the subject said that Bradshaw fumbled. Period.
BTW, Jordan, it’s easy to infer from what you wrote that you’re not a 49er fan. “Only Niner fans wanted a fumble. I never thought it was a fumble.” 49er fans wanted Bradshaw’s fumble called a fumble and you didn’t think it was a fumble, therefore you’re not a 49er fan. You said it yourself.
@ex
It was only a matter of time.
When you post as much hate as 23J, the truth was eventually going to come out. lol
Tom Brady may have lost the Super Bowl, but he still gets to go home to his super model wife. That’s a win in my book.
Bring on the Combine. Can anyone say Kendall Wright?
Watch the Redskins-Giants game where Eli threw three picks Meal. Then make that stupid statement about him being accurate again.
Everyone has bad games, Eli has two Super Bowl rings and when it really counted he was clutch in both. Also he is not a one hit wonder and most likely hewill be going into the Hall of Fame.
Smith is also the type of guy that would step aside and help the better QB and be willing to step in when they needed him too.
Wish you would side step and allow better fans to take over.
Cold.
Wish you would grow some intellegence Ceadderman
SRSC,
He loves Alex too much to listen to the truth about the guy. He’s never gonna accept. The Smither cults blind faith is unreal but dwindling!
Hit the wrong key. Should be Neal.
Kendall Wright.
Now, who is he and why am I saying his name?
Robert Griffin III, WR who caught 108 this season, had over 1600 yrds, over 15 YPC, and 14 TD’ and a 4.3 40.
The closest WR to Victor Cruz that i’ve seen this year. You’ll be hearing more about him during the Combine.
There’s a chance he could be there when the Niners pick, but it’s a long shot. From the mock drafts I’ve seen Flenner should be there, but is he worth a 1st rounder?
There might be value to trade down from the 30th spot.
Griffin is Baylor’s QB. You know, the guy who won the Heisman? If you’re thinking of a Baylor WR, the name you’re looking for is Kendall Wright.
….Robert Griffin III is a QB…..
M. Sanu is not bad either and will open some eyes
And that Super Bowl was one of the worst.
Dull game.
The Niners are in the same class as both those teams. If the Offense can improve and the defense can be maintained we can get to the Super Bowl next year.
Shoulda been there THIS year.
I think Williams took his vacation in the Cayman’s soon after the game. >8[
I can’t even comment on that Neal because it makes my head hurt. Please pay attention to what you post.
I have no idea what you are discussing so please be clear, but if this little blog hurts your head, you might want to take things less seriously, maybe get a life or some fresh air. If you don’t like what I post, just ignore me, I can do that with you quite easily.
Griffin = Baylor’s QB + Heisman winner
Kendall Wright = Baylor WR + Griffin’s primary target
That’s what he’s talking discussing.
We are no receivers away! We should have been there if it wasn’t for the Ginn injury. If Ginn is the punt returner against the Giants in the playoffs, right now we would all be shoving a sixth championship ring on the faces of our Facebook friends.
I’m out. Wake me up in time for the playoffs. I can’t wait for our Niners come back with a vengeance!
Next year when opposing teams and fans of other teams see the 49ers on their schedule they’ll wince.
Yet you can’t say AS had a bad game against the Giants? Again, pay attention to what you post Neal. Also, if a decent QB claims to be one of the elites before the season, he dang well better back it up. Having three good to great receivers doesn’t hurt either.
AS was horrific against the Giants, misses two throws one to DW and other to KW that were game changers, and being 1 -13 in third downs and 4 and out in the 4th quarter when just one first down would of been the difference in winning and losing.
What miss to DW?
I re-watched the game, and nobody mentioned DW being open on any play.
If it was the 1st play of the 2nd half, AS was getting sacked. So the Giant defender stopped covering DW. Before the sack, you can see DW was covered. DW was running free because AS was sacked, but he play was already over.
@MW9er… Not like the Receivers had anything to do with that. O_o
It was a 20 yard route on the side line.
Walker was open, Alex NEVER pulled the trigger. I don’t think Smith has one.
DS,
DW was wide open on a wheel route on the first play of the second half. And it has been widely discussed.
The only thing I could find was in reference to the Baltimore game where AS missed an open DW.
If you have a link to anything that discusses this missed opportunity, please supply it.
Thanks.
Per Grant’s own personal view during the game blog:
“5:28 Greg Roman calls a pass on first down and Alex Smith takes a sack. Loss of seven. That’s another drive killer.”
And nobody among us at the time brought up DW being wide open either on that play. Look at posts around 5:28.
Read some post game analysis, and their big points which were brought up had nothing about DW being open. Mostly the fumble stuff and VD.
Exgolfer,
Greg Cosell presented the information about Smith missing or not making at least 4 throws in the Giant game. One of those throws was the 1st play of the 2nd half. Smith doesn’t realize that sometimes you have to stay in the pocket to complete the throw. Yes, you are going to take a hit, bit you still have to make the throw.
DS the dummy thinks we’re talking about tge live game thread instead of what the analysis was after the game, and in the days after.
saw AS make plenty on the mark throws as he was getting hit this year….
Jg,
He didn’t even attempt this one in question. Example ??
why provide an example….go back and review the season play by play and u will find plenty of examples of AS being hit and delivering an accurate pass….as a proponent of niners being a QB away from anything mantra spewed all year why should i provide any kind of example…when it turned out the niners were a special team player away from a SB…not to say AS doesn’t have his flaws…
and i don’t agree with cosell as well…about walker being open when viewed from the QB position on the field at the time of the intended read….sort of like i think it was a questionable safety call due to intentional grounding yesterday….
Jordan,
Please don’t mistake my agreeing with you about Smith missing DW with my agreeing that Smith can’t see the field at all or is afraid to pull the trigger. I’m just agreeing that in this particular case, for what ever reason, he didn’t throw the ball to DW when he was open.
I’m expecting Smith to continue to improve over the off season and during next season under JH to the point where he can be considered a very good NFL QB [somewhere in the bottom half of the top ten]. I’m basing this opinion on how much Smith impoved this year, even without a normal off season. While things may not turn out this way, to me it’s far more likely that Smith will continue to improve. Only time will tell.
We think we know, but we don’t know.
Ex,
Trust me. I know where you are where Smoth is concerned. I wasn’t looking for your support. At least you were objective. Only time will tell what’s going to happen next year.
If I took it seriously, I would be wanting KW off the team. I don’t because I think he’ll get better next season.
As long as he does not return punts, he is a practice squad player, and I hope the Niners improve so much he will be dust in the wind, he has a football IQ of a zero.
Neal
Williams can’t be on our practice squad. He played a full year on the roster already. Not eligible.
Nicks, Cruz, Manningham vs. Crabtree, Williams, Swain. No contest there Neal. Every QB has a bad game, and it can happen anytime. Heck, it happened to Montana and Young too.
How many good games has AS played, the man has never thrown one 300 yard passing game in 6 years. yea the rest of your statement I agree.
Neal, AS has had one year under JH. JH believes in AS and proved this year that AS can lead the team. Add some talented WR’s with a full offseason, it is only looking up for the offense. If AS fails to continue to improve, JH will do what is necessary.
Amazing how a player who was injured his rookie season and played throughout his second season has an IQ of zero. Who is taking things too seriously now?
You learn in Pop Warner football that you don’t dive for a punt and then if the ball bounces on a punt, you move the hell away. How many times have you seen that happen in the NFL. As for me NEVER !!
I find your statement that you’ve never seen a bouncing punt hit a would-be returner before, to be incredulous. It happens quite a bit, and it’s almost always a result of indecision by the returner.
It was a dumb, dumb play, and you don’t need to make stuff up to criticize it.
Augustine,
I’m sure it’s happened a few times in the NFL, but more times than not, it happens to one his teammates on the return team, not the returner. The one thingbi will say that I’ve never seen is when the returner gets hit with the ball, knows the ball hits him, does not try and recover it , then prays that officials missed it. As if there were not enough cameras in the stadium to cover the play???? Just dumb.
How about this for a prediction Neal: Williams will overtake Crabtree on the depth chart in a year or two.
Now I know you are heavily medicated….
Mid west,
Williams will not make this roster this year. If he does, we have not improved our WR corps. He’s # 5 on the depth chart. Thats last.
Last year(that the defense lost) and in the playoffs this year against the Saints, the second half against the Eagles, and the 27-20 win against the Giants. He was key in each of those games. And throwing for there hundred yards doesn’t win games. A total team effort does. Just ask Drew Brees.
Yes your right Drew Brees just beat the passing record of all time and he has a Super Bow ring, and will be wearing a Yellow Jacket in Canton in about 10 years. Also DB probably the top 10 Qb’s of all time and Mr. Smith? Your football knowledge is lacking any logic, and saying that KW will be beating out MC in two years, is the most riduculous comment that I have ever heard on here, I don’t think DS , Prime Time or the other AS lovers would support you on that one. Your quite thick !!
There have been players on special teams that have done that as well. Look it up Neal.
Name one, yes you can’t
Neal, if you’re saying that no punt returner has ever had a bouncing punt careen off them, you’re way, way off, dude.
Neal…go back to hockey.
That happens in some game at least a few times a year.
You’re right Neal, they didn’t. It was mostly the tight ends. Walker had the most receptions against the Giants and Davis broke a record in the playoffs. Please tell me about these WRs that helped with that, besides William’s great block to spring Smith for a touchdown.
Nobody can name every bad play by every team Neal. Unless it deals with your team. Hence why I said LOOK IT UP.
Did he win against the Niners this year? I am talking about this season Neal. It’ll hurt, but read my posts slowly so you don’t hurt yourself.
Thanks AES, I will have to check him out.
I’d take either. Also comparing Wright to Cruz has me salivating a bit more. That speed would definitely benefit the offense.
Btw, I am neither a Smith lover or hater. I just go with facts. If Harbaugh decides to go with Peyton Manning instead of Alex Smith, then I would support the move. The only thing I would worry about is if he could hold up with spotty pass protection and whether Colin could follow in his footsteps. We all know what happened with Kolb. I am a Niner fan first and foremost.
See Vernon Post 23jordan. In order to pull the trigger, a QB has to have trust in the one he’s throwing to. Alex has that with Vernon because he has matured quite a bit. Can you really say that about the WRs? Williams is young. Crabtree doesn’t try to build a rapport with Smith. The proof is in his comments after the loss against the Giants.
Midwest,
If the QB does not trust the receivers on the field, maybe he should not be the QB. If a play is called by the coaches, run the play. If the coaches trust the players enough to have you throw it to them, do your damn job and make the throw where it’s supposed to be thrown. Smith, 95 percent of the time, only makes the throw if the guys are 5 yards away from anyone else. Once again, if the coach trusts the receivers, then why not smith???
This was only his second season 23. First if you discount his injury-plagued rookie season. Year three is usually when a team finds out what kind of WR they have. And don’t tell me having a small guy who can blow up a big DL isn’t intriguing.
Anyone who has leverage and hits a dl when he does not see him can make a block like that. Hines Ward has made a career of it. It means nothing when the game is too big for you. That was the NFC Championship and Kws nerves got the best of him for most of that game. His decision making was horrible. And not just on the fumbles.
Jordan, KW and MC are the only receivers this team has signed at this point for 2012. I think there is a very good chance KW is back next year. Even if they bring back Morgan and Ginn I think he will be back at
#5. I just don’t see them adding more than 1 receiver.
Jack,
They have to bring in more than one receiver. Or else we have the same alleged trust issues with Alex Smith. Which really aren’t trust issues but trigger issues. Everyone is trying to blame receivers for not getting open. That’s drama, but the only way to remove that excuse is to add receivers. That excuse won’t be valid this coming year.
Ginn will only be a special teamer at best so I think they can bring in two WRs.
Nice chatting with you all. Later.
Check this column out in the Boston Globe Brady is getting bashed Bosthttp://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/wilbur/2012/02/not_so_safety_c.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed1on globe, comparing him to Jim Kelly.
Combine starts Feb 22 but may not see workouts until 24th depending on schedule.
draftcountdown.com is a really good site for following the combine and pre-draft workouts Hofer. It helps ease the off-season pain, lol.
The Giants allowed 400 points this season. We’ve seen history folks. The worst defense to ever win a Super Bowl.
Roger Goodell is probably dancing a jig.
Giants-first 7 loss team to win a SB.
after not making the playoffs with 10 wins last year….right?
10 wins-no playoffs last year.
Msc,
The Smithers wanted to tell us how good their defense was because Smith didn’t do squat against them other than the 2 throws to Vernon. He basically had 155 yards against the giants. The 40 yard pass to walker before the end of regulation was a gift is Giants coverage. They knew it was the last play of regulation and they knew the Niners couldnt get out of bounds with time for a field goal. Did you know that play was also the only 3rd down conversion for a 1st down we had the whole game?? We didn’t even get rewarded with a fresh set of downs because the game was over.
My wish list for the offseason:
- resign Dashon G, Brooks and Rogers if possible
- Sign J Morgan and Ted as special team specialist
- resign Costanza , Grant and CJ Spiller
- Go after colston to fill the WR gap ( imagine Colston, Crab, Josh Morgan, VD and Fleener on offense!!!)
- Draft Coby Fleener (huge target in the red zone 6’6″
- Draft a Guard
- Draft a CB
- Draft DE/DT that can rush from the middle and hold his ground
- Draft a WR with SPEEEEEEEED
- Draft a RB
- Draft OLB with pass rush capability
I like your list but I don’t see them spending big bucks for a free agent receiver. If Desean Jackson falls like Braylon Edwards did last year I could see that. With Jackson and Flenner, Super Dangerous.
here’s how i read the situation:
Harbaugh loves Alex, plain and simple. loves him like a son, a little brother, or whatever. sees some of himself in him, perhaps, but definitely looks at a kid who has taken sheet from Bay Area fans (I for one, guilty) and has the gumption to say “yeah, i want to come back and show everyone how good i am”. you have to love and respect that kind of fight.
having said that, Harbaugh is a no-nonsense, success oriented guy – his competitive fever has been well documented. so in his first draft, he makes an incredible steal of a future All-Pro pass rusher, but then he uses his #2 pick on a QB. Alex is not a 35 year old, hanging onto his spot in the league. He has some injury history – early – but is at the prime of his career. Harbaugh/Baalke could easily have signed an older hand to be the backup for the young guy hitting his prime. But they didnt. They took a prime pick and went after a QB. Having read Walsh’s books, I think its clear Walsh would have too, under the notion that even if you have a good qb, you always need to be looking for good ones, either because of injury or because the one you have may not be the guy you need to win a championship. But a #2 isn’t the kind of pick that says “yeah, we got Joe, but we’re just making sure we’re set for 2014″. A #2 is not a flyer – it says, we think we have a need for a rookie/backup qb that needs to be filled, and filled well; we’re going to take one of our valuable chits and use it.
this doesnt mean that Alex’s head is on the chopping block. he had a good season, he’s our starter, and he’s our starter as long as he holds off the competition. Should go without saying that Harbaugh knows what it takes to be a good quarterback in the NFL. And here’s my read of Harbaugh: if he sees that his little brother can’t do the job, he will replace him, because Harbaugh – and any NFL coach – would rather win a Super Bowl than make his little brother happy at the expense of the team and the fans.
note to Grant: in reviewing 49er draft history for the umpteenth time, i noticed our drafts in 2001, 2002, and 2003 were just abysmal…any idea who ran the drafts then? yikes.
PS (and sorry to make a long one, longer) I think our passing game will get better next year with Alex, not just because Alex might improve but also because our O-line is still very young, and offensive linemen tend to learn the nuances of pass blocking (read: how to hold without getting called on it) as they become more experienced. Also, as you start to win and get Pro Bowl slots, you get even more slack from the refs. Looking forward to seeing Alex get more time and confidence to SCAN THE FIELD.
@fesnyc
Never apologize for having ideas. Ideas take words to describe.
I feel there are 3 big reasons for the CK pick
1. Niners did not have a QB on the roster. Even if JH and AS agreed to come back, the team needed a QB to practice with since AS could not even come till the 2nd week due to the lockout rules, they needed a guy.
2. JH liked what he saw/heard from AS on tape and in person. But, ANY HC needs to see his players in a game setting from the sideline to get a good feel of him. JH had not done so with AS for obvious reasons.
3. Niners needed another QB. 2nd round is high to just get another QB, but why not get a guy who you are high on? I saw no problem with the CK pick here.
Eli won the game yesterday because he has a much better supporting cast, then TB. I get that AS Lovers, I really do. AS should get to the next level with a better supporting cast, no where near the likes of EM, TB, AR or DB, but logically he should be better, AS lacks the courage, moxie,guts and the nerve to pull the trigger. He is the type of guy that would be at $ 25.00 black jack table and hold on a 12. GR needs to call the best plays for him, if he does not AS does not have the ability to improvise.
23j-like logic
good, bad or indifferent jg?
(23J like logic)
AS lacks the courage, moxie,guts and the nerve to pull the trigger. He is the type of guy that would be at $ 25.00 black jack table and hold on a 12. GR needs to call the best plays for him, if he does not AS does not have the ability to improvise……
sounds like a QB away from something yarn
Thank you AS LOVERS I am in excellent company with 23 Jordan
LMAO
Yes, Neal, yes you are.
Jack hammer
Dude, you are like the weather, every post you do is inconsistent with the last one talking about meds, you are a few clowns short of a circus, because that is where you belong. Step right up!!
You got that right Neal, and a few bricks short of a load too.
how many jack hammers are there….count seems to be 3 or 4
didn’t grant say the first jack hammer was a double poster
He was posting under a few different names yesterday. I’ll do my best to clean that up.
don’t worry about it…..it was just an observation of the avatars…i personally don’t care…
Subtext-(I suspect one not just limited to a Qb/Coach relationship) this coach has the unswerving loyalty of his team.
TOP TEN ALEXCUSES. LEGITIMATE OR ALEXCUSE?
1. A turnstyle of offensive coordinators hurt Smith’s development at QB. LEGITIMATE. It wasn’t just the fact that Alex had to learn new systems every year. It was the fact that some of those systems were poor systems as well.
2. Alex Smith is careful with the ball and is the best in the league in not turning it over. LEGITIMATE. Alex transformed himself from one of the worst turnover machines in the league, to an elite status in terms of taking care of the ball. Unfortunately it comes with a price. He has become gun shy at pulling the trigger and it costs his team production. The only time Alex veers away from this style of play is when his team falls behind.
3. Alex Smith needs better weapons. ALEXCUSE. While Alex could use another wide receiver, his lack of production to his wide outs is actually attributed to ignoring the WR’s completely or giving up on the WR routes far too early.
4. Alex Smith is a check down king. LEGITIMATE. Alex Smith does not go through progressions well. The game is too quick for him, so he panics and does not smoothly go through progressions. This is a huge reason for his lack of production with his wide receivers. If a wide out does not break open immediately, he goes into safety mode. This is a huge part of the reason that our offense lacks production ( dead last in passing yards for a starter). It is also a huge part of the reason why we are so poor on 3rd down conversions. ( Dead last for full time starters in the NFL )
5. Alex’s poor O-line is the reason for his lack of production. BEGINNING OF THE SEASON LEGITIMATE. SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON AND PLAYOFFS, COMPLETE ALEXCUSE. Alex showed he was one tough son of a gun for the first half of the season. He and CK were almost killed during the preseason behind this offensive line. By the 2nd half of the season though the O-line became one of the strengths of the team. Yet the passing production only went up marginally. Now that the O-line was no longer a valid Alexcuse, the supporters shifted their blame to the play calling and wide receivers.
6.Alex has poor below average throwing accuracy. LEGITIMATE. The last 3 years Alex is dead last in accuracy over 20+. There are throws that Alex just cannot make consistently and for an NFL QB that is just not acceptable. This year alone he missed Crabtree, Delaney and KW on wide open TD’s roughly 8-11 times combined. In the last game alone it cost us a shot at the Superbowl. His inaccuracy does not end just with the deep ball. It is also responsible for lack of RAC. He rarely delivers the ball in stride so that the receiver has a chance to maximize the RAC.
7. Alex doesn’t see the entire field. LEGITIMATE. The excuses range far and wide on this one. Alex doesn’t see the whole field because his O-line doesn’t give him time to scan. No longer a valid excuse. Alex Smith doesn’t see the whole field because Harbaughs system focuses on short passes. Not true at all. NFL film expert Greg Cosell pointed out week by week Alex’s inability to see the whole field. Alex’s supporters responded by attempting to discredit a 30 year NFL film expert by calling him a hack. Truth is, at the first sign of pressure, Alex gives up on half of the field and fails to look at medium to long range routes.
8. Alex’s stats were affected by dropped balls. Legitimate. All NFL QB’s suffer dropped passes. This affected Alex more so in his 3rd down efficiency than his overall yardage and TD production. The majority of the drops were by Frank Gore and Delaney Walker. Only two TD’s were DROPPED this year. One by VD, and one by Walker. Alex also had one to Teddy Ginn taken away in Baltimore on a bad call. TG by the way is a favorite target by the Alexcuse crowd. TD IMO was not that bad this year. 9. Alex had only one year under Harbaughs system and will get better next year. UNDECIDED. Alex will learn more plays next year. This will allow Roman to expand the offense a bit. This is a positive thing. However this will not help Alex to have more guts in terms of pulling the trigger, and it will not help Alex’s poor accuracy.
10. Alex is an elite QB. FALSE. Alex’s supporters at one point this year tried calling him ELITE. He’s not even close. The supporters tried saying that Harbaugh says it’s so, so it must be so. Truth is, Harbaugh looked foolish in calling Smith “elite”. Outside of coach, no one even mentioned his name for the ProBowl. Harbaugh does his best to give Alex mental boosts in attempts to bring out the “tiger” in him. Hey Jim, it aint there. Have you guys seen any other head coach have to pound his QB’s shoulder pads before a game in attempts to fire him up? We all know the answer to that.
Conclusion, it was a magical season. Alex still drove me crazy. And while he wasn’t the reason we won most of the time, he did step up in three or four games and absolutely played a legendary game against N.O. My wish if we do not bring in Manning is that we do not break the bank for an average QB like Smith and we let CK compete with him next year.
Forward your analysis to Harbuagh. I’m sure he is totally deficient in analyzing a QB’s qualities.
Harbaugh never had to “pound” Andrew Luck’s shoulder pads before games to fire him up.
Lol.
Bay,
Thanks for the totally unbiased break down of Legitimate Reasons / Alexcuses [the use of the term "Alexcuse" should in no way be taken as an indication of bias].
You were especially on point by totally discounting the effect of the quality of a WR on the ability of a QB to deliver the ball to said WR. Those in the know understand that it makes no difference how good a QB’s receivers are.
Bay, you sound bitter. All of that input from the comment above is moot because AS is the starter. There is no debate on a decision that has been made unless you want to tell JH you know more about football and QB’s than he does. As Grant points out, AS is JH’s guy. He is part of his system, program, and overall plan. You can call it this excuse or that excuse, or Smithers, or whatever, AS is the starting QB and as long as JH believes, I’ll buy in. Why? How could anyone argue with the Coach of the Year?!!
+1 , as the song goes, “too much time on his hands” or something like that.
Come on Hofer,
I list the good with the bad. Objectivity. And we both know it’s something you lack severely with #11. Not that I am counting but I have asked you six times now to list AS’s weaknesses and you dodge that question every time. Very telling.
I like what you say Man, but most of us have short attention spans.
“Conclusion”? from what you’ve been spewing I think you meant “CONFUSION”. Keep trying to climb out of the hole you’ve dug for yourself with that ego of yours. LOL… Such objectivity, you’ve even resorted to bring in your “interpretation of the pregame shoulder pad ritual”. WOW!!! Nothing short of a pathetic way to try and help prove your point and you don’t call it hate of some kind???
So, it worked (the shoulder pad thing) in the first game. And, it worked pretty much all year.
And bay is mad about it?
I thought we all wanted to see the Niners win games. If JH hitting AS’s shoulder pads every pre-game gives us a better chance to win games, I’m all in.
Also, shows how little bay really knows about Niner football history. The most superstitious person in Niner lore was George Seifert. Did bay get upset then when George did his thing pre-game/week?
Give it a rest already. Admit that you wrote a bunch of stuff for years on this blog, and it all ended up being wrong. Accept that you are not the end all be all of football, instead of rationalizing what you have spewed for years as still somehow being true in light of the past year.
@Bay, Just last week you were saying how you wanted them to let CK sit and develop. Now you don’t want them to over spend for an average QB.
What would you consider overspending? They will need to pay in the neighborhood of 6-10 million either way.
@ Jack,
I’m ok with $6-$8 million. He’s worth that but no more.
@Bay, I agree with you on that range. Would rather see them go on the lower end so that they can bring back the free agents on defense. Then they could build incentives on the back end that would make it worth more for him later.
I am really interested to see the development of CK from last preseason to this year. I really think having a full offseason with the coaches will help speed up his timeline.
C’mon Bay, you can’t evaluate the Precious with facts. That isn’t how it is done in these here parts.
How does Alex make you feel? Does he make you feel warm and cuddly and (dare I say it) a bit moist? Then you are a truly wise and knowledgeable football analyst.
Does Alex make you feel a bit nervous or a bit worried that the 49ers passing offense will be crappy again next year? Then you are hater, a hack and absolutely clueless about football.
It’s really quite simple.
>>C’mon Bay, you can’t evaluate the Precious with facts. That isn’t how it is done in these here parts.
Or apparently with the 49ers coaching staff.
But, if that makes you “fans” feel so knowledgeable, go right ahead. Keep on posting your “facts”.
So you’re saying a WR who can’t get open against average CBs and drops the ball too much is an Alexcuse? That’s lame, even coming from you Bay.
What I am saying is that they did get open, and twice when they were VERY open Smith missed one, and didn’t see the other at all. Keep trying to poke holes though. I like it.
Plus I also recall Montana checking down to Roger Craig. You do realize you just Smith in the same category as Montana? I’m kinda surprised Bay. You made the checkdown argument a moot point.
Big difference. Montana’s check downs were after he truly scanned the entire field. Alex doesn’t scan. He single reads then checks. And Montana’s check downs were more accurately thrown which led to more RAC. Montana had one of the most beautiful swing passes to the running backs I’ve ever seen. They never broke stride.
I am so thankful that none of you who base facts on biased opinions are not in charge of this team. Otherwise it would be the San Francisco Jets. After all, it’s the New York Jets you want as the model for this team.
Draft Fleener, cut crabtree if it saves enough cap room to sign vincent jackson. draft cb, pass rusher lb or de and o line
Nice try. Crabs is the highest paid receiver and his money is guaranteed I believe. He goes in as the number one receiver next year.
I’m not an alex fan. I’m not an alex hater. I am a huge harbaugh fan. In harbaugh we trust> if he beleives alex is good enough [even if i dont see it] i’ll go with jh every time. i have a sneaking suspicion he knows just a little more than gregg cosell
crabs signing bonus is guaranteed not his salary he is an outstanding #2 not worth #1 money
I see that his contract is guaranteed. It’s actually Crabs that can opt out of his final 6th year if he achieves a pro bowl birth or 80% playing time.
Agreed coach. I think Crabtree will have to restructure his contract or risk being released. Only way to avoid that is for him to improve dramatically in the offseason.
I would rather trade Crabtree for a third round draft pick, he is a possession receiver. Not worthy number one pick.
I won’t go that far just yet Neal. I want to see if Crabtree will improve knowing he isn’t as secure in his job with Harbaugh as coach as he was with Singletary.
It concerns me that he has never played a exhibition game and has a diva attitude, he improved this year so let’s see what happens but if we land a few good receiver’s he won’t be a necessity.
Jim and Gideon Yu make Silicon Valley 100. Gideon who you ask? :)
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2012-1#7-gideon-yu-and-jim-harbaugh-94
no one will trade for crabs unless he is willing to renegotiate. like i said he is an outstanding #2 getting high #1 money
And for all the analysis of Alex, critics focus on 7 years of results while conveniently ignoring their lack of ability to see this years results. I agree with the assessment that Alex was hesitant to pull the trigger numerous time this past year. That doesn’t mean that will be the case next year. Is pulling the trigger purely an internal fight or flight emotional response? Nature vs. nurture?
This was my question before the season, which if JH was really good and Alex failed than playing QB is purely nature (which many here seem to believe). But Alex did play much better, validating that playing QB has a fair amount of nurture to it. JH nurtured Alex and he played far beyond most anyone’s expectation, but certainly far beyond his critics expectation.
Therefore is logical that next year he will play far better than his critics expect because the critics were mostly wrong, and today apply the same logic and approach they’ve used the past several years. Even results don’t change their view, and so this years results won’t change their minds.
But let’s take the example of pulling the trigger. First AS wasn’t asked to be overly aggressive, so that minimized how often he’d throw into trouble. Secondly it’s easier to take chances when you know you can overcome those risks. Next year I expect they’ll be better prepared and tooled, and thus I expect they’ll take more chances. And when they take a few more chances and survive them (whether it’s just winning the game or overcoming turnovers) they’ll get more confident and aggressive. Not crazy risky, but throw into coverage when you’re on the 30 and ahead in the game. And the more risky throw’s Alex succeeds at the better he’ll get at making them. And finally if the receiver corps get’s better at winning the battle for the ball which I expect will happen then it will make risk taking more common.
So while you can assess next year based on the last 7 years, try basing it on the last two and paying attention to the trend line of improvement.
Other than the decrease in turnovers, where was the improvement? I keep hearing that without details regarding what those improvements are. Look at last years stats for the last six games under Singletary and Smith was actually slightly better in a few categories. Just an fyi.
Well we can go big picture (wins/losses), or we can go stats. I’m not going to argue that defense and special teams were the strengths and thus key to # of wins. But he came through in several games (Philly/Detroit), played well enough to win on the road, and in this conservative offense didn’t lose any games. Statistically he probably had his best year, although I’m not a big stat guy so I won’t worry about that.
My main point is he did improve if you just look at how he played his part in a winning season. Given the offense was the weakest of the three components (OF/DF/ST), if he shows the same improvement in command of the offense we’ll see better scoring. I think even the AS critics have to acknowledge that he was more confident, in more control and assertive this year. Was he an Aaron Rogers? Far from it, but he was in the top 10 performers this year. If he gets better next year and gets to the top 6-7 why would you spend so much time trying to find the next Joe Montana?
And JH made it clear that he believes that QB’s get better as they work in a system. If he’s right, then AS will be better next year. The only question is how much, although the other question is how much is really needed?
@bayarea very simply….wins especially 4th quarter comebacks those are the only stats that count. like jh says all the rest is just low hanging fruit.
Hey coach,
I’ll give you a basketball analogy. Imagine a team with a really good center and power forward. The team owns the best defense and best rebounding stats and blocked shot stats in the league. However their point guard is dead last in scoring and shooting percentage. They win a lot of low scoring close games. His fans point to the fact that he had 4 game winning shots during the season. In those games he shot below 30% and stunk most of the game.
His family and friends argue that he is on a winning team, and that he has 4 game winning shots. They ignore the fact with a better point guard they would destroy teams, instead of winning close low scoring games. Call the comebacks what you want, in most of those games we should have never been in the position we were in in the first place to have to come back……
good anolgy let me add one thing smith led winning drives in about 30% of the niner wins that would give the point guard about 25 winning shots in an nba season. 25 game winning shots WOW
oops i mean analogy
Did you hear cris collinsworth comment about how “these two teams should play all the time”. He was so impressed with both teams that cris prefers to watch the Giants and Patriots evey sunday night or every super bowl. I really cant stand to listen to this guy. He is still upset for the niners to beat cinncy. GO NINERS
@Grant
This would be one of those times to reveal the ID of the person doing this.
Jack Hammer
Sorry DS, that isn’t coming from me. And this at a time when I was just about to join you on your AS crusade.