SANTA CLARA – Here is the full transcript of Alex Smith’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.
Both head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman said something recently that you have great ideas, what are they talking about? Are they talking about different plays to run, different ways of running them?
“That’s a good question for them. I think it could be anything. I think the great thing here, and I’ve said this before for this coaching staff, it’s so much about the best way to do things not necessarily cookie cutter, our way. If someone has a good idea, let’s jump on it and go with it. It’s not just me, I think everybody. A lot of people offer up ideas and that’s really kind of the idea of the coaching staff, I think everybody’s involved. Here and there if I’ve got an idea maybe, potentially throw it out there. Some get used and some don’t.”
Do you find yourself using ideas from all of your years of experience from different coordinators?
“For sure, just experience, things that I have done, different offenses that I have been in, yeah definitely.”
Alex, there was a 2nd and 7 in the last game where you threw an accurate pass to TE Vernon Davis and he dropped it. On television it looked like WR Randy Moss was breaking open at the same time. After looking at the tape do you feel like that you made the right read?
“Right read? Yeah, right read. I think if anything it was man-to-man. If anything I would love to get Vernon a ball really pulling him away. I kind of put it up on his face there. He was running a crossing route. With Vernon, we’ve all seen it, hitting him running there, fast vs. man, how many times have we seen him pull out of that and score, really was the thinking there. If I had to do it over again, more and more ball placement if anything. It’s critical vs. man, it’s the NFL. Six inches here is a big difference playing man defense, and it’s a big difference for Vernon. For me, looking back at that play, that’s what I took away from it.”
Speaking of just being kind of slightly off, it seems you haven’t really had like a straight just incompletion. Either you are throwing it away or someone’s maybe dropped it. Is that somewhat accurate?
“Yeah, I’ve felt good. I haven’t had that many pass attempts. I don’t know how many pass attempts in the two games. The one to [WR] Mario, [Manningham] we ran the double move that the safety dropped there. Really saw him get grabbed and throwing the ball and obviously hoping to get the call or the play and didn’t get it, but that is the one that stands out in my mind. Other than that, as far as decision making goes, not too many that I’d want over again. Throwing the ball where I want to throw it, and if not, getting out of there. That one third down, that 3rd and 7 you were talking about after the 2nd and 7, potentially would like to have that one back. I kind of ran into a sack a little bit. It’s a fine line there trying to use your legs and then it working against you.”
Is it a goal or is it important for you to hit one of these deep passes in the preseason as sort of as a signal for?
“As far as just setting up tape? Better question for the coaches. Really just trying to show balance out there, not trying to give anybody any tells or anything like that. I feel like we are doing a decent job of it.”
Alex, when you resigned here back in March you said that your relationship with head coach Jim Harabaugh was great because he was always honest with you. How has that evolved since that time? Was there any awkwardness at the start when you came back? What’s it been like since?
“No awkwardness. Anyone that’s been around coach Harbaugh for a while realizes, and I think it’s a great thing about him, he’s going to tell you what he thinks. Good or bad he is going to give you his honest opinion. You appreciate that, as someone who’s been around for a long time and been with a lot of coaches, you appreciate a guy telling you the truth and being honest with you even if it’s not always what you want to hear. I definitely appreciate the coaching level, the detailed coaching, work on this. It all comes out as he sees it and I think fundamentally I have improved a lot because of that.”
Alex, why do you think you will be better on third down this season than you did last season?
“I think in the end it just comes down to execution. For me as the quarterback it comes to just being decisive, pulling the trigger, good decisions, being decisive within that. Last year at times there were some opportunities out there and for whatever reason didn’t get them, maybe unsure, different things, hesitant. As an offense and myself speaking, I think just a little better pulling the trigger this year, taking our shots that are there and executing.”
At what point did you go back and look at the 3rd downs from the Giants game, from the Championship game? Did you do it the next day or in a couple weeks?
“That game watching it the next day for sure. Coming off the season, in the offseason OTA’s, you have just a huge catalog of everything. You’ve got every third down from the entire season which is a lot of third downs. You get to look at how teams are playing us, what we’re doing, what we need to do better, things like that.”
Are you watching this by yourself, with all the coaches?
“Both, literally every single third down snap, coming in watching it with the coaches, going over it by myself, game-by-game, things like that.”
Can you explain a little bit or give us an insight as to like last year first year in the system do you expect to get the call and make the audible’s as well, but this year did you know obviously what’s coming and what you’re looking for that you don’t have to wait for the call every time. What’s that communication like this year?
“Still waiting on the call. I think you just continue to get a better sense of what we’re trying to do. Play call intent, what are we trying to get done out of this play call. You do a better job with that, hey we’re calling this, this is what we’re thinking. If we don’t get that I’m going here. You get better at just understanding all that with the play call. The play call is just coming in, but you do a better job of understanding everything that comes with it and then getting to that faster, just operating quicker.”
Is there ever a point in this preseason where you have just been able to conduct the drive how you want the whole way just to help you with that?
“It changes week-to-week. There’s more on my plate some weeks than others, it just depends on who we’re playing and how we’re trying to attack them. Yeah, I guess I feel like all of our drives have been like that. We’ve ran the ball really well this preseason, kept ourselves in better situations. We’ve been ahead of the chains, a lot of positive plays. We talk a lot about negative plays killing drives. You continue to put yourselves in good situations, you’re productive on first and second down, I think that helps your third down. We were in a lot of third and longs last year, and the entire NFL in general is not good at third and longs. It’s a difficult situation. I think that kind of played into our lack of success at times last year, just doing a better job of putting positive plays together.”
You were under pressure against the Houston Texans. How do you see your pass protection developing this year? Is it better now?
“I do. I feel like it’s much better. I said this to [Comcast’s] Matt [Maiocco] after the game, I take credit for quite a bit of that during the game. I felt like a lot of that was self-inflicted. First play, definitely my fault, that 3rdand7 sack, I really felt like I ran into that. Same as the other sack, which was really kind of a no-loss, it was right at the line of scrimmage, but on me as well. I really felt like protection was pretty good. There was the one where I got the roughing the passer. That’s the only one that really stands out in my mind. Other than that, protection’s been great. And I think we’ll do a better job. Same thing, it falls on all of us. Offensive line, it starts there, but it’s on backs, quarterbacks, receivers, getting the ball out, understanding when we’re getting pressure, things like that.”
What can you be doing better to deal with the pass rush?
“There’s a fine line there getting the ball out in windows and then using your legs, and using them to help you. Not running up into D-Linemen, helping your offensive linemen out, finding the soft spot in the pocket, the quiet spot, things like that.”
Now that you have WRs Randy Moss and Mario Manningham on the offense, can we expect more long passes in games and fewer check downs?
“The goal is obviously, the more weapons you have the better. In the end I’m still going to take what the defense gives me. I’m still going through my reads. There’s no sense to just drop back and throw it up. Now Randy does provide some opportunities where if he’s one-on-one and you’re going to take some shots, just a guy who plays the ball that well in the air and that kind of ability, that’s what you want. You want to create problems. To a certain extent, you’re still going to go through your progressions and reads and take what the defense gives you.”
Would you change your reads, the fact that it’s Randy Moss?
“A little. Yeah, for sure, here and there.”
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Alex has had VD as his security blanket, but now that he has a first ballot Hall Of Famer in Randy Moss to throw to, I believe they will quickly build a dangerous IED together.
Like him or not, you have to respect AS and his honesty. The guy doesn’t throw teammates under the bus and takes responsibility for things he feels he did wrong. A thanks to whomever asked the question of the sure fire td pass to Moss that didn’t get thrown.
You’re welcome.
Thanks for getting an answer Grant.
@Grant:
Any chance you could identify the questioners when providing transcripts in the future? I think that would be interesting information.
GC, cheers and thanks for asking the question.
An extra big thanks, now knowing it was you asking the question Grant.
I’m sorry, but the suggestion that he made the wrong read is another example of Grant’s lack of understanding of the game. I get that, in hindsight, Smith could have gotten Moss the ball for a huge play, but that’s not what the defensive coverage dictated. Moss beat the man-coverage easily, but Smith was correct in looking at the drag first. You don’t attack Cover 1 with a seam route. The drag is the man-beater.
Tim Ryan made a big deal about this play during the broadcast and it seems like Grant and some of the commenters ran away with it. Now, I like Tim Ryan, but he’s not exactly an expert on the passing game.
I’m not posting this just to rag on Grant, but as a reminder of the fact that the casual observer knows very little about the intricacies of the game. There’s no problem with that, but it’s wise to keep that in mind when you announce your opinion to the world.
BigM
Ryan pointed it out, yes. But they also said that VD should have caught the ball. And had he, it might be possible that the result is the sames as if AS had thrown it to RM and he caught it. The blog here, took the RM point, and completel ignored the VD should have caught it point. Both were made.
I can’t blame Ryan much for saying it. He is working live, on air. We are sitting with our mobiles/PC’s crafting up posts. Not the same situation.
The FS Daniel Manning had help over the top on Moss. The DB knew he had help there and force Moss to the inside where Manning was waiting.
You said you would and you followed through, true stamp of a gentleman. Thanks for asking Smith the question. Although It wasn’t directly answered it sounds like that play was drawn up for VD.
>>Really saw him get grabbed and throwing the ball and obviously hoping to get the call or the play and didn’t get it
Alex, as long as replacement refs are calling the game, better not take anything for granted.
True that. I am scared to death of these “refs” in game 1. A place where we’ve been screwed by refs for YEARS. For some reason I can see the money falling out of their pockets when we are in that hell hole called Lambeau
That’s how you do it! Good questions, especially the last one about fewer check downs.
Yes Alex, Moss plays the ball that well in the air. V.D., Crabtree & Manningham do too Alex, just give them a chance.
The check down pass should be a “last resort” pass, not a 2nd resort/panic pass. If Roger Craig (the ultimate check down pass RB) was still around then it would be different but he retired long ago.
The more these reporters/Grant ask about check down passes the better!
Pretty good answers though Alex!
Crab,
Check downs are part of the WCO. It also helps to have talent at key playmaker positions – they have that talent this year. Regarding check downs, how many did he hit on the last scoring drive against N.O. before Catch III? How productive were they? There is a place for them in a productive talented offense.
Hofe – V.D. had 7 catches for 180 yards vs Saints bro.
Alex went toe to toe with Brees. He “aired it out” more with great results.
I just wish Alex would have a little different mentality about attacking defenses.
Alex even said today “you’re still going to go through your progressions and reads and take what the defense gives you.”
Why not change the mentality? For instance say, “with our diversity of weapons on offense, we are going to create miss matches all over the field and make the defense react to us.” “We’ll take what we want, not what they’ll give us.”
@Crab:
Why not change the mentality? For instance say … “We’ll take what we want, not what they’ll give us.”
Because that’s a 15 year old’s mentality?
” we are going to create miss matches all over the field and make the defense react to us”
Crab, If everyone stays healthy, you’ll see exactly that this season. Remember, since JH joined the team, it is 9er speak at the pressers….answer the question, be as vague as possible, hope that there are no follow up questions, move them (media) along with short choppy unclear concise non-answers. lol
Crab
Look at that Saints game carefully. AS didn’t air it out, and we were up by 17 points at one point I beleive. When the Saints forced us to air it out, AS did with perfect results.
Don’t let the other team dictate what you do. Make them expend the energy to make you change your gameplan. Don’t give them a free pass.
DS – Your exactly right. That’s pretty much what I said, make the defense react to what you do.
C-Balls – It’s called confidence, there’s no age limit for that.
More then anything I would like to see the Niners go for the juggler, take no prisoners, and I dont care how they do it just do it.
Hofe – You are spot on about pressers. Lol
I don’t think you can change mentality so easily crab15.
And it is more than AS who would have to change their mentality. First the coaching staff would. I doubt that ever happens, but for the sake of the discussion, say they do.
That means the OL will have to change their mentality to give AS more time to throw the ball. That means the RB’s will have to get used to more blocking. And by the time all that happens, this team isn’t this team anymore. And this team got us to the OT of a Title game. Likelihood of changing it and making it better is very small. Likelihood of changing it and us not getting better is very large. Best to keep with the same mentality, just get better at running the plays (add some new players, but maintain the mentality) gives us the best odds to win it all.
Under, this is the year! The 9ers may not win as many games as last year, but they’ll be more complete.
Hof, I really think we return as the team to beat in the NFL. Other then QB and thats not slighting AS, this team talent wise is one of the best Niner team ever assembled. We are going to find out in about 2 1/2 weeks.
Under, agree. I’m telling you (watching the pressers) that JH is excited. He’s holding it in. He enjoys the pressers, but is trying to stay humble. He knows what they have and how good it can be. Now will they replicate the same record? Who knows? They will be a better team and after getting so close last year, they have a fire lit under them. They can taste it! Looking forward to it…
DS – Whoa man you’re getting way too deep into this mentality thing. I’m not saying throw out the playbook. You’re micro managing every word I said. Thanks for the
good football debate. 18 more days
til gametime!
Hof The pressors I think are even better then Belicheks. You look at Harbaugh and there is nothing there in his eyes. He is doing his job just fine, his answers always lead into more questions that dont get answered and that leads to all sorts of speculation. I would hate to match wits with the man. His body action is like he is ready to explode (I dont mean that in a violent way) He is so pumped so ready go, amazing .
Crab15
My mistake.
Can’t wait!
@undercenter
“His body action is like he is ready to explode (I dont mean that in a violent way)”
I think the Lions HC may disagree with you here.
Undercenter says, “More then anything I would like to see the Niners go for the juggler..”
They had a great juggler back in the day, guy juggled fire sticks, bowling balls, you name it.
DS Very true but I am thinking maybe Harbaugh was being very gentle. Will be interesting to watch that in week 2, you know the cameras are going to be locked in on that handshake. lol
Crab 15 and DS, great points! I get what your saying Crabs about the attack mentality and make the defense adjust and have a killer mindset by going deep.
I would like to see that more too Crabs but like DS said, the Niners have drafted and built around more power football than aerial.
Yes they complimented that power football blueprint with Moss and MM but the philosophy will remain the same, run the ball, play good defense, limit turnovers and win the field and time of possession battle.
Cliche or not, it’s Harbaughs way but more than that, it started back when Nolan was in charge and drafting guys that were physical, durable, and team orientated.
Only now the organization found a guy who could put it all together.
I definately think we will see more creativity on third down and in the passing game, but by no means do I envision Moss catching 10 catches of 150+ yards per game. Great for fantasy, but not this team. This is not who they are or what their plan is movin forward.
Hofer,
I think this offense is going to explode come week 1, and when they do all this talk about conservative, ball control being the Harbaugh way will fade.
I watched his teams at Stanford, and while they were balanced they were also very explosive. The fan in me cannot wait to see it.
Jack when you say explode, what do you mean? Care to imagine a stat line for Alex or the entire offense?
Prime – Good post. I hope you’re right about being more creative on 3rd down.
The Niners are really not built much different than John Harbaughs Ravens. Same kind of smash mouth defense with ball control power running game.
The only difference I see is that Joe Flacco definitely goes for the home run more often than Alex does.
I think DS is overreacting to what I said about Alex needing to air it out more.
If we throw deep a couple times in first quarter (successful or not) the secondary may be a little more on their heels, which can help open up the short passing game and running game. That’s all I’m trying to say. Seems logical to me.
Very logical and I’m sure DS would agree, the Niners will open up their passing attack but will be very calculated when doing it.
Jack, the timing (week 1) would be great. I just can’t believe they bring players (talent and speed) in here to just run the ball. They will be balanced yet explosive. Looking forward to it!
Jack Hammer says:
August 22, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Undercenter says, “More then anything I would like to see the Niners go for the juggler..”
They had a great juggler back in the day, guy juggled fire sticks, bowling balls, you name it
LMAO!!!!!!!! Under no offense, but you have to admit that was funny. Everyone makes some mistakes, and sometimes you have to pay. ;-)
Crab15/prime
Yes. I am all for a few deep balls to RM,AJ, MC, MM, KW, I don’t care. If the D sees it and realizes they can’t single WR x, that opens up so much. And I’m cool with AS throwing a nice pass, and the WR making the catch.
I can care less which WR. If any of you are in shape, I’m fine with you doing it.
“Why not change the mentality? For instance say, “with our diversity of weapons on offense, we are going to create miss matches…”
which leads to, “…. take what the defense gives you.””
@Crab:
Unthinking confidence isn’t a virtue. Singletary’s “We’re going to run the ball between the tackles, and we don’t care if you know it” mentality was full of confidence. It just wasn’t very smart. As a result, it wasn’t very effective.
But don’t take my word for it. Bill Walsh was a “take what the defense gives you” guy. Perhaps you have heard of him.
MD
No offense taken yes it was very funny.
C-Balls – Are you really going to compare Singletary’s coaching ability to Harbaughs? You’re better than that C-Balls.
Good coaching builds the players level of trust and their confidence.
This powerful combination greatly increases your chances of executing successful plays.
@Crab:
Are you really going to compare Singletary’s coaching ability to Harbaughs?
How did you get that out of what I wrote?
I clearly contrasted Singletary’s coaching ability to Bill Walsh’s and by extension (since he also is a “take what the defense gives you” coach) to Harbaugh’s.
On the other hand, I did liken Singletary’s mentality to your “We’ll take what we want, not what they’ll give us” mentality.
Let me try it this way. Alex Smith’s stated mentality was shared by Bill Walsh; your mentality echoes Mike Singletary.
DRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, I didn’t see Randy. That’s what *I* take away from that.
Alex, are you still beating your wife? And etc.
.
Why are the questions always so leading? I wouldn’t ask about third downs or when he watched the NY loss. I’d ask him how his footwork is coming after the trip south to visit the throwing guru. I’d ask him if tall Alex Boone is staying out of the passing lanes. Ask him about that bottom mouth piece thingie he uses. Or how about the recent developments in equipment for that matter.
.
But hey, I’m not into bagging on people, just how that is…
The Key to sustaining drives is using the “check down” because you’re not going to have WR’s open on every pass. It’s all about patients but clearly with Moss on the outside now I believe Alex will have his opportunities to take some shots down the field.
And when that happens just watch how that will impact the Opponent’s Defense when those 2 get over on them. No more 8 in the Box for the most part, I look forward to that Ripple Effect after Moss makes a Big catch.
But that’s all Alex does. He teases you with a good throw 3-4 times a game and the Smithers all point to those plays and indicators of greatness, utterly ignoring everything from series to entire games where he just regresses and stinks the joint out. NFCCG anyone?
Thus far, nothing appears to have changed. How long is he supposed to get?
Until 49er fans see how Moss & Manningham get incorporated into this Offense then you can’t use last year as a Barometer. Make sense?
@f49er
Our RB’s are awesome. I too think the Niners offense will have enough threats outside so that if teams choose to double VD, and single outside (WR’s), they will get open. Maybe not chunks of yards like 25, but 12-15, I see as very doable.
If teams choose to double both the outside WR and VD, and can’t hide their intentions so well, AS can call it into a run play and the OL can rip the defense apart. And both KH and James are as quick and nearly as fast as the average DB. Lots of holes, space for them to make cuts, etc.
But they have to have a QB who can consistently> get them the ball. ALex has yet to show consistency in anything but rolling right into either a sack or an untenable situation where he has to throw the ball away. For every good play in the New Orleans game (or the entire season for that matter) I can show you 10 plays he just blew it with either inaccurate passes, rolling into sacks or rolling right and throwing it away.
I will give him the Green Bay game to show me improvement but when I way improvement, I mean he has to outplay Aaron Rodgers. NOTHING else is acceptable.
this is not Madden, its not player vs. computer or player vs. player……. Alex will have to play his best to beat the Packers defense and Rodgers the same vs. sf defense…..if your gonna compare numbers between the two alex loses every time…different players..different offenses…different teams….
CutAlex,
These cats have heard everything you said, from me for 3-4 years. They don’t believe Alex can falter. They will never embrace the truth as you or I know it. I can’t believe these cats don’t see it. Smith is a hot mess. Somehow the man continues to get chance after chance. There will be no different results because the leader of the offense is still the same.
@cutalex
1 good for 10 bad last year. Really?
If that were so, we would be undefeated and blow every team out 100-0. I think your ratio is off.
” I mean he has to outplay Aaron Rodgers. NOTHING else is acceptable.”
AS outplayed DB. Who was better than AR was when AR played the Giants. DB was the best QB at the end of the regular season in many ways, and AS beat him. First at our game (ball control, good decisions). Then at theirs (scoring fest). I would be ok with a win. Guess I am in the minority.
@cutalex
“The reason Craig, Rice,
Taylor, Rathman, Owens and Jones were able to get all the YAC they did was because the QB,
be it Montana, Young or Garcia, could put the ball on the money, consistently, ”
You may want to ask JM about what he thinks about AS before you speak for him.
Hint: He doesn’t agree with you.
DS,
Are you that naive about what Joe Montana thinks? He is not going to say that AS has poor pocket presence, can’t pull the trigger, dumps the ball too fast for a 3 yard gain. Why would Joe Montana say something like that?It would be a lose lose situation. The kid has enough pressue on him, the last thing he needs is JM saying he is lack some basic skills and Joe would never do that. He has too much class.This AS situation will be played out naturally.
cutalex
Your 7:07 post above you said 1 to 10. Next time read your own post before posting.
And, I guess JH is included among those who have the same “ill advised adoration for AS”. I can live with that. Only ? here is, can you?
Wait, cutalex, are you accusing DS of having an agenda? Perhaps preconceptions and a standing bias?
And WHAT is your screen name? Oh, but YOU don’t have an agenda on here, do you?
Root for whoever you want to, but don’t pretend you’re some kind of objective analyst.
Did you read your own post yet cutalex?
I’m stoked to hear Alex say that he understands RM’ ability to make plays. Looking foward to see AS take some shots downfield. All AS has to do is complete a couple of these per game and the defense will think twice about stacking the box.
Attention given to RM will also open some passing lanes for our other WR’s as well. I would like to see some packages that feature RM and TGjr with MC at the slot. Having speed on the outside will cause nice spaces for VD and MC in the middle.
Can’t wait to see the mastermind Harbaugh feature offensive packages that will create some headaches for defenses!
I’m looking forward to the Green Bay game. All questions will be answered that day. All excuses will be nullified. Play as well as Rodgers, or else. I think Alex needs to be told that.
Right. Every team should cut their QB’s who aren’t as good as Aarong Rodgers.
AES
Thats all well and good if they can catch the ball. (lol) Thought you might like that comment. Figure we got two and half weeks b4 the season starts and it the WR dispute hasnt been settled yet. Figure to stir it up all over again. (Chuckling)
@ ClaudeBalls
How’s dementia working out for you? I kinda wish Grant or any blogger would do a survey based on the age of Smith’s protectors. My theory is older men from say 48+ and on, think Alex is a good candidate to date their daughters so they protect him and root for him, bc they feel a kinship.
The rest of us, are solely focused on good QB’s vs. bad. Alex at this moment is average, and that is improvement from HORRIBLE.
Read my list Claude, all the peers and new QB’s in NFL who are already showing up better than both Alex and CK. Russell Wilson is knocking hard on Matt Flynn’s door to be Seahawks starter. That’s a true QB battle. The #2 is key to 49ers, if Alex shows up average, yet again.
Is that 48 number solely used to make JH inclusive?? LOL
You’re mother’s calling and wants you to put your bike away in the garage…
Sled,
They can’t stand the truth. Alex will write his own ticket very shortly. When he’s gone, hopefully, his fan club will be right behind him.
@23welcher:
What you call the truth, the rest of us call uninformed opinion. You said the exact same thing last year, and we all know how that worked out.
@sled:
Again, I can’t take you seriously on anything QB-related. Tell me again about how good Nate Davis was/is. Did he tear up the Lone Star Football League?
4 a guy you can’t stand, you’re sure up to current news on Nate Davis . He did in fact lead the Venom to a championship , after joining team late. They found him some WR’s who could catch his stellar passes. YouTube footage still shows he’s better than our current QB
sled, forward these youtubes to Harbaugh and Balke IMMEDIATELY! How could they have missed this development?
Sled,
Is the sledpunchingback how you got to be so, ahem, smart? I use that in the most loose sense of the word.
I can’t believe we still have somebody on here talking up Nate Davis. He isn’t even in the league and somehow this guy thinks he’s a better QB than Alex Smith. Delusional isn’t a strong enough word to use.
@sled:
On what basis do you conclude that I can’t stand Nate Davis? Just because I mock you for asserting that he is a great talent at QB and conclude that you don’t know what you are talking about doesn’t mean that I dislike Nate Davis. I have nothing against the man. My issue is with you, not him.
If Vernon Davis was his 1st read and he was open. Then Davis is gonna get the ball. I think that was a dumb question to ask and Alex said he would make the same decision. Davis has to catch the freakin ball. Moss got open late. To bad. Easy to 2nd guess from the stands or sitting in front of the TV. Nice try trying to blame VD’s drop on Alex Smith. Funny
Fred Soft
That is who AS is though. He takes responsibility for every play that doesn’t go as well as it could have. That is what leaders do. Take the hit, then the media attacks him for a bit, then there is nothing left, the issue dies, so it allows the team to move on.
If AS blames another player, then the media can go to that player and tell him what AS said. And then tell AS what that player said, and it becomes a circus.
The way AS does it is perfect.
Correct DS thats what good leaders do.
DS/Freddy Soft – We all talk crap about these players dropping passes or QB’s rushing throws (scared in the pocket) but when you really think about it man, it’s not that freaking easy.
Can you imagine someone like Ray Lewis or P. Willy coming at you with bad intentions?
……Damn, I’m Freddy P. Soft at the moment. ……I’m headed to the fridge for a cold beer to snap out of it. Won’t happen again.
Crab my man, after that comment you better drink one for me.
Center – You got it pal, ice cold Red Hook Long Hammer I.P.A. in honor of the man undercenter. :-)
Crab
The drops I am talking about are like the ones by VD/MC last game. Nobody is threatenig them, but they still drop it.
And if RL/PW even looked at me in a hostile fashion, I run the opposite direction. Play call be damned. But that is why I am not in the NFL, and they are.
As for QB, AS especially given the poor pockets he generally has, even JH mentions it. He takes a beating. Think about it. You have a 300lb guy in JS who ran down among the fastest player on the fastest team 20-30 yards downfield, and you are telling me to sit in the pocket hoping a WR gets open and I see him in time before this freakish man eats me for lunch? Nope. I’m not doing it. That’s for sure.
Fred, one of the good leadership abilities AS shows is deflecting blame from teammates onto himself. Should VD have caught that ball? Yes, but AS only mentions he should have placed it better and if he had then there’s a chance they score.
Sorry for repeating what DS has already stated but I think it’s a great quality to have.
Gotta love Smith as a person if you dont like his play. I love the fact he says he screwed up and his fans DONT. But like in the past they will spin it to what they want to believe. This guy is a class act and for all of the hypocrites like….well we know the two main Bozo’s Im talking about Guess you have to take HIS words for what they are….RIGHT?.
Like the sacks
The bad throw in VD’s face
nAnd.The “no field vision” Ill take what the defense gives me and miss an open TD to Moss
Some will take his comments as him not knowing how to cure these problems.
Some will take it as an insult and whine about it.
Ill take it as He knows what his problems are “like the accuracy guru” he went to see this off season, and he will work hard to fix these issues.The issues that some dont think he can fix, and the issues some dont think exist. Gotta love the guys Heart and Will. He is a true 49er
MD,
That’s the problem. These clowns love the person, so they want to try and make believe he’s a player. This is football. I want my team to have a quarterback that gets it done, not one that keeps an excuse as to why it didn’t get done. The hell with taking responsibility. How about just making an effort to be aggressive and make it happen.
Take what the defense gives you. More of these damn 4 yard outs to crabtree with a defender hanging on his knee. We got a bunch of speed to serve as decoys to facilitate the running game. I told you this team got too fast. Not the QB’s excuse is going to be that they are running too fast and he can’t lead them. I told you about that when they got these guys. It’s not gonna happen with Smith. We get more of the same from last year. We have an improve running game, so smith won’t have to throw.
>>We get more of the same from last year.
13-3? Awesome!
Man every off season I gotta hear about this guys mastery of the offense, it must just be in the class room because as soon as the bullets are live smith is just terrible. Yeah he wasn’t supposed to throw a td to moss, lol that was the play call hahaha, na don’t throw tds. How come this loser even plays scared in the pre season? Other qbs in the league throw tds in the pre season but no alex is so good he doesnt want to show his hand lol. He’s not going to take the Moss and Manningham Ferraris out of first gear and then niner “fans” will say moss is too old, the o line isn’t good, blame everybody but the one constant bum on this team. The cast around him is different but the results are always the same.
>>results
The same, eh?
yep 29th in passing with david akers setting the fg record hahahahaha. Lucky for alex he had a superbowl defense and running game, if they even had a mediocre qb they would have won the superbowl. Alex 3 and out Smith. Can’t wait to see our running back be his first and only read per usual lol.
You do realize this is a team game, right?
Yeah it’s team game and the rest of alex’s team are the reason they made it to the championship game. It’s a quarterback driven league, and one playoff appearance in 8 years in a weak nfc west is proof alex stinks. But don’t take my word for it, in a qb hungry free agent market not one team offered him a contract so you don’t to take my word for it, but you should take the other 31 front offices in the nfls word and they think he’s a backup at best.
The results truly have been the same offensively, smith is what he is. How many offers in preseason? He’s a 49ers system fit, that we tried to replace and couldn’t. He’s like a fungus that won’t go away. I dread the thought of smith checking down to Gore because he didn’t trust Moss to make a play on a pass . Safeway Alex Smith.
You nailed it. We tried to replace him with kurt warner when mcclougan was still around, tried to replace him with Hasselbach last off season, with peyton manning this off season and this guy comes back with his tail between his legs everytime cause he has no options. As soon as the niners upgrade over this scrub alex is out of the league and he knows it, he plays scared, the skill set is just not there. If all you can do is come up with excuses why a guy stinks instead of naming off his great skills you know you are dealing with a bum.
We are going to waste another superbowl team with this pathetic qb who not one team wanted in free agency. This guy has gotten more chances than any athlete in professional sports history. He has to have blackmail on Jed York or something. I mean, rookies are light years ahead of this 8 year veteran it’s sad. This loser tarnishes the niner brand.
13-3 and a ST muff away from the SB, the best showing in a decade, is such a tarnish.
If you are so fixated on a single player, how about fixating on someone like Justin? Otherwise go fixate on a team with these lightyear rookie QBs.
Rib don’t waste your time. The guy is a troll just looking for attention.
You guys aren’t niner fans you are alex smith fans and I can’t wait to see you feminine little trolls out of here when smith is gone. You know nothing of football and the league as a whole. 13-3 was the result of great defense, running game and special teams and the best turn over ratio in 20 years. David Akers had far more of a positive impact on this team than alex. They went 13-3 despite alex not because of him, and being 29th in passing backs up what I say, there is no substance or facts you little girls bring to the table.
Pigskin,
The writing was on the wall in the offseason when we tried to sign Manning. When our head coach and offensive coordinator wore disguises to do an evaluation of o QB that they didn’t want. They didn’t want to hurt Smith, who ended up getting butt hurt and jumping on a plane to Miami out of shame and embarrassment. Alex Smith in free agency……….crickets!!!!
If he had anything to offer as a QB, somebody would’ve flown him in. Nobody wanted him, including us. We got stuck with him. Can’t wait until this season is over. We can’t win a Super Bowl with this gem. He puts too much pressure on our defense and special teams. The “Diaper” is an anchor! NFL, not for long!!!!!
I’ve never seen such coddling of an athlete in my life, this is professional football. If he doesn’t have confidence he shouldn’t be in the league he’s not a 13 year old girl. Is there a million stories about Matt Hasselbachs (who is a multiple pro bowler and took a team to the superbowl) hurt feelings about pursuing manning. No because he is a man, alex is such a little baby. Then he takes a jab at Cam Newton who’s breaking records in his rookie year when alex threw one td his entire pathetic rookie season. These alex smith backers are like jim jones followers or the heavens gate cult.