I’m passing along Pro Football Focus’ player rankings for the 49ers because I think you’ll find them fascinating.
If you want to know how PFF grades players, you can read that here. If you want to see the grades, you have to purchase their premium stats.
According to Pro Football Focus, Joe Staley currently ranks as the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL by far.
Alex Boone and Mike Iupati rank as the No.2 and No.3 guards overall in the NFL, respectively.
Jonathan Goodwin ranks as the second-best center in the NFL.
Michael Crabtree ranks as 22nd-best wide receiver.
Vernon Davis ranks as the best tight end.
Alex Smith ranks as the 15th-best quarterback.
49ers RSS feed
Loading ...
Kudos to all!
BooyaH!
now why don’t we all feel better?
Go Niners! We are in good shape. I can not wait to see that Arizona game whrer the Niners will claim there rightful spot as the NFC West leader.
I was so glade to JH go back to the basic’s in the Seattle game. We can always retool the passing plays during the bye…
Pete Carroll doesn’t seem to be intimidated by Harbaugh one bit: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/22/pete-carroll-chides-harbaugh-for-complaints-about-officiating/
I thought it was weird that Harbaugh criticized the refs on letting the seahawks man handle the WRs not even a week after he complained about Gilbride doing the same thing. Jim cant have it both ways and i wish sometimes he would just bite his tongue and not get sucked into these comments
Clarification on the way the Seahawks play can only be a bonus for the 49ers. If the League deems that their play is within the rules, look for the 49ers to incorporate the same tactics. If not, look for the Seahawks to be shown more yellow hankees.
right, thats fine but he needs to choose one way or the other. Can’t complain when other coaches do the same thing
LOL, Yeah Carroll isn’t intimidated by Harbaugh at all… he just can’t beat him and needs to make attacks against him in the media after he beats him for the third straight time.
Overall
Harbuagh 5
Carroll 1
But don’t forget, Carroll is not intimidated… LMFAO
Gilbride did it before the game the Harbaugh did it after the game. Big difference.
It doesn’t matter if we are playing them or not, hes still pointing it out for the league to notice it. Besides, do we not have to play them again?
wait a minute…. Harbaugh was ASKED by a reporter about the no calls, he didn’t offer it on his own. Gillbride went to the media and made his complaint about a specific player before the game “getting away with murder”.
Huge difference.
Not really, they both were in pressers. And it doesnt matter how the statements came out, they did.
@jomona
Exactly. I’m disappointed that Florio glossed over that huge difference. Then again, it’s pretty clear that he has an axe to grind against Harbaugh.
@BigP:
Should anyone expect Carroll to be intimidated?
Alex Smith ranks as the 15th-best quarterback. It should be 32nd and the worst.
Disagree. Alex is a very streaky guy who has good games and bad games. Because of that, he deserves to be middle pack. Until he is consistently bad or consistently good this season he deserves to be in the middle.
Alex Smith suck’s, It’s as simple as that.. FACT
To be streaky you actually have to get hot at one point. Going back and forth from mediocre to bad isn’t streaky, it’s called being mediocre
It could be a lot worse. It could be a lot better. Alex is simply “OK”.
To be streaky you actually have to get hot at one point. Going back and forth from mediocre to bad isn’t streaky, it’s called being mediocre
Isn’t that what the middle of the pack is? Mediocre.
AS has played 3 great games, one below average and 3 poor games, 15 is about right, however he has played two poor games in a row and is not getting better, the way he is going will probably be 22 or 23, in the next couple of weeks.
Neal, hearing you whine over and over, just liked a broken record. Don’t you guys get tired? crying out load. A Bunch of cry babies..
@49erman,
Do you really think that I care what you have to say about me, your nothing but a pimple on a pig’s arse? I am just stated my opinion, why don’t you get off your white horse, because you are kind of a bore, you sound like the type of guy that would suck the air out of a party.
Thats all they do 49erman, cry and cry about Smith. Maybe if they cry for the next 9 games Harbaugh might listen to them and bench Smith.
Telling us every day what he can and cannot do makes the haters think that a) we care and b) that it wil maike a difference.
Better off fellas to invest in some therapy or find another NFL team. The ladder might be cheaper.
Well Neal your opinions don’t get you banned 3 times. Like onelame posing as a 49er fan now. Talk about pathetic. This guy can’t take a hint. Go ahead and ask him if he thinks smith has improved on last year so far. He’ll just Claude his way out of it and change the subject.
FDM,
You try to pretend your this outstanding upscale person on here in blog land, your nothing but a phony who tried to fight another person on here because of difference of opinion,I an going to sound like your sister BS known as Big Sister on here, I never respond to your posts but you have always respond to mine. Your another bore and snooze. Oh did I hurt your feelings?
Ninermd,
Your right they are pretty sad, that one lane and also Primate have multiple profiles on here, not much of a life I suppose.The Smithers know that Smith is not the man, well except BS, but he is a tea party member.
FDM
The new team idea is the way to go.
49erman
They’ve done it for literally YEARS. Don’t expect any change. Even when every one of the haters who have a post in this thread said they would stop at least once.
ninermd – but you were banned by 49erwebzone
Take a hint? about what? That you are a tarded clown that we all laugh at on the blog.
Depiver says:
October 23, 2012 at 6:18 am
ninermd – but you were banned by 49erwebzone
Take a hint? about what? That you are a tarded clown that we all laugh at on the blog.
Lmao! Riiiiight onelame. This is strike three for you dummy. That means take your bat off of your shoulders and head to the dug out.
Curious where Carson Palmer ranks? Little surprised that Davis ranks as best tightend ( I still think his route running and hands are suspect), I also think Smith at 15 is probably spot on.
Davis is the best blocker, by a long shot, of the regular TE’s. That with his ‘explosivness’ make him #1.
Palmer ranks one spot ahead of Smith. Peyton Manning ranks 8th.
I’m not a stat guy, but I checked both Smith’s and Palmer’s stas so far this season. Smith is clearly having the better season so far, ergo these two should be flipped.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/4459/carson-palmer
http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/8416/alex-smith
Yeah Palmer looks awful pretty much every week. Alex is up and down, but at least he’s had some up this year.
Grumpy
Lets say AS is inconsistent good one week, bad the next. That adds up to 8-8. Well, how many times have the Niners won with AS playing poorly (this year, some say the Jets/Seattle)? If they win half the time when he plays poorly, that is another 4 wins.
That adds up to a 12-4 record. Maybe a bye.
Rankings seem about right.
Wonder how Frank Gore did.
My nominee for mid-season MVP, by a long shot, is the entire O Line. They have protected Smith quite well and created huge holes for run plays. I thought they’d improve, but they exceeded my expectations. Gore is doing what he does well — follow blockers patiently and use his excellent vision of the field.
Biggest disappointment: entire special teams EXCEPT Andy Lee, who is still on Mt. Olympus. Brian Jennings is still doing his job.
Boone has been a fantastic addition this year. He hasn’t missed a beat while switching positions.
+1
Very true, if he were starting last year for Snyder I have no doubt the 49ers would have won the Super Bowl.
+1
Wonder why JH kept trotting out Snyder who was getting abused all season as well as getting his Qbs killed in Az , when he had Boone sitting right thete
How did Anthony Davis rank? Then do they rank by team offensive line? If so how did we rank in that assessment? How does our Dline rank and how about the rankings of each player of our Dline?
Alex Smith ranks as the 15th-best quarterback?
Really!? That’s waaay too high for a player leading the NFL’s 29th ranked passing attack….
Yes because yards are the only way you can accurately gauge a qbs contributions to the team.
I can’t wait to see all the Alex Smith lovers complain about how stupid PFF is for using stats to show how a player performs. What do numbers know about football?
I’ve never seen a group of people have such a love affair for a guy who is just OK. You know it’s bad when the Smith fans have to get excited about a completed deep pass like it’s proof he can make the throws. Last year he was the beneficiary of low expectations. Now that expectations are high and the veil has been lifted it’s easy to see how mediocre he really is.
I would say 15th best is about right since its a cumulative ranking that is based on each game so coming off his two worst games of the season and he is still ranked the 15th best in the NFL shows that he isn’t the “worst qb in the league” some of you morons make him out to be.
Not all of the QB’s in the league have the benefit of a great coaching staff and all the weapons like Alex Smith does, not to mention a great offensive line. You could plug in almost any QB to hand the ball of to Gore and throw dump off passes that travel less than five yards in the air (12 of his 14 completions). Not to mention that the reason he was ranked so high before was because of his one great game against the Bills (the 31st ranked defense). Alex Smith’s ceiling is slightly above Kaepernick’s floor
“All the weapons”? Look there is no doubt we have way more weapons than last year but Crabtree is still proving himself as a #1, Manningham was the third best guy in NY, and Moss got cut by 3 teams before sitting out last year. Vernon Davis is the best and we need to get him involved but I would not rank our weapons among the leagues best until Crabtree proves he can beat single coverage week in and week out. I alsofind it funny that you use one game to say all he throws are dumpoffs (Seahawks), even though Alex Smith was the best deep ball thrower in terms of accuracy prior to the Giants game, and then completely discount the game he played well even though since that the Bills have held Kolb to 128 yds and Hasselbeck to 205. Plus the games against the Lions and Packers he was practicaly flawless as well. Even with the two bad games are under his belt he is still tied for 10th in YPA, 7th in Completion percentage, 8th in Passer rating, and tied for 13th in TDs. To act like he is the worst qb in the league is so hilariously inane.
@tkamB:
You know you just feeding the trolls, right?
The best deep ball thrower. That’s laughable. That’s why stats are great, because as more are accumulated you begin to so the what the real story actually is. The sun shines on a dogs ass some days and just because Smith had a few games where he threw the deep ball well it is pretty clear that that was an exception not the rule. There are no doubt worse QB’s in the league than Alex Smith but there are plenty who can step in and do better if not the same as him. Mediocre is just that, the average player you come across will be able to perform just as well. If you know what VORP is you will understand that concept
@claude
“In JH I trust” feeds the haters. They eat up anything.
All that matters is for the team to win each sunday.. You can throw all the stats away..At the end of the season all those stats are nothing..
the “….” is back. OneNiner has no shame :)
49erman = one niner = Primate.
There it is, when called out or emabarassed, the haters pull out the double poster card. Neal your money.
No denying that with Prime and one gone there are less nasty attacks in the room. Oh and once again, you are welcome room, I didn’t mind taking out the trash….
Now if only you could take out your own trash that includes all the criers about Smith and wanting a different style of play from the 49ers.
….. Pathetic…. That a certain…. Smith fan can’t take a hint…… Look he even calmed down his……. To …
Lmao! Banned sucka. Get the hint. You’re not wanted here.
And then there’s primes cousin FDM…… Cue the dumpster….
Bay still classy as ever. I know it pains you inside, but hey, if you live up to your word and Smith remains average, you will be a fan of another team as you promised, cue the celebration.
Did one niner and primate get banned? If they did they will just become another poster.
Oneniner got banned but cannot stay away. Zero self esteem. And Prime bet me that Smith would throw for 200 yards against the Seahawks hahahahaha. He threw for 140 lol buahahahaha. I can’t contain myself.
The overthrow and missed TD from Smith to KW was probably the one time that Prime was just as pissed off that Smith was average as I was.
Bet he cursed Smith on that throw. Cause if he hits it, he could have been closer to the 200 hahah.
I will say I commend Prime for being a man of his word though…. HAHAHAHAHAH
I am not sure if its comedy or its just how pathetic you loofs are at assigning oneniner to every poster you can’t reply to with facts.
@ninermd – If oneniner keeps posting, what will you do about it? Are you just going to keep crying?
Oneniner seems to clown you all the time and looks like you can’t do anything to stop it. You are so insecure/paranoid you assign every comment you don’t agree with to oneniner.
Gmays… Aka onelame. Either way. I’m right and you’re wrong. Deal with it.
And bay…. He’s talking in 3rd person too. Gmays now. He’s got more names than excuses for Alex smith. Lol how pathetic can you get? Wheeeew
whos the genius that ranks alex smith as 15th best? i have an extremely hard time figuring out who i wouldnt take over him. seriously who is not performing better than smith respectively at the qb position. (wins dont count since alex isnt the one landing us the wins) possibly skelton maybe. but even sanchez has had multiple 300 yd games with absolutely no one to pass to, while rookies like rg3, luck, weeden and tanehill are all making alex look pop warner at best. and they dont have a fraction of the offensive weapons we do. i mean its pretty ridiculous.
Who is not performing better than him?
Matt Cassel, Kevin Kolb, Jake Locker, Russell Wilson, Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman, Michael Vick, Cam Newton, Tony Romo, Mark Sanchez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Weeden…..yeah. there are some names.
I’d add Flacco, Stafford, Gabbert, Tannehill, Luck, Ponder, Skelton, Cutler, Rivers, and Palmer to the players who haven’t played as well as Alex up to this point.
you guys are nuts only qbs worse than alex, gabbert, skelton, matt cassel/brady quinn and that’s it, Flacco and Stafford you are brain dead.
QBS ahead of Smith — based on performance this year just wanted to see where Smith lands — Okay off the top of my head:
Rodgers
Brees
Brady
Matty Ryan
P Manning
E Manning
RG 3 (Yeah he’s that good right now)
Christian Ponder
M. Schaub
J. Cutler
B. Rothlesberger
M. Stafford
Andy Dalton
That’s makes him 13th.
The said part is there are a couple of really young players playing at a higher level then he is. There are also some more physically gifted QBs player below him, like Rivers, Cam Newton, Tony Romo and maybe Sam Bradford.
The young guys you wish the Niners could have gotten in the draft are Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton and Tannenhill in Miami. Those guys are the real deal and could easily take over for Alex Smith and this team will be just as good or better.
I think we all suspect what Alex’s ceiling is, and until he proves otherwise, that’s what it is. He has to beat a top 5 defense with his arm and legs. Philly doesn’t count. That’s what we’re all waiting for. At least I am…
Fansince 77
Nice post
I sort of agree with Dalton and an argument could be made for Ponder, but Cutler and Stafford have not performed better than Alex this year. Especially Stafford.
Staffords’ mechanics are very sloppy right now. His worst part is he doesn’t raise his elbow when throwing, resulting in poor passes..
Alex 15th? I believe in alex as long as his coaches do! With that said, alex is at least in the top 10..just sayin.
That’s funny….it looks like he’s number 15 and unless mathematics has changed since my elementary school days that’s below 10
says the guy who thinks the 15th ranked QB is ranked in the top 10?
In terms of passer rating, he’s top 8.
Just sayin’
NFL passer rating is probably the least reliable state. I would give more credit to QBR which has him ranked as 11th best. If you were to take all three of those as well as what you have seen with your own eyes, you would be hard pressed to say that 15h in the league isn’t accurate
NFL passer rating is probably the least reliable state.
Got any support for that assertion? From what I have read, it correlates highly to winning. I’ve seen nothing that shows similar correlation between the other stats and winning.
Claude I will educate you. Qb rating is a garbage stat because it’s all about completion percentage which a guy like alex that just throws passes at 2-3 yards a clip like sorry alex 3 and out smith it’s impossible to not complete passes but that’s also why he never completes deep balls or throws tds.
Chris
Tell me about the philosophy of the WCO.
Chris you are correct. And while undercenter is correct about short passes being the staple of the WCO, throwing short of the marker especially on third down isn’t.
Can I get a 5 yard pass on 4th and 15 anyone???? A Smith has never ever ever finished on a team that had a 3rd down percentage that finished higher than 25th I believe. But check my work, and do it before prickly Claude jumps in.
Also anyone else tired of watching drives stall inside the 20? Hoping just maybe that BJ can fix that.
Bay
That throwing short of the first down marker was indeed bad.
“That throwing short of the first down marker was indeed bad.”
True, but why was VD, the most explosive receiver on the team, running an underneath rout on 4th and 15?
Actually, Chris, it’s not just about completion percentage. It’s also about yards/attempt, TDs/attempt and interceptions/attempt.
Simple research would have told you that. It also would have told you that the passer rating stat corresponds more highly with winning than just about any other stat.
But don’t let your ignorance get in the way of acting like you know what you are talking about or posting strong, smug opinions. It’s worked so well for bay.
Hof
Good question!!
Still waiting for your answer to undercenters question Chris.
@ bay:
Also anyone else tired of watching drives stall inside the 20? Hoping just maybe that BJ can fix that.
Really? I take it you are unaware that the 49ers have scored TDs on 57% of their red zone trips this season, which ranks 12th and is a 17% improvement over last season.
http://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/red-zone-scoring-pct
Yeah two by CK. How many passes for TD’s in the red zone by Smith?
Why do you think he gets yanked? But his air time is up by half a yard…. hahahahah
Grant: thoughts on Alex? Number 15…so ‘above average’ for an NFL QB?
Grant,
Can you tell me where Frank Gore has been graded?
8th best half back.
Grant, I thought we all agreed here that calling AS a female name was verboten moving forward and that those would get deleted on the spot?
I delete that whenever I see it. I’ll clean it up soon. I’m swamped in Santa Clara.
Thanks Grant, Pretty darn good, especially many people wrote him off.
Then call out Augustincanada for calling CK Krapernick or Kaeprncrapper both are childish.
Thanks Grant. Get some good material!!
Only positive fans back every inch of Alex smiths play. And never point out his faults. That’s what ds means. With that dumb post.
NinerMD,
I called the read-option play the “Kaepercrapper”, because I don’t like the play. It’s a play-on-words variation of the “Kaeperkeeper”.
Try to keep up……
Grant, how do these rankings compare to the same time last year?
I don’t know about same time last year, but I do know PFF had Alex as a top 10 qb for all of last year.
Would still like to hear how these rankings compare to the same time last year.
Interesting…I wonder what the receiver ranks are based off of….drops, blocking, YAC???
Jeff z, pop warner! Come on man…..give alex a little respect. He had a couple bad games, he will pick it up. If you notice, if alex plays poor, they lose. That should say a little on how much his play affects the team. Last time I checked they are 5_2!
He played poor on Thursday night and they won Or was throwing an interception in the endzone after missing a wide open Moss part of the game plan?
for a guy with the same first name you sure are a hater! by the way to the top10! last time I counted 10 was above 15 in a ranking scale, lol.
yes because of my name I must swear allegiance to every single Alex in existence. I should have expected a simple response from a simple mind. To be a top 10 QB you have to be ranked 1-10. When you are ranked 15th that makes you, wait for it, a TOP 15 QB.
the top 10 was my opinion idiot!
and it’s a good thing it’s your opinion. Evolution is a researched scientific study but in my opinion God created the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th.
That sounds about right. Stats apparently doesn’t offer the pass protection index anymore which is kind of a bummer but the O-line looks a lot better. Passes the eye ball test at least. Hopefully the rest of the league doesn’t learn that they can jam and hand check or receivers
I would say that Seattle’s secondary is the best in the league so even if other teams do learn that I doubt they will be nearly as effective doing it.
OMG! AlexSucks!
No… He’s great!
No, I know better than Harbaugh what is best for the 49ers because I’m smart.
Lets look at the basic facts. Lots of coaches have lost with Alex Smith. Harbaugh has won with Alex Smith.
Harbaugh has won everywhere he goes.
Harbaugh has taken Quarterbacks who have talent and maximized it. That is his M.O.
Luck was a talent, and Harbaugh helped him get better. Look what Harbaugh did for Josh Johnson in san diego in college. Look what harbaugh has done for alex smith.
Look, Alex Smith’s greatest talents lie between his ears.
He can make all the pre snap reads and checks, for both the passing game and for the running game. Also, he knows how to make the smart pass. Which just so happens to be the whole design of Harbaugh’s team. If you look, most of the time the 49ers players aren’t selling out and trying to win the game on a single play. They play to be in position, to do what they NEED to to, and win the game by playing smarter and being more SKILLED than the other team.
Alex Smith is a strong technician. He runs plays exactly how they are supposed to be run. You know what that means, a lot fewer mistakes.
Did he stink it up in the Giants game when he had to force the issue some… yes. But the more he has to do that, the better he will get…. It is a process. I’m sure if Harbaughthought Kaepernick were a better option, or anyone for that matter, he would have made it happen.
But when a coach who has been as successful as Harbaugh has been says ” Alex Smith is my guy” Then I think we should listen to him, especially when Alex/Jim have a record of 19-6 together. You think that is a coincidence? Well, then…. take it up with the 49ers front office and locker room, and see how far you get.
nice thoughts Chris!
Chris
In 2007, Jim Harbaugh beat top ranked USC with Tavita Pritchard playing QB. Yes, Pritchard! I think the current Niner team – under the leadership of JH – can win with any number of QBs, including CK.
Nick says-I think the current Niner team – under the leadership of JH – can win with any number of QBs, including CK.
So in otherwords they are good with Smith under centre? Great job Nick.
FDM,
So you don’t agree with me? Should I remind you what FDM stands for again?
Nick you can call names all you want and make fun of log in names all you want. It wont change anything but if it makes you feel better have at friend.
Fact is, you think anyone can win under centre under JH for the 49ers. By all accounts then, Smith will be just fine. Thnaks for coming out.
I actually agree with Nick. I can pick out 20 QB’s that can run the Niners as successfully as Smith. Bottom line, he’s not being asked to do much. And I think that’s part of the problem.
I think Smith is not the type of QB that can turn it on and off. If you ask him to dink and dunk and dink and dunk, then he’s not ready to chuck it when he’s asked. Just an observation so don’t jump in with your garbage Claude.
As for whether or not CK can win here, none of us know. It’s TBD.
Nick- That’s what he’s saying.
Harbaugh has already picked the QB HE deems gives the TEAM the BEST chance to WIN.
They have more $$$ invested in Kap, if it was anything other than potential performance on the field, Kap would be starting and playing the whole game. His time will come, but it ain’t right now.
If JH didn’t want AS, he never had to have him. The only QB who he had to have when he was hired was Carr. And he never made it into TC.
Twice JH could have told Alex “Thanks, but no thanks.” And twice he has said, “Thanks, please stay.” Will 3 be the charm for you?
Oh, and I think that the 12-15 range is just about right for Alex. He is asked to do less than other quarterbacks are, but what he does do, he does well.
He might not be top ten in Yards per game, but his quarterback rating is 8th in the leaague,and his QBR (ESPN’s new advanced stat which takes into account his relative success on every single play) places him as the 11th best quarterback in the league, so I, even as a stats guy, would be very wary of calling him the 32nd best QB in the NFL if i were anyone other than a guy who loves to make inflammatory statements
Chris, Please stopped with your insanity. All you do is whine and cry about A. Smith. Don’t you even get tired? You’re liked a broken record.
Man, I wish I had a record player. That would be sweet.
and who’s your team allen?
The 49ers. Not Alex Smith & Company like some people on here.
Alan, that means your not a 49er fan? You stated not A. Smith and company, so you are saying, you are not a fan of the whole team, alex and the other players are company..You are rooting for the team name 49ers , but not the players?
It’s okay Ninerman, there are some really strange folks on this blog…
And he’s one of them. That was banned and still comes back with 5 different names. The problem is he’s so stupid he doesn’t think people will see the …….’s and the endless smith protection. Pathetic!
i use ….. all the time
You either need a hobby or anger management classes…
Just curious Grant, but do they grade the coaches as well? I’d love to see where Harbaugh, Roman, and the Godfather rank.
They don’t.
Too bad. I’d like to see their take on our coaches. I’d say they’ve done a B+ job with plenty of room for improvement.
B+ on defense, more like a C for special team and offense, they are average at best.
If harbaugh and the Alex haters think that CK is ready, why don’t they start CK? So, they can find out who should be the starting Qb for the 49ers. And I liked see how far the 49ers decend to the bottom of the NFL west division, with Ck on the helm. And lets see, if you guys still would continue to praise harbaugh?
Quick question Grant,
Why does your blog seem to attract so many irrationally negative posters? I’m sure PFF is unbiased and is just putting together a ranking system to compare players by position. All ranking systems have flaws but generally speaking also give a statistical snap shot of how players perform overall. Hard to make a case for why some people seem to hate Alex…top 10 passer rating, great W/L record under JH, team mates & coaches support him, been dominating our division…etc. All QBs have good & bad games including Manning Bros, Brees, Brady, Big Ben. (Eli made some really bad throws yesterday). Bottom Line is JH knows way more about QBs than the the sum total of troll knowledge on this site. Might be an interesting case study, some in depth journalism to investigate the mindset of fans because logic doesn’t seem to apply.
I think my blog attracts a lot of irrationally positive posters, too.
You mean… “fans”?
Do positive posters come from out of nowhere and attack others for no reason?
I haven’t seen any.
DS94everXev says:
October 22, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Don’t insult kids Axel.
It takes years of hate to get to where Neal is.
I don’t know do they ds?
Who’s ahead of Boone and Iupati?
Marshal Yanda.
Pretty impressive for a guy drafted 86th when he came into the NFL.
I think if smiths finger wasn’t hurting him he’d probably be in the top 10. Ever since he hurt his throwing hand he’s been average at best but I believe if he’s healthy he’s a top 10 guy all the way…I know the saints game is in the past but after watching that game I know he has top 10 QB ability…he proved it to every 49er fan that day…his biggest issue is consistency…I’m just glad it’s still early in the season…he has plenty of time to get back in the top 10 no need to worry
Smiths qbr…. Against top defenses??? Nothing over 81. That doesn’t concern everyone?
Not when Tim Tebow completed two out of six passes in a game last season and had a high QBR rating from it.
@ ninermd:
Congratulations, you have discovered the little known secret that QBs’ tend to perform better against the poorer defenses than they do against the stronger ones.
But Claude…. He beat those top defenses last season. Remember????
By the way, the 49ers played seven games last year against Top 10 defenses, and won six of them. The only such game they lost (Baltimore) involved a cross country flight to play a game on 4 days rest and with only 4 days’ preparation. Since the playoffs won’t involve similar circumstances, I like the team’s chances against good defenses.
Your words. Not mine Claude. So answer me now. Has Smith improved on last season and if so. How? And how come you haven’t called me out when I called the pass rush, Akers and st’s out? You say that I think it’s all smiths fault only, but you don’t defend these three. Why is that Claude?
Yes, and guys like jordan, bay and even you still complained that Smith wasn’t throwing for enough yards or playing the style of football that you wanted from the “quarterback of my team.” After the Ravens loss, there were predictions of gloom and doom because of the team’s alleged inability to beat really good teams.
Don’t you remember jordan’s smug “We’re a quarterback away from the playoffs!” and “We’re a quarterback away from a playoff victory!” pearls of wisdom? He was wrong last season, and he’s wrong now. You should know better than to listen to his uninformed nonsense.
It’s a 16 game season. Let it play out. Try not to live and die by any individual game.
Again Claude. Like PM DB or TB aren’t on this team I am not Jordan. It seems you just want to argue. I think you look for smith critics and just want to fight. Instead of letting them have their opinions. Why else would you not have the back of the pass rush, Akers, or st? Again. I stated my concern about 4 parts of the team and you pick out the Alex smith part only. And then turn around and try to clown that I had bet on his performance this season because I had faith. You don’t get anywhere being the bully that gets his a** kicked every day. So which is it Claude? Am I hater? Because I’m worried about his play? Or am I a fan because I bet he would blow up this season? Tough one isn’t it? Maybe I’m just a fan that Can see the good and bad.
@ninermd:
Has Smith improved on last season and if so. How?
Read the multiple messages in which I answered the question. In addition to the areas I previously pointed out, you’ll be happy to know that Smith also has improved his Air Yard average (average yards his pass attempts travel in the air) by .5 yards/attempt.
Besides, why do I have to show where Smith has improved? You are the one claiming that he has regressed. It’s your burden to prove that assertion is true, not mine to disprove it. The only thing you can point to is his interception number. Got anything else?
And how come you haven’t called me out when I called the pass rush, Akers and st’s out?
Because I didn’t see those comments, and it’s not my job to correct all of your mistakes. Police yourself, and refrain from making unfounded claims.
In addition, I’m not sure it’s inaccurate to say that Akers and the special teams are off from last year. So, depending upon what your actual complaints were, they may not have been unfounded.
I am not sure what your pass rush complaints are. Yes, the sack numbers are down, but the 49ers maintain one of the best pass defenses in the in league – 1st in yards/game allowed, 1st in yards/pass attempt allowed and 4th in opposing QB passer rating. All of that while playing against three top ten passing offenses – GB, Detroit, and NY Giants. Moreover, while the sack numbers are down, I don’t know how the overall pass pressure numbers compare to last year.
@ ninermd:
You don’t get anywhere being the bully that gets his a** kicked every day.
You lost me. Who’s the bully getting his butt kicked every day? You? Me?
So which is it Claude? Am I hater? Because I’m worried about his play? Or am I a fan because I bet he would blow up this season?
I think you are a guy who made a bet you probably shouldn’t have made and are now upset because you are afraid you will lose your seemingly ill-advised bet. Instead of accepting responsibility for making the bet, you are lashing out at Smith for not meeting the probably unreasonable standard that you set for him.
By the way, it doesn’t help your credibility that you remain proud of the fact that you were among the ignorant “fans” chanting for Carr.
Oooohhhhh bit it’s your job to take shots at me for pointing out smiths ints qbr, redzone problems, and accuracy problems. Oh I see. You don’t want to copy and paste when it doesn’t benefit your arguement. Got cha pal. And yes I know his ypa is up. I stated that. And stated they are up because GR and JH want a qb that can stretch the field. And it hasn’t worked. Thus they will be going back to same game managing play they did last season and pray that the defense and st can return to last years form. Thank your buddy Rocket for saying they haven’t changed a thing except putting in CK for some plays. Anybody that watched the games could see smith trying his hardest to stretch the field more often than last season, but its GR fault for play calling. Not that they might want a qb that isn’t only one dimensional. You really do copy and paste the part that benefits you. National enquirer here’s the latest sleeze writer……. Claude Balls.
Oh and btw… A simple yes or no would have worked. Not a bunch of questions with excuses for answers. Alex smith hasn’t got better. That’s just a fact. And by now he should have been better. Beating weak defenses is expected. Looking like a high school qb against top defenses isn’t. At least not from a qb that is elite or a pro bowler. Like his coach claimed. Just sayin. My finger is about to touch that panic button. Even Hoffers and devout Smith guy is about where I am. That’s saying a lot.
MD,
please don’t argue with this clown. We are football fans and experienced football fans develop an eye for the game, the nuances of the mechanics and skill levels of different players. The “look” they get in their eyes when they are overmatched or when they are crazy confident.
Claude is a joker. He lives for this $hit he’s doing right now. The back and forth the attempting to gather a useless stat to his benefit.
Look we all know what we know and that includes when a HC is tinkering with his QB position because he isn’t getting what he wants from it. Just but fuzzy balls on ignore. He’s an old bastard that misses the buzz he got winning arguments as a lawyer…
Get with it MD, his red zone stats suck, he’s getting playing time taken away from the backup but his air travel is up by half a yard dammit…. lol
@ninermd:
I am sorry, but I can’t make things any simpler for you. There is absolutely no basis for these changing “Smith is regressing,” “they tried and failed to stretch the field” fantasies you have concocted. You’re in over your head. Quit while you are behind.
@ bay:
You crack me up. You actually think that you are a knowledgeable fan with an experienced “eye for the game.” Unfortunately for you, your experienced, knowledgeable observations are nothing more than made up junk that you pull our of your backside. That’s why they rarely square with the facts as they actually exist.
The latest example: Smith’s red zone statistics don’t “suck.” The 49ers is currently rank 12th in red zone TD scoring. While that’s not elite, it plainly and definitely doesn’t suck. If you actually knew what you were talking about and didn’t just pull this stuff out of your butt, or if you at least checked the numbers to verify what your keen eye for the game tells you, you wouldn’t embarrass yourself so regularly on this blog.
Don’t get mad at me for pointing out your errors; get mad at your self for making so many. And for doing so in such a smug, ultimately humiliating fashion.
ninermd is a true moron.
How can anyone be this dumb. Your parents must be ashamed of what a loser your life is.
Simple english you can’t understand.
Messi. Aka onelame…. Your name fits your comments. Don’t hate the playa. Hate the game. Now get back to the sidelines waterboy. You’ve been benched.
MD, Bay,
There was a pretty good discussion going on and then you guys have to get upset and start throwing insults toward Claude. Prove him wrong with football facts; don’t resort to insults they make you look weak.
If you are so sure you are right, then convince us with facts. That is the problem with MD’s posts on this subject. It’s all rhetoric MD. It’s “anybody can see” from you instead of actual facts and numbers like Claude and I put up on here.
I can’t speak for Claude, but I watch every game. In fact I watch them multiple times so I can watch every level of play that I can’t see live. I don’t come in here and say something unless I’ve witnessed it and have then checked the numbers to make sure I’m not missing something.
MD, you are stating something that isn’t true. I’m sorry but that is the case. You believe there were changes made to the offense, they failed and now they’ve gone back to the old way, and that simply is a falicy. The offense is fundamentally the same as last year, with the exception of Kap coming in some situations to run or throw deep. Other than that, this is the same offense, the same mentality and producing very similar numbers to last year. You are taking exception to the system and blaming it on the easy target. If you can’t see it that’s your problem but don’t expect someone who knows you are wrong to sit back and let you make false assumptions.
Really rocket???? It’s not a fact that smiths ypa aren’t up from last season? That being said. It proves my point and proves you are wrong. Are you telling me that you watch the games multiple times. And Didnt see the difference in smith throwing more and deeper downfield? If that’s the case then there is no use in talking about it anymore. Because you refuse to see the facts.
Secondly. How on earth did smith get better with throwing the ball and stretching the field? You know the stats. I shouldn’t have to bring them up. So he failed! Now the only part of my post that is opinion is. I believe they go back to the dink and dunk/power running game for now on. Because that’s what worked. It worked last season and it worked in the second half last Thursday. Let me give you a little help. Stats don’t tell all. So for you to ask me to prove it. I will with what everyone saw. Is smith ahead of pace from last season? Not with int’s. and what’s his only job Harbaugh wants? Ball control and mistake free football. Again this part is my OPINION!!!! Get ready for the same offense as last season. Because “and this is fact” smith couldn’t stretch the field”!
MD,
You are too stubborn to know when to quit so I’m just going to have to give you something you can’t refute and hopefully you’ll start to understand the difference between fact and fiction.
This season’s pass distribution for Alex Smith:
1-10 yards – 70 attempts
11-20 – 70 attempts
21-30 – 44 attempts
31+ – 6 attempts
Last seasons Pass distribution for Alex Smith:
1-10 yards – 180 attempts
11-20 – 179 attempts
21-30 – 121 attempts
31+ – 35 attempts
Now looking at these numbers MD, it clearly shows you that not only have the Niners not gone deep MORE this season; they are actually doing it LESS on average than they did last year.
This is the difference between what you believe you see and what the reality is MD. When you base an opinion off of perception instead of looking up the facts you wind up looking silly.
This should prove to you unequivocally that the Niners did not try to change to a deeper style of passing game and fail. They have changed very little from what they did last year as I I’ve told you repeatedly.
If you are unable to see it or just refuse to, that is your problem, but the evidence is here right in front of you.
Just for fun I figured we should also show the completion percentage on the different pass attempts as well:
This season:
1-10 – 64.3%
11-20 – 70%
21-30 – 68.2%
31+ – 50%
Last season:
1-10 – 62.2%
11-20 – 60.3%
21-30 – 59.5%
31+ – 54.3%
Last season numbers include the two playoff games as well, but you can see Smith has improved so far percentage wise across the board with the exception of the 31+ yard passes. So as much as some want to rant about him not improving, in Completion percentage at least, he is.
@ninermd:
Dude, give it a rest. You are not very good at this, and it shows.
Nice Job Rocket.
I think you finally shut him up.
Ninermd is allergic to facts.
Well, I’m releasing my Top 5 QB rankings right now.
1. Matt Ryan
2. Matt Schaub
T3. (In Alphabetical Order by Last Name) Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Christian Ponder, Alex Smith
4. Jay Cutler
5. Tom Brady
Heavily medicated Mason? Oh yea Alex Smith is equal to Eli Manning.
Neal you are like a rash on here. Not once have I seen a person respond to a football related post from you. You are a joke kid.
Don’t insult kids Axel.
It takes years of hate to get to where Neal is.
Axel funny that is what I thought about you. I have had plenty of football posts, but your a Smither, keep drinking the Kool -Aid son.
Oh it is BS, talking about hate and calling me the S word and the F word on here. Hey BS, how was your tea party meeting ?
Neal
How do you feel being less valued that BS (Bulls spit)? Are you going to go tell Grant now that you have an owee on your finger?
Get a clue Neal. Every new poster here has told you to shut up, wise up, or leave.
Oh and for the people who say Alex only throws check downs, he has the 10th highest Air yards per attempt (which excludes YAC), higher than Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers. His yards come from only 42.5% YAC, which is the 11th fewest in the league.
“Stats are for losers…” Justin “Da Man” Smith
I’d put Alex in the 10-12 range. Stafford, Cutler and Romo all below him, too mistake prone. He is not one of the top five or so, but he ain’t Matt Cassel, either. For this team, he’s good enough for 13-3, or 19-6 since last September. Whether he can win three in a row in January-February, well there is the question.
Alex Smith Stats Through First Seven Games in 2011:
Completions-115
Attempts-182
Yards-1, 267
Completion %-63.2
Average Yards per Pass-6.96
Longest Pass-44 Yards
Touchdowns-9
Interceptions-2
QBR-55.2
QB Rating-96.2
Alex Smith Stats Through First Seven Games in 2012:
Completions-127
Attempts-190
Yards-1,427
Completion %-66.8
Average Yards per Pass-7.51
Longest Pass-55 Yards
Touchdowns-9
Interceptions-5
QBR-67.1
QB Rating-93.9
Only thing that stands out are the dumb turnovers. Other than that, it looks like the same game manager to me. The toys don’t appear to be working. Take away the gift in uffalo and we have the exact same guy. Thats ultimately going to produce the same results?? No, not hardly, we’ve got some pretty tough defenses left, including the ones in our division. This is going to be very interesting.
But will it be as interesting as your track records for being wrong on every QB prediction you ever made and for welching on bets and promises. Your ignorance and lack of character are fascinating.
The thing that has hurt Smith the most this season has been his decision-making. Other than that, his numbers are up mostly. Not by much, but at least he isn’t regressing as bad as some fans believe. Another thing to take into consideration is the gameplan. This is a run-first team that can pound any defense. Most defenses are concentrating on the passing game only, so it makes sense to go with the run game more often.
Midwest… His numbers are mediocre like last season. The big ones that Smithers brought up last season an still do are qbr and int’s. like J23 said. Without the gift of playing buffalo. And playing against tough defenses he hasn’t had a qbr of over 81 vs the tough defenses. They claim that SMITH beat DB, EM, AR, MS…. But 3 of those guys Didnt face an easy defense. Like smith did when he played them. And still those qb’s put up some pretty good numbers against our defense. Would smith? Well so far this season with his play against tough defenses I’d have to say NO right now. This game Monday night is huge for smith.
Thats what you said against Seattle, a tough defense and he then he goes out and leads a game winning touchdown drive. What more can you ask?
Tom Brady couldnt do it but Alex did.
Ninermd did you hear what Justin Smith said about stats?
I disagree MD. He beat the Giants, Eagles, Bengals, Lions, and the Seahawks twice last season. The numbers weren’t pretty, but a win is a win. Granted he lost to the Giants in the NFC Championship, but that loss wasn’t on just him. The two losses this season has been because of a total team meltdown. And to bring up his performance against Seattle this season isn’t a good argument considering how other QBs considered elite either didn’t play well against the Seattle defense or couldn’t lead their team to a win.
It’s really not all about numbers with Smith. That’s how he gets a pass with the Smithers. It’s about play. Trust your eyes when you watch Alex Smith play. Pay attention to his pocket presence. How he literally leaves the pocket too early to run into a sack. How he overthrows a receiver in the flat that is 5 yards away from him. How he throws a WR screen to Crabtree that is a yard over his head so Crabtree has to jump for the ball and then come down and the DB is draped around his amnkle. More importantly than anything else how Smith has been not seeing open receivers for YEARS. Just 2 games ago, he finally started throwing the ball away.
Rod Brooks of KNBR said the receivers were complaining about being open during games and Smith wasn’t throwing the ball to them 3 years ago. He’s been doing this his entire career.
The most hglaring example of Smith’s capabilities was the other day on 2nd down I believe. The transmitter in the helmet went out. Smith had to call a timeout instead of getting the team into a play on his own. He couldn’t call a play? He doesn’t have the capability to call a play? He has to have his hand held in order to make a play call? He doesn’t even trust himself to call his own play?
Those numbers are heavily influenced by one really bad game just like a lot of the opinions in here lately.
Just like they are influenced by the 1 good game against the powerful Buffalo Bills!
That sounds like something to explore Jordan. What would happen if we took out Smith’s best and worst games of the season and looked at the averages of the other 5?
You talked me into it, here goes:
Attempts – 136
Completions – 90
Completion percentage – 66%
Yards – 924
YPA – 6.8
TD’s – 6
Int’s. – 2
W/L record – 4-1
Definitely a more accurate look at things with the two extremes thrown out don’t you think Jordan?
@23welcher:
Not really. No one is using the Buffalo game to argue that Alex Smith is going to the HoF. Several small minds on the blog, however, are using the NYGiants game as justification for a QB switch.
See the difference? Who am I kidding? Of course you don’t. You’re one of the small minds.
PS – Have you welched on any other bets recently?
I still believe in #11 and hope he can help/manage, whatever we all want to call it! Just win #6 in 6 baby…lots of luck!