SANTA CLARA – Alex Smith spoke in the 49ers locker room this afternoon. Here’s what he said.
Q: How are you feeling right now as far as getting cleared to play?
SMITH: Still in the process of being cleared to go back out and practice. Going to be out there in the (black) jersey and just start the process again, kind of continue.
Q: Do you expect to be cleared?
SMITH: I feel good, I feel really good. So yeah, I’m kind of expecting things to go really well. Still those steps to go through, though.
Q: But a week ago you said you felt good then, too.
SMITH: Yeah, I felt good. Just didn’t work out, didn’t get cleared. But feeling better, definitely feeling better.
Q: Did you experience symptoms over the weekend?
SMITH: You know, I tried to push it and went out and practiced and, you know, it just wasn’t right. And doctors didn’t end up clearing me.
Q: Was it a headache?
SMITH: I’m not going to get into the symptoms that were going on. Just tried to push it early in the week and still some lingering things.
Q: Was the final hurdle getting to a contact practice?
SMITH: I know a big deal has been made of that. For me as a quarterback, you get out there, you have to have a little contact with the helmet on and get banged around a little bit. But it’s not a huge thing.
Q: It never got to that point last week?
SMITH: No, we never did that, no.
Q: Harbaugh just said it could be a week-to-week decision or maybe even two QBs in a game. Your reaction?
SMITH: Any time the next guy steps up and plays well, it’s a good thing for the team. Let’s not get this wrong. If this were any other position, it’s a great thing.
Now, does it complicate things for me and Colin, I mean, yeah. The quarterback position gets a lot of attention. A lot’s going to get written and talked about, this guy or that.
There’s only one ball. There’s only one guy who can be under center. It’s part of the deal.
But this is a good thing for this team. This is a good problem. Those are decisions for Coach. It’s his position. We just play football.
Q: Do you think you’re competing with Kaepernick for the job now?
SMITH: I feel like I’m trying to get back healthy and go out there and prove that I can play and part of that it just getting cleared. That’s kind of where I’m at right now.
Q: You’re having the best statistical season of your career. Would you expect to be the starter when you’re healthy?
SMITH: I guess you don’t expect anything. I mean, this is the nature of the game. Next guy steps up and plays well, that’s part of the deal in this game.
Competition is part of it as well. So don’t know what’s going to happen.
Q: Were you surprised Harbaugh left this topic open on Monday and then again today?
SMITH: No. Once again, that’s his call. Colin played great, stepped up and played really well. On a big stage vs. a good defense.
Like I said, it comes with the territory.
Q: You said it complicates things with you and Colin? How has that been?
SMITH: Just all this stuff. He and I have talked quite a few times since then.
In my opinion, if you can’t be happy for your teammate’s success you’re playing the wrong sport. Go play tennis or golf or something.
That’s ridiculous, I think. That doesn’t belong in team sports, in my opinion. So, like I said, it’s the quarterback position. It gets a lot of attention. We’re going to get talked about.
But it’s important that it doesn’t come in here.
Q: The 49ers used a high pick to draft Kaepernick and obviously like him a lot. Did you sort of expect something like this might be coming?
SMITH: He’s a good player, yeah. I knew what he was potentially capable of, for sure. I mean, he’s shown it out here on the practice field, he’s shown it in the preseason, he’s shown it when he’s gotten his opportunities.
Yeah, that’s always the case – high draft pick or not.
Ultimately the decision came down to me and my health and was I OK. Didn’t feel like it was something to tough through, can’t really tough out something like that. Ultimately the doctors didn’t clear me.
Q: How important is it for a QB to know during the week that he’s going to be the starter and the dividing of practice?
SMITH: Of reps? The reps are obviously important through the week. I don’t think you live and die by them by any means. But yeah, it’s a part of the deal.
We’ve always done a good job here of splitting reps up throughout the week, as far as starter and back-up goes. It’s part of it. We’ll see how it goes this week.
Q: Can you reflect on that Saints playoff game for both teams, is there heightened significance to this game?
SMITH: Yeah, no question, they’re a hot team, been playing really well the last few weeks, they’re on a roll. They get a little chance at revenge, get us back in their place.
I think everybody that watched that game remembers it. And certainly us that took part in it I know that. It was a physical game, it was back and forth, some talking going on out there on the field. I’m sure it’s in the back of their heads, I’m sure they remember it and the chance to get us on their turf.
Q: They’ve probably been looking forward to this game for a while.
SMITH: Yeah, I knew when the schedule came out it was something I looked at, when we were playing them, and down there at their place. So I’m sure it was the same for them.
Q: At the end of 2010, you were in and out of the line-up with Troy Smith
SMITH: Yeah.
Q: Do you look back on that and maybe that helps you in this situation?
SMITH: Yeah, I’ve been in a few of these, you know? And they’re all different. You know, I think the great thing is obviously the character of this locker room. We’ve got great character in the quarterback room, too.
Chance to really kind of be different and set a great example for the team – us. It’s not easy, it can be complicated, but this is a good problem for the 49ers, it’s a good problem for us as a team. It’s not a bad thing.
There’s only one ball, though. That’s what makes it tough, so we’ll see how it goes.
Q: Were there things that Colin did Monday that were especially impressive to you?
SMITH: I think just going out there and, for me, on a big stage, good defense that really has kind of over-powered some offenses the weeks prior, just going out there and attacking was the biggest thing for a young quarterback, sometimes.
To get out there and to get timid or not to be aggressive. For him to get out there and really cut it loose, it was a good thing to see.
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I’ll say this.
There’s not a single Quarterback in the NFL that I’d rather study under if I’m Colin Kaepernick. Alex is so smart, loyal, and team-oriented — the perfect word is “professional” — that there is no way Kaepernick will not succeed, regardless of the future trajectory of his career, here or somewhere else. Also, with the importance Harbaugh places on ball security, and with Alex’s supreme ability to protect the ball, Kaepernick will forever adhere to a similar philosophy and avoid some of the pitfalls that reduce other huge-armed ballers to relative obscurity.
Can’t imagine Peyton or even Brees being this kind of a leader, role model. Colin is lucky. Harbaugh is a genius for keeping Alex in the mix.
Now, who should start going forward … ?
I was going to post a couple of different replies here. I now realize, I have absolutely no idea who should, or who is, going to start, going forward.
If I was Harbaugh, I’d consider holding Smith out for ‘precationary reasons’ for the Saints game, giving Kaep another kick at the can. If he performs exceptionally again, well, I suspect he’s going to continue with Kaep. If he performs less than exceptional, I suspect he’ll hand the reins back to Smith, who will now be ‘recovered’.
If we’re in a playoff game, and its halftime, and it’s either Kaep or Smith who’s really struggling, I can envision the dreaded mid-game switch. I shudder.
For all we know, there never has been any doubt in Harbaugh’s mind all along about who’s his starting QB, and he’s been 100% decided what he’s going to to all along.
Glad to read your comments, Neanderthal. You’re right: The word “Professional” immediately comes to mind. And I think Alex had it right: “We’ve got great character in the quarterback room, too.” Starting with himself.
Man, who HAS got it better than us?
Remember when Singletary use to have the backup warm up when Alex was struggling? I could see that happening in the playoffs if Alex struggled and the team falls behind on defense.
Neanderthal, that was a killer post. You nailed it.
I now realize, I have absolutely no idea who should, or who is, going to start, going forward.
Mission accomplished, Coach; mission accomplished.
Alex is a class act all the way…
I.P. – Agree, Alex is a class act.
An exceptional human being.
Can you imagine Joe Montana fielding questions like this? Concussions were part of the game back in the 80′s!
I’m in San Diego at a freaking boring wedding with no alcohol. Thank God for
smart phones.Lol
Crabs sez:
“….Can you imagine Joe Montana fielding questions like this? Concussions were part of the game back in the 80′s! ..”
I don’t recall The Joe ever speaking so “glowingly” about Steve ..
but, yeah, you’re right .. if I remember correctly .. it was a vicisous knee to the head which ended Steve’s career …
As far as who should start against The Aint’s … I think Alex should .. (if he’s healthy, of course) … if not … then I’d be ok with CK7 …
Either way … I imagine The Harbs won’t say.. one way or the other … ’till the last minute …
Keeping the other team in the dark is a great strategy ! ..
See how it affected the Bears ?
MWNINER – Agree, why tip your hand to Saints?
Nobody can say this guy isn’t classy. But he will be the starter. You heard it here first. Lol
Alex has been brutalized by fans and media alike..this is like water off a duck’s feather for him…
If AS starts it will very disappointing, and if he sucks it is not going to be a pretty picture for the limited QB.
So says the expert fan.
At the end of the day Harbaugh is steeped in Schembechler-ian conservativeness.
Alex is the safe option. If he’s healthy he’ll be the starter.
If he starts he will have a very short leach, I just don’t see it.
Percolating liquid?
This is sort of the opposite of being happy for a teammate’s success but I found it interesting. Apparently Chilo Rachel went AWOL on the Bears today.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2012/11/starting_guard_chilo_rachal_abruptly_leaves_bears.html
He will be out of football soon, that guy just sucks.
Well it’s okay that he is AWOL, since he has been MIA throughout his career anyway.
Clem – Chilo said he wanted to be one of the top guards in the NFL a few days ago. This behavior makes no sense.
Crab,
You misunderstood him , he wants to be the best security guard in the NFL.
Didn’t Singletary say this guy was an amazing player?!!
All I remember Sing saying was that he felt like knocking Chilo out ,lol. (when he was wired for sound during a game ). I bet Lovie felt the same way Monday Night !
I try my hardest to offer positive posts (and not be overly-critical for the sake of being critical) about the Niners’ players – it’s a hard game to play at a high level.
Over the last couple of years though I’ve found it to be a tough slog with a couple of them. Balmer comes to mind, Chilo is another one.
This doesn’t surprise me too much. The guys that are gone from the Niners are gone for a reason. They’re either not good enough to play or they have some other ‘issue’ going on. Coffee? Mays? Chilo? Balmer? Some just flame out.
Of course we lose a few good ones, too. Pascoe looks fairly decent in New York and Costanzo seems to be firing on all 8 cylinders. Just a high-level Darwin thing going on here. Simply ‘good’ won’t cut it against players in camp who are all-pro.
Its situations like these when I can see what the Smithers see in him. Great guy no doubt, but just a slightly above average QB.
ok he is Mr. Rodgers, great Neighbor efficient inconsistent QB.
He’s above average and still playing better than most QBs in the league.
The problem here is that the bar is set extremely (and sometimes unrealistically) high. How many Joe Montana’s can we realistically expect to play here? Ever.
So the other problem is that elite QBs don’t grow on trees. The 2013 draft for example is not deep with QB talent. If you have to go there what are you going to do? Not much.
And the other other problem s that we’ve been fooled before. There have been several through here, Spurrier, Carmazi, Grbac, Kemp, Picket, Hill, O’Sullivan, Troy Smith, Johnson, yada yada that all had promise but ultimately fell short. Sometimes it’s a matter of ‘be careful what you wish for’ with these guys.
I like both these guys, I hope CK does well against the Saints. I also hope Smith gets cleared to play and takes us to the promised land (he certainly deserves it) but we’ll just have to wait and see how it shakes out. If both guys can play at a pretty high level then it’s a good problem to have.
As I have always said,Alex is a classy guy with very good character and a very good team oriented guy ! He has even improved his game on the field as well !
The future is Kaep’s but Alex is a great guy to have on your team !
I hope he winds up on a team that appreciates him and uses him properly and I hope he has a very satisfying remainder of his career ,he deserves it !
Tim, good to see you back!
He’s playing the game but he has JH’s number. There are several teams that will be interested, but his best role may be with N.E. Their backup isn’t great and TB is getting up in years. Stay tuned…
Breaking news si reports ck will start vs saints
This is one of those mobile phone commercials where the people go, “that is so 5 minutes ago!”
At least take a quick peak at what people are talking about before posting something you think is new news. ;)