Mike Florio interviewed Alex Smith on Pro Football Talk Live Friday morning. Florio asked Smith what is the biggest difference between playing quarterback in college and in the NFL, and here’s what Smith said.
ALEX SMITH: “For one, decision making. It starts there. You have to be able to make the decisions. You have to be able to process fast. There’s so much more volume offensively and defensively. You have to be able to process both halves and make good decision.
“Two, you’ve got to be accurate. I know a lot gets made of arm strength and things like that, but I think the guy who can hit his targets is more important, and I think that shows up more so in the NFL than in college.
“You see a lot of good athletes who can run around and have strong arms, but in the NFL that doesn’t always correlate. It’s the guy who can make good decisions, get the ball out and hit his targets and do that consistently over the course of a game, over the course of a season. Those are the guys who have success.
“It’s not a coincidence you see guys like Aaron [Rodgers] and [Tom] Brady and Drew Brees – those types of guys who are accurate, make good decisions, process it – they have a lot of success at the NFL level.”
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He’s right on the money. It’s all about getting it to the open guy in a position where he can make a play. Smith still struggles with that at times, but has gotten better under Harbaugh.
Do you think Smith was thinking of Kaepernick when he was describing the college QB?
I don’t think so.
Probably Cam again, but knows better than to name names now.
No, I think he was just answering Florio’s question.
I don’t think so either, Grant.. the question directly asks for Alex to describe what he sees as the biggest difference at the position between the college and pro level, and he just gave his honest assessment of it. I don’t think Alex would purposefully direct any negativity at Kaepernick, although I do understand how he describes the biggest differences between college and pro QB’s could be twisted to potentially be taken like that by some gobble gobble jive turkey gobblers ;)
I didn’t mean it that way. You guys are probably right.
No, AS has never throw a teammate under the bus even when a receiver runs the wrong route or the OL has a bad game. He is about team all the way…
Had exactly the same reaction that you did, Grant. I’m certain Alex wouldn’t do such a thing consciously, but I wouldn’t put it past his subconscious. That subconscious self speaks the truth!
There seems to some mind reading and psychoanalysis happening tonight. Can someone tell me what the next lottery numbers will be
I agree with Alex Smith that arm strength is overrated. I believe Brett Favre was the last successful QB who had arm strength. Cam Newton is seeing his team run away from him in Carolina. RG 3 was quick to say he didn’t want to be compared to Newton but rather Brees. I said RG 3 was overrated and I think he’s living up to my assessment.
I believe Jamarcus Russle is the poster boy for the failure of arm strength. Michael Vick is lining up to be the poster boy for the failure of mobile QBs with RG 3 and Newton racing for cameo’s.
Jamarcis could throw from his knees 70 yards he didn’t have a arm strength issue it was more accuracy and maturity
I said RG 3 was overrated and I think he’s living up to my assessment.
You’re joking, right?
+1
Jamarcus Russle is the posterboy of the failure of arm strength at the QB position. A failure in that even with his incredible arm strength, he was an utter failure.
RG3 is playing badly in a very good system. The system doesn’t ask him to win the game on his arm. Washington only asks him to complete passes that are 4-6 yards. He’s benefiting from high YAC. (Washington has 929 YAC That’s more than half of his total yards.) He has a high completion ratio because of the short passes. i.e. Alex Smith.
He also has 6 fumbles running the ball and 2 fumbles while dropping back to throw. Add in 3 Ints. Yeah, I’d say he is overrated. He’s in the same program that Alex Smith is in here in SF. Washington has a phenominal rushing game, and a top ten rushing defense. The difference is that Alex Smith is winning because he is not giving up the turn overs.
RG 3 is going to be a top QB for.years your years to come.Stupid comment only 1/2 done in his first year.Harbaugh would take Luck and RG 3, who he tried to recruit at Stanford, in.a New York second.Both legitimate first round draft picks.
RG3 isn’t gonna last years and years if he doesn’t play smarter. The run around making plays happen, school yard style, doesn’t win Super Bowls. Vick is the poster boy for that. At some point you have to be a smart qb.
I think he was describing Cam more than Kap…the one thing about strong arm QBs is that if there accurate like Aaron Rodgers they can power thru tight windows that the weaker arm accurate QBs who are really good like Brees can’t…if I’m building a team I’d take Rodgers over Brees because of his arm strength
What’s the biggest difference? About $50M..
Alex is so right on!
Back when Bill Walsh died Phil Simms told a story about Bill giving him a workout before the draft and how he tried to throw as hard as he could because all the other workouts he had thats what the coaches wanted, but Bill went up to him and told him to take some off his passes because he wasn’t interested in how hard he could throw but how accurate.
I’m paraphasing but I’m sure someone could find the link if they looked.
I remember something similar philly.
And Phil when he retired was the most accurate QB I think in history. So, it seems like Phil took Bills words seriously.
The key to the passsing game is to put the ball where the receiver is supposed to be and pray that he holds on to it. That is all a QB can do. If the receiver isn’t there on a timing pass or drops the ball, it is always the QBs fault on this blog.
Dare I post this???
Arm strength over-rated? Wasn’t that the reason Joe Montana wasn’t taken until the 3rd round? He turned out to be so-so with that ‘rag arm’ of his.