Alex Smith isn’t often mentioned in the same breath as Peyton Manning or Philip Rivers. But when it comes to throwing to his favorite target – tight end Vernon Davis – Smith is at least in the neighborhood of the NFL’s elite.
San Francisco quarterbacks had a whopping 113.8 rating in 2010 when they targeted Vernon Davis, who had a particularly good rapport with Alex Smith (124.0 rating).
Oliver Luck said that Harbaugh – perhaps Singletary’s equal in intensity – brought a much-needed “physical, lunch-pail, smack-you-in-the-face attitude” to once pillow-soft Stanford. But Harbaugh, the ex-quarterback, understood that he couldn’t have his quarterback frothing at the mouth.
To illustrate his strategy today in a conversation with the team’s beat writers in a corridor of Lucas Oil Stadium, Harbaugh, as if playing poker, put an imaginary hand of cards close to his mouth and laughed, “It will be like on the poker channel,” he said. “… Put the shades on. Pull the cap down. Kind of take that approach this year.”
Before stepping to the podium here at the NFL Combine, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke spoke to the Bay Area media contingent that’s here in Indianapolis. The following are the highlights from that 12-minute question-and-answer session.
Jim Harbaugh — and the coaches he brought from Stanford – either coached or coached against 13 percent (44 of 329) of the prospects who will be at the NFL Combine during this past season.
But Brian Murphy saved the obligatory Alex Smith questions for last so here are Harbaugh’s latest public comments on The Quarterback Who Inspires Quite An Emotional Response (the full audio is already up here, scroll down on page). Also, I’ll blog more highlights of the interview after getting out of bed, guzzling some coffee …
Harbaugh has twice had running backs returning after 1,000-yard seasons. In each case those backs have ranked among the top three in the nation in carries per game, averaging more than 26 a contest (perspective: Kansas City’s Larry Johnson set the NFL record for single-season carries in 2006 with 416, or 26 a contest).
In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay has San Francisco selecting LSU conerback Patrick Peterson, the winner of the Bednarik (top defensive player) and Thorpe (top defensive back) awards this past season.
In other words, when Harbaugh said he thought Alex Smith could be a winning quarterback in the NFL he meant this: He thought Alex Smith could be a winning quarterback in the NFL.
On Friday, Harbaugh reiterated that the Niners “would uncover every stone” in finding a quarterback. But he also indicated that he’d started his evaluation of Smith. And his initial review was favorable.
When asked about being a first-year NFL coach and dealing with the uncertainty regarding the league’s labor situation, Harbaugh busted out one of his mottos, coming, perhaps, to a T-shirt near you, “All obstacles can and must be overcome.”
Given Jim Harbaugh’s reputation as the Quarterback Whisperer and Alex Smith’s reputation for occasional flashes of brilliance, a certain segment of Niners fans are still wondering: Could the Alex Smith Experiment be renewed for a seventh season?
In the aftermath of today’s season-ending 38-7 over Arizona, the embattled Alex Smith addressed his uncertain future for the first time this season. And he didn’t dismiss a possible return to San Francisco.
Young discussed Washington quarterback Jake Locker, who will likely be among the next few quarterbacks drafted after Luck. San Francisco could be a logical landing spot, but not if Young was the GM:
The last big decision of Mike Singletary’s 40-game tenure was his choice of quarterbacks for last week’s must-win game at St. Louis. Singletary chose Troy Smith. And last week’s backup conceded today that he wasn’t thrilled when Singletary gave him the news.
In what was likely his penultimate game as the 49ers coach, Mike Singletary got in a yelling match with Troy Smith on Sunday after the quarterback tossed a third-quarter interception in a 25-17 loss to St. Louis.
Jeff Reed has two Super Bowl rings – two more than the other 52 players on the 49ers roster.
Niners coach Mike Singletary began his press conference today by announcing Troy Smith will start at quarterback on Sunday at St. Louis. And he followed by saying both quarterbacks could see action.
Jason LaCanfora’s tweet heard ’round Santa Clara was delivered just as Niners offensive coordinator Mike Johnson was concluding a bizarre meeting with the media.
