Forget the partridge in a pear tree, how ’bout a touchdown?
What were the 49ers thinking when they drafted Alex Smith? All
of us who bleed red and gold are thinking that right now.
How can we not be?
Forget the partridge in a pear tree, how ’bout a touchdown?
What were the 49ers thinking when they drafted Alex Smith? All of us who bleed red and gold are thinking that right now.
How can we not be?
In last week’s 49ers 10-9 loss at Jacksonville some NFL pundits were trying to say that Smith showed improvement and made great strides with his ability to run, connect on ONE deep pass, and for his ability to hang onto the football.
Folks, these skills are all taught in Pop Warner or Football 101.
Every quarterback first, second or tenth round knows how to do those things.
But Smith has performed so poorly this season that the bar has been lowered to a height that a limbo champion couldn’t get under.
This season the $50-million-dollar man has zero touchdowns to go with his 10 interceptions and 585 passing yards, not to mention the double-digit fumbles. He also has a rating of 26.2. No other starting quarterback in the NFL this season is even close to this pathetic rating.
In comparison Tim Rattay amassed 667 yards in five touchdowns-in just 3.5 games with the Niners before he was traded to Tampa to pave way for the boy wonder.
I can’t take it anymore. What is the objective in Niner camp?
It used to be Super Bowls now it appears to be getting the No. 1 pick, which they have a lock on this year too.
In the era of Bill Walsh both No. 1 picks would have been parlayed into a number of solid draft picks to build a team around, not one overrated quarterback.
But Nolan and company went for Smith a year ago and will probably go with USC running back Reggie Bush this year with their selection, which should make Mr. Smith more comfortable to be reunited with his old high school teammate.
Hopefully it works because something has to change.
So far, I haven’t seen a single reason to think Alex Smith will lead this team to a Super Bowl win-ever.
Yes, he’s more mobile than Dorsey but that’s not saying much. Yes, he doesn’t have a decent line protecting him in the pocket either. But he’s also missing the intangibles that made former 49er quarterbacks Montana and Young great. That may be an unfair comparison. Okay fine, but from what I’ve seen so far this season Smith wouldn’t make the All-CCS squad.
When Steve Young first came to San Francisco he too struggled and threw a number of interceptions but they were always accompanied by flashes of brilliance and a sea of potential just under the surface.
Smith isn’t showing any of those signs of potential.
Instead, he has been playing like a deer in the headlights. Just get a pass rush on him and watch the house of cards break down. As soon as he’s pressured in the pocket, he either throws a weak pass of a lineman’s helmet or lets go of the ball at the first sign that a hit is inevitable.
Fans can only hope for the following…
During the off-season Ken Dorsey, who played just enough to get traded to another team, does so – which would move Cody Pickett to No. 2 on the depth chart.
Smith then gets the nod to start again next season only because if he doesn’t the Niners front office and scouting team look like a bunch of idiots.
Then we all hope for a hit. Not a career-ending one just enough of one to give Pickett a fair shake. He just seems to have the intangibles that none of the others have.
So forget about the Partridge in a Pear Tree for Christmas, Alex. How about tossing us all one $50-million touchdown in the Christmas Eve day showdown with the Rams? Just one though. Remember, we want to keep those No. 1 picks coming.
I really don’t think that would be asking too much for one touchdown toss. In fact, it’s not supposed to be asking much at all of a No. 1 draft pick, who was supposed to resurrect the NFL most-storied franchise.
