Alex Smith

[MrChangoT97]

Wouldn't it be funny if Alex Smith has a awesome season and wins the MVP? I hope the best for him.

 

[MHSL82]

Wouldn't it be funny if Alex Smith has a awesome season and wins the MVP? I hope the best for him.

That won't happen and if it did, the voters would most likely be overlooking Kaep and if not, Kaep's better for this offense anyway. I know no one's comparing them, but when you say it would be funny, it sounds like you're saying that we would regret the trade or QB switch. But I do wish him well and will follow his career.

 

[TobyTyler]

The offense was vanilla, but Smith was mobile, and he avoided pressure-sacks. Nothing spectacular but I'm sure the Chief fans are happy. He looked like he was focused and he was talking and telling everyone on the oline individually good job after the series. I didn't see him do that here. Maybe he did, I don't know.

I think Smith will continue to play well. His progress with the 49ers had more to do with going from Singletary-Ray to Harbaugh-Roman more than any physical improvement on his part though.

 

[MHSL82]

I think Smith will continue to play well. His progress with the 49ers had more to do with going from Singletary-Ray to Harbaugh-Roman more than any physical improvement on his part though.

I think what helped him was his mindset. I know that people had refuted his improvement since the booing but he did start to take what the defense gave him after that point. He wasn't forcing as much. I don't think that would've been successful without Harbaugh, but I do think that he figured that part out. He finished that year with 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions after starting out so poorly. I won't cherry pick to say he was goid or improved, just that his mindset changed. He states it in that interview.

I do think that he will have some of that success afterwards because Reid and his OC. Smith needs an offensive minded coach. All the other things people say he needs, we'll see this year. I do think Reid's system is QB friendly and will use running downs to pass, when defenses expect Charles, a good RB, to run. The passes will be within his difficulty level.

 

[MHSL82]

Man, I do think I said "do think (that)" too many times.

 

[TobyTyler]

I think what helped him was his mindset. I know that people had refuted his improvement since the booing but he did start to take what the defense gave him after that point. He wasn't forcing as much. I don't think that would've been successful without Harbaugh, but I do think that he figured that part out. He finished that year with 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions after starting out so poorly. I won't cherry pick to say he was goid or improved, just that his mindset changed. He states it in that interview.

I do think that he will have some of that success afterwards because Reid and his OC. Smith needs an offensive minded coach. All the other things people say he needs, we'll see this year. I do think Reid's system is QB friendly and will use running downs to pass, when defenses expect Charles, a good RB, to run. The passes will be within his difficulty level.

I wish him well. He got a shitty deal in San Francisco and was very professional about it..

 

[MHSL82]

I wish him well. He got a shitty deal in San Francisco and was very professional about it.

As the official Alex Smith spokesman, now that Viper has switched teams, err, I mean is temporarily enjoying his vacation, I thank you.

I know this is off-topic, but how did you choose this name? I mean, NolanNonsense is self-explantatory, but Toby Tyler sounded like some rock reference to me, until I looked it up. It apparently was some 1960's Disney movie about a boy and his monkey.

 

[Kinzu]

I think Smith will continue to play well. His progress with the 49ers had more to do with going from Singletary-Ray to Harbaugh-Roman more than any physical improvement on his part though.

See I think that is a very common misconception on Smith. Harbaugh and Roman always get brought up as the saviors of his career as if he was never any good without them. He showed improved numbers throughout season he played, and after Singletary nearly benched him on Monday Night Football he was putting up similar numbers to what he was at the start of the first Harbaugh season. Singletary was a idiot though and benched him later in the year for Troy "where is he now" Smith. After Singletary was fired Alex played the last game of the season and put together another really good game. Actually that game against the Cards was probably the best the 49ers looked as a team all season. I guess that says a lot about Singletary's coaching or lack of.

What Harbaugh and Roman really did for Alex was build up his confidence and leadership during the offseason.. They came in and told him they didn't care about the previous years, and actually helped him with useful knowledge. Suddenly having a coach that believed in him and wanted to help him as opposed to coaches that couldn't help and made him feel like he had to prove something to them was probably the single biggest thing that pushed Alex into the QB he has now.

 

[EaseUrStorm]

See I think that is a very common misconception on Smith. Harbaugh and Roman always get brought up as the saviors of his career as if he was never any good without them. He showed improved numbers throughout season he played, and after Singletary nearly benched him on Monday Night Football he was putting up similar numbers to what he was at the start of the first Harbaugh season. Singletary was a idiot though and benched him later in the year for Troy "where is he now" Smith. After Singletary was fired Alex played the last game of the season and put together another really good game. Actually that game against the Cards was probably the best the 49ers looked as a team all season. I guess that says a lot about Singletary's coaching or lack of.

What Harbaugh and Roman really did for Alex was build up his confidence and leadership during the offseason.. They came in and told him they didn't care about the previous years, and actually helped him with useful knowledge. Suddenly having a coach that believed in him and wanted to help him as opposed to coaches that couldn't help and made him feel like he had to prove something to them was probably the single biggest thing that pushed Alex into the QB he has now.

That was so brutal when Troy Smith went home for the bye week. I wonder if he's sitting on the couch right now thinking why the hell did I do that? That was his shot, and he went home. I just don't understand that. Singletary did a brilliant job benching Alex Smith for Troy Smith at the end of the year though to get himself canned so we could land Harbaugh. Not many are so unselfish.

 

[TobyTyler]

As the official Alex Smith spokesman, now that Viper has switched teams, err, I mean is temporarily enjoying his vacation, I thank you.

I know this is off-topic, but how did you choose this name? I mean, NolanNonsense is self-explantatory, but Toby Tyler sounded like some rock reference to me, until I looked it up. It apparently was some 1960's Disney movie about a boy and his monkey.

It is the original reference but I got it from the movie Eddie and the Cruisers about a 50s rock band whose leader mysteriously disappears along with his great masterpiece of an album just before it is to be released. Eddie throws the name Toby Tyler out as an insult when introducing his keyboard player to the audience during a show. Great movie by the way.

 

[TobyTyler]

See I think that is a very common misconception on Smith. Harbaugh and Roman always get brought up as the saviors of his career as if he was never any good without them. He showed improved numbers throughout season he played, and after Singletary nearly benched him on Monday Night Football he was putting up similar numbers to what he was at the start of the first Harbaugh season. Singletary was a idiot though and benched him later in the year for Troy "where is he now" Smith. After Singletary was fired Alex played the last game of the season and put together another really good game. Actually that game against the Cards was probably the best the 49ers looked as a team all season. I guess that says a lot about Singletary's coaching or lack of.

What Harbaugh and Roman really did for Alex was build up his confidence and leadership during the offseason.. They came in and told him they didn't care about the previous years, and actually helped him with useful knowledge. Suddenly having a coach that believed in him and wanted to help him as opposed to coaches that couldn't help and made him feel like he had to prove something to them was probably the single biggest thing that pushed Alex into the QB he has now.

Fair enough, but I believe Harbaugh's and Roman's scheme,, their leadership plus the confidence they showed in him had a lot to do with his success under them.

 

[MHSL82]

That was so brutal when Troy Smith went home for the bye week. I wonder if he's sitting on the couch right now thinking why the hell did I do that? That was his shot, and he went home. I just don't understand that. Singletary did a brilliant job benching Alex Smith for Troy Smith at the end of the year though to get himself canned so we could land Harbaugh. Not many are so unselfish.

Wow, there's finally somebody who shares my point of view on this. At the time when Troy Smith went back to Ohio I complained about how he would go home but other quarterbacks would stay (ask a few receivers to stay) but not people said that there was no difference. That there are probably be no one there to work with anyway. However, when Smith was a back up to Shaun Hill, he was the one that worked with Crabtree during the bye. "Nope, just fax me the plays. I'm so tired from my one week of starting. I already paid for my plane ticket."

 

[SY8goat]

Bill Barnwell breaks down the fortunes of the Kansas City Chiefs - Grantland

Alex Smith isn't a fantastic quarterback, even if his numbers in a closely coached system in San Francisco from 2012 suggest that he was playing like one. Having your running game average six yards per carry makes it awfully easy to pass. In comparing Smith to the combination of Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn, though, Smith looks like a superstar. This is one of Bill Simmons's favorite indicators of a possible leaping team: upgrading your quarterback from replacement-level to league-average. Replacement-level in this context means a quarterback who plays about as well as a street free agent available for the league minimum might in the same context.

The Kansas City quarterbacks were just about that bad: They were last in the league in interception percentage, third worst in yards per attempt, sixth worst in completion percentage, and next to last in passer rating. When they faced third downs in two-touchdown situations and passed, the Chiefs succeeded just 25.4 percent of the time, with only the Cardinals playing worse. Once Quinn took over for good in Week 11, the Chiefs converted just 16.1 percent of third downs in that type of situation. The Cardinals were somehow lower, at 13.6 percent, but nobody else in football was below 27 percent.

That's how Smith can help without having to be a superstar. If he can extend two more drives per game with third-down conversions — getting the Chiefs closer to league-average — that's an improvement in scoring and in field position for the defense if the Chiefs do eventually punt. Cassel and Quinn combined for 20 picks last year, and that was in a shockingly conservative system with the consistently execrable Brian Daboll at the helm.

Come on Alex!!! Get the 49ers another 2nd round pick!

 

[Flyingiguana]

it's all about the 2nd rounder!

 

[EaseUrStorm]

Wow, there's finally somebody who shares my point of view on this. At the time when Troy Smith went back to Ohio I complained about how he would go home but other quarterbacks would stay (ask a few receivers to stay) but not people said that there was no difference. That there are probably be no one there to work with anyway. However, when Smith was a back up to Shaun Hill, he was the one that worked with Crabtree during the bye. "Nope, just fax me the plays. I'm so tired from my one week of starting. I already paid for my plane ticket."

It struck me as being very off at the time, and I can't picture Alex Smith pulling that if it were reversed. It made me mad at the time. The least he could do was ask Crabtree, VD, etc. to stick around and be available to synch up timing while he was catching up on the playbook. Timing is an issue for return starting QB's/WR's in training camp and that should have been a key focus with a limited playbook. It was a Singletary playbook too that he was catching up on. Tecmo Bowl may have had more plays, and he was a mobile QB. I don't think Harbaugh would allow that if Kaep went down. He would have brought these guys together.

Although maybe that's what it was. Troy Smith was smart enough to understand that no one in that organization had a clue what they were doing and he'd have to figure everything out by himself.

 

[MHSL82]

It struck me as being very off at the time, and I can't picture Alex Smith pulling that if it were reversed. It made me mad at the time. The least he could do was ask Crabtree, VD, etc. to stick around and be available to synch up timing while he was catching up on the playbook. Timing is an issue for return starting QB's/WR's in training camp and that should have been a key focus with a limited playbook. It was a Singletary playbook too that he was catching up on. Tecmo Bowl may have had more plays, and he was a mobile QB. I don't think Harbaugh would allow that if Kaep went down. He would have brought these guys together.

Although maybe that's what it was. Troy Smith was smart enough to understand that no one in that organization had a clue what they were doing and he'd have to figure everything out by himself.

Not that Alex didn't give people reasons to be so, but that was when the Anybody But Alex thing was in full effect. That's what I appreciated with Kaepernick and it made it a lot easier to take (as an Alex Smith supporter) - the replacement (Kaep) only talent wasn't being someone other than Alex. Kaepernick was actually a good QB who could sustain success, learn from mistakes, and use the whole playbook, in and out of the pocket. I was always ok with replacing Smith if the replacement was better. That's why I never joined Viper, et al in complaining about the switch. I mean, I wish it had happened without an injury but I'm glad it didn't come with a lot of INTs or losses.

 

[Pattersonca65]

Not that Alex didn't give people reasons to be so, but that was when the Anybody But Alex thing was in full effect. That's what I appreciated with Kaepernick and it made it a lot easier to take (as an Alex Smith supporter) - the replacement (Kaep) only talent wasn't being someone other than Alex. Kaepernick was actually a good QB who could sustain success, learn from mistakes, and use the whole playbook, in and out of the pocket. I was always ok with replacing Smith if the replacement was better. That's why I never joined Viper, et al in complaining about the switch. I mean, I wish it had happened without an injury but I'm glad it didn't come with a lot of INTs or losses.

I supported Alex Smith when he was QB also until the Harbaugh had someone better. If it is one thing Harbaugh knows it is quarterbacks. They watched both QBs in practice and in games and felt Kapernick was the better choice. Harbaugh knows more than all of us do.

 

[MHSL82]

Article on Alex Smith

If the change of scenery had taken place two years earlier, Alex Smith admits he might not have viewed his time with the San Francisco 49ers the same way.

And it's obvious he would not have been viewed the same way by the team's fan base, either.

Even as last season ended with the dual disappointment of losing his starting job due to a concussion and not stepping onto the field in the 49ers' Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Smith feels at peace with the way his eight-year run ended.

"If I'd left two years ago before (Jim) Harbaugh got there, I would've held onto a little more, regret or bitterness about what had happened," Smith said Wednesday over the phone from his new home.

"But the last two years, I really feel like I made my peace with the fans, the organization in general. The transition has been great, and I'm moving forward."

Smith, now the Kansas City Chief's starting quarterback, will suit up against his former team on Friday in the second exhibition game of the summer for both teams.

Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, had a largely disappointing and injury-plagued first six seasons with the 49ers. He got booed early and often throughout the 2010 season, and appeared ticketed out of town.

But, then, Harbaugh arrived and convinced Smith he could get a "fresh start" by remaining with the 49ers.

In his final two seasons with the 49ers, Smith completed 64.3 percent of his pass attempts with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was having his career year, with a 104.1 passer rating, when he lost his job to Colin Kaepernick after exiting the lineup in the ninth game with a concussion.

"I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion," Smith famously stated after the switch to Kaepernick became official in late-November.

Smith's final appearance at Candlestick Park was bittersweet. He entered the 49ers' regular-season final against the Arizona Cardinals in a mop-up role, and received a warm reception from the crowd.

He did not step onto the field for any of the 49ers' three postseason games. Yet, he said he does not allow himself to think about what might occurred if he had remained as the 49ers' quarterback for the entire season.

"That's not something I'm thinking about," Smith said. "You want to play at the time and think you should play. But my role changed. You know you're one play away from getting on the field.

"You don't allow yourself to get into that mindset."

It was obvious the 49ers would be unable to keep Smith and his salary on the roster as Kaepernick's backup. But things worked out just fine for three parties involved.

New Chiefs coach Andy Reid, long a silent admirer of Smith's, wanted Smith badly. And new Kansas City general manager John Dorsey believed Smith was the best option available at quarterback. After all, he was not blown away by any quarterback in the draft.

Kansas City sent the 49ers a second-round draft pick in the 2013 draft, as well as a conditional pick next year. If the Chiefs finish with an 8-8 record or better, the 49ers will receive Kansas City's second-round pick in 2014. Otherwise, the Chiefs will send the 49ers their third-round selection.

Smith said he did not know Reid thought so highly of him until he sat down with 49ers general manager Trent Baalke in early February to discuss his future.

"I met him (Reid) through the draft process, and it seemed like through the first eight years, we played the Eagles eight times or something like that (actually, six times)," Smith said. "I saw a lot of the Eagles that way. I'd heard little rumors here and there, but you never know what's true and what's not."


What's true is Harbaugh said this week he still considers Smith a friend but he is "no longer a trusted agent." The two communicate regularly, and Smith said he exchanged text messages with the 49ers coach a couple of weeks ago.

"I'm not on the inside anymore," Smith said. "It's to be expected. That is what it is. I still have a ton of great friends, and I still talk to coach and a lot of coaches there. But you move on. It's nothing I'm dwelling on or thinking about."

The 49ers considered Smith expendable after the emergence of Kaepernick. And the Eagles fired Reid after 14 seasons.

Smith recently told The New York Times, "We'd love to stick it to everybody who thought we couldn't do it, he and I included."

Smith said he wasn't speaking about the 49ers organization or anyone in particular -- just a collection of his doubters.

"Isn't that stating the obvious?" Smith asked. "Every athlete wants to do that. I'm no different."

Smith's family recently moved to the Kansas City. He is finding a new home with a team he believes is very talented. As it turned out, his first NFL home wasn't so bad, either.

He didn't always have the complete support of the fan base. And he might not have always had the complete support of the 49ers' coaching staff. And, certainly, his play was not always at a level expected from a 49ers quarterback following in a long lineage of great 49ers quarterbacks.

But looking back on it, he chalks it up as a good experience.

"I think for me, it was a positive," he said. "I'm not lying -- not b.s.ing. No question, I went through some different things, but it all led to me where I am today."

And that's to an organization and fan base that dearly wanted him.

 

[MHSL82]

Small-hands Smith: How a myth is born ... and never dies



Alex Smith doesn't have small hands. When it comes to American males, his 9 3/8-inch mitts are rather large. And he's right around the average for NFL quarterbacks. Joe Flacco's, for instance, are 9 5/8 inches. Aaron Rodgers' measure in at 9 3/8 inches just like Smith's.

But things like "facts" and "measurements" and "data" have not sunk the myth that Smith has teeny, tiny porcelain doll's hands because, well, because it's hilarious. Even his family thinks so.

"It's still a family joke," Smith said Wednesday. "My little sister still calls me 'small hands.' It won't ever die. If hands come up as a topic, someone's going to make a crack."
The small-hands myth dates back to Smith's rookie season when he fumbled 11 times in nine games. There were several instances -- especially in Seattle and Washington -- when he lost the handle without even getting hit. He simply couldn't maintain his grip through the throwing motion. Which begged the question, "Does this guy have the hands of an otter or what?"

Back then, however, the opposing team handled all footballs used in games. And they would send in, perhaps strategically, balls straight out of the box that still had a sheen of waterproofing that made them hard and extremely slick. The following offseason, a group of veteran quarterbacks led by Peyton Manning and Tom Brady petitioned the league to allow both teams to supply balls that had been scuffed up, worn in and had a better grip.

"I haven't had any slip out since -- knock on wood," Smith said. "But ever since that all came up it's been this 'hands' thing."

Further proof that Smith has a good sense of humor: He let me take the above photo. I told him I'd caption it: 'Wow, look how much Smith's hands have grown since he left SF!'

-- Matt Barrows

 

[MHSL82]

Was the high point with the 49ers the 2011 playoff game against New Orleans?

AS: That season, that game in general, that's got to be the high. That year, in general. Even last year. For as frustrating as last year was, we went to the Super Bowl. There's still a lot of positive there, as a team, when you can achieve that. I've never B.S.'d that. There's a reason you play team sports and there's something special about putting the team first. As frustrating as last year was, it's certainly not a memory I'm trying to forget. Going to the Super Bowl and everything down there, it was a great experience.