Niners Non-qualified QBs

[MHSL82]

As it appears, neither Smith nor Kaepernick will qualify to be on ESPN's traditional QB rating this year. In order to be a Qualified Passer (and show up on the main QB stats list), one must have attempted 14 attempts per team's games, which simple math says that's 224 passes in a season. Alex Smith has 217 attempts this year and unless he comes in for relief in the next two games and throws 7 more passes, he'll disappear from the list on the last game (he's still there, now). Unless Kaepernick throw 70 passes in the next two games, he'll never appear on the list (obviously isn't there, yet). We attempt so few passes, with both QBs, that neither will qualify. Alex is currently third on the list and Kaepernick would be 5th - and while rating isn't important, it would have been cool to have two of the Top 5 rated QBs on the list for posterity.

I wonder how often this has happened in the past for any team. I bet Arizona doesn't have one listed by the end of the year. This certainly will be one of the few times where a team absence from the list doesn't mean two terrible or injured QBs.

 

[TobyTyler]

As it appears, neither Smith nor Kaepernick will qualify to be on ESPN's traditional QB rating this year. In order to be a Qualified Passer (and show up on the main QB stats list), one must have attempted 14 attempts per team's games, which simple math says that's 224 passes in a season. Alex Smith has 217 attempts this year and unless he comes in for relief in the next two games and throws 7 more passes, he'll disappear from the list on the last game (he's still there, now). Unless Kaepernick throw 70 passes in the next two games, he'll never appear on the list (obviously isn't there, yet). We attempt so few passes, with both QBs, that neither will qualify. Alex is currently third on the list and Kaepernick would be 5th - and while rating isn't important, it would have been cool to have two of the Top 5 rated QBs on the list for posterity.

I wonder how often this has happened in the past for any team. I bet Arizona doesn't have one listed by the end of the year. This certainly will be one of the few times where a team absence from the list doesn't mean two terrible or injured QBs.

I hope they put Smith in the AZ game for mop up duty and let him throw it seven times. He deserves that as a send off.

 

[DoobieKeebler]

I hope they put Smith in the AZ game for mop up duty and let him throw it seven times. He deserves that as a send off.

I hope they don't. Kaepernick needs all the practice he can get, and SF needs to step on their necks instead of letting up at any point.

Plus, SF seems to play to the level of their opponents far too often, so AZ could be a trap game, especially given how STL embarrassed SF.

 

[MHSL82]

I hope they don't. Kaepernick needs all the practice he can get, and SF needs to step on their necks instead of letting up at any point.

Plus, SF seems to play to the level of their opponents far too often, so AZ could be a trap game, especially given how STL embarrassed SF.

Well, here's a compromise. I hope the Niners blow out Seattle and get up by 58 points over Arizona, which allows Alex to come in the 3rd quarter and throw 7 passes. I know it won't happen, but that should at least make you feel they were avoiding any Kaepernick injury in a blowout. I wish there were a way to get Kaepernick 70 passes, but I think losing would be the only way to get that - and I don't want that.

 

[deep9er]

yes, it would be nice for Alex to show up on the stats list, but wouldn't this only appease fans? if any of us were Alex, would be appreciate going in just to throw 7 passes?

also from Harbaugh's point of view, he has to be careful not to set precedents.

 

[tallglassofwater007]

I hope they don't. Kaepernick needs all the practice he can get, and SF needs to step on their necks instead of letting up at any point.

Plus, SF seems to play to the level of their opponents far too often, so AZ could be a trap game, especially given how STL embarrassed SF.

He needs to take some snaps under center this week. That was pathetic.

 

[SFAnthem]

Well, here's a compromise. I hope the Niners blow out Seattle and get up by 58 points over Arizona, which allows Alex to come in the 3rd quarter and throw 7 passes. I know it won't happen, but that should at least make you feel they were avoiding any Kaepernick injury in a blowout. I wish there were a way to get Kaepernick 70 passes, but I think losing would be the only way to get that - and I don't want that.

I wouldn't mind Alex getting some playing time if the game's decided. Keeping him fresh in case of injury isn't a bad idea

 

[MHSL82]

Alex Smith of 49ers still can win passer rating title | News | NFL.com

 

[MHSL82]

NFL.com | Footballogy

NFL.com says that the following five QBs are this year's best QBs at "buying time" - time between when a QB is initially pressured and when they throw.

1. Russell Wilson - 1.64
2. Colin Kaepernick - 1.58
3. Robert Griffin III - 1.55
4. Aaron Rodgers - 1.54
5. Alex Smith - 1.49

 

[MHSL82]

Just FYI, I'm not extrapolating this data to say anything else about skill or oline or anything, just passing along the information. This stat isn't the best indicator of things and is a bit vague in what it says in regard to what we could take from it.

 

[MHSL82]

Let's hope Alex gets the highest Passer Rating in the league (qualifies and wins) - because then that would likely mean Aaron Rodgers had a bad game - loss to Minnesota - and that we were winning by so much that Smith was put in and did well just to keep him fresh. Harbaugh did not put in Smith when we were down 42-6, so I think the only way Alex'd get in is if Kaep had a great game and we were winning by a lot (to avoid a Kaep injury and keep Alex fresh). Then with Alex getting the rating, we could hope some GM takes that to mean more than it does and trade a higher than it should be (nothing, just wait for the cut) for him. Just kidding.

Of course, it's easier/simpler to just wish for the second seed however we get it. So this post isn't that serious.

 

[MHSL82]

Well, it turns out that Alex did get in today's game and threw a pass, so he and Kaepernick both have 218 passes - 6 short of qualifying for being in the passer rating list. I think they should have a minimum of 200 throws, rather than 14 throws per team game. But whatever, I just wanted both SF QBs to be in the top ten, despite the weaknesses of the passer rating metric.

They tried to get Alex his 20th pass in the Arizona game a few weeks back, but the league ruled that it was a backwards pass and therefore not a pass. Well, he in a way, is 19/20 against the Cardinals this year.

I did like Alex's send-off. He looked happy and it showed some class by Harbaugh to not just have Kaep hand off on meaningless plays. I also thought the crowd reaction was great. I was great with the football move of the switch, but this must be some sort of closure for fans of Alex in regards to treatment. Obviously, nothing beats starting, and there will still be some bitter Alex fans. But that was a good ending for me as an Alex and Niner fan.

I liked it so much that we should do it every game (obviously in blowout playoff wins)!

(Yes, copy and pasted, but this was better placed here than in the other thread.)

 

[MHSL82]

Alex Smith flattered by crowd's cheers | CSN Bay Area

 

[MHSL82]

Alex Smith's snaps filled with drama - SFGate

They were screaming and cheering. Crossing their fingers and high-fiving every gain. Acting like your average out-of-control fans.

They were actually the 49ers' players. In the locker room, minutes after they clinched the NFC West by beating the Cardinals, the 49ers turned into the biggest Minnesota fans on earth.

If there had been Vikings helmets available, the 49ers all would have donned them and blown the Viking horn. They cheered Adrian Peterson's runs, yelled for Christian Ponder's passes. And as the Vikings lined up for a game-winning field goal, tackle Joe Staley shouted,

"Gimme that bye week!"

The 49ers got it. One week after their worst loss of the season, when they squandered the chance to grab the No. 2 seed without any help, everything went their way. Back on top of the world.

The 49ers have won back-to-back NFC West titles. And with Minnesota's win over Green Bay, they earned the second seed in the NFC and a first-round bye for the second consecutive season.

In the corner of the locker room, as the newly minted Minnesota fans celebrated, a man who was a significant part of all the 49ers' success zipped up his bag and got ready to head into the night. He was pleased but decidedly more subdued than his teammates. He knows how quickly life can change in the NFL.

Alex Smith's word of the day was "humbling." That could sum up his entire NFL career. And it described his experience Sunday.

With 5:57 to play in the fourth quarter and the 49ers leading 27-6, Smith entered the game, replacing Colin Kaepernick. It was Smith's first appearance since he threw a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree in the second quarter against the Rams on Nov. 11.

Then, Smith came off the field with blurred vision. He sat out with a concussion, lost his job, was swept into a quarterback controversy, and watched his team proceed without him.

As he entered the game Sunday, Smith received a standing ovation from the fans. He heard cheers of "Alex, Alex, Alex," and "Let's Go, Alex."

"It was humbling, very humbling," Smith said. "I've had ups and downs here. We've been through a lot, the fans and me."

That's an understatement. Many of the same people cheering him spent six seasons booing him off the field. Some of them were probably the same ones chanting for David Carr during a bad loss to the Eagles two seasons ago.

"It almost made it sweeter in a sense," Smith said. "We've come a long way."

Now, as his time is winding down, there might be an appreciation of what Smith has meant to the 49ers. His perseverance through a strange career path. His blossoming into a player who got his team to the NFC Championship Game and who became, this season, a league leader in quarterback efficiency. And the classy way he has handled his demotion.

"There's a part of you that wants to be out there playing," Smith said. "For sure, that's always going to be hard. But this is a team sport. You have to swallow that part of it and be there for the team. I have a new role and I accept that role. I want to try to help this team win."

Smith took six snaps. He completed one pass, to Bruce Miller, 3 yards short of a first down. Smith wasn't in there to get the passing record: With six more attempts, he could have qualified to win the league passer rating. For the past two months, his statistics have been frozen at the top of the leaderboard.

Maybe the title wasn't meant to be. Maybe it would be too awkward to have to cut the league's passing leader in the offseason.

"I wanted to get Alex some work," 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Get him behind center."

Harbaugh isn't a particularly sentimental man, so it might be true that he simply wanted Smith to have real game action in case he needs to play in January. Or Harbaugh actually might have planned for the QB whose pads he used to pound before every game to receive an ovation in what might have been his final appearance at Candlestick.

"I'm not thinking about that at all right now," Smith said of a possible farewell.

And he claims he isn't thinking about where he might be next season. He wasn't auditioning for the Arizona Cardinals.

"Absolutely not," he said. "That's for you guys and everyone else. I love what's going on here. This is such a great group of guys."

As he came off the field to cheers, Smith had a big smile.

"He deserved it," said Frank Gore, who has been with Smith every step of the way.

The previous Sunday, the 49ers endured a dismal, bitter night. But on Sunday, the pendulum swung in the other direction. After a very slow start, their defense and offense clicked back into action. They beat the Cardinals 27-13. And then Minnesota did them a huge favor by beating Green Bay. Everything went right.

"That's just the way of the NFL," Staley said. "You can't get too up and you can't get too down. You can only control what you can control."

The way of the NFL. NFC Player of the Week in one game against a division opponent, out of a starting job and reduced to mop-up duty in the next meeting. Booed for most of six years and cheered on your way out the door.

All you can control is how you handle it.

 

[MHSL82]

http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2012/12/30/alex-smith-gets-well-deserved-appreciation/

49ers fans embraced Alex Smith in what may be his last appearance on the field at Candlestick Park. Smith came in for mop up duty towards the end of the game, and fans gave him a standing O. Then they started chanting, “Let’s go Alex,” and “Alex, Alex, Alex!”

Much different from the cat calls and the boos he is used to from the Candlestick crowd.
“We have been through a lot, the fans and us, and me. Like I said it almost made it that much sweeter, we have come a long way,” Smith said.

Say what you will about Smith, about his limitations as a quarterback, but what you can’t say is that he didn’t handle his recent benching with the upmost class.

Smith was back it Sunday in the locker room after the team’s 27-13 win, in which he completed one pass for 6 yards.

When asked if Smith was looking ahead for where he will land next year, he said, “Absolutely not. That’s for you guys and everybody outside of here. I’m loving what’s going on, and we have such a great group of guys.”

Who says that in this day and age? Smith vowed to not become a distraction and he vowed to support Colin Kaepernick. He has does both and in the process revived an old notion and a word that has nearly become extinct – Sportsmanship.

On some level, the fans appreciate what they have been through with Smith, and they applaud how he has handled himself.

“It was great, like I said it was humbling to be out there,” Smith said of the warm reception he received from the Candlestick faithful. “It was very surreal.”

 

[MHSL82]

Skip this, obviously, if you don't care, but here's the drive Alex Smith threw his pass on and the ovation/chants.

19/20 against the Cardinals!

49ers vs Cardinals 2012 Away - Alex Smith Drive on Vimeo

 

[dredinis21]

I truly hope that when we cut him this off-season, he comes back as a backup. CK is our present and future but the way Alex carried himself during his time here in SF was nothing short of the epitome of class and sportsmanship. He was always a team guy, even in situations that most people wouldn't have been. His knowledge of this offense and his presence with this team is pretty awesome. Again, not wanting an 8 mil per backup, but if he was willing to sign for 2-3 mil, I would sign him.

 

[MHSL82]

As a human being, that moment was a good one and felt right. I thought coming off the field happy was something we should all want for any athlete like Alex. Why not have the guy who has gave-it-all, stayed classy, and is a good person leave on a positive note?

Some will say he's just doing his job, but as a person he's a great guy. See how Brady Quinn acted after Tebow left, like an ass-clown on why he should have been starting. Look how Leinart wasn't ready to perform when Palmer went down, when Alex was prepared when Hill was benched. Look at Troy Smith who wouldn't even spend a bye week after his first start with the team, and Alex as a backup staying during the bye to help Crabtree when he wasn't even starting. There are numerous examples from Camp Alex with no contract and how he handled Kaep coming in, getting reps, and then, the benching.

Football had nothing to do with the ovation and respect, so in that sense, it did feel right. Football-wise, we have our QB. Outside of that, giving that ovation was great for him as a person. (Kaep is great off the field, too, so I'm not comparing.)

 

[MHSL82]

I truly hope that when we cut him this off-season, he comes back as a backup. CK is our present and future but the way Alex carried himself during his time here in SF was nothing short of the epitome of class and sportsmanship. He was always a team guy, even in situations that most people wouldn't have been. His knowledge of this offense and his presence with this team is pretty awesome. Again, not wanting an 8 mil per backup, but if he was willing to sign for 2-3 mil, I would sign him.

I agree, if it weren't for the cap, I'd go 3-4 million, just based on this list a few years ago. What is the average salary for a backup quarterback in the NFL But obviously with the cap, I'd rather help keep some players who we intend on starting or playing a lot.

 

[MHSL82]

I know I keep on bringing this up, so ignore this thread if you want, but I think to be qualified for the main page of stats, you should have at least 200 passes (not 14 passes per team games played). That seems like enough to qualify your stats, to me, because if you can sustain that level for 200 throws, it may be a fluke of a season but not too small sample size, IMO. I would have agreed with that before the season, too.

We'd have the 3rd and 8th highest rated QBs - 2 of the top 8. While passer rating is flawed and not reliable for actual QB skills, enough people look and cite them that it'd be a good thing this year for us to have laymen see. Just my thoughts. I never thought Alex would be top three in any positive rating and I thought Kaep would do well but top 8 in his first 7 starts? No way. If we hadn't needed to run the clock out so many games, we'd have two in there. But I'll take the wins and the rest more, just argue about the qualifying number.