Tcali Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 This sums it up well. No--he's one of the least accurate passers in the league. This is his "best" regarding percent--61.5. He's a career 58% passer, which sucks. If you are a person who forms your opinion on a QB after one game (say, like Ralph Wilson), you might be prone to being very impressed by Alex Smith today... Don't get blinded by stats.Fitz has a fairly high completion %--and half the time can't hit the broadside of a barn(altho half the time he does manage to hit the very short routes up the middle). He(Smith) was playing on a and for a nightmarishly poor organization and just as bad coaching. He IS an accurate passer. And yes of course I make all my decisions based on seeing him for one game.-Thats why i thought RJ was such a wonderful pick up for the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 This sums it up well. No--he's one of the least accurate passers in the league. This is his "best" regarding percent--61.5. He's a career 58% passer, which sucks. If you are a person who forms your opinion on a QB after one game (say, like Ralph Wilson), you might be prone to being very impressed by Alex Smith today... Ralph Wilson forms his opinions on QB's after one game? LOL! Anyway, it wasn't one game for Smith. Which was the point of the thread. This might just be high breakout season, under Harbaugh. The question is, is he finally starting to get it and how much do you commit, or do you dump him and look for someone else? Considering he's an UFA at the end of the year, the 49'ers will have to shell-out a lot of money to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Some would argue that, other than NE, the AFCE was pretty dreadful this year... I think head-to-head, even though this would count as a down year for the AFCE, our division would probably go 11-5 against theirs in 16 games. Just my opinion, but Seattle and St. Louis were bad teams outright this year, and the Cardinals probably rate about equal with us, with some exciting play peppered in with some giant failures. If Alex Smith were placed in our division, there is no guarantee he would be 2nd best. He falls, for me, in the category that Fitz is in, of QBs who play sometimes brilliantly, and sometimes dreadfully. You can win with them if the other pieces are there and your competition isn't too stiff. Despite the fact that we beat them, there is no team in the NFCW division that is of the class of NE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Don't get blinded by stats.Fitz has a fairly high completion %--and half the time can't hit the broadside of a barn(altho half the time he does manage to hit the very short routes up the middle). He(Smith) was playing on a and for a nightmarishly poor organization and just as bad coaching. He IS an accurate passer. And yes of course I make all my decisions based on seeing him for one game.-Thats why i thought RJ was such a wonderful pick up for the Bills. The percent completion is a straightforward number. So is the fact that he's never had a 20 TD season yet he averages nearly 9 ints a year, despite only 66 starts. He has a career rating of 76, he has taken nearly 3 sacks per game in his career. All of his stats are bad. Fitz is better all around. Had SF lost yesterday by 3 you would not have posted on Alex Smith at all, let alone to praise his accuracy and arm strength. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I think the 49er's finally have the coaching to maximize the talent of their highly drafted roster, and finally got them to play near their athletic talent level. There was a nice article at Grantland, about how the 49ers had simplified their offense, and how it had helped Smith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 When I think of Alex Smith I think of 2 things: 1) He was taken first overall in the 2005 Draft and that was probably because he is intelligent, has a great work ethic, a great attitude, has a very strong and accurate arm, is tall (6'4) and is a good straight line athlete (4.6 forty). His ball placement yesterday was excellent as it has been for most of the season. 2) He has been mired in a mismanaged organization with coaches who did not draft him and did not want him… and the fact that he had 6 Offensive Coordinators in 7 years. When you have a tall, smart guy who can wing the ball like that, you can win a lot of games if there's a decent team around him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Here's a guy who has had a thoroughly forgettable career in the NFL before this season, particularly given his #1 draft status. How would people have described him before this season? Below average? Not a leader? Unable to win in the clutch? Unable to win, period? Bust? Yet there he was yesterday, after guiding his team to the #2 seed in the NFC, leading one impressive, clutch drive after another, making Greggggo's defense look soft down the stretch, and making some damn impressive throws for the huge win in his first playoff game. Sure, he's had one of the league's best defenses to carry him during the season, but that defense disappeared in the fourth quarter and it was all on him to lead them to victory. What the hell does this mean? Mind you, this is no "I told you so" post. I thought Smith (who I followed here at Utah) would never make a good NFL QB, and before this season I thought he was an official bust. Is it all Harbaugh? Is it all coaching, then? Would someone like Sanchez be in the championship game with a better coach? Is it a big reason why good college players fail in the NFL? I have no idea, I just couldn't believe Smith was looking like an all-star out there, and thought I'd put it out there. Discuss. Great discussion. I see Smith as being an average NFL starter - I actually think Fitz has been a better QB though he was drafted in the 7th round the same year Smith went #1. So in SF, Smith carries the same baggage as our first round draftees - it's not enough for him to be a competent mid-pack NFL starter with moments of greatness, fans were expecting the second coming of Peyton Manning. Coaching has a lot to do with it - Smith has had a different OC each year he's played, which hinders the development of any young player but especially a QB The game calling aspect of coaching in particular has a lot to do with it. This year, the 'Niners are one of the teams that actually break down as passing >50% of the time (the other is the Texans). So Smith has NOT been asked to carry the team most of the year. He's been allowed to build his confidence, use the run to set up the pass, throw high-percentage passes most of the time. This offensive strategy has given Smith a QB rating >90 (#9 in the NFL) and a completion percentage >61% (#11) for the first time in his career, and that's been "good enough". We'll see how far it goes.... The percent completion is a straightforward number. So is the fact that he's never had a 20 TD season yet he averages nearly 9 ints a year, despite only 66 starts. He has a career rating of 76, he has taken nearly 3 sacks per game in his career. All of his stats are bad. Fitz is better all around. Had SF lost yesterday by 3 you would not have posted on Alex Smith at all, let alone to praise his accuracy and arm strength. WEO, you're absolutely correct in what you say. I think it's worth noting though, that this past year Smith had almost his career high # TD (17, 3 more than last year) yet he is LEADING THE LEAGUE in fewest INTs with 5 (half the number of picks he threw last year, 1.1% of his throws). His completion percentage and YPA both ratcheted up a notch, as well. My point is that a change in coaching/offensive philosophy as well as improved D that could backstop him if he goofed, really made a big difference to Smith's ability to function as an NFL QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Ralph Wilson forms his opinions on QB's after one game? LOL! Anyway, it wasn't one game for Smith. Which was the point of the thread. This might just be high breakout season, under Harbaugh. The question is, is he finally starting to get it and how much do you commit, or do you dump him and look for someone else? Considering he's an UFA at the end of the year, the 49'ers will have to shell-out a lot of money to find out. Yeah--have you blocked out your hero, upside potential#1? Ralph saw RJ and saw "a Monet". Great discussion. I see Smith as being an average NFL starter - I actually think Fitz has been a better QB though he was drafted in the 7th round the same year Smith went #1. So in SF, Smith carries the same baggage as our first round draftees - it's not enough for him to be a competent mid-pack NFL starter with moments of greatness, fans were expecting the second coming of Peyton Manning. Coaching has a lot to do with it - Smith has had a different OC each year he's played, which hinders the development of any young player but especially a QB The game calling aspect of coaching in particular has a lot to do with it. This year, the 'Niners are one of the teams that actually break down as passing >50% of the time (the other is the Texans). So Smith has NOT been asked to carry the team most of the year. He's been allowed to build his confidence, use the run to set up the pass, throw high-percentage passes most of the time. This offensive strategy has given Smith a QB rating >90 (#9 in the NFL) and a completion percentage >61% (#11) for the first time in his career, and that's been "good enough". We'll see how far it goes.... WEO, you're absolutely correct in what you say. I think it's worth noting though, that this past year Smith had almost his career high # TD (17, 3 more than last year) yet he is LEADING THE LEAGUE in fewest INTs with 5 (half the number of picks he threw last year, 1.1% of his throws). His completion percentage and YPA both ratcheted up a notch, as well. My point is that a change in coaching/offensive philosophy as well as improved D that could backstop him if he goofed, really made a big difference to Smith's ability to function as an NFL QB. He had his best year, Hopeful, no doubt. And it can be attributed to Harbaugh. But Smith is a guy they don't ask much from--and that's exactly what he delivers. He's no different, no better than he's ever been but his coach has found a way to work around his limitation, just like Fox/Tebow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Yeah--have you blocked out your hero, upside potential#1? Ralph saw RJ and saw "a Monet". RJ was Butler's "masterpiece," plain and simple. If Ralph made them get a QB, he'd have demanded they draft your hero/upside potential#1 Leinart back in 2005. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 People can dismiss Alex Smith all they want. But all season long, when he's had to make throws, he's made them. And I'm talking about pressure situations, tight windows, downfield. He's stood in and delivered at critical moments. Coaching only goes so far. There seems to be the implication that if Fitz was on San Francisco that he'd do a better job than Smith. I love Fitz but I'm not buying this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Maybe Alex needs to genuflect more to gain people's respect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 RJ was Butler's "masterpiece," plain and simple. If Ralph made them get a QB, he'd have demanded they draft your hero/upside potential#1 Leinart back in 2005. Oh nice try, Mr. Selective Memory---Ralph had already chosen your second hero ("BLESTO's best") JPL in 2004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Oh nice try, Mr. Selective Memory---Ralph had already chosen your second hero ("BLESTO's best") JPL in 2004. Yes, of course he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Yes, of course he did. It's all coming back to you now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) It's all coming back to you now? Sure, doc, whatever you say. Ralph is the one drafting/signing/trading for players. Got it. Edited January 16, 2012 by Doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 Had SF lost yesterday by 3 you would not have posted on Alex Smith at all, let alone to praise his accuracy and arm strength. If you're referring to me, then I'll have to disagree. Even before the final points were scored, I was very impressed with the way he responded and kept the team in it in the face of a furious New Orleans rally. So yes, I would have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPS Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 This sums it up well. No--he's one of the least accurate passers in the league. This is his "best" regarding percent--61.5. He's a career 58% passer, which sucks. If you are a person who forms your opinion on a QB after one game (say, like Ralph Wilson), you might be prone to being very impressed by Alex Smith today... He is working with a quality NFL coach for once. I am impressed by Alex Smith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Sure, doc, whatever you say. Ralph is the one drafting/signing/trading for players. Got it. Oh that's right--Ralph's always been a totally detached owner who isnt involved in major player decisions. He never told a GM who to pick. If you're referring to me, then I'll have to disagree. Even before the final points were scored, I was very impressed with the way he responded and kept the team in it in the face of a furious New Orleans rally. So yes, I would have. No Rubes. Was referring to Tcali. Your OP is on point--you were asking a question, starting a conversation. Smith was very impressive yesterday no doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBuff423 Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Is there a better example of how a change in coaching staff, personal approach, and patience has made a significant difference for a quarterback in the league right now?? Alex Smith was deemed a "bust" and relegated to holding a clipboard after being a #1 overall pick...Harbaugh comes in and demonstrates how the right approach to his QB and in the right system can make ALL the difference...happy for the 49ers and for Smith, always got the **** end of the stick, and now he goes to the title game with a chance to make history....but, rooting for the Giants though, have to go Big Blue....only NY team left....although if the JETS were left, I'd be praying for a plane crash...not to kill them, just injure them enough to have to forfeit the game!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Oh that's right--Ralph's always been a totally detached owner who isnt involved in major player decisions. He never told a GM who to pick. No one has come forward and made that claim, doc. But I'm sure he did it lots of times and they're just covering for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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