If Harbaugh has been looking to replace Smith, why didn't he do that when he came to San Francisco? Why to wait that Smith plays well and then dump him in favor of unproven second year QB?
Also, interesting that someone with a noodle arm and no legs has 20-6-1 record in the last two seasons, and has led his team to the NFC Championship game. Which Niners could've won without the infamous fumbles.
Remember Troy Smith couple years ago? Was supposed to be the next great 49ers QB after two good games. And didn't that turn out well...
100% agree.
Harbaugh draftig CK7 and going after P. Manning is clear evidence he wants a new QB. Smith is a good game manager and a product of harbaugh and the talent around him. Smith is not a QB that will win you a SB. If he ever does though, I'll happily eat some crow. Kaepernick abused the so called #1 defense yesterday, I'll take my chances with him vs one of the worst defenses in the history of the NFL.
Von and Aldon are both good young players. I'll admit Von is the most complete LB of the two right now, but Smith was a DE turned into a LB so he is still learning. Also they are both good friends. Last night Smith took over the sack lead from Von and said he would text him that night, maybe to show off? It's going to be fun watchig these 2 compete for sack titles for the next decade or so.
Harbaugh draftig CK7 and going after P. Manning is clear evidence he wants a new QB. Smith is a good game manager and a product of harbaugh and the talent around him. Smith is not a QB that will win you a SB. If he ever does though, I'll happily eat some crow. Kaepernick abused the so called #1 defense yesterday, I'll take my chances with him vs one of the worst defenses in the history of the NFL.
Alex Smith has played pretty well against the Saints throughout his career. Including a playoff win.
Harbaugh draftig CK7 and going after P. Manning is clear evidence he wants a new QB. Smith is a good game manager and a product of harbaugh and the talent around him. Smith is not a QB that will win you a SB. If he ever does though, I'll happily eat some crow. Kaepernick abused the so called #1 defense yesterday, I'll take my chances with him vs one of the worst defenses in the history of the NFL.
Okay...
1.) Remember that lockout? Harbaugh couldn't really do as much with Smith as he wanted that offseason, and he needed to have a Plan B just in case. Especially since we've had crappy backups in the past. Research indicated we needed QB depth somehow, someway, and with the lockout putting the kibosh on FA movement, and since it was unknown how long the lockout would be or how it would affect FA movement, the draft was the best way to get it. Since we were drafting a QB, we went after someone that Harbaugh wanted. But as Smith showed, he is capable of thriving in Harbaugh's offense, namely because there is actual stability with the team for the first time in years, and not constant change like Smith had struggled through.
2.) It was Peyton Manning. This wasn't bringing in any QB just for the sake of it. It was Peyton Manning. Had Peyton not limited his search to contending teams, practically 3/4ths the league minimum would have been going after his services. I would have been more mad if Harbaugh DIDN'T try for Manning at all. We had every single base thing Peyton wanted in a team (contending, weapons, defense, would be the starter), so why not go after him and try?
3.) You're basing everything about Kappy on ONE GAME. Now, I'm not denying the kid's talent, but, it's one game. What looks like a great move now could hurt them down the road. It takes three games traditionally for the book to be out on any QB, so one game on a QB says nothing. Game plans can be tailored to one team, so one game film isn't enough. You need the additional games to truly see tendencies of a QB that happen no matter who the opponent is. Once those come out, how good is Kappy then?
4.) Abusing the No. 1 defense is nothing. You have to remember the Bears were a clear shell of themselves. No Cutler, their OL stinks, and we have a great D. When you're basically putting the Bears' defense on the field saying, "You need to win us the game because the offense is terrible and already finished for the night," you can't expect them to just flat out do that against a good team, despite the fact they did it against bad teams that were easily exposed. Therefore, half the battle of beating the Bears was won before even stepping on the field.
5.) Keep in mind Alex Smith is one of the top-rated QBs in efficiency this season. Sure, there are plays Kappy made with his legs last night that Smith may have taken the sack on, but you have two different style QBs as well, and you pretty much know what you're getting with each style and you plan accordingly. (Peyton Manning would have taken the sacks himself, too. He's not exactly Mr. Scramble.) And during the game, there were plays Kappy made that were dangerous in themselves that Smith would have handled better. That threading the needle to Davis in double-coverage? Watch that play from the behind the QB angle. That was a very defensible ball, be it batted or picked. I'm glad it wasn't, but point is, Kappy took risks that a good team would expose, and they can expose in time with more game film.
6.) Smith won't win us a Super Bowl, you say? Yet we were within one game of it last year, and the reason we lost to the Giants wasn't Smith's fault. It was special teams that cost us the game. Smith did everything we asked of him last year and it got us darn far and revived the dormant franchise. Call him a game manager if you wish, but he wins and isn't that what is supposed to matter? Besides, he's only a game manager because fantasy football has spoiled fans and they expect 300-yard passing games and/or several TDs from a QB or he sucks. If fantasy football was as prevalent in the 1990s as it is today, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman may be cast in a vastly different light. Not like Aikman lit it up, he had talent around him, too, very arguably moreso than Smith. Same thing you accuse Smith of, is the same setup Aikman had. But Aikman won, and Smith is winning. What is wrong with that? Isn't the point to win Super Bowls? Why screw that chemistry up?
I realize a lot of this is defending Alex Smith. Make it clear, I am not attacking Kappy and saying he is bad. I am very glad that for the first time since Montana/Young we have what appears to be our starter and a very good backup (obviously not on the level of two HoFers, but you get the analogy.) I am glad Kappy could win that game last night with Smith being out. But with all things considered, this is NOT the time to make a QB change for the sake of doing it. When Smith is healthy from this concussion, back under center he goes. Any serious QB battles need to be taken care off in the offseason and in the preseason. The team is winning, it controls its destiny for the No. 2 seed, everything is going great. Why screw that up for the new "hot hand" that could just as easily go cold and in the process screw the team? And if there are two "hot hands" as Harbaugh says, and one of them is the normal starter, why change? Dance with the girl that brung ya, as the saying goes, and that is Alex Smith. He has done nothing in a season and a half to lose that starting job. He shouldn't lose it now either.
Remember Troy Smith couple years ago? Was supposed to be the next great 49ers QB after two good games. And didn't that turn out well...
I do remember Troy Smith, unfortunately. And I am quite certain that he was never supposed to be the next great 49er quarterback. Troy Smith was a Heisman Trophy-winning QB that was picked in the 5th round. Prior to the 2010 season, Baltimore released him because no team thought Smith was worth the price of a 5th round pick as a restricted free agent. It's safe to say that no one had any illusions about him. He was the 49ers' third-string QB until Alex Smith got injured and the team subsequently figured out that David Carr was incapable of throwing a football for distances over 10 yards. At no point during his time here, including during his two consecutive good games against one mediocre opponent (Rams) and another that was downright awful (Denver), did Troy Smith make you think he had a future as a starting NFL QB. Are you really bringing him up as a comparison to Kaepernick? Jim Harbaugh hand-picked Kaepernick as the guy he wanted to draft and develop. He has all the talent, mental and physical, that Smith did not have. Oh, yeah, he also isn't an arrogant idiot.
I understand the argument against changing quarterbacks at this point, especially considering that both the team and the incumbent (Alex Smith) have been playing very well. But even I, an ardent Alex Smith supporter since the Mike Nolan days, can understand that Smith is limited as a QB. The 49ers are more than good enough to win a Super Bowl with Smith under center. But that doesn't mean that you stick with him just on the basis of "experience" if he struggles down the stretch and Kaepernick proves a viable alternative. I trust Jim Harbaugh. If he thinks Kaepernick is ready, I will believe that he is ready. Does he? I don't know. Smith is and should be the starter as long as he continues to play at this level. But Kaepernick is being heralded by everyone for a reason. He wasn't facing the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bears' defense through 10 weeks of the season legitimately stacked up as a top-10 defense in NFL history.
1.) Remember that lockout? Harbaugh couldn't really do as much with Smith as he wanted that offseason, and he needed to have a Plan B just in case. Especially since we've had crappy backups in the past. Research indicated we needed QB depth somehow, someway, and with the lockout putting the kibosh on FA movement, and since it was unknown how long the lockout would be or how it would affect FA movement, the draft was the best way to get it. Since we were drafting a QB, we went after someone that Harbaugh wanted. But as Smith showed, he is capable of thriving in Harbaugh's offense, namely because there is actual stability with the team for the first time in years, and not constant change like Smith had struggled through.
2.) It was Peyton Manning. This wasn't bringing in any QB just for the sake of it. It was Peyton Manning. Had Peyton not limited his search to contending teams, practically 3/4ths the league minimum would have been going after his services. I would have been more mad if Harbaugh DIDN'T try for Manning at all. We had every single base thing Peyton wanted in a team (contending, weapons, defense, would be the starter), so why not go after him and try?
3.) You're basing everything about Kappy on ONE GAME. Now, I'm not denying the kid's talent, but, it's one game. What looks like a great move now could hurt them down the road. It takes three games traditionally for the book to be out on any QB, so one game on a QB says nothing. Game plans can be tailored to one team, so one game film isn't enough. You need the additional games to truly see tendencies of a QB that happen no matter who the opponent is. Once those come out, how good is Kappy then?
4.) Abusing the No. 1 defense is nothing. You have to remember the Bears were a clear shell of themselves. No Cutler, their OL stinks, and we have a great D. When you're basically putting the Bears' defense on the field saying, "You need to win us the game because the offense is terrible and already finished for the night," you can't expect them to just flat out do that against a good team, despite the fact they did it against bad teams that were easily exposed. Therefore, half the battle of beating the Bears was won before even stepping on the field.
5.) Keep in mind Alex Smith is one of the top-rated QBs in efficiency this season. Sure, there are plays Kappy made with his legs last night that Smith may have taken the sack on, but you have two different style QBs as well, and you pretty much know what you're getting with each style and you plan accordingly. (Peyton Manning would have taken the sacks himself, too. He's not exactly Mr. Scramble.) And during the game, there were plays Kappy made that were dangerous in themselves that Smith would have handled better. That threading the needle to Davis in double-coverage? Watch that play from the behind the QB angle. That was a very defensible ball, be it batted or picked. I'm glad it wasn't, but point is, Kappy took risks that a good team would expose, and they can expose in time with more game film.
6.) Smith won't win us a Super Bowl, you say? Yet we were within one game of it last year, and the reason we lost to the Giants wasn't Smith's fault. It was special teams that cost us the game. Smith did everything we asked of him last year and it got us darn far and revived the dormant franchise. Call him a game manager if you wish, but he wins and isn't that what is supposed to matter? Besides, he's only a game manager because fantasy football has spoiled fans and they expect 300-yard passing games and/or several TDs from a QB or he sucks. If fantasy football was as prevalent in the 1990s as it is today, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman may be cast in a vastly different light. Not like Aikman lit it up, he had talent around him, too, very arguably moreso than Smith. Same thing you accuse Smith of, is the same setup Aikman had. But Aikman won, and Smith is winning. What is wrong with that? Isn't the point to win Super Bowls? Why screw that chemistry up?
I realize a lot of this is defending Alex Smith. Make it clear, I am not attacking Kappy and saying he is bad. I am very glad that for the first time since Montana/Young we have what appears to be our starter and a very good backup (obviously not on the level of two HoFers, but you get the analogy.) I am glad Kappy could win that game last night with Smith being out. But with all things considered, this is NOT the time to make a QB change for the sake of doing it. When Smith is healthy from this concussion, back under center he goes. Any serious QB battles need to be taken care off in the offseason and in the preseason. The team is winning, it controls its destiny for the No. 2 seed, everything is going great. Why screw that up for the new "hot hand" that could just as easily go cold and in the process screw the team? And if there are two "hot hands" as Harbaugh says, and one of them is the normal starter, why change? Dance with the girl that brung ya, as the saying goes, and that is Alex Smith. He has done nothing in a season and a half to lose that starting job. He shouldn't lose it now either.
All fair good points, but I'm still drinking the Kaepernick kool aid. Give Smith another week to recover and start Kaepernick.
Saints/49ers is obviously big next week. Getting back to 5-5, they have me believing they can get to the playoffs, it may or may not happen, but it's become possible. The way I figure, they can lose 1 more game and still possibly get in, as long as that loss isn't to Tampa Bay.
1.) Remember that lockout? Harbaugh couldn't really do as much with Smith as he wanted that offseason, and he needed to have a Plan B just in case. Especially since we've had crappy backups in the past. Research indicated we needed QB depth somehow, someway, and with the lockout putting the kibosh on FA movement, and since it was unknown how long the lockout would be or how it would affect FA movement, the draft was the best way to get it. Since we were drafting a QB, we went after someone that Harbaugh wanted. But as Smith showed, he is capable of thriving in Harbaugh's offense, namely because there is actual stability with the team for the first time in years, and not constant change like Smith had struggled through.
2.) It was Peyton Manning. This wasn't bringing in any QB just for the sake of it. It was Peyton Manning. Had Peyton not limited his search to contending teams, practically 3/4ths the league minimum would have been going after his services. I would have been more mad if Harbaugh DIDN'T try for Manning at all. We had every single base thing Peyton wanted in a team (contending, weapons, defense, would be the starter), so why not go after him and try?
3.) You're basing everything about Kappy on ONE GAME. Now, I'm not denying the kid's talent, but, it's one game. What looks like a great move now could hurt them down the road. It takes three games traditionally for the book to be out on any QB, so one game on a QB says nothing. Game plans can be tailored to one team, so one game film isn't enough. You need the additional games to truly see tendencies of a QB that happen no matter who the opponent is. Once those come out, how good is Kappy then?
4.) Abusing the No. 1 defense is nothing. You have to remember the Bears were a clear shell of themselves. No Cutler, their OL stinks, and we have a great D. When you're basically putting the Bears' defense on the field saying, "You need to win us the game because the offense is terrible and already finished for the night," you can't expect them to just flat out do that against a good team, despite the fact they did it against bad teams that were easily exposed. Therefore, half the battle of beating the Bears was won before even stepping on the field.
5.) Keep in mind Alex Smith is one of the top-rated QBs in efficiency this season. Sure, there are plays Kappy made with his legs last night that Smith may have taken the sack on, but you have two different style QBs as well, and you pretty much know what you're getting with each style and you plan accordingly. (Peyton Manning would have taken the sacks himself, too. He's not exactly Mr. Scramble.) And during the game, there were plays Kappy made that were dangerous in themselves that Smith would have handled better. That threading the needle to Davis in double-coverage? Watch that play from the behind the QB angle. That was a very defensible ball, be it batted or picked. I'm glad it wasn't, but point is, Kappy took risks that a good team would expose, and they can expose in time with more game film.
6.) Smith won't win us a Super Bowl, you say? Yet we were within one game of it last year, and the reason we lost to the Giants wasn't Smith's fault. It was special teams that cost us the game. Smith did everything we asked of him last year and it got us darn far and revived the dormant franchise. Call him a game manager if you wish, but he wins and isn't that what is supposed to matter? Besides, he's only a game manager because fantasy football has spoiled fans and they expect 300-yard passing games and/or several TDs from a QB or he sucks. If fantasy football was as prevalent in the 1990s as it is today, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman may be cast in a vastly different light. Not like Aikman lit it up, he had talent around him, too, very arguably moreso than Smith. Same thing you accuse Smith of, is the same setup Aikman had. But Aikman won, and Smith is winning. What is wrong with that? Isn't the point to win Super Bowls? Why screw that chemistry up?
I realize a lot of this is defending Alex Smith. Make it clear, I am not attacking Kappy and saying he is bad. I am very glad that for the first time since Montana/Young we have what appears to be our starter and a very good backup (obviously not on the level of two HoFers, but you get the analogy.) I am glad Kappy could win that game last night with Smith being out. But with all things considered, this is NOT the time to make a QB change for the sake of doing it. When Smith is healthy from this concussion, back under center he goes. Any serious QB battles need to be taken care off in the offseason and in the preseason. The team is winning, it controls its destiny for the No. 2 seed, everything is going great. Why screw that up for the new "hot hand" that could just as easily go cold and in the process screw the team? And if there are two "hot hands" as Harbaugh says, and one of them is the normal starter, why change? Dance with the girl that brung ya, as the saying goes, and that is Alex Smith. He has done nothing in a season and a half to lose that starting job. He shouldn't
lose it now either.
I realize you are a Denver-area sports fan and love Von Miller, but what Aldon Smith did to the entire Bears OL was as dominant of a performance as there has been this entire season. You don't see 5.5 sacks and 4 TFL in a game, let alone by one player. So, let go of the hypotheticals.
Saints/49ers is obviously big next week. Getting back to 5-5, they have me believing they can get to the playoffs, it may or may not happen, but it's become possible. The way I figure, they can lose 1 more game and still possibly get in, as long as that loss isn't to Tampa Bay.
Saints have been clicking on offense and are starting to force turnovers. They will have a tough task forcing turnovers against SF, but if they are able to do so, they have a chance.
I realize you are a Denver-area sports fan and love Von Miller, but what Aldon Smith did to the entire Bears OL was as dominant of a performance as there has been this entire season. You don't see 5.5 sacks and 4 TFL in a game, let alone by one player. So, let go of the hypotheticals.
I do remember Troy Smith, unfortunately. And I am quite certain that he was never supposed to be the next great 49er quarterback. Troy Smith was a Heisman Trophy-winning QB that was picked in the 5th round. Prior to the 2010 season, Baltimore released him because no team thought Smith was worth the price of a 5th round pick as a restricted free agent. It's safe to say that no one had any illusions about him. He was the 49ers' third-string QB until Alex Smith got injured and the team subsequently figured out that David Carr was incapable of throwing a football for distances over 10 yards. At no point during his time here, including during his two consecutive good games against one mediocre opponent (Rams) and another that was downright awful (Denver), did Troy Smith make you think he had a future as a starting NFL QB. Are you really bringing him up as a comparison to Kaepernick? Jim Harbaugh hand-picked Kaepernick as the guy he wanted to draft and develop. He has all the talent, mental and physical, that Smith did not have. Oh, yeah, he also isn't an arrogant idiot.
After those two good games (despite the circumstances you pointed), majority of 49ers fans were building the future around him and looking to get rid of Alex as soon as possible. Just like now, Kaepernick plays well in one game and some people are already handing him the starting job, although this time the fans of "revolution" seem to be a minority.
As a 49ers fan, I still believe this is still Smith's team at this point...but I think that Kaep will get more snaps in future games than he has before Smith got hurt.
After those two good games (despite the circumstances you pointed), majority of 49ers fans were building the future around him and looking to get rid of Alex as soon as possible. Just like now, Kaepernick plays well in one game and some people are already handing him the starting job, although this time the fans of "revolution" seem to be a minority.
Apples and oranges with Troy Smith and Kaepernick.
And Harbaugh poured gasoline on the fire. Said he could interchange the two.
Look, I made my case for Smith, but he needs to just pick someone and stick with him. A two-headed beast can be very self-destructive to a team I don't care how good it is.
Not after this week
