Former first round pick Alex Smith
Alex Smith is now entering his 6th season with the San Francisco 49ers and this may be his most important season yet. Smith is entering the final year of his current contract and will be a free agent after the upcoming season. This is his last shot to live up to those expectations of a #1 draft pick from the 2005 NFL draft. And with what looks like to be a promising and exciting young 49ers offense, Smith for the first time will be in position to succeed.
http://www.sfgate.com
Alex Smith came into his rookie season the official starter for the San Francisco 49ers. With Alex Smith at the helm, offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy (Yes, the current Green Bay Packer head coach who left SF for GB after the 2005 season to coach Brett Favre and current starter Aaron Rodgers who was the #24 overall pick in the same 2005 NFL draft) looked to have his dream QB that would leave theses 49ers back into playoff and Super Bowl contention. However, there was only one problem; the 49ers lacked an offensive line and competent receivers. There was no way Alex Smith could survive in this offense, more help was needed.
Smith came into the 2006 season with a new offensive coordinator in Norv Turner and a rookie tight end in Vernon Davis. While the 49ers made strides and Smith showed just what he could do, they finished the season at 7-9 and missed the playoffs once again. In 2007, Smith had his 3rd offensive coordinator in 3 years, this time it was Jim Hostler. The 49ers started well but Alex Smith suffered a serious arm injury in a game against the Seattle Seahawks. He was unable to finish out the 2007 season and sat out all of 2008 due to a broken bone in his arm.
http://southseasports.com
This brings us to the 2009 season. The 49ers were ready to release Smith after the 2008 season, but Smith was able to renegotiate his deal and take a heavy pay cut to have one more chance with the only NFL franchise he’s ever known. While Smith lost the starting job to Shaun Hill, by week 7 Coach Mike Singletary realized the 49ers had done as well as they could with Shaun Hill and it was time to bring Alex Smith back into the starting role. In week 7 with the 49ers down 21-0 at the half versus the Houston Texans, Alex Smith was brought into the game and he was ready to showcase his talent. Smith went 15-22 for 206 yards 3 TDs and and 1 INT (on a deep pass with 0:03 sec left in the game). The 49ers were not able to come back and win this game but they definitely made it interesting as they lost to the Texans 24-21. Smith was able to build on this game and went on to start he final 10 games of the season. As the stater Smith finished with a 5-5 record while throwing for 2350 yards 18 TDs and 12 INTs.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/2009
While 2009 was the best year of his career, Alex Smith still has a few things to prove. In 2009 he seemed to be amazing while in the shotgun, but really struggled when he was down, under center. In order to maximize Frank Gore’s effectiveness Smith must show that he can operate well from under the center just as well as he performed in shotgun. This is the first time in Smith’s career that he has had the same offensive coordinator for back-to-back seasons. While Jimmy Raye is not an offensive mastermind, the continuity will do nothing but help Alex Smith. Smith also has the most potent offense he’s had in his career. Vernon Davis is coming off an All-Pro season, Frank Gore is back, and Michael Crabtree will have a full off season and training camp to develop chemistry with Smith as well. Smith has shown glimpses of brilliance throughout his career, but he has failed to be consistent. He definitely has the talent, the arm, the mobility, but its now time to bring it all together. His teammates have noticed a new, re-energized Alex Smith who is now a confident offensive leader. In this contract year, Alex Smith must come out firing and take the reins of this offense and lead this 49er team to the playoffs, otherwise he may be looking for a new job next year and the “bust” label will be official.
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