49ers’ Smith deserves one more year

By Jeff Dickinson  |   Thursday, May 29, 2008  |  Comments( 5 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Many offseason questions abound as the San Francisco 49ers hope to rebound from a very disappointing 5-11 season in 2007. One question that is certain to be at the top of the list for many San Francisco fans regards quarterback Alex Smith. Specifically, some fans are wondering if it's time to give up on the three-year veteran whom the team chose No. 1 overall in the 2005 NFL draft.

Smith has been anything but sensational or even average during his disappointing career so far, having thrown just 19 touchdown passes against 31 interceptions; additionally, the 49ers' record since drafting Smith is an incredible disappointing 16-32.

Fans would like to know what has happened to the Smith who led Helix High School in California to a 25-1 record and two state championships during his junior and senior years. They'd also like to know what has happened to the Smith who finished fourth in the 2004 Heisman Trophy voting and led the University of Utah to a 12-0 record.

Despite Smith's struggles, it's not totally fair to blame everything on him. After all, he has had to adjust to three different offensive coordinators, which is never an easy task. Smith’s rookie season with the 49ers saw him under the scheme of Mike McCarthy. That year, Smith struggled mightily, tossing only one touchdown against 11 interceptions.

Then McCarthy left to become the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, and Smith was faced with learning a new offensive system under Norv Turner. The 49ers improved to 7-9 in 2006 and things began to look a little brighter as Smith learned from Turner. But that was before Turner bolted (pun intended) to become the Chargers' head coach.

Last season with the arrival of Turner's successor, Jim Hostler, it was time for Smith to learn his third system in three years. Wonderlic scores aside, that’s a lot to ask of any young quarterback. Hostler was fired after San Francisco's abysmal showing in Year 1 as its O-coordinator, and offensive guru Mike Martz was brought in earlier in the offseason to help transform into a capable NFL passer.

Therefore, not only does Smith have to learn a fourth new playbook, but he has to learn one that is probably going to be the most complex yet. The good news is that Smith is smart; you don’t graduate from Utah in two years with a 3.71 GPA unless you are. Obviously, then, there's hope for him.

However, after three brutally disappointing years under center for the Niners, this is clearly a do-or-die campaign for Smith. If he doesn't officially turn into a respectable pro in 2008, he'll have to try his luck elsewhere. Smith won't be a 49er past this season unless he shows real progress; and with Martz as his coordinator, improvement shouldn't be too much to ask.
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About Jeff Dickinson

I have been writing and editing professionally for 18 years. I spent the first three years of my career as a sportswriter for a daily newspaper in Alabama and got to cover sports and get paid for it! It was great until I got married and then it wasn't too much fun being away from my wife every...
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