I'm a big 49ers fan (great win today at Seattle by the way) and follow them religiously. Alex Smith was a bit overhyped going into the draft, but not THAT much. He was and still is a good, athletic, smart player. But as the article mentions, what can you do with a shoddy offensive line, a different system every year, and a difficult coach, all when you're just a youngster trying to revive the most successful NFL franchise in history? Smith didn't play up to his potential most of the time, but not because he was bad. The aformentioned problems started it, and it just went downhill...unless he WAS Joe Montana, Smith could not have stepped into that kind of situation and succeeded and that's not his fault. When he gets healthy, I'd love to see him get another shot somewhere, because once he finds a system that stays the same for more than a year and has a line that doesn't resemble swiss cheese, he WILL succeed. We saw that in his 2nd season...for god's sake he had a couple games where he looked like Joe Montana!! Any real 49er fans who followed his progress know he can be something special if given the right opportunity. Don't label him a bust until he's done for good. In retrospect, we should have taken Aaron Rodgers. Oh well, shit happens. Rodgers would have had the same exact experience in San Francisco as Smith had, and this whole story would be flip-flopped, as Smith would be leading Green Bay to victories!! Anyways...good article, just one bone to pick: You said in the Bay Area you get run out of town unless you are Joe Montana or Steve Young -- Not true at all...We Bay Area 49er fans are nothing like that...we threw our support behind Smith, felt bad for him when it didn't work out, and now support J.T. O'Sullivan...faith doesn't waver in the Bay...patience and belief will lead us to victory eventually (on the right track this year, just needs to shore up that O-line a bit!). The End. Go Niners.
J.D.
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