Alex Smith Questions

As the first overall pick in 2005, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith already had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He signed the big contract with the team that is tied for the most Super Bowl wins, and he now has to try to satisfy the fans that saw their beloved Niners quarterbacked by two of the greatest QBs to ever play the game.

To add on to that pressure, he is entering his fourth year with the club with little to show for in his first three seasons. He has thrown 12 more interceptions than touchdowns, completed 54.4% of his passes, and has had an average QB rating of 63.5. Not to mention zero playoff berths in his tenure in San Francisco. The once proud 49ers faithful are getting a little restless to say the least.

Now the question becomes, how much longer does he have? Smith gets a new offensive coordinator this year in Mike Martz, who has a Super Bowl ring to his credit. Martz will come in and insert the same pass heavy offense that we saw him run in both St. Louis and Detroit.

Will Smith be able to run it effectively? The answer to that question could very well determine Smith’s future in San Francisco. His competition is J.T. O’Sullivan who knows the Martz offensive from their time together last year in Detroit. In fact, O’ Sullivan is in San Francisco only because Martz wanted him there. The other QB fighting for the job is Shaun Hill who filled in for Smith when he was injured last year. Hill threw for 5 TDs and 1 INT, completed 68.4% of his passes, and had an average QB rating of 101.3. All of those numbers outshine Smith’s numbers by a longshot.

Though Smith seems like a quarterback that could very well succeed in Martz’s system. He’s a smart drop back passer that can sit in the pocket, throw the ball in time, and even take a hit every one in a while. He doesn’t scramble or try to run out of the pocket, as he has only amassed 339 rushing yards in three years with the team.

Though there are some looming questions coming into this season. Will Smith be healthy and ready to start after undergoing surgery on his shoulder? Will Smith be able to grasp a new complex offensive game plan, his fourth in four seasons?

Though as the season opener begins to get closer, the one big question just gets bigger. How much longer does Alex Smith have?