Alex Smith is 27-years old and just completed his first winning season with a first-round bye in the playoffs and a victory of Drew Brees and the Saints at home.
He should take more time to reflect on how far he’s come before he criticizes a guy who is just starting.
His recent comments regarding 300-yard passing games and their relation to wins have merit. Passing for that many yards per game isn’t an automatic clincher of wins. Does it help a quarterback’s case? Absolutely. But of course it doesn’t guarantee instant success.
Where Alex Smith got in trouble was calling out, by name, Cam Newton; who just completed one of the most impressive rookie seasons in NFL history. He did so while dealing with the problems that haunted him in college (Auburn scandal), dealing with the perception that he isn’t intelligent enough to play the quarterback position full-time, and the perception that he may be a little too cocky and lazy.
I would say, with a start like that, he’s already surpassed anything Alex Smith has accomplished. Numbers aside.
So before Smith, who up to as soon as August of last year was rumored to be finished after last season in San Francisco, decides he’s going to throw out slick comments regarding Newton and “what it takes to win” he may want to consider reflecting on how tough his time has been in the NFL before throwing another guy under that bus.
Yes, Smith did come up with a compelling argument regarding passing for those numbers, but is Alex Smith the guy we should listen to regarding these matters? Without his 13-win season he had 19 wins in five years (31 losses). Last season’s 3,000-yard performance was the first of his career and that equated to 13-wins. But let us also remember this 49ers defense ranked fourth in the NFL (number one in the NFC) and Frank Gore and co. in the backfield put together a top-10 rushing attack.
So don’t go after Newton for taking a team pegged to finish last in their division to a six-win season year one. Don’t tell me you have the formula for success when it didn’t work until a coach (who I believe is the real reason for the 49ers turnaround) came in, saw what he had and played it perfectly.
Always remember what you’ve been through before getting too high on yourself, Alex. Might do you and your team some good.
Plus it looks better.
