“Be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” – William Shakespeare
For Alex Smith, greatness was expected. He was the first player selected in the draft in 2005 by the San Francisco 49ers, a franchise that produced Hall of Fame quarterbacks Steve Young and Joe Montana.
So far, his career has fallen far short of those lofty expectations. The team has a playoff drought dating back to 2002, tied for fourth longest in the league and Smith, currently a free agent, was considered to be on the bubble as to whether he’d be re-signed for next season.
But there’s a new coach and a new energy in the bay area, and the actions of Smith, along with incoming rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick, suggest that the team may be turning a corner.
The situation is certainly difficult. The 49ers new head coach with Jim Harbaugh will be installing a new offense but can’t have contact with the players because of the NFL owner-imposed lockout. The only quarterback currently under contract is backup David Carr, who has only been in San Francisco for one season. And the 49ers selected quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the second round to take over the position at some point, but with no contact with the coaching staff, his learning curve is uncertain. He played out of the Pistol offense at Nevada, so he’ll have to learn how to operate a pro style offense and to work from under center.
Alex Smith has stepped up in a big way to provide leadership this off season, despite not officially being part of the team. When the lockout was lifted for one day under court order, Smith rushed to the 49ers facility and met with Harbaugh for a few hours, leaving the meeting with boxes of game film and a playbook.
Smith studied the information himself, and taught the rest of the team the offense during classroom sessions. He even quizzed them on what they’d covered and awarded prizes.
Smith earned high praise from his teammates for his leadership. “He’s more of a leader than he’s ever been at this point,” 49ers tight end Vernon Davis told CSNBayArea.com’s Chronicle Live. “I’ve never seen Alex like this, ‘taking charge’ is what I call it. It’s Alex taking charge. He’s in the classroom walking us through everything, talking about all the plays. He’s taking all the snaps. And he’s really being a leader out there.”
Smith had a rough road since being selected number one overall in 2005. He played under defensive-minded head coaches Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary, and has had a succession of offensive coordinators – playing under five different offensive coordinators in his first five seasons. Consistency is something that the team lacked and with the lockout this year, Smith has stepped into the leadership role to pull his team together.
“I got put in a position where I just kind of felt like I needed to do it,” Smith said. “All of a sudden, I didn’t know how long the lockout was going to go, as it got longer and longer, more and more I felt like we were behind the eight ball and needed to do something.”
The drafting of Kaepernick in the second round led to immediate questions about Smith’s future with the team. But before you could even utter the words “quarterback controversy,” the men began working together with the goal of getting the team in the best position to win.
Kaepernick recently skipped the NFLPA sponsored rookie symposium – “The Business of Football: Rookie Edition” – to attend the latest mini-camp and work out with the team. The decision was well received from his teammates.
“It shows a lot of dedication. He wants to be here, he wants to help out. And he’s ready to compete. I love him for that. I’m going to go give him a hug and kiss right now,“ Vernon Davis told ESPN.
Smith has worked closely with Kaepernick to teach him Harbaugh’s offense, and added, “I was treated well when I came into the league, and there’s no way I’m not going to help the guy.”
There are many uncertainties surrounding the 49ers this season, but there’s a sense of optimism and team chemistry that’s been missing in the Bay Area.
Wide receiver Josh Morgan summed it up, “I think everything is going good so far. Camp Alex is a success.”
