Troy Smith Gives The 49er’s A Chance

After starting off the season 1-5, the San Francisco 49ers are now 4-7. This turnaround might seem insignificant, as they’re still three games below .500 and the best they could finish is two games over. Still, in a league driven by parity, the smallest of tweaks can turn a team from a laughing-stock into a formidable opponent. There has been one difference, and one difference alone between the 1-5 start and the 3-1 run since: Troy Smith.

Oddly enough, Smith sort of fell into their lap in a last-minute acquisition. It proved to be a fortuitous move for both parties. After the Ravens had unceremoniously cut Troy Smith following several turbulent and unfulfilled seasons since drafting him in the fifth round of 2007, San Francisco looked at their pitiable depth chart at quarterback and brought him in as their 3rd stringer. Naturally, San Fran was hoping his services wouldn’t be called upon on Sundays. As it turned out, he ended up being their short-term savior cloaked in a career backup’s wardrobe.

First, a little history for the uninitiated. At the end of November 2006, Troy Smith had led Ohio State to its second undefeated season in five years, had just beaten Michigan for the third straight time, was a shoe-in for the aforementioned Heisman, and was on his way to what most considered a surefire national title win against Florida.

Then the game actually happened over a month later, and needless to say, his stock plummeted like Enron. In short, the paltry display put on in Glendale, Arizona led most to deride him as a fraud. This held true for NFL Scouts as well, and Smith did little to improve anyone’s impression at the NFL combine. He reportedly looked stellar at Ohio State’s Pro Day, but that did little in the way of damage recovery, and he went as the 174th overall pick in the fifth round.

This is something that has baffled me at the time and still does, and I wasn’t the only one. Look at the link in the previous paragraph, “strong and very accurate” is used to describe Smith’s passing style. Is anything else have the same relevance? The quarterback’s primary function is to advance the ball through the air, being able to throw it deep and precise would seem to trump being momentarily out of shape (you knew it would be temporary because he acknowledged it) or having a slower forty time than expected (even if it was faster than any other quarterback’s). And obviously, the Florida game notwithstanding, Smith’s leadership qualities were apparent.

None the less, he went to Baltimore with low expectations, and unfortunately for Smith, he was rarely given a chance to exceed them. To be fair, he started the last two games of his rookie season when the Ravens were standing at 3-11. His performance was ultimately sub-par but showed promise, posting QB Ratings of 78 and 90. I mean, he wasn’t exactly working with the ’99 Rams skill players. Any sign of competence should have been encouraging.

But no, They traded up in the 2008 draft to get Joe Flacco. Smith spent his last two years with the Ravens getting garbage minutes and preseason showcases, only to be cut this past off-season for the washed up Marc Bulger (great foresight, Baltimore), and picked up at the last-minute by the lowly Niners, who’ve been in almost complete disarray since letting Jeff Garcia leave seven years ago.

The fix was supposed to be Alex Smith, but seven seasons later and any improvement he showed has been fleeting. I understand why they didn’t start Troy Smith at the beginning of the season because they didn’t have a sufficient chance to evaluate him. What I can’t understand – and I doubt I’m alone in this – is how they have continually justified offering Alex Smith chance after chance to lead the storied franchise despite numerous examples of his inability to do so.

Late as it may have been, after a 1-6 start, Mike Singletary finally gave Troy Smith a starting opportunity in a season that is still potentially relevant. Well, let me rephrase, the Niner’s season might still be relevant because Singletary put Troy Smith in at first string. Over the past four games, he has accumulated a quarterback rating of 84.1, with three touchdowns and two interceptions, culminating in a 3-1 start to his career in San Francisco, just two games out of the division lead.

This is largely due to playing in such a middle heavy division. But whatever the cause, all the Niners needed to produce a semi-respectable product was simply a quarterback who didn’t shoot them in the foot, and Troy Smith is quite likely capable of more once he gets some reps in. The Monday night game being the perfect example. Troy Smith opened up the offensive game with a quick strike to Michael Crabtree for the game’s first touchdown. And from then on out, he turned the reigns over to the running game. He went under the radar, as Brian Westbrook stole all the headlines on the field*. But ultimately moving on from Alex Smith is the only step needed to be taken seriously.

*I’ll need an additional 1,000 words to properly express how the Derek Anderson “controversy” represents everything intolerable about the NFL, so I’ll spare you.

I don’t want to pile on. In all honesty, I wish Alex Smith the best of luck. He quarterbacked the best mid-major ever in college football (Utah in 2004, who got hosed when they didn’t land Auburn in their BCS game), but it’s time for a change of scenery. The Niners are one of the five most storied franchises in the NFL , and they’ve given him six seasons to make them championship caliber and he hasn’t come close. Six. Say what you will about the Raiders, but at least they dumped JaMarcus Russell after three.

It seems the Niners have learned something from their friends across the Golden Gate, and are ready to reclaim even a modest sense of glory, look how improved the Raiders are this season by cutting ties with their miss at #1 overall in 2007, the same year Troy Smith was drafted 100+ picks later. From overlooked to a Heisman Trophy, from fifth round pick  to bench warmer to unwilling free agent to NFL starter, Troy Smith is the type of player whose continually defied odds, if I had any money, it would be on him taking the Niners to the post-season for the first time since Garrison Hearst was their leading rusher in 2002.