Matt
IKYN Guy Groupie
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Alex Smith needs to stay in San Fran. Kaepernick is bound to pick up an injury at some point, it's the best place for him.
I agree but I don't think that the Niners want him anymore. The locker room was split by Harbaugh's decision. To keep him around as a permanent backup might further that divide. Plus $7.5 million is a hell of a price to pay a backup. I still think Smith should restructure his contract and stay. The locker room divide won't occur if Smith willingly stays rather than is forced to stay for a contract he doesn't want to be locked up into. Plus it is the best move for him. He was able to succeed because of Jim Harbaugh game planning around him and because the Niners have an insanely talented O-Line, running game and defense. Smith won't have that luxury on any of the other teams looking for a QB. Minnesota is the one other place in the NFL that Alex Smith could thrive and they aren't looking for a QB.
So Smith has two options: 1) Restructure his contract and accept that his skill set (for whatever reason), is best suited for being a high end backup like Charlie Batch in his prime. 2) He can become a journeyman for a few years, go to teams like Arizona, Jacksonville and Tennessee, tarnish his reputation even further and then become a low end backup who cannot get half as much money as he would if he signed to a team as a backup now.
Is it unfair? Probably. Would Alex Smith have had more success if drafted by the likes of Green Bay and having a consistent coaching staff to guide his development? Maybe. Does any of that matter now? Nope. Alex Smith is what he is, a game manager. A nearly 30 year old quarterback isn't going to become a successful gunslinger who can carry teams on his shoulders to victory. He will always be a game manager. Game managers aren't long term starters in the modern-era NFL. That is just the sad reality that Alex Smith must face.
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but I thought Derek Anderson was suppose to sign back to Cleveland and retake his Pro-Bowl like numbers?
