Alex Smith is known to his coaches, teammates and even his fans as your prototypical "nice guy". It had been that way since the 49ers selected Smith with the first choice in the 2005 NFL draft. He was so interested in doing the right thing that he became an easy mark for club officials, marketing reps, the media, teammates, fans. If a hand needed to be shook, an appearance needed to be made, a baby needed to be held, he was the guy.
It was the same thing in March when the 49ers began their offseason workouts. Smith felt the need to set a good example again, so he showed up at 5:40 a.m., Monday through Friday, for six consecutive weeks. And he continued making sponsorship and marketing appearances. Back-up Trent Dilfer offered Smith some words of advice about his hectic schedule, telling him to take some down time. Instead of showing up every day or getting away for a week at a time, he would sneak off for two days here, three days there, joining his family at a house he rented in Tahoe, flying home to San Diego to take in a Padres game, or driving to Yosemite.
By the time training camp rolled around in July, he looked and moved as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The 49ers hope that change will lead to a breakout season for Smith, who will lead the club in its exhibition finale tomorrow night against the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. He struggled as a rookie, showed signs of promise last season and now is looking to lift the franchise to its first winning season since 2002. There was a calmness in Smith's tone recently when he spoke about the upcoming season. For the first time since he was drafted, he wasn't asked to learn a new offensive system in the offseason, despite coordinator Norv Turner leaving to become coach of the Chargers. The team maintained the same terminology and general philosophy under new coordinator Jim Hostler, who served as quarterbacks coach last season, and Smith believes that will go a long way toward helping him stack another building block on the foundation he laid the past two years.
His familiarity with the system, combined with his recharged mind and body and an upgraded roster, have the former Helix High product feeling as if the 49ers could make a run at the division title. They went 7-9 last season, losing three games by a touchdown or less. Time will tell if Smith can lead this team to the promise land, but one thing's for sure ; in the "win -now" NFL, the pressure on a young QB can be huge. Even bigger when you are standing in the solar eclipses cast by predeceors Steve Young and the legendary Joe Montana. Rightly or wrongly, fair or not, that is the benchmark he must reach. Kinda harsh, I know, but hey, this ain't the Cardinals or Texans we're talking about. This is one of the most successful franchises in the history of pro sports. Thus, our expectations of its leaders are a tall order. I hope Alex Smith can be that guy, -the "Next One". This year should tell us a lot about if that will be the case.
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