The Revenge of Alex Smith?

So far, 2011 has been a year of surprises , what with the so-called Arab Spring, the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the recent uprising of young Americans who are sick of politics as usual.

Perhaps, then, it’s somehow appropriate that Alex Smith, the former No. 1 overall draft pick and current starting quarterback of the 49ers whom many fans and experts had written off as a bust, has apparently chosen this year to take revenge on the NFL.

His 49ers have the second best record in the entire league right now, behind only the undefeated Packers, and an article in the hometown newspaper of the 49ers recently said he’s “riding a wave of confidence.” In his last five games, Smith has passed for 963 yards, 8 touchdowns, and only 1 interception. That’s an average of 193 yards and 1.6 touchdowns per game. Not elite numbers, sure, but not too shabby either.

At this point, it seems inconceivable that the 49ers wouldn’t win their division — after all, they have a whopping five game lead over the struggling Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. Which means Smith will likely get his first chance to shine in the postseason this year.

If he were to have any success in a January game it would completely reshape the narrative about his abilities as a player. The previous six years of disappointment in San Francisco would be chalked up to the incompetence of his carousel of head coaches and offensive coordinators, from Mike Nolan to Mike Singletary.

And he would finally escape the dreaded comparison to Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback who was picked late in the first round of that same 2005 draft in which Smith was No. 1 overall and who already has a Super Bowl championship under his belt.

For Smith, it’s now or never, as he is playing under a one-year contract that he agreed to after meeting with new coach Jim Harbaugh after the 2010 season. With their relationship off to a great start so far, we can assume that Smith would like to remain with the 49ers long-term. But he’ll have to continue building momentum over the course of second half of the season in order to secure his future with the team.

The revenge of Smith is already one of the most underrated and potentially exciting stories in the NFL so far. Will he keep it up? His team’s chances, and potentially his career, hang in the balance.


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