Interesting. Though if you think about it, not really. This was the only choice for Singletary. If you play David Carr in a game where your future may well be on the line (if it isn't decided already), you're essentially waving the white flag on your coaching career. That's especially true when you factor in how horrible he looked last week. We know what David Carr is- not very good. I'm surprised more people didn't see this coming, to be honest.
Troy Smith is short, skinny, and looks like he probably belongs split out wide or in the backfield. Alex Smith is tall, big, and looks perfectly positioned under center. And no, it's not because one is black and one is white. Donovan McNabb looks perfect under center, too. You just don't see very many 6'0 guys running an offense.
But, to me, I think Troy Smith is an interesting case study of what makes a (potentially) good (or even decent) quarterback. It's not his size, or his arm strength (though he has that) necessarily. It's something about the way guys carry themselves. I usually hate it when sports writers go off on this BS about how the personality of a player can somehow lift his teammates and inspire them to perform better.
However, I think the position of quarterback is one of very few exceptions in sports, in that I think the personality of the person playing directly affects the success of the team as a whole. Think about it- how many of the best, most successful quarterbacks in the league are total stiffs?
What really was the difference between Manning and Leaf? Both were extremely talented throwers of the football. But Manning was an excellent leader and Leaf was a total effing headcase.
Here's the point: I think Alex Smith has all of the physical tools you need to be a good quarterback. That's why I was so sold on this team at the beginning of this year. Give him some weapons, some continuity and-BAM!- you have a good quarterback! BUT, what I forgot is that he doesn't have the personality of a good quarterback. He just simply doesn't understand what it takes to be the leader of an offense, and he doesn't understand how to do all of the things the position requires that aren't "throw the football" (though, really, he doesn't even do that very well ).
Enter Troy Smith. A guy who, at first glance, doesn't appear like he would be a good quarterback. But the thing is, he DOES understand all of those things. He's an excellent leader by all accounts. In college, when he would sprint out to his right, he would continue trying to make a play. He wouldn't run in a straight line and then fruitlessly throw the ball out of bounds; he understood how to keep a play alive and how to attack a defense and how to open up his receivers so that they could make a play down field.
Now, does this mean that the hopeless optimist of the bunch is at it again? Do I think that Smith is now going to become the MVP of the league because he's going to break every single-game record in the NFL on Sunday? No, I don't. I'm not even sure he's going to be any good, either this Sunday or in any of his starts.
But I AM interested to see how the offense responds to him. I want to see if suddenly plays are being made, and suddenly the offense has at least some semblance of a rhythm to it. Because that's what a good or even decent quarterback is able to do- make plays and keep the offense moving. And MAYBE the reason we haven't seen that yet this year is because Alex Smith just simply isn't even a decent quarterback, even though he might look like one.
Either way, they've once again succeeded in sucking me back in and making me interested in what they're going to do. So that's at least something!
(PS, there will be no giddy posting of youtube Troy Smith highlight videos, though a few of them are pretty impressive. We'll just have to wait and see what he does for real)
