Much love and respect to Alex Smith. He's gotten a little vindication for his amazing performance at the end of the Saints game. I think he deserves a lot more.
How many people could have possibly imagined him leading not one, but TWO TD drives in the last four minutes of the game to defeat Drew Brees and the Saints? Anyone?
I'll honestly say that I was still pretty confident in the team after each of the Saints' TD. Not that they'd score TDs mind you, but that Smith would be able to get some first downs and get in field goal range. I didn't see the touchdowns coming. Amazing.
So, how did Alex Smith do it? Seems to me he did it with a level of intensity and determination that separates regular players from clutch performers. You could see it in how he conducted himself during the game and afterwards during interviews, when he covered up his personal redemption and showered praise and attention onto Vernon Davis and others. Intense and indefatigably classy.
You could see it in the game winning play. Watch it again closely, and focus on Alex Smith. Coming out of the huddle you could see his intensity, thinking "Fuck everybody, I'm winning this game for my team right now."
You could see it after the catch. Smith was not exuberant like everyone else. He seemed intent to stare daggers and talk trash to the New Orleans defense, the proxy for all of Smith's haters over the years. You can only imagine the level of trash talk directed to Smith by them over the course of the game. Look at the still above. Everyone is celebrating. Smith gave a couple nice pats on the back to his teammates, then violently ripped off his chinstrap while staring down the Saints defender. Later, you can see him walking around the field talking trash to the Saints defense.
There's been hints of Smith's intensity and desire to win before. Obviously, dealing with everything he's been through in San Francisco and hanging in there requires a level of intensity and desire that few have. As Jim Harbaugh has recently said:
“I really felt that he had the competitive drive and the wanting to prove himself and wanting to do it here,” Harbaugh added. “That’s the thing that probably intrigued me the most–that character of wanting to come back and do it here in San Francisco. Which is probably somewhere between rare and extinct. Not just for football players but just about anybody.
Seemed like a nice comment at the time, maybe a bit of an exaggeration used to make his player look good. Just something that a coach says. Looking now, Harbaugh was truly speaking the truth. Word for word. Read it again.
Over the years, one frequent complaint of Smith was his lack of outward intensity and vocal leadership. The reasoning for the criticism was that quarterbacks needed the "I'm not backing down and we're not losing" sort of outward intensity in order to gain success on the biggest stages. Smith didn't really show it, at least not in the typical way that everyone was looking for. In the Tom Brady curse somebody out sort of way.
But right beneath our noses, Smith was showing it all along, by hanging in there in San Francisco when no other quarterback in a similar circumstance would have been able. Much lesser difficult circumstances have killed many quarterbacks. For Smith to stick with it, he must have had a desire to redeem that was as strong as the emotion of any elite quarterback. Against the Saints, he brought it out for all to see.
Smith does not have the arm strength, accuracy, vision, or pocket presence that the very best quarterbacks have. He never will. But one thing that nobody can question in him anymore is his intensity and his desire to win. It's been there all along, it just took one of the greatest games in the history of the NFL playoffs to put it on full display.
***
As a fan, really taking that game in has been a wonderful experience, many years in the making. But mostly, I feel really good for the veteran 49ers that have endured all the losing seasons. And most especially, I feel good for Alex Smith. He truly deserves it.
Now, as hard as it is, we have to get off this ridiculous Saints game and focus on the Giants, who will be quite the challenge. On Saturday night, it seemed like the national media hype machine was then shifting over to San Francisco after having fully digested the Saints and Tim Tebow. I expressed optimism at that time that the hype would be short-lived, and that the Packers/Giants winner would snatch the hype machine's attention from San Francisco. It's going in that direction, and hopefully it goes further. First it was the Saints unstoppable offense. Now, it seems like it's the Giants' date with destiny. Gotta have it, 49ers need to rock this underdog disrespected status all the way to a Super Bowl victory.
All that said, the Giants game is going to be tough on account for how their defense is playing. I'm calling Delanie Walker and Michael Crabtree right now. They have to play big.
Posts
