Alex Smith: Game Manager

I have been watching ESPN's own Ron Jaworski go through a list of his Top 30 QBs in the NFL. And #16 on the list really stands out to me. The proud owner of the exact middle of the QB order is Alex Smith. The guy taken #1 overall as Aaron Rodgers sat in the green room being tortured on National Television. Alex Smith typifies what is known in football as a "great game manager." Find out what that really means after the bump.

"Game Manager" is a bullshit term. What that term really means is that the Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator do not trust their QB to win the game for them. The QB will make safe throws and is never put in a position where his lack of skills can lose the game for the team. It means you don't have a quarterback. Have you ever heard Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Peyton Manning referred to as "great game managers"? No. Because they win games. And I have gone off about Alex Smith before but this guy really gets under my skin.

Alex Smith has cashed in so much of the 49ers money. And he's not really a good quarterback. Smith is essentially the Last Resort of the 49ers. Its like there is a party and every QB is there. Alex Smith is the guy in the back, not very attractive to teams. The team owners do not want to take him home. But as the party goes on and more QBs leave with better teams, the 49ers crack another bottle of Jagermeister and pay Alex Smith 24 million dollars. He isn't pretty, he doesn't win games, but Alex Smith is available. You can try to lure Peyton Manning, you can throw some game at Matt Flynn, but the 49ers go home with Alex Smith every time.

There is not a fan in the league who would actually want Alex Smith as their Franchise Quarterback. Smith has relied on defense and a decent running game with Crash Test Dummy Frank Gore to win games. When either of those have faltered, the 49ers lose. What the 49ers have is a "Game Manager". Other QBs that have been described with that label include Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton, and Trent Dilfer. No one wants Dilfer to be their QB.