49ers Smith’s Pro Bowl Slight?

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After the win against the Pittsburg Steelers, Jim Harbaugh did not hide what he thinks of Alex Smith. “There is no doubt in my mind that [Alex Smith] deserves to go to the Pro Bowl… There are other great players out there in the National Football League. I believe there are three that go to the Pro Bowl, right? Aaron Rogers, Drew Brees, Alex Smith. I think those are the top-3 in the NFC in my humble opinion.” Harbaugh would clarify that some would measure a Pro Bowl quarterback by huge yardage games, but he likes to measure in wins and losses.

2011-2012 Season

Alex Smith

Passing / Rushing

ATT	COMP	YDS	COMP %	YDS/ATT	TD	TD%	INT	INT%	LONG	SCK	SCK/LOST	RATING
ATT	COMP	YDS	COMP %	YDS/ATT	TD	TD%	INT	INT%	LONG	SCK	SCK/LOST	RATING
389	239	2,752	61.4	7.1	16	4.1	5	1.3	56	39	233	91.1

ATT	YDS	YDS/ATT	LONG	TD
ATT	YDS	YDS/ATT	LONG	TD
42	153	3.6	14	1

Drew Brees

Passing / Rushing

ATT	COMP	YDS	COMP %	YDS/ATT	TD	TD%	INT	INT%	LONG	SCK	SCK/LOST	RATING
ATT	COMP	YDS	COMP %	YDS/ATT	TD	TD%	INT	INT%	LONG	SCK	SCK/LOST	RATING
583	417	4,780	71.5	8.2	37	6.3	11	1.9	79	23	150	109.1

ATT	YDS	YDS/ATT	LONG	TD
ATT	YDS	YDS/ATT	LONG	TD
19	72	3.8	20	1

Aaron Rodgers

Passing / Rushing

ATT	COMP	YDS	COMP %	YDS/ATT	TD	TD%	INT	INT%	LONG	SCK	SCK/LOST	RATING
ATT	COMP	YDS	COMP %	YDS/ATT	TD	TD%	INT	INT%	LONG	SCK	SCK/LOST	RATING
473	322	4,360	68.1	9.2	40	8.5	6	1.3	93	36	219	120.1

ATT	YDS	YDS/ATT	LONG	TD
ATT	YDS	YDS/ATT	LONG	TD
56	239	4.3	25	3

When their numbers sit next to each other, Alex’s looks a little short of what people consider a prototypical Pro Bowl player in Aaron Rogers, and Drew Brees. However when you take a step back and see that the Green Bay Packers are 1^st in the NFC at 13-1, the San Francisco 49ers are 2^nd in the NFC at 11-3, and the New Orleans Saints are 3^rd at 11-3, it is hard to ignore that Smith has guided the 49ers into a top seed just as Rogers or Brees have done.

I believe that Alex is a tough sell for the Pro Bowl this year, and should be noted for his remarkable turnaround from his accumulating car accident like history. I also believe that moving forward Alex will only improve under Jim Harbaugh, and next year won’t be such a stretch to consider Alex for the Pro Bowl. Harbaugh looks as though he has taken the advice from Alex’s college coach Urban Myers, to get him settled into a system by giving him time and patience. When asked if he thought that Alex is the long term option for the 49ers, Harbaugh simply answered, “I do.”

I am excited to see what the 49ers can do in the playoffs this year as the NFC West Champs, but I am most excited about the Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith putting a 49ers quarterback, back into the Pro Bowl on a regular basis.