Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

When most coaches come into the NFL, there is normally a lot of turnover. While Harbaugh has done an excellent job getting the most production out of the talent and possibly more than any coach in the league could, it goes without saying that credit for building this team should be spread around.

Former GM Scot McCloughan has probably the biggest contribution to this team for someone not currently working for the franchise. For those who don’t remember, he was the general manager who started in 2005 and recruited current GM Trent Baalke to be a scout. Baalke is a big key in Coach Jim Harbaugh being with the organization.

McCloughan orchestrated some great drafts, most notably the 2007 draft that landed guys like Patrick, Willis, Joe Staley, Ray McDonald, Dashon Goldson, and Tarell Brown. Add in key players such as Alex Smith, Frank Gore, and Vernon Davis among others and his time was well served.

Head Coach Mike Nolan was with the 49ers from 2005 to midway thru the 2008 season. Overall as coach he went 18-37, which led to many high picks in the draft. While he won’t be remembered in 49er lore, his contributions on building a defense is still evident. Patrick Willis is probably the player that gained the most out of having Nolan as a coach.

Head Coach Mike Singletary is better known for his competitiveness on the football field. The fiery, run first play defense mentality coach really wanted to establish a toughness persona that the current Niners are personifying. In the 2010 draft he not only when offensive line with the 11^th pick, but with their second pick in the 1^st round. Those 2 players, T Anthony Davis and G Mike Iupati have really changed the 49ers front and made it a major strength of the team. Add in Navarro Bowman from the same year and you have some of the best young players at their respective positions.

Singletary is a great motivation coach, which players love to play for. His biggest problem was he couldn’t game-plan. Singletary was taking over because expectations were high and weren’t being met. The talent was there, the main piece missing was a coach to lead this team.

That brings us to a player, one most Niner fans were ready to dismiss years ago. Alex Smith deserves a lot of credit for the team being in this position. There were many times in his career he could have walked away from this organization. He had taken pay cuts, dealt with having a horrible core around him and some subpar coaches, but through it all he stayed.

This year wasn’t much different for him, he could have been more outspoken about the switch at quarterback, he could have been a nuisance in the locker room, and he wasn’t. He once again took a high road and helped Kaepernick prepare for every game. It doesn’t happen often when a guy loses his job that he goes and helps the guy that replaces him get better. Alex Smith is a true teammate, a true 49er, and while it won’t be him leading the team on the field in Superbowl XLVII, he will have a stake in getting us there.

Sure these guys aren’t going to be getting the glory Superbowl Sunday, but they’ve had a lasting impact on this team. When we see papers Monday morning (okay so it might be the headline when you get on the internet), hopefully we’ll be seeing the headlines claiming the Quest For Six is complete, and how the current coaches and players deserve the accolades, but true Niner fans will have some respect for the men along the way.

Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Alex, despite being in the league since 2005, is only 28. In fact he is younger than Cleveland rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden. While he does have a history of injury, and prior to the last 2 seasons turnover issues, Alex is most likely the best quartback hitting the open market. The free agent class, which unless Joe Flacco somehow doesn’t resign with Baltimore, is weak. It’s bad enough where Michael Vick is unwilling to renegotiate his deal with Philadelphia for the chance at being cut, collecting the guaranteed salary, and resigning with a new team.

Not only is the free agent class weak, but the upcoming quarterback class isn’t what you’d consider talented. Geno Smith, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon, Tyler Wilson and Ryan Nassib are by and large considered the top quarterbacks in the draft. That’s like taking Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III out of lasts year class. Sure someone if not multiple guys will be starting quarterbacks for years to come, there just isn’t the excitement right now.

If this league has taught us anything, it’s that new coaches mean new quarterbacks. This year had a lot of turnover at the head coaching position. The new coaches have 2 options; get a veteran quarterback to be your gap filler until they can find ‘their guy”, or draft and plug in right away. Hardly ever will you see a coach come in and go all in with a guy he didn’t select. With the lack of quarterbacks coming into the draft ready to start day 1, veteran quarterbacks will be needed in a lot of places.

The Kansas City Chiefs are an early favorite for a landing spot for Alex Smith. For a team coming off a 2-14 season they sent 6 players to the pro bowl. Place in Andy Reid at head coach and Matt Cassel might as well start packing his bags. Cassel was a turnover machine this last season to a point where fans cheered when he got injured in a home game.

Coach Andy Reid will look for a young guy, but using the 1^st overall pick on Geno Smith isn’t Reid’s style. He will evaluate the quarterbacks in the draft, then try and grab someone in the 2^nd or 3^rd round. Their first pick will be a lineman on either side of the ball.

This really opens up the chances for Alex Smith. Reid won’t look to start a rookie right away. With the Chiefs not wanting to start Cassel another season, they could be the team to jump on Alex. He’s already shown he is willing to mentor a young quarterback, he won’t be a locker room nuisance, and he will work to be the best starter each and every week.

The Jets franchise is a mess. While they didn’t change the head coach, they did shake up the franchise. Rex Ryan knows he is on the hot seat and the only way to get off of it is to win now. They would love to dump Mark Sanchez, but the former GM guaranteed his salary for the upcoming season. That puts Rex in a predicament. Does he keep his faith in Sanchez, and if he fails Rex is fired or does he draft a rookie quarterback and hope he can perform like other rookies have the last few years.

Honestly if it wasn’t for the Sanchez contract I think you would see the Niners send Alex Smith and a 2^nd round pick for CB Darrelle Revis. While the Jets don’t won’t to lose Revis, there cap issues would make this a possibility.

The Arizona Cardinals have possibly the worst quarterback situation in the history of the league. They are playing a backup quarterback starter money, the other quarterbacks shouldn’t be on anyone’s active roster and they possibly have the worst offensive line in the league, not to mention no running threat.

Alex Smith has been linked to Arizona for the fact that they need help, but I don’t see a way this works. The 49ers wouldn’t trade him to a division foe and I don’t think they would outright cut him with no compensation. Even if somehow Smith ends up in Arizona, the team wouldn’t be good enough around him to make them immediately ready to compete. I rule Arizona out, but for the sake of needing help they make the list.

The team that isn’t being talked about is Philadelphia. Michael Vick is going out the door, and Nick Foles was a Reid guy. Besides, Foles doesn’t have the makeup of a Chip Kelly quarterback. Chip Kelly in all likelihood will draft a young mobile quarterback to run his system, but having a veteran that fits the system wouldn’t be a bad plan.

Alex would give them someone to start right away and a quarterback that can mentor whomever they decide is the future. Who knows Alex could continue his resurrection journey and be the starter for the next 10 years? In the NFC East 10 wins in normally enough to win the division, it’s anyone’s game.

Alex is on the back burner for now, until about a week after the Superbowl. I’m sure we’ll see the cutaway shots of him on the sideline looking on, watching the team he was the starting quarterback of at the start of the season and somewhat feel sorry for the guy. They announcers might raise the question to the audience, pondering where he could possibly end up. But no matter where Alex ends up, fans in San Fran should root for him to play well, well so long as it isn’t against us.

It’s will be 18 years and 5 days since the 49ers organization, players, and fans have witnessed the red and gold take the field in a Superbowl matchup. I was 6. It’s been a long time, waiting, agonizing, and hoping for this moment. The Niners are Superbowl bound once again.

Jan 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Francisco 49ers fans cheer following their win in the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The 49ers defeated the Falcons 28-24. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t easy and if the NFC Championship game showed us anything, we aren’t a perfect team. The Falcons were able to expose our secondary early and often, but our defense stepped up in the 2^nd half and came up with timely stops and turnovers they gave us the chance to take that game over.

We won this as a team, it took a well-rounded performance and some big plays by some of our stars. As much has been made about Ray Lewis and Tony Gonzalez, Frank Gore and Randy Moss are heading to the Superbowl for a chance at their first ring.

Coach Jim Harbaugh looks like the smartest, boldest coach in the league by making the move at quarterback and the way it has worked out. It’s hard to imagine a guy making only his 10 start, will be starting the biggest game of all. Kaepernick was absolutely pivotal it both playoff games and now has a chance to match Tom Brady by taking over for a #1 overall pick during a season and going on to win a Superbowl.

Now as fans, we get to sit and do some scouting on our upcoming opponent. Congratulations 49er fans, we are finally back in the promise land. #QuestforSix