Alex Smith, new season same story

Watching 49er quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick in Friday night’s preseason opener it was apparent the quarterbacks are still nowhere near being ready for the regular season.  Smith had only practiced one week with the 49ers first-team offense before passing 2 of 7 for 10 yards with one fumble that was recovered by the 49ers.  Kaepernick passed for more yards, 117, than Smith but he had two interceptions and two fumbles which were also recovered by the 49ers.  Both quarterbacks should have played better but given the circumstances of a new offensive system to learn and only having a couple of weeks to be game ready some leeway is given.  However the leeway is more for Kaepernick than Smith.

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Maybe there were draft experts in 1979, when the 49ers drafted Joe Montana in the third round. If there were, they might have said the same things The Sporting News said about Colin Kaepernick:

Is a smart young man who can take control of the offense in key situations and gets his teammates to raise the level of their play. Has a knack for coming through with the big play when his team needs it most.

If it translates to the NFL, boy do the 49ers have a great prospect. Because, all the physical aspects are there with Kaepernick. Kaepernick is big, fast, strong, and tough. He’s 6-4, 225, and runs a 4.4 40 yard dash. That’s faster than any other 2011 draft quarterback prospect worth drafting.

After ranking Kaepernick as the number two quarterback prospect in the draft, The Sporting News went on to say:

Although Kaepernick won’t be drafted as highly as he is rated here, he will eventually develop into a good starting QB who has the ability to make game-changing plays with his feet and his arm.

Coach Jim Harbaugh is just the man to develop this prospect. The 49ers could have drafted any quarterback, except the mystical Cam Newton, but this is the guy they traded up to get. In a film session with the 49er beat writers, Daniel Brown quoted Trent Balke as saying the following as he broke down Kaepernick’s play at Nevada:

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