It’s not like the 49ers are devoid of talent.
That’s why this year has so maddening. The Niners have been drafting for impact for several years now, and it shows on both sides of the ball:
Vernon Davis
Frank Gore
Michael Crabtree
Josh Morgan
Patrick Willis
Manny Lawson
Scott McKillop
The NFL is measured mostly by how well teams draft, and that list above includes a whole bunch of guys who made good contributions in today’s 20-3 win over JAX.
And none of them played at the same level Alex Smith did today.
V.D. is the best tight end in the NFC (can’t put him above Antonio Gates yet, but check back at the end of the season and that might have changed), but he dropped a dime from Alex Smith.
Crabby dropped the best pass Smith has ever thrown, a touch pass in the back left corner of the end zone.
Luckily, Gore is nails and didn’t drop that pass where Alex decided to show off just how graceful he really is when running to his right.
It was the type of game that makes dads order little No. 11 jerseys for their kids for Christmas. The type of game that makes one wonder if Smith/Gore/Crabtree/Davis could ever remind us of Montana/Craig/Rice/Frank or Young/Watters/Rice/Jones. The type of game that makes Joe Montana move to Santa Clara permanently to become Alex Smith’s personal tutor (OK, maybe that’s my fantasy).
Sorry, sorry, I’m gettting ahead of myself. I really shouldn’t ignore the best performance by the defense all season. Patrick Willis should be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and the rest of the line was pretty darn special (although the Jaguars did seem to play as if they spent last night at Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell).
Still, when Smith throws this accurately, it’s like a holiday. A day when turkey is served to all of America’s citizens, with delicious things like gravy and mashed potatoes and terrible things like cranberry gelatin and vegan stuffing. Happy No. 1 Draft Pick Day everyone. Drive home safe.
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