So, Jim Harbaugh came out yesterday after an especially impressive performance by Colin Kaepernick, and said he had no idea who would start next Sunday in St. Louis. This information of course is up there in the pantheon of who shot JFK, and who General Patraeus is currently banging.
Funny thing is, a case can easily be made for either. Smith has put together quite a resume since Harbaugh took over. 20-6-1 and a botched punt or two from the Super Bowl. Cappy? Well, he’s the hot hand right now. He has put together 2.6 games of very solid play with some absolutely beautiful passes along the way.
So what will Harbaugh do? I have no idea. Does he ride the horse he’s got now? Or defer to the guy that got him close last year? Alex Smith didn’t do anything to lose his job besides get hit in the head, but Cappy is very dynamic and has strung together a great stretch of recent game play. If it was me, I’d keep Kaepernick in there. Let it ride. I love what he has brung to the table, and the team sure seems to feed off his energy.
As recently as Saturday I thought they should go back to Smith after NO, but this last game was a pretty big deal. Norleans needed this game in the worst way. They were on a roll, and desperately trying to climb back into the playoff hunt. They threw anything and everything at Cappy and the offense. A win would have put them solidly in the hunt for a wildcard spot, and no one would have blinked had the Niners lost a tough road game on the bayou. Instead, Cappy played tough, driven football. His field vision is outstanding, and his passes were accurate. The only blemish came on a bad snap, and Cappy didn’t get much of a look downfield when he threw the pick. He likely should have taken the sack, but that INT let to Ahmad Brooks’ pick 6, so it ended well for ther Niners. No one was happier when the defense came off the field than Cappy.
That being said, it would be so like Harbaugh to start Smith this Sundy just to tweak us droolers and mumblers out here in the wasteland of fandom. If so, I think Harbaugh has a megalomaniacal bent of the highest order. He’s Dr. Frankenquarterback. He can whip up QBs out of lumps of clay in a week.
I suspect Scott Tolzein will enter the QB race by week 14. But he’s not included in the poll.
Yet.
Forty Niners Forever 
This helmet stuff is amusing. I saw him wear it in both halves. I don’t remember when he wore it — whether only on offense, or all the time, I dunno, I didn’t pay attention to that at the time. Fox just showed it when they showed it, and that’s it. But, I’ll go with the just on offense, it makes sense, I suppose re: hearing plays. There wasn’t a separate “helmetcam”, so I don’t know how often he wore it and took it off. He did look very ready, though, CSNBA website had a shot of him with helmet on AND holding a football…
Speaking for myself I think Alex wanted to hear the calls and project his readiness to play, I saw the holding the ball shot too. I see QB’s hold the helmet to their ear usually to listen to plays but as Twin said that stadium was rocking.
I just thought of something also. BF says Alex wasn’t doing the helmet thing at home against the Bears. Maybe with home games they have more headsets available and he wore those instead, as opposed to an away game and they have limited numbers of ’em so he wore the helmet? Hell, I don’t know…
Well there was no chance of him playing against the Bears anyway. So no sense in him worrying about staying ready.
It is an interesting point though Snarkk, although he wasn’t cleared to play so in that sense it made no difference if he listened or not I would have thought he would be curious what they were calling. Maybe he was still suffering headaches?
It’s easy to see where this was supoosed to go: pathetic little Alex hoping coach will see he wants to play and hoping Jimbo feels so sorry for him he changes his mind and sends him in… We all know coach knew Alex was ready, the idea that Smith thought he needed to wear his helmet to demonstrate his readiness is beyond absurd.
Yeah, I agree, that is absurd. Harbaugh might change his own mind, but no one else is doing it for him. I think it was just keeping his head in the game, knowing what we were running and what was working, just in case.
The “ready” thing from me was an attempt at some humor. I don’t see this whole helmet thing as too serious a deal, just weird, or absurd, if you want to call it that. Because Harbs has botched the handling of the two QBs and things are hush hush, wearing or not wearing a helmet becomes something to examine, when it might mean something, or nothing at all…
actually it makes perfect sense. He hasn’t said shit about any of this. You even basically called him a pussy yesterday (or whenever it was) for sitting quietly by and letting all of this just pass by without him saying a thing. If he’s a pussy who won’t speak up then wearing his helmet in protest is totally believably for his actual response.
you beat me to it Flavor.
Maiocco gave you the reason. But I knew you wouldn’t for it. Go with the “Daddy Daddy” theory.
And no, Smith will just wait the year out and either return here if he has to take over for Kap ( depending on how far they go in the playoffs() or move on.He’s raised his market value this year. Last year we heard nothing about landing spots, this year there’s already lots of conjecture and not as a back up..
I was unhappy that he took this so quietly, as was Aikman.But I didn’t give him credit for the kind of man he’s shown himself to be-in fact he and Colin have both given Harbaugh some lessons in class. Alex will grit his teeth and do whatever job he’s asked,
I didn’t say he was trying to change Harbs mind or subscribing to this “daddy theory” you made up, I think he was listening to the radio and showing his displeasure and readiness to play to the rest of the world.
Smith had no other options to start at QB for another team, that’s why he returned. Will he get any this off season? Eh, maybe. Probably not. Teams are going with young, newly draft QB’s all over the league—it’s unprecedented. Starting with Cam Newton and Dalton last year, now we have Luck, Tanehill, Locker, Wilson…..and that’s just off the top of my head. And they are outperforming higher paid vets in the league.
Alex will get a job next year, maybe as a starting QB, but it will be if the price is right. Nobody will be over-bidding for his services—-and I am basing that opinion off last off season when no one signed him and he came back to SF……….
Granted I am not the astute observer as my esteemed colleagues but I didn’t see that Kap was appreciable better than Smith but I definitely don’t think he was worse. I guess that Harbaugh likes the higher ceiling for Kap. It truly sucks for Smith. Dude is a team captain and a statistically highly rated QB this season after a breakout season and he gets this treatment? I don’t think this cuts into Harbaugh’s credibility in the locker room this year but may take a year off his shelf life with this group of players.
They’re going to the playoffs with either guy and Kap giving them the better chance in the playoffs has been given as the reason for the switch.Now we hear, well no, it’s Ok if he doesn’t do better. Sorry, this isn’t Gooberville.If Alex takes them as close as he did last year and can’t get another shot this year because he’s benched for a guy who’s supposed to do better.. well, it ain’t arithmetic but it’s unassailable logic- Kap has to do better..
Kap has to BE better, he doesn’t have to DO better. In you and Denny’s world, football is 100% about the fucking QB. That’s so stupid.. It’s a fucking TEAM game. And the other team they’re playing has something to do with it, too. Each game, each season is different. The Niners had no guarantee of going as deeply into the playoffs this season with Alex as they did last season with him.
JH thinks Kap gives them the better chance to win because he thinks he’s a better QB. Get it? No you don’t get shit. You’re just going to continue with your petty, petulant defense of Smith—why stop now, you’ve been doing it for 7 fucking years straight…………
I get what Jimbo *thinks*. Read my 6:38 and write it down. It’s how it is.
your 6:38 is, how did you word it?….. *a crock of shit*. The normal expectation would be that the Niners would return to the playoffs this year but it’s ludicrous to think that anyone realistically expected an easy breezy return to the NFC Championship game. Except for maybe you, I guess.
And you and you alone will judge Kap based off this absurd *Super Bowl or bust* mantra. I agree that Kap has little margin for error, he can’t throw a couple of stinkers in there and expect to stay in as the starter.
But assuming the Niners get to the playoffs there are zero expectations on how Kap or Smith will do. Their performance in those games will determine how you grade them. Not how the team does. Grade THE TEAM on how far they go, not the fucking QB unless (as Denny thinks) you feel the QB is all that matters in football.
Actually, I’ve educated the Snith haters on the team conmceppt. As i’ve pointed out maybe 6 dozen times- the, we’ll call them “Smaters” for short, insisted the 19-31 record with Smith was his record, W-L was all that mattered bather blather., now they’re 20-6-1 since last year-nope, it’s a team game now.It always was.Fact, however, is so fucking simple that I have no iudea why you argue it. You don’t replace your QB hoping the new guy will only be as good as the old one.Here’s the consenus EVERYWHERE on why the move was made:
“But the controversial QB change isn’t about this week, or next week, or even two weeks from now. To go forward with Kaepernick after he played so well against the Chicago Bears’ defense in his first NFL start last week, Harbaugh was thinking seven weeks down the line in the NFC divisional playoffs. ”
Do I really to add that Plan A not for Coiln to do worse than the incumbent did last year? From Maiocco again:
“In making the quarterback switch, Harbaugh is gambling that the 49ers’ best chance of winning the Super Bowl is with Kaepernick at quarterback.
After all, the 49ers made it to the NFC championship game with Smith. So the level of expectations has been set for Kaepernick.:
We went down this road Twin, unless you can guarantee Smith is getting the team back to the NFCCG THIS YEAR your point is meaningless. As an aside, in the middle of the season it was far from a sure thing we made playoffs, Squawks were right there too and Kaps 2.5 wins, 2 of which were enormous games, have already put the team into an almost unassailable lead in the division. Would Alex have won those games? Perhaps, but Kap did.
You’ve been down the road and still get lost- We’ve seen where they went with Alex, to even suggest that that’s not a benchmark for his successor is ludicrous. You think Denver got Manning so he can do as well as T-Blow? Were WE going after Manning so he can just equal what Smith did? Call home, E.T..
Good lord Twin, you defy logic. Keep banging the drum.
Hmmm.. you replace your QB and don’t expect the new one to do better? Righty-right, mate
You cover every base Twin? That way you can always point to where you said x or y huh?
I “expect” Kap will be a better QB yes. That in no way implies he has to reach a certain game that you decide is a milestone for 1 guy in 53 to reach in order to “prove” to you he is better. Ye Gods man, this stupid argument is beyond the pale. I am more than happy to have a rational debate with anyone but this is juvenile.
Every team chooses what the deem to be the best players and put them in the best position to try to win every game and nothing more than that. If by taking Manning a team could be sure to go to the bowl there would be 32 blank checks on his doormat tomorrow.
There are teams with better QB’s than Alex or Kap who go year after year to the playoffs without winning the bowl. The Patriots have come first in their division for the last 11 or so years with 2 exceptions, and they came 2 on those years, how many bowl wins during those years? Your “logic” dictates they should have 11 since they won it one year they should do as well every year.
“You people have set upon Smith’s supporters like crazed jackals.”
“Crazed jackals do not always drink, but we do, we prefer Psychotic Venom…”
POTD, Grump
Funny shit here. In a perfect world, we will replay the 2011 season with our 2012 quarterback. Let’s see how this goes.
From Maiocco again:
“In making the quarterback switch, Harbaugh is gambling that the 49ers’ best chance of winning the Super Bowl is with Kaepernick at quarterback.
After all, the 49ers made it to the NFC championship game with Smith. So the level of expectations has been set for Kaepernick.:”
That’s a quote from before the NO game and I said it was a stupid headline grabber at the time.
that is the dumbest fucking thing I’ve read so far about all this drama (next to the shit you’ve posted)
The *expectation* is that we get back to the playoffs. Coming within a single play or two of winning the NFC Championship game is not an expectation this year any more than it was a belief that Smith won or lost last year’s,
And your obsessive weirdness with all these people who put the pre-Harb losses on Smith but fail to give Alex credit for the wins since J-Harb came to power is classic Denny-ism bullshit. Normal fans don’t attribute wins and losses solely to the QB. They attribute them to the team and in some cases individuals who fuck up or succeed at high profile times during the games. Sometimes that’s the QB, probably more than any other position. But not EVERY FUCKING GAME, LOL!
That’s why Kyle Williams gets the *credit* for losing last year’s NFC Championship. Apparently you are under the delusion that fans think Smith lost that game…….
Stop fucking comparing me to that wet brained, racist, birther, fuckshit on ANY level.How about answering a simple question, so far 12 and Chuckles have weaseled out.. You picked the Niners to go 14-2 with Smith at QB. Surely you had SOME expectation of how they’d do in the play offs. Forget the Super Bowl, how far will they( that means, uh, the TEAM, go now that they’re 8-2-1 with a better QB? It’s strictly Weaselville if you won’t answer that. It’s simple, straight forward, a fair question..
So, in other words, Twin, the entire team as constituted is exactly the same as they were last year. The only difference is the QB. Got it.
same opponents and they have exactly the same teams too.
You are more than unclear, you’re bat blind.I’ve tried to make it easy by eliminating Smith from the equation. THIS team, THIS QB, how far do you think they’ll go? it’s not a trick question.
Right, Twin. It’s a very simplistic way to look at it, but sure. The expectation to reach the Super Bowl this year was set when they lost the NFCCG last year. It doesn’t change with the QB.
Who are yiou arguing with now, me or Maiiocco? I know you guys think of him as a less informed colleague but he (and many media types) agree with that. BTW, Alex is not a “butt-buddy” as one of your esteemed posters said of Alex and me)
Alex and I are more into S&M, my butt-buddy is Vungo..try to have your flock get my fetishes straight, will ya?
Twinfan, so you pass on the man up thing? I knew it would probably be too much for you when I issued the challenge.
Whether Harbaugh, or anyone else for that matter, is an expert above reproach or a classless asshole hinges solely on your perception of how Alex Smith is being treated? Even if it means choking the offense down to accommodate your boy? It’s a hard sell now.
The question’s been answered by the guy you held up as the expert only a couple weeks ago.
If you were impartial or even honest about it, it’s undeniable that Kaep brings more to the offense and is much tougher for opposing teams to defend than Alex.
Just because I’ve been trying to get that through to you for years doesn’t make it any less true.
What am I supposed to “Man up” about? I do it for family, country, friends. But fire away. I probably ignored or skipped over the post.
You did neither. Your reply was that FOS one (sorry that doesn’t narrow it down much) that contained the famous “crazed jackals” charge.
If you’re really crazed enough to think you’ve been right about ANYTHING Smith-related, we’ll need to have a loony-mobile summoned. He’s outlasted QBs that have died of old age. Every QB who has touched down here was better than Smith according to you. And you REALLY think an apology is due you because the umpteenth guy who is going to take Smith’s job has played well for a couple games? There will be no determination of the move’s success until after the playoffs- if then. See, if you hadn’t burned your “AS” monogrammed man-bra in 2005, it would be worth a pretty penny now..
Twin, as you are so wont to say on the Flap, you can’t determine events after the fact. You make a pitching change that goes wrong, there’s no way to know what the starter would have done in that spot.
The switch has been made. No way to know how Smith would have handled these games.
MNF has turned out to be a fair contest. Hard to predict anymore where PHI is concerned. Last week I picked 13 of 14, this week I got the Niners and maybe a few other slam dunks. Can’t make much of a living like that.
LeSean McCoy might get extended concussion recovery time if that Brown kid can start protecting the ball a little better. When has that ever happened?
Don’t you have archives, Chuckles? I know some of you guys predicted they’d go to the Super Bowl.,Anyone calling that can’t weasel out and say it’s not expected with the far better QB taking over.
As a Niner fan I’m thrilled about the way we played in NO. NO threw everything they had as us and it wasn’t good enough. Both those pick sixes were great defensive plays and if Ginn didn’t give up a gift we might have sealed this game earlier. The Dome is one tough place for visiting teams and our offense took it in stride. Cappy showed himself to be a real professional throughout the whole game. I think Cappy’s potential is way over the top.
I think that kid has the potential to be a star QB for us, the only way to know is to play him but I can say the team has lost little to nothing already in making this switch.
So I guess Smith lost the NFCCG last year. According to you, Twin.
Yeah, Mike. Cappy is the sole determining factor the rest of the year. The defense doesn’t matter. Or special teams. Or the WRs Gore or anyone else.
Go with that.
Chuckles, can you read? I didn’t put out their ratiionale for the change Now I damn well know that some of you picked them for the Super Bowl. You can’t weasel out 11 weeks in, with an 8-2-1 record, pal. If you picked it Alex, it’s still your pick, There couldn’t be a more pathetic cop out than what you’re trying..
Flavor called 14-2. Surely he didn’t predict 14-2 and one and out. All of you suddenly having ZERO expectations for Colin is unbelievable and totally BS. Make a call, boys. Don’t Chuckle-out: how far does Colin take them in the playoffs- forget Smith. Kappy is THE MAN. speak up- how far is he taking them? You made predictions with Smith as the QB- won’t wash to take Weasel Parkway now..
I think they have a decent chance to make the Superbowl and probably a better chance than they had with Alex. I am not so dumb as to say if that doesn’t happen then Kap is not as good as Alex or vise versa, that’s idiotic. Going to the Superbowl has thousands of variables to it of which 1 will be the play of Kap or Alex. The team has a higher expectation than last year since it was almost in the Superbowl but it’s just that, an expectation, a goal.
You persist with this garbage long after any shred of reasoned argument was beaten to death.
How about you?
So say it, I ‘m not asking for a Super Bowl prediction, did you read the post? – How far will they go with Kap as the QB? What’s unreasonable? Surely you made a prediction of how they’d do when Alex was presumed to be the QB. Now it’s not fair to ask how they’ll do with a better man taking over and sitting pretty at 8-2-1?
Yeah I read the post Twin. You set up what you consider a reasonable scenario that fits your twisted interpretation of what constitutes a milestone that shows which QB in your estimation would be better and/or if they don’t meet this imaginary goal that the QB alone is able to achieve you expect everyone else to go along with this warped notion.
I wrote what I thought.
That’s bullshit- you know the roster, how the defense has performed, etc. It isn’t just about the QB. It’s about how you think the TEAM will do after the change. That’s a not a gotcha, !2. It’s a simple, straight forward. question.
I have better things to do than this right now, it has become labored and frankly boring.
Yeah Man, soon someone might be tempted to scream about ‘certain’ kinds a … drippings. NOT me of course, never do that.
Phil, you might want to see a doctor about those embarassing drippings. it could be serious.
“The Niners had no guarantee of going as deeply into the playoffs this season with Alex as they did last season with him.”
This.
I think I have figured it out:
If CK starts we might go to the SB. And lose. Or win! Or not go to the SB.
If AS starts we might go to the SB. And lose. Or win! Or not go to the SB.
And we won’t have a flying fuck of an idea what WOULD have happened had it been the other.
Except the reason given for the change is that Kap gives them the better chance. If you guys wanna go with “it doesn’t matter who the QB is” , I’m fine with that..all the trumpets blaring for Colin and it’s now “hey, whatever ” ?
No, Saint Alex has a concussion was the ‘ reason given’. Really twin you will not die if you can finally admit Alex is just human and limited like all of us.