This controversy couldn't have come at a better time for publicity, I mean think about it, you have The Twilight Saga; Breaking Dawn Part II just coming out and all the craze surrounds who's side you're on Team Edward or Team Jacob? The Niners can appeal to this genre of crazed teens with their own version of 2 stud guys with Team Alex vs. Team Colin! For PR it's like the aligning of the planets.
The 49ers have found their own pop culture appeal with their own studly dilemma...
Team Alex? or Team Colin?
Who will win the hearts of screaming 49er fans everywhere once the dust has settled?
If this seems a bit over the top or silly that's because it is.
Alex Smith is the starting quarterback for the 49ers and should remain so. Coach Harbaugh has left the door WIDE open for controversy but Harbaugh has a tendency to love it when people are guessing at what his team is going to do next. The fact of the matter is that if Alex Smith is cleared to play the Niners have little-to-no option but to play him.
The main reason the Niners can't afford to move ahead with Colin at the helm if Alex is healthy is simply because he's earned the right to start and he's the veteran. You can't come back from starting the young guy over the older guy, YOU CAN come back from starting the older guy over the young guy. In other words this is Alex's job already. If you take it away, and Colin falters, then you can't just walk back up to Alex and say "hey bro', I know we benched you for the kid and all but uh... I was wondering... I mean uh... I want to give you another shot." It's the equivalent of going up to an ex-girlfriend and asking her out again after dumping her for her younger sister; it ain't gonna' happen dude!
Alex is 3rd in the NFL with a 104.1 QB passer rating (for qualified QB's), he's 1st in the NFL in completion percentage at 70%. Sure Kaepernick has looked good for the last 6 quarters but Smith has looked good all year, minus the NY Giants fiasco.
My thought is that this controversy really is a no brainer for now. So why the controversy if it's so obvious Alex should keep his job? The 49ers have a rich history of QB's so we hold our standards high, and we are no strangers to QB controversy in the past. There were two guys named Montana and Young who had a "thing" a while back that went on for a while too.
The Niners are no strangers to QB controversy. It's propelled them to Super Bowl victories in the past.
With Kaepernick being the current version of Steve Young (the younger more athletic QB), it is no wonder SF fans would be salivating at his performance; we see the potential! But even though Colin has great potential it won't hurt him to sit for another couple years and learn while Alex does his thing. Colin does have room to grow still in my opinion. I would also claim that this will push Alex Smith into playing even better. Alex has arguably had an all-pro year so far, there's no reason to think he can't come back and not only play at the same level, but even step it up a notch because he now has some real competition for the job.
This is a good, no a great, problem for the 49ers to have! The team needs to keep this as a positive competition that will push the QB play to high levels. The Niners now have the luxury of having 2 starting QB's on their sideline and that makes an already complete team with depth even deeper.
If you want me to be truthful I have no idea what team Jacob or team Edward means, except that they are vying for the girl and one is a vampire and the other a werewolf (I don't know which is which) what I do know is who's side I'm on in the 49ers new dilemma; I think it's obvious that I'm team Alex right now, but I also LOVE what I see from Colin. It's a great time to be a 49er fan!
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