That is not a picture of a man looking for his check down receiver.Jed Jacobsohn/Getty ImagesOne of my all-time favorite movies is Cinderella Man, which is based on the life and times of James. J. Braddock, the heavyweight champion of the world from 1935 to 1937. Braddock was an up-and-coming fighter who had his career sidetracked by injury and lost whatever wealth he'd accumulated during the Great Depression. Nearly completely broke, he worked for a time as a longshoreman to feed his family before re-launching his boxing career and winning a string of upsets to earn himself a title shot against Max Baer, the champion at the time. In the movie Braddock is being interviewed by several sportswriters before the big fight and one of them asked "The Bulldog of Reebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
Bergen," as Braddock was known, how he could explain his comeback. At first, Braddock (played by Russell Crowe, who is superb as always), rattled off his various injuries and his run of bad luck. But then comes the line that makes the movie: "This time around, I know what I'm fighting for." When the writer asks what that was, Crowe replies, "Milk," meaning that prior to his comeback, he had become so destitute that he couldn't even afford to buy milk for his children. That scene has always stuck with me and I believe it is quite applicable to the 49ers' quarterback situation in the present day, as San Francisco has found its own Cinderella Man in Troy Smith, who was once on top of the world as a Heisman Trophy winner but found himself out on the street, castoff by the Baltimore Ravens. Thanks to Troy Smith, "Coach Sing" is smiling more these days.Julian Finney/Getty ImagesBecause of his height—Smith is barely six feet—and the fact that he didn't play in a pro style offense at Ohio State, Smith was virtually ignored by pro scouts during the 2007 draft, despite going 22-2 as starter his last two seasons in college. It didn't help him that his final collegiate game also happened to be his worst, as the Buckeyes were throttled by the Florida Gators 41-14 in the 2006 BCS Championship Game. Smith lasted until the fifth round of the draft and though injuries to Ravens quarterbacks Steve McNair and Kyle Boller opened the door for him to start a couple of games during his rookie year (where he played pretty well, all things considered), the organization never seriously considered him its future. Baltimore traded up in the first round of the 2008 draft to nab Joe Flacco, a big, strapping prototypical pocket passer out of Delaware, and though an illness during the preseason prevented Smith from competing for the job, the writing was on the wall for him anyway. He lasted two years as a backup before being unceremoniously dismissed a few days before the 2010 season opener. He signed on with the 49ers a couple days later as an afterthought. Mainly it was because the coaching staff was completely unsatisfied with the progress (or lack thereof) of third-stringer Nate Davis and somewhat nervous about backup Reebok New York Jets #6 Mark Sanchez Realtree camo Jersey
David Carr, who had had a bad training camp. Vernon Davis is always open, even when he's totally not.Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesStarter Alex Smith—who was playing slightly better—got hurt at Carolina and Carr was terrible in relief, so out of sheer luck, Troy Smith finally got a second chance to make a first impression and to his credit, he's run with it. He's playing daring, at times reckless football, but you can see that he is unafraid of failure and confident that when he flings the ball downfield in the general vicinity of a red jersey, that his guy will come down with it and more often than not, and he's been correct. It's a mutually beneficial cycle: The more Smith shows faith in his receivers, the more they show faith in him, which leads to the generally aimless coaching staff to show faith in all of them. Steve Young, another 49ers quarterback who knows a thing or two about being a backup waiting for his chance, is fond of saying that perception is reality. It doesn't matter if Troy Smith is actually better than Alex Smith. What matters is that he believes himself to be better, he carries himself so and he's quickly won over his teammates and coaches. Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson called play-action passes early and often yesterday, and Troy Smith was able to get outside of the pocket and throw deep, regardless of whether his progressions told him to do so, or whether his targets were covered. He played like a man with nothing to lose, which is exactly what he is and more importantly, exactly what the Niners are, whether they like it or not. Noted football historian Frank Gore said he always knew Troy Smith could play because he won the Heisman Trophy. "They don't give you the Heisman if you can't play," he said. Tell it to Gino Torretta, Frank.Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesIt's undeniable that he's been absolutely brilliant and that he's given the 49ers a jolt of energy that they've desperately needed. There's a feeling around the team that with him under center that anything is possible, however unlikely, whether it's converting a fourth-and-18 or roaring back from a 2-6 start to challenge for the division title. For whatever reason, Alex Smith has very seldom played that freely or carelessly. Either it's not in him or it was mercilessly drilled out of him by previous coach Mike Nolan. Smith famously scored a 40 on his pre-draft Wonderlic test and there's a sense that he thinks too much out there for his own good. There have only been a few times where he's been able to say "what the hell" and let it go. There was that second half at Houston last season, where he came in for a struggling Shaun Hill and threw three touchdown passes before the Texans knew what hit them. Or the fourth quarter at Green Bay, when the team was hopelessly behind and he nearly brought them all the way back. The most recent example was against the Eagles, where head whistle Mike Singletary threatened to bench him in the fourth Reebok Oakland Raiders #21 Nnamdi Asomugha Realtree camo Jersey
quarter and Smith responded with two straight touchdown drives, repeatedly whistling balls down the seam and trusting Vernon Davis to go get it. Why can't he do that way all the time? Why can't he just shut his brain off and just play? It's a question we may never know the answer to, but it's pretty clear that Alex Smith needs a change of scenery if he's ever going to have a semblance of a respectable pro career. As a former first overall pick, he's financially set for life, and as a guy who got his degree in three years at the University at Utah, he's smart enough to not be wasteful with that money, which might be a part of his problem. Alex Smith will never have to fight for milk.
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