Alex Smith vs. Aaron Rodgers - It is SO on

by Fooch on Jun 17, 2008 11:38 PM PDT in News

Back in April of 2005, one of the big debates around the NFL was Alex Smith versus Aaron Rodgers. This particular post was inspired in part by video over at nfl.com that discussed the quarterbacks feeling the most heat this year and Aaron Rodgers was one of them. Jason Campbell, not withstanding, Smith and Rodgers were the two potential "franchise QBs" available to the 49ers. I did a little poking around and came up with some old scouting reports via the Oakland Tribune:

Alex Smith

Scouting report: An accurate passer who is very intelligent and has excellent leadership skills. He reads coverages well, works hard and is very mature.

Buyer beware: Smith played in a gimmicky offense at Utah and will have to adjust to taking snaps from under center in order to adjust to the NFL. His arm strength has been questioned.

Why 49ers will draft him: Smith has all the intangibles, is very coachable and has only scratched the surface of his vast potential.

Why it won't happen: Cal QB Aaron Rodgers, who visits today, is closer to being a finished product and the 49ers need immediate help.

Quotable: "While (Smith is) not the next John Elway or Troy Aikman, lacking that type of arm strength, the overall package of skills he brings to the table definitely makes him deserving of a lofty NFL grade." -- Mel Kiper Jr., draft expert.

Aaron Rodgers

Scouting report: Has great arm strength and mechanics, and is extremely accurate. Played in a pro-style offense in college and has a high football IQ.

Buyer beware: Rodgers is 2 inches shorter than Utah's Alex Smith, the other QB the 49ers are considering, and does not have great mobility.

Why 49ers will draft him: Rodgers already has an understanding of the West Coast offense, and his local roots put him over the top.

Why it won't happen: The 49ers will determine that Smith has the greater upside, or that WR Braylon Edwards is the most talented player available, or they will find a trading partner and move down in the draft.

Quotable: "Rodgers is tough, confident, incredibly poised and, most importantly, very few of his passes hit the ground." Mel Kiper Jr., draft expert.

One interesting comment was that the 49ers would go with Rodgers because he was closer to being a finished product. Obviously things didn't quite play out accordingly as Smith was thrown to the wolves and Rodgers spent time learning on the bench behind Brett Favre. However, with Favre retiring, and assuming Shaun Hill or JT O'Sullivan doesn't win the starting QB job, both Rodgers and Smith will be starting at the same time for the first time since the 2004-2005 bowl season.

I'm not trying to predict who will perform better. While Alex Smith has Frank Gore lining up behind him, Aaron Rodgers has a significantly better receiver corp with Donald Driver and Greg Jennings hauling in passes. Green Bay is coming off a 13-3 season that saw them in the NFC title game. San Francisco, well we know how that roller coaster ended. I think Rodgers has been put in a position to succeed, while Alex Smith is in a hazier situation. The team should be improved from last season, but there really is nowhere to go but up, so it's hard to predict what could happen.

So, the question becomes, who is under more pressure? Aaron Rodgers is succeeding a legend and Alex Smith is trying to avoid become a legendary footnote in draft pick bust history. Personally, I think Alex Smith faces more pressure. If both guys struggle this year, Smith will get the bust label, while I'm not sure what kind of label Rodgers would get. Sitting on the bench for two seasons has taken some of the shine off Rodgers and people are more likely to forget he was a potential #1 pick in 2005. However, Smith will always carry that label. Either way, we're significantly closer to finally closing the book on the Alex Smith vs. Aaron Rodgers debate.

Poll

Who faces more pressure in 2008?

Alex Smith

278 votes

Aaron Rodgers

222 votes

500 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 18 comments

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Comments

Smith

Not only is he under the pressure of fighting to not be a bust, it’d make things even tougher on him if Rodgers comes of the gates doing well. Can you imagine the kind of comments that would be made by the “average” fans?

“If only the 49ers had drafted Rodgers.”
“What the hell were they thinking with Smith.”
“Rodgers is SO much better than Smith.”

The list goes on an on, and the national media would be right in the thick of it.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 10:07 AM PDT 0 recs

Reverse!

The funny thing is, if the Niners had taken Aaron Rodgers instead and Smith went to Green Bay, we’d be hearing the exact same thing in reverse, guaranteed. And if we’d taken Braylon Edwards but didn’t get either quarterback, and both of them ended up on teams with better surrounding talent, or riding the pine, we’d be hearing fans pissing and moaning that we still don’t have a QB to throw to Edwards. Ultimately, it’s a lose-lose-lose situation, the way I see it.

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on Jun 18, 2008 12:38 PM PDT up 0 recs

Oh, definitely

I absolutely agree. Having any non-#1 pick “outperform” a #1 pick is always a lose-lose situation for the #1 pick. Just so much is expected out of them, and it’s easy to arm-chair GM later on.

With that said, I’m a part of the “the team should have taken Edwards or someone not a QB” group. The QBs in that class just weren’t #1 good.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 1:44 PM PDT up 0 recs

I wouldn't have minded getting Edwards instead

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on Jun 18, 2008 2:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

Those comments are unrealistic. I see syntax present.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Jun 18, 2008 5:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

Rodgers Faces Pressure Filling in Favre's Shoes

Ideally, both face pressure in 2008, Rodgers has to fill the shoes of legendary quarterback Brett Favre who just retired, Favre’s footprints are probably still on the field, that’s pretty big shoes to fill.

Alex Smith faces pressure, too but a different kind- the previous quarterback was someone named Rattay (and Ken Dorsey), who is still floating in the NFL. While Rattay was a precise thrower, he never measured up to a Montana or to a Young. Smith is coming after his own since then, but the pressure he is facing is that 2008 is a catch-22 year. If Smith doesn’t chuck it up in Mike Martz’s demanding but objective offense, Smith has a legitimate problem. Nolan has given Smith so many chances, including empowering Smith with a brilliant offensive mind in Martz.

It’s Smith’s job to lose. And it’s Rodger’s opportunity to fill in the shoes of Favre, and he must be a tiny morsel of a quarterback filling in for a Green Bay giant. That is pressure. Rodgers is going to hear, “Hey, Rodgers is no Favre!”

Smith will not have to listen to that. He only has to listen to what his coaches say about him, is he the quarterback that gives the 49ers the best chance to win?

"We Have a God who delights in impossibilities."

by 16to80endzone on Jun 18, 2008 10:13 AM PDT 0 recs

Seriously.

I don’t buy into the “Rodgers must fill Favre’s shoes” mantra. The way I see it, Favre, like Montana, Young, and many other great QBs before (or during) their time, they’re rare commodities. I’m pretty sure the fans in Green Bay know that the reproduction of another Brett Favre is a very unlikely event.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 10:18 AM PDT up 0 recs

And

To think that producing a new “Brett” is that simple would just be plain wrong.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 10:19 AM PDT up 0 recs

True fans versus dipshites...

Maybe it’s a comparison of people with common sense versus people without common sense… Fans who get that not every quarterback is a legend will be okay with Rodgers. But fans who don’t get that not everyone is a Favre or Montana or Elway or Marino simply won’t. Consider the number of Niner fans who hate Steve Young for not being Montana, or who hate Jeff Garcia for not being as good as Montana or Young. There’s a lot of dipshits out there. With apologies to anyone here who has the aformentioned hate in their heart.

"He called the sh** POOP!" -- Adam Sandler

by JRPhillips on Jun 18, 2008 12:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

Buy Into It

sfgfan,

Favre JUST retired. That’s big shoes to fill. Montana or Young retired years ago, that’s different.

Again, when Rodgers is filling Favre’s shoes, I am NOT saying that Rodgers has to duplicate what Favre did. What is hard for Rodgers is that he is NOT Favre, and fans are going to expect him to be a productive quarterback, they are not going to accept anything less, as Favre just retired.

If Rodgers performs and the train moves with him in the huddle, the fans will be happy, especially if Green Bay wins games.

Rodgers faces pressure at Lambeau because he knows he will never be Favre. To me that’s an enormous amount of pressure.

"We Have a God who delights in impossibilities."

by 16to80endzone on Jun 18, 2008 1:11 PM PDT up 0 recs

Filling shoes.

When someone refers to “filling” another person’s shoes, they’re basically saying that that person is expected to “duplicate” the other person. With that said, your second paragraph is contradicting itself. The first sentence, you deny you’re saying that fans expect him to “duplicate” Favre, but in the second sentense, you’re saying they’re expecting him to produce.

What is your definition of produce in your argument? Are you saying that fans are expecting him to produce LIKE Favre? Or are they asking him to produce in general. If they’re asking for him to produce in general, I say the pressure to do that is WAY less than the pressure Smith will be under. Just like I think Smith can produce like an NFL QB should, I think Rodgers should be capable of the same. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have thrown in my blurb above about people saying “the 49ers should have taken Rodgers” in one of my earlier comments.

Long story short: if all fans are looking for is a productive QB, the pressure on Rodgers is nothing in comparison to the pressure a previous #1 pick that has already had three poor seasons now faces.

by sfgfan on Jun 18, 2008 1:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yahoo! Sports Article "Due Dilegence"

Check out this recently written article “Due Diligence.” Here is the link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=An1eT7PMtEZ3us30MIDMYWJDubYF?slug=jc-rodgerspack061908&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

It confirms what I tried to state the pressures of being the predecessor to a legendary quarterback, which are pretty big shoes to fill. While the article didn’t use the same terminology I used, the point hits home. Rodgers want to talk to quarterbacks who succeeded legendary quarterbacks to get an inkling of what it takes to carry the torch passed to him.

Does anybody buy into it now?

"We Have a God who delights in impossibilities."

by 16to80endzone on Jun 20, 2008 10:55 PM PDT up 0 recs