49ers QB Alex Smith and batted down passes

but I too was wondering why the heck a lot of his pass attempts get batted down. I didn’t really see this issue with Shaun Hill and understandably some passes will get knocked down at the line of scrimmage but 4 to 5 times a game on crucial downs? I’m not so sure whats going on there; I do agree the o line can do a better job at keeping the defenders on the ground but when I watch other teams play like the saints I don’t really see a lot of cutting at the line. And maybe I’m wrong but Drew Brees is only 6’0 and Alex Smith is listed at 6’4 so it clearly is not a height thing. So that makes me begin to think that Alex Smith is more at fault than the O line.

I hope in the offseason, Alex can practice the pump fake more. I’ve seen him do it occasionally, but a good pump fake will cause the DL to jump in the air.

Of course, I don’t expect him to turn into Big Ben with his pump fakes, but I think realistically if he can use them more often next year it could only help.

he seems like he can not find himself to calm down he is ok at hitting his first read but tends to lock on it for to long. his second reads seem to be rushed and far more less accurrate.

This is nothing new. Smith has always had a lot of passes batted down since his career started.

not more. He tends to get happy feet and starts running before he has to. Not that I blame him with the rush the Lions had yesterday but I think it affects his accuracy and his downfield throwing.

Regarding the batted down balls—they almost all happen when he’s throwing from under center. I think it’s a combination of his throw being flatter, and him not doing a great job disguising when he’s going to throw it. I’d like to see him do more pump fakes but that’s something that will come with more familiarity with the offense.

It’s also a bit on the O-line too. They were not giving Alex much in the way of throwing lanes yesterday. They made the Lions defensive line look like Pro-Bowlers yesterday.

Was one where a defender on Smith’s left had his hand up a few moments before Smith made his decision, and then Smith then threw to that lane right into the defenders hand. That’s more about Smith’s vision, and one reason why those balls get batted down.

I know he had restructured his rookie contract prior to this season (for a lot less money) but did he get an extension or is next season the final year of that contract?

One bat down that occured the routes downfield had not even developed and he dumped down to Gore and had time to wait on routes. He will struggle initially in the beginning of next season because he isn’t used to good protection and he doesn’t have any pocket presence. He is not the guy staring down the barrel of a gun and delivering. Our OL needs to improve but he also needs to get more comfortable with the OL and the WR options. Personally I think he isn’t accurate enough to be the guy but I would give him next year to be sure.

When it happens that often. The O-line gives up too much push; Smith telegraphs quick throws, especially on third down when pressure is coming; defenses know that we’re likely to run short routes thus the trajectory is easier to block and quick pass plays are easier to predict.

Smith needs to work on sliding in the pocket and finding passing lanes. The line needs to work on giving him passing lanes and not getting flat beaten or pushed back. Raye and Johnson need to design pass plays that mesh with the blocking scheme to allow a passing lane for the QB. And lastly, the team needs to throw a few more moderate to deep passes to break the predictability factor, even if they have to max protect to make it happen.

Alex Smith does not need to be a starting QB in the NFL. He’d be a reliable back up, but that’s the extent of his “talent”.

Why are we all ignoring the fact that Shaun Hill had the exact same problem when he was the starter?

Shaun Hill was always getting passes batted down at the LOS and I believe he fumbled like 4 times in his 5 games (because defenders were hitting his arm as he threw).

I’m pretty sure it’s either the blocking scheme or the LMAO-linemen not executing.
(although I will acknowledge that one of the passes that was batted down yesterday was entirely on Smith)

Kurt Warner has a lot of passes batted also. Personally, I lean towards Alex Smith not being much worse in this stat than most QB. Does anyone know if this stat is kept and can be found anywhere on the interweb?

My gut tells me that if there is a problem here, most of the blame here lies with the coaches- Jimmy Raye and O-line coach.
Isn’t there something called “passing lanes”, where a QB is theoretically supposed to be able to throw the ball without having it get tipped? One issue with passing lanes is that the O-line’s lameness forces Smith out of the pocket and he loses the lanes. Another problem is that he needs to get rid of the ball so fast he doesn’t have time to get separation from the line that would give him a better passing angle.