Aug 17, 2012
Alex Smith and Jim Harbaugh have an excellent relationship that has flourished over the past 15 months since Harbaugh took the reigns of the 49ers. The former NFL quarterback and Stanford head coach admired Smith’s football intelligence and the way in which he persevered through six difficult seasons.
It would not surprise many readers to know that Harbaugh has been gushing over Smith’s play this preseason, so much so that he told reporters that Smith is an expert in the 49ers offense.
As reported by Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, Harbaugh told reporters: “He’s an expert in this offense. He’s very smart. He already has great ideas. He already is very creative. He already is knowledgeable in how to use everything in the system. . . He’s way ahead of the curve. I think after a year, you really know it. It takes about two years in the system to be a real expert at it. He’s cut that in half.”
While most fantasy owners will likely roll their eyes at this post, I believe Alex Smith could be a viable fantasy quarterback in some deep 12 team leagues.
He will certainly not put up Aaron Rogers or Drew Brees type numbers, but it is reasonable to expect that he will improve on his career best numbers in 2011. He is running the same system in consecutive years for the first time in his career, and the 49ers front office added skill position players like Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs.
Look for Smith to top the 3000 passing plateau again in 2012 with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
