Don’t Call Alex Smith A Bust Just Yet

Many believe that San Francisco 49er’s quarterback Alex Smith is a well-deserving player of the tragic “BUST” label, but I’m not so quick to diss the young man.

Has Alex Smith lived up to the hype? No, unfortunately he didn’t have the immediate success of Matt Ryan. But that doesn’t mean that the analysts and football fans should give up on the 24-year-old who has had a different offensive coordinator in each of his first four seasons. Not to mention, Smith has also been hampered by injuries that have kept him off the field for quite some time.

Earlier today, Alex Smith restructured his contract and took a paycut in order to stay in San Fran. But this wasn’t just any paycut, Alex Smith took  $20 million OFF his salary in order to prove himself as a worthy number one draft pick. In my opinion, taking a $20 million paycut is a little more than your typical “hometown discount” and it proves that Alex Smith wants to BE THE MAN in San Francisco.

Take it easy on Alex Smith. He’s young, has tons of potential, and he turned down a lot of money from other teams in order to stay with the franchise that drafted him. He was plagued by injuries in his first few years and no one has gotten a good look at the kid. I don’t expect the 49er’s to select a quarterback in the first-round of this year’s draft so I think Smith and Shaun Hill will battle it out in camp.