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Should Alex Smith had conceded the safety? (1 Viewer)

Team ROFLCOPTERS

Team ROFLCOPTERS

Footballguy
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?

 
And if he doesn't there was a high probability of it becoming a TD instead of just a safety. As much as people bash Alex Smith around here, I didn't see anyone last night bashing that decision. It was the safest move to make on the field in the position his CENTER put him in. Remember that...that whole sequence of events wasn't actually his fault.

 
you're off base. alex's momentum was going towards the back of the end zone, he was off balance reaching to swat the ball and the defense was charging hard. best case scenario he lands on the ball and a couple of large DE land on him. worst case scenario, the ball takes a funny bounce out of his arms and the def lands on the ball for a TD. i think it would've been a real low percentage chance that he'd be able to grab the ball cleanly and either run out of the end zone or make a pass attempt. smart play IMHO

 
Seriously? :rant:

Alex Smith played a great game yesterday, I guess some people will criticize no matter what this guy does.

 
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
You're wayyyyyy off on this.

 
As a fan I've always thought Alex lacked that IT quality you mention. He has the mental capabilities and in a lesser sense, the physical too, but he does lack awareness. He holds ono the ball too long and is very skitterish in the pcket at times.

The reason he's still a starting QB is because just when you want to get rid of him he pulls off a performance like the last drive last night.

 
What do you expect him to do? Pick the ball up, turn around and throw it out of bounds with two linemen charging at him? Or land on the ball with two defensive linemen ready to pounce on him?

 
red said:
you're off base. alex's momentum was going towards the back of the end zone, he was off balance reaching to swat the ball and the defense was charging hard. best case scenario he lands on the ball and a couple of large DE land on him. worst case scenario, the ball takes a funny bounce out of his arms and the def lands on the ball for a TD. i think it would've been a real low percentage chance that he'd be able to grab the ball cleanly and either run out of the end zone or make a pass attempt. smart play IMHO
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I didn't notice the momentum. I thought he was just booking it to automaticaly hit the ball out. Again, I said he probably made the right play but this one had me thinking after I'd seen it a couple times. Of course the game is a lot faster than it looks on my lazy boy.
 
identikit said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
You're wayyyyyy off on this.
Click to expand...
Montana simply didn't have the skill Smith has. Montana was a walk on at ND and was taken in the third round. He had an average arm. That's not a slight on Joe. Alex Smith has the toolbox. The difference was that Montana was amongst the smartest and accurate QB's ever. He was perfect for the offense he was in.
 
Alex Smith played better than Brees last night. It was a gutsy performance, & he played good enough to beat the defending champs. His teammates let him down. I also agree with taking the safety.

 
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
And what would that penalty be?
 
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
identikit said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
You're wayyyyyy off on this.
Click to expand...
Montana simply didn't have the skill Smith has. Montana was a walk on at ND and was taken in the third round. He had an average arm. That's not a slight on Joe. Alex Smith has the toolbox. The difference was that Montana was amongst the smartest and accurate QB's ever. He was perfect for the offense he was in.
Click to expand...
this has got to be fishing...or your an idiot. Either way, your wrong. Joe Montana is one of the 5 most accurate QBs in NFL history. He is top 5 in QB leadership skills. I'd put him top 5 in pocket awareness too. Who cares where he was drafted? By that assumption Brady doesn't have the skills, but Russell and Leaf did. Heck, Jordan should have quit basketball when he didn't make his high school team.

And no, Smith should not have tried to save that play. Proving even more your an idiot.

 
Brunell4MVP said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
identikit said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
You're wayyyyyy off on this.
Click to expand...
Montana simply didn't have the skill Smith has. Montana was a walk on at ND and was taken in the third round. He had an average arm. That's not a slight on Joe. Alex Smith has the toolbox. The difference was that Montana was amongst the smartest and accurate QB's ever. He was perfect for the offense he was in.
Click to expand...
this has got to be fishing...or your an idiot. Either way, your wrong. Joe Montana is one of the 5 most accurate QBs in NFL history. He is top 5 in QB leadership skills. I'd put him top 5 in pocket awareness too. Who cares where he was drafted? By that assumption Brady doesn't have the skills, but Russell and Leaf did. Heck, Jordan should have quit basketball when he didn't make his high school team.

And no, Smith should not have tried to save that play. Proving even more your an idiot.
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1) After Mark Brunell, I'm assuming?2) Anyone who doesn't know the difference between "your" and "you're" shouldn't call other people idiots.

 
It was 100% the right play. If he tried to pick it up, these things could have happened:

1. He doesn't pick it up cleanly and it goes out of bounds anyway... safety.

2. He doesn't pick it up cleanly and the defense covers it... defensive TD.

3. He picks it up cleanly and gets tackled in the end zone... safety... and maybe he gets drilled.

4. He picks it up cleanly and throws it away, getting an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone... safetyand maybe he gets drilled too.

5. He picks it up, rushes a throw and gets picked off... defensive TD... and maybe he gets drilled too.

I'd view the possibility that one of those things would have happened as about 99% if he tried to pick that ball up... so a safety was IMO a virtual certainty, and it could have been worse. Versus maybe a 1% chance that he throws it away without penalty or makes a play for positive yardage. Not worth the risk.

 
Did he have a chance of recovering the ball and avoiding the safety? Yes. But those odds need to be weighed against the odds of New Orleans scoring a touchdown on the play. And I think he was looking at -EV overall. He made the right decision.

 
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belljr said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
And what would that penalty be?
Click to expand...
:goodposting: Stop coming all up in here making sense!

 
:wub:

100% the right play. This isn't the "Dan Orlovsky accidentally running out the back of the endzone" kind of Safety. It's the "99 times out of 100 it turns into a TD for the other team" kind of Safety.

Edited for wrong Lions QB.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just Win Baby said:
It was 100% the right play. If he tried to pick it up, these things could have happened:1. He doesn't pick it up cleanly and it goes out of bounds anyway... safety.2. He doesn't pick it up cleanly and the defense covers it... defensive TD.3. He picks it up cleanly and gets tackled in the end zone... safety... and maybe he gets drilled.4. He picks it up cleanly and throws it away, getting an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone... safetyand maybe he gets drilled too.5. He picks it up, rushes a throw and gets picked off... defensive TD... and maybe he gets drilled too.I'd view the possibility that one of those things would have happened as about 99% if he tried to pick that ball up... so a safety was IMO a virtual certainty, and it could have been worse. Versus maybe a 1% chance that he throws it away without penalty or makes a play for positive yardage. Not worth the risk.
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6. He picks it up and throws a miracle touchdown to one of his receivers. Hey a guy can dream can't he? :rolleyes: Ok back to reality. The ball was 10 miles over his head and he had no time to do anything except knock it out of bounds or maybe fall on it (which gets him hit and is the same result as knocking it out of the endzone).. It was a nice play by Alex and he played a great game.
 
Alex Smith played alright, he wasn't super last night. I hold me breath evertytime he drops back, that's not a great performance. He look sshaky and those interceptions he threw were not always good throws even though they bounced off their targets, at leasst 1 of them should have never been thrown in the 1st place.

That said, he made the right choice by batting it out of the end zone, that was one of his best decisions all night.

 
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
identikit said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
You're wayyyyyy off on this.
Click to expand...
Montana simply didn't have the skill Smith has. Montana was a walk on at ND and was taken in the third round. He had an average arm. That's not a slight on Joe. Alex Smith has the toolbox. The difference was that Montana was amongst the smartest and accurate QB's ever. He was perfect for the offense he was in.
Click to expand...
Accuracy (and timing) in throwing is skill.

 
DoubleG said:
belljr said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
And what would that penalty be?
Click to expand...
:rolleyes: Stop coming all up in here making sense!
Click to expand...
Intentional grounding if he was still in the pocket. Though if he was in the endzone and commits that penalty that's a safety anyways.
 
Speaking as a 49er fan, watching the game last night about 5 of us jumped up from our seats on the botched snap and in unison said "Hit it out of the back of the end zone Alex" and when he did all in unison again said "Good job Alex".

I think if Brady or Manning had done this that this would have ever even been brought up, it was the smart play, the only smart play. Weird topic and seems out of place on a football board where people are supposed to know their stuff.

 
Josh Freeman was actually able to make a play like you're suggesting on Sunday, where the ball was snapped over his head from the shotgun. The differences are that:

1. It went higher and not as far, so it had a nice bounce right up to where he could grab it.

2. Therefore, he didn't have linemen right on top of him.

3. He also wasn't in his own end zone.

So Freeman was able to make a heady play and grab it, roll out, and throw it away.

Alex Smith absolutely made the correct play there, though:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/san-francisco-49...-defense-safety

 
The_Wolfman said:
DoubleG said:
belljr said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
And what would that penalty be?
Click to expand...
:kicksrock: Stop coming all up in here making sense!
Click to expand...
Intentional grounding if he was still in the pocket. Though if he was in the endzone and commits that penalty that's a safety anyways.
Click to expand...
And what did him batting it out of the endzone net - just saying
 
This play was obviously correct. Smith overall had a good game. If he could have hit Gore in the flat instead of throwing it inaccurately resulting in the first INT, they probably win the game. Those are the types of throws that I think he is not consistent enough on. In general, good QB with a lot of promise, though, I think, and he showed that last night. The fumble near the goal-line and the fumble on the punt killed them and neither of those had anythign to do with Smith. He definitely did 'outplay' Brees last night, looking at each play individually. But looking at the key moments, unfortunately, Brees delivered yet again.

 
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.Am I off here?
Click to expand...
Yep...way off. He absolutely did the right thing.I suppose if he'd had eyes in the back of his head, he might have known he had a half second or so to pick up the ball, evade the oncoming rusher, slide 4 yards to the side, and throw it away...but that's NOT a risk a smart QB would make even if he knew he had a little time. Of course, he doesn't have eyes in the back of his head, and the nearest rusher might have been 5 feet behind him instead of five yards.And don't forget..."throwing the ball away" while still in the tackle box is intentional grounding...and intentional grounding in the end zone is...A SAFETY.It was 100% without a shadow of a doubt the right play.
 
He conceded a safety vs. a probable touchdown. His back was to the defense how in the hell was he suppose to know where the closest defender was? Absolutley 100% right call.

 
Two Deep said:
Frot said:
This was among the worst snaps ever

Is Brandon Jacobs their center?
Click to expand...
I really believe the center forgot Smith was in the shotgun and snapped it like he was under center.
Click to expand...
Out of interest I looked up what CBS had on the center, Baas, which was this:>>>C David Baas appears to have mastered the shotgun snap, something with which he struggled when he first took over the position. The problem? Baas didn't get a lot of practice when he played at Michigan. "Truthfully, I don't remember if we had one gun snap when I was there," Baas said. (Updated 2010-8-29)<<<

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playe...5851/david-baas

What gets me is he has been with SF all six years of his career, so it's not as if he just showed up on the train from Ann Arbor.

But as of 8/29/10 he is still trying to "master" the shotgun snap? What are they doing over there?

 
It's funny when the OP mentions the oncoming defenders as being 7 feet away like just over 2 yards is a lot of space. It's not. It's not even a little space. Not to mention that the guys are running full speed. I want to see a Sport Science piece on this play, it was likely physically impossible for him to gather the ball, turn and fire, when you take into account that it was a perfect swat of the ball that took place. He could have very easily whiffed on it.

 
SaintsInDome2006 said:
Two Deep said:
Frot said:
This was among the worst snaps ever

Is Brandon Jacobs their center?
Click to expand...
I really believe the center forgot Smith was in the shotgun and snapped it like he was under center.
Click to expand...
Out of interest I looked up what CBS had on the center, Baas, which was this:>>>C David Baas appears to have mastered the shotgun snap, something with which he struggled when he first took over the position. The problem? Baas didn't get a lot of practice when he played at Michigan. "Truthfully, I don't remember if we had one gun snap when I was there," Baas said. (Updated 2010-8-29)<<<

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playe...5851/david-baas

What gets me is he has been with SF all six years of his career, so it's not as if he just showed up on the train from Ann Arbor.

But as of 8/29/10 he is still trying to "master" the shotgun snap? What are they doing over there?
Click to expand...
Eric Heitman used to play center, Baas was at left guard I believe.
 
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
identikit said:
Team ROFLCOPTERS said:
So I have seen the replay of Alex Smith swatting the ball out of the back of the end zone on the snap over his head several times and have come to the conclusion that he should have saved the play. The ball bounced right up to him and the protection had held up very well. Nobody was within 7 feet of him and the ball. Alex could have easily picked up the ball and either took two steps and thrown the ball away or just thrown it away and taken the penalty.

Did Alex make the correct play? Probably, but it's just another example of what in my eyes is Alex just not having that IT quality for a the quarterback position. He doesn't have the will to make the play and turn a bad situation into something. That's the difference between him and Romo. Romo doesn't have more skill or ability, he just has that ability and desire to improvise. Joe Montana was in the stands. That guy didn't have the skill Alex has but he would put his career on the line to make one simple play every chance the opportunity presents itself.

Am I off here?
Click to expand...
You're wayyyyyy off on this.
Click to expand...
Montana simply didn't have the skill Smith has. Montana was a walk on at ND and was taken in the third round. He had an average arm. That's not a slight on Joe. Alex Smith has the toolbox. The difference was that Montana was amongst the smartest and accurate QB's ever. He was perfect for the offense he was in.
Click to expand...
While it is true that Montana didn't have a great arm, like Elway and Marino, it is not accurate to suggest that Montana wasn't particularly skilled or, if I'm reading you correctly, a great athlete. Coming out of highschool, in addition to numerous football scholarship offers, he had a scholarship offer to play basketball at NC State and was also invited to try out for a few major league baseball teams (farm systems). Montana was a very skilled athlete.
 
Resident A said:
Alex Smith played better than Brees last night. It was a gutsy performance, & he played good enough to beat the defending champs. His teammates let him down. I also agree with taking the safety.
Click to expand...
I agree...I cringed on all the bone-headed plays that the Niners made last night to ruin a very nice night by Smith. Both the interceptions that I saw were from deflections off his receivers' hands...
 
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