As I’ve said about the Bledsoe-Brady situation, Bledsoe was good, but never took them all the way. Brady was younger and showed promise. Should Bledsoe have been put back in the starting roll after he recovered from his injury, just because he put in the time, as this author seems to think? Of course not. As with all sports, you go with the younger promising one over the older, reliable, but never quite able to close the deal one. So, you let Smith go and stick with Kaepernick, unless you can seriously get Smith to want to stick around under the current circumstances.

We are from San Francisco, but have lived in New Orleans for 18 years now, so we are both 49er and Saints fans. While Alex Smith is a fine quarterback, he is missing a key ingredient that Kaepernick has – charisma. Kaepernick and Smith are both talented, but Kaepernick is wild and unconventional and has fans ACROSS THE COUNTRY who want to see him pull off those crazy plays. I guarantee that if Alex Smith was the Superbowl Quarterback, there would be no market for Arm Cakes. Kaepernick make the 49ers WAAAAY more exciting than Smith ever did. And that is what sells, tickets, merchandise, cakes, etc.

We have also witnessed a huge change in News Orleans because of our Quarterback, Drew Brees. In the last 5 years, we have probably sold more Saints merchandise and more game tickets EACH year than in the previous 30 years combined. Brees is talented, yes, but he also has an amazing personality that has brought fans out from all corners of the country. The man is probably the most loved person ever to set foot in New Orleans. I even told my husband during the delay in negotiating a new contract for Brees, that if the Saints screwed it up and let him go, that I would consider moving!

Anyway, those talented AND charismatic quarterbacks are not all that common — any team would be stupid NOT to milk it for all it’s worth when they find a special one.

Yes, it sucks he got the boot but I think he’s overrated. Everyone keeps talking about his play last year and his stats last and this year. But what about all those years prior?! He threw the ball away, he was horrible. Moreover, in the NFC championship game last year when we lost, that was really his only good game where he actually threw decent passes.

I know I’m going against the Niner Faithful code of conduct by putting Smith down, but I gotta write it like I see it.

Smith has a deal on the table for $7.5 million. Sweet salary for a backup and no risk of injury. That said, the more he helps the 9ers win, the more his stock is rising with other teams. Imagine Smith in New York. The Jets wouldn’t know what to do with all that serenity.

I think the guy sees a much bigger picture here. One where he has a decent NFL career, makes a boatload of money, lives a good life, and in the end, has no regrets. Bitching and moaning will only make him look bad and he seems way to smart to burn bridges by acting like an idiot. Wherever he lands, he’ll do well. And I’ll be rooting for him. How can you not?

After having to follow in the footsteps of guys like Montana, Young, and even Jeff Garcia, expectations were certainly high for this former number one overall pick.

Although his first few seasons were forgettable, it’s hard to deny that Smith was developing into a solid QB – one who avoided costly mistakes, had an accurate throwing arm, and maintained an above-average game sense.

I do disagree with you in one regard, which is how you stated Smith “led” the 49ers to the NFC Championship game last year. Sure, he wasn’t considered a liability to the team in 2011, but let’s be honest – the 49ers DEFENSE had more to do with their success last year than anything else.

This year is different. The 49ers defense is still a top-5 unit, but their offense got a jolt with the dual threat Kaepernick under center.

But that’s not to say Alex Smith is a bad quarterback. In fact, I honestly believe Smith could start for about a dozen NFL teams next year and be an improvement over their current QB situation.

Alex Smith knows this. And again, that’s why I think he’s one of the classiest guys in the league. He was supplanted through no fault of his own. He sustained a concussion, was out a few games, then was replaced from there on. He wasn’t benched due to a bad performance. It was simply because a young kid came in and reinvigorated the offense – something San Fran has not seen in almost a decade.

But hearing that Smith is mentoring Kaepernick really strikes a chord. It reminds me a little of how an aging Kurt Warner mentored a young Matt Leinhart and Eli Manning, only to regain his form and lead Arizona to a Super Bowl in the twilight of his career.

The difference of course, is that Alex Smith still has a lot of years left in the league. You can argue that he has yet to reach his prime.

Bottom line, Alex Smith has shown maturity and leadership, whether he’s on the field or on the sideline. Many teams out there would love to have him. With the right tools, he could be one of the most efficient pocket passers of his generation.

I hope he gets a chance next year to show the league that he has what it takes to hold a starting QBs job… and keep it.