San Francisco 49ers Alex Smith Houston Texans

The San Francisco 49ers continue to lose, and in so doing they continue to get closer to the number one pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the Texans who currently hold claim to this pick also continue to lose, and stand in the way of the 49ers owning the top pick in the draft for the second straight year. In losing to the Arizona Cardinals this week, the team dropped to 2-10, but in the process rookie quarterback Alex Smith showed glimpses of how he may be able to solidify the quarterback position.Smith spent most of the day either on Steelers 36 Bettis Jersey
the ground or running from his life, as the San Francisco 49ers offensive line did very little to offer Smith protection. But when Smith did have time to throw he was typically accurate and threw with confidence. There is no reason to question whether Smith can make the throws, only if he will be given the time to do so. Sure Smith also had his share of rookie mistakes that added up to a fumble and three interceptions, but two drives – one for a touchdown, in particular - gave 49ers fans hope that the teams answer to its quarterback woes may be over as soon as it finds an offensive line.The coaching staff did a much better job this week than in Smith's earlier starts in giving Smith plays from which he could make something happen. As a result Smith was able to make throws under pressure, and even on the move that helped keep the chains moving. Of course, it would be unfair for me not to acknowledge the fact that the Cardinals too, are a dreadful team.Defensively, the 49ers Derek Smith, Julian Peterson, Andre Carter and Brandon Moore had pretty solid outings. The rest of the defense, particularly the cornerbacks were outmatched. If Shawntae Spencer and Bruce Thornton are the 49ers future at cornerback than the team better find a better way to handle big, strong, Steelers 10 Santonio Holmes jersey
fast receivers like Fitzgerald and Boldin.An ugly loss to an awful team, but that has come to be the expectation for the San Francisco 49ers this season. The bright point was that Alex Smith took steps in the right direction. Hopefully he can continue to build on that improvement in the remaining four games of the season.