[Sandy Vagina]

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2013/7...ge-all-22-film

Harbaugh came in and taught Alex to play safe football. This is well-documented. Alex was told that sacks are better than interceptions, and a dump off on 3rd and 8 that picks up 5 yards is better than "forcing" something for a potential first down. This is the SAME WAY Harbaugh played football back in his days as an NFL quarterback. Harbaugh knows it can work, and can win games, but he also knows it has its limits.

In my opinion, this is precisely why Alex was so confused over the Kaepernick take-over. Because Kaepernick was going out there and taking risks and just playing football. The 49ers have a good enough TEAM that they can afford a quarterback to do that. It wasn't like the 2011 squad, where Alex's safe play was, really, the only way to win a game.

Alex said, "I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion." In other words, Harbaugh never came up to Alex, at any point, and said, "Hey, we like the safe play... but we REALLY need you to take more deep shots. To be more aggressive. I want our offense to be more explosive. So it's okay if you throw a pick or two. Just go out there and play a bit more aggressive. Don't be afraid of the tight windows."

Kaepernick came in and made quite a number of silly mistakes. Some bad interceptions, some questionable decisions, etc. The run game took a dip under Kaepernick. But, without doubt, the offense as a whole was much more explosive.

It seems to me Alex was never approached with the possibility of making the offense more explosive. He feels he was playing football exactly as Harbaugh taught him to play it; and yet he was then replaced for no reason. Hence the confusion over, "I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion." Alex's play was always advertised to him as exactly what Harbaugh wanted. When it turned out Harbaugh actually wanted a full pistol offense with Kap and the deep ball, Alex was confused.

The truth is that... the San Francisco offense was never really Alex's offense. Even when Harbaugh told him it was, that was likely a lie. Harbaugh is a great coach, but he's not above a lie to help the team win. In fact, that's part of what makes him a great coach. The best in the league, in my opinion. The truth is that Harbaugh has been building this offense with Kaepernick in mind from the start; and he has been waiting, itching, CRAVING the day to put HIS GUY in. The Alex Smith Era was ALWAYS MEANT to end, regardless of what Harbaugh might have said to Smith.

Reid knows this -- which is why he keeps reiterating that he is going to let Alex "open things up" and "pull the trigger." Reid believes in Alex, I think; even more than Harbaugh did. Reid wants Alex to know that it's okay for him to throw an interception. That this is HIS offense. He "has the keys", as Reid put it. Reid wants Alex to know he trusts him explicitly to be able to go out and make a few mistakes, crack a few eggs, to get that metaphorical winning omelet (terrible metaphor!).

The nice thing is that Alex is so intelligent that he won't make any mental errors, like he did when he was younger. Now that he's learned to play safe, smart ball, he just needs to feel he has the freedom to take a shot at those tight window throws; take a shot deep; etc.

I would say the suspicion you have is spot on, based on my perspective. This is partly where my great faith in Alex lies. I know he's a good fit with Reid, I know he's a talented player, I know he's a leader and well-respected. I know his command of the line, the offense, his understanding of the game, is "elite." The only thing he needs to fix, really, is the lack of aggressiveness. You can't have a sack rate in the 9.0's forever.

Harbaugh simultaneously nurtured Alex in to a winning player while also holding him back. It's an odd paradox. A "dialectic", if you will. I'm really looking forward to the "synthesis" of Smith in 2013 under Reid. I think Chiefs fans are really going to fall in love with the guy once they see him on the field, winning games.