Written by Jim Thomas at St. Louis Post Dispatch
On the list of NFL playoff quarterbacks still kicking in the divisional round, it’s easy to overlook Alex Smith.
New England’s Tom Brady, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Seattle’s Russell Wilson all have won Super Bowls. Dallas’ Dak Prescott is a rookie sensation. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan may be this season’s MVP.
OK, we’ll skip over Houston’s Brock Osweiler.
And then there’s Smith. Yes, he may have at least gotten to a Super Bowl during the 2012 season for San Francisco. But linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar of the St. Louis Rams rattled his cage with a hard hit during a Nov. 11 regular-season game that year.
There was no such thing as a “concussion protocol” back then. Smith stayed in the game, but six plays later took another hard hit on a quarterback sneak. He left the game with what was later diagnosed as a concussion, and quickly faded to the background.
Colin Kaepernick took over at quarterback and led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, a last-second loss to Baltimore. Kaepernick became the toast of San Francisco; Smith was just toast — finished with the 49ers.
At that year’s Super Bowl, Smith was asked if he thought he’d be starting against Baltimore were it not for that concussion against St. Louis.
“I do, yeah,” Smith said then. “I’d still be out there playing.”
Four years later, there’s no looking back. As he prepares for Sunday’s AFC divisional game against visiting Pittsburgh, those eight seasons spent in San Francisco (2005-2012) seem like a lifetime ago.
“I’ve said this before, so much has happened since then,” Smith said. “Even there. It’s crazy to think about what it was when I left, and where it is now. … To go from where it was as a Super Bowl contender and at the doorstep of a championship to where it is now.”
The 49ers, obviously, are a mess these days. As for Smith, he’s not quite on the doorstep of a championship. But he’s on the walkway and can see the door.
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