Earlier this week, 49ers team President Jed York, appearing on KNBR radio, left the door open for quarterback Alex Smith, an unrestricted free agent after March 3, to return to the team. New head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has met with Smith, also refused to slam it shut. "I'm not into absolutes and alwayses and nevers and those kind of bold statements," Harbaugh said in a brief session with reporters this afternoon. "We're into evaluation, and that will be of Alex and any player on the football team." Harbaugh said he's had sit-down sessions with Smith and a number of other players and has talked on the phone with others. He and his staff are evaluating each of the players, especially the ones, like Smith, who are scheduled to be free agents. Asked if it seemed as if Smith wanted to return, Harbaugh said, "I don't want to speak for Alex. But he strikes me as somebody who's open. His vision for himself. His vision for how that relates to the 49ers I just think is to-be-determined. So (he's) going through the process in his mind for him and his career and how that relates to us." Harbaugh said that a number of players fell into that category. "My thing is, this is a new time. This is like the Etch-a-Sketch when you were a kid, that plastic piece you would lift up. There was a lot written on there and when you lift it up, there's a new, clean slate there. Everything that comes is to be determined -- what's going to be written there." Source: Sacramento Bee
Harbaugh isn't intrigued he never said that the 49ers are retaining Smith only that all free agents are being evaluated, nothing more. Jed is being politically correct although IMO he needs to shut up. ^^^^exactly...cya Alex, good luck and all that crap and don't let the door hit ya when we slam it shut.
By leaving the door open for Smith......that's what it sounds like. The best thing to do is shutting the door completely and move on. Smith had plenty of chances.
Absolutely............and yet the NFL pundits too often minimize Smith's responsibility because he's had 5 OC's since joining the league. Puhhhhleeez!
I don't read it as leaving the door open, we all know that Smith sucks, Harbaugh doesn't strike me as the type of coach to rag on a player. I guess we'll find out soon enough though...Sure he's had a crap load of OC's and honestly I don't think too many QB's could play well that way and he was hurt and rushed to come back too soon but he isn't the player that shouldn't have been picked as a #1 pick, the 49ers just need to flush the toilet on this one and lock the bathroom door.
Unfortunately someone hung up these visual instructions at 49ers headquarters on how to use the new water fountains: I can't even post the instructions someone put up as a gag for how to use the new bathrooms last season. Singletary fell for them all. The scene was ugly when he was told it was all a gag. Seriously though...why not? What's wrong with coming in and competing? The other guys who bring him in better beat Alex Smith out, right?
