So quarterback Alex Smith finally appears in the NFL playoffs, and now he’s being asked to match Drew Brees?
Not exactly, which is a good thing.
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Tale of the tape: Smith vs. Brees
2011 regular-season statistics for quarterbacks Alex Smith of San Francisco and Drew Brees of New Orleans:
Player Comp. Att. Pct. Yds. TD Int. Rating
Smith 273 445 .613 3,144 17 5 90.7
Brees 468 657 .712 5,476 45 6 110.6
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The San Francisco 49ers will play in the postseason for the first time since the Brandon Doman era — actually, Jeff Garcia was the starting quarterback during that 2002 season — and they’re not expecting Smith, the quarterback from the University of Utah, to do much more than he’s done all season. Just the same, keeping up with New Orleans will take more production overall from the 49ers’ offense, and that’s what makes this matchup intriguing.
Imagine this: For the 49ers to win the Super Bowl, Smith may have to beat Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in succession. He’ll need a lot of help, but that’s fine. Football involves a bunch of one-on-one matchups, but not one quarterback versus another.
This year’s playoffs feature some extremely different styles of football, including Saturday’s game in San Francisco. New Orleans, Green Bay and New England showcase three of the most prolific, innovative passing offenses in NFL history, while the likes of San Francisco and Baltimore counter with great defenses and a more traditional offensive approach.
The 49ers are "almost a throwback team," said Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who meant it as a compliment.
Smith "understands as a quarterback the things you can and can’t do," Vilma said in an interview session Sunday. "I think he understands the system tremendously. They’re asking him to manage the game, not necessarily win the game for them. I think that suits him very well. He still is a good quarterback. They have a very good running game and a quarterback who isn’t going to lose the game for you."
The Saints absolutely do need Brees to win games for them, and he’s delivering in a season when he broke the NFL record for passing yards. The Saints posted 45 points and 626 total yards in a wild-card victory over Detroit. If they approach that kind of production Saturday, there’s no way the 49ers can stay with them. But if they are held to 24 points or so, that’s a reasonable number for Smith and his offense to match.
In his seventh season in San Francisco, Smith has exceeded expectations — partly because they became so low. He’s thrived under coach Jim Harbaugh with better personnel surrounding him. Reaching the playoffs with a 13-3 record (and a first-round bye) is a career breakthrough. Now, though, comes the hard part.
"This guy has really raised his game," said Saints cornerback Jabari Greer. "You have to remember, this was a guy that people were calling to get benched a little while ago. This season has really been a testament to his character and perseverance."
Smith was benched more than once in recent years, only to emerge in 2011 as a capable quarterback, with the NFL’s ninth-best passer rating. He’s not in the elite class of Brees, Rodgers or Brady, but their defenses are not comparable to San Francisco’s, either.
In a September 2010 game against New Orleans, before losing his starting job, Smith passed for 275 yards and led a comeback to tie the game. But Brees then led a winning drive. So the issue of whether Smith is good enough to win playoff games is up to the rest of the 49ers, as much as him.
Twitter: @tribkurt
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