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Between meetings, interview requests, practice and taking calls from well-wishers, Alex Smith hadn't really stopped to think about the Indianapolis Colts from a standpoint of coincidence.
But when the former Ute quarterback and No. 1 NFL Draft pick makes his first start of the season against the Colts today for the San Francisco 49ers, the irony will be immense. Many consider this game the rebirth for Smith's career, the official start to the second chance that he's long been looking for. And it's fitting that he's doing it against the team he made the first start of his NFL life against.
"I think it's just a huge coincidence," Smith said with a chuckle. "A lot has changed since then."
That could be the understatement of the decade.
The first pick of the 2005 NFL Draft, Smith had been left for dead as far as being thought of as a productive pro football player. His name has repeatedly come up when the word "bust" was tossed about. He tangled with former 49ers coach Mike Nolan, he has dealt with injuries, and was fortunate that San Francisco brought him back this season to be a backup.
Now, his time has come -- again.
With the Niners struggling last week against Houston, Mike Singletary pulled starting QB Shaun Hill and turned to the 25-year-old Smith. He responded in the second half by almost leading his team to an amazing comeback. Smith completed 15 of 22 passes for 206 yards. He threw three touchdowns and
That was enough for Singletary to pull the trigger and make the switch -- full-time. This past week, Singletary was adamant in saying that this wasn't a temporary change, not a "flavor of the month" situation. That means Smith is going to get a long look and the opportunity to show his organization that he's the man for the future.
"I think Alex has had a chance to really regain some confidence, not that he ever lost it," Singletary said. "I think just by giving him the chance to sit and watch Shaun Hill gave him a chance to see what mistakes he made the first time around. He's had the chance to look at the decision making process, learn the offense a little more."
What Smith did was earn his way back into San Francisco's good graces with the combination of hard work, character and the kind of determination that Singletary loves to see out of his players. It would've been easy for Smith to go somewhere else in the offseason, to wipe the slate clean and claim that he needed a change of scenery. Instead of doing that, he stayed for less money.
It would've been easy for Smith to lose confidence in himself and his abilities. Instead, he recognized that the game of football often leads to increased chances, for quarterbacks especially. After all, the odds of a starting quarterback finishing the season by playing every game are decreasing by the year.
"This is the NFL," Smith said. "If you're a backup quarterback and you think you're not going to play, you're in dreamland. How many quarterbacks go through a season? It's not a lot. I think you have to have the mindset and the expectation to play. You have to be ready because you never know when your time is going to come."
In that sense, Smith's preparation for this moment has been much more mental than physical. He studied the playbook. He analyzed the game. His relationship with Singletary became far better than it was under Nolan.
"He's so direct that he puts everything on the table," Smith said. "You don't ever wonder about what he thinks about you or what's going on. He let's you know what he expects."
Along that way, he and his coach came to a realization: Smith is more of a fit for the 49er offense than Hill is. Smith's ability to throw the ball down the field and his ability to stretch a defense is a key to opening up the running game. Singletary acknowledged as much.
With the season less than halfway over, Smith is going to have the chance to lead his team to the postseason. San Francisco is 3-3 heading into today's game, trailing the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals by a game. As such, this is a serious chance for Smith to not only revitalize his career, but put himself in a position to thrive and establish himself as a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL.
"There is no potential anymore," Smith said. "I have to go out there and produce. The time is now for me to go out there and play. There's no more wait and see."
