San Francisco 49ers Alex Smith Tim Rattay Mike Nolan

I have two new mantras. The first: "This is still so much better than Tim Rattay". The second: "This is still so much better than Dennis Erickson". In Alex Smith's debut to the NFL, he showed a number of things that lead me to believe he can have success in the NFL. Despite throwing fourinterceptions, Smith showed poise and confidence each time he stepped into the huddle.Smith has the size, arm, and athletic ability to be a quarterback in this league. He is clearly working at a much slower pace than the speed of the NFL. This of course is not surprising as it is what most rookies have to work the hardest to overcome. That will be no different for Smith, and I expect that as he gets more comfortable with the speed of the game, he will become a legitimate NFL quarterback.Smith puts the ball where it should be when throwing to receivers, and he is not scared by defensive pressure. Both of which were two common complaints with Tim Rattay. Smith could also really benefit from an offensive line that gives 6 Super Bowl Champions jersey black jersey
him at least three seconds to throw the ball.Mike Nolan may not have fully grown into his role as a head coach yet, but he is still so much better than former head coach Dennis Erickson ever was. Nolan has command over his team, and has them disciplined. He had his banged up squad compete for most of the game against one of the league's best teams, even with a rookie quarterback. Slowly, this team is making progress, even if at times it is taking a step backwards before two forwards. I do not agree with every move Nolan has made so far this season, but even still the San Francisco 49ers show far more promise under his guidance than they ever did under Dennis Erickson.