Joe Flacco Vs Alex Smith

[scrock]

[quote name='EnVy_CaLiBeR' timestamp='1321908908' post='880609']
This question would be laughable last year and it still is.

The success that Alex Smith has been having is the result you get when you have those talented pieces and when you have Jim Harbaugh by your side. I'd kill to have someone like Jim Harbaugh handling our offense.
[/quote]

The 9'ers are a running football team and they play GREAT defense, they are 1st in a lot of categories including rush yards allowed, points allowed, etc

Frank Gore is the most important part of their offense, he is injured a lot so they better hope he stays healthy..in previous years when Gore goes down so does that team, because Alex Smith can't handle too much on his plate, the pressure gets to him..I seen him go interviews and he was shaky and nervous....He's no Joe Cool thats for sure

[scrock]

[quote name='Suggs Package' timestamp='1321905742' post='880540']
Essentially, Smith is more efficient, but limited. [b] Flacco is more productive but wildly variable. They both score about the same amount of points[/b]. We know that Flacco can also be a game manager, but we don't know Smith can win a game for you. Until that happens, Flacco is better in my opinion.
[/quote]

Your opinion of our QB needs a makeover buddy haha

Joe Flacco hasn't been as consistent this year, why is that? We cut Heap and Mason his two main targets for the past 3 years or whatever. We went with a youth movement and brought in a veteran in Lee Evans who has been dealing with injury. These rookies playing are used to the college game, their seasons would be ending soon..so I'm hoping they dont hit the rookie wall and continue to grow.....what I'm trying to say is with all the changes made there are going to be growing pains. When the offense is clicking and we have seen it a few times this year we are a very dangerous team. They will find that consistency

And as for Alex Smith and Joe having scored the same amount of point? Go check the stats again man, Alex Smith has never had the numbers Joe does...even Joe playing in this offense this year his numbers are steadily climbing and will surpass those of Alex, he's got him beat in yards and it wont be close but Joe will get his TDs these coming weeks and I'd bet he ends up with more than Alex

Joe can be a game manager? sure, and at times thats all you need, but he can win you games too....something Alex is never asked to do

[darklight1216]

Smith is having the best year of his career and Flacco is having the worst of his. Smith was nearly undefeated and Flacco has lost to some of the league's worst teams. Nothing was expected of Smith (or ever is) while Flacco is always expected to take that "next step" into elite status and still hasn't.

In addition, San Fransisco fans probably watch as many Ravens games as the average Ravens fan watches Niners games. That is to say: almost none.

My guess is that most of them haven't seen Joe Flacco play over the years, but they have probably seen plenty of media coverage (aka a steady stream of: "he has a good defense," "he's just a game manager," "Joe isn't so cool" etc.)

All in all, it's not difficult for me to believe that fans of another team would take their qb over Flacco. Most NFL fans don't think highly of Flacco and never really have (at least in my experience). This year, on top of the embarrasing losses, he has a bad case of fumblitis, not to mention the pitiful completion percentage...

Edit: I almost forgot about Flacco's atrocious play in primetime. The games against NYJ (two quarters without a completion) Jacksonville, and Pittsburgh probably didn't win over a ton of new fans since two of the three games weren't exactly the highlights of Flacco's career.

[RivenHale]

I'm staying out of this one purely because I really haven't seen much of Alex Smith, but I do know for a fact that I'll take Joe in this one. I will love to see what Smith does against a defense like ours, ESPECIALLY if we shut down Gore like I expect us to key on.

[Fryet]

49er fan here. I haven't watched much of Flacco, but what little I have seen hasn't impressed me. But let me talk about Alex Smith and you can draw your own conclusions.

This year Alex has done a great job protecting the football, both on interceptions and fumbling. It sounds like Flacco has done poorly there, and for a defensively strong team, that is a huge liability. As the 49ers have proven, if you have a great defense and an offense that doesn't turn the ball over, you will win a lot of games. An erratic QB is going to lose more games than they win. You really don't need a QB to win it for you if you have a great defense. The Ravens have already proven that. For that reason alone, I believe that Alex Smith would be a better fit for the Ravens (but you can't have him (: ).

Alex can air out the ball, although he hasn't had to do so this year. But in past years, the 49ers have been behind in a lot of games and Alex has been effective in a shotgun offense. The 49ers were even thinking about switching their offense a year or two ago to shotgun heavy because Alex was more effective. He had some success, but also plenty of failures as well. I am not sure if it is his limitations or the poor play calling of his offensive coordinators - but I tend to think that is was probably more an issue with his OC.

This year, there are 3 games to consider when it comes to Alex winning the game via the air. The first is the Philadelphia game. 49ers are down by 20, but they choose to stick to a balanced offense. Alex is perfect in the 3rd quarter, I think it was something like 9/9 for 160 yards. 49ers win the game. The second game was against the Giants. Giants came into the game with a plan to completely shut down the run and force Alex to beat them. 49ers went into the game emphasizing the pass. Alex throws for 250 yards, 27 points are scored, and the Giants lose. Alex beat them with the pass. And then the game yesterday against the Cardinals. This game also emphasized the pass. Alex had an off game imo, but the 49ers still score 23. Alex once again beat them with the pass.

But I also don't want to oversell Alex either. Alex is not an elite QB except at avoiding interceptions. The 49ers third down conversion rate is low - and that is a poor reflection on the QB. While his accuracy has improved in leaps and bounds from prior seasons, he still misses on a lot of passes that should be completions - it just appears that he and the receivers are not in sync. The positive for the 49ers is that the offense is improving as the season progresses. The first 3 weeks of this season, the offense was pretty ugly, especially due to the OL. Now, the 49ers see 250 yards passing, 2 TD, 1 INT, and a 50ish completion percentage, and we consider it an off game. I don't think we have seen the best that Alex has to offer. I expect his passes will get more accurate as he gets more comfortable with the receivers and the offense.

So how will Alex respond to a good pass defense? 49ers have faced Dallas, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. I am expecting the Ravens to present a similar challenge, however maybe you are better - I can't speak from experience. In those games, Alex would disappear at times and the 49ers would punt multiple times, sometimes with 3 and outs. But he would also do enough to score some points in the game as well, often capitalizing on short fields caused by turn overs. But let's talk about a nightmare scenario from a 49er perspective. That would be the San Diego game last year. Alex is not the QB that will force throws into tight windows. If a receiver isn't open, he moves on to the next receiver, until the pass rush forces him to make a decision. He will then throw the ball away to avoid a sack. In the San Diego game, it seemed like receivers weren't getting open all game, so the 49er offense just stalled. Run for 2 yards, incomplete pass, incomplete pass, punt. If Baltimore can keep the 49er receivers covered, that is what you can probably expect from Alex. He won't thread the needle on passes, he will just throw the ball out of bounds, or if he can, attempt to run for some yards (he is running much more now than in past seasons).

[Suggs Package]

[quote name='scrock' timestamp='1321915449' post='880736']

Your opinion of our QB needs a makeover buddy haha

Joe Flacco hasn't been as consistent this year, why is that? We cut Heap and Mason his two main targets for the past 3 years or whatever. We went with a youth movement and brought in a veteran in Lee Evans who has been dealing with injury. These rookies playing are used to the college game, their seasons would be ending soon..so I'm hoping they dont hit the rookie wall and continue to grow.....what I'm trying to say is with all the changes made there are going to be growing pains. When the offense is clicking and we have seen it a few times this year we are a very dangerous team. They will find that consistency

And as for Alex Smith and Joe having scored the same amount of point? Go check the stats again man, Alex Smith has never had the numbers Joe does...even Joe playing in this offense this year his numbers are steadily climbing and will surpass those of Alex, he's got him beat in yards and it wont be close but Joe will get his TDs these coming weeks and I'd bet he ends up with more than Alex

Joe can be a game manager? sure, and at times thats all you need, but he can win you games too....something Alex is never asked to do
[/quote]

I think you misunderstood what I meant. But [b]this year[/b], the Ravens and 49ers have scored the exact same amount of points. Smith and Flacco have almost the same amount of TD passes. Both have the about same amount of scoring drives.

I was saying Joe can win you games and be a game manager and that Alex Smith is only a game manager for the most part and that he hasn't proven as much.

I think Joe is better, but both have some weaknesses. Joe has been missing some pretty easy passes. Even with the growing pains of having new receivers, there are no excuses for many of them. Alex Smith is having some issues completing passes over 20 yards and is stuck when in 3rd and long situations when you have to pass. Both can be indecisive at times although Joe improved dramatically this yeard. That's just what I've noticed.

[ball hawkin 20]

I'm not doubting Alex Smith, i know he has talent, but if Flacco isn't being inconsistent, he's easily better. Alex at this point is just a glorified careful game manager that makes no plays and lets his receivers get YAC (i've noticed this a lot)

[sflegend89]

I would take Joe a million times over. You think Alex Smith would lead that drive against pitt? Joe is on a different level than Smith. Smith is just a west coast Mark Sanchez

[darklight1216]

[quote name='sflegend89' timestamp='1321927782' post='880943']
I would take Joe a million times over. You think Alex Smith would lead that drive against pitt? Joe is on a different level than Smith. Smith is just a west coast Mark Sanchez
[/quote]
This year, I think Smith has to be above Sanchez. Smith is often called the guy who does "just enough" or "doesn't lose games." Sanchez is the king of guy that his team wins despite of, in the regular season at least.

[Texas9erFan]

[quote name='SideStep77' timestamp='1321903872' post='880478']
Looking back on who the 49ers have beaten the only wins that impress me are those over the Giants and the Bengals (Possibly the Lions too but after they have been playing recently I'm not sure)[/quote]
The Lions were 5-0 when we played them at it was in their house. We showed the league how to beat them.
The Eagles are stacked with talent(but no chemistry) and we again played at their house and despite a 20 point deficit, came back to beat them.
[quote] We have played teams with much better defenses than the 49ers.[/quote]
NO... no, you really haven't. Nobody has our level of defense. It's the best in the NFL based on points allowed.
[quote] I would like to see the 49ers take on the Steelers or the Jets defense and see how they do. I think our D will get Alex Smith's numbers lower then normal.
[/quote] Well the Ravens have a purdy good defense and so do the Steelers. We'll see you Thursday and the Steelers on a monday night in a few weeks.

[Texas9erFan]

[quote name='arnie_uk' timestamp='1321906680' post='880562']
if the 49ers done a falcons trade and tried to get one of the top 4 qbs, they could be a real threat to the packers for years to come. they are a very young team
[/quote]
That's a common thought even among Niner fans. But I think the jury is still out on that one.

Alex had 7 different OC's and 3 different HC's in his career. The first 2 HC's were defensive guys who didn't understand the position. Now Alex has a good offensive minded HC who used to be a QB and an OL that can actually protect him. I actually look at this season as Alex's first rookie year.

The Niners had the chance to draft Aaron Rodgers in the same draft that saw us pick Alex #1. And there were tangible reasons why it was done. But had the Niners drafted Aaron instead, I don't think the results would have been any different. Aaron would have had the same coaches and pourous O-line that Alex had and he would've been destroyed as an NFL QB.

SO, I would advise folks to forget everything they think they know about Alex based on his previous 6 years and focus on what and how he's growing into now. If we get him a corps of really good receivers, WATCH OUT!

[i][b]We're already 9-1 and only going to get better.[/b][/i]

[Texas9erFan]

[quote name='scrock' timestamp='1321915011' post='880729']

The 9'ers are a running football team and they play GREAT defense, they are 1st in a lot of categories including rush yards allowed, points allowed, etc

Frank Gore is the most important part of their offense, he is injured a lot so they better hope he stays healthy..in previous years when Gore goes down so does that team, because Alex Smith can't handle too much on his plate, the pressure gets to him..I seen him go interviews and he was shaky and nervous....[b]He's no Joe Cool thats for sure[/b]
[/quote]
Neither is Flacco, but I covered that already.

Frank Gore may indeed be the most important part of the Niner offense. But he is still only a PART of it. There are many other weapons the Niners have at their disposal. They're a well balanced team on O, D and ST. And as the Giants recently found out, shutting down Gore is NOT going to automatically get you the win. Everybody thought if the Giants could shut down the run and let Eli go to the air with his arm, that the Niners would have no chance. [i][b]OOPS!!![/b][/i]

[RayRiceRunningfortheRavns]

Eagles defense and Giants defense isn't Ravens defense. Congrats, you guys put up points on the 15th and 20th ranked defenses. Good job. If you're going to come here talking up your offense, do it after they play a good defense, please. Nobody is impressed that you aired out the ball against New York.

That being said, good luck on Thursday. It's going to be a brawl.

[codizzle]

Alex smith is gonna come into our house and win? Hahaha na i dont think so..

If this was away id be scared, but i believe we are 15-1 at home over the past few seasons and i believe we are undefeated this year at home..

Get an early lead and we are golden

[PaintinPGPurple]

Alex Smith? Lol. He's comparable to Flacco in his rookie year. He's a game manager.

[Bullrush]

[quote name='keebl3rs' timestamp='1321852752' post='879791']I understand that it's a 49ers fan forum but I'm really surprised at how convinced they are that Alex Smith is better than Flacco.[/quote]
Are you serious? You think there's somebody on that board that would admit that Ray is better than Willis? Or that Rice is better than Gore? Or that Ngata is better than Justin Smith? What would you expect them to say? They'll probably even say Whitner is better than Ed Reed. You think any 49er fan on that board is following the Ravens? Of course not. They have no idea how our guys do. All they do is look at the stats. Just like you I guess with Alex Smith's QB rating. The guy could break down any week, and probably will sooner than later. He didn't suddenly become a good QB over night. You make him carry their offense and he'll go back to throwing pick 6's like he used to. He's no different than Dilfer was in 2000.

Alex Smith right now has a better defense. He's playing "within himself". He manages games, he's got a good running game and an excellent defense helping him out, on top of that they have a good O-Line and good receivers (Vernon is an elite receiver).

But most importantly, they don't have Cam Cameron.

[H8R]

Wait....WHAT? Alex Smith? Better then Flacco? You've GOT to be kidding me? That's laughable, Joe has been inconsistent... thats for sure.... BUT Joe has won more games in 3 full season then Alex Smith has in his whole career....

Joe has thrown for MORE yards, Smith 11375 Flacco 12,782 TD's Smith 64 Flacco 72 and FEWER INT's Smith 57 Flacco 42

Joe has a FAR better QB rating over his career 85.7 to 75.5...... How many playoff wins does Alex Smith have? 0 How many 10 win seasons does Alex have? 0 You've got to be kidding me.....

Alex Smith has had a nice year, this year.... Now , let's see what he does against an ELITE defense..... Joe has faced top tier defense his whole career. Not a cream puff conference like the NFC WEST, GAG.

[codizzle]

[quote name='H8R' timestamp='1321967095' post='881250']
Wait....WHAT? Alex Smith? Better then Flacco? You've GOT to be kidding me? That's laughable, Joe has been inconsistent... thats for sure.... BUT Joe has won more games in 3 full season then Alex Smith has in his whole career....

Joe has thrown for MORE yards, Smith 11375 Flacco 12,782 TD's Smith 64 Flacco 72 INT's Smith 57 Flacco 42

Joe has a FAR better QB rating over his career 85.7 to 75.5...... How many playoff wins does Alex Smith have? 0 How many 10 win seasons does Alex have? 0 You've got to be kidding me.....

Alex Smith has had a nice year, this year.... Now , let's see what he does against an ELITE defense..... Joe has faced top tier defense his whole career. Not a cream puff conference like the NFC WEST, GAG.
[/quote]
see when i said i was literally laughing out loud.. This is what i was thinking but i was too lazy to type it out..

Well said sir

[BmoreRavens732]

Alex smith vs Joe flacco? Hmmm....i think I'll take flacco in his sleep!!! Yup don't know how they can be compared? Not only does Joe have way better numbers in his shorter career then smith n way more playoff births n wins n wins period then smith but flacco is on the border line of going from good to great (elite) as smith is trying to go from bad to good....get outa here!!! Flacco has proven he can put the team on his back against great defenses n win time n time again...I can't believe I wasted my time arguing this smh

[Fryet]

I think that is the mistake that you are making. You are looking at stats of Alex Smith from prior years, not just this year. Alex truly is a much better QB this year. Anyway, it is good that you like your QB in Baltimore. We'll get to see who is the better QB on Thursday. It will be a big test for both of them.

[H8R]

[quote name='Texas9erFan' timestamp='1321931537' post='881029']
[b]Howdy Ravens fans.[/b] I'm a Niner fan living in Round Rock, TX and this is my first post here.
Gotta say I'm REALLY looking forward to this Thursdays game. It'll be a real statement game for both teams as it could be a legit preview of the next [i][b]Superbowl![/b][/i]

I've read this entire thread already and would like to answer a few of the comments made with a few of my own. But first I'd like to comment on something that's kinda been buggin' me as a long-time fan of the Niners.


[center][size=5][b]Joe Flacco IS NOT and never will be "[color=#ff0000][i]JOE COOL[/i][/color]".[/b][/size][/center][center][size=5][b]---[/b][/size][/center][center][size=5][b]That nickname is reserved for this man.[/b][/size][/center][center][size=4]Just in case you're too young to recognize him, his name is [u][i][b]Joe Montana[/b][/i][/u], [/size][/center][center][size=4]owner of 4 Superbowl rings who played for the 49ers in the 80's[/size][/center][center][size=4]and is perhaps the greatest QB ever to play the game.[/size][/center][center][size=4].[/size][/center][center][size=4][img]http://www.vidfoto.com/photo/Joe-Montana30934.jpeg[/img][/size][/center]



Now... back to the subject of Flacco vs Smith.
[/quote]



Thanks, I never heard of Joe Montegna.....

[ajanke]

Like Flacco better. Alex is surprising me though and he's making great reads. Just needs to tighten up his accuracy.
Of course you're going to find that on the other teams board. EVERYONE has homers.

[ajanke]

[quote name='H8R' timestamp='1321967095' post='881250']
Wait....WHAT? Alex Smith? Better then Flacco? You've GOT to be kidding me? That's laughable, Joe has been inconsistent... thats for sure.... BUT Joe has won more games in 3 full season then Alex Smith has in his whole career....

Joe has thrown for MORE yards, Smith 11375 Flacco 12,782 TD's Smith 64 Flacco 72 and FEWER INT's Smith 57 Flacco 42

Joe has a FAR better QB rating over his career 85.7 to 75.5...... How many playoff wins does Alex Smith have? 0 How many 10 win seasons does Alex have? 0 You've got to be kidding me.....

Alex Smith has had a nice year, this year.... Now , let's see what he does against an ELITE defense..... Joe has faced top tier defense his whole career.[b] Not a cream puff conference like the NFC WEST, GAG[/b].
[/quote]
I don't agree about Alex being better than Flacco but the 49ers have only played 2 NFC West Teams.

[PuRock]

[quote name='Fryet' timestamp='1321973801' post='881296']
[b]I think that is the mistake that you are making. You are looking at stats of Alex Smith from prior years, not just this year. Alex truly is a much better QB this year.[/b] Anyway, it is good that you like your QB in Baltimore. We'll get to see who is the better QB on Thursday. It will be a big test for both of them.
[/quote]

I can agree about that statement. Fans always get caught up in previous performances. But you always have to assess the current incarnation of a player. Players can change year to year. Just look at Brandon Lloyd.

I've watched plenty of 49ers games this year and I am impressed with Alex. He's not turning the ball over. He's making all sort of throws. He is a very good QB. Its amazing the progress which can be made from improving the O-Line. Which the 49ers have done.

[H8R]

[quote name='ajanke' timestamp='1321974950' post='881305']
I don't agree about Alex being better than Flacco but the 49ers have only played 2 NFC West Teams.
[/quote]


I'm talking about his body of work....his career... He's played PLENTY of games against the NFC West.... Right? I mean, it is his division.

[ajanke]

[quote name='H8R' timestamp='1321976789' post='881341']


I'm talking about his body of work....his career... He's played PLENTY of games against the NFC West.... Right? I mean, it is his division.
[/quote]

None of those games mean squat anymore though especially compared to this season. Past seasons are done and over with right? He's completely different this year than in the previous years. He's done a good job erasing most of the past games with his performances this year.

[H8R]

Food for thought.... The 9ers offense has had a much easier path then the Ravens. Let's look at the numbers. Alex Smith has had a much easier schedule to compete with then Joe Flacco. Keep in mind, MOST of the best defenses the 9ers will face, by years end and teams Joe has to play TWICE.

The 9ers have faced 2 Top 10 defense in points allowed ( Cleveland and Cincy, )
The 9ers have faced 0 Top 5 defense in points allowed
The 9ers have faced 4 Top 10 defenses in yards allowed ( Dal, Cincy, Det, Cle)
The 9ers have faced 1 Top 5 defense in yards allowed (Cle)

The Ravens have faced 6 Top 10 defenses in points allowed ( Steelers, Titans, Texans, Jags, Steelers, Begals)
The Ravens have faced 3 Top 5 defenses in points allowed (Steelers, Texans, Steelers)
The Ravens have faced 6 Top 10 defenses in yards allowed ( Steelers, Jets, Texans, Jags, Steelers, Bengals)
The Ravens have faced 4 Top 5 defenses in yards allowed ( Steelers, Texans, Jags, Steelers)

[ajanke]

[quote name='H8R' timestamp='1321976789' post='881341']


I'm talking about his body of work....his career... He's played PLENTY of games against the NFC West.... Right? I mean, it is his division.
[/quote]
I'm solely focusing on this year. I don't think his past performances against the NFC West hold much weight in todays 49ers team.

[H8R]

[quote name='ajanke' timestamp='1321977052' post='881351']

None of those games mean squat anymore though especially compared to this season. Past seasons are done and over with right? He's completely different this year than in the previous years. He's done a good job erasing most of the past games with his performances this year.
[/quote]

Well, Kyle Orton was one of the best QB's in the league through 10 games before.... My point is, Flacco has done more in a shorter time frame against better teams.....

[CapoRocky]

The game will be won or lost in the trenches. We need to win the battle of turnovers and run the ball. It's going to be hard to put pressure on Smith if we can't push their line around.