When He’s Right, He’s Right

Some of the best sports conversations of my life have been with my dad. Colin Fleming and I are very different people, and we don’t have a ton of common interests, but we’ve always been able to talk about what’s going on in the sports world and share our opinions with one another. More often than not, I find that my dad’s put a good amount of thought into what he says, and we usually agree. When we disagree, it’s damn near impossible for me to admit when he has a better handle on something than I do, but goddddddamnit, this is one of those times.

            Long before Alex Smith was benched following a midseason concussion, Colin Kaepernick was my dad’s guy. Dad couldn’t wait to see Kaepernick play, and when Smith’s Injury finally cracked open the door, my dad was ecstatic.

 “He can do things Alex just can’t do. You’ll never win a title with Alex. With this guy, you have a chance.”

My response was simple enough:

“How can you bench a guy that has a top five passer rating in the NFL and got the Niners to the NFC Championship game last year??”

            That was always my fallback response, my reasoning for defending poor Alex Smith. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the thought that Alex deserved to lose his job. He got us within one win of a Super Bowl appearance, how could anyone say he is incapable of getting to the next level? Alex is accurate, doesn’t turn the ball over, and has completely reversed the course of a once-doomed career. Before 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was lured away from Stanford before the 2011 season, Smith’s career had been depressing to watch.

Smith was famously drafted with the top pick in a draft that included future MVP and Super Bowl winner Aaron Rodgers. My family are all Cal fans, so when Rodgers, a UC Berkeley product, was projected as a possible top pick in 2005, we were hopeful that the 49ers would use their choice on a Golden Bear. Instead, the 49ers chose Smith from the University of Utah, and a cloud descended over Candlestick Park. That stench from that pick lingered long enough to send Head Coaches Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary packing, but when Harbaugh arrived, it seemed as though Smith had finally been given a decent opportunity to succeed. Smith figured out how to win, even if it was through ball control and short gains. I was proud of Alex, even after lustily booing him at the ‘Stick and chanting “we want Carr!” when the 49ers got destroyed at home by the Eagles in 2010. I like a good comeback story, and I wanted to believe that maybe Alex just hadn’t been coached well, or the revolving door of Offensive Coordinators had left him unsure of what kind of system to prepare for. It was uplifting to see Smith avoid becoming, well, David Carr.

Before last week’s divisional playoff matchup against the Packers, I still wasn’t convinced that Alex deserved to lose his job. I reminded my dad that Alex hadn’t done anything to lose his gig this year.  My dad’s response was brutal, but accurate. “This isn’t little league. Kaepernick is better, he can throw harder than Alex, he’s more accurate, he can run faster, and he’s bigger.”

Now that Kaepernick has the 49ers back in the NFC Championship game after defeating Green Bay 45-31 on Saturday, I’m finally capable of being honest with myself and admitting that my dad was right.

Feel good stories be damned, I can’t imagine Alex starting for the 49ers anymore. It took a dominating playoff win for the notion to leave me, but I’m on the Kaepernick bus – although my dad is still driving. “There’s no quarterback I’d rather have. I’d rather have Kap than Brady, Rodgers or Brees.”

Whoa there, Dad. Hit the brakes…or is he right again? If he is, I’m not ready to admit it yet.