What a difference five years makes.

Five years ago, the San Francisco 49ers went 2-14 and had the number one pick in the draft. They fired coach Dennis Erickson and brought in Baltimore's Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan.

I will honestly tell you that I wanted Aaron Rodgers back on draft day. Rodgers played against a better conference and against a better defense in USC. However, Smith was versatile and had great athletic ability, but he turned out to be a product of Urban Meyer. I think because of what happened to Alex Smith so far in his career, Tim Tebow will be passed by many teams in the 2010 draft.

Mike Nolan had to make the most important decision in his brief coaching career with the 49ers. By the way, Nolan was fired midway through the 2008 season with a 2-5 record and a 18-37 record in three and a half years.

Back to the topic at hand, there is a tough question to ask: do you draft the QB who is very intelligent and possesses great athleticism in Alex Smith, or the QB who is a true pocket passer, possessing a strong and accurate arm with good mobility and can make plays with his legs?

Nolan believed that Smith was a part of a new generation of quarterbacks, someone who can make plays with his legs while still being a dominant passer.  He chose Alex Smith for the number one overall pick in the 2005 draft. In 2005, Smith was regarded as the new Rich Gannon, with superior leadership and intelligence.

In the 2005 season, Alex Smith had Mike McCarthy, current Packers head coach, as his Offensive Coordinator. Smith did not even make his first NFL start until Week Five at home, playing the Indianapolis Colts led by Peyton Manning. What a great way to have your NFL starting debut...versus a future Hall of Famer with two NFL MVP awards, at the time.

The final score was 28-3 and Smith completed only nine passes out of twenty three attempts, garnering 74 yards to go with no touchdowns and four interceptions. Just for the sake of comparison, Peyton completed 23 passes in 31 throws, for 255 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

I kid you not, Smith finished the 2005 season with a 40.8 passer rating, one touchdown, and 11 interceptions in nine games, seven of which he started.

In his defense, Alex Smith did not really have an offensive play maker that season. His most productive wide receiver was Brandon Lloyd; who had 48 catches, 733 yards, and five touchdowns; and a broken down Johnny Morton at age 34. The 49ers finished the 2005 season with a total of 17 Offensive Touchdowns.

Frank Gore had only 608 yards, but a respectable 4.8 yards per carry. Gore was splitting time with Kevin Barlow, and rightfully so. He had a serious knee injury in his senior season at the University of Miami, so Nolan was cautious about him being the workhorse.

Moreover, Smith's offensive line was pathetic. Here are is his starting offensive linemen for the 2005 season: Left Tackle Adam Snyder, Left Guard Justin Smiley, Center Jeremy Newberry, Right Guard Eric Heitmann, and Right Tackle Kwame Harris. It is not very easy to come into a salary cutting franchise with few play makers and set the league on fire.

This season was a wash just because of the Quarterback-by-commitee approach that Mike Nolan used. The other quarterback, Tim Rattay, started nine games that season, taking time away from Alex Smith.

In the 2005 off-season, Offensive Coordinator Mike McCarthy left for greener pastures and became the Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers. Former Oakland coach Norv Turner, recently fired, was hired by the 49ers to call the offense for the 2006 season. In the 2006 draft, the 49ers tried to help Alex Smith discover his potential by picking Tight End Vernon Davis from Maryland. Davis ran a 4.38 40 yard dash and had a 42 inch vertical jump.

Also in that off-season, the 49ers signed troubled Wide Receiver Antonio Bryant in the hope that he would straighten his character issues out with a new team. Smith's second season leap was incredible. He went from one touchdown, 11 picks, and 40.8 rating in 2005 to a 74.8 rating, 58 completion percentage, 16 touchdowns, and 16 picks. Many thought this was a breakout season in which Smith figured out how to play in the NFL.

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