San Francisco 49ers: How Much More Time Can You Give Alex Smith?

It's less than two minutes into the fourth quarter in tonight's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. This nationally televised home game is the last chance to right the ship. NFC West leader Arizona is now 3-2 after beating the defending champion Saints and unless the Niners can overcome a 14-point deficit, they will be 0-5. It's time for a change. It's time for the David Carr era to begin.

I've tried to give Alex Smith the benefit of the doubt. Five different offensive coordinators in five years and after the firing of Jimmy Raye, we now have a sixth. Multiple head coaches.

Mike Singletary has a knack for saying all the right things in his press conferences, but at some point, the team has to perform on the field. After Smith ran backwards like a lost child only to put the ball on the turf, which resulted in a touchdown for the Philadelphia defense, the crowd really let him have it.

Niners fans expect better.

After the glory years of the 80's and a good team throughout the 90's, all these bad years are quickly becoming intolerable. How many years will the Alex Smith experiment continue? He's surrounded with talent—Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree. A young but effective offensive line. What more can you give a quarterback before he starts to perform at a respectable level?

Let's hope that Alex Smith goes through some sort of metamorphosis during this fourth quarter. Otherwise, it's time for a change.

I'll provide updates on the outcome of the game in the comments below.