If Alex Smith Is The Problem, David Carr Is Not The Solution

I would like to tell you a story. A story about a quarterback who was immensely successful at a non-BCS conference school and was subsequently drafted No. 1 overall.

The team he started out on had very little talent. Slowly, the team added offensive play-makers, but the QB could not achieve success, even though he was given five years to prove himself. This quarterback is David Carr.

His resume sounds remarkably like Alex Smith's, doesn't it? Alex Smith's career passer rating is 69.0, David Carr's is 75.2. It is time to admit that David Carr is an older version of Alex Smith.

Do not take this the wrong way, this is in no way a defense of Alex Smith. This is a response to everyone who is calling for David Carr to replace him.

I watched Carr take pre-season snaps and he did not look good throwing the ball. He was inaccurate and tended to check down, something Smith has been widely criticized for. 

If the Niners want to replace Alex Smith, they should make a bolder move and go with Troy Smith. He may not be any better than Alex Smith or David Carr, but he is at least a change, an unknown commodity.

Troy Smith was well-liked in Baltimore and they probably would have kept him if he would not have been so vocal about his desire to be traded. 

By playing Troy Smith, the 49ers find answers to many questions for next year. Do they need to draft a QB?

If they do need to draft a QB, how high do they need to draft one?

Finally, can Troy Smith be a stop-gap option while they get a rookie QB ready to play?

Go ahead and bench Alex Smith, but don't replace him with David Carr.