Giants vs. 49ers: Alex Smith Must Avoid Setback After Breakout Season

Alex Smith finally exhibited some of the potential the San Francisco 49ers seen when they made him the first overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft. The breakout star needs to be careful, however, because a poor performance against the New York Giants will reignite the talk of him being a major bust.

After five seasons of trying to pigeonhole the Utah product into different systems, new 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh built an offense around Smith. It's an approach which should have been taken from day one, but expectations were simply too high at that point.

Smith is a prototypical game manager. He doesn't have a huge arm and isn't going to wow you with his athletic ability. But he's smart and isn't going to make many crucial errors that end up costing his team the game.

Harbaugh understood those facts when he took the San Francisco job and immediately upon arrival began building his offense to fit those attributes.

What's emerged is an offense that features a lot of quick, safe throws to keep Smith out of trouble. He doesn't have to worry about the pass rush because the ball should be out of his hand before the opposing rushers even have a chance to reach him.

It's a simple, yet previously overlooked, plan of attack for the 49ers and has allowed them to reach the NFC Championship Game without the high-powered offensive attack teams like the New England Patriots and New York Giants have been featuring.

Yet, one bad game from Smith on Sunday will cause all of his doubters to emerge from the woodwork. He's been carried by Frank Gore and a dominant defense, they will claim.

While those gripes won't be entirely off base, the fact of the matter is that Smith has made serious strides toward becoming a trustworthy quarterback this season. He's good enough to lead the 49ers to a Lombardi Trophy, although they might be an offensive weapon or two away right now.

Elite quarterbacks will also steal the headlines, but second-tier guys like Smith are more than capable of reaching the ultimate goal if given enough talent around them. He's just lucky Harbaugh realized that before giving up on him.

The Giants defense, which has been playing a lot better over the past month, is going to throw everything it can at Smith. He can expect to see zone looks that turn into all-out blitzes and pressure looks that will see everybody drop into coverage.

If he can continue to make good reads, the 49ers should be able to stop the Giants' momentum and head for Indianapolis. That's a big "if," though, especially when you consider how much pressure is on Smith's shoulders.

We can finally confirm that the talent is there, but one bad outing can turn all of his new fans against him once again. Now we'll find out if he's up to the task.

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I fully expect him to step up to the plate and knock it out of the park on Sunday afternoon. He's ready to take that next step.