Alex Smith vs. Peyton Manning: Which Player Should Be QB for 49ers in 2012?

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the teams that has been mentioned loosely in connection with free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning. While the possibility of the four-time MVP landing in the Bay Area under another former Indianapolis Colts great, Jim Harbaugh, is intriguing, Alex Smith should be the signal-caller for the 49ers in 2012. 

The 49ers have reportedly put an offer to Smith on the table and the NFL Network's Jason La Canfora claims the team has no interest in pursuing Manning. That makes sense, since Smith did lead the Niners to a 13-3 regular-season record and had them within an overtime loss from reaching the Super Bowl in Harbaugh's first year with the team.

The 27-year-old Smith's numbers from 2011 won't blow anyone away, but it was by far the best of his seven seasons in the NFL. He completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 3,144 yards, with 17 touchdowns and just five interceptions. His passer rating of 90.7 ranked ninth out of the 34 quarterbacks who qualified league-wide.

Smith's completion percentage, yards and quarterback rating were all career-highs, which should bode well for the future. He clearly is comfortable in Harbaugh's offense and if the team could surround him with more talent at receiver, his numbers could jump even more in 2012.

While receiver Michael Crabtree finally looked like a legitimate NFL target and tight end Vernon Davis had a great year, the 49ers need to find Smith some other reliable targets on the outside. If the Niners focus their attention and salary cap dollars on acquiring a top-tier receiver, Smith may end up growing even more next season.

Surely that is a better route to go in than throwing a bunch of cash at Manning and hoping his neck holds up. 

Smith should be San Francisco's quarterback next season, but the team needs to get him more help.