Peyton Manning to Broncos: Why No. 18 Might Cause Alex Smith Inferiority Complex

Folks, let talk about the Alex Smith Inferiority Complex.

What is the Alex Smith Inferiority Complex, or ASIC for short?

I'm glad you asked. ASIC is a condition that results when a team like the San Francisco 49ers is discovered to be courting a quarterback like Peyton Manning despite the team's head coach, Jim Harbaugh, swearing his loyalty for the quarterback from last year, Alex Smith.

But it goes deeper than just that. You see, ASIC also occurs when the quarterback from last year, Alex Smith, was a free agent this year and felt you've low-balled him with a three-year, $24 million offer, though he is forced to accept it after the market collapses.

But the tip of the ASIC iceberg for a quarterback might be the following, as shared by Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area:

"

ESPN's Adam Schefter speculated Tuesday morning the 49ers, along with Jacksonville and Green Bay, were a team "to monitor" as Denver will look to trade Tim Tebow -- the outstanding runner and 46-percent passer who was at the helm when the Broncos transformed their 1-4 season into a midseason push and a playoff victory.

"

Ouch.

"

Now ESPN says the 49ers are a "team to watch" in the Tim Tebow stakes. All that's left is to actually put the "Kick Me" sign on Alex Smith.

— Ralph Vacchiano (@TheBlueScreen) March 20, 2012"

Exactly.

But ASIC doesn't just exist for quarterbacks, oh no. It also exists for fans, in this case the fans of San Francisco.

You see, Alex Smith is returning in the eyes of fans not as Alex Smith, but as the "Non-Peyton Manning," or NPM for short. When your team is one of the three organizations that were close to landing Manning, it's hard for a fanbase not to wonder "what if?"

What if we had Peyton Manning instead of Alex Smith?

The NPM is no longer judged for what he does well, but is always seen for all of the ways he falls short of Peyton Manning. The NPM begins to unfairly bear the burden of losses, because fans think that Peyton Manning would have led the team to victory.

The NPM's missed throws—ignored a season before, when the 49ers went 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship Game—suddenly are lamented and decried and an indication that the backup needs to play.

It's not enough that the wounded quarterback suffers from ASIC and has to work through his own bruised ego, oh no—now, the fans have their own version of ASIC and judge him as the NPM rather than as Alex Smith.

Unwittingly, Peyton Manning may have made life very difficult for Alex Smith next season. Such is the power of an elite franchise quarterback.

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