San Francisco 49ers: What Are the Realistic Predictions for Alex Smith in 2012?

As the Alex Smith saga continues in San Francisco, expectations and predictions regarding the upcoming season for the seven-year veteran quarterback are rolling in like never before.

And for the first time ever, the 49ers' signal-caller is coming off a season in which he actually exceeded expectations.

Now, we can all agree that Smith's roller coaster ride of an NFL career is at an all-time high, but is it realistic to assume that he's going to continue the upward trend?

It's safe to say the odds are in Smith's favor.

The fact is, the San Francisco 49ers' organization has a front office that flat-out gets it.

They understand the game of football, particularly the NFL. Not just in terms of scouting and "coaching 'em up," but from a business perspective as well.

Perhaps best of all, Trent Baalke and Co. truly understand the importance of competition and the positive effect it has on a franchise.

It simply makes everyone better. 

And as a team begins to breed talent from the top down, life for the quarterback of that franchise generally becomes much, much easier. 

When the pressure of carrying the team alone starts to fade, he becomes more comfortable on the field. As a result, his level of confidence increases. And it's then that a combination of hard work and natural abilities will shine through on the gridiron.

Why is this all relevant to Alex Smith? Because it's what he's currently going through.

As the 2011 season carried on and Smith really began to feel comfortable under Harbaugh's wing, he began thinking less and reacting more.

And when he did that, good things usually happened. 

Smith consistently appeared more aware in the pocket, threw the ball with confidence and even led the 49ers to six fourth-quarter comebacks—playoffs included.

And as conservative as you may want to call it, the man has been absolutely phenomenal when it comes to limiting mistakes and turnovers.

In an excellent piece recently constructed by B/R's Vincent Frank, Frank noted that Smith has thrown just one interception for every 104 pass attempts over his last 22 starts. 

His career-best quarterback rating of 90.7 in 2011 was good for ninth in the entire NFL, a pretty telling statistic given everything it takes into account. 

The eight quarterbacks ranking ahead of Smith (in order) were Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Matthew Stafford, Matt Schaub, Eli Manning and Matt Ryan.

Those are all solid quarterbacks, right?

Smith actually came in ahead of Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Michael Vick and Cam Newton in this category.

So, then, what's with all the talk about the Niners' elite defense making the team's signal-caller look better than he really is?

Only kidding. Well, sort of.

Point is, Smith accomplished a whole heck of a lot in one season, and did so despite battling through a depleted wide receiver corps and watered-down offensive game plan that limited the offense's production.

To fix that, wideouts Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and 2012 first-round pick A.J. Jenkins have joined the Red and Gold in an effort to bolster a receiving corps led by tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

Rookie running back LaMichael James was drafted in the second round this spring, and his versatility should help add another dynamic option to the passing game as well.

In other words, what was once a weakness has now become a strength for the 49ers' offense.

If all goes well, Smith will continue to gain a rapport with his new toys leading up to the season and will be in a solid rhythm come September.

And if you haven't already heard, he's also been dedicating some time trying to get back to the basics while fixing a couple of mechanical flaws he's fallen into over recent seasons.

Smith has also been working on building muscle surrounding his throwing shoulder, something offensive coordinator Greg Roman says has already helped the quarterback get more zip when he lets it rip.

So, all things considered, what is Alex Smith really capable of in the coming season? 

He clearly already surpassed expectations from a year ago, and with all the improving going on across 49ers land, almost anything outside of Smith joining the 5,000-yard club seems feasible in 2012. 

Of course, as Alex will tell you, statistics (passing yards in particular) don't account for much.

After all, wins are all that really matters. But most of us NFL-obsessed fans cannot simply settle for debating about wins and losses.

So, as I presented in a previous article, here are my predictions for Smith's 2012 season from a statistical standpoint:

Games Played: 16

Completions: 341

Attempts: 524

Completion %: 65.1

Yards: 3,867

Average: 7.38 (per attempt)

Touchdowns: 29

Interceptions: 11

Take them for what they are, of course, as these numbers really don't mean much.

Because realistically—after absorbing all of the offseason information at hand—all we can confidently say about Alex Smith and the upcoming season is that he should take yet another step forward.

Proving just how big of a step that can be now lies on Smith and the rest of the men in Red and Gold.