Why the San Francisco 49ers' Alex Smith Is Getting More Blame Than He Deserves

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2010 season with high expectations and playoff aspirations.

Considering many predicted them to win the NFC West, I'm sure we were all surprised when the Seattle Seahawks routed them in a 31-6 victory.

After the beating, fingers immediately began to point in numerous directions. Of course, as it often is in the NFL, most went directly to quarterback Alex Smith.

Throughout the offseason, the team and fans alike expressed their confidence in Smith and how they projected him to elevate his game since he was finally being surrounded by a quality supporting cast. 

However, after his Week 1 performance, he's quickly become subject to criticism—most of which is unfair in my opinion. 

Smith was 26-of-46 for 225 yards, threw two interceptions, and posted a 52.5 passer rating against the Seahawks. 

Needless to say, he struggled. 

While the pair of costly turnovers and poor passer rating are obviously alarming, the more worrying statistic should be the 45 pass attempts.

If you watched the game, you would have observed that the Seahawks' revamped defensive line dominated the trenches and didn't allow the 49ers' offensive line to create any push at the line of scrimmage. 

That being the case, not only was Alex Smith not given the adequate protection he needs, but running back Frank Gore also wasn't given the running lanes to make plays. As a result, Gore only amassed 38 yards on the ground on a 2.2 yard per carry average.

Since Smith isn't the caliber of quarterback who can carry the entire load on his shoulders, the offense must rely on the rushing attack to move the chains. Against the Seahawks, though, that wasn't the case, as the 49ers only converted one of 15 third down attempts.

With a stagnant offense, the defense was impacted as well. They were no longer able to take risks and implement the aggressive style they thrive in. Eventually, that led to a lack of big plays on both sides of the ball, which refrained them from stopping the Seahawks' momentum and thus containing the effect of the stadium's "12th man."

So, as you can see, the root of the issue was the offensive line. Even though this isn't an excuse for Smith's disappointing performance, I firmly believe that people are making him the scapegoat and unfairly blaming him for the 25-point loss. 

Smith shouldn't be throwing 45 passes in the first place (fifth most in the league) because that's not an ingredient in a winning formula. In fact, that's not a method to success for any team, as all quarterbacks who threw 40 or more times lost. 

That said, yes, I do blame Smith for overthrowing Moran Norris on a fourth down play near the goal line.

But to say that he was the biggest reason the 49ers lost is unjustifiable. Moreover, what many seem to dismiss is how Smith was 17-of-20 in the first half and looked very sharp.

The imbalanced and questionable play calling was an integral key to the 49ers' loss and needs to improve. Overall, I'd definitely say that the blame should be spread equally, as the entire team and coaching staff simply failed to execute last week. 

At the same time, Smith could have definitely played much better, and I expect him to when the New Orleans Saints come to town on Monday Night Football. 

Call me crazy, but I predict the motivated club will beat the defending champs and eventually will win the NFC West. Of course, that's a very difficult task to complete, and I wish them the best of luck on their journey.