San Francisco 49ers: 5 Reasons Alex Smith Is Out and Colin Kaepernick Is In

Many articles will be published about how great Alex Smith is today. I wanted to serve a bit of reality to my friends in the Niner Faithful.

We have all read the ruckus. Column after column describing what some 49er fans would call the beginning to the greatest comeback in NFL history.

"Alex is leading his team," "Alex Smith is taking control of the 49ers," and so on and so forth.

Even the fans who couldn't stand Alex two weeks ago are now singing his praises.

Well, I'm not. At least not the same song.

I appreciate him organizing the team and teaching (what he knows of) the playbook to them. Every 49er fan should be grateful for that.

He should also be commended for his good attitude, as usual. This is all great stuff.

But make no mistake, Alex is not going to be playing QB in San Francisco for long. Alex is a warm body. Nothing more than a tool to help the new 49er quarterback transition to his new position.

Coach Jim Harbaugh has already chosen his next prodigy, and it's Colin Kaepernick.

I could write 20, but here are the five most obvious reasons Alex Smith is out and Colin Kaepernick is in.

Alex Smith

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 02: Alex Smith #11 of the San Francisco 49ers is sacked by Darnell Dockett #90 of the Arizona Cardinals during an NFL game at Candlestick Park on January 2, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty I

It seems many memories in the Bay Area are short.

Not mine.

Alex Smith has shown me everything I need to see.

Like I said earlier, I am grateful for him organizing the team and teaching them (what he knows of) the playbook. I have always liked Alex Smith as a person.

As far as quarterbacking, last year was the straw that broke this camels back.

Yes, the team was a mess. Yes, he had a million different coordinators. All that is well known.

For some reason, what isn't well known or acknowledged at least, are the costly mistakes Alex would make in almost every game. Mistakes that have nothing to do with coordinator or play book or anything besides Alex Smith.

I refuse to make the same mistake over and over again. I will not buy into to this rebirth of Alex. Sorry guys.

Thank you for making the transition smooth though Alex. You may not be a great quarterback, but you are a class act.

Better Stature for an NFL Quarterback

Colin Kaepernick is almost 6'5", 240 lbs.

Colin has the ideal build for an NFL quarterback in the year 2011.

He dwarfs an above average Alex Smith.

In a game like football, every inch counts, especially when trying to see or throw over huge defensive lineman.

Having the stronger frame and extra few pounds means a lot when trying to shed sacks (see Ben Roethlisberger).

Have you ever seen Alex Smith break a tackle?

Superior Athlete

There is no comparing the physical skills of Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick.

Colin can run faster, jump higher and is much stronger than Alex Smith.

He is the superior athlete. Period.

Colin Has a Cannon

Colin has the biggest arm in the 2011 draft class.

More importantly, for this article, he has a much better arm than Alex Smith.

Pundits love to talk about mechanics this and that. The facts are mechanics aren't as important as the so-called "analysts" make them out to be.

Coach Harbaugh told ESPN,

"

“Anybody who’s ever thrown something, whether it’s picking up a rock and throwing it or throwing a baseball or throwing a football or throwing anything, you throw how you throw. It matters what the ball does more than how you do it,”

"

When Colin throws the ball it does good things.

Colin can make any throw on the field.

Colin Kaepernick Is Coach Harbaugh's Guy

The final and most telling reason is Coach Harbaugh.

Coach Harbaugh along with GM Trent Baalke wanted CK. They traded three picks to make sure they got him. They spent their second pick in the draft for him. They were trying to trade up into the first round to get him but couldn't.

Harbaugh met with CK at 49er headquarters in Santa Clara and played catch with him in Nevada. Baalke and Harbaugh spent a huge amount of time investigating their options and wanted Colin Kaepernick on the 49ers.

So please understand, Harbaugh wanted Colin Kaepernick. He was no second choice. Nothing has changed since then.

Coach Harbaugh didn't draft Alex Smith. He inherited him. Harbaugh would not have gone to the great lengths mentioned above if he believed Alex Smith was the answer.

It is obvious Baalke doesn't believe in Alex by his comments to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com on Jan. 12th, 2011,

"

"Is the quarterback of the future on this roster? I think it's obvious that he isn't at this point, but things could change and they will change through one of those three vehicles." (referring to draft, free agency, or trade)

"

Even Alex Smith acknowledged it in his interview with Kawakami on June 2nd, 2011,

"

“Yeah, with (Kaepernick) drafted, it did remind me a lot of when I came in, and Tim Rattay,” Smith said. “And I did think back about how good Tim was. How easy it would be to be bitter and to be an ass.

“Those guys did it the right way with me, and I’m going to do the same thing. Colin’s a really nice guy.”

"

Did what?

Made the transition easy.

That is what Alex is still here for. To make the transition easy. Alex knows it. He understands his role. Harbaugh knows it. It's time Niner fans and the media do too.

Colin Kaepernick is Harbaugh's guy. Harbaugh will see that his guy makes it happen in San Francisco.

Mark my words Niner Fans.

Thank you for reading.

Please follow me on Twitter  @ryanthebroker.