San Francisco 49ers: What Can Fans Expect from Alex Smith in 2011?

As we inch ever closer to a labor agreement, maybe we can finally start looking more seriously towards a full 2011 season.

For the 49ers, the preseason has already begun during player-led preseason mini-camps. At the forefront of organizing these gatherings is Alex Smith, the former first overall pick who has managed to be a journeyman quarterback despite never leaving the franchise that drafted him in 2005.

What else can you call a guy who has had virtually one new offensive coordinator for every year he's been in the league?

While Smith is a free agent, it's a virtual lock he will return to the Niners since he was handed a playbook during the 24 hours or so that teams were allowed to talk to their players in April.

So if Smith returns, what can we expect from him?

Certainly, Smith expects more from himself. One might think after several years of harsh criticism the same messages might just zip past him with no impact.

Smith, however, continues to hear them and, what's more, repeat them himself. In a recent article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Eric Branch relays that Smith has been looking at tape of the flaws in his game from last season—and thinks there are a lot of them.

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“I look back at last year’s tape and in a lot of ways (my) fundamentals in a lot of things we’re poor,” Smith said. “I look at my feet and some games (I was) very poor. Ball security in some different areas, even within the pocket, was poor. I just really felt like last year at certain points I played very rushed for some reason and I look to fix that.”

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As Branch then mentions, the hope is that a new coach and staff will help.

You can counter that the multiple staff changes didn't do anything but make things worse, but a lot of the old regimes were much more focused on the defense. The few who weren't (Mad Mike Martz as offensive coordinator comes to mind) didn't really play to Smith's strengths.

Martz is a great example, actually, as his scheme tends to leave his quarterbacks open to pressure and hits, two thing which Smith struggles with.

So in comes Jim Harbaugh and his "West Coast Offense" (the quotes are because, let's face it, the WCO is a much different beat than Bill Walsh's).

He loves quarterbacks and is pretty good at working with them. With Smith, he's likely to start from scrap. Those fundamentals Smith was unhappy with will be reshaped across the board. Smith is certainly smart enough to make the change.

If he can improve his footwork and feel the pocket better, the first thing fans will see would be an increase in his accuracy.

Certainly shoddy footwork alone can destroy that aspect of a quarterback's game, and Smith has definitely had issues with it. If Harbaugh and Smith can correct that aspect of his game, Harbaugh's version of the WCO should fit to Smith's strengths along the short routes and quick-timed releases that will keep pressure off him.

Along with a more solid delivery and stance, we're going to see more of a leadership role from Smith.

We've already seen it, actually, because the offseason/preseason/lockout workouts probably wouldn't happen without Smith. He's taken a firm hand in organizing them, running them and working with whomever shows up.

And all without a contract.

He's even avoided throwing petulant wide receiver Michael Crabtree under the bus, generally dealing with his absence as gracefully as he could.

Having a leader—a true leader—in the huddle can make a huge difference. When the chips are down and you're behind by two touchdowns late, a guy who is respected by his team, a guy who leads that team, can put the offense on his back and bring them back.

Tom Brady can do it. Mark Sanchez can do it (and let's face it—there are days he has problems doing a lot of other things). Manning, Freeman, Aaron Rodgers—their teams believe in these guys. These guys lead.

Can Alex Smith do it? We'll find out.

We've talked about some good things we can expect, but it won't be all smooth.

It's a new offense and an abbreviated offseason. Even if we get a full Training Camp, there were no OTA's or mini-camps, which is where a new offense tends to get installed.

Harbaugh and his staff will need to cram four months of work into four weeks. Smith will struggle on occasion. It won't help that Crabtree has been absent from workouts. The worth of the workouts themselves is hotly debated but even some soft run and catch will help timing between a quarterback and a wide receiver. And by not showing up, Crabtree is missing some valuable time to get on the same page as his likely starter.

In an offense built on timing, that's a problem.

So expect some early struggles as Smith works the kinks out. At the same time, don't expect him to get yanked for rookie Colin Kaepernick or backup David Carr.

The fact that Carr was leapfrogged by Troy Smith and never got a shot in 2010 speaks volumes. Kapernick has a ton of potential, but the offense is a complex one. And this lockout is only hampering his development.

So expect Alex Smith to remain starter most of the season, barring injury and despite some rough outings.

One hopes Smith takes advantage of another fresh start. He has a lot of work to do and fans will be watching closely.

The one other thing fans can expect is an interesting season.