Alex Smith: The Unfortunate One.

It is an interesting tale, the one of Alex Smith. He was the number 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, struggled for years and with the help of new head coach Jim Harbaugh improved to the point of no longer being called a bust, only to get benched after a concussion in November to give way for Colin Kaepernick to flourish in his place. He spent the rest of the year as a very professional and supportive backup quarterback and since his replacement took the team to the Superbowl, it hasn't looked like he would be starting any games in San Francisco any time soon.

Rumors have circulated recently about a trade taking place between the 9ers and both the Arizona Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs. Yesterday those rumors seemed to manifest themselves permanently in more reports of a definite agreement with the Chiefs. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News said that the 9ers will get the Chiefs' 2nd round pick plus a high selection in 2014. 

It is sad in a way to see Smith go, and by all accounts it looks like this deal will go down, but the fact is that Kaepernick is our guy now. I will get into that more at a later time, but I have always been an advocate and huge fan of Kaepernick. Smith would have remained a solid backup and that could always be useful with a starter who runs as much as Kaepernick does and puts himself at greater risk for injury.  However Smith is a competitor and has a need to start and you can't blame him. I wish him all the best in whatever his future holds. 2013 should be a great year for him!

Go 9ers!