So the San Francisco 49ers today gave an extension to QB Alex Smith, essentially making him the de facto starter with the franchise through 2010. According to GM Scot McCloughan today:

“It wasn’t a tremendous amount of money, but it was enough that it shows we have faith in him,” McCloughan said. “From a business standpoint, if we didn’t think he was worth it, we wouldn’t have done it.”

I sure hope it was the equivalent of pennies on the dollar for an NFL salary these days, but I doubt it. The Niners should not have renewed his contract for more than the 2008 season and the answer is simple: Alex Smith is a bust. I’ll go into more detail as to why I believe this, but the answer is as clear as the Niners’ offensive statistics the last two years and their W-L record. As simple as that.

He has not lived up to the lofty status befitting an overall number one draft pick in the 2005 draft. We have to just owe up to the mistake. The Wunderlich was wrong, folks. And the numbers and performance just aren’t there. Neither is the fit. I give Smith credit for playing hard and having to deal with his own coach, Mike Nolan, backstabbing him in the locker room, but there was no way the Niners should have extended his contract for the next three years. To do that today signaled the team is ready for mediocrity through 2010.

Reason 1: The numbers do not show he is an NFL quality QB. Smith barely played half a season in 2007 due to injuries, most notably the shoulder injury he suffered in week 4 against the Seahawks. But let’s look at his best (and that’s arguable) season and that’s 2006. 2,890 yards, 16 pass TDs, 16 INTs and a 74.8 QB rating. Sorry, but that’s not good enough, not in the NFL, not in this day and age. You can say that the numbers in 2007 (injury notwithstanding) should have been better but they weren’t. Those are backup QB type numbers.

Reason 2: He should have performed better despite the offensive line issues. People make a big deal out of the fact that the O-line in SF stinks. Well, he had open wide receivers and one of the most beastly tight ends in the game, Vernon Davis, open on many occasions. He doesn’t read defenses well, he gets jittery in the pocket, he makes bad decisions. His line gave him enough time to throw the short pass to the open receiver, and he did not make plays. I’ll give some of the blame to the conservative play calling but the playbook was open enough to allow for him to showcase his skills and he’s fallen flat.

Reason 3: Shaun Hill is a better QB. Get ready for QB controversy in San Francisco. Hill certainly outplayed Smith in the three games he played at the end of the season, showing moxie and ability to at least be consistent and not turn the ball over. The extent of the controversy I mention will largely bedetermined by how much the media wants to play this angle up and how much Smith was given in his re-upped contract. The more he makes and sits, the more controversy. Of course, Nolan and the Niners, despite the former’s criticism of Smith, drafted the guy and so they feel loyalty to keep playing him. This loyalty will just end up costing the team money and time and serve to be a distraction. It will soon be evident that Hill is the better quarterback but that neither is well-suited to take this team to another level. They would have to open the purse strings and go after a quality NFL veteran to do that.

So where does this leave San Francisco? With mediocre QB play the next three years and continuing criticism by fans of the Niners management. I think improving the O-line can see some immediate improvements but let’s not kid ourselves: this team needs a playmaker at the QB position for this team to make the playoffs and have any kind of success there once they reach the second season.