{"id":385331,"date":"2011-04-21T01:29:26","date_gmt":"2011-04-21T01:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/21\/niners-would-welcome-back-qb-alex-smith-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-21T01:29:26","modified_gmt":"2011-04-21T01:29:26","slug":"niners-would-welcome-back-qb-alex-smith-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/21\/niners-would-welcome-back-qb-alex-smith-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Niners would welcome back QB Alex Smith (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)\u2014The San Francisco 49ers<\/a> would welcome back quarterback Alex Smith<\/a> if the 2005 first overall pick wants to return.<\/p>\n

General manager Trent Baalke said Wednesday that the 49ers have extended an \u201colive branch\u201d to Smith to come back to the only NFL team he has ever known. All that started before the NFL locked out the players in the ongoing labor dispute.<\/p>\n

Smith can\u2019t sign with San Francisco\u2014or any other team\u2014until the labor situation is settled and free agency begins.<\/p>\n

New coach Jim Harbaugh already has expressed confidence in Smith as a quarterback in his system, and Baalke made it clear that the 49ers made an offer for the free agent to return.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s up to Alex to make the decision on whether he wants to be a 49er again,\u201d Baalke said. \u201cI think Jim\u2019s made it clear. We\u2019ve made it clear through the process that the olive branch has been extended.\u201d<\/p>\n

A call to Smith\u2019s agent, Howard Skall, and an email to the quarterback seeking comment weren\u2019t immediately returned.<\/p>\n

Smith was demoted and promoted several times last season and has had a different offensive coordinator every year since coming out of Utah. He has fallen out of favor with fans\u2014many of whom have booed him on several occasions \u2014 and has failed to lead the 49ers to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

With the lockout canceling offseason workouts, postponing free agency and threatening training camp, San Francisco is at a disadvantage perhaps more than most teams. David Carr<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> is the only quarterback on the roster, and asking a rookie to take the reins with a shortened offseason could be even more difficult.<\/p>\n

The 49ers have the No. 7 pick in next week\u2019s NFL draft and will likely take a quarterback at some point.<\/p>\n

Team president Jed York, speaking on a conference call forum with some 5,000 fans Wednesday night, had a little fun with the idea of Harbaugh\u2019s NFL playing history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t have a quarterback at least our head coach has been a quarterback in the league and we might suit him up for a couple of games. Jim has been working out hard,\u201d York said. \u201cObviously the quarterback position is the most important position on the field and (Trent and Jim) are going to figure out who the best guy is. They said today they\u2019d like Alex to be in the mix, but it\u2019s up to Alex to decide if he wants to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

While fans have wavered on Smith\u2019s ability to lead San Francisco, Baalke believes the quarterback\u2019s experience in the West Coast offense\u2014which Harbaugh plans to run\u2014and his time with the team make him a valuable option in an offseason of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe understands this building. He understands the system that coach is interested in running,\u201d Baalke said. \u201cFrom a dynamic standpoint, they obviously hit it off in their discussions. There\u2019s a lot of comfort in having somebody, especially in the situation we\u2019re in where there are so many unknowns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harbaugh, hired away from Stanford in January to replace the fired Mike Singletary, hit the field for a local pro day Wednesday featuring some 50 players\u2014his first time in a formal group practice situation. Dressed in a gray 49ers hoodie, black sweats and a black cap, Harbaugh greeted prospective draft picks on the final day the team could host players at its facility.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t specifically talk about Smith, but said there are certain tangibles he looks for in a quarterback.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys that can win, guys that can figure things out, guys that really have the DNA to be quarterbacks,\u201d Harbaugh said.<\/p>\n

While he hasn\u2019t had the opportunity to study Smith in person, there\u2019s plenty of recent history to revisit.<\/p>\n

Smith took over the starting job midway through 2009 and was entrenched as the starter heading into last season. After separating his non-throwing left shoulder Oct. 24 at Carolina, then-coach Singletary turned to 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> for the next five games\u2014even after Alex Smith was healthy again.<\/p>\n

Troy Smith went 3-2 as a starter, then it was Alex Smith\u2019s turn again for two games, including a commanding win over eventual NFC West champion Seattle. After a flop at San Diego, Singletary turned back to Troy Smith for a must-win game with the Rams on Dec. 26.<\/p>\n

That 25-17 loss cost the coach his job with one week to go. Jim Tomsula, serving a single-game stint as interim head coach, went with Alex Smith for a win against Arizona in the season finale.<\/p>\n

San Francisco finished 6-10, leaving the 49ers without a winning season since their last trip to the playoffs in 2002. Still, with limited options this offseason, the 49ers are open to seeing what Smith can do under Harbaugh\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how to keep beating the drum on this: Coach is very comfortable with him. I\u2019m very comfortable with him,\u201d Baalke said. \u201cWill Alex choose to come back here? You\u2019ll have to get him on the phone and ask him that question. He\u2019s certainly a guy we would like to throw into the mix.\u201d<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Link:
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