• Articles
  • News
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Website Terms of Use
  • Contact
Total Packers - Green Bay Packers Blogs and News
  • Home
  • Analysis
  • Packers News
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Analysis
  • Packers News
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
No Result
View All Result
Total Packers
No Result
View All Result

Alex Smith Over Aaron Rodgers: 49ers Liked Safe Pick

Joseph Bonham by Joseph Bonham
April 26, 2016
in Uncategorized
9

Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers

We get to revisit this every year as the draft approaches. How the San Francisco 49ers chose Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers with the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft.

Rodgers, of course, would tumble all the way to the Packers at No. 24.

And while Smith is a safe, serviceable quarterback, Rodgers is a future Hall of Famer.

Bad 49ers.

Mike Nolan, the 49ers coach at the time, appeared on NFL Network Tuesday morning to rehash the team’s reasoning for choosing Smith over Rodgers.

He had plenty of them, too.

“It was one of those, maybe, paralysis by analysis. We had so much time to think about it,” Nolan said.

“We put a lot of stock in changing Aaron’s throwing style. We also got caught up a little bit in that Alex was so mobile. That was a good thing. But in the end, we felt Alex would be the better long-time guy. Obviously, we were wrong in that thought process.”

Alright.

This next one is even more interesting.

“The other thing as Alex at the time was a good kid – a very good person, a safe choice, always trying to please,” Nolan said. “On the other hand, Aaron was very cocky, very confident, arrogant. So you can say, ‘Why didn’t you take him to begin with?’ Because that’s really what your best quarterbacks look like. They aren’t very pleasing. They aren’t very safe.

“And as time has showed, that’s really how Alex plays. He doesn’t turn the ball over. He’s very secure with the ball. And on the other hand, Aaron is a slinger. He’s all over the place and makes great, big plays. Obviously, he’ll be a Hall of Fame player one day.”

Nolan ultimately admitted the 49ers should have chosen Rodgers.

Hindsight is always 20/20.

We’re pretty happy they went with the safe pick.

 

Tags: Aaron RodgersAlex SmithGreen Bay PackersSan Francisco 49ers
Previous Post

What Can the Packers Get for the No. 27 Pick?

Next Post

Ted Thompson’s Best Pick By Round

Romeo Doubs celebrates against Rams at Lambeau

Packers Bring Rams; Mayfield Back to Earth 24-12

December 20, 2022
Christian Watson and Aaron Rodgers

Packers vs Rams – Game Day: Week 15

December 19, 2022
QB Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love

Deju Vu: Is Jordan Love the new Aaron Rogers?

December 12, 2022
Christian Watson celebrates touchdown against the Chicago Bears - December 2022

Ownage With Plenty of Drama: Packers 28-19 Over Bears

December 4, 2022
Next Post
Ted Thompson

Ted Thompson's Best Pick By Round

Comments 9

  1. Avatar for vj vj says:
    7 years ago

    Johnny Manziel was pretty cocky too, so buyer beware. The QB position still remains the toughest position to evaluate. Add to that, some players may have had decent or better careers had they landed in the right spot and situation. Would Aaron Rodgers be the same player he is today w/o sitting behind another HOF’er? No one can really say…

  2. Avatar for jtmax jtmax says:
    7 years ago

    Rodgers was also a “good kid”. He had good grades, high IQ and never got in trouble. He was just very confident and aggressive and that can be confused with Cocky. You need aggressiveness in football. AJ Hawk’s main problem is the same as smith. Pansies.
    Manziel was always trouble, an alky and not very bright. Rodgers is the personality you want. A clean, responsible character but confident and aggressive and played against in Pac 10 filled with future NFL HOF defensive players like Troy Palomalu. Smith played in the WAC when they were extremely weak playing at division II level. You have to take everything into account. The great NFL quarterbacks have all the right stuff if you take everything into account. The niners did not take competition into account and that is a big problem. By the same token Wentz could be the next Smith and Goff the next Rodgers. My main concern with Wentz would be competition. Competition is pretty darn important.

  3. Avatar for RUPackFan RUPackFan says:
    7 years ago

    “[Alex is] very secure with the ball. And on the other hand, Aaron is a slinger. He’s all over the place…” Meanwhile, by far the best TD-INT ratio of all time

    • Avatar for PF4L PF4L says:
      7 years ago

      I was wondering if someone caught that, Nice.

      I think there’s a reason why Nolan’s had 16 different employers.

    • Avatar for Deepsky Deepsky says:
      7 years ago

      Rodgers had several issues early on. After the Packers drafted him he was throwing a lot of picks in the preseason and I was wondering if the Packers made a mistake. He got into a game in 2005 against the Ravens and threw a pick. You have to give McCarthy credit for fixing his mechanics and allowing him time to watch Favre and learn how NOT to throw picks.

      If Rodgers went to a team that needed him immediately, he never would have been as good.

  4. Avatar for Kato Kato says:
    7 years ago

    I lol’d at the notion that Rodgers is a “slinger.”

    I do think it suited Rodgers well to sit on the bench for a couple years, especially given the shitstorm the packers receivers were at the time. Driver and that was about it. And they let two pro bowl guards leave too.

  5. Avatar for Deepsky Deepsky says:
    7 years ago

    Alex Smith had a better QB rating last year than Aaron Rodgers.

    • Avatar for Kozak Kozak says:
      7 years ago

      LOL. I guess Nolan made the right choice.
      Ignore the other 9 years….

    • Avatar for jtmax jtmax says:
      7 years ago

      Deepsky,
      Are you saying that proves Smith is a better QB? Or do you just say something pointless for no reason?
      I guess you didn’t see the two winning/tying TD’s Rodgers threw against Lions and Cards over 50 yards with no time left then.
      Also saying that Rodgers would have failed if he were to start right away is a bunch of hypothetical BS coming out of your behind. That’s alot of reaching and imagination.
      People think TT is a genius for picking Rodgers but it’s more like every body else like you are clueless. If you even watched the WAC back then, they were playing division II football.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Total Packers - Green Bay Packers News and Rumors

Find It!

No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • Packers Season Recap: Best NFL Highlights from Green Bay
  • Comparing The 2022 First Round Wide Receivers with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs
  • Look Into the Top 5 Favorites of This Season’s 2023 Super Bowl
  • Reviewing Gutekunst, the Packers Roster and Coaches: Where Did it All Go Wrong: The Preseason Decisions
  • Packers Fall Apart in 4th: Lose 20-16 to End Season
  • Packers vs Lions – Game Day: Week 18
  • Packers Make Statement: Pound Vikings 41-17
  • Packers vs Vikings – Game Day: Week 17
  • Packers vs Vikings: The Pack Needs to Save the Season
  • Packers Deliver Huge Present: 26-20 Over Dolphins
  • Packers Bring Rams; Mayfield Back to Earth 24-12
  • Packers vs Rams – Game Day: Week 15

Popular Tags

A.J. Hawk Aaron Rodgers Brett Favre Brian Gutekunst Bryan Bulaga Charles Woodson Chicago Bears Chicago Bears Clay Matthews Clay Matthews III Dallas Cowboys Davante Adams Detroit Lions Eddie Lacy fans Featured free agents game analysis Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers Greg Jennings injuries Jay Cutler Jermichael Finley Jordy Nelson Julius Peppers Mike McCarthy Mike McCarthy Minnesota Vikings Morgan Burnett New England Patriots New Orleans Saints NFL Oakland Raiders Philadelphia Eagles predictions Randall Cobb Sam Shields San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks T.J. Lang Ted Thompson Ted Thompson Tramon Williams Ty Montgomery
No Result
View All Result
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Articles
  • News
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Website Terms of Use
  • Contact

© 2022 Total Packers -- This site is not affiliated with the Green Bay Packers or Packers.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Analysis
  • Packers News
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer

© 2022 Total Packers -- This site is not affiliated with the Green Bay Packers or Packers.com