SideLion Report » Alex Smith

Conversing with the Competition: San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions

Zac Snyder — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:08:36 +0000

The NFC West was much maligned last year but the San Francisco 49ers are emerging as a legitimate team this year. They have to travel three time zones over to face the Lions who will have to deal with a short week following their appearance on Monday Night Football.

Matt Hamm writes about the San Francisco 49ers on Niner Noise and he was kind enough to answer some of my questions to help us get familiar with the Lions’ opponent this week.

Zac Snyder: What have been the biggest differences in the 49ers (besides wins) since Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach? (more…)

Lions Won’t Be Facing the Old Alex Smith

Ross Husson — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:56:58 +0000

If you haven’t been following the rest of the league this year, you might not know that the San Francisco 49ers are 4-1. Like the Lions, the 9ers have struggled in recent years and their last playoff appearance was in 2002. Adding insult to injury, the 49ers play in the NFC West and the division has been dismal for the last couple of years. The 49ers are off to a hot start and QB Alex Smith is a big reason why.

When you think or hear of Alex Smith, the words “bust” or “waste” probably pop up in your head. Smith was the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft but he hasn’t lived up to his hype or potential. In his rookie year, Smith threw one touchdowns compared to eleven interceptions. In his time at San Francisco, the 49ers haven’t once finished with a winning record. He’s been in the middle of many QB competitions, lost his starting spot many times, and for awhile it looked like his career was over.
(more…)

Getting to Know the Detroit Lions 2011 Opponents: San Francisco 49ers

Zac Snyder — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:00:47 +0000

With the NFL draft behind us and a lockout raging on, the opportunities to talk about real football are becoming fewer and fewer. That being the case, I have sought out bloggers that cover teams that the Lions will play in the 2011 season to get a glimpse into what is going on with those teams.

Granted, this exercise presumes that no games will be lost due to the lockout (a less risky proposition now than when I began this series). That might be a big step of faith, especially in regards to the preseason games, but I have a hard time operating under any other assumption. I know what happens when one assumes, let’s hope the labor situation doesn’t prove the old saying true. These Q&As aren’t meant to be any sort of game preview, it is obviously way too early for that. The subject teams may end up looking much different when the Lions play them compared to how they look now, but I anticipate this being a good introduction to each teams’ hopes, fears, needs, expectations, etc.

The Lions will have a short week to prepare for a week six game against the San Francisco 49ers after their appearance on Monday Night Football a week earlier. I was able to send some questions to Eric Melendez, the lead writer at Niner Noise, and he was kind enough to provide responses. Here we go…

(more…)