Will it Last Part 5: Alex Smith seeks Redemption, while Tebow gets thrown under a bus

Will it Last?

How many times do we see a team or a player exceed expectations in a football game and we think, there is no way that can last. That player is either too young or not that good. That team had an easy week or the ball just bounced that way. Most times it does not last, but every so often those early signs are premonitions of what is to come. In this weekly column we will look at 3 players and 3 teams who jumped out.

Players

Alex Smith: Lets get one thing straight; he is not setting the world on fire and will probably still give way to Colin Kaepernick in a year or two. That being said he is a huge reason the 49ers are 6-1. Jim Harbaugh is an amazing coach. He has Alex Smith managing games and being efficient. Alex Smith is completing 63% of his passes, throwing for only 1267 yards but 11.01 yards per completion, and has thrown 9 TD’s to 2 int’s. With these efficient numbers the question is will it last? Yes, though mostly to the coaching staff, the dominate run game, and a dominate defense. Alex Smith finally gets some redemption. Will last this season.

Tim Tebow: This kid is a savior one week and the worst starting QB the next? Neither is correct. He is 1-1 and led a great comeback against the Dolphins. He is only averaging 14 points a game in two starts. Here is the deal: He is playing on a bad team, with little talent, behind a bad OL, and with an offense that doesn’t correlate with his skill set. If the offense doesn’t do more roll outs, QB draw plays, and operate primarily out of shot-gun than he will be out of his starting job soon…with John Fox as coach I sense this continuing. Will Last

Christian Ponder: Ponder appears to be very NFL ready. He has great athleticism and accuracy. It appears in the NFL two things are required from a QB. Intangibles that allow others to follow you. Accuracy that allows you to be consistent. Ponder has both of these things. He is playing well due to the fact that Adrian Peterson allows him to pass less often than a Cam Newton. I think his numbers will fade down the stretch but Vikings fans will be very excited for next season. Numbers will go down a bit

Team

1. San Diego Chargers: Wow, the teams they have beaten: Vikings, Chiefs (when they were struggling), Dolphins, and Broncos. The teams they have lost to: Patriots, Jets, and Chiefs. This is a mediocre team who will beat easy teams and lose to most of the quality opponents they face. The defense is not dominant any more and Phillip Rivers is struggling mightily. Playoffs are far from guaranteed with this team. Will be inconsistent all season long

2. Green Bay Packers: A team that has the best QB in the NFL, one of the best coaching staffs, a solid run game, and a turnover forcing defense is recipe for success. The Packers get on you early and force you to play their style of game. Plus they have one of the best home field advantages in the NFL. Will they go undefeated? No, their Achilles heal is their run game and defending the run. That will give them 1-2 losses. So they will settle for 14-15 wins. Will last for the foreseeable future and until Rogers retires.

3. St. Louis Rams: With a solid victory over the New Orleans Saints the Rams get some respect now. Will it translate into a decent season? I think so; the hard part of their schedule is over. They play the Cardinals and Seahawks 4 times. I think 7 wins is still salvageable. If they can get to 7-9 than I think this team will be contenders the following year. If not than Spagnuolu and Bradford will face a lot of heat this offseason. Will enjoy a good second half.