Alex Smith/Aaron Rodgers

[NYJets30]

Most people on here probably remember the big debate a few years ago: Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers as the #1 overall pick? Obviously it's easy to sit here and say that Rodgers is the better QB. Smith was terrible as a starter, lost his job to a guy named JT O'Sullivan, and is now injured for the year and probably done in San Francisco, if not the NFL.

Meanwhile, Rodgers is looking very good this season starting for a team who is expected to contend for a spot in the Super Bowl.

My question is this: If you reversed the situations, would the results be the same? If Rodgers goes #1 to the 49'ers and gets thrown into the fire right away, would he have performed as badly as Smith? And likewise, if Smith falls to the Packers and gets to sit and learn behind Brett Favre, would he be performing as well as Rodgers is?

[cubuffsman78]

This is a hard topic to speculate and would make a great column for someone to research. Maybe I'll assign it...

Anyway, let me stop thinking like an editor. I think the trend is showing it's better for most QBs to sit and learn. Smith probably would have benefited from having some time to sit. He wasn't NFL ready.

There is precedence of QBs coming in right away, starting and finding success. Troy Aikman comes to mind for me. Dallas threw him into the fire and it was a disaster of Katrina proportions. However, Aikman was tough mentally, bounced back and had a Hall of Fame career.

Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are two rookies being thrown to the lions this season. Both are being protected. I think both will probably be OK in the long run. I think Ryan will turn out to be a very, very good QB.

Brady Quinn is getting a chance to sit and learn. I think that's going to do well for him once he gets his shot, which will probably be sometime this season.

So to answer your question, the sit or play factor with QBs has to assessed on an individual basis. Smith would've been better to sit and wait. There were questions about his skill package and if he was worth the No. 1 overall pick. The Niners were desperate, though.

[NYJets30]

You didnt really answer the questions, are you saying that you think Rodgers would have floundered and Smith had success if the situations were reversed?

[cubuffsman78]

Originally Posted by NYJets30 You didnt really answer the questions, are you saying that you think Rodgers would have floundered and Smith had success if the situations were reversed?

Yes. I think both QBs are prototypes of signal callers who need to sit and learn.

[Plugs22]

W/E QB was drafted by SF that year was doomed to fail IMO....the team was terrible and in HUGE salary cap troubles. Frank Gore was the only offesnive weapon on the entire team, and the defense has been terrible.

I think Rodgers was more NFL ready and would've handled the situation in Sf better, I am not saying he would;ve been super successful in SF, he would've struggled to but I don't think he would've been as bad as Alex Smith though and I think the fans in SF would be more willing to stick with Rodgers at this point than they are with Smith.

Now flip it and is Smith would've been the Packers pick and had the chance to sit behind Favre the last 3 years I actually beleive that Brett Favre would've been a Packer this year. Smith to me was a product of Urban Meyer's offensive system and that system does no translate into the NFL very well and I don't think that McCarthy and the PAckers staff would not have felt as comfortable with Smtih as they did with Rodgers this off-season.

[kevmvp]

I personally think the rookie QB's need to sit and learn on the bench. I think it makes a big difference.

[porky88]

If I remember correctly, Rodgers was very immature when he came to the Packers. He was a little full of himself or so the story goes. I'm not sure how much of that is true or not. Anyways sitting behind Favre allowed him to mature more and he was a little more humbled.

I think Rodgers would of probably failed in San Francisco too but on the flip side I think Smith probably wouldn't of worked out as well in Green Bay as Rodgers.

[onetwo]

Originally Posted by porky88 If I remember correctly, Rodgers was very immature when he came to the Packers. He was a little full of himself or so the story goes. I'm not sure how much of that is true or not. Anyways sitting behind Favre allowed him to mature more and he was a little more humbled. I think Rodgers would of probably failed in San Francisco too but on the flip side I think Smith probably wouldn't of worked out as well in Green Bay as Rodgers.

i agree with this 100%

[Saint33]

porky nailed it on the head