San Francisco 49ers have a problem and it's a good problem. It's either Colin Kaepernick or Alex Smith at the starting job as the battle for the starting quarterback headlines Week 13.
Both quarterbacks have been great without a doubt, however, Kaepernick has started consecutive games and led the team to consecutive victories following an embrassing tie with the St. Louis Rams.
With Smith out with a concussion, Kaepernick stepped up and defeated the Chicago Bears without a problem and most recently defeated the New Orleans Saints.
Harbough was very passive and tentative about who he would start in Week 13, but said both quarterbacks were playing at a high level, which made the decision very hard.
Smith has been their man for a while and, as of late, has been winning in the past two seasons. He was a No. 1 overall pick back in 2005.
It took some while for the quarterback to be everything the 49ers wanted him to be, but they stuck with him.
Last 2011-2012 was his best season. He had only 17 touchdowns and impressively only throwing five interceptions.
However, those 17 touchdowns don't qualify Smith as a dominant quarterback. For me, he has always been decent, but the 49ers win because of their defense and running game, which is the formula that even made Mark Sanchez successful in New York in his first two seasons.
Kaepernick packs a gun and like many analysts have noticed, he can create more plays and extend plays that look dead in a way Smith can't. Kaepernick can escape the rush and even score TD's with his legs.
However, out of respect for Smith, he should get the ball. They have won with Smith all this time and fell just a couple of plays short of a Super Bowl appearance in 2011-2012.
How do the players feel?
Vernon Davis, who caught 83 yards and a TD in Kaernick's first start against the Bears, said "Colin is the man," following the game. He sounded like Samuel L. Jackson in Shaft.
However, following his no catch for no yards and no touchdown performance against the Saints, Davis said he still believes Smith is their starter. He described the tame has having "two great playmakers."
At the end of the day, Harbough is expected to make the decision.
Harbough said he would inform reporters of who he would start before the start of the game.
Check outstats for both quarterbacks.
Alex Smith:
| CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | AVG | TD | LNG | INT | FUM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 152 | 217 | 1,731 | 70 | 8 | 13 | 55 | 5 | 4 |
Colin Kaepernick:
| CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | AVG | TD | LNG | INT | FUM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 74 | 680 | 65 | 9 | 3 | 57 | 1 | 3 |
