After last season’s heartbreaking overtime loss to the Giants in the NFC Championship, Alex Smith hoped he’d get another chance to the Super Bowl. Now that he’s there, it’s nothing like he envisioned.
The 49ers former starting quarterback, who has been relegated to backup duty since a mid-season concussion opened the door for Colin Kaepernick’s emergence, was in high-demand at Tuesday’s Super Bowl Media Day in New Orleans and faced a bevy of questions about how it feels to have faded from the forefront.
Though Smith lost his job this season, he thinks that it will not be long before he’s able to display his abilities again. The Jets face questions at quarterback with Mark Sanchez coming off his worst season, and new GM John Idzik planning to bring competition in. Whether or not it is an option as expensive as Smith, remains to be seen.
“I still feel I have my best football ahead of me,” Smith said, according to CSN Bay Area.
“In that sense, I feel like I’ve gotten better and better. I feel like I’m capable of playing at a high level. So, yeah, I’m excited for my next opportunity, wherever that comes.”
Smith, the top overall pick in the 2005 draft, had led the 49ers to a 6-2 record while posting a career-high 70.2 completion percentage with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Smith is scheduled to make $8.5 million next season and is unlikely to return to the 49ers next season. Though it is unlikely he will see any action on Sunday, Smith is still focused on this season.
“I want to win on Sunday,” Smith said. “I want a ring. After Sunday there will be enormous amounts of time to talk or think about that stuff. For me, it’s about staying focused and being ready.
“We’re in the Super Bowl. We’re a little removed now from when the switch was made, so I’m not thinking about that stuff. For me, just getting ready to go.”