27-year old Alex Smith was much more than a game manager as he led the Niners to a 13-3 record and a first round bye in the playoffs.  Smith played in 16 games (all starts) for the 49ers this year and he completed 274 of 446 passes (61.4%) for 3,150 yards with 17 TD passes and only 5 INTs (90.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 52 times for 179 yards (3.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs this year.  Smith has now played in 70 games (66 starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 1,138 of 1,960 passes (58.1%) for 12,549 yards with 68 TD passes and 58 INTs (76.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 181 times for 629 yards (3.5 ypc) with 4 TD runs so far in his career.  The 49ers are now 32-34 (48.5%) with Smith as the starting QB.  Alex Smith is starting to repay the 49ers for not giving up on him when it would have been really easy to do.

24-year old rookie Colin Kaepernick pretty much just held a clipboard in his rookie season.  He played in 3 games (0 starts) for the 49ers this year and he completed 3 of 5 passes (60%) for 35 yards without a TD pass or INT (81.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 2 times for -2 yards (-1.0 ypc) this year.

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s faith in 27-year old QB Alex Smith has paid off in spades.  Smith is playing, by far, the best football of his NFL career so far this year.  He has played in 13 games for the 49ers this year and he has completed 221 of 358 passes (61.7%) for 2,565 yards with 15 TD passes and 5 INTs (91.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 39 times for 141 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  The 49ers need Alex Smith to keep playing well if they are going to make a legit Super Bowl run this season.

22-year old OLB Aldon Smith has been outstanding as a rookie for the Niners this year.  He was the 49ers’ first round pick last April out of Missouri.  He has played in all 12 games for the Niners so far this year and he has 23 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 4 passes defensed.  The defense has been a big part of the 49ers’ success this year and Aldon Smith has been a big part of it.  His upside has got to be scary for the rest of the teams in the NFC West.

27-year old QB Alex Smith is getting the bad rap of being a “game manager” for the 49ers.  I have even called him that, but, he has been much more than that.  Smith has played in 10 games for the Niners so far this year and he has completed 171 of 274 passes (62.4%) for 1,976 yards with 13 TD passes and 4 INTs (93.9 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 34 times for 122 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  Head coach Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff have done a really good job with Alex Smith as he is starting to live up to the ability that the Niners thought he had when they drafted him.

30-year old cornerback Carlos Rogers is really stepping up big time for the 49ers this year.  He has played in 9 games for the Niners this year and he has 26 tackles, 11 passes defensed, 5 interceptions (one returned for a TD) and 2 tackles for a loss.  Rogers has now played in 87 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 326 tackles, 13 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), 87 passes defensed, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 9 tackles for a loss.  Rogers had the reputation of having a brick set of hands with Washington, but he’s catching the ball like a WR so far this year.

Let’s be frank, the 49ers sucked last year when they were 6-10.  The Niners then went out and signed up 47-year old Jim Harbaugh to take over as the head coach.  He has brought toughness his team overall as they play hard on both sides of the ball.  The Niners are averaging 25.8 points per game and they are only averaging 14.8 points per game so far this year.  The result is that the 49ers have the second best record in the NFL with a 7-1 record.  There is no reason to think they are going to slow down any time soon as Harbaugh is the right man for the job.

WR Ted Ginn and rookie RB Kendall Hunter have been giving the 49ers excellent starting field position for the offense this year.  Ginn has returned 15 kickoffs for 447 yards (29.8 avg) with 1 TD return.  He also has returned 22 punts for 291 yards (13.2 avg) with 1 TD return this year.  Kendall Hunter has returned 3 kickoffs for 81 yards (27.0 avg) this year, when teams elect to kick the ball away from Ginn.  The Niners have now returned 18 kickoffs for 528 yards (29.3 avg) with 1 TD return and 22 punts for 291 yards (13.2 avg) with 1 TD return.  The Niners need these guys to keep up the good work.

The San Francisco 49ers are averaging 131.5 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.  The running game is allowing the Niners to chew the clock while also making things a lot easier for Alex Smith.  Frank Gore has really picked up the pace the last couple of weeks.  He has played in six games for the Niners so far this year and he has carried the ball 109 times for 541 yards (5.0 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  Gore has also caught 12 passes for 71 yards (5.9 avg) so far this year as he has been a workhorse for the Niners.  Rookie Kendall Hunter is making a good first impression for the Niners.  He has played in all six games for the 49ers so far this year and he has carried the ball 37 times for 166 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Hunter has also caught 4 passes for 74 yards (18.5 avg) this year.  He has been playing really well and he has given Frank Gore to get a break once in a while.  Anthony Dixon hasn’t been used much so far this year.  He has played in all six games for the 49ers this year but he has only carried the ball 4 times for 10 yards (2.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The Niners need to keep the running game cranked up the rest of the year.

27-year old QB Alex Smith is playing the best football of his NFL career right now for the 49ers.  He has played in all five games for the Niners so far this year and he has completed 83 of 126 passes (65.9%) for 965 yards with 7 TD passes and 1 INT (104.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 11 times for 42 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  Smith has been a excellent “game manager” type of QB for the Niners as new head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t asking him to win games with his arm.

27-year old TE Vernon Davis has quickly become Alex Smith’s go-t0 man in 2011.  Smith has completed an amazing 19 of 23 passes (82.6%) when throwing to Davis so far this year.  Davis has played in all four games for the Niners so far this year and he has caught 19 passes for 224 yards (11.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Davis is the leader for the Niners in both receptions and receiving yards.  I don’t see that changing any time soon as long as he can stay healthy.