Alex Smith: The 49ers were completely dysfunctional

[Music] those first you know many years in San Francisco there were a number of critics to say the least and I wanted to mention a couple moments and just get you to recall yeah what was on your mind when you heard it at the time yeah the first one being Jerry Rice saying you aren't the quarterback of the future yeah arguably the greatest football player ever you know I think that's an easy argument to make you know definitely obviously one of the greatest 49ers ever a Niner legend certainly the heyday of the Niners what we were all achieving to try to get back to you know and yeah that to be so vocal about about me you know it clearly is lack of support and and what he thought about me you certainly heard you know you can with those were certain times those are hard to you know you know hard to cancel out so yeah you hear them you know they're there yeah so stuff you're something like a politician that was happy yeah I mean you know yeah does it like for sure I just think it's like this guy say I mean like yeah I mean I think in the time I knew I knew how dysfunctional the work environment I was in at the time what it was it as a young player three head coaches seven offensive coordinators 17 different starting wide receivers over the course of seven seasons I mean in order for anybody their success you have stability yeah you had none of that yeah and I mean just the culture at the time in the building you know those first six years for me yeah I mean I I knew that it was really dysfunctional I knew that this wasn't the way that successful places operated but when you're a young QB you can't it's hard to vocalize that it's hard to stand up and say that it's hard to make the change cuz you don't necessarily at that point I don't know what the right thing totally looks like right at the NFL level could I haven't been around it yet I do know that that the situation I in was not the right way you know I I didn't know that I mean I knew we were this was not healthy dish the culture I mean everything about it forget the coaching changes I'm talking just the culture of the building was not what was it the focus yeah I mean just unhealthy completely dysfunctional I am what made it though different people on different wavelengths not a clear communication not a clear goal of the entire building very separated and even then I think that all trickled into the locker room where we had it was very separated locker room offense defense special teams wasn't a selfless unit not everybody putting the team first I mean I think all those things that come with dysfunction that are the opposite of of what healthy organizations and team environments have yeah but you just you're just so young right like I said I didn't know what a good place I didn't know what the answers totally were how to get there so vocalizing that was hard as a young guy and so that was what made it really frustrating I think when yeah you did have guys like Gerry did have guys that were so vocal about it because I as a players you're the one getting put out there right I'm the one that gets put out there and how many times were you booed by the home crowd yeah yeah I mean there definitely was a few year period where I was far more comfortable playing on the road that I looked forward to road games really oh yeah that the pressure of the home game fans turning on us turn it on yeah that was a lot for sure they were certainly times leading up to that moments of such poor play and product that it for sure justified right like it was bad it was bad bad ball that we were putting out there certainly leading up to the to the one that really obviously sticks out to me I definitely member I think it was a Sunday night game playing against coach Reid he was then at Philadelphia I was in at at Candlestick Sunday night game and and you know it goes we were capable of it as a team so much better so much more this was the same team that the next year went thirteen and three and that we were underachieving and not not not playing to our potential and I think fans certainly frustrated yeah and then getting booed Sunday night in front of everybody national TV crowd and just it you know feel like I'm battling and and felt like I'm the guy that's getting exposed out there you know that there were a lot of other things that I'm taking the brunt of you know and and that I'm not all of a sudden I'm dealing with a head coach on the sideline that's in my face and and screaming at me on top of fans chanting for the backup you know and I was trying to trying to please all these people right you know I felt like a head coach they didn't understand at all what it took you know and being put in a getting put out there in a situation that's not optimal to go succeed and taking all that and and yeah you know and I think they're finally a moment we were just like man this is screw this right I'm tired of I'm tired of trying to please all these different people you know I'm done with this and really kind of being not that kind of culmination of all that and I'm just gonna you go play for my teammates and play for me and and I'm not gonna worry about the rest of this stuff [Music] [Music]

Channel: Graham Bensinger

Views: 406,046

Keywords: Alex Smith criticism, Jerry Rice Alex Smith, 49ers dysfunction, Alex Smith 49ers, Jerry Rice criticism, Alex Smith interview, Alex Smith, Alex Smith quarterback, Alex Smith fans, Graham Bensinger, 49ers fans, Jerry Rice, 49ers quarterback

Id: ZB6CtgLngLI

Length: 5min 45sec (345 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 13 2017