alex smith san francisco 49ers - Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is a professional American football player and starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Smith was drafted with the 1st-overall pick in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft by San Francisco from the University of Utah. He started his first game during Week 5 of his rookie season, replacing former starter Tim Rattay. Though he started a total of seven games that season, he did not play well, throwing only one touchdown to eleven interceptions. In 2006, he was named the starting quarterback before the season and started all 16 games for the team, as well as seven games of the 2007 season.
Nagging shoulder injuries would keep him out of eight games in 2007, and following shoulder surgery, he missed all of 2008. He returned in 2009 and alternated as starting quarterback with Shaun Hill. He went into the 2010 season as the team's primary starting quarterback, but shoulder injuries again kept him on the sideline for several games. He was named the team's starter for 2011 and has started every game of the 2011 season.
