NFL: A new beginning for Alex Smith

I couldn't help but feel like I was having flashbacks while watching Alex Smith play quarterback for the 49ers in the second half of their loss to the Texans last week.

He had time to throw. His weapons were spread out, they got open and they got caught his passes. He was accurate. He made good decisions. He was poised. He used his legs to scramble. He didn't have a defensive lineman or linebacker in his face two seconds after taking a snap. He put points on the board.

Was this 2004 — the year he took the original BCS-busting Utes to unprecedented heights — all over again?

It sure seemed like it.

Smith's pro career has been hampered by injuries, poor pass protection, below-average skill players surrounding him and failed expectations. There's no doubt that after being picked No. 1 overall in the 2005 NFL draft, he can't be considered anything but a bust — so far.

Now it may be time for him to bust out.

Smith, who will make his first start since Week 10 of the 2007 season when the 49ers play the Colts today, may finally have everything he needs in place to be successful as an NFL quarterback. He has a new head coach in Mike Singletary, what appears to be a legitimate No. 1 receiver in Michael Crabtree, and perhaps most importantly, a healthy throwing shoulder.

Smith's career started to go downhill when he first injured his shoulder during the 2007 season. He made the injury worse while playing with it after his former coach, Mike Nolan, questioned his toughness in 2007. That made a bad situation worse, and Smith had to have two surgeries to repair the damage. He spent the entire 2008 season on injured reserve.

I interviewed Smith back in March while he was in town for a few hours. He was here at an event sponsored by the Utah Dairy Farmers, talking to kids at Sunset Elementary about the importance of eating breakfast. It was somewhat surreal to be interviewing an NFL quarterback on the stage of an elementary school auditorium after he signed dozens and dozens of souvenirs for the young kids.

But I came away impressed with Smith after the interview, and confident that his NFL career was far from finished. He didn't shy away from tough questions or give any nonsense answers to what I asked. He seemed determined, eager to quiet his critics and confident that his NFL career would get back on track.

"I feel like, absolutely, the best is ahead of me," Smith told me on that cold, Monday morning. "It's just a matter of time. I'm going to continue to work hard and do what I've always done. I'm going to get there one way or another."