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Steve Young impressed by Alex Smith despite lack of deep balls

Alex Smith is more efficient than explosive and that is fine, Steve Young said.

By Ryan Rosenblatt
Ralph Freso

Alex Smith's San Francisco 49ers are 6-2 with a two-game lead atop the NFC West. So all those shouts about not having an explosive offense? The 49ers aren't worried. They are pretty efficient and damn effective, long passes or not.

Steve Young doesn't see a problemwith the 49ers offense either. Everyone loves the deep pass, but San Francisco doesn't need it and Smith doesn't need it. He just had an 18-19 night for 232 yards and three touchdowns in a win despite never throwing a ball more than 20 yards in the air.

"No, there were no long ones, and people are going to peck away at that," Young told the Mercury News. "I don't know if that's their philosophy. With who they are, it's fine."

The 49ers aren't going to start airing the ball out anytime soon. They have an identity and that is a fantastic defense and efficient offense, not necessarily explosive. At 6-2, and with Smith throwing three touchdown passes, that is plenty good enough.