Alex Smith Version 2.0 represents the Bay Area’s best quarterback hope, and that is more scary than soothing, more of a trick than a treat.

No knock on Smith, who’s attempting a Plunkett-arian rebirth, but the 49ers and Raiders are in quarterback trouble once again. Each franchise’s fall from grace is traced to instability and ineffectiveness at quarterback. That ground remains as liquefied as ever.
So they’re desperately squeezing every last once of potential from their one-time top overall draft picks: Smith (No. 1 in 2005) with the 49ers and JaMarcus Russell (No. 1 in 2007) with the Raiders.
Smith, on the rebound from rock bottom, officially reclaimed his starting job Monday. Russell remains in free fall, gallingly doing so without a hint of accountability.
Sunday’s respective losses by the 49ers (24-21 in Houston) and Raiders (38-0 to the New York Jets) showcased the tangled webs that exist on their quarterback depth charts.
Russell’s first career benching Sunday exemplifies how poorly the Raiders and 49ers developed their No. 1 draft picks. He’s taken Smith’s path to bust-ville rather than the one less traveled.
Russell hit a new low, however, when I asked him postgame at his locker if he or the team was responsible for his disappointing development.
“I don’t think it’s me personally. I really don’t,” Russell responded. “It’s a bad combination of one guy doesn’t do something right one time. I personally don’t think it’s me. Do you think so?”
“At times,” I responded.
He didn’t sneer. His eyebrows peaked, he smiled and said, “All right.” End of interview.
He accepted my retort in the cool, laid-back nature that’s drawn criticism throughout his 7-16 record as a starter.
Russell most definitely is at fault when he can’t line up his team in the right formation, feel a pocket collapse and thus yields another fumble on a sack (see: Sunday’s first snap). Same thing when his maligned mechanics and decision making result in dumbfounding interceptions (see: Sunday’s pair).
But he is not to blame all the time. His supporting cast deserves flogging: young receivers who drop passes, offensive linemen who couldn’t care less about protecting him, and coaches who can’t get through to him.
Al Davis’ lack of a supporting cast with personnel decisions could be the biggest root of this evil. But that is letting the players off too easy, allowing them to escape without any accountability, as Russell is attempting.
He personally doesn’t think he is to blame? What true franchise quarterback would say that instead of falling on the sword for his team? Oh yes, the Raiders quarterback would do that, because he knows the Raiders’ dysfunctional record can back up his claim. Plus, he knows Bruce Gradkowski is no threat to his starting job.
A.D. Football Inc. devoted this season to solving Russell’s worth. Amazingly, that sorry answer has come before the season’s halfway mark, leaving nine games for him to pull a rabbit out of that ski cap he wears on the sideline.
What’s dooming Russell also wrecked Smith’s first foray as the 49ers quarterback: a lack of leadership skill, a dizzying rotation of offensive coordinators, head-coaching chaos, a dearth of play-making receivers and no sight of Pro Bowl linemen.
A shoulder injury put the brakes on Smith’s downward spiral. His inability to win the starting job before Monday “let him develop that hunger, let him get excited if (he) gets an opportunity again, let him develop some confidence,” coach Mike Singletary said Monday. “I don’t think it’s the same old Alex. He’s matured, grown and is ready to play.”
Russell needs a similar wake-up call. But the NFL’s impatient society — bred by millions in guaranteed contracts — forces this 24-year-old bonus baby to mature faster than he can.
Raiders coach Tom Cable claimed Russell was “out of sorts” from the get-go Sunday. What can be done to prevent that from reoccurring at the next get-go? “That’s the million-dollar question,” Cable responded.
Is Smith the answer to the 49ers’ offensive woes? Don’t be silly, just be cautiously optimistic. He provided a spark against a Houston Texans defense protecting a hefty lead.
Smith is still stuck with a suspect offensive coordinator, a raw receiving corps, an iffy offensive line, a run-oriented and unproductive scheme and an unfavorable history on his side. Plus, Smith reclaims his starting role just in time to face the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning, the same matchup that overwhelmed him in his first career start in 2005.
So much for hope.