Alex Smith was one passing attempt short of qualifying for the NFL’s single-game completion percentage record by a quarterback, and he said after Monday night’s win that he had no idea about being so close to the mark.
“To be honest, I didn’t have any idea,” Smith responded when told about the mark on ESPN’s postgame show.
As if that wasn’t enough, he added that he didn’t know because “we’re not a stats team.”
“I don’t want to think about my stats or incompletions or anything like that,” Smith explained after the game. “I was kind of in a good rhythm, the whole offense was.”
Smith was 18/19 for 232 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in San Francisco’s 24-3 win over the Cardinals. You can question whether or not he was being truthful when he said he didn’t know about the stats, but if you’re a 49ers fan, you have to love that the team winning is the No. 1 focus in San Francisco.
Smith said in an interview with Lisa Salters that he probably should have thrown away more balls instead of taking sacks, and that that would have lowered his percentage. That acknowledgment doesn’t necessarily mean he was trying to protect his numbers; it could just mean he knows there were things he could have done better despite appearing to play a nearly flawless game.
Even though Smith says the team isn’t about stats, coach Jim Harbaugh apparently is. He is campaigning with the league to get the stats changed to give his quarterback the record. In the meantime, we’ll just be happy that the strong night from Smith led to the quote of the year from Harbaugh.
Photo credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE
