Remember when life was simple for Alexander Douglas Smith? All he had to worry about was the notoriety of being taken with the first pick in the 2005 NFL draft by a 49ers team in the midst of eight consecutive losing seasons. And being paired with novice head coach Mike Nolan whose expertise lay on the defensive side of the ball. And then being passed off to Mike Singletary, another head coaching novice whose expertise consisted of knocking quarterbacks down, not building them up.
There was the conga line of offensive coordinators. There were the unflattering comparisons between Smith, the first pick of the 2005 craft and Aaron Rodgers, the last pick in that first round, who was spreading his wings in Green Bay.