Peyton Manning again looked like a quarterback who should have been the first pick in an NFL draft. Which he was, reassuring to those who believe teams know what they are doing.

Or, no less significantly, the quarterback they select knows what he is doing.

The thought here used to be if a quarterback were taken below the third round, he wouldn't be worth very much. Quite wrong. Tom Brady, sixth-rounder, disproved that. Kurt Warner, undrafted free agent, disproved that.

A mysterious position, quarterback, one in which brains, skill, confidence, mobility, arm strength, system and offensive line blend to provide success. Or, unfortunately, failure.

Alex Smith has one thing in common with Peyton Manning. He was the first player taken in an NFL draft. Well, two things in common. Smith is a starter. This week, at least.

The San Francisco 49ers had the first pick in 2005. The sentiment and hopes were they would select Aaron Rodgers, playing at Cal across the bay from Niners headquarters. Instead, Mike Nolan, then the new and now the departed coach, was enamored of Smith, saying he was more agile and intelligent.

Also, for reasons not entirely his own, Alex Smith was less effective.

When the Niners were thumped Sunday by the Green Bay Packers, for whom Rodgers starred, Smith was on the sideline and another Smith, Troy, a fifth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in '07, was playing quarterback.

Niners coach Mike Singletary surreptitiously disclosed Wednesday that the first Smith, Alex, would be in the lineup when San Francisco plays the Seattle Seahawks. "It's week-to-week,'' said Singletary of the most important position on any team.

Alex Smith, insisted Singletary after announcing the switch, "gives us the best opportunity to win. And at this time of the year, that's what I'm going to do."

Isn't that the idea any time of the year?

The argument against Alex Smith has been at Utah he played in the spread formation, and the NFL is littered with quarterbacks, such as Andre Ware and David Klingler, who were excellent as undergrads but unable to adapt to the requirements of pro football, where more often than not they are under center and not a couple of yards behind.

To make the problem more acute, Smith played for six different offensive coordinators his first six seasons in San Francisco. He also was severely injured twice and was unfairly berated by Nolan once.

A bust? Not in the category of Ryan Leaf. Or poor Cade McNown. But a disappointment nevertheless.

Alex was going to be the next Joe Montana or Steve Young, or even Jeff Garcia. Yet he wasn't even the best Smith, according to Singletary. Until now.

The Niners also have another quarterback taken with the first pick, David Carr, by Houston in 2002. But he had no chance, and in his one brief appearance gave the team no chance.

A player certainly is unable to control where he's drafted. It's the team that makes the pick. And the mistake. It's the athlete, of course, who gets the boos.

Alex has heard them, virtually every game he has played. The last time was Oct. 24, when, buried under a rush, he separated his non-throwing shoulder. Cleared medically to play since Nov. 14, he still remained on the bench.

Troy Smith didn't sign with the 49ers until Sept. 6, and Singletary, grasping, groping, said the team is limited because Troy didn't know the full offense. "You can kind of hold the offense hostage,'' said Singletary, an unusual explanation, "which is a situation you don't want to be in."

That Troy Smith said he knew 99.9 percent of the offense designed by Mike Johnson, the Niners' seventh offensive coordinator since 2005 and second this season, apparently makes little difference.

The question is whether Alex Smith, now wary and cynical, will be able to make a difference, small or large.
Troy Smith, a runner and deep passer, takes more chances than Alex Smith. "It was a more controlled passing game when I was in there,'' said Alex.

But does Alex throw to his own teammates or, as has been his weakness, to defensive backs?

The way Peyton Manning played Thursday night against Tennessee made us understand why he was the top pick. The way Alex Smith has played, when he has played, frequently made us wonder why he was the top pick.

It may be overly dramatic to describe the opportunity against Seattle as Alex's last hurrah, but figuratively it is just that. The Niners, with a 4-8 record, with a coach who may not return, need a victory. Alex needs a career-changing performance.

He may not be Peyton Manning, but it's time Alex Smith show what the first pick in the draft is expected to show - a degree of competence, even greatness.