SANTA CLARA -- Offensive coordinator Greg Roman promises Alex Smith more sleep next season.At this point it's obvious that Smith has a future with the 49ers -- regardless of how things go in the playoffs.The sample size of 16 regular-season games is too much for the coaching staff to ignore. Behind the scenes, Smith put in all the extra hours to gain a firm grasp of the offense. And all that time paid off."He's extremely sharp, but it comes down to the way he prepares, his will to succeed, his commitment to winning, commitment to the team," Roman said on Wednesday.
"In Alex's case, he's going to be in the office with us at night, nailing things down. I told him next year or in the future, he might be able to get home and get to bed a little earlier. If we ever get an offseason, we can get together and iron some of these things out. Really, he's on the details. We're thankful for that."Smith has spent a lot of extra time the past two weeks getting mentally prepared for the 49ers' divisional game Saturday against the New Orleans Saints, a team that showcases a large volume of blitzes.
Watch Smith on Saturday, and you'll see him directing traffic prior to the snap of the ball. Sometimes he's making adjustments. And sometimes he's not, Roman said."A lot of what we do during the game is aimed to deceive, so a lot of what he says at the line of scrimmage is more, you know, there's not really much going on there," Roman said. "It's making people think we're doing something when we're not."But there are times when we do that when we really are doing something. So Alex is the kind of guy who can handle both. He does a really good job of it."
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