When Fox game analyst Daryl Johnston looks at Aaron Rodgers, he thinks of Alex Smith.
He also thinks how two organizations, the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers, were able to approach the development of a young quarterback.
Johnston, along with Kenny Albert and Tony Siragusa, will call the Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers telecast at noon Sunday on Fox.
Johnston said the Packers were able to let Rodgers, the 24th pick in the 2005 draft, develop his skills for three seasons and watch how a Hall of Fame quarterback handled being a starter in the National Football League.
Smith, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft, started seven games his rookie season, 16 in 2006, seven in 2007, and none this season.
Smith never delivered on the promise he showed.
Johnston does not argue that Smith would have turned into a top quarterback if he was able to do what Rodgers was allowed to do in Green Bay.
But he does wonder.
He wonders if Smith had been able to learn the position for a few years as a reserve what effect it would have had on his career, a career that might be over.
What a difference in the approach these two teams were able to take, Johnston said, referring to the development of those two quarterbacks. Aaron was able to grow up and mature and understand and learn from somebody, watch somebody who knows how to do it. Then when his opportunity came, he was so much more mature than he was coming out of college.
Alex Smith happened to be thrown right into the fire and is struggling, Johnston said. Who knows, he could be out of the league next year. We dont even know. Its just a complete difference on how those two guys careers have panned out.
Johnston thinks too many quarterbacks are compared to the very greatest who have been forced to start early in their careers.
I think sometimes its unfair when we go to a Troy Aikman or Peyton Manning and say, look, these guys were thrown right into it. Right out of the gate they took their lumps. They all say there is no substitute for getting on the field and seeing things at game speed as opposed to being on the sidelines and watching it and seeing it on film. I agree with that. But I also take that with a grain of salt because Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning were going to be fantastic quarterbacks whether they started Day 1 or Year 4. Those guys were just very, very unique.
Unfortunately sometimes, when we throw some of these other guys into it, whether its an Alex Smith, Akili Smith, Tim Couch, Ryan Leaf, the guys who havent made it, maybe they werent ever going to make it, Johnston said. But what if they would have had the opportunity that Aaron Rodgers had? Would they be at the stage Aaron is in his career right now? Well never know that.