Peyton Manning and Alex Smith both have the distinction of being former No. 1 overall draft picks, but the careers of the two quarterbacks couldn't have gone any more differently up to this point.
Smith will have a long-awaited chance to alter his fallen-star status when the San Francisco 49ers signal-caller returns to a starting role for this Sunday's showdown with Manning and the undefeated Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Things haven't quite turned out as planned for Smith ever since the 49ers selected the University of Utah star with the top choice of the 2005 draft. After battling through injuries and struggling to adjust to both the faster- paced world of the NFL and his team's constant shuffling of offensive coordinators over his first three pro seasons, the 25-year-old missed all of 2008 due to shoulder surgery and lost out to journeyman Shaun Hill in a training-camp battle to be San Francisco's field general this summer.
Hill's production has dropped off mightily after a solid start to the year, however, and he gave way to Smith following a very ineffective first half of last Sunday's game with the Houston Texans. In his first regular-season action since November of 2007, Smith put up 206 yards and tossed three touchdowns to tight end Vernon Davis in just two quarters of work as the Niners' nearly overcame a 21-point halftime deficit in a 24-21 loss.
That impressive performance resonated with head coach Mike Singletary, who promptly named Smith the starter for this weekend's test on Monday. The fiery Hall of Fame former linebacker is keeping his fingers crossed that the one- time can't-miss prospect can breathe some life into an offense that ranks 29th out of the NFL's 32 teams in total yards.
Manning has had far fewer tribulations in a stellar 12-year career that will almost assuredly put the recognizable quarterback alongside Singletary in Canton one day. And judging by his accomplishments of this season, the 33- year-old three-time league MVP seems to be getting better with age.
He ripped off five straight games of 300 passing yards or more to begin the 2009 campaign, then tossed three touchdown strikes in a 235-yard effort that helped the powerhouse Colts abuse the woeful St. Louis Rams by a 42-6 score this past Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. The win was the 15th in a row dating back to last season for 6-0 Indianapolis, one of only three remaining teams boasting an unblemished mark this year.
Through the first six games, Manning is completing a career-best 72.6 percent of his attempts and has thrown 15 touchdown passes to top the NFL with a 114.5 quarterback rating.
The 49ers come in reeling, having dropped three of four tilts since kicking off the season with encouraging victories over fellow NFC West members Arizona and Seattle. San Francisco, which has not reached the postseason since 2002, currently sits a game back of the defending conference champion Cardinals for first place in the division.
SERIES HISTORY
Indianapolis holds a 23-18 edge in its all-time series with San Francisco, and snapped a two-game skid in the series with a 28-3 win at Candlestick Park in 2005. The 49ers won the previous meeting, taking a 40-21 decision at the RCA Dome in 2001. The Colts, who haven't posted a two-game winning streak over San Francisco since 1968, last defeated the Niners at home in 1995.
The Colts' Jim Caldwell and Singletary will be meeting each other, as well as their counterpart's respective teams, for the first time as head coaches.
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