« Home | Newton: A Word of Caution » | Winborn to the Jags » | Roundtable: Tim Rattay » | Trade Rattay? » | Gameday: Colts at 49ers » | Smith to Start » | Nolan Ponders QB Change » | Nolan: Team United » | Desconcierto. (Embarrassing) » | Teams Interested in Winborn »

Smith's Debut: Poor

Niners lose to Colts 28-3 in Smith's debut.

Against a struggling opponent with a rookie quarterback and a patchwork defense, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts were only as good as they needed to be.

Edgerrin James rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown, and the Colts intercepted four passes by No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith to remain unbeaten with a lackluster 28-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

While Smith's struggles were predictable in his first career start, the Colts' problems were surprising - but not a big deal. Manning went 23-of-31 for 255 yards and one score, throwing two interceptions in an unimpressive performance against a team starting two recent practice squad players in its secondary.

The reigning league MVP also failed to hook up with Marvin Harrison for the duo's 86th touchdown, which would have broken the NFL record shared with San Francisco's Steve Young and Jerry Rice.

Full Story...