As Alex Smith seems nearly untouchable as quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs after being traded from the 49ers, it almost seems parallel to what  happened to former quarterback, Joe Montana.

     About twenty years ago, the 49ers traded their  beloved quarterback,  Joe Montana , to the Kansas City Chiefs, after they had felt that he had exceeded his time as their star quarterback. Little did they know, Montana would come back as a  threat and an accomplished quarterback that would lead the Chiefs to the playoffs.

     At an almost similar angle, last year Alex Smith was traded to the Chiefs, after San Francisco had lost hope in the quarterback, replacing him with the rising star, Colin Kaepernick. Although Kaepernick is an excellent player, Alex Smith started off this season incredibly well, as did Montana, while he was with the team.

     It’s completely puzzling that the two former 49er quarterbacks were traded for the same reason. When Joe Montana was suffering from an injury back in 1991, he was put on the bench and replaced with Steve Young, forced to watch on the sidelines. Alex Smith also sat off the rest of last years season after an injury, and Kaepernick swooped in took the cake.

     Steve Young and Colin Kaepernick are also comparable and alike to  the stories of Montana and Smith. Both Young and Kaepernick were extremely successful after they replaced the quarterback before them. Montana and Smith were also replaced by newer, younger, faces.

     Comparisons between the two men are inevitable. Both men lost their jobs in ways they did not consider fair. Both  men watched their backup quarterbacks take over while they sat on the sidelines with injuries. Both ended up in Kansas City looking for a fresh start and the chance to prove doubters wrong.

     Luckily for the 49ers, if this connection keeps up, Colin Kaepernick may get the chance to follow in the footsteps of Montana’s replacement quarterback, Steve Young. After Montana had been traded, Young went on to lead the Bay Area team strong, and even managed to lead the team to the Super Bowl. Young was also able to earn himself a place on the hall of fame, so hopefully, Kaepernick can follow.

     With Alex Smith continuing to lead the Chiefs so strongly this season, and his obvious parallel of similarities of his situation to Joe Montana’s, the 49ers might be kicking themselves in the rear, feeling almost foolish. Management of the team might want to start looking for future signs before ihe tricky  situation happens again in repeat. Although the 49ers both times had successful replacements, their former fan favorites came back, stayed strong, and turned heads.