The San Francisco 49ers are going to Super Bowl XLVII, which a lot of people think validates coach Jim Harbaugh's decision to go to Colin Kaepernick at quarterback.
That's a silly argument. It would have been the right decision whether the Atlanta Falconsscored a touchdown on their final possession or not. It was obvious that Harbaugh's decision was right weeks ago.
Still, I couldn't help but think about Alex Smith -- the starter benched to make way for Kaepernick -- when Sunday's game ended. This is going to be a strange couple of weeks for him. It sounds like he's going to enjoy the ride, even if he's in the backseat.
"I'm so happy, man," Alex Smith told Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports. "This is so surreal. It's such a crazy time, such a crazy moment. Obviously, it's been a unique year, and it would be great to be in there. But I couldn't be happier. This is a great group of guys, and they're all Super Bowl-bound. I'm just so happy for all of them."
Smith seems to be happier for his teammates than for himself, but it's great that he can enjoy the moment. You never know when you might be to another Super Bowl, and Smith played a big role in getting the 49ers this far.
Who knows? Smith still might be called upon in Super Bowl XLVII out of emergency. (Remember Drew Bledsoe in the 2001 AFC Championship Game?) The 49ers are good enough to win the Super Bowl with their backup quarterback. Not many teams can say that.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
