Alex Smith faces Norv Turner, mentor who got away

(12-16) 04:00 PST San Diego --

Alex Smith will always have the autumn of '06. Norv Turner was his career-molding offensive coordinator, his right shoulder was still right, as was his relationship with Mike Nolan, and his 49ers career was full of upside and promise.

Smith calls it the best NFL year of his life, even if the 49ers went 7-9 with the sophomore quarterback. Four miserable years later, Smith can't help but play out the unlived possibilities in his mind.

What if Turner hadn't bolted to San Diego? What if the Chargers didn't feel the need to replace coach Marty Schottenheimer with Smith's favorite play caller?

Maybe, just maybe, things would have turned out differently for Smith, who will meet his mentor when the 49ers visit the Chargers today on national television.

"I understood it," Smith said. "It was an opportunity to be a head coach again; you understood that. Not devastating, but obviously looking back, frustrating nonetheless.

"I really felt like things ... trajectory could have been a little different it that didn't happen."

With Turner at his side, Smith started 16 games for the only time in his six years since being the No. 1 overall draft pick. He completed 58.1 percent of his passes and was getting better. He took 35 sacks, but was learning.

His 16 touchdowns against 16 interceptions wasn't great on the surface, but before Turner dropped into his life, Smith had recorded a 1-to-11 ratio as a rookie.

"The second year for me was a lot of fun, a lot of development for me," Smith said. "I learned a lot of football from him, and I was excited about the next year."

Smith was getting better. The 49ers were turning a corner. Then, Turner did what any former head coach would do, and that's take the next head-coaching job offered.

Turner loved what he saw in Smith. Turner figured Smith would make it on his own; he really did. How could he have known that Smith's career would crumble so suddenly when he walked out the door?

"We won seven games the year I was there, and I think we won four of them driving the ball at the end of the game and Alex making big plays at the end of the game," Turner said. "I'm not sure it's something that you develop. I'm not sure that you coach it.

"I think it's a quality that some guys have, that when things get hot and heavy, they step up and they know how to make plays, so he certainly showed me that. That was the thing so impressive to me."

It seems so long ago, doesn't it? Months later, Smith injured his right shoulder, then got into a public feud with Nolan, the former head coach, over the severity of an injury that ended up needing two season-ending surgeries.

Smith missed the entire 2008 season, then lost the starting job to Shaun Hill in last year's comeback. Named the starter this year, Smith hurt his left shoulder in Week 7, then didn't get his job back until head coach Mike Singletary decided Troy Smith's hot hand was played out last week.

All along, Turner has been there for Alex Smith, albeit by long-distance calling. When Smith had quarterback questions, he'd call Turner. When Smith wanted to talk about whatever, he'd call Turner.

Today, Smith gets a chance to show his mentor he isn't nearly as washed up as some would suppose.

"Obviously, there's been a lot of change for Alex, so it's not even fair to evaluate him on a game-to-game performance," Turner said. "He continues to show me that he's capable."

E-mail David White at dwhite@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle