49ers coach Jim Harbaugh believes that quarterback Alex Smith belongs in this year's Pro Bowl. The 49ers are 11-3 and champions of the NFC West. "Alex has a great understanding," Harbaugh said about Smith's lack of turnovers. "Experienced player who understands situational football and good football and the difference between holding onto the ball and turning it over. He’s also been uncanny in the pocket." Smith hardly has the gaudy passing numbers or touchdowns of some of his fellow quarterbacks -- his 2,752 passing yards rank ninth in the NFC, and his 16 touchdowns are good for eighth; he also has been sacked an NFL-high 39 times. He owns a 61.4 completion percentage that's sixth in the NFC and has the fewest interceptions with five. "That's the low-hanging fruit," Harbaugh said. "Just go straight to the yardage line or the touchdown-passes line. I think that people that understand football understand that there's a lot more that goes into the job of a quarterback than those statistics."