Harbaugh back to boasting about Smith

Oh Señor Harbaugh. How we love thee.

Not just because of your transformation of a single professional football team in one season. Not just because of your never-changing wardrobe.

One thing that might make us bow down before you as if you were a Mayan deity, is your ability to produced memorable quotes without even trying.

Like this week’s gem, in which you called your quarterback/caddy Alex Smith an “expert” of the 49ers offense.

Sure, head coaches should be bragging about their QBs. If they aren’t, then they should probably be starting someone else on at the helm of the offense.

But us in the Bay Area know better:  It’s your continued bromance with the often-angsty Smith that makes your comments oh-so-newsworthy.

It doesn’t hurt that you made the comment about how it takes “two years in the system to be a real expert at it from the quarterback position, but he’s cut that in half.”

Which is quite the compliment, albeit the fact that Smith has been wearing a Niners jersey since 2005.

And not that we don’t enjoy hearing you tell the media that Smith is “way ahead of the curve” and knows the offense so well that at “the time we get here next year, he’ll probably roll past me.”

Sports media still hasn’t forgotten that you pursued — oh, excuse me, evaluated — Peyton Manning and that it bruised Smith’s pride to the point that he caught a mid-week flight to Miami.

But the Niners QB admitted he has grown and learned a lot about the offense just in one season. So hey, maybe he really has mastered his team’s offensive system.

And when told by the press of your comments about his “expertise,” Smith busted out his boyish grin and acted coy. So, congrats Har-Badger, looks like the bromance is back on full-swing.

Just keep in mind that you might just made “expert” this season’s “elite,” at which point ESPN is going to wear out the term like a pair of last year’s skinny jeans. And that every offensive play in this weekend’s pre-season game against the Houston Texans is going to be a “Where’s Waldo” for Smith’s expertise.