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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, shown talking to media during this week's Super Bowl media sessions, said he has respect for Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner.

(Photo by AP)

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith, who figures to get plenty of attention from QB-hungry teams this spring, acknowledged Wednesday at the Super Bowl that he loved playing for Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner when they were together in San Francisco in 2006.

But will the Browns try to trade for Smith or sign him as a free agent? Would he like to be re-united with Turner in Cleveland?

"Loved my time with Norv," said Smith, who lost his starting job to Colin Kaepernick in November after a concussion. "[It was] a very, very friendly QB system. For [Cleveland], it's going to be a terminology change going from a West Coast system to the digits, but very, very QB friendly, big-play potential for the offense with a lot of chunk plays.

"He's a great play caller. I just remember he had a great feel for the game on gameday and a great feel for what the defense was doing."

A league source said playing again for Turner would pique Smith's interest. But Smith, who stressed he wants to be a starter, declined to go that far.

"No, I'm not thinking about that at all," he said.

Smith, 28, credits Turner with helping him get his career on track in 2006 after a poor rookie season. The No. 1 pick in 2005 out of Utah, Smith threw one touchdown pass and 11 interceptions as a rookie. With Turner as his coordinator in 2006, Smith made one of the biggest rating leaps in NFL history, climbing from 40.8 to 74.8. That season, he threw 16 TDs and 16 INTs as the 49ers improved from 2-5 to 7-9.

"Obviously, I'd gotten a whole year of football under my belt," he said. "I got back to playing football. It was structured but it wasn't. He gave you freedom as a quarterback to go out there and if you saw something to take risks, take shots and things like that. He wasn't necessarily so rigid that you couldn't do that, but it was fun. It was fun to play in that system because if the system worked for you, you felt like there were plays out there. It was fun. I loved it."

Smith, who plays in a West Coast system under Jim Harbaugh, is confident he can run Turner's vertical, downfield passing game, a modern version of the "Air Coryell" Chargers offenses of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

"I spent a lot of years in it, a lot of years in the digit world and a lot of versions of it," said Smith. "I feel like I can."

Likewise, Smith is certain Turner, who spent one season as the 49ers coordinator between head coaching stints in Oakland and San Diego, will adapt his scheme to his quarterback's strengths. Currently, the Browns have big-armed Brandon Weeden, the more mobile Colt McCoy and Thad Lewis. Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said last week it's "premature to say" Weeden will be the starter in 2013, and Turner was also noncommittal, saying the Browns want "the best quarterback they can get."

Asked about how Turner adapts to his personnel, Smith said "Even when he came to us, he took on a lot of our terminology, didn't bring his own over. I feel like even watching him since he's been down at San Diego, he's changed down there with the personnel he's had.

"Over the years I've seen him change as he had LaDainian [Tomlinson], [Darren] Sproles, playing with [Antonio] Gates down there, things like that. Sure, it's much different than what we were doing when he was with us."

He said he's kept in touch with Turner. "We do talk in the off-season a little bit and when we see each other."

If the Browns choose to pursue Smith, they'll have plenty of competition. The Bills, Cardinals, Chiefs and Eagles also might have him on their radar. In Philadelphia, Smith would undoubtedly run more of the spread-type offense he ran at Utah under current Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer.

"I'm certainly not opposed to it," said Smith. "We've done it here. Coach [Greg] Roman has done a great job implementing that stuff and even more now with Colin in. It's really dynamic stuff, really hard to defend. It creates a lot of problems for NFL defenses and especially defenses that haven't seen it. If it's very new to them, you can see their struggles on film."

In Cleveland, Smith would be playing for Chudzinski, who adapted his downfield scheme in Carolina to Cam Newton's running ability.

"I think the biggest thing often times is not being cookie cutter," said Smith. "The offensive coordinator can see what the strengths of his team are, see the strengths of the quarterback and all the guys around him and really tailor it to them. I think that's the best thing."

The 49ers would prefer to trade Smith rather than release him, according to Fox Sports' Nancy Gay, but the new team would inherit his $7.5 million a year salary for the next two seasons. Smith denied that he's asked the 49ers to release him after the Super Bowl, but admitted he'll sit down with them soon after.

"I don't know what the options are," he said. "I obviously need to explore those after Sunday."

Harbaugh, who made the move to Kaepernick in week 10, indicated that Smith deserves a chance to go somewhere where he can start and has praised how he's handled his demotion, including helping to coach Kaepernick. The 49ers seem committed to granting Smith's wish to move on.

"I want to play football," said Smith. "I'm not hiding that fact. I love this team. I love being a part of it and of what's going on, but I want to play football."

At the time Smith was benched, he had 13 touchdown passes, five interceptions, a league-best 70.2 completion percentage and a career-high 104.1 rating as the 49ers built a 6-2-1 record. Last season, he went 13-3 as the Niners reached the NFC Championship game.

"I really feel like I was playing my best football," said Smith. "I felt the most comfortable I've been on a football field in a long time, maybe ever. [The benching's been] tough at times for sure. Tough to accept, tough to watch. But we're in the Super Bowl, and this has been an amazing experience."

With eight years' NFL experience, Smith is still younger than Weeden, who will turn 30 in October. Smith turns 29 in May.

"I still feel I have my best football ahead of me, for sure," he said. "I feel like there's a lot more out there for me. I'm excited for my next opportunity, wherever that comes."

On Twitter: @marykaycabot