(01-18) 22:16 PST — In their second NFL seasons, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith had more yards, touchdowns and a higher quarterback rating than did Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.

After their second year in the league, however, circumstances changed dramatically for Smith and Aikman. And their divergent paths involved the same assistant coach.

In Aikman’s case, the Cowboys hired Norv Turner as their offensive coordinator in 1991, and the struggling QB began a three-year run with Turner that included three Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl titles. For Smith, who prospered under Turner’s guidance in 2006, his career began a steep descent after his offensive coordinator left San Francisco to become the Chargers’ head coach.

Five years, three head coaches and five offensive coordinators later, Smith is on the doorstep of the Super Bowl and Aikman, a Fox analyst, will be in the broadcast booth Sunday when the Niners host the Giants in the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park.

Thanks to their shared relationship with Turner, now the Chargers’ head coach, Aikman knows better than most how Smith’s career trajectory could have been far different before 2011.

“Absolutely it could have been,” said Aikman, who threw 20 touchdowns, 36 interceptions and had a 7-19 record as a starter in his first two seasons. “Absolutely. I know what Norv does for a quarterback and I know what he meant to my career. …

“That’s a big part of it is having a guy who really understands offense who is able to put you in the right position. Unfortunately for Alex, Norv was just there one season and then he moved on. You know, Brett Favre ran the same offense for 35 years or however long it was. There’s something to be said for that.”

Aikman noted that Smith’s counterpart Sunday, the Giants’ Eli Manning, has had far more stability during his eight-year career. Tom Coughlin has been Manning’s only head coach. New York’s fifth-year offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, was Manning’s position coach in his first three seasons.

For Smith, well, it’s better late than never. His career has been resurrected thanks to the guidance of head coach Jim Harbaugh, who had a 15-year career as a quarterback in the NFL.

“Norv just understood,” Aikman said. “He played (quarterback) in college, but without having played in the pros, he understood what that guy under center was dealing with. That’s Jim Harbaugh and how he’s been helpful to Alex in that regard. He’s a head coach who played the position and knows how difficult the position is with the expectations and challenges.”

Aikman expects Smith to continue improving under Harbaugh, noting Smith is only 27. However, he doesn’t expect Smith to ever put up gaudy numbers in Harbaugh’s offense, which leans heavily on the ground game.

Smith ranked 17th in the NFL in touchdowns (17) this season and 19th in yards (3,144). Aikman can relate. On offenses headlined by running back Emmitt Smith, he did not have a 4,000-yard season and threw for more than 19 touchdowns once in his 12-year career.

Aikman realized early that his career wouldn’t be defined by stats, but by Super Bowls. For that reason, his only focus became winning, and he didn’t tolerate teammates who didn’t share his mind-set. Similarly, Smith has shrugged off questions regarding his so-so stats this season and repeatedly stated his focus is on wins and losses.

Now Smith is two wins away from sharing something else with Aikman besides their relationship with Turner.

“Right now, Alex is realizing the fruits of that; if you win, none of those other things really matter,” Aikman said. “Ultimately, you get the credit and the recognition that you deserve when you win. I think at the quarterback position, if you just win, and make that a priority, the rest of it will take care of itself.”