A lot of what Alex Smith said about his past 'make-up' you see in a guy like Vince Young. Not good.

To be successful, a QB has to have a "I don't give a S++T attitude' towards what others say about him. He HAS to be a leader on his team, most notably in the huddle.

He has to motivate and inspire his teammates, not so much in words but in attitude. He has to make them BELIEVE that they are going to score on this drive. That they are going to win this game.

Most all great QB's have had these leadership intangibles.

Matt,

Did Billy Bajema have poor hands in practice? It seemed to me that he had good hands, probably better than Vernon Davis, in games. I always wondered why he didn't get more balls thrown his way.

Hey Matt - Durability is one of the most important characteristics for an NFL player (just ask Scotty McC). If a guy is hurt a lot, he's a bust. I'm not sure why you think this applies to Jonas Jennings but you don't think it does to Alex Smith. Also, I'd note that Smith was awful in the 2007 preseason (the last couple games the team was desperately trying to get the starting offense "in sync") and mediocre in the regular season games before the injury. I'm not one to keep dredging up the Smith question, but hey, you started it. :)

And that, Mr. Maiocco, is why you get paid the big bucks. Great read, thanks. Have a great vacation!

Sorry, I don't buy the Alex angst, and plowing through Cohn's soul searching interview with him is just more than I can stomach. They're bending over backwards just to give him one more chance, which is only fair given the raw way he's been treated here. But I think there is a real chance he doesn't make this roster. My 2 cents.

Matt-Enjoy the time off. Looks like there will be a lot of report on come training camp in July. Till then enjoy the family and thanks again for the great work.

I still say Hill should be named the starter. There's always competition, and if worthy, Alex will get his opportunity. Maybe I'm getting old, but to hear that a 25 year-old is changing his approach to life is not something that's earth-shattering or worthy of ink. Give the #1 spot to Hill and let Smith know that there's competition for the #2 spot. Enoy your time off Matt.

Comment: Durability is one of the most important characteristics for an NFL player (just ask Scotty McC). If a guy is hurt a lot, he's a bust. I'm not sure why you think this applies to Jonas Jennings but you don't think it does to Alex Smith.

My response: Smith is the only QB in 49ers history to play every snap of a season (2006). The third play into his fourth game the next season, a 300-plus-pound defensive tackle drives his shoulder into the ground, causing a separation. The difference with Jonas Jennings is that Jennings never played 16 games, and I never heard anyone question Smith's desire to play. --Matt M.

Question: Did Billy Bajema have poor hands in practice? It seemed to me that he had good hands, probably better than Vernon Davis, in games. I always wondered why he didn't get more balls thrown his way.

My response: No, I never thought Bajema had skillet hands. It's just that he rarely ever had any passes thrown his way. I seem to recall one practice in training camp in which he caught two passes. That's how little he was used in the passing game. --Matt M.

I still think we should explore the option of turning VD into a tackle. He'd be a bit short and would have to put on 40 lbs, but he'd be good.

Enjoy a well deserved bread, Matt.

Enjoy a well deserved break, Matt.

Sorry about that double post. Maybe I need to take some time off, too.

We should do no such thing. Theres no benefit to having a tackle run a 4.5- 40

BAM!!!! Il Giacomo off the blacklist and back on the scene folks.
I just want to point out that one expert predicted that the 2009 49ers draft will probably go down as one of the greatest drafts in NFL history. Never mind that that expert is of course yours truly.
Now that we are brimming with talent at both the RB, TE and WR positions we have no choice but to find ourselves a long term QB by the end of next year's draft. No more excuses. If Hill or Smith can somehow prove that they are worthy I'd be pleasantly surprised but I'm certainly not holding oxygen in my lungs.

Thanks for this, Matt. Hope you have a very relaxing time off. Oh, and I don't know if you've seen it but you've been getting some very nice words thrown your way: one ESPN rumor blurb called you "one of the best in the business" and that Yahoo guy called you "superb." It's nice to see that the national guys are finally picking up on what we've known for a while now. OK, done with my brown nosing. Adios, sir.

GeoMak take a second and think about what it would be like to be 20 years old, the #1 pick in the nfl draft, and asked to restore a franchise back to greatness. Thats a lot for anyone to take on let alone a 20 year old kid. I hear a lot more leadership ability in Smith now compared to back when he was drafted. I think all that he has gone through has made him extremely mentally tough.

Erik can you help me remember who the OC was in 2007 and what happened to him? If I remember correctly the offense was garbage in 07 without Smith too.

The answer to your question of Smith vis-a-vis Jennings should be obvious. Smith had one major injury (particularly for a QB), aggravated it trying to play and required two surgeries trying to recover; Jennings had a whole litany of injuries and didn't seem too anxious to recover from any of them.

Also, keep in mind that Smith at the beginning of 2007 was trying to operate in an offense designed by the newly appointed OC (Hostler)who proved to be a total failure. By the time Hill played at the end of the year the offense had been cleaned up and simplified by Ted Tollner (Hostler was basically out of the picture by then). In 2008 Hill took over from O'Sullivan and was put in a conservative version of what was still a pretty good Mike Martz offense, and with recivers like Bruce, Morgan and a maturing Hill, the quality of which was not available to Smith in 2007. And finally, all of Hill's victories have come at the end of the season in mostly glorified exhibition games. In every season of the Nolan regime the 49ers performed very well in the closing games of lost seasons.

I have no dog in this race; I would be happy with either of them if they showed they could win meanigful gamnes. But those who foreclose Smith of the opportunity to compete are being short-sighted and vindictive.

Yes totally agree with you, the 49ers now have the fire power on offense to make either QB whoever wins the starting job look good. I can't wait for training camp!

You're preaching to the choir there Jimbo. I've always maintained that far more QB's are ruined by being rushed to play than not.

But that's not what my post was about. It was about leadership at the QB position. The lack of leadership seen by some guys like Vince Young (who let the fans booing get him down, among other things) and others.

Leadership. It's essential at the QB position and some very talented QBs just don't have it.

Joey Harrington was drafted third overall by Detroit. He obviously had physical skills. You don't get drafted third overall without physical skills. But as Brian Baldinger said recently (and I quote):

"How anybody could talk to Joey Harrington and think that guy is any kind of leader - in five minutes, you should know absolutely that guy has no leadership ability whatsoever."

Niner great Tom Rathman, who was a RB coach in Detroit at that time, acknowledges that there wasn't much chemistry when Harrington was the QB, saying that "there wasn't the bond there from the team to the QB to the execution on the field."

I'm not saying if Alex Smith does or does not have the leadership skills necessary to succeed at the QB position in the NFL. If he doesn't however, it's not gonna happen.

Hill played the entire 2nd half of the season and went 5-3. The entire 2nd half of the 08 scheduled were "glorified exhibition games?" You're serious? They beat the Bills on the road and the Jets at home, both of whom I believe (correct me if I'm wrong), were still in the playoff hunt.

Exactly. Roscoe is completely mistaken. Those games were anything but 'glorified exhibition games.' Beyond that, it's ignorant to compare 2008 to season ending games under Nolan.

Why? Because the team was looking for respectability under new HC Mike Singletary. Singletary was coaching to keep the HC'ing job on a permanent basis and the players were playing to keep Singletary from choking the living S++T out of them.

That changed the whole dynamic as compared to the ending of seasons recently past.

Matt, I disagree with your use of the word excuses rather than reasons for Smith's non production. Excuses are given by someone who hasn't accomplished what was expected of them. Smith hasn't given any of those excuses that I know of. Those things are reasons why an objective person can't give an accurate evaluation of Smith on whether he will be good or a bust until we see more, especially now that the team talent level and head coach are a lot more favorable to his development.
If he does beat out Hill, it won't be because he was the No.1 draft choice in '05, not on Singletary's team anyway.

Comment: Matt, I disagree with your use of the word excuses rather than reasons for Smith's non production.

My response: My stance is that the changes in coordinators and Nolan's "mishandling" are excuses and have little to do with reality.

The reality -- or the real reason Smith hasn't done anything the past two seasons -- is because he has been on the field for just three healthy games.

--Matt M.

ilgiacomothegreat wrote "Now that we are brimming with talent at both the RB, TE and WR positions we have no choice but to find ourselves a long term QB by the end of next year's draft"
--------------------------------------------
I thought your expert opinion was that this years draft was the best in 49ers history or something like that ?
If you believe that then of course you believe like I do that in the 5th round we got the steal of the draft in Nate "the great" Davis,who will be our QB of the future in about 2 years or maybe less.
So,we of course DO NOT need a QB in next years draft,we have our long tem answer.

And Davis also makes all this talk of a QB competition and all this talk of Alex Smith possibly finally improving enough not to cause stomach distress,all just a bunch of talk. Hill is the best starter this season and then next year will be the real competition to see if Davis is ready to take over from Hill.
Alex is almost irrelevant .
But of course I wish the best for Alex,he is a nice kid,just rather irrelevant to the Niner's future,now that we have NATE THE GREAT on the roster !.

To everyone that hopes Hill is the starting QB,

Take a second and ask yourself how good you really want the Niners to be this year because with Hill as the starter the Niners can only go so far. Thats why the organization is still giving Smith the opportunity to win HIS job back!

I'm tired of hearing that Hill has the "It" factor and that he has a 7-3 record as the starter. Don't get me wrong I love Hill, but there is a reason he used to be third string. Take a look at who Hill's wins were against. Only two of Hill's seven wins were against teams that finished the season with a winning record (Jets 9-7 and the Bucs 9-7 in 2007). Three of the games the Bucs won that year were against teams with a combined record of 11-37, and three of the games the Jets won were against teams with a combined record of 8-40. With a legit schedule these are not winning teams. I mean come on, even the Raiders beat the Jets last year!

If you ask me all Hill has done is beat bad to mediocre teams. Hill doesn't have wins against any teams that have made the playoofs, he couldn't get it done against the Cards on Monday night, and he failed to score a touchdown against Miami in a game the Niners could have won. Both games would have helped get the niners into the playoffs LAST year, and as we all know once you get in the playoffs anything can happen. Hill just doesn't have what it takes to get the niners to the next level.

The Niners have the talent to succeed NOW but with Hill as the starter they'll never make it to full potential. Smith is still an unproven QB but he has the potential to take the Niners to the next level. Afterall Smith was able to beat Seattle twice when they were divison winners which means at least he has shown the ability to beat playoff caliber teams.

I know most people don't want to give Smith another chance but think about this. If Smith is able to succeed the Niners will have a legit QB with a reasonable contract, their 2005 1st round pick won't be considered a waste, and the Niners won't have to worry about finding a long term solution for the position.

I would rather have Jim Drunkenmiller than alex at QB,LOL ! Hill is sooooo far superior to anything Alex has shown so far (when healthy) that it should not even be talked about. But there are some few Alex worshipers that won't look at reality and still cling to the false hope that he might actually turn out to be a real NFL caliber QB,even though he has NEVER shown any skill level anywhere near that.
Good luck Alex and I hope I am wrong,because as I said,the kid is a nice guy,just not a very good football player.

I agree with you totally Matt. One thing I don't agree with is how Sing is talking about the magic happening when stepping into the huddle. I don't think the magic happens when either quarterback steps in the huddle. So I don't think you will find out who will be the best quarterback that way.

Sometimes the best leaders have to be given the reins because they don't know how to take them. So that's part of the coaches job putting confidence in the team that they have someone they can win with in the huddle.

One thing I though Alex Smith did well under center was the role out and throwing on the run, he always looked like he had better rhythm that way. He's never been in a system that has taken advantage of that but Jimmy Raye's offense does a lot of play action which I think will make Smith look a lot better. The 49ers drafted him because he was a winner in college, intelligent, handled the national notoriety well, and had all the physical tools. I really hope he can regain his confidence in himself so he believes inside he can win the starting job.

Shaun Hill I don't think does anything that stands out to you but he knows how to do things his way. His maturity, confidence, and competitiveness makes up for his lack of tools, so when he runs into failure he never gives up and keeps looking for ways to succeed. That's an attitude you can't teach. I can definitely see him being an Elvis Grbac (Kansas City) in Jimmy Raye's system.

I really hope we see the best of each player and the coaches do there job in bring that out of them. That way the decision will be clear to who can be the best person for the job.

And by the way JD,Hill IS the starting QB right now and the QB of the future is Nate Davis,not hill or alex.

Even if Alex were to be handed the starting job by some miracle or if Hill were to be injured in preseason,Davis would EASILY bump Alex out of that spot as soon as he is made ready .(a year or two at most).

Thanks for the reply, Matt. I can't say that Smith and Jennings aren't different, but I disagree with your specific examples. After all, there were plenty of murmurs about Smith's desire to play (Cowardly Lion). And yes, his achievement in 2006 was impressive but other than that year, he was only available to start 14 out of a possible 44 games (taking away the first 4 games of 05 where he was available but wasn't the starter and including 2008 when he could have been the starter) or 30 out of 60 including 2006. 50% over 4 years can't be blamed on one play. I've got nothing against Smith and if he turns out to be the best QB on the roster, I will certainly root for him - he seems like a great guy. I just think at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether it's injuries, personal problems, lack of physical ability, lack of leadership or whatever, the question is did you produce on the field? To date, Smith hasn't. To me, that is the only fact that matters.

I don't count anyone out...may the best man win!

Stampede, you are very easily impressed. The 49ers beat the Bills in week 13 of a closing stretch where the Bills finished 2-8; the 49ers beat the Jets in week 14 in a closing stretch where the Jets went 1-4 (the only win coming against Buffalo). Those teams couldn't beat their Aunt Mabel at that point in the season; so, I wouldn't call those particularly stimulating victories.

Erik: How was Alex's performance in 2006 impressive in any way other than the fact that he looked a little less pathetic in 2006 than he looked in his rookie year of 2005. To improve from pathetic in 2006 to slightly better in 2006 (and the same slightly better at the start of 2007,when healthy) is not really saying much ,is it?
Yes we did win the first 2 games of 2007 but it was in spite of Alex ,not in any way because of him. I have the games all on video and alex has never played well in the NFL,NEVER ! He was young and now he is supposedly mature. So now he has his last chance to show some talent. If his shoulder doesn't blow up again.
Good luck Alex ! But even if you do great and surprise all knowledgeable fans,you will still need to move over for the real QB of the future,Nate Davis in a year or two anyway,so it will probably be good luck in whoever we trade you to at that time.(that is if you do well now and actually have any trade value,you certainly don't right now).

Jim,

You do realize that KURT WARNER, in the regular season, had only TWO wins against teams with winning records (9-7 Dallas & 11-5 Miami), the same number as Shaun Hill.

If you ask me all Hill has done is beat bad to mediocre teams, you write.

You could then say the same thing about Kurt Warner. And Hill doesn't have Fitzgerald and Boldin on his side of the ball.

Just writing this to point out how ridiculous your argument is.

I agree that you're totally correct on the 'you can't be productive if you're not playing' point. My point is the Smith haters want to make their final evaluation on him based on his playing time for the first 2 1/2 years where those excuses/reasons would have made it difficult for Montana to succeed. My point is now the current situation will offer a much fairer evaluation period for him to succeed or fail.

Hey Matt,

Did you happen to notice how Ahmad Brooks was looking?

Barrows reported that Manusky was impressed, calling Brooks "a bright spot" at OLB. Certainly, if Singletary and Manusky can help Brooks get his stuff together, he has the physical tools to excel at the position.

Miami was a playoff team...how many playoff teams has Hill beat? Dallas...9-7 in the NFC East is a pretty good record which probably means they're an okay team. Just to point out how ridiculous YOUR argument is!

What Smith worshipers fail to understand is that the realistic fans are judging smith on what he does on the field when healthy. If you just judge him and how he performs on the field,as if he were at a pro day or even the combine (ignore all the surroundings,like how the O line is playing or how many OC's he has had or if he has had good WR's etc etc ,all the excuses),and just focus in on how alex looks while moving around and trying to do his best,you would see clearly that he is a fish out of water in the NFL.
Put Hill next to him in the same circunstances and Hill looks like he knows what he is doing and makes the best and most out of what he has to work with.(no excuses).
The players all know this and see this and want to foollow Hill as their leader. Hill makes things happen and makes something out of nothing and makes those around him better ,Alex doesn't .

Lets not forget about the wins KURT WARNER had against winning teams in the playoffs too! I think that brings his total to 5 wins...wow, you walked right in to that one genius.

Maybe Willie Brown was right after all,LOL.

Druck,

I thought you had some valid points about Hill's short comings. That's why I was making the arguement that you can't just assume that Hill has won the starting job in May? with a brand new OC? and a brand new offense? That would be insane, no the starting QB is going to have to earn it in TC & on the playing field without question. As I said before may the best man win but the Bottom Line is you can't count out Alex win you have Hill as the challenger. That's reality folks.

Leadership...try playing with a separated shoulder. Smith didn't say he was getting down on himself because of fans, he said he let outside factors affect his play. Don't know what article you were reading.

Man oh Man 2 weeks of Top_Cat slicing and dicing A.Smith....it's gonna be ugly until Matt posts something new. Sheesh...
Matt - Can you get a ghost writer. Somebody anybody to write something up here while you are rejuvenating your gray matter?!?!

You forgot to mention that before he got hurt in 2007, Alex Smith was 2-1 with the only loss coming after a questionable Vernon Davis fumble call in Pittsburgh.

Oh I'm sorry I didn't realize you were a talent evaluator...lol

Jim

Dude, you KILL me! The Cardinals played Miami in week two of 2008. Let's do the math.

In 2007, Miami was 1-15.

They lost in week one of 2008 to the Jets.
That means, when the Cardinals played Miami in week two of 2008, the Dolphins had lost 16 out of their last 17 games.

SIXTEEN out of SEVENTEEN!

Trust me, the Dolphin team that Arizona beat in September of 2008 was NO playoff team.

They did, of course, turn their season around in 2008, AFTER they lost to the Cardinals.

BTW: I specifically stated the regular season. You can't compare the playoffs cause Hill wasn't there. Besides, you can play this game forever (how well would Hill do with Fitzgerald & Boldin, how badly would Warner do without those Boldin & Fitzgerald).

BTW: I'm not comparing Hill and Warner. Or criticizing Warner. Just trying to show you how lame that 'he hardly beat any winning teams' argument really is.

And I proved it with Warner, as compared to Hill.

Class dismissed.

BTW: Don't attack, or talk smack, to the GeoMak. You'll LOSE!

Seriously, Jim Druckenmiller, you're criticising the play of another QB? Wow.

Anywho, S-Dot-Hill, or anyone for that matter, can't pick their opponents. Nor can they control the fate of any other teams. S.Hill went out and won games; period. Which 49ers QB was last seen with a winning record in front of their name? Don't worry I'll wait...

Roscoe, I'm sorry but 7-3 IS impressive to me. According to popular belief, the 08 Niners were not a very good team, but they still found ways to beat so-called "good teams" like they were their "Aunt Mabel." On the contrary, the Niners lost to teams that were better (e.g. Cards, Cowboys). Bottom line, there's been no one better thus far at the QB position that has been able to utilize the talent around them as well as S.Hill has. All I know is, Hill's only started 10 games. Give him a season and lets see what he can do.

Hill is NOT the challenger F49er. Alex is the challenger. It is Hill's job to lose.

But whatever happens it is reassuring to know that Scotty realized that Hill is not the future because of his lack of arm strength and that alex is not the future because so far he stinks at just about every aspect of QBing,and so,Scotty drafted a QB with more talent in his little finger than either one of them in Nate Davis.
At one time Alex had decent arm strength,as a matter of fact it was his one good trait,although he didn't seem to know where the ball was actually going when he threw it,lol.
Right now that arm strength is in deep question because of his injury. He threw up some floaters in this mini camp and who knows if the arm strength will ever return.

In Hill's case his lack of arm strength was just about the only weakness in his game.
So it is obvious that hill is the FAR superior QB in everthing except arm strength (and maybe Alex has a noodle arm now also,we don't know .).

But Davis on the other hand has all the intangebles of hill and some extra and he has better arm strength than alex ever dreamed of having . He is faster and quicker than either Hill or Alex and he is more accurate than both and is said to be a leader on the field,like hill.
If Davis flops,with all that he has going for him it will be a huge surprise. So Alex and Hill are actually competing for who will hols Davis' job for the next year or two while Davis gets ready to become the QBOTF.
Hill is the best selection and he IS the starter right now (according to Sing). So Alex must win the job or Hill must lose the job or Hill must get injured ,in order for us to have alex starting again for the Niners .

The future is uppon you Alex,you are only fighting for the chance to play QB for a short time and then either take a seat once again on the pine or else get traded. Too bad you didn't just go somewhere where you had a chance .

You forgot to mention that before he got hurt in 2007, Alex Smith was 2-1 with the only loss coming after a questionable Vernon Davis fumble call in Pittsburgh.

-------------------------

No,I did mention that he was 2-0 at the start of 2007 ,you must have missed it. I also stated the fact that those two wins were in spite of Alex's poor play and not because of any good play by alex. Watch the video of those games and I know you will agree.

Lets get something straight here...

I really like alex and in no way hate the guy at all. I was all in favor of drafting him (I was wrong) and I stuck by him until I could stand it no more.
So,I don't hate alex,I just hate the way he plays football(if you call what he does playing football !).

Drunkenmiller:

Dude. The leadership question is pretty simple. I don't know if Smith has the necessary leadership skills to succeed at the QB position or not.

However, since people often talk about Hill's leadership and intangibles, and rarely talk about those things regarding Smith, i'm left to conclude that Smith is probably lacking in those areas. Not saying it definitively, but I suspect it to be true.

I hope I'm wrong.

Come on dude you sound like a 10 yr old..."You can't compare the playoffs"...lol. I ilke Hill, but he wasn't there because he can't beat playoff caliber teams. BTW you're the one that brought up the lame argument of Warner...how does that relate to Hill's ability to beat quality teams? I simply stated the fact that Hill has never beat a quality team...and since you brought up (I don't know why) Warner has. GeoMak your argument was whack, your reasoning was lack, you're not a mack, just a nut sack!

TOP, you're losing all credibility here with your emotional rants. With the exception of Oneniner, there are no "Smith worshippers" here, only people who can see things quite a bit more clearly and less emotionally than you. There are, however, quite a few Smith haters here, and apparently you are one of them. That you have already anointed Davis the franchise QB of the future, before he even plays a down in the NFL, speaks volumes about the worth of your opinions. Pretty much just a lot of blather. And continuing to pour it out is just boring. Take a breather.

It's hard to remember if the offense played bad due to Smith or due to the horribly conservative game planning of Hostler during those two games. You might watch the video of those games and notice that once they fell behind and had to open up the offense, Smith was ok.

After reading the interview of Alex I am SURE he's going to make it in this league. Why? Because he won't give up until he does. Everyone agrees he has the physical attributes to make it and I think mentally he has it. No one goes undefeated in a season without that special mental something that holds together` the ego, nerves and the crazies over that long a period. Alex is often compared to Leaf, and all the other busts. The difference is that they all thought they had accomplished it all when they got drafted. They lost all their drive when they got the big payday. Alex still wants it badly and is working hard to get it. Everyone should be rooting for him since it would be tragic for the rest of us if even someone with his talent and drive can't get it done.

Jim Druckenmiller replied to comment from TOP_CAT |
Oh I'm sorry I didn't realize you were a talent evaluator...lol
------------------------------

Obviously,there is a lot you don't seem to realize. One is that when you keep calling other posters names like "10 year old girl" "nut sack" and sarcastically call other people "Genius" that you only make yourself look like what Willie Brown called you,lol.And any valid argument you might actually have(havn't seen it yet,lol) will be ignored because of your childish behavior.

Stampede,

I know Hill won games...I know Hill can't pick his opponents...but what I don't know is why he hasn't beaten a decent team? What can I say, if Hill gets to start we will all see how long that winning record lasts...don't be mad if I bring up Hills record if he's still starting around week 5.

Look. Don't be ignorant. You were talking about the regular season. OK. It's hard to compare the two directly as Warner had an opportunity to win in the playoffs that Hill didn't have.

Try to be somewhat reasonable (LOL).

Beyond that, I simply brought up Warner to say that he had exactly the same number of regular season wins against winning team that Hill had. What part of that is difficult for you to follow, Jim?

If you're going to use that argument against Hill (that he can't /doesn't beat winning teams), then it's perfectly acceptable for me to show you who else has that 'problem.'

What, nothing to say about the great, playoff Miami Dolphins (LOL).

Of course not. Not after I straightened your A++ out on that. Too funny.

BTW: The 9-7 Cardinals GREAT win over the 9-7 NFC East Cowboys? The Cardinals won that game AT home, in OVERTIME, after Dallas lost BOTH their starting QB (Tony Romo) and their punter (Matt Briar) during the game.

Let's do the math. Warner and the Cardinals won exactly TWO regular season games against winning teams. One, the 1-16 Miami Dolphins when they came to the desert and the other in overtime, at home, to a team missing two key players.

WOW! That's some domination over 'winning teams.'

You amuse me.

Everyone seems okay with taking childish jabs at Smith so why can't I have some fun back?

Wow Skeebers,I though better of you than to judge me so irrationally.

I wish only the best for Smith and my team.I stuck with him as long as I could until his play FORCED me to give up the hope I had in his future.
And as far as Davis goes,of course there are no guarantees that he will even make it as a second stringer in the NFL. But just going on potential ,after watching him in college,he has all the tools and is far supperior to anything alex ever showed in college and certainly has POTENTIAL to be our QBOTF. Of course he actually has to do it on the field. Buit as of right now he has the most potential of any QB on the roster to be something special.
Alex had his chance and failed miserably (so far) Hill is pretty darn good but has enough problems with his game that he is probably not going to be a franchise type QB.
Davis is the hope of all 49ers fans for our future. If he fails to live up to the potential then he will be another alex smith ,but will have only cost a 5th rounder instead of a 1st...and we will once again be the most sad fans in the league with no QBOTF.
But right now,Davis is the hope. Not alex and not even Hill.

But since I am a loyal fan of the Niners(not of any one player oin the roster) I will of course cheer for all 3 QB to do great things in the Niner's uniform (in that great new/old cherry red uniform !).

Everyone talks about Davis and how great he could be and I hope he turns out that way but it doesn't take a genius to know how he would do if he had to learn five different systems in five years. Once Davis becomes the QB, we better never change the system.

Top Cat....Buddy...you’re not hearing me…I truly believe that Nate Davis will be a good QB for us but I feel like his timeline is going to be more of a 3-4 year horizon. That's what made that pick so great in the 5th round...no pressure. He has athletability but a learning disability. He said it took him a year and a half to get a firm grasp of his college offensive scheme...now I didn't exactly "graduate from high school" but after I do a simple y=mx+b calculation in my trusty TI85 that should put us at the 3-4 year mark to understand what is going on and maybe 5 to really excel. These are obviously not concrete numbers as I've been drinking and my judgment has def. been off since my brother's wife left me but those figures are certainly close enough for nfl-prospect scouting work. Like I said...I thought it was a solid pick and this kid could potentially be really be a good QB for us in the future but he's not going to be ready by the beginning of next season and our team has too much potential to regress to a "sink or swim" situation at QB. By the start of next year we need a clear cut #1 caliber QB who is going to be throwing dimes around (it's a tough economy) and making it rain (dimes) like I do when I go to the strip-clubs on Broadway.

Top Cat....Buddy...you’re not hearing me…I truly believe that Nate Davis will be a good QB for us but I feel like his timeline is going to be more of a 3-4 year horizon. That's what made that pick so great in the 5th round...no pressure. He has athletability but a learning disability. He said it took him a year and a half to get a firm grasp of his college offensive scheme...now I didn't exactly "graduate from high school" but after I do a simple y=mx+b calculation in my trusty TI85 that should put us at the 3-4 year mark to understand what is going on and maybe 5 to really excel. These are obviously not concrete numbers as I've been drinking and my judgment has def. been off since my brother's wife left me but those figures are certainly close enough for nfl-prospect scouting work. Like I said...I thought it was a solid pick and this kid could potentially be really be a good QB for us in the future but he's not going to be ready by the beginning of next season and our team has too much potential to regress to a "sink or swim" situation at QB. By the start of next year we need a clear cut #1 caliber QB who is going to be throwing dimes around (it's a tough economy) and making it rain (dimes) like I do when I go to the strip-clubs on Broadway.

Davis learned different systems in College and high school. He even ran the didget system in High School,the same system that Raye and Norv run in the NFL. Davis is not stupid by any stretch ,he is just learning disabled when it comes to reading etc,in a class room. On the field and in the meeting rooms he learns as fast as anyone,just differently.

Geo you are trying to compare apples and oranges. I could easily bring up Warners dominant wins when he was with the Rams but I won't. Hill has a short resume so I don't have a lot to go off of, but Warner has had a long career and we all know he has and is capable of beating good teams. So enough with your Warner-Hill comparison, show me a good QB with a similar resume or admit that Hill just hasn't beaten any quality teams...I'll even spot you the YET.

Again Druck, if you're gonna use that argument with Hill then use it with Warner too.

Or hey, use it with Tony Romo. Romo only won TWO games against teams(Giants & Eagles) with winning records IN 2008.

Now, let's do the math.

What do Shaun Hill, Tony Romo and Kurt Warner have in common regarding the 2008 REGULAR season?

Each of those three QB's ONLY won TWO games that year, in the regular season, against teams with winning records!

Class dismissed, Jim! HAHAHAHAHA!

I'm with you...can't wait to see it rain!

ilgiacomothegreat replied to comment from TOP_CAT |
...Buddy...you’re not hearing me…I truly believe that Nate Davis will be a good QB for us but I feel like his timeline is going to be more of a 3-4 year horizon. That's what made that pick so great in the 5th round...no pressure
-------------------------------------

I mostly agree with that but I think it will only take a year and a half to get him up to speed.I see him starting off the 2011 season as the undisputed starter.And probably playing quite a bit in 2010.
The word from his college coach was that after a year and a half he knew everything about the offense like the back of his hand.
And since he already has experience in the diget system we run,he might take less time than that to learn enough and be comfortable enough to get on the field ?

Until then Hill will do just fine!If alex shines,by some miracle,then great ! He can hold the spot for Davis . But right now it looks clearly like Hill is going to start this year and in next years camp ,if alex is still here,it will be competition between Alex and Davis for the backup spot.

Don't get me wrong, I'm def. not an A.Smith hater. I've been pullin for the man since day uno.

Jimmy D, you kinda answered your own question. But please, allow me to retort. Hill hasn't beaten any "decent" teams because, well, the Niners as a team weren't decent enough themselves to win. QB's can't win on their own, but they sure can lose plenty by themselves, remember JTO? *threw up in my mouth a little*

Please do hit me up week 5 and be ready to eat your words bruh. My friend...it's not too late to get on the S-Dot-Hill bandwagon, you know you want a ticket!

Good news! None of our opinions matter, no matter how many times or how floridly they are presented.

I think Singletary will pick the QB he thinks can lead the team to the most successful season. That's a coach's job. It's not about salary, athleticism, or even past results (although the last 2 may be factored in). I don't care who he picks. I just hope he's right.

I'm also not sure about the "Hill is a bad practice player" theory. Unless you followed him before he joined the 49ers, you've only seen him work under a different OC every year.

Matt, Shaun has looked like a back-up QB to me whenever I've seen him at TC before the season begins. Does he continue to look worse in practice than games during the season? Could his TC play just be part of his learning curve?

Hill can only play the teams that line up against him every week.
Alex played and lost to a lot of inferior teams in his starts,so does that mean you think alex sucks?
There is no logic to that type of discussion.
A qB can only play the team in front of him and Hill has a pretty good record when he plays (and a very good QB rating,about 30 points higher than alex's ,and a much better completion ratio and int to completion ratio etc etc etc.).
Hill is a better player and better leader than alex,so far.MUCH BETTER.
If alex suddenly gets better and has a remarkable season,then GREAT !!! Miracles do happen and I can't think of any team that deserves some miracles,after what we fans have had to go through for so many years watching the team and Alex flop.

Jim.

I'm getting tired of taking you to the woodshed. It's boring me.

Now son, let me help you out. Let me show you the FLAW in your, ahem, logic. Your logic. That KILL's me!

Look at a team's record. If its, around 500 (7-9 49ers, 9-7 Cards, 9-7 Cowboys) apply some LOGIC!

If a team wins 7, 8, 9 or even 10 games that season the chances are REAL good that a lot of those victories came against losing teams, right?

I mean, think about it. The Cards won nine games last year. It stands to reason that they didn't win NINE games against really good teams and then lose SEVEN games against really bad teams, now does it?

Think, son, THINK!

If teams win 12, 13 14, plus games, there's almost definitely a higher percentage of victories over winning teams. But teams that win 7, 8, 9 even 10 games?

I'm pretty sure (and I don't have the energy to check them all) that the majority of those victories came against LOSING teams.

That's why it's ignorant to criticize a QB (as you did Hill) by saying that he didn't beat very many winning teams.

Class dismissed!

Geo,

Over their careers both Romo and Warner have beaten a lot of quality teams...something Hill has yet to do. So please STOP the comparisons they have nothing in common. Its the same as me telling you Alex Smith is going to turn into Peyton Manning because they both had losing rookie seasons. If Hill starts we'll all see what he can do over an entire season. My point was not to take a dig at the fact Hill hasn't beaten any quality teams but to point out that people are jumping on the ban wagon that Hill is suddenly the answer. The fact is we know about as much about Hill as we do Smith. The only reason I back Smith is because I don't want him to be considered a bust, but I'll be happy whoever the best QB turns out to be.

The words 'worshiper' as well as 'hater' are a bit extreme on both ends. If A.Smith can win the starting or the backup job (backup more than likely) it will be a great feat. A.Smith will get his chance, but there are some intangibles that can't be taught such as confidence and strong leadership qualities. S.Hill seems to have the leadership qualities that cause the team to rally around him at the moment. Hey, who knows, in a couple of years N.Davis (physical and intangible qualities) might put all the A.Smith and S.Hill talk to rest.

Peteluma:
Yes,even when Hill plays great in games he still sucks in practice. Every beat writer I read was shocked when Hill played so well ,after they all watched him look like a no talent goof in practice every week.

Every time some of us fans would ask Matt or the other Matt or any other reporter who watched Niners practices on a consistent basis,why don't we put in Hill and give him a try,because Alex or later JT or Dilfer etc were playing so poorly,the answer we always got was that the way Hill looks in practice you would MUCH rather have Dilfer or JT etc.

But we would say that Hill looks so good in preseason or when he gets in a game etc. But the answer was always the same,Hill is horrible and you don't want him starting,believe me etc etc.

This is the first time (mini camp just concluded) where I heard a good report aboout how hill was practicing . That just leads me to believe that he is more confident now and he will play even better in games than before !

A.E.S said..."The words 'worshiper' as well as 'hater' are a bit extreme on both ends."
--------------------------------

I agree,perhaps I should have not used the term "alex worshiper"in this context. Often times it is appropriate but today,in responding to some of the Alex fans on this forum may have not been that time. Most if not all of the alex fans on this forum today have been fairly reasonable (although wrong imho LOL)..

Jimbo,

Keep going. You're KILLING me. You made a comment about last year, regarding Hill's inability to win games against 'winning teams.'

I simply pointed out that you (listen close) COULD SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT PRO-BOWLERS LIKE Warner and Romo.

And then I explained why.

Now, you want to go back to their Pop Warner days. Perhaps next you'll tell us stories about how Warner and Romo threw better than Hill when they were all still wearing Pampers.

Give it up dude.

NOBODY (least of all me) is saying that Hill is as good as, or better than Warner and Romo.

All I am saying is this: Using the criteria of 'beating winning teams' to criticize a QB is IDIOTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get it? Criticize Hill any way you want, just not that way. It's stupid.

BTW: The 0-16 Lions lost two games to the playoff Vikings . . . by a total of SIX points!

That's right. The Vikings, who made the playoffs, beat the worst team in the history of the NFL twice, by only a combined score of SIX points.

Most games are hard to win. Use a new argument against Hill. Your old one is LAUGHABLE!

CLASS DISMISSED!

My personal experience in watching Hill in TC was that he was generally OK between the 20s, but if he held the ball too long, he was not good at improvising a way out. In the red zone, he lacked confidence and executed poorly. I think the red zone issue was mostly mental. That's why I was hoping to get Matt's impressions from in-season practices.

FWIW, I thought he was a little better than Smith in the middle of the field, because he was more decisive. Alex's athleticism gave him an edge when plays didn't develop as drawn up, and in the red zone.

No QB will have an NFL career if they are truly "horrible" in practice. Hill was clearly capable. If asked, I would have graded out Smith a little higher primarily because 1) red zone play matters - a lot, and 2) his ability to scramble gave his play an extra dimension. His arm strength advantage helped a little - not so much for designed plays, but again when forced to improvise.

Bottom line, though, was that I felt both QBs were still getting comfortable with the offense, and the most important differences in their playing were mental. I would expect that these things could well change as they got deeper into the season.

See now Jim, there's no need for vulgarity. Really.

The fact remains is that you made an IDIOTIC assertion (Suprise!) which I immediately dismantled in about a hundred different ways.

In case you haven't figured it out (and you haven't cause you're real slow on the draw) my point had little to do with defending Hill. Really.

It had EVERYTHING to do with trying to educate you: Before you spout off with your ridiculous point about 'not beating winning teams' DO SOME RESEARCH. You'll find that a lot of excellent QB's probably meet that same criteria in any given season.

Again, class dismissed!

this is a good article on smith ! he was too young coming out , younger than most QB's ! he was thrown in by mike nobrain to a bad team even tho he only had 2 yrs in a college system not like the pros . he ha d a bad first year , of course , and a better 2nd year ! the 3rd yr he got hurt after winning the first 2 games and was thrown back by nobrain with a hurt THROWING ARM !!!! .... YOU CAN'T JUDGE HIM YET !!! for now hill is the QB ! he has shown enough to know he is a winner , the most important thing a QB can be !!!!

and ....I saw more receiving ability from rookie tight end Bear Pascoe in two practices than I saw from Billy Bajema, the man he's replacing, in four seasons. Pascoe first duty with the 49ers is to be a blocking specialist. Depending on what happens down the road with Vernon Davis, he might be the every-down guy in a year or two..... good , because bajema had to go , he stunk. as a blocking te. he would run right by people he should have been blocking !!!........................
--I believe the 49ers' best defensive line rotation would be: LE Balmer/Demetric Evans, NT Isaac Sopoaga/Aubrayo Franklin; RE Justin Smith/Ricky Jean-Francois. (The 49ers keep saying they expect Ray McDonald back at some point in training camp after he underwent offseason surgery to reconstruct his right knee.).............this is easy ( evans will be the starter over balmer too )

So.... this is coming from a guy who's rooting for the best QB between the two and as it stands now... it's S.Hill.

Question Mr. Jim D... If Martz wouldn't have botched the play calling during the end of the MNF game. Shaun Hill in his first start, on MNF, playing a division rivalry in their home. Would have beaten Warner on his home turf in his 1st start. I take from your previous posts that this means nothing. He did everything he needed to do to put his team in a position to win. The team that would go on to come this close to winning the SBowl. And yet you say... he didn't beat any winning teams.

Lesson #1 - Football is the ultimate team sport. It's not won by one person

Let's be objective. Alex Smith had better numbers in 2006 than Vince Young who went to the Pro Bowl for the AFC. He was quite possibly on his way to becoming a good player before he encountered the vicious combination of the pathetic and systemically inept Jim Hostler Offense and Rocky Bernard in 2007, then JT O'Turnover, Mad Mike, and an aggravated shoulder in 2008. Matt says it best when he says that we don't even know if we have a bust yet. We just do not know. To be fair, my untrained eye observed Alex Smith's drawn-out windup delivery throwing behind receivers last preseason while JTO was demonstrating his disdain for QB-Wide Receiver chemistry and experience in the Martz offense and Shaun Hill stinking it up in practice and preseason games. If any of us are convinced that Alex Smith is not "the guy" then let him write his ticket out of town. The NFL is a business, and that's the way things work. I personally do not believe he has done that yet.

dear god all of you just stop. alex smith is garbage and has always been garbage. hill got some wins, great. the rest of the team looks better, we'll see what happens.

Still mostly conjecture -Is A Smith a bust-Can we only get so far with S Hill at QB ,etc. etc. there is no definitive answer at this point.I feel assured with Coach Singletary at the helm we will have an opportunity to find out soon -this train is gonna move and these young gentlemen better ready!

The simple answer why Alex Smith has not produced: he can only throw a tight rope.

Matt, you can tell your tech guys Thanks. The site layout problem appears to be fixed.

MM - nothing like planting an Alex post to keep the chatter going during your well deserved break. I'm confident that if the Druck and TOP CAT continue, we'll hit the 200 milestone and the scroll bar will make everyone's browser freeze or crash. Well done. Can you give us a pager number to your IT dept. before you leave?

If I may opine with two comments on ASmith – 1) I'm guilty as charged for throwing Smith under the bus, especially once I saw Sanchez throw the rock at SC. I was ready to sign the divorce papers and move on. 2) I'm glad Sanchez is a Jet, because now Smith has a genuine second chance, with a great attitude and perspective to go with it.

Bring on the training camp battle.

Comment: MM - nothing like planting an Alex post to keep the chatter going during your well deserved break.

My response: Was it that transparent?

I'm not sure how long the comments section on this post will remain open, but this is probably a good time to remind everybody that folks can get banned for comments containing inappropriate language. Thanks, MM.

him playing every snap stat in 2006 is such a stupid stat.. is it supposed to mean something? montana young or even garcia never played every snap because they didn't HAVE to.. they actually had some decisive wins during their playing days which led to them being able to leave a game early.

and no excuse for the rocky bernard hit either.. it takes him more than 2 years to recover from one second degree shoulder separation? the same injury eli manning had and played one week later and hasn't missed a game since? you're telling me that eli manning is tougher than alex smith? really? bottom line is.. missing 32 games out of a possible 64 is INJURY PRONE no matter how you look at it. alex smith is an injury prone BUST just like jonas jennings.

Whatever the reasons for Smiths failure to this point do not matter. So you dont want to call him a bust, fine. If he gets hurt again and we can not evaluate his play I guess that should buy him more time? Sean Hill is the starter no matter what happens! They can say the word competition all they want but its just so no one gets to comfortable. I think Smith should be competing with Nate Davis for the back up spot.We will get another QB in next years draft as well. Nobody cares about Smith anymore, its over, he had his shot. Lets move on with Hill, Crabtree, Coffee and Pascoe, some guys we can get excited about!

How can one say "we can only go so far with Hill" if Hill hasn't had a chance to take us there yet, where ever that is? I'm sorry but am I missing something folks? Does S-Dot-Hill have one arm or something??? HE WON GAMES WITH 2 BAD TEAMS(07 and 08 Niners). The team is more talented now, and one can assume, better coached? So if S.Hill was successful with a BAD team...how will he be with a better team? Hmmm, uuuuhhhh, 2+2 still = 4, right?

And for those who're making the Romo/Warner/S.Hill comparisons, let me offer you some food for thought. Warner was baggin' groceries before he won a SB and Romo went undrafted, ridin' pine for a few years before he got his shot. My point, can't judge a book until you let the book play football!

Matt I hope you enjoy some well deserved time off. Thanks for all the hard work through free agency and the draft. This next three months is truly no-mans land for NFL junkies. Go Giants!

Gentlemen, gentlemen please. I think we can all agree that A.Smith is not who we thought he was when we drafted him. Having said that I have resigned myself to allow him one final shot at showing me what he's got inside on the field of battle. I believe the consensus is that he deserves it. Hill has it inside IMO and it seems like he's shown it to me in less 49er playing time. I don't know maybe I've been watching in a time warp or something. We will soon see whom has what it takes to get the job done with what I agree is the best roster with respect to opportunity for success at the QB position.

Another one hundred reasons to fire Scot McMillen: Brian Baldinger of the NFL Network (a network created by the very organization the Niners are apart of) was vocal saying our '09 draft sucked. Baldy's criticism is an opinion, and nobody's opinoion holds much weight in regards to the draft. However, when you're consistently bad at drafting, your record catches up with you. McCloughan's record is 23-41 as GM and Personnel Director, with no 10 win seasons, and only two pro bowlers even with an average drafting position of 8th overall. What will Dimitroff, Pioli and Parcels' records be in four years?
Some classic indications that your GM can't draft: Few pro bowlers while drafting high, record, changing in philosophies from workout warriors to highly productive college players, highly aggressive in the free agent market, to a new issue that Crumpacker at the Chron just shed light on - the risky pick. Look at the Niners' roster - Jimmy Williams, Alex Boone, Ahmad Brooks, Tarell Brown, Thomas Clayton, Ricky Jean-Francois, Josh Morgan, Coffee...
You guys need to realize that talent evaluation is what drives a team. If your front office can't evaluate talent, you can't win because at some point the players need to be superior.
It is, however, interesting that Father Singletary is taking on all of these criminals. Super Pumped to be a Niner Fan.

Oh, and one other thing....can anyone connect Scot McMillen to a "lucky to be 8-8" season with the 27th easiest schedule in the NFL? Probably not.

Alex Smith + annual coordinator change - injury jinx = Jason Campbell

Hey Matt. Hope my stipper comment wasn't too far over the top or the quip about my brothers wife. I'd hate to get blackballed again one day after my re-entry in to 9erville.

How can one say "we can only go so far with Hill" if Hill hasn't had a chance to take us there yet, where ever that is?

Really.

Of course, conveniently and factually absent from Maiocco's defense -- Smith, whether injured or not, received 10x? 20x? 30x? 40x? 50x? 100x? x the number of starter reps Hill received over 4-going-on-5 seasons as San Francisco's still-anointed starter (The Bust Who Wouldn't Die).

In "fact," it's amazing Hill has produced anything positive at all given his *considerable* deficit in starters reps (compared to Smith) combined with the break-glass circumstances of Hill's appearances & starts.

Unfortunately, it's also a "fact" injuries did *not* play a part in Smith's rookie season -- when Smith earned the dubious disinction of producing the 24th WORST SEASON OF ALL TIME BY ANY QB in 2005 [1].

Nor did Smith's 'breakout' season in 2006 -- when Gore was a rookie surprise, defenses weren't stacking the box and Smith, as a result, was not forced to make plays -- tarnish Smith's luster as the 9th WORST QB EVER BY CAREER in addition to the WORST 49ER QB EVER [2].

Yeah, I feel SO much better when Smith-debtors like Maiocco (Canceled checks from Tom Condon? "Free" Alex Smith swag to nieces, nephews relatives? Complete capitulation to Smith's "victim" complex or media-appeasing "niceness"?) ASSUME Smith will be the Niner #2 AND almost GIGGLE with anticipation that Hill *will* at some point get hurt. Que fantasy, re-enter Cowardly Lion, who like any wannabe in any wouldabeena fairy tale, redeems himself, ultimately triumphs, is carried off the field on the shoulders of teammates to the roar of cheering fans screaming his name ... right?

Wrong.

[1] Compiled and calculated by the stat freaks at Pro-Football-Reference.com; weighted for best-worst seasons; rates performance per play, i.e., playmaking ability, including rushing yds. [ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=545 ]
[2] Ibid.

How can one say "we can only go so far with Hill" if Hill hasn't had a chance to take us there yet, where ever that is?

Really.

Of course, conveniently and factually absent from Maiocco's defense -- Smith, whether injured or not, received 10x? 20x? 30x? 40x? 50x? 100x? x the number of starter reps Hill received over 4-going-on-5 seasons as San Francisco's still-anointed starter (The Bust Who Wouldn't Die).

In "fact," it's amazing Hill has produced anything positive at all given his *considerable* deficit in starters reps (compared to Smith) combined with the break-glass circumstances of Hill's appearances & starts.

Unfortunately, it's also a "fact" injuries did *not* play a part in Smith's rookie season -- when Smith earned the dubious disinction of producing the 24th WORST SEASON OF ALL TIME BY ANY QB in 2005 [1].

Nor did Smith's 'breakout' season in 2006 -- when Gore was a rookie surprise, defenses weren't stacking the box and Smith, as a result, was not forced to make plays -- tarnish Smith's luster as the 9th WORST QB EVER BY CAREER in addition to the WORST 49ER QB EVER [2].

Yeah, I feel SO much better when Smith-debtors like Maiocco (Canceled checks from Tom Condon? "Free" Alex Smith swag to nieces, nephews relatives? Complete capitulation to Smith's "victim" complex or media-appeasing "niceness"?) ASSUME Smith will be the Niner #2 AND almost GIGGLE with anticipation that Hill *will* at some point get hurt. Que fantasy, re-enter Cowardly Lion, who like any wannabe in any wouldabeena fairy tale, redeems himself, ultimately triumphs, is carried off the field on the shoulders of teammates to the roar of cheering fans screaming his name ... right?

Wrong.

[1] Compiled and calculated by the stat freaks at Pro-Football-Reference.com; weighted for best-worst seasons; rates performance per play, i.e., playmaking ability, including rushing yds. [ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=545 ]
[2] Ibid.

How can one say "we can only go so far with Hill" if Hill hasn't had a chance to take us there yet, where ever that is?

Really.

Of course, conveniently and factually absent from Maiocco's defense -- Smith, whether injured or not, received 10x? 20x? 30x? 40x? 50x? 100x? x the number of starter reps Hill received over 4-going-on-5 seasons as San Francisco's still-anointed starter (The Bust Who Wouldn't Die).

In "fact," it's amazing Hill has produced anything positive at all given his considerable deficit in starters reps (compared to Smith) combined with the break-glass circumstances of Hill's appearances & starts.

Unfortunately, it's also a "fact" injuries did not play a part in Smith's rookie season -- when Smith earned the dubious disinction of producing the 24th WORST SEASON OF ALL TIME BY ANY QB in 2005 [1].

Nor did Smith's 'breakout' season in 2006 -- when Gore was a rookie surprise, defenses weren't stacking the box and Smith, as a result, was not forced to make plays -- tarnish Smith's luster as the 9TH WORST NFL QB EVER BY CAREER in addition to the WORST 49ER QB EVER [2].

Yeah, I feel SO much better when Smith-debtors like Maiocco (Canceled checks from Tom Condon? "Free" Alex Smith swag to nieces, nephews relatives? Complete capitulation to Smith's "victim" complex or media-appeasing "niceness"?) assume Smith will be the Niner #2 and almost giggle with anticipation that Hill will at some point get hurt. Cue fantasy, re-enter Cowardly Lion, who like any wannabe in any wouldabeena fairy tale, redeems himself, ultimately triumphs, is carried off the field on the shoulders of teammates to the roar of cheering fans screaming his name ... right?

Wrong.

[1] Compiled and calculated by the stat freaks at Pro-Football-Reference.com; weighted for best-worst seasons; rates performance per play, i.e., playmaking ability, including rushing yds. [ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=545 ]
[2] Ibid.

Matt...appreciate your comments about Alex. He's really only had one full season...and it showed promise. But, in talking about the "it" factor, it's something Hill definitely has. The offense responds to his leadership. Alex has superior physical skills, but that might not be enough. Guess we'll see. I'm happy we drafted Nate Davis...I think he has some nice tools for Coach Mike Johnson to work with.

I'm anxious to see what Balmer does this year...he was among quite a few of the top college DL to have minimal impact their 1st season. I think having Evans on board has not only added a good player, but a guy who can mentor KB. Also like the drafting of Francois...because I'm not convinced McDonald will be able to answer the bell. The overall DL depth is the best it's been in some years.

The WR competition should be interesting to watch...definitely the best and deepest talent in quite some time.

Wouldn't it be sweet if Jay Moore can come back and boost our pass rush. Ditto Ahmad Brooks...I know McCloughan took some heat for not getting a pass rusher, but it may be there's already the talent to make it happen.

Enjoy your time off...you know what they say about all work and no play.

I think a helpful (but not definitive by any means) comparison would be to examine Carson Palmer's (another former #1 overall pick) stats in what was his 2nd season, first actually playing.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PalmCa00.htm
Palmer came from a pro-style offense, had a full year to sit back and learn the offense, and had Chad Johnson, T.J. Housh, and Rudi Johnson as weapons, and his stats were not considerably better than Smith's. After that season, his numbers ballooned, and to my understanding, he's now considered a great quarterback.
I, however, still believe Hill deserves the starter's job, at the very least until he loses a home game. At the same time, I agree with Matt and say that the true verdict is not out on Smith yet.
And it's not completely hopeless optimism that I didn't waste $70 on a #11 jersey.

Hi Matt,
do you think 49ers are interested in Larry Foote, released by the Steelers yesterday?
Ciro

Hi Matt,
do you think 49ers can be interested in Larry Foote?
Ciro

Smith (pass or fail) will have to defend himself from his critics with his play on the field. (whenever that oppertunity may come)

You make a big case for why Smith had the '24th worst' season...blah...whatever, but in all the writing and stats I never saw it mentioned that Smith was only 21 years old when he started his rookie season in 2005 for the 49ers. I guess even with all the practice in Utah and Coach Nolan, Smith still couldnt cut it.
It takes a really special QB to be successful in the offense we had on 05.

Matt- Get some much needed R&R. Once the season we hit mid June you're not going to be getting another break until the 49ers have their bye!

So Im guessing you hate Crabtree, Coffee, MicKill, Davis, Bear and next years #1.

Seems like you will be looking for the 49ers to have a bad year just so you could say 'I told you so'

Or let me guess, you are just so smart and great that you refuse to settle for a trashy niner team. ya ya yah

Doubt it. He is 28 and made about 3 mill a year last year. The 9ers have Ulbrich (2.23 mil thru 09), Spikes (3mil thru 10), Willis and McKillop at MLB. McKillop is supposed to take over for Spikes next year. I don't think they want to spend the dough here. I may be wrong, but MLB seems to be OK, and we'd prolly try to go after another MLB in the draft or as a low cost FA.

You must really hate Crabtree, Coffee, MicKill, Davis, Bear, and next years #1.

Seems like you will be rooting for the Niners to lose next year just so you could say i knew so. Why don't you tell us what else we need to realize about football. You know.. things that because we have been so dumb we have not seen thus far.

You are too smart and great to accept the trash that McMill has been serving up... ya ya yah

Wow, this discussion is pretty intense...Matt I read everything of yours, but not usually much of a comment-surfer since they tend to be all over the place. (Is that the real Jim D by the way? Because that would be super).

Love reading about the QB competition, but I think we'll have a little more to go on once training camp begins. I think there's definitely an added focus on the situation from outsiders this year since the rest of the team is finally starting to come together.

There's two things I know for sure about the situation on offense. The first is that NONE of us know what kind of QB Alex Smith will turn out to be. We can argue until we're blue in the face, but nothing is written in stone yet. If NFL coaches who are paid anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars to evaluate talent can't figure it out yet, then we, mere armchair QBs, would be foolish to think that we know any better. No one could've succeeded in the situation he was thrown into his rookie year (no line, no weapons at WR); guys like Aikman and Favre were thrown into similar situations and did no better. Whether you were impressed by 2006 or not, he did show significant progress with a team that didn't have much to work with. He may solidify his status as a bust, or he may come back and surprise some people. I do think it will be tough for him to beat out Shaun in training camp, as he's known to be a cerebral thinker that needs to know an offense inside and out before he feels comfortable in it (The Urban Meyer interview from 2005 that Matt quoted back in July has some great insight about this).

The second thing I know is...you'd have to be NUTS not to be excited about this receiving corps as a 9er fan. There's a great chance that they have a legit 1-2 punch for years to come (Crab/Morgan), and a future hall of famer to teach them the ropes while still getting it done on the field for 1-2 more years (Bruuuce). JHill has shown flashes of being a solid slot receiver, and who knows...maybe BJones will be the burner that we all thought Hill could be (both ran in the 4.3's at the combine). You hate to lose either Battle/Zeigler to the Turk, but whoever stays will certainly be one of the better 6th wideouts in the league (assuming they keep 6).

The one thing I'm NOT excited about is living on the East coast, thousands of miles away from being able to watch training camp in person. Keep up the good work, Matt, it's the only thing keeping me sane over here.

Wow, this discussion is pretty intense...Matt I read everything of yours, but not usually much of a comment-surfer since they tend to be all over the place. (Is that the real Jim D by the way? Because that would be super).

Love reading about the QB competition, but I think we'll have a little more to go on once training camp begins. I think there's definitely an added focus on the situation from outsiders this year since the rest of the team is finally starting to come together.

There's two things I know for sure about the situation on offense. The first is that NONE of us know what kind of QB Alex Smith will turn out to be. We can argue until we're blue in the face, but nothing is written in stone yet. If NFL coaches who are paid anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars to evaluate talent can't figure it out yet, then we, mere armchair QBs, would be foolish to think that we know any better. No one could've succeeded in the situation he was thrown into his rookie year (no line, no weapons at WR); guys like Aikman and Favre were thrown into similar situations and did no better. Whether you were impressed by 2006 or not, he did show significant progress with a team that didn't have much to work with. He may solidify his status as a bust, or he may come back and surprise some people. I do think it will be tough for him to beat out Shaun in training camp, as he's known to be a cerebral thinker that needs to know an offense inside and out before he feels comfortable in it (The Urban Meyer interview from 2005 that Matt quoted back in July has some great insight about this).

The second thing I know is...you'd have to be NUTS not to be excited about this receiving corps as a 9er fan. There's a great chance that we have a legit 1-2 punch for years to come (Crab/Morgan), and a future hall of famer to teach them the ropes while still getting it done on the field for 1-2 more years (Bruuuce). JHill has shown flashes of being a solid slot receiver, and who knows...maybe BJones will be the burner that we all thought Hill could be (both ran in the 4.3's at the combine). You hate to lose either Battle/Zeigler to the Turk, but whoever stays will certainly be one of the better 6th wideouts in the league (assuming they keep 6).

The one thing I'm NOT excited about is living on the East coast, thousands of miles away from being able to watch training camp in person. Keep up the good work, Matt, it's the only thing keeping me sane over here.

wow...its been a while since i read a good read on here....nice read matt.......you pretty much pointed out the facts why A.Smith cant be considered a bust.......

the ony issue i have is this notion that Hill has the "it" because of his (7-3) record......i mean guys when did we lower the expectations of a "it" player.....

since payton, mccnabb and brady are considered the "it" guys....are we now puttig Hill in that category....

....do you all know how ridiculous that sounds?.....

Hill was undrafted in 2002 and since being in the league for 7yrs with a 7-3 record ....AND HE HAS THE 'IT' factor......GIV ME A BREAK!!!!

S. Hill NFL accomplishments -
Scored a touchdown on first NFL drive (December 9, 2007)

Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 20-13 in first NFL start (December 15, 2007)

NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 11, 2008)

...lmao....look at his nfl resume....lol.....this is a "it" guy?.......you guys are comedians

One of my favorite quotes from Shakespeare is, "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." For Alex Smith to live up to expectations, Smith will need to have greatness thrust upon him. He will need to perform well in a game that matters. He can overcome the current perception but he has to do something special in a playoff game or at least a game of consequence during the regular season. Maybe he can rise to the occasion. Maybe he can't. Who knows?

The "It" factor is the ability to lead in the face of adversity. Panic stricken, fatigued men look to a man that can "circle the wagons" and generate calm determination through the storm towards a common goal known as VICTORY. Class dismissed Mr. Oneniner.

The "It" factor is the ability to lead in the face of adversity. Panic stricken, fatigued men look to a man that can "circle the wagons" and generate calm determination through the storm towards a common goal known as VICTORY. Class dismissed Mr. Oneniner.

Hill has "it" versus being "The Man" like Brady and Manning. Smith was the "One" for a while before hurting his shoulder and the jury is out on him. Willis is the "Truth", and should be solid for years. I hope Crabtree turns into the "Bomb", but we'll see.

In all honesty, the "it" factor Matt describes is the fact that he has a winning record playing for a crappy team. The team offense plays at a higher tempo and moves the ball when he plays. Compared to the rest of the QB's on the roster, he has the intangible "it" factor.

I knew it was only a matter of time till A.Smiths hero Oneniner came blazzing in... guns drawn... ready to defend his man to the death.

Poor dude just can't swallow the fact that S.Hill will be our QB in 09. I can just picture it now... Oneniner and A.Smith riding off into the sunset together consoling each other.

Let the best man win! The six straight losing seasons has to end!

Truthfully if we don't get better play from either QB we are just an average team that will be peak at 8-8 and stay mediocre.

Sounds pretty rediculous, cus you wrote it. I don't remember anyone posting a comparison of S-Dot-Hill to any of the 3 QBs you listed. S.Hill is a winner; period. He won games with a talentless bunch and an inept offensive scheme in 07, and was called in to pick up the pieces in 08 (and went 5-3). Whether he has "it" or not is irrelevant. "It" is something that is fasioned by the media and opinionators of the sport, and is completely speculative. What we DO know is that he wins. Wins can be measured; "It" can not. No one can disagree with that. Someone tried, and well, they are now banned from this blog post.

1-9er, I would say there's room on the S-Dot-Hill bandwagon for you too, buuut something tells me you wouldn't roll. So there's a sidecar on the bandwagon for you. All aboard!

Let the best man win on the field of play

The 'it' factor is based on leadership. It's giving your teammates the feeling that you can make the necessary plays to win, even if those plays look ugly.

NFL greats like Joe Kapp and Billy Kilmer won ugly, but they won. That's the 'it' factor.

It's not hanging your head after a bad play (like an INT). It's forgetting that and getting ready for the next play.

It's you (Hill) telling your HC (Singletary) that he'd be making a mistake if he pulls you from the game (Rams game) after you've been playing like crap . . . and then going out and winning the game.

All those measurables like height, arm strength, tight spirals are great. Without the 'it' factor, they are pretty much meaningless.

Most all great QB's have three things:

A). Accuracy.
B). Excellent decision making.
C). The 'it' factor.

Guys like Joe Montana and Tom Brady, while not the greatest when it came to things like height and arm strength, had A - B and C!

"Unfortunately, it's also a "fact" injuries did *not* play a part in Smith's rookie season -- when Smith earned the dubious disinction of producing the 24th WORST SEASON OF ALL TIME BY ANY QB in 2005 [1]."

Why would you even bring that up? The FACT there is that Smith was in no way ready to get in the game... particularly with that horrendous team surrounding him. I, for one, was REALLY hoping they'd sit him for a year and just let Rattay toil the year away. IMO, that's where Nolan's 'improper handling' of Smith began. There was a reason they were picking number one in '05 and it wasn't because they were "one player away".

Man,

Enough of the QB bashing My God! Realistically ALL 49er fans better know that we're going to need BOTH QB's in order to succeed this season. Training Camp can't come soon enough!

lmao...you guys are funny......first of all S. Hill does not have any "it" factor.....you dont just achieve the "it" factor in your 6th yr in the nfl.......we all know all this players have been scouted since they were kids....nuthing in Hill's past or future would make me believe he his nothing but a back up qb......

you know what we can agree to disagree on hill or Smith,.....(this convo is geting

......as long as McGm is in control...A.Smith will be on the team....as long as A.Smith is on the team, he has a better chance of leading the team someday....

would i want him to start now sure...but i know one thing is for sure no way Hill starts all the games this season.....and once he seats down A.Smith is not going to give the starting position up...

Again as long as McGm is in control...A.Smith is our future QB.....THAT IS A FACT.

you guys are funny......as long as McGm is in control A.Smith is the future of this franchise.......

you can disagree as much as you want.......i rather have McGm on my side.

you guys can scream and pout as much as yu want.....as long as McGM is in control....A.Smith is our future QB

Guys,

Enough of the QB bashing already. My Lord! Realistically I think we can ALL agree that we're probably going to need both QB's in order for the 49ers to have a successful season.

i did have my guns drwan....but McGm called me and informed me AGAIN.....as long as he McGM is in control A.Smith is the future QB of the niners

Matt has the BS filter on the blog. If you get an error message, it is because your entry has too much BS in the box.

Coulda saved yourself a lot of typing and just said "small hands", Matt. lol

I have to say I don't even think we can determine if Alex does or doesn't have the "it" factor. Lets be serious, I don't know many 20-21 year olds who can enter a huddle of super high testosterone men from 5-10 years older and lead. Especially when the coach was not strong enough to back Alex up. Add that to the fact that the team was losing and thus unhappy without and without any hope of a turnaround...very tough to annoint a 21 year old leader. Let's face it, winning makes great leaders. If any one of these guys gets lucky enough to get into the game with all the OTHER pieces in place, he will have the "it" we're all looking for.

he must have flipped the switch at 12:16 today

Most all great QB's have three things:

A). Accuracy.
B). Excellent decision making.
C). The 'it' factor.

Guys like Joe Montana and Tom Brady, while not the greatest when it came to things like height and arm strength, had A - B and C!

And let's not forget hot wives. Heh.

Most all great QB's have three things:

A). Accuracy.
B). Excellent decision making.
C). The 'it' factor.

Guys like Joe Montana and Tom Brady, while not the greatest when it came to things like height and arm strength, had A - B and C!

And let's not forget hot wives. Heh.

I love how you truly believe that just because McGM is around that A.Smith is guaranteed to be our QB. Smith has zero margin for error if he does in fact "Win" the QB competition. Do you hear that?!? ZERO MARGIN for error.

There is way too much risk to start Smith and have him fail then there is to start Hill and have him fail.

A.) Hill starts and continues on from last year. Wins the close games with a much improved offense and takes us to the play-offs. End = Everyone's happy, Hill put's an end to all the nay-sayers and Smith get's traded next year

B.) Hill starts and a.) stinks up the joint or b.) get's hurt. Smith comes in by game 3 and proves everyone wrong winning games and showing why he was chosen #1. End = Everyone's happy, Smith is comeback player of All-Time and Hill once again becomes back-up

C.) Smith starts and once again blows it. Bad passes, no rhythm, hangs head, ect. Hill comes in and continues off from last year winning games and showing true leadership. End = Fans will be calling for Sing and Raye's head demanding an explanation once again.

D.) They both stink up the joint and Davis comes in to save the year and take us to the SBowl!!! End = Never gonna happen

I'm going with A :)

A.

Respectfully, you are wrong. The QB is the leader of the offense. Even though he may be younger than a lot of his teammates and less experienced, it doesn't matter.

He's the boss and he has to act like it.

It's that simple.

If he can't do that, from the beginning, his odds of succeeding are greatly diminished.

dude...i know most of you think cuz i like A.Smith i want him to start....WRONG

- the only reason i want A.Smith starting is because i have no ...not a single confidence in Hill..

....i have seen him play and nothing tells me there is a huge upside to him...

...now who am i to spit out this opinion.....i am a sport fanatic....i watch and eat sports 24 hrs.....i have been watching QB's for a long time and i know when a QB is not the one...
....just like i know my steak is not well done..........

.....to your answer there will never be an A....hill is never going to take us to the playoffs...

...you know i give you guys credit yes hill does have the mannerism you all want in a QB...but one thing he lacks is the physical attributes...

...say whatever you want, Hill does not pass the look test......and he his physically not gifted to lead a franchise, i dont care how accurate his pass his.

...when the games get tough in november and december Hill will crumble (that is if he still playing) just like he has done in his whole career....

you know what i hope hill does start, cuz we all know the qb will struggle in the first couple of games especially learnin a new offense.........its a no brainer.....

Why the hell would you think they'd trade Smith? The only way they'd do that is if Hill was the starter, got hurt, Smith came in and was horrendous as a backup. regardless of whether you view him as a bust or not, there's no reason at this point to think that he couldn't be a capable backup at worst.

How do you know there will never be an A?!? Until he plays a full season no one will ever know.

So all your predictions are now coming down to the "Look" factor?!? Michael Vick had every single physical attribute you could look for and look where that got him.

"...when the games get tough in november and december Hill will crumble (that is if he still playing) just like he has done in his whole career...."

where the heck did you get this??? He played his best ball last year in Nov and Dec. We lost some close ones but Hill definitely DIDN'T crumble. Do you not remember the last game of the season vs. Washington?!?

No more hooey for you brah!!!

195 sacks in the last four years. That might be an NFL record! It doesn't take a genius to figure that out! In 2007 we lost every QB to injury!

Matt is right. Smith has been injured. All I care about the first winning season in seven years!

If Hill proves to be a worthy starter and goes the entire year. Then yes they will probably trade Smith. Smith doesn't want to be a backup and could possibly thrive elsewhere with a new organization and fresh start. If Smith does come in sometime through out next year and is just atrocious.. then I would think his career in the NFL is over. His trade value would be next to nothing.

AMEN Marco! That is all I care about, no matter who is taking snaps. How bout some W's!

Unless Smith demands a trade, I just can't see it happening. They've got him signed to a rather inexpensive contract and have no depth behind him. Also, if he DOESN'T get into game action this year, I can't see him having much (if any) trade value, as well. Overall, it just doesn't seem like a trade is a realistic option regardless of the outcome of the season.

I haven't read all of the blog entries so someone else may have pointed this out, but most of us know that Alex Smith's problems at this point are not physical. He has the arm strength, mobility, and touch on the ball to be a very good QB. Smith's problems are in his head. He has not shown the ability at the pro level to read the field, find the open receiver, and deliver the ball quickly and accurately. According to his college coach he is "paralyzed" if he does not know the system inside and out. Hill does not seem to have the same difficulty as Smith. I can see Hill starting the year and going deep into the season as Smith learns the system but late in the year and into next year Smith could take over as the starter and upgrade the position. The interesting question is will it be too late for Smith? The team has two first round picks next year and there are supposed to be some pretty good QB's in the 2010 draft.

Agree. A.Smith would be better served sitting behind S.Hill for at least a year so that he can become completely comfortable with the new system. I do remember reading those comments from Urban Meyer about A.Smith's mental approach to the game. I think that interview was posted in a previous blog post but I can't remember when.

I read Lowell's interview of Alex Smith. Smith seems like he has not matured enough and is now trying to fight inner demons. Even though he has gotten older in age, he sounds like there still is a lack of maturity.
I want Alex Smith to succeed and be the man. But the damage of Nolan's idiocy and Smith's own immaturity of playing when hurt has left Smith doubting himself. In the interview he was trying hard to find the words to say the name of the demon that he sees prevented him from succeeding. That proves that the demon is still there. And still has taken up residence in his head.
Unfortunately for Smith and his fans, including me, Hill has "IT!" Joe Montana had "IT"! Bart Starr had "IT!" Johnny Unitas, Jim McMahon, Roger Staubach, Fran Tarkenton, and others who weren't so physically gifted had "IT!" Again, Hill has "IT."
I could be wrong of course. But if the team starts Smith on openning day, at least until Hill gets the nod, the 49ers won't have "IT!"

Hopefully all this worry about who will win a competition between Hill and smith (it seems to me that Hill is clearly superior in just about every way),will all be moot in a year or two when Nate "the great" Davis gets up to speed and takes over the starting job for the next decade or longer. Davis' skills are clearly superior in every way to Alex and also seems to be much more potentially talented than Hill and possibly more talented than any QB drafted in this years draft or that will be drafted in next years draft (the proof will be shown on the field,one way or the other). Of course he has to live up to all that potential . But if he even comes close to reaching his potential ,then he will be the best QB we have seen on the Niners roster since Steve Young.
If he lives up to his great potential,then we certainly don't need to draft a franchise QB in next years draft but can use both those #1 picks to get two playmakers. Or even trade for someone like Peppers.
In the meantime Hill can do just fine( better than fine actually) holding down the starting job until Davis takes over.
Sad to say,even if Smith comes along and finally shows some NFL caliber talent,it will probably be too late for him here. The future belongs to Davis ,unless he flops like Smith has done.

Hopefully all this worry about who will win a competition between Hill and smith (it seems to me that Hill is clearly superior in just about every way),will all be moot in a year or two when Nate "the great" Davis gets up to speed and takes over the starting job for the next decade or longer. Davis' skills are clearly superior in every way to Alex and also seems to be much more potentially talented than Hill and possibly more talented than any QB drafted in this years draft or that will be drafted in next years draft (the proof will be shown on the field,one way or the other). Of course he has to live up to all that potential . But if he even comes close to reaching his potential ,then he will be the best QB we have seen on the Niners roster since Steve Young.
If he lives up to his great potential,then we certainly don't need to draft a franchise QB in next years draft but can use both those #1 picks to get two playmakers. Or even trade for someone like Peppers.
In the meantime Hill can do just fine( better than fine actually) holding down the starting job until Davis takes over.
Sad to say,even if Smith comes along and finally shows some NFL caliber talent,it will probably be too late for him here. The future belongs to Davis ,unless he flops like Smith has done.

Hopefully all this worry about who will win a competition between Hill and smith (it seems to me that Hill is clearly superior in just about every way),will all be moot in a year or two when Nate "the great" Davis gets up to speed and takes over the starting job for the next decade or longer. Davis' skills are clearly superior in every way to Alex and also seems to be much more potentially talented than Hill and possibly more talented than any QB drafted in this years draft or that will be drafted in next years draft (the proof will be shown on the field,one way or the other). Of course he has to live up to all that potential . But if he even comes close to reaching his potential ,then he will be the best QB we have seen on the Niners roster since Steve Young.
If he lives up to his great potential,then we certainly don't need to draft a franchise QB in next years draft but can use both those #1 picks to get two playmakers. Or even trade for someone like Peppers.
In the meantime Hill can do just fine( better than fine actually) holding down the starting job until Davis takes over.
Sad to say,even if Smith comes along and finally shows some NFL caliber talent,it will probably be too late for him here. The future belongs to Davis ,unless he flops like Smith has done.

Sorry about the triple post. The site was telling me that my post was not being accepted ,so I kept trying .And then all 3 were suddenly posted . ???

I give up, football has become a religion.
Here's a challenge name someone that had "IT" but didn't win.
"IT" is intangible, immeasurable, ineffable and best applied after the fact because it is used to describe people we instinctively recognize. People who win.

Really enjoying your enthusiasm about Nate-I keep beating my lonely drum about Greg Micheli the small school wonder who nobody has drafted -once you look at his history it becomes perplexing that no one has picked him up -at a minimum cost we might find a real winner and cultivate two young QB's thereby deeping the position even further( if for no other reason than possible trade options!).Anyone else on to this kid?

No ? Oh well, back to my drum.

Archie Manning. Fran Tarkenton. Dan Fouts. (I could go on, but you get the picture).

Marino, Esiason, Flutie?

If the team doesn't add a better QB to the roster, Shaun Hill will start game one. It is the only logical choice. He is getting a chance. If he has a couple bad games in a row, or he goes down hurt, Smith will get his redo. If Sing started Smith, the faithful would erupt at the first interception. It is better for the team to go with Hill, and use Smith if they have too. That would make for a better comeback story anyway. Even if he doesn't take any snaps in '09, Smith isn't going anywhere. He is making backup money now, so he can be the backup. I am hoping that no matter who starts, whoever finishes takes us to January football. I will cheer for either throughout the year.

Just a Fan and Marco, I think you both have it right and are on the same page as Coach Singletary. W's is what matters. Throughout his short tenure Singletary has been honest. He wants to determine whether Hill or Smith gives the team the best chance to win. Personally, I think Hill correctly has the advantage going in. Singletary said the winner will be the person who brings "magic" to the huddle; the qb that has that "it.". Stated another way, he has that look in his eyes that raises the level of his teammates. Smith hasn't shown that "magio" except in that one bad weather game in Seattle. Singletary promised Smith the right to compete; that is all. Smith will have to beat out Hill and I don't think Smith can do that before the season opener. That would require the competition to go deep into training camp and for Smith to be clearly better than Hill in practice and the early exhibition games. I don't think that is likely. I think Smith's chance comes during the season when, and if, Hill gets hurt or the team isn't winning and the QB play is very ordinary. Like all 49ers fans, I hope the latter doesn't occur. Either way, when and if Smith's chance comes he better grab it by the throat and play well enough to keep Hill on the bench or it is over here for Smith.

I used to loathe raider fans who referred to us as "whiners" just because I figured their tepid little brains needed something that rhymed with Niners but c'mon we're making it easy on them.

Let's be happy we might have the best rookie WR to come out in years or that Gore finally will have a suitable compliment and that we have our bruising FB back.

But most of all be happy for this nugget on McKillop:

"Something about Scott McKillop (fifth round) reminds me of Derek Smith, who closed out his 49ers tenure with five consecutive seasons with at least 100 tackles (by NFL.com’s count). Maybe it’s the way McKillop’s eyes lit up when he start talking about the art of wrapping up.
While at Pittsburgh, missed tackles were treated like a deadly sin. During film room sessions, former Paul Rhodes (now the heat coach at Iowa State) would count up missed tackles and then think of some horrible punishment for the offenders – push-ups, up-downs, etc.
“We’d probably spend at least two or three periods per day just working on proper footwork, proper angles and securing the tackle,’’ McKillop said. A great defense doesn’t miss many tackles.”
Pittsburgh credited McKillop with a 151 tackles in 2007 and 137 in 2008."

You hear that mo-fo's? "missed tackles were treated like a sin"

A sin in this religion we call football.

In a word....beautiful.

This is sooooooooooo a Sing type of guy. How long til' training camp?

For the whole article:

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2009/05/03/49ers-wrap-up-rookie-minicamp/

Read it and let the whining subside.

The QB needs to have an Alpha Male type personality to take command of the huddle. Does Smith have this? I dunno. Hill IMO does.

Yes FINALLY somebody who can stop the nuaseating talk about the stupid QB debate that means nothing RIGHT NOW. You're right faith71 we as 49er fans should embrace all the good fruits that have come our way thru FA, the draft & UDFA. On paper this team is so much better than it has been in a long time & there's so much to look forward to with all the new additions that are really going to make a difference in the W's column. We SHOULD be talking about that aspect. As I said before the QB battle will take care of itself on the field so why waste anymore time posting about it? As "Dieter" from "SNL" would say in his skits..."You've become tiresome"

and I still think they should explore putting VD at Fullback. He can block. He'd be the big back compliment to Gore & on the field at the same time. He'd get the goal line cares, and he'd be a huge threat catching the ball out of the backfield. Defenses would not know whether Gore or VD were going out on a pass route.

Live chat with Coach Singletary today at NFL.com 6:00ET.

Yeah, except that VD goes down when the first defender touches him. Seriously, for such a stud, he sucks in the RAC department. I can't think he'd be any better at not going down running into a bunched up line.

I, for one, was thankful this group was focused on something other than wanting to fire McGM or York, that grows tiresome. I'll reiterate my view. Start Hill, he's deserved it. Smith does not. Tell Smith he has competition for the #2 spot, I'm not convinced he'll be any better than Huard off the bench. I do agree with the sentiment about winning and will be overjoyed to cheer whoever is leading our team to victories.

I agree with with 100%

The season can't come quickly enough!!!

Here's another thing to think about...

Who does everyone predict to win out the #2 RB behind Gore?!?

I think Sheets is going to be used more to stretch the field with screens, 2nd and 8 scenario, ect. Coffee is going to be the bruiser for short yardage and goalline.

Coffee is going to be the #2 back for sure. I don't know if I would call him a bruiser though, he is 210 going on 225 in a year or two. He isn't a shifty back, he is a one-cut downhill physical runner with good top end speed. I just hope his isn't too much like Gore.

Sheets is going to be more of a Sproles change of pace, draw, check-down change of pace, speed back. Hopefully the OL develops nicely as I would like to see Morgan, Crabtree and Hill running routes, VD stretching the D and Sheets popping out into the flat to catch the flare. That is like the 9ers of old. In fact, if we had to pick up the blitz, I might motion VD to the backfield to pick up the free man,

I agree with you in theory. Yes, the QB has to lead and it's on his shoulders to get his teammates to follow. However, there are few and far between rookie QBs that become true leaders their first season in the league. Rothlesberger, Ryan and Flacco in the most recent past but they were all drafted to decent teams. Does Eli Manning have "it"? If I recall correctly his teammates rumbled quite a bit about his questionable leadership skills until his SB season. Another example is Steve Young. Did he have "it"? He certainly didn't seem to until Bill Walsh annointed him. I'm pretty sure that there haven't been any 21 year old rookie QBs thrown into starting on a losing team and everyone in the huddle just followed based on his charisma.

Dude that would be the bomb!!!

We def have weapons. Here's "Crossing my fingers" that they can put it all together!!!

Stampede and Geomak, you came up with six QBs with "IT" one of which was a loser at the pro level. Frankly, that one is more than I expected. I wonder though what the consensus opinion would be on Manning. QB with "IT" but no team or, QB with all the skills and talent but not "IT"?

"Start Hill, he's deserved it." Roger that. By all accounts Smith & Hill have rated about equal so far with Hill looking better in practice then he usually does.
Sing has seen both QB's and has been there long enough to know that it would help Hill if Sing had his support for what he was able to prove out on the field (7-3) record.
I'm sure we're dwelling on this way more than he is- he's got to worry about the rest of his flock.
I want Manny L to have a breakout year. That will have a ripple effect on the whole team (pressure off the entire defense from J Smith to our corners) and pressure off the offense.
I'm not putting it all on him, it's a team game but Lawson was starting to show some flashes before suffering his season ending injury a couple years ago, so though I don't single out players, I'll be rooting him on.
And puhhleeeeeze stay healthy Niners!

Archie was the man. I would loved to have seen him on a good team, the Saints just took too long. Yes, he had 'IT.'

Coach Sing is on NFL Total Access right now. He looks good with that suit!

I'll give you an example. When Jim McMahon was a sophmore at BYU, he replaced starter Marc Wilson, who had gotten hurt.

As teammate Clay Brown recalled: "Jim came in with so much confidence, it was like he'd been there for 10 years."

Teammate Bill Ring: "I have a lot of respect for Marc Wilson and he was a terrific QB, but competitiveness was what really separated Jim from Marc."

This type of leadership was never more evident than in the 1980 Holiday Bowl where BYU overcame a 19 point deficit in the 4th quarter to win the game.

Key play in that game? In the fourth quarter, BYU faced a 4th and two near midfield. HC LaVell Edwards sent the punting unit in and McMahon refused to come off the field.

Edwards called a timeout, McMahon told his offense to stay on the field, went over to Edwards on the sideline and started yelling "What? Are you giving up? That's BullS++T."

Quoting LaVell Edwards: "The guy was upset to no end, so I said OK, go back in and we'll go for it."

They converted the fourth down and eventually won on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game.

Going over to yell at your HC for throwing in the towell? That's leadership! That's why his teammates at BYU and in Chicago loved him. They always felt that they were never out of the game with Jim under center.

In life (and especially at the Hc'ing position and at the QB position) you either are a leader or you're not.

QB's who aren't rarely are successful. And you either are that way or not by the time you reach the NFL.

Yes, it all comes down to winning. Singletary's future depends upon winning and I feel more confident then I have in years. He is the person who has "It!"

If the team starts the season playing musical QB's or it starts the season wondering who is really going to be the starter, you'll see how important the QB position is to a team. And you'll be doing plenty of commenting with the rest of us about what happened to a promising season!
But I don't think MS will let it happen!

Two Words

Offensive Line

For god sakes, one year we went through four quarterbacks all with injuries.The one synonymous tangible that year; Offensive line.

Top_Cat... I couldnt agree with you more. Alex Smith is a freaking BUST! Ive been saying that for so many years. I have no idea why we took this guy with the #1 overall pick. He doesnt know where hes going with the ball, has happy feet, and when he does throw it, its way off the target. Than we have to watch him lower his head like the non-leader that he is. Nice guy? yes... Starting QB? Hell freakin NO! Shaun Hill will be able to move this team and Nate Davis has some skills, but im telling you all, theres a reason why we traded to get another 1st round pick next year. Its called L E T S M A K E A D E A L !!!!

QB's coming out for 2010: COLT MCCOY, TIM TEBOW, SAM BRADFORD.. anyone of these guys will bury the Alex vs. Hill vs. Davis talk forever!