He would be referring to improvements in the practices on Tuesday, Wednesday and today. He was clearly not happy with the sharpness of practice on Monday. That's the day he stopped practice for some conditioning/discipline. Singletary said the action served its purpose for the remainder of the week, as the level of play picked up.
"The most important thing for myself and the guys is we're going to come out here and get better," Singletary said. "Every time we're not getting better, we have to take a step back and look at what we're doing and redirect some things and rethink some things."
Yes, the 49ers do look better in practice, and a lot of that probably is because the quarterback play looks better.
Today, Alex Smith and Shaun Hill both threw the ball very well. Hill had a very good day. He routinely put the ball on the money. In the past week, Smith has looked as good on the practice field as he has at any point in his career.
"When you look out here at times it looks as if he does," Singletary said of Smith, "but at the same time, nothing means anything until he's out there facing some live bullets. All of a sudden, all form and technique goes when you got guys coming at you."'
Singletary said he needs to see Smith carry over his practice-field success to the exhibition season. The 49ers' first exhibition game is Friday, Aug. 14, against the Broncos.
The 49ers conclude OTAs on Monday and Tuesday. The 49ers are scheduled to open training camp Thursday, July 30.
* * *
Veteran quarterback Damon Huard is not getting many practice reps, but he is used to that. He said he got zero practice snaps with the Chiefs during minicamps and the OTAs last year, but he found himself in the starting lineup in Week 2 of the regular season.
Huard, a 13-year veteran, does not require a bunch of practice time. He said Jimmy Raye's offensive system is similar to the offense he ran four of the past five seasons with the Chiefs. Although Huard turns 36 in July, he has just 30 NFL starts. He said he has a lot of mileage but still has a lot of tread on the tires.
One 49ers source raved at how well Huard is throwing the ball during individual work. Although Hill and Smith are competing for the starting job and rookie Nate Davis is being groomed behind him, Huard appears to have a pretty strong hold on a roster spot at this stage.
* * *
The 49ers will probably have head up to
"I'm very excited about the opportunity because they have a tremendous amount of talent on that team, so I think if it comes to pass it'll be a great opportunity for us," Singletary said of the Raiders.
* * *
I sat down with 49ers quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson for the first time Wednesday. He did not coach in the league last season. New
So Johnson took the opportunity to finish class work to earn his communications/broadcast management degree from the
He also spent some time with coaching staffs at
Johnson, 42, is an impressive guy. In fact, Singletary said today all it took was 15 minutes with him during the interview process before he decided he was going to hire him. "I knew from that moment that when you have passion for a position and at the same time you have knowledge of a position, something great is going to happen," Singletary said.
Unfortunately, Johnson is prohibited by the team to share his thoughts about Shaun Hill and Alex Smith. The 49ers' new media policy - at least for now - is that position coaches can only be interviewed for profile articles. He was stopped once he started talking about the team's current quarterbacks. My feature on Johnson will probably run early in training camp.
Today I asked Singletary what Johnson thinks of how the fundamentals of the QBs are coming along just fine. Hill's fundamentals were clearly more advanced than Smith's when the offseason began.
"Day to day it's getting better," Singletary said. "From the very first day we come out here and you sit back in a chair and go, 'Wow, got to work on this, got to work on that with Alex; got to work on this, got to work on this with Shaun.' We're going to continue to move forward. I talk to him just about every day. . . . It continues to get better."
* * *
It was a rough day at practice for Vernon Davis, who dropped three passes. But he also had a lot of passes thrown his way. He caught at least four passes during the 11-on-11 session.
The play of the day came from another tight end, rookie Bear Pascoe. Alex Smith lofted a 20-yard pass to Pascoe down the middle. Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich had good coverage, but Pascoe went up and tore the ball away from Ulbrich, who reacted by sprawling out face first on the turf. Pascoe continued down the field with the ball. But on his way back to the huddle, Pascoe, like a gentleman, helped Ulbrich off the ground.
Meanwhile, Tarell Brown wasn't exactly acting gentlemanly when he got in the face of receiver Maurice Price to taunt him after Price dropped an easy pass from Smith on a crossing route.
* * *
Receiver Michael Crabtree continues to ease into his rehab under the watchful eye of the team's training staff. Singletary said Crabtree is competitive and eager to get back to full work. He said Crabtree "about had tears in his eyes" during the team's first minicamp when Singletary told him to stop running routes. He said Crabtree must remain on the plan so that he's ready to hit the practice field to begin competing for a job when training camp opens. Crabtree underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot in March.
* * *
I predict A.Smith starts the 49ers' first exhibition game against the Nolan-Broncos and wins big......
.....the media will focus on him and nolan....the is made for football TV
..can you imagine the excitement of "football is back" the first week of NFL
...his performance on Friday, Aug. 14 will decide his fate.......
Matt,
In regards to the QB situation, it appears that Hill and Huard are safe. If Alex does incredibly horrible in August (meaning he is outplayed by Huard with the 2nd team), is it possible the team cuts him and insert Nate Davis as the 3rd stringer?
Geez, "he was stopped..."
Now the position coaches have handlers. I can see it now.... Matt asking a question and Johnson saying. "under advice from counsel, I have no recollection of any player named Alex Smith or Shaun Hill."
He won't start... I guarantee that unless Hill is injured. Hill will lead the team on a nice long drive capped off with a TD.
Smith will get his chance... and for once I agree. It will decide his fate with this team.
If he has consecutive 3 and outs he's gone. This will be compacted if Huard plays well.
And dood... Nolan and Smith in the 1st preseason game is not made for TV. Sing coaching against Nolan... that could be a story.
Matt - When is Marvel Smith expected to start participating in 11-on-11? I assume he's not in competition for the starting job.
You're right, he's not competing, he was signed to be the starter.
LOL, you're kidding right?
What if JTO gets the starting nod and wins the superbowl for the Bengals?
It's great that Huard is looking good or whatever.. But Im a bit of a gambler and I would rather not have Huard on the team and hope Hill and Smith dont both go down.
Do people think his presence is good for the other QBs? Atleast we have enought players in the organization that we are worried about who makes the roster and who's the odd man out.
Man, Im ready to go tailgate at the Stick.
Hehe! I had put all JTO related thoughts in the back of my mind.. Man we've had some rough times.
Man, I like things shakin' out the way they are. The "Bear" will become a huge fan favorite. AND he's gonna push VD to actually live up to a portion of his potential!! I just can't freakin' wait for this season to start, probably more than I have in 6 or 7 years. Huard goes before Davis, no way we keep 4 QB's!
Does that leave only Snyder to back up Staley as well as Smith? If so, I really hope this Boone guy works out.
If JTO wins the starting job over Carson, the NFL should just disolve that franchise on the spot.
This is exactly what I have been saying from the start...
------------------------------------------------
From Matt...
Today, Alex Smith and Shaun Hill both threw the ball very well. Hill had a very good day. He routinely put the ball on the money. In the past week, Smith has looked as good on the practice field as he has at any point in his career.
"When you look out here at times it looks as if he does," Singletary said of Smith, "but at the same time, nothing means anything until he's out there facing some live bullets. All of a sudden, all form and technique goes when you got guys coming at you."'
Singletary said he needs to see Smith carry over his practice-field success to the exhibition season. The 49ers' first exhibition game is Friday, Aug. 14, against the Broncos.
----------------------------------------------------------------
It means nothing how alex does when the bullets are NOT flying at him and he is not under pressure from a pass rush and they are not even in pads yet. (I even used the same term several times"bullets flying" ,as Sing used !) When the preseason starts ,that is when it all BEGINS for Alex,and when we get to see if he remains with the team as 2nd or 3rd string or at all.(or possibly ,if a miracle happens ,as the starter).
And as I have also been saying all along,Huard IS the most steady and reliable and proven backup for Hill ,and Davis IS the project for the future,not Smith.
...it does seem the Hill fans are nervous......A.Smith is back!!!
*siiiiiigh* Yer like that kid at the grocery store who won't stop beggin' their parents for cocoa puffs no matter how many times they say "NO!"
I'm not knockin' A.Smith. Been rootin' fer the man since he was drafted #1 overall. HOWEVER...S-Dot-Hill has to be the starter...period. We saw what happend when someone else started in front of Hill the last two seasons b/c of prior 'previouis success,' or how they looked in camp (Dilfer, JTO). Wasn't pretty. Lord, let the 49ers not be doomed to repeat history.
A.Smith will get his chance to step up, everyone does (see S-Dot-Hill). Hopefully by that time, the offensive system will be thoroughly ingrained in his mind - as recommended by his former college coach - so that he may be as successful as he can be.
Nervous? Heck no. Whoever gives us the best chance to win at QB needs to start and so far that's been Hill. If Alex does, great... I'm just not expecting it.
Is your man-crush on Alex more important than the success of the team? I think not. May the best man win...
The quaterback debate is really an interesting one. You have one quaterback that can probably win 10 games for you (Hill) and have a decent offensive attack. Then you have Smith who hasnt proved anything yet but if he can get his head right we could win 12 plus games and have a very good offense. Hill is not what I would like to see in a QB but he does win games hard to complain about that. I just dont see a future in Hill and I am hoping Smith steps up and be what he was projected to be but if not Hill will win some games for you and you cant complain about that
Any talk about Huard not making the team is on the wrong track...he was signed to be the guy who can come in and keep things going. He's proven he can do that...every team needs three QB's who can continue offensive continuity. So, I don't think he's going anywhere. The dilemma will be between Alex and Davis, because it's well recognized putting Nate on the PS would be very risky. So, they'll have to find a way to "hide" him. He looks to have a future...very nice tools and Coach Johnson sounds like just the guy to bring him along the right way. Despite what he's showing now, Alex could be the guy on the bubble. I'm not against him at all...I've openly rooted for him, but it could become a numbers game. Yes, the possibility exists for Huard to be the odd man out...but given his proven ability, that would seem unlikely.
I like the security of having Huard at #3 but wasn't he signed before Smith's contract was re-worked (i.e. as a backup)? I'm not keen on carrying 4 QBs, as I think this would implicitly mean a cut to a young and relatively unknown WR corps.
Perhaps Oneniner + Alex Smith should go on a double date with Top Cat + Nate Davis. The 4 could become fast friends. On Saturday afternoons, Smith & Davis could go antiquing while Oneniner and Top Cat hit the links. Over dinner they could all trash Hill since he's trying to steal Oneniners soulmate. All the while, Smith & Davis secretly think Hill is amazing...
Hi Matt. Who stopped Mike Johnson from answering and was that person standing over him the whole time?
oneniner, Stampede, TOP_CAT,
You guys are killing me! What have I been saying ....oh for the last 2 months? Nobody knows how this QB situation is going to unfold and I mean NOBODY! You guys go back & forth..."blah-blah-blah" Can we stop with this nonsense until we actually see these guys playing in Pre-Season? Afterall this is a "competition" & only then will Sing decide who will be the starter. Agreed?
Matt -- I thought Mike Johnson was added as much to be a OCOTF (so to speak) seeing how Raye is already in his 60s. Why wasn't this brought up, or is the topic off-limits too?
For me it is good news Alex Smith is practicing so well and there appears to be a good competition going on.
Whomever wins the job in preseason is my favorite. How well the O Line performs with either QB is our key to offensive success.
Yes thank you Marco,
I couldn't agree more.
F - MY BAD...I just keep getting sucked back into this argument. I can't help it! I'll officially put myself on S-Dot-Hill moratorium until the preseason...*head down, walking into the corner*
I resent being compared in any way to zeroniner !!!,lol
Everything I say about Davis is true and full of common sense and logic,backed by the facts. I readily admit that Davis must first prove himself and show his vast skills on the NFL playing field as he has on the college level before he is awarded the starting spot. Unlike the Smith worshipers,who just want to hand over the starting job to Smith,even though he has done NOTHING yet to earn anything.
It is plain for all to see that Davis is our only player on the roster who has the potential to be the franchise QB of the future. But I am of course resonable enough on the subject to say that potential means nothing if the player doesn't live up to that great potential on the field. Smit has NOT lived up to anything good said about him at draft time. If Davis flops big time like Smith,over the next several years,then I will call him a flop also. ( a big IF). But all Niner's fans should be excited to have Davis on the team and should be hopefull that he will become THE man (as we once were hopefull about alex,before he let us down).
OH,and Houston...I am a Hill supporter and always have been ! So please don't say in any further posts that I trash Hill,that makes you sound ignorant of the facts.
Hill will be just fine ,until hopefully Davis takes over in a year or two. (that is what I have always said !!! ).
And... I will even be glad to see Smith finally play well for the first time IF that actually happens this year. If he actually EARNS the starting spot for his first time,I will be happy for him and especially happy for me,if we win games with him (or any one who wins). But as of right now,Smith should be 3rd on the depth chart . And really should be 4th if you go by talent,but of course Davis is nowhere near ready yet so he must be placed below Smith on the depth chart (if Smith makes the team).
I know we have the same opinion. Hill has earned the right to start based on his play on the field. Smith might prove to be a decent backup some day. I too am excited about Davis's potential. I watched a few of his games in college and thought he was at the very least a 2nd round talent. I was simply poking fun at you and Oneniner for your man-crushes.
I was once gung ho for smith ,before I saw him play ,lol .I never watched him in college at Utah but just took the word of the so called experts before and during the draft process.
I HAVE seen Davis play and if he can put his vast talent to good effect on the NFL playing field,he should not let me down like Smith did. But every player must prove himself before he earns a starting spot (except of course a #1 overall pick,he has the job handed to him,deserving or not).
Davis may flop but we should all be cheering for him to live up to his potential.After all,everything else we have on the roster now are journeymen. Although I love hill,he does not have IT ALL. He is steady and has the intangebles and makes plays. Davis has the potential to be so much more than that. Until Davis proves himself,Hill should do just fine !
You're a good man Stampede. I know it's hard but I know you can do it.
Not sure I can agree that Smith could give us 12 wins, that is one very large leap. However, I can agree that Hill is not our future. Personally I think Hill starts the season and should be the guy that starts the season from what we have. But I don't see him taking us to the SB. I think we need to temper our expectations. I want a competitive team this year, one that has the capability to win each week, they may just lack the consistentcy. If the long-term QB is on our roster now it'll be because he has continued develupment to earn it. I'll not be the least bit surprised when we use our power in next year's draft toward the QB position (either pick or trade). I have to admit though that I find myself hoping that Smith does not win the job just cause I'll not look forward to oneniner's posts, something tells me there will be no gracious 'winning'
Carrying 4 QB's seems unnecessary and will force them to drop someone who they could probably use. Dropping Huard seems like it could bite them down the road. Putting Davis on the PS could be a seriously stupid move (not to mention waste of a 5th round pick).
Who can read this riddle?
"...it does seem the Hill fans are nervous......A.Smith is back!!!"
Actually, oneniner, most of us are 49er fans.
i have no doubt most u r niner fans - does not mean most of are not dead wrong.....
.....i can't stand by and watch the niners turn into a socialist team with Hill at QB......
Total Access granted tonight into the camp of the Scarlett and Gold with Baldy. Lets all get our popcorn and enjoy the show.
barley,
I posted that exact concern about 4 QB's on Matt's last article. It's a dilemma for sure & there's no easy answer. It's almost & I hate to say this but... it's almost as if 1 of the QB's needs to have an injury in order for this to work. Heaven forbid!
"Unfortunately, Johnson is prohibited by the team to share his thoughts about Shaun Hill and Alex Smith. The 49ers' new media policy - at least for now - is that position coaches can only be interviewed for profile articles." And.."He WAS STOPPED (my caps) when he started talking about the current QB'S."
What is this? The old Soviet Union used to do this! Why mums the word? Come on! Like Johnson would say anything terribly negative about ANY of his QB's?
Look! They hired Johnson to be the QB man and to bring his knowledge to the guys and the offense! He knows more about the QB's and their progress than anyone!
I think this is ridiculous! Sounds a little like what papa York used to be like! I don't like this at all.
Let the coaches open their mouths whether it's today or whenever! If you don't trust what they'll say, why did the front office hire them?
Terry,
I hate to point out the obvious, but the coaches aren't hired to talk to us. It should be obvious by now that Singletary does not like BS. Nothing personal wrt the other posters here, but this thread (and several other like this on MM's site) should make it clear that there's plenty of that being spread on the subject of 49er QBs.
All this QB speculation is just mind-numbing. There are 22 positions on the team, not including Special Teams. QB is important, but in a much larger context. Here’s my updated stab-in-the-dark at a 53-man roster. Plenty of grist for discussion here. If you must go QB, then who goes if we decide to carry 4 of them?
QB: SHill, ASmith, NDavis/Huard RB: Gore, Coffee, Robinson, Norris TE: VDavis, Pascoe, Walker WR: Bruce, Crabtree, Morgan, JHill, Jones, Battle OL: Heitman, Wallace, Baas, Rachal, Staley, MSmith, Snyder, Wragge, Bender (25 Offense) LB: Willis, Spikes, Lawson, Haralson, Harris, McKillop, Ulbrich, Moore/Brooks DL: Balmer, Evans, JSmith, Sopoaga, McDonald, Franklin CB: Clements, Bly, Brown, Spencer, Hudson, RSmith S: Goldson, Lewis, Taylor, Roman (24 Defense) ST: Nedney, Lee, Jennings, Rossum (4 ST)
Guaranteed – At least 1 of these players will be on IR before the season starts (Harris!), probably moore (pun intended). I’ve fallen down and can’t get up – If McDonald does make it back, Jean-Francois would seem a prime candidate to be IRedshirted. Of course, then he can’t practice with the team. We might risk him on PS – only 12 players were drafted after him. Concerns – I was a little surprised at the switch of Reggie Smith to safety. Along with Strickland’s departure, it leaves us light at CB. I’ve switched him back, to give a more traditional 6/4 DB blend. Watch the waiver wire – Most likely spots for a veteran upgrade look to be CB, LB, and OL. Long shot dark horse – We sure are trying a lot of S-CB conversions. I hope it doesn’t mean we’re short of guys that can cover from the LOS. Not saying it will happen, but if Michael Lewis is cut, I’m claiming credit for mentioning the possibility first. Won’t touch this – I’m not declaring any starters here; calling Davis/Huard and Moore/Brooks toss-ups.
PS: Sheets, Boone, Jean-Francois, Washington, Word-Daniels (or other UDFA CB) + 3
Take 2!
All this QB speculation is just mind-numbing. There are 22 positions on the team, not including Special Teams. QB is important, but in a much larger context. Here’s my updated stab-in-the-dark at a 53-man roster. Plenty of grist for discussion here. If you must go QB, then who goes if we decide to carry 4 of them?
QB: SHill, ASmith, NDavis/Huard
RB: Gore, Coffee, Robinson, Norris
TE: VDavis, Pascoe, Walker
WR: Bruce, Crabtree, Morgan, JHill, Jones, Battle
OL: Heitman, Wallace, Baas, Rachal, Staley, MSmith, Snyder, Wragge, Bender
(25 Offense)
LB: Willis, Spikes, Lawson, Haralson, Harris, McKillop, Ulbrich, Moore/Brooks
DL: Balmer, Evans, JSmith, Sopoaga, McDonald, Franklin
CB: Clements, Bly, Brown, Spencer, Hudson, RSmith
S: Goldson, Lewis, Taylor, Roman
(24 Defense)
ST: Nedney, Lee, Jennings, Rossum
(4 ST)
Guaranteed – At least 1 of these players will be on IR before the season starts (Harris!), probably moore (pun intended).
I’ve fallen down and can’t get up – If McDonald does make it back, Jean-Francois would seem a prime candidate to be IRedshirted. Of course, then he can’t practice with the team. We might risk him on PS – only 12 players were drafted after him.
Concerns – I was a little surprised at the switch of Reggie Smith to safety. Along with Strickland’s departure, it leaves us light at CB. I’ve switched him back, to give a more traditional 6/4 DB blend.
Watch the waiver wire – Most likely spots for a veteran upgrade look to be CB, LB, and OL.
Long shot dark horse – We sure are trying a lot of S-CB conversions. I hope it doesn’t mean we’re short of guys that can cover from the LOS. Not saying it will happen, but if Michael Lewis is cut, I’m claiming credit for mentioning the possibility first.
Won’t touch this – I’m not declaring any starters here; calling Davis/Huard and Moore/Brooks toss-ups.
PS: Sheets, Boone, Jean-Francois, Washington, Word-Daniels (or other UDFA CB) + 3
Hard to be dispassionate when considering roster predictions -particularly this early on and not having seen the preseason display.Of particular interest to me at this juncture is the play of Sheets , Francois and Boone(and of course A Smith in game situations). The fleeting notion of Bruce not being a lock has crossed my mind....McDonald may not come back this year as you mentioned....hmmm.
Let's also consider that improved Defense and a stronger emphasis on running/ball control improves the chances that the Offense (QB) will not carry the load as was required of a the Martz offensive scheme.
It's too early for predictions, but optimism is certainly in order for a continued change of attitude under Sing.
There are still many questions on the Offense, but, if we stay healthy and work the details, this Division isn't that tough to suggest we can't surprise anyone.
Hey guys. Kindly restrict your responses to the blog topic at hand, before Maiocco starts wielding his axe again. lol
There are plenty message boards out there for the off-tangent stuff.
Fair enough -however the next month or so will be a dead zone and most likely there will be a fair amount of chatter going on around here and sans repetitive /vindictive remarks Matt will let it play out -much as he has in the past I trust...and he will suffice as moderator just fine. Given that, I understand your point and have tried to engage fellow bloggers in the New Forums section here on topics pertaining the draft et. al. to little avail -disappointing !
No matter what, we have a real Leader and I trust the Coach to make the best calls. For all the grief Nolan gave us, he also hired Singletary. He got that right.
We got a Great Coach!
All indications point to the truth of that proposition-or as the kids used to say-WORD!
I'm digging the vibe coming from this off-season and the recent OTA's/Camps. Under Nolan similar vibes seemed like make-believe . . . I don't get that feeling under Singletary.
After some bumpy times getting ripped by the media (deserved or not) - due to the extended O.C. search, flirting with Kurt Warner, allegedly offending Matt Stafford and appearing uncertain about Mike Vick - I think the Niners P.R. has recovered and caught up with the reality on the practice field . . . which seems miles ahead of last year in terms of the clarity of their mission.
I hope they take it easy on Monday and Tuesday and stay healthy heading into their long break. I'm eagerly looking forward to August.
Some good reads and videos here that any Faithful should enjoy...
49ers will rely on emerging defense to make NFC West charge
Great interview with Jed York
Training for success with Frank Gore
Heavy lifting with Vernon Davis
Can Alex Smith be productive?
2009 Mike Singletary feature
Then why allow Johnson or any AC to sit down to talk with a reporter who covers the team if your going to, as Matt wrote: "be (He) WAS STOPPED (my caps) when he started talking about the current QB'S."
As you write that the coaches aren't hired to talk to "us." I don't expect the coach to talk to "us. But reporters for the team are not "us." They are there to relay aspects of the team to us who want to know how things are progressing. It's not "BS" when asked these kind of questions.
Johnson was pulled in my estimation. Whether MS did it or the Media head of the Organization, it doesn't matter. What are they working on a team or building the A bomb? If it's MS or the Organization, it's paranoid! And sombody has a problem. If Johnson is asked a question that hits a sensitive area or an aspect he is not ready to answer, then he can talk around it like most coaches do. Not be "STOPPED."
In the grand scale of things it just hit me as too controlling when the guy in the know about the QB's can't even answer questions on his own.
Anyway...I've taken the time to notice something in Matt's reporting and just wanted to share my thoughts on the matter. That's what this place is for.
I'm not jumping ship as a fan of MS or the team, just commenting like we all are.
Terry,
Thanks for your response. I don't know if you follow the Warriors, but if you do, you can see what happens when it appears that the organization is going in many directions. Everyone is entitled to an opinion as an individual, but not necessarily as the representative of an organization.
I don't object to your point, but comparing the situation to the atomic bomb and the Soviet Union is pure hyperbole. No, this isn't secrecy for life-and-death reasons, or the preservation of a fascist state. My personal take is that it isn't about secrecy at all, just presenting a united front.
On a personal level, though, I just find all this "opinion" about only 1 of the competitions playing out at 49ers HQ to be wasted time. No decision is going to be made for at least 2 months, so why hash over their supposed differences every day?
I have to agree Petaluman -my understanding is presently Coach Singletary wants his staff to concentrate on the task of coaching -not on the superfluous chores of addressing situations outside of that task.When the team/staff is focused and working as whole -then more time can be alloted to talking ABOUT football.etc. Frustrating for fans hungry for "the latest" ,but perfectly logical.If this is what needs to be done for this particular situation and this particular team in pursuit of its goals -the best thing we can do is respect that guideline.
I hear you! Good points! And a logical answer! Catch ya later!