Singletary is coming off real smug lately!

Hey Matt, do you think there is a realistic possibility the 49ers would trade Alex Smith? If they did, it would solve the 4 QB issue you write about, give Smith a fresh start elsewhere, allow Hill not to look over his shoulder throughout the year, and let the 49ers get some trade value. Thoughts?

Who in their right mind would trade for Alex Smith? No one. It's not going to happen.

Fourth option.. and yet, "that quarterback, when he enters the huddle, magic happens" is..... Nate Davis!

But I think I understand Singletary. He's not really as interested in magic as he is in being fhysical and avoiding mistakes.

As a fan who remembers Joe and Steve, I'm interested in MAGIC. I wish they'd work Nate in whenever possible this season, then maybe he'd be ready as soon as next year. This guy is dynamite, and our other QBs.. are not.

i can see why singletary say the things he say about davis. he works with him everyday and he, jimmy raye, and mike johnson, probably know that davis only know so much of the playbook due to his learning disability. so they pull back on the playbook when davis is in. us, the viewers, we see him perform like he's been a veteran player for a couple of years! he looks great! i always try not to be a living room coach and try to see from the coaches eyes if i was really on the field with them. so i understand if singletary tries to be lukewarm with his assessment of davis. hopefully, over time, davis will have full command of the playbook and be awesome!

matt - if davis takes this long to learn the playbook. what would happen if he has to start over with a new OC? or signs on with another team? sound like it'll take time for him to grasp the new book if that happens. i don't know if other teams want to deal with that.

I think the main issue with Davis is he has not had any reps with the 1s in training camp, and very few reps overall. If Scotty M. hadn't been so intent on trying to salvage his #1 pick and signing him to a way, way above market contract, there would have been more reps for Davis. Then he'd be farther along, Hill would be farther along as the established 1, Huard would be the veteran 2, and the 49ers would have more cap space. Unfortunately, creating the competition to give Smith yet another chance has set everyone back. Smith may still turn into a good QB at some point, but it was just dumb to keep him around. I agree with Martz that he'd have a much better chance for success somewhere else.

Oh - and Sing should keep in mind Davis was also playing with a bunch of 3rd stringers, not just against them.

Mr. Davis has what we here in Indiana knew all along. He will be the 49er Franchise QB in 2010. Now we can devote our two #1's to pass rusher and more pass rusher.

And yeah - the 49ers couldn't give Smith away to any team with his current contract, much less trade him.

Can't we just cut Alex Smith and give him and us a chance to move on. Huard is a very capable number 2 and we could keep Nate Davis.

Sing is just keeping things in perspective to temper people's enthusiasm for just having one good game with a limited playbook and against 3rd stringers.

Granted so far I like what I see from the kid but the league has plenty of preseason superstars and one hit wonders so the guy will have to do more than what he has so far before I start calling him to play.

The obvious answer to any dispassionate observer is to cut or trade Alex Smith. He needs a new start and he isn't needed on the roster when Huard is playing better than him with almost no practice or game-time.

Hi Matt, I just read a release by the 49ers saying that Michael Lewis' concussion Saturday night was unrelated to the one which occurred during training camp. I've conferred with a relative who is a doctor and he said that it is a true statement. That's good news for guys hit by mike Tyson on each side of the head.

I don't see the reasoning behind keeping A. Smith and Huard. One or the other should go.

Hill is the starter – Yes he has looked subpar in preseason. I actually would have like to seen more reps early on. In any case he can make some throws and others he struggles with. WE ALL KNEW THAT GOING INTO THIS. Listen people let’s not start getting all wound up about Hill. Give the guys a chance and reevaluate at the bye week. Maybe Hill isn’t a true starter but he has earned his shot and proven he can manage a game.

A. Smith – Should be released, which is GREAT for all parties. If we keep him then he can come in and prove his #1 status, BUT…….

Huard – Veteran back-up could come in and pick up managing the game from Hill

N. Davis – project 3rd QB also emergency QB. I actually would like to see him in when the score is unbalanced. Also if we missed the play-offs towards the end of season, let him start a game or two. We need to eval whether we will be drafting a stud next year. If this guy can do it, then we can go after the problem areas.

LOL is Sing the new Mike Nolan?

Alex Smith = Alex Smith
Shaun Hill = Trent Dilfer
Nate Davis = Shaun Hill

Oh, and the problem area still not addressed are...

RT/LT - not sold on Staley

Pass rush - WTF is wrong here. I know we are not stunting and stuff like that but you mean we can't win any individual match-ups this preseason and generate a sack?

I am a realist and I think an 8-8 season or better will be a positive for the 9ers, but we need to start solidifing these items that have been open for a few years now. Which makes me even more angry that we took Crabtree over Orakpo or Oher...

I said take himm too if he was there in hopes he can help to move our passing attack along and force mgnt to get a QB next year. But it looks like we wil be in the same boat again. We're going to over pay for Peppers now, watch... and we probably should.

MM- "Hill and Huard are the quarterbacks who are most consistent"

.....finally agree with you... both are consistent in that they could never start for any other team in the league - they consistently show they are BACKUP QB's in this league...

.... Hill has been consistent so far in not showing us he could play ONE preseason game above average

....last yr...JTO at least showed us he could play a flawless preseason game....

...every other QB starting in the league has played one game very well in the preseason...even orton played well in the game after he played poorly against the niners...

...even culpepper has played well.......lol

...seriously who is going to put money down that Hill would not coonsistently suck when the season starts...

....code word - "managing a game" = LOSER

.....winning a game = WINNER

Dump Smith and Keep Hill, Huard and Davis.

I'm actually more concerned over whether Sheets makes the final 53 or not... He's the perfect change of pace back that this offense needs to compliment Gore and Coffee...

Difference is, Hill came to the 9ers in 2006 after being signed to the Vikings in 2002, making him a 4 year veteran when he arrived in San Francisco.

Back injuries usually take time to get over, and if they're planning to start Hill every week, chances are, he'll be flattened enough times where his back becomes a major problem for him, so I don't think he'll be healthy enough to start 16 games.

Back ups they may be, but they still put alex smith to shame.

...itz crazy this excuses i keep reading on here....

..."Coach Sing messed with Hill's head - thats why he sucks"

..."Hill is looking over his shoulder - thats why he sucks"

...Coach raye is conservative when calling plays - thats why he sucks"

....."In this offense we just need field goals - thats why he sucks"

...."We don't have crabtree - thats why he sucks"

...."He hasnt had enough reps with his WR's - thats why he sucks"

...."because they won't trade A.Smith - thats why he sucks"

....."A.Smith is on the roster - thats why Hill sucks"

...."Oh yea - his back hurts - thats why he sucks"

...."Firts time starting the season - thats why he sucks"

.....Oh yea - "Its the Offensive Line - thats why he sucks"

...."its Bush and Obama's fault - thats why he sucks"

....."its cuz of critics like oneniner - thats why he sucks"

...:)

LOL, ain't that the truth.

Yeah I fear for Hill's health as well. -Snyder looks promising, but he can never stay healthy enough through a full-season stretch. -If Singletary honestly thinks Barry Sims is a solid backup at RT this season has already ended.

Pretty much the case, huh?

Since, according to Matt, Singletary wouldn't start Davis over Huard, and Hill is one injury away from the end of his season, I'd think they would either keep Alex Smith as insurance, or they'll drop him and sign other QB for the insurance. Either way, the Niners are looking at keeping 4 QBs on roster because of the likelihood that Hill will end up on the IR fairly soon.

"...seriously who is going to put money down that Hill would not coonsistently suck when the season starts..."

York, Singletary, McCloughan, Raye have. I'd be willing to take the bet with you if I weren't concerned that your definition of 'suck' would change from game to game.

So maybe the condition of the bet should be set now?

....lets bet the first 5 games..

..$2,000 bet...

...If Hill is the starting QB - I predict a 1-4 record

Gents - for those wanting your Crabtree fix and for those who asked about Mike Leach in yesterday's comments please see below:

Michael Crabtree’s college coach and 49ers owner Jed York will be among the guests on a special 90-minute edition of “Chronicle Live” on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area on Monday at 5 p.m.

Mike Leach, the head coach at Texas Tech, will face questions about the unsigned No. 10 pick in the draft. On draft day, Leach gave an impassioned defense of his star to Bay Area reporters, saying:

“My definition of a diva is someone who’s loud and self-absorbed. Michael Crabtree is the furthest thing from loud that I’ve seen.”

Leach also went after Coach Eric Mangini by name that day after a report out of Cleveland said the Browns soured on Crabtree because of his attitude and entourage. Leach described Crabtree as the “ultimate team player who would serve the 49ers well.” As for Mangini? “Let’s see how all those non-divas do up in Cleveland this year,” Leach said.

Leach will have to defend Crabtree again now that the receiver has missed almost all of training camp because of a contract impasse.

Hosted by Greg Papa, the “Chronicle Live” show will re-air on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Excerpts from the show will be available on www.csnbayarea.com.

One observation – what Norv was for Alex Smith, Raye is becoming for Nate Davis. There's good chemistry there, and enough for Davis to grasp Raye's playbook and execute. He's proven that in his last two preseason outings. Critics who say it's only because of a third string defense are missing the point.

I'm liking this Raye/Davis relationship. Let's hope they both stick around next year to build on that foundation.

It's clear that Davis has shown enough that he should not be exposed to waviers. It's also clear that Hill and Smith are the 1 and 2 guys. I think they should release Huard to protect Davis. If the number 3 guy has to play for an extended amount of time bring back Huard at that point. I don't think Huard is likely to be picked up and will be there if we need him.

As I have always said,Davis is clearly the most talented QB on the roster,but too raw to consider starting him any time soon.
Hill is a winner and would not look so rusty if not for Smith being coddled and being allowed to take so many reps away from Hill in camp and preseason. Hill looked rusty because he had only been allowed to pass the ball only about 9 times in the 1st 2 preseason games.
He was the winningest QB in the NFC during the games he started last year,THE BEST ! He had a QB rating of over 90 for his career,better than many of the so called top 10 QB's in the League had last season.
Huard is a better QB than Smith,we know that !

I wish I had a time machine, so I could go back and warn Eddie D. not to walk into that river boat gambling operation.

Hill sucking and a 1-4 record do not go hand in hand. Maybe you guys should establish your expectations for Hill before you say he sucks or will be unsuccessful. For one I nor anyone in the 9ers from office expect Hill to throw 35 passes a game for 300+ yards and 3 TD.

I personally would expect error free football. A few 3 and outs. Focus on the run. Don’t force the pass unless we are close to the end of the game and trying to catch up. Things like that will go a long way, especially if our defense is playing like the y should. If the running game is popping off, then we can go with some play action and take 3-5 shots DOWN field for 30+ yard gains.

Bottom line is we expected A. Smith to prove he can be a leader and throw the ball all over the field and bring us back from 17 down. This never happened and he didn’t prove it could happen in SF. Best of luck to him. We are riding Hill now and it will be an interesting year to see how the team responds to adversity.

I agree Snake,but that would have only fixed some of the problem over the last 10 years .The future seems bright with the young version of Eddie (Jed)running the show now!

I feel sorry for Nate Davis. -We all want him to start, and we know down the road he'll be a great QB, but in reality we're either going continue this Alex Smith 'has potential' charade, or draft another crappy gimmick QB in next year's draft.

Nate's 'actual' potential will go to waste with the 49ers.

I predicted this the other day and I still stand by it especially after Saturday's game against the Cowboys. Good defenses will eat Shaun Hill alive. It's painfully obvious that Hill CAN NOT throw the out routes across the field. He also CAN NOT throw the deep ball consistently. And even if he does throw the deep ball like last year in St. Louis it hangs in the air WAYYYY TOOO LONG!!!. The guy has heart and soul but he simply does not have the arm to compete in today's NFL. It has become a passing league and the teams will MAKE you beat them with the pass. Shaun Hill just can't do it. They will stack the box and take all the underneath throws away from him. Then what do we do?

so the conditions of the bet are that:
1. Hill starts the first 5 games

If the 9ers record at the end of 5 games is one or less wins then you win the bet.

If the 9ers record is 2 or more wins then I win.

any other conditions the bet is void?

Please confirm.

Nate reminds me of Roth in Pitt. Big QB that has great pocket presence. That would be the perfect QB for the 9ers. If the kid is ready come mid-season it might be worth a shot. That is if Hill is not working out.

..The only expectations in NINERLAND is WINNING

.....Obviously if Hill cant lead the niners to at least a 3-2 record by the bye - He sucks...

if those 3 wins were not because of his contributions - He sucks

If those 2 losses were blow outs and he couldn't bring us back to win them - He sucks

If he can't win at least one game between the cardumbs and the seagrlz - he sucks

...you have to give your own prediction....

mine is 1-4

yours = ?

whoever comes closests to his/her predictions wins $2000

Great points. To add, I think we should expect long, clock-grinding drives. One consistent thing of Hill is that he can orchestrate very long, mistake free drives. The problem is that they don't result in TDs as often as they should. Hopefully that will change this year.

"Hill is a winner and would not look so rusty if not for Smith being coddled and being allowed to take so many reps away from Hill in camp and preseason. "

...That is a dull, dim-witted, unintelligent comment...

....if Hill is a PROFESSIONAL QB he wont require this kind of excuses.......

..but he his not - that is why comments like this are on this blog

OK, 2-3

Again, the only condition is that Hill starts the first 5 games, right?

oneniner, I think your expectations need to be managed. I hope you realize that the 9ers do not match up well with most of the teams on their schedule, regardless of the QB. I predict an 8-8 season and that is with the Sing/Hill factor.

"One consistent thing of Hill is that he can orchestrate very long, mistake free drives.The problem is that they don't result in TDs as often as they should. Hopefully that will change this year."

...ha ha ha

...WTF - Do we play the games for? we might as well kick the ball from the 50yrd line....

lol...

You could also say one consistent thing is Hill's drive do not result in TD's .....

Did i just read you say "HOPE"....ha ha ha

you are basing your starting QB play on HOPE - ha ha ha

...ha ha ha

you think we are going 2-3...lol

wtf.....and you think Hill is the QB that should be starting...

nah - dude...if you are gonna bet - you gonna bet with your childish comments on here supporting HILL

how can you support Hill and still think he will only go 2-3

....Put your money where your mouth is..

if you are supporting Hill or think Hill is the right choice to lead the team - then there should be no doubt - you should believe HILL should at least be 4-1

WTF - see thats the diff. between most of us.....I know we can go 4-1 with A.Smith at QB (he his hurt now)

even the Hill supporters dont think we can go 4-1 or even 3-2

:) - you guys crack me up

Our current group of QBs are all mediocre at this point in their careers.

S.Hill - is a backup who is a solid game manager. However, you have to have a top 10, heck top 5 defense for this to translate to playoffs wins.

A.Smith - may never get the game. It's debatable. He still doesn't exude confidence in himself or inspire confidence from his teammates.

D.Huard - is done. A poor man's Hill.

N. Davis - needs to grow. He may be the answer, but definitely not there yet.

Getting rid of Smith and keeping Huard does not make us better. It's not going to happen. Plus the guys who mention salary cap space, are you part owner of this team? Salary cap is not our problem and the only time as a fan the salary cap matters is when we have to cut good players because we're over the cap.

Also, instead of going through a few years of growing pains by drafting a guy in the 1st rd next year and hoping he's Matt Ryan. I would rather take a guy who has some game experience in his 2nd or 3rd year that has shown more flashes than Smith (like Houston did with Schaub). Someone like T.Thigpen of KC or K.Kolb of Philly.

I think 2-3 is realistic, if you look at who we are playing. We are playing three playoff teams, including one that made it to the superbowl, and one who was a QB away from potentially going deep in the playoffs, and just signed an HOF QB to their roster.

We'd all love the Niners to go 5-0, but that would be a tough task. If we are 3-2 I think that's a win for us. I presume you think if we had A. Smith we'd go 5-0? Or maybe Davis?

Why don't you make a bet to see if the O line can pass block! Dog I'm sorry you and everyone that has your point of view on my teams QB suck balls! Why do you think A Smith couldn't cut it? No blocking! Not because of the hundreds of excuses everyone made. No QB will succede with people in their face. You talk like you know football but obviously not. It's easy to sit in front of the tv and computer and talk sh** though. As a real niner fan you disgust me. Me and my homies get mad we don't whoop on teams but never wish a losing record on the niners. Go cheer on the raiders. That goes for all your online groupies. Venting after the game is one thing what you do is called HATIN!

No so. You drew the line at 1/4, I merely took the advantage at 2/3. I figured you were full of hot air and would find a way of backing out. Personally I'd have been very satisfied with the loser of the bet being banished from this blog forever more. Me thinks I may have some fans with this outcome.

You did not disappoint.

Badnews: Hill had 2nd and 3rd stringers protecting him against the pro bowl pass rush of the Cowpies. Snyder did not plauy and we know sims is a joke and the rookie also was in there. Baas and Snyder will be there for the 1st game against Arizona,like they were there for the last 7 games of last year,when Hill had the best winning record in the NFC and had a better QB rating than several of the top NFL QB's.
Hill is rusty because of the joke of a QB competition. Everyone knew that Smith was not really competitive with Hill. All he did was take reps away from Hill and made him rusty and not in time with his receivers,etc.
Davis is the future and Hill is the present. It could be much,much worse.
Hill does everthing a QB should do pretty darm well,except throw the football with zip on it past 30 yards. But he sometimes makes up for the lack of zip on the long ball by throwing the ball quickly and giving it more time to get there. Smith throws so late that Hill's long throws get there before Smith's. That is why Hill probably has a better completion percettage than Smith on the long throws in games.

Hill did just fine last year with the line that will start week one this year.Against Dallas,The starting RT and starting LG were both not playing. You do understand that don't you ? Plus hill was rusty because he had to split HIS time with Smith all camp and preseason.

Hill did just fine last year with the line that will start week one this year.Against Dallas,The starting RT and starting LG were both not playing. You do understand that don't you ? Plus hill was rusty because he had to split HIS time with Smith all camp and preseason.

Matt how about an udate on Smith's injury? Will he play next week?

Well if we are playing 3 playoff teams...I have to say and i think most HILL fans will agree ITS ABOUT TIME HE BEATS A PLAYOFF TEAM -

@Rick - common dude - i know you guys r a lil slow in SC - but cmon dude -

@bouie - relax.. we all love the niners more than you do...:)

Are you saying any other QB on the roster has a better chance of beating a playoff team than Hill? You changed the topic by saying it's about time he beats a playoff team.

That being said, one point you have made in the many posts over the last few months that I agree with is that Hill hasn't beaten any great teams. To be fair, he hasn't faced very many. I think after five games we will know much more about our QB -- for better or for worse.

lol...

excuses, excuses, excuses....

am glad you r not a bot - you sound a lil desperate to defend our weak QB now that you saw what he looked like against real competition ....

i know its someone else's fault - Yes -we know - it wasnt his fault...:)

dude - stop pullin a palin, you sound pathetic..

Sounds like Davis is about to suffer the dreaded High Ankle Sprain.

Dude - I have no freaking doubt A.Smith can beat the cardinals in game 1 - even with a hurt thumb...

Nobody can say the the same thing for Hill

O.K. smart ellec. What is your excuse for how Hill played against the Raiders? Let's be serious man. How many other starting QB's in the NFL have a weak arm like Shaun Hill??? Maybe only one--- Chad Pennington. And let me tell you he has won plenty of Super Bowls. If arm strength does not matter like many of you on here seem to believe then why don't more quarterbacks get drafted with weak arms???? I understand that there is way more to being an NFL QB than arm strength has JaMarcus Russell is proving that but at the same time arm strength does matter unlike a lot of you people think on here. You HAVE TO BE ABLE to make most of the throws in the NFL against today's defenses. Unfortunately Hill can only make the throws 30 yards or shorter and beyond that he has NO ZIP on his passes as even yourself admitted.

It's obvious by all of the above comments 49er fans are hungry for a winner. But let's admit Davis is a promising prosepect that needs to be given time and attention much like Walsh did with Montana. Hill is a gamer but never will be a Manning or Brady.

That's because most people haven't deluded themselves into asserting opinion as fact. You can have no freaking doubt, but that doesn't make it true.

You're right, I do have doubts as to whether the 49ERS CAN BEAT THE CARDINALS. Not Hill, the 49ERS. As in the team. The whole team. Not one man. I think we can, and will, but I don't think ANY game is a guaranteed W, regardless of who is playing.

ZeroNiner: You are pathetic and Palin is a fine person!
Can we trade people from this blog to another blog (like to the raiders site ,lol )?
Smith is your only love,you clearly do not even like the Niners. Everything you say seems to be calculated to try to upset REAL fans of the Niners. But we have learned to consider the source and laugh at you instead of getting mad. LOL ! Whenever I need a good laugh I read one of your posts,all the rest of the time I skip right pasted your baloney.

Matt......How about an update on Smith's injury? Will he see action next weekend?

cmon - dude...of course we can crush the cardinals as a team...

almost every game we have played against the cardinals in the last couple of yrs has been decided by QB play...

When our QB throws deep passes - WE WIN

When our QB cant throw deep - WE LOSE

cmon ..men - our team is not that bad....

....see what i mean..."Palin is a fine person"

-- i finally got you to show your true colors...

You are now banned from commenting to oneniner for life.....

Rod brooks just said on knbr that Alex Smith's career with the Niners is done,unless he pulls off the greatest resurection in the last 2000 years. Brooks is the sidelines reporter during Niners games and knows his stuff.
The best nfl ready QB's we have now ,in order are, Hill,Huard,Smith ,Davis.
Talent wise it would be
Davis,Hill,Huard,Smith.
Letting smith go would not hurt the Niners at all because he SHOUYLD only be allowed to play in a game this year if Hill and Huard are hurt. Sad to say,Huard may be let go instead of smith,because when it comes to smith the front office is blind.
They may even keep 4 QB's and throw away a good player somewhere else on the roster (Sheets,Miller,etc ) because they won't face the fact that Smith is done .

cut smith? did some of you guys actually write that? remember smith and hill played pretty much equally against STARTING defences. davis has shown that he can be productive against 3rd stringers, smith would look even better if he entered the game against 3rd stringers(even with a sprained thumb). i, just like all true niners fans should, hope davis will grow into a great QB. but c'mon all you guys who want to start him and cut smith, look what happened last time they started a rookie. so far davis is a pre-season hero, ther are dozens of them every year and alot of them get cut. i hope davis ends up being great but i still hope that for smith and hill too. a real fan wants all the players on team to succeed.

LOL,I am laughing at you some more,you are soooo funny.But go away,LOL

Holy crap, you used the word team!!! Awesome!

I have no doubt that we CAN beat the cardinals. But that doesn't mean that we WILL. I don't think Smith leading the team gives us any better chance than Hill. I believe Hill gives us the best chance to win of any QB on our roster right now. But I recognize this is something we will never agree upon, which is fine. I think the problem people have with some of the things you say on this blog is that you seem to root for Hill to fail simply so your man can get the nod, instead of getting behind our team and rooting for their success. Your first comment is almost always about how bad hill sucks -- and rarely about how the team played. I can tell you one thing I have no doubt about -- if Smith was leading this team, I'd be behind him, 100%.

Oh,and my true colors are bright Red,and bright White and bright Blue !!!
Your misguided colors are probably as Dull as your missfiring grey cells.

Hi Matt,
One of the concerns about Coach Sing was his inability to game plan and scheme against other more expereinced coaches in the league. Do you think this is a concern considering we have not thrown the ball down the field, and have not generated too much of a pass rush. Is he banking on physical toughness alone to win games or are they really not showning their hand?

I can't believe Simms is our swing tackle. You have to be kidding me. It's so obvious he isn't NFL talent its not even funny. I dont get how the off season has passed and we still have the same areas of need, OT, Passrush and Saftey (maybe).

never more than me bro!

Still beatin that old drum with A Smith aka GLASS JOE! he couldnt even beat the weakest" QB in the NFL". and you think he"ll do somethin against Arizona! Maybe just curl into a ball when he see's the pass rush comin! who's fault is it that you seem to cheer on a loser? yeah you dont make excuses anymore because you know he's a loser. and when my niners start to win dont act like your a fan. just keep hatin the way you do. and im not a hill fan i could give a rats A about him but if thats who we got thats who we got. I did the same for GLASS JOE SMITH. yeah i do HOPE we win ill spell it out, I do BELIEVE that makes me more of a fan than you buddy!

Fab: Sing knows defense and therefore he knows offense and how to defeat that offense. He was a fanatic in the film room and knew it all as a player. He also has good coordinators who are responsible for game planning against each weeks oponents.
So Sing NEVER had this so called inability to game plan and scheme ,as you put it.

cmon men - of course i want us to win.....

...A.Smith has beaten the cardinals with a less talented niner team....

"how bad hill sucks " - is not = "I want hill to fail"

i think most of the criticsm i get is not really about wht i write but only about the INSECURITIES of hill most have on here......

.cuz if they know deep down Hill is better than A.Smith, they wont be giving up excuses considering A.Smith has had it worse than Hill in 4 yrs compared to 8yrs of Hill....they wont even care about A.smith being on the roster ....but we all know Hill sucks

Hill has no excuse - He should be making news right now, there should be faith in him all around...i mean for christ sake 8 yrs in the league - there shouldnt be one doubt about your game....but it isnt so.....And that my friend is why i say he sucks...

and just to be clear - i will still bet $$$ with Hill as starting QB - ...in this case just bet that we lose...:)

Anybody have a fly swatter,I am annoyed by this flying insect that keeps buzzing around,LOL
Does Matt allow insects to be members of the site? How annoying,LOL

Oneniner, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this blog is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul. Go Niners!

Haha you can count me out of the bet, but I will say when the first thing you say in the thread after a game is:

.....i see the Hill bandwagon is quiet.....just like hill himself his bandwagon is full of losers....

It's hard to think you are hoping the team wins, when his success is paramount to our team getting Ws.

Also, you and I both know that it's specious reasoning to say that Smith has beaten the cardinals. You're right, he has -- in 2007. I think it should be pointed out that it was the Matt Leinart cardinals, and that Smith was 15/31 for 126 yards and no touchdowns and we won by a field goal. His QB rating was 59.3.

Last year, against the Warner-led super bowl contender Cardinals, hill was 19/40 for 217 yds, 2 tds, and 2 picks. That was a 60.1 QB rating.

In other words, just like in real life, Hill is just a little bit better than Smith, even though he's clearly no franchise QB. Does that mean Smith is a backup and nothing more, which is the tag you have been giving Hill? Or am I misusing stats, too?

Hahahahaha love the BM ref.

A great one-two Niner headline punch next Tuesday:

"Alex Smith Cut, Michael Crabtree Signed"

Just do it!

Hill games started...13
Smith games started..32

Hill QB rating...90.5
Smith QB rating..63.5,a HUGE difference

Hill comp %...64.0
Smith Comp%...54.4, Mediocre for even a backup

Hill td's/interceptions...18/9
Smith td's/interceptions..19/31, Pathetic

Hill Yards passing....2,547,add 19 more games to this total(32 total,like smith's) and his total would blow smith totally away,not close !
Smith yards passing...4,679

So,you see,there was really NO real competition.

And I remind you that Hill had the best win/loss record of ALL QB's in the NFC last season ,in the time he started. And had better QB rating than several of what we consider the top QB's in the NFL.
I am not saying Hill is an all star or anything ,just saying he is the best option we have until Davis gets ready,maybe next year.

MM,

I was wondering if you were going to give your predictions for the final 53 man roster (+practice squad) soon.

Thanks.

I think comparing Smith and Hill's career stats is also dubious, as they have basically played with completely different teams, against completely different opponents (which was basically my point with the Cardinals above), and Smith played through an injury that he shouldn't have tried to play through, resulting in abysmal statistics. That being said, I do think that Hill is the best bet right now as our QB.

Why are you guys still having the QB debate? It's over. S. Hill is the starter, Smith is the backup. The engine for the team is the rushing attack. Hopefully, the defense improves on it's preseason performance and running game is as good as promised.
Can we have intelligent conversation on what WRs we should keep or RTs that may be available after the cutdown to replace Sims.
Or why has Tully Banta-Cain looks rejuvenate back with the Patriots.

Smith played against poor teams and mediocre teams and a few good teams.So has Hill.
Smith failed with the same basic O line and OC's and WR's that hill flourished with.
It is totally bogus to say Hill had much advantage at all with personnel or coaches.Hill just played better,it's that simple.
And Smith was injured in a couple of those games but we should remember that Hill had a broken finger on his throwing hand during most of his games.
There really is no comparison and no excuses,Hill is a far better player than smith,period.
Does that make Hill a great QB,no,but if Hill is not a pretty good QB and he so dominates Smith in play and in stats etc,than what does that make smith?

Point well taken 5niner !
If the irrational smith fans would join us regular Smith fans(whole team fans) and see the truth and stop believing the fantasy that Smith just barely lost out to Hill in the so called QB battle royal,then we rational fans could stop correcting them.You are corect,the QB job has been awarded and that farse of a competition is over.Now if everyone would just let it go and cheer on the starting QB who won the job for OUR team,we could move on to the more pressing issues.

You really get an understanding of who has a clue and who doesn't when you read message boards like these. Anybody actually thinking Nate Davis should start this season doesn't have a clue. Anyone thinking Damon Huard should be kept over Alex Smith, also is out to lunch.

You can't let bias and sentiment get in the way of common sense. Davis is not even close to being ready to compete against the elite of this league. He knows a small portion of the offense, has made most of his plays outside the pocket when things have broken down, and comes from a program that didn't involve a whole lot of top level competition. This crap about him being a 1st round prospect at one time is pure BS. He might have been a favorite of some draftnik on an internet fan draft site, but he was not in the eyes of NFL people. That would be why he was still there in the 5th round. Going by the logic I'm seeing here, we should trade for Curtis Painter of the Colts seeing as though he's been lighting it up in preseason as well.

Will he be a good player someday? Maybe, and hopefully, but for some of you to proclaim him this great savior after seeing him run around playing against scrubs is hilarious. Learn the game.

As to Alex Smith, he hasn't played in almost two years. What the hell did you expect to see here? He was starting to look like he was feeling more comfortable the more he played before he injured his thumb and some of you want to cut him in favor of Damon Huard? Get serious. Have any of you looked at Huards career? What Sing will do, or at least should do, is cut Huard and keep the other 3. If an injury happens, you can sign him again. If he's not available, someone with comparable ability will be, because he doesn't have much.

Lasam: I know that Huard is a better player than alex NOW. And I also believe that alex has almost no chance to ever be the franchise QB for the Niners .And I also believe that Nate Davis has a very good chance to be the Franchise QB of the future.
So considering that Huard is a better backup NOW and Hill IS the starter,and Davis is the future,why is it any advantage this year to keep the inferior player(Smith) over the superior player(Huard)?
If you are thinking that perhaps smith is young and will be a superior backup to Davis and Hiull in the future,that is a valid point. But it won't help us win this year if hill is injured.
But don't sweat it,I believe the front office stills hopes to get something usefull out of smith someday and will keep him over Huard or maybe keep them both.
But right now,this year,smith is the 4th most needed QB on the roster.

One thing I would point out is that Alex played in important games early in seasons when the games still meant something to the 49ers, whereas Hill played almost exclusively in garbage-time games late in the last two seasons. There wasn't any pressure on Hill to deliver the 49ers into the playoffs.

Will Hill be like Tim Rattay? Rattay looked pretty good as a backup to Jeff Garcia but totally flopped when given the full-on starter position.

ONENINER- YOUR A LOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i will still bet $$$ with Hill as starting QB - ...in this case just bet that we lose...:)

thats why!!!!!!!!!!!! you get a cyber slap in the face. For being a punk ass....... your officially labeled a MARK.

GO NINERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once again...
Rod brooks just said on knbr that Alex Smith's career with the Niners is done,unless he pulls off the greatest resurection in the last 2000 years. Brooks is the sidelines reporter during Niners games and knows his stuff.
The best nfl ready QB's we have now ,in order are, Hill,Huard,Smith ,Davis.
Talent wise it would be
Davis,Hill,Huard,Smith.
Letting smith go would not hurt the Niners at all because he SHOULD only be allowed to play in a game this year if Hill and Huard are hurt. Sad to say,Huard may be let go instead of smith,because when it comes to smith the front office is blind.
They may even keep 4 QB's and throw away a good player somewhere else on the roster (Sheets,Miller,etc ) because they won't face the fact that Smith is done .

He's not better than Smith now, won't be in the future and has no upside for this team whatsoever. What are you basing your opinion on, because I sure haven't seen Huard do much of anything.

We can win some games with a healthy Alex Smith. We won't win anything with Huard. he is a stopgap at this point in his career. Suggesting we cut a 25 year old working his way back after finally getting healthy in favor of an old retread like Huard makes zero sense.

Well,Ender,it is time to find out isn't it. I would also point out that we already know that smith wilted under pressure and looked really pretty bad his entire time in the NFL,against good and bad teams. This is Hills chance to finally play a full season and prove right or wrong what most observers believe,that if Hill had been the starter last year from day one,the niners would have won at least 2 more games and the division.
Either way,Davis seems to be the only player who has the chance to be the Franchise QB of the future and Hill is the best option now. Smith and Huard are just passing through.

Dude, i've tried making points on here. Logic and common sense does not exist here. Top_cat and Oneniner are two sides of one pole and there are only a few people in the middle (that post that is).

whats garbage time games ? when hill took over he helped get us out of playing like garbage. got mike singletary his job! other teams dont just give up because we werent in it. by the way garbage time is when the second string comes out on the field. the only garbage time game are when you play the RAIDERS.LOL!

Like i told lasam,Huard and smith are just passing through and are not important in the long run. It is my opinion that Huard looks much better in games and we know he has much better experience than smith.So for this year he would be the best option for backup duty. Next year Hill could back up Davis.
Smith has no place in the Niners future,except maybe backup duty,if he get better ,so why worry about him
This is Hill's team and then should be Davis' team. Smith and Huard are just passing through.
You like smith better than Huard,for some strange reason,well,that is fine,because Smith will probably be kept for the rest of this year and you will be happy. But Smith's ship has sailed ,so he is inconsequential to the Niners future.

5niner,

Thanks for the warning. I've seen more idiocy on this board in 5 minutes than I have anywhere else.

According to Top Cat Smith has sucked his entire career Even though he won 7 games his second and last healthy season, Nate Davis is a savior after two halves of PS games against scrubs, and Old man Huard is a better option than our former #1 pick. Nuff said.

The one thing I will agree with is that Hill is the best option at this time.

LAsam: Smith didn't win any of those games with his good play.I have every one on video and have watched them several times.The team won those games in spite of smith at QB. Stop trying to rewrite history.Go back and watch your hero look like a deer in the headlights in those games that were his best games.He never even had one really good quarter of play,and that is not debatable. He had one good play here and one good play there and about 95% of his play was pathetic,and that was when he was healthy!!!
Get over it,it is history. Move on and cheer for whoever is playing now. If Smith gets in to a game this year,then cheer for him,I know I will. But now,he ios old news and not in the Niners future unless it is a pathetic future.

This is real simple. We're not curing cancer here. Hill is no.1, huard #2, and DAVIS #3(only because of the rookie factor, otherwise he should be #2). For the love of Christ, CUT THE BUST SMITH. We have had enough with this 5 year fiasco. And we don't need the project that never ends anymore, this team MUST start moving forward with a steady QB and some offensive continuity! Get rid of the fat and keep the quality, it isn't brain surgery. Smith was a fraud. He was advertised as a huge talent, but played in Mountain West where he had 10 seconds to throw in a spread O and could look like Montana every play. He should've never been a 1st rounder at all, but the 05 draft top was horrible, and nobody else wanted him, so we got screwed with no vaseline. GET OVER IT. It happens. He's always hurt, he's not very good even if healthy, all he is is an expensive clipboard holder, so time to move on! We're not the first team to get screwed on a top pick QB and we won't be the last, so just get over it already!! Sheesh.

TOP CAT - right on. Even Smith's best season in 06 was completely below average by NFL standards. The guy just simply is NOT very good at all, even if he IS healthy. Time to say goodbye, he contributes nothing to the progress of this team. If it's any consolation, we got good value in Davis in the 5th round to make up for the bust as a #1 overall. It all evens out in the end....or at least it has the chance to if Davis continues his promising play.

And being the polar opposit to Oneniner is a compliment and not as you inteded it,an insult.
I an very rational and not in love with any player over another.I am a fanatic about the team ! Some of you are just stuck on one player and feel the need for him to do well. I care about the team,not hill or Smith or Huard,not even Davis. But I can see that smith is a bad football player and is only fit for backup duty. Maybe that will also be hill's fate ,now is his chance to prove that wrong.
I want the best player playing and the next best NFL ready guy backing up .
It is obvious that Davis has the most talent but is not NFL ready,so remove him from the issue for now.
Huard has experience and has seen it all and has done some nice things in the NFL,a perfect backup. He has looked better in this preseason than smith,as I thought he would. Smith has friends in the front office and is youinger,so being the best backup will probably not get Huard the job he has earned.
But Huard and Smith are not important to the teams future,just what can they do this year if Hill is hurt.Huard has the resume,Smith may get there someday,but we don't need him then and he is not ready now.

Exactly 9er1,I often liken smith to some of my wifes relatives that live in Minnesota(no insult to that State,just to my wife's relatives,lol) .If someone tells a joke, all my relatives laugh,and about 10 or so seconds later all my wifes relatives start laughing. It takes them time to process for some reason.They are not stupid or anything,they just proces things slower,maybe it is the lifestyle ?
Smith goes back to pass and there is a built in delay from the time his brain tells his body what to do,until his body actually performs the action. The staff have spent 5 years trying to get him to over come the flaw ,with very little success. Sing has yelled at him in practice ,this camp,the same thing over and over.Smith seems unable to change his physiology. He is intelligent but his type of intelligence is of little use on the football field,where bullets are flying and lightning quick decision making and action is critical.Sad. We were indeed sold a bill of goods and alex was nothing like was advertised and never will be.He is a leopard that simply cannot change his spots.

TC - You are making more and more sense to me everyday now....Forgive me and my statement about you having a man crush on Davis.

Your last post was stellar!

..... Top_cat and Oneniner are two sides of one pole and there are only a few people in the middle ." .................-=..:)..well said

...I just wanna clear this up again - Of course i want the niners to win........and obsviously Hill does not suck - he his OK...

The truth is i have tried to counter this A.Smith death panel misinformation for 3 yrs now against the niner-extremists who have no idea what is really going on with niner football. They base their opinions on the team solely on feelings or likeability instead of facts and overall production......

...They come and they go, every year spitting their unintelligent comments...

As a niner we should all have acommon goal - winning the SB

...I am not going to lie to myself i dont believe Hill is going to take the team to the SB, talkless of playoffs.....its just plain nutz to think Hill is going to Win a SB

We are in this just like 31 other teams to do one thing win a SB........last yr we saw an old vet warner in SB.....we also saw a rookie flacco missing the SB by a game.....

..Why cant we think football and just understand who we are as a team..........We are that Norv(Raye)-A.Smith-Gore team that showed promise in 200...

We already built the foundation, why keep messing the growth and chemistry up.......

It's also obvious A.Smith is hurt and i really think its ok he his on the bench

....Do i like it = No but is it the right thing = Yes

Hill is cool - I have been impressed by him in the past, I really hope he plays well........I just cant lie and say I know he will play well.....

I don't do insults. I was stating a fact that two guys are infatuated with A. Smith just different positions. And yes you are infatuated due to the fact that the QB competition is over and here we are still talking about how Hill is better than Smith right now (or always, whatever). I, myself, am a niners fan. I will root for whoever is in at QB. However, I know that all our QBs are mediocre (see earlier post). We're beating a dead horse here.

Again, there's plenty of things to be discussed as fans (i.e. which WRs do we want kept and how many, will we get a RT off the waiver, etc.)

I don't do insults. I was stating a fact that two guys are infatuated with A. Smith just different positions. And yes you are infatuated due to the fact that the QB competition is over and here we are still talking about how Hill is better than Smith right now (or always, whatever). I, myself, am a niners fan. I will root for whoever is in at QB. However, I know that all our QBs are mediocre (see earlier post). We're beating a dead horse here.

Again, there's plenty of things to be discussed as fans (i.e. which WRs do we want kept and how many, will we get a RT off the waiver, etc.)

I know you didn't mean it as an insult but it obviously was an insult.
And I am not infatuated with smith one way or the other.I am infatuated with the truth and in setting people straight that say silly things,like saying Smith was really even close to Hill in the phoney QB competition.
Too bad Smith flopped,but we must face reality sooner or later. I will just as quickly set straight anyone who says that Roman is our best defensive back,etc. That is as silly as saying Smith should start etc.
Not infatuated at all,but maybe YOU ARE ? Or maybe you are just one of those wishy washy ,middle of the road guys who don't care enough to respond to nonesense but do insult those of us who do care about people spouting nonesense?
To each his own.Whatever makes you happy.

I know you didn't mean it as an insult but it obviously was an insult.
And I am not infatuated with smith one way or the other.I am infatuated with the truth and in setting people straight that say silly things,like saying Smith was really even close to Hill in the phoney QB competition.
Too bad Smith flopped,but we must face reality sooner or later. I will just as quickly set straight anyone who says that Roman is our best defensive back,etc. That is as silly as saying Smith should start etc.
Not infatuated at all,but maybe YOU ARE ? Or maybe you are just one of those wishy washy ,middle of the road guys who don't care enough to respond to nonesense but do insult those of us who do care about people spouting nonesense?
To each his own.Whatever makes you happy.

Cool. I even agree with you in that some of the A. Smith detractor's venom is based on likability and feelings.

Nobody "knows" anything until it happens, which is why your constant ill remarks of S.Hill are so erroneous. You say you've been impressed by him in the past. Ok, what's wrong with waiting to see what he can do in the coming season? Nothing, that's why they play the game.

Wishy-Washy. Nice! No sir, I'm a die-hard niner through and through and I know that I've seen good and bad in all the QBs on the roster. I don't see a whole lot of difference and any of them in play.

Were you the stats guy in Terry Donahue and Marathe draft strategy session that based the drafts on statistical analysis. Now, stats are important but they can be skewed and only tell part of the story. I'm a statistician and programmer and I know that numbers are misleading. For example, completion percentage goes up and interception go down when you throw shorter, dump off passes. Look behind the numbers.

You should be carefull,not to mention the name of that guy that followed Walsh as GM,lol It might be bad luck to say his name out loud.Sort of like not saying that evil wizzards name in the Harry Potter's movies,lol.

Very entertaining ,thanks I thjink he may have P*** his trousers!

And ...You are right that numbers can be deceiving. The old saying goes something like this,"There are lies and then there are damned lies and then even worse there are statistics.".
But numbers can be usefull,like those numbers I posted earlier. They do tell a story if you have a big enough sampling.
The only numbers I care about are not that alex smith never threw for 300 yards or even close,or that S. Hill has a much better QB rating etc,but the Win and loss numbers are what concern me ! 10-6 would be a fine statistic to see at the end of December !!!

That is the Dutch spelling of "think" in case you were perplexed,LOL!

You're exactly right about Nate! I'm eating crow right now! He's one of the only QB'S (Huard is the other) who can actually get the ball to an outside receiver!
But I'm also afraid Nate will get killed the way our OL protects the QB!
Looking at the first 3 games, and I know they won, but won what? We've got big problems with BOTH the OL and DL!

oneniner, I think TOP_CAT has the right of it as far as Alex Smith is concerned. Urban Meyer said, essentially, the same thing that TOP_CAT said. I really hoped that Alex Smith would make it, but its looking like the writing is on the wall, at least as far as the 49ers are concerned.

As far as Hill being able to take us to the Super Bowl, I would say that the reason(s) for us not getting to the Super Bowl this year will probably lie more with our O-line and/or our lack of QB pressure more than on our lack of a Tom Brady-esque quarterback. Look, Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl; Shaun Hill can too.

I'm predicting a 9-7 or 8-8 season this year. Will you be dissapointed if the 49ers do better than your low prediction? I think you will be...

Top-Cat? You were certainly right about Davis and I give you kudos!
One of the key problems the 49ers have is they don't have a QB, besides Nate and Huard, who can actually get the ball to an outside receiver. Hill and Smith can't! The OL looks like a Chinese fire drill when it comes to pass protection.
Marvel Smith waisted valuable time with the team. The way the guy retired seems to me he was thinking about it well before! It takes a long while to get the OL performing decently. It was a bad move picking him up!
About the DL!? I don't have enough room to comment!

topcat: huard only looks better than smith this pre-season because he played against back up defence. smith played against starters, apples and oranges. if you want to crown huard than crown him but he is who we thought he was; a washed up old vet that the coaches never intend to put on the field. on the other hand we dont really know what we have with smith he has been injured alot more than you said earlier and he might still have some up side. i hope hill kicks ass as the starter and he goes down with an injury i hope smith steps in and kick ass too. GO NINERS!!!!!!

Actually, if I had to compare styles of play, I'd have to say Davis is reminding me of Drew Brees as far as the same style. The shorter, more mobile QB with great downfield vision who can elude pressure and throw strong, accurate passes on the run. I really have been pleasantly surprised by him....I hope they don't have to feed him to the wolves and force him into a starting role anytime soon, I think it's much better if they bring him in gradually and acclimate him to the game before throwing him into the fire. Seems to be better percentages of success for a young QB doing it that way.

Top cat,

You are either lying about having all the games on tape, or you are ignoring the facts so you can continue this slam Smith campaign you are obviously on. I will cheer for whoever is playing QB for this team, but it's obvious you won't if it's Smith at some point.

There were numerous games his second year that he played really well in. Some they won, some they didn't, but it was a crappy team overall, and he still won 7 games. He's not my hero as you proclaimed. I simply don't get why fans such as yourself feel the need to ignore everything that doesn't jive with your opinion, and just dump on the guy.

Damon Huard is a borderline NFL player at this stage of his career. For you to even suggest cutting a 25 year old who until suffering the shoulder problems, showed some promise of developing into a pretty good player for us, tells me you don't have a logical opinion in this matter. It's obvious you have an intense dislike for Smith, or are bitterly disappointed that he hasn't fulfilled the promise of a #1 overall pick. Whatever it is, you can't be taken seriously with such a one sided viewpoint.

There is no upside to keeping Huard. He is a body with limited skill who is not going to win games for you if he has to play. Smith hasn't played a meaningful game in nearly two years, yet played as well as Hill during this preseason. Granted neither one showed a whole lot, but Hill should have had the advantage seeing as though he has played a lot more the past two seasons. Give the kid a break and try to be at least slightly reasonable. Smith has played less than two seasons worth of games in 4 years. He is trying to come back from an injury that almost ruined his career. He offers far more to the team than a guy in his late 30's who is just trying to catch on anywhere to play out the string.

I'm not sure how Hill will play now that teams have some tape on him, or if Smith can ever come back and make something of his career, but they are our best bets right now.

As I said, if Sing is using his head, he should keep Hill as the starter for now, Smith as the backup, and Davis as the 3rd QB. If they suffer a bunch of injuries, the season will be a washout anyway, whether Huard is available or not.

From what i seen in the preseason Nate Davis looks like hes improving very well although hes playing mostly against 3 string guys, but his pocket presence looks really good including his trigger arm. I didnt see much of anything from Huard but im assuming he should be better than Davis especially in experience since ive seen Davis look to the sidelines all the time. I really dont know what goes on in practice but it looks like a tough decision on which QB to let go. Its seems like Alex or Davis but im thinking Huard just because I haveent seen enough of him. If you let go Davis I would think some team would definitely pick him up and most likely it would be within the division just because hes a 49er and would like to figure out what they doing. If they let go Alex you basically just lost your depth at that position which is very necessary since there is instability in the pass blocking scheme. The O line looks like overweight FB so i suggest the should pass block like fullbacks.

From what i seen in the preseason Nate Davis looks like hes improving very well although hes playing mostly against 3 string guys, but his pocket presence looks really good including his trigger arm. I didnt see much of anything from Huard but im assuming he should be better than Davis especially in experience since ive seen Davis look to the sidelines all the time. I really dont know what goes on in practice but it looks like a tough decision on which QB to let go. Its seems like Alex or Davis but im thinking Huard just because I haveent seen enough of him. If you let go Davis I would think some team would definitely pick him up and most likely it would be within the division just because hes a 49er and would like to figure out what they doing. If they let go Alex you basically just lost your depth at that position which is very necessary since there is instability in the pass blocking scheme. The O line looks like overweight FBs so i suggest they should pass block like fullbacks.

sorry for the double post route

LAsam: I will cheer for Smith as I have always done,if we are so unfortunate to have him ever need to step on the field for us again. And I NEVER lie,sorry but that is one of my pet peaves,I hate lies! I am like sing,I would rather look bad to everyone when they know whatever the truth is about me or my opinions,rather than lie and cover up what I really believe.
I was a Smith fan,until he proved he can't play football at the NFL level.
Too bad that you are so upset about smith doing poorly ,that you have to try to take it out on a fellow fan by saying things that you must know are not true,or at least that you have no way of knowing are true. I just state the obvious,that smith is not very good and has never been good at this level. Probably 95 % of the fans agree with me because they have seen it with their own eyes. And yes,I do have all the games on video,since 1983.And I have watched smith over and over again and wished that vhe looked better.But alas,he looks just as bad ,no matter how many times I watch it over,even in his best games when 100% healthy. Thatis my opinion and I was proven correct,so far. If smith plays better,I will be happy for him and for my team.And of course,if that happens I will alter my opinion of his playing skills(if he shows me some). I have always thought he was a great kid and wouldn't have minded if he married my daughter . He has class and seems a fine young man in every way.He is just not suited to play football in the NFL. I don't hate him and I don't lie,period! I just tell it like it is,and it was hard for me to admit that he is not good,after defending him to my family and friends for years,as they told me he was a bust. I kept making all the same lame excuses that you do and tried to defend him. Finally he let me down and I had to admit everyone else was right. Perhaps one day,you will stop lieing to yourself and also finally admit what you know in your heart,that he is noth what was promised when he was drafted,not even close !

...And LAsam: You should actually be pretty happy because the front office has a soft spot for Alex and instead of keeping the better backup,that has the resume and experience and has actually played pretty well in the NFL (Huard) they will no doubt keep Alex,thinking that he is young and perhaps someday he will improve and grow into something close to what huard is now,a career backup.
And although Huard would be the perfect backup for Hill this year,it would only be for one year,so if alex can improve and grow and find something more in himself in the future,he will make a fine backup for Hill and then for Davis,and you and I will be happy for Alex !Not quite what we had hoped for but better than the total bust label some want to put on him. I wish the best for Alex! (especially as long as he is on MY team !).

Ninermaniac: Remember that not only was Davis playing AGAINST 2nd and 3rd stringers but he was playing with 2nd and 3rd and even 4th string O linemen and WR's and RB's etc. Put him behind the 1st string line and give him some more time (when Snyder comes back and Baas etc) and we could see him aremstrength really showcased on some 50-60 yard bombs! He should start in a year or so(far too raw now),until then hill will be quite fine !

Oneniner=IDIOT

TopCat,

Ok I can see this is going nowhere so I'll sum it up short and sweet:

I'm not an Alex Smith apologist. I'm not looking at his career and thinking fondly. I'm saying cutting him in favor of Damon Huard is stupid, and won't happen.

I agree that it won't happen LAsam,just that it probably should. If they had let Alex go in the off season,he and the team would probably be better off now,and would not need to possibly keep 4 QB's (which I don't want them to do,they should cut alex or Huard,and I think the age difference is the deciding factor).
As you say,this is a pretty much done deal.Hopefully Alex steps up and shows something,if he is ever needed to play.