MM - You are the best!!! Thank you.

Moran Norris was horrible in short yardage and goal line situations when he was previosly on the team, is there any possibility Brit Miller can beat him out for a starting spot? With Norris not at camp why does Singletary feel he deserves a roster spot? All I remember of Norris is missing blocks and getting blown up at the point of contact.

Wow, that was fast. Right on for all the insights MM!

Pass rush is a major issue on this team... most of the burden rests on the shoulders of the one legit rusher in Haralson. Lawson is not an NFL calibur pass rusher... he's shown that by this point. Not drafting another pass rusher in a draft loaded with them was a major error imo, hopefully Parys can stay healthy and productive.

right on windex666. Norris is too one-dimensional, just blocking. I hope Brit Miller repeat what he did during the broncos game(more catches). Gore might be better with Norris, but Brit definitely has more of the pass catching threat.
that will really open up the offense for the niners.

Question, Matt:

IMO, Michael Robinson will be Raye's secret weapon this season. He looks much bigger than the other RBs. His blocking is awesome as Willis found out in the Nutracker and Raider Jon Alston discovered when MRob de-helmeted him. He has a habit of dislodging defensive players from their senses. He's an excellent pass blocker but too small to play Norris' role. He's the perfect 3rd down back.

I'm assuming he'll be the #2 FB, in the Rathman/Craig mold. He caught 17 passes for 201 yards and an 11.9 average (3rd in the NFL among RBs with 10 or more catches) during the second half of last season once Sing took over. He also made a great leaping catch against the Redskins to preserve the winning drive. Sing doesn't forget.

I noticed that on one play this camp, Raye sent 3 WRs to one side and MRob alone to the other with only Curtis Taylor on him. He has real quick moves and left Taylor in the dust. Hill hit him for a TD.

Finally, my question. I notice the media pretty much ignores Michael. What is your opinion of my idea about how Singletary and Ray will utilize his talents? Am I spot on or off my rocker?

Matt - Nate Davis to the PS?? I don't know if the 49ers could expose a 5th round draft pick to the waiver wires and get away with it...You really think some GM would overlook him?

Jason

MM: The authority on what's going on with the 49ers. Thanks for the awesome coverage, accessibility, and consumate professionalism.

Hi Matt- if you're not all questioned out - here's one more that I haven't really seen answered anywhere: How has Staley looked in training camp? Everyone seems to assume he's the starting LT (arguably the most important position on the team) for the next 10 years, but I'm not so sure. I think he's been good not great and that he still has a ways to go to cement the job long-term. Has he shown improvement this training camp?

It seems like Zeigler is a favorite of the quarterbacks, especially as a deep threat. In light of J.Hill's lackluster camp, and Crabtree's holdout, shouldn't he be a lock to make the roster, at least at first? Also, what's up with the Taser? Will M.Robinson get snaps there? Is Spurlock still in the picture? Or will it be Battle's domain?

Until Crabs signs, Dominique Zeigler is too much of a valuable asset, I hope he makes the squad! -If I had to pick between Mark Roman and Ziggy getting a spot I wouldn't really lose a lot of sleep over Mr. "trade me, I suck"!

We all pretty much know well that Mark wanted out cause his boyfriend Nolan left (cause in Nolan's eyes, Roman was a pro-bowler, hahaahahaha).

Matt

Another terrific summary. Thank-you. Would hate to hear that Ziegler is back on the practice squad, even when Crabtree signs. Ziegler has looked good in an NFL game.

You took the words right out of my mouth brother!!

Hey MM

It seems like jason hill has had a quite camp next to zig (being a favorite target it) and spurlock (being a polished player and many positions). so what would put him ahead of zig and spurlock? or do you feel Spurlock has a roster spot already?

It's nice to have all these talented players to choose from but id imagine it would be hard for the coaches to decide who stays and who goes.

Thanks

Wow... I never thought we'd like be in this situation ever, I mean you look back to 2005-2007, 80% of that trashy WR core should've been cut! (Lelie, Jackson, Streets, Lloyd). -Hell, they were so soft that our current WR core would probably break their arms in a bar brawl!

-Man I'm glad those days are behind us... when the only serviceable WR we had was Battle, and he was injured most of the time from carrying the weight of both Special teams, and offensive duties!

Your response to the practice squad question above indicates you believe Diyral Briggs is ahead of Jay Moore in the OLB pecking order. If Haralson, Brooks and Lawson are gimmes and the team keeps 4, who is the 4th - Marquez Harris?

Jason From San Leandro | August 20, 2009 11:49 AM | Reply Matt - Nate Davis to the PS?? I don't know if the 49ers could expose a 5th round draft pick to the waiver wires and get away with it...You really think some GM would overlook him?

Jason

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

Exactly Jason. I hate that we waste a roster spot by keeping 4 QB's BUT if Scotty insists on keeping Smith around,then we had better keep 4.
It would be a terrible shame if we lose the only player on the roster who has any chance of becoming the Franchise QB of the future. That would mean we would need to use one or both of those #1 picks next year to go after a top QB in the draft .It would be a shame also to expose Davis and then in a year or so finally need to give up on alex,only to look with envy at some other team (who claimed Davis off our PS )who might be flying high with Davis as their starter,while we are still without that piece to the puzzle. Hill is fine and a real leader and winner BUT Davis is the future,or at least the only possible future star at that position on the current roster.

Matt - You typed: 'No, they're playing different positions. Brooks is behind Haralson, and Marques Harris is lining up behind Haralson.' Did you mean to put Lawson in one of those spots you typed Haralson.

If you have time I have one more question - Is it a concern that Singletary might be a little hasty to make changes to the starting roster spots? Last season Hill took over for O'Sullivan because JT had performing poorly for 4 games in a row. Hill came on and performed well that game as well as the next game. Then after a poor performance in the 1st half against the Rams, Singletary wanted to yank Hill to put O'Sullivan back in. It worries me that he wanted to yank a player after 1 bad half and replace him with someone who we all know was not that good. Do you think that it was just a way to motivate Hill and see his response? I see making changes after 4 or 5 bad games, but when you’re changing things after 1 bad half, I get a little worried.

Matt, thanks for choosing my taxi-squad query. My own mock PS, dictated after the Broncos game, nailed 5 of the 8 (Nate Davis, Brit Miller, Finley, Spanos, Lambert) plus a 6th (J-Moore) who's on your supplementary list.

Of the others, I chose to keep Khalif Mitchell on the 53 & Sheets on the PS, partly to offset R-Mac remaining on PUP. Also preferred Jacob Bender (more versatile) over Alex Boone. Diyral Biggs may be groomable at WOLB except I think our need is more pressing there; I'll rather hold onto J-Moore since neither Lawson nor M-Harris look like long-term answers at SOLB.

The 49ers havent exhibited much of a pass rush in the past three years since Lawson was drafted. But I am not ready to call him a bust yet (in fact, not even close). His first year was relatively uneventful, but in his 2nd year, he had 2 very solid games before his freakish injury during practice prior to the week 3 loss at Steelers. You might remember Big Ben torched us with short passes that turned into longer gains to the TE, whom Lawson would have been covering. I kept thinking to myself that IF Lawson was healthy, we might have had a better chance in that game... then of course, wk 4 vs. Seahawks changed the season and NOLAN era forever.

I give Lawson a break last season as I thought his type of injury could take a couple years to completely heal/recover. Maybe I was wrong about that, but I thought it would take 2 yrs to regain his speed. I'm hardly a 9er apologist, but I think (and hope) this will be his break-out season IF he has gotten his speed back 100%.

I'd hate to write this kid off IF the injury and normal learning curve are the reasons he hasn't produced.

,....whtz up with the rumor - Steelers looking to trade for S.Hill ?...

...anyone saw this? apparently Big Ben is injured

Regarding Norris, I believe he and Gore are pretty tight to the point that Gore lobbied management to re-sign Norris this past off-season, not that it will keep him on the roster. But I don't think Norris' skills have been maximized since Turner was here and Gore was rushing for 1600 yards.

IMHO we have Roman as a solid consistent back up who never makes plays, but is never out of position (I was playing Madden last night and Roman picked off a pass...had to laugh). At this point, I think you keep Reggie Smith as a safety (perhaps to replace MLewis) and keep Green on as a corner. Roman did not generate much interest on the free market. I would cut Roman, let Reggie develop as a safety, and keep an actual CB on the freed up roster spot, we always need more.

In terms of Nate Davis, I see why you would take Huard, but again, we may want to keep him on the roster as a developmental player. Huard may be available as a back-up if Hill or Smith get hurt.

Here's another thought about QB's. With the Farve signing, John David Booty becomes the 4th QB in MN. He's either gonna get cut or put on the PS. He's probably gonna be available...what do you think?

We should learn more about some of these questions being answered by Matt after the Raider game. I can't see Zeig getting another year on the PS, the kid is ready for the active roster. As for Nate Davis I hate to break this to you TOP_CAT but if the 49ers decide to only keep 3 QB's on the active roster your boy won't be the 3rd QB. After all Nate Davis is what he is a 5th ROUND DRAFT PICK! But don't worry I don't believe anybody else will snag him in the waiver process simply because he's spent all this time in OTA's mini-camps & TC learning the 49er offense. No team is that desperate that they don't have their own young experimental QB's on their roster. Just like I don't see the 49ers snagging somebody else's experiment when the final cuts come.

Good idea to think about. I don't know much about Booty but I like the idea of bringing in another potential developmental franchise QB. I can't see it happening though since we already have Davis & you have him on the 53 man. You'd have to place Booty on the 53 so I don't see any space for him. We still need a legit #2 so you can't bump him off.

It would be nice if we could package up Smith and Roman, and send to Nolan in Denver. But what as Smith done in the past and this Preseason to warrant anyone taking him?

Davis: I like to prospect of Davis, even with a possible stud QB being acquired next year. Davis is a nice developmental project (no pun intended). It is sad we have 4 QBs on roster. Huard has to remain on the roster. He could actually come in and move us to a potential play-off if need be (otherwise, if season is done, go with young kid, right). I’m guessing Davis goes to PS.

Manny: I’m happy if Manny can cover a TE consistently and be disruptive at times in the back field. I’ll be OK with only 6-8 sacks, 50 tackles, 3 FF and 2 Ints this year.

Bwaaahhahahahaha! Yeah, good one!

with Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy coming out next year. its very well possible with our two 1st rd picks we can find our selves in a position to steal another quality player. its just a thought. think about it, who thought we were going to get crabtree?

Matt,
Any word on who's starting QB Sat?

Hi,
This is my first time commenting on this page. This is in response to Oneniner's comments regarding winning percentage for Shaun Hill on the previous post. In looking at Alex Smith's teams and the winning percentage of those teams I have done a bit of research:
2005:
St. Louis 6-10
Houston 2-14
2006
St. Louis 8-8
Oakland 2-14
Min 6-10
Det 3-13
Seattle 9-7
Seattle 9-7
Denver 9-7
2007
Arizona 8-8
St. Louis 3-13

When I added these wins up I came up with a winning percentage of .370 for the teams that Alex Smith beat (which I believe is lower than the teams Shaun Hill beat). My point here is not who should win or lose this battle but that utilizing these stats to support your case is assinine. If you look at the teams that Tom Brady beat during his undefeated season and the combined winning percentage for those teams you will find that it is not that much higher.

To be exact the combined winning percentage of Tom Brady for that season was .461.

It is higher but not exactly what I expected from someone who went 16-0 during th regular season.

The stat that should be looked at for Shaun Hill is the fact that he has one less total touchdown than Alex Smith in 13 games. Alex Smith has played in over thirty games. Additionally the best record of a team that Alex Smith beat was 9-7. The best record of a team Shaun Hill beat was also 9-7. The winning percentage stat is meaningless.

*digital fist bump*

Matt,

I was surprised to see Brit Miller on your PS.

Who else do we have at FB? Loved Norris in 07, but given his time off and age, my 1st priority if I were Rathman would be to make sure we had a great backup FB. And Brit didn't look too bad against Nolan's Broncos huh? And with Keasey out (and frankly, I never thought he was great at picking up a blitz), I'm a bit worried here.

thanks,
cannon

Props Lamberds!!!

But... this is a dead discussion. OneWhiner will probably reply with something like "Well on 75% of the games Hill won, their Top players were injured and had bad hangovers. Smith won against their teams Top Talent with better 40 times" LMFAO!!!

I saw we all meet for a beer before the Oakland game and give oneniner a chance to explain himself :)

Yeah, I agree. I have just seen him put this stat up like 15 times. The winning percentage of the oponents is meaningless. They are all professional football players and incredible athletes. In the NFL a win is a win.

Alex Smith

Will evuantally win the starting job from Hill. just a matter of time

Your right. He may very well win the starting job from Hill eventually. If he does, I just hope that he is ready and will be able to produce some Ws for the niners.

Matt,
really alex has played 7 games his first year. one full year his second. and 4 or 5 games some injured his second. so i would say he has played MAYBE 2 seasons of football all together. and thats being generous. I see alex overtaking Hill this year at some point. Whats your gut tell you?
anthony

Michael Robinson will be a terror in the Rathman/Craig mode as the #2 FB. He's a great one on one blocker as Willis learned in the Nutcracker and that Raider linebacker, Alston, learned yesterday when Michael de-helmeted him. That same guy came back to put Norris down twice so that gives you an idea about MRob's blocking ability.

As to GLT4, Alex Smith will never be a top flight NFL QB. While Hill is a MAN showing poise and confidence and excellent game management skills, not to mention uncanny accuracy, Alex still looks like a high school kid trying to play college ball. It's just too fast for him. He lacks the natural instincts that would have shown themselves by now. Great kid, great physical talent, nothing where it counts.

Agree 100% on Alex Smith. He looks the part, but it stops there, No natural football instincts. You are right, the NFL game is too fast for him. Keeping him around is a sheer waste of a roster spot.

In some ways Alex reminds me of J. J. Stokes. Stokes too looked the part on the sidelines. Based on his size and physical talent Stokes should have been a can't miss draft choice. As we all saw once he got on the field, Nothing.

Assuming that Brit Miller performs as well in the next pre-seaon games would he even clear waivers for the Niners to even place him on the 8 man practice squad. I mean he continues with doing what he did against the Broncos and I am not sure he clears waivers.

Can't resist it, but who hasn't seen this yet?

"Hitler finds out about Michael Crabtree's holdout"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfGUzVi7wJY

Report: Aaron Maybin, the #11 pick in the draft has agreed to a deal with the Buffalo Bills. Once terms are disclosed, there is now a ceiling and a basement for the value of Crabtree's contract. Matt, do you believe that this will speed up negotiations between Parker and the Niners?

It's not going to speed up negotiations unless the Crabtree camp lets go of DHB contract as the floor of the deal.

Hey Matt and everyone on here let's say Crabtree does sit out the whole year, What happends to all those people who bought his 49er Jersey? Do they get a refund? Is it even worth watching the draft next year if we cant even sign r #1 pick? I know this isnt the 49ers fault but it's dumb! Is Crabtree dumb enough to sit out the season? Who would draft him higher than 10? IT DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE

Nice try lamberds....

i wasn't comparing winning percentages to prove a point.....I think it was stampede that was curious about comparing winning percentages....

I have always stated comparing both players stats is unreasonable, cuz the number of games both has played are so far apart and not to mention one was playing while HURT......

.....I rather focus on their PERFORMANCES IN THE GAMES

...Since Hill's performance last yr is the ONLY RATIONALE FOR MOST OF YOU TO ANNOINT HIM THE STARTER - I think the sensible thing is to analyze that MAIN REASON

...again my analysis was based on Hill's performance last yr......It would be nice if you guys don't change the subject and plz debunk exactly what my observations of those games were....for example WAS I WRONG IN MY ANALYSIS OF HILL's Performance in those SPECIFIC games...

...i do appreciate you being civil in your comment

AGAIN - LOOK AT MY OBSERVATIONS OF THOSE GAMES HILL PLAYED LAST YEAR. KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE GAMES.....TELL ME WHY MY OBSERVATIONS OF HILL'S PERFORMANCE IS WRONG....

The argument is HILL should start based on his performance last year....well below is a summary of his performance last year

Which of his performance below justifies him starting at QB in the NFL?....

just another reminder on Hill's performance....

Win 1 vs Bengals who are 6-12 since that game.

Win 2 vs Buccaneers, TB out gained the 49ers 434 to 213, held the ball for nearly 35 minutes and lost by 2 points. They were already playoff bound and pulled their starters early.

Win 3 vs Rams, they are 5-23 over two seasons!

Win 4 vs Bills, Buf out gained them 350 to 195 and couldn't even kick a few FG's from 20 yards out that day. They finished 3-9 after starting out 4-0 vs Oak, Sea, Jac, and StL all bad teams.

Win 5 vs Jets, Farve's arm was a noodle at that point, the Jets finished the season 1-4 including the loss to SF and even lost to Seattle who was crap.

Win 6 vs Rams, 5-23 I repeat 5-23 the past two seasons and they still needed to come back at the end to win this game!

Win 7 vs Redskins, another bad team that finished 1-5, 2-6 over the last 8 games of the season.

Hill's 3 losses:

Loss 1 vs Cardinals, he turned the ball over twice late in that game, got it back both times on penalties and within a couple of plays he turned it over again both times! Those turnovers gave the Cardinals the ball inside the 49ers 20 both times and gave the Cardinals 10 points. He cost the 49ers that game and NO ONE talks about that. Instead they want to blame it on Martz, if it wasn't for Hill's turnovers the end of the game would have never been an issue!

Loss 2 vs Dallas, not even a close game. The 49ers had no chance to win this game, it was 32 to 9 at the start of the 4th. They got a couple of TD's in the 4th, but that was pretty much garbage time at that point.

Loss vs Miami, they scored 9 points, Gore was out where was Hill when the team needed someone to step up? Oh yeah the TD that Roman

But Jon Crabbs is NOT going to get DHB money bottom line. With the Maybin siging today can you imagine the pressure that Crabbs NOT his agent but him is going to be feeling? With all that money on the table (19 mil I think gauranteed) It's just a matter of time before he caves in, I give it no more than a week now & you can take that to the bank my friend.

If you weren't comparing winning percentages to prove a point why do you keep bringing the winning percentage of oponents up? I see above that you took out the winning percentage and just included your observations.

Oneniner, your breakdown of Hill's "legendary" performances is quite accurate, i.e., factual. The Hill bandwagon, IMO, began in 2007 when Niner fans had just endured a slug of virtually unwatchable Dilfer-led offensive performances. Suddenly, the offense under Hill actually got some first downs and resembled a functioning O. It was a giddy moment in a drastically dull and terrible season. Then again, last year, Hill once again replaced a drastically dysfunctional QB in JTO and again, more or less, performed an adequate job - compared to JTO. Hill has now shown up favorably when compared to Dilfer and JTO. This is hardly the data necessary to justify the rabid following he has garnered in Ninerland. He has never replaced Smith and his following now must be traced more to emotion than reason. IOW, a lot of his backing comes from anti-Smith roots. Anit-Dilfer, anti-JTO, and now anti-Smith. The one difference is that Smith has not been on the field stinking it up like Dilfer and JTO did. He's been on IR watching an entire mythical industry being erected about his so-called shortcomings and lack of "it-ness." If Hill starts the season, and he probably will, he will last only as long as it takes Smith to get his game back. The game he had when he finished his last season in 2006 by beating Seattle and Denver on the road.

And I might add that Smith did in fact "beat" Seattle and Denver, while Hill was mostly a spectator while the defense and Buffalo's ineptitude won that road game and the other road game Hill won was the JTO-like performance against the woeful Rams. It goes without saying that Smith won those tough road games with a vastly inferior Niner team than the team Hill led last year. These are facts. Smith's itness, facial expressions, QB mechanics, pocket-awareness, etc. are couch potato opinions.

wow;...skeebers....i am impressed...

..i didn't think you had it in you to be this articulate and ACCURATE.....

Good read Skeebers.

I would also add that at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what the fans and media think about Smith's "IT". It's the coaches and players who spend the most face time with him 12/7. If the generals and the troops are not confident in their lieutenant, time to step aside and wear the headset.

Here's to Smith to win those hearts and minds in the next two preseason matches.

Again i didnt bring up the winning percentage of opponents to make my POINT - I only mention it in ONE LINE to give reference to the type of teams Hill has played...

My focus is not the other teams but HiLL's PERFORMANCE against those teams...

.....cuz my focus is on his PERFORMANCE AGAINST TEAMS HE PLAYED - it is fair to mention the winning percentage of the teams he played

...I took it out cuz it is obviously confusing you and preventing you from arguing my actual point which again is - WHY SHOULD HILL START BASED ON HIS PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR....

HIS PERFORMANCE - WHICH FOR SOME REASON NOBODY IS DISPUTING......

I will have to agree with skeebers its obvious the decision by many to start Hill is based on emotions..

...I again hav to point out from Coach Sing - "He his no mystery" - What you see is what you get, the org knows this, the fans knows this even our opponents knows this - that is why nobody is scared of Hill - AN AVERAGE QB WHO CAN"T WIN BIG GAMES....

Bottom line is. If Alex was the one out there looking better then id be all for Alex starting. we want the person who looks the best on the field, who the team trusts to lead them to a win, who puts up good numbers, who takes control of the game, who doesn't crack under pressure. And right now, That person is Hill. take it or leave it but you cant deny the truth!! Honestly i don't get why some of you think the way you do. if Hill has performed for us, then why take his thunder away by starting some 1 else. especially some one like smith who has not lived up to the hype. i dont care to hear about excuses, i dont wanna hear about him not gettin a fair shot. i dont wanna hear about him gettin hurt. it happened, its life...deal with it. in fact, throwing Alex in there before hes ready might be just as bad. look what happened last time when he re-injured his shoulder. hill has done a great job for us so let him keep doin so. and in the mean time. let alex improve him self and hopefully become that player we all hoped for.

Jesus people!!!

"The game he had when he finished his last season in 2006 by beating Seattle and Denver on the road."

I remamber those games - I also remember the opener against Arizona

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap;_ylt=AnsXwbmCYE4nCDSh_tv4joL.uLYF?gid=20070910025

"“They came at us with a tough defensive scheme, but somehow we were able to put together that last drive,” Gore said. “I feel we can move the ball against anyone.”"

Smith knew he looked terrible until leading that near-flawless march on chilly Bill Walsh Field for the 49ers, who beat the Cardinals for the first time in five tries during coach Mike Nolan’s tenure.

"hill has done a great job for us so let him keep doin so. "

- AGAIN PLEASE WHAT GREAT JOB HAS HE DONE FOR US?

I JUST CLEARLY EXPLAIN HIS PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR - WHICH PART OF HIS PERFORMANCE IN THOSE GAMES AM I INACCURATE.....PLEASE TELL ME...

I will not attempt to debunk your observations. It should be noted that the same observations can be made about any quarterback and their wins and of course every quarterback does have bad games. You could compare Hill's losses that you mentioned above and say the same observation about the teams Smith losses i.e. against Kansas City in 2006 he threw for 92 yards and 2 interceptions against the Damon Huard led Chiefs. You can also say that Smith's first win against Seattle in 2006 was largely on the back of Frank Gore who rushed for 212 yards. I will give it to Smith that he was large factor in the second win against Seattle, the win against Denver to take them out of the playoffs, and the wins against Arizona and St. Louis at the beginning of the 2007 season.

At this point I am not sure who should start at Quarterback. I don't believe either of these guys is pro-bowl caliber but we will have to see this season. Needless to say I am not going to look at the stats in the past. The stats and games that matter at this point have yet to be played. If Hill wins the job and plays good, that would be great. If Smith gets the job due to a Shaun Hill injury and becomes a good starting quarterback even better. That way we will at least know that the 1st pick in the 2005 draft was not a wasted pick.

How about turnin the team around and getting us the W? i dont care if the other team has better stats. what i care about is Hill getting us the win. finding a way to to pull it off. and he does that. thats why he did a good job for us.

what you are sayin would make perfect sense if he was out there losing games for us. but thats not the case. so please give it a rest already!! you have no ground to walk on to suppor your anti hill chant. Just stop, seriously you really sound foolish. i mean i dont see how you are seeing otherwise when we walk away with a W.

He's no Tom, but he IS the best thing we have right now so why don't you start acting like a real niner fan and support him!!

It's the people that think like you that cause our team to lose. like nolan!! you need to play the person that looks the best at the job.. and thats exactly why roman aint starting this year.

Nuff Said

..didnt take yu long to go looney on me....

....."It's the people that think like you that cause our team to lose."- ....lol...lmao

.....you just showed us all how smart you are.- Yea I cause the team to lose....lol

It seems fairly obvious that despite all of our chatter, the bottom line is that Sing is going to start the QB he thinks gives the team the best chance at winning. It's very plausible this will be Hill at the beginning of the season, and Smith towards the end. This could be because Smith is finally back to his old form, or because Hill isn't winning games. It's also possible that Hill will play the whole season because he is winning games - something he has shown he is capable of doing (albeit against arguably sub-par teams).

It sure seems likely that Hill will be the starter at the beginning of the season, unless Smith can really wow everyone with some miraculous play over the rest of the preseason. I don't think that Hill's wins from the last two seasons alone should dictate that he be the starter. I think his outplaying Smith in practice (based on what I've read in multiple resources, not just what MM has to say) is what has earned him the right to start. So unless that changes before the season begins, I think we are looking at our starter.

I think it's also disingenuous to look at how Smith played and use that as justification for why he should start now. He was looking really good until his shoulder got destroyed in '07, but who's to say he's playing anywhere near that caliber now?

The bottom line, IMHO, is that we need to chillax on this whole debate. Everyone is basically rehashing the same arguments, on both sides, that have been made since the end of last season. We should know by the end of the month who is starting for sure, at which time everything we've said won't matter one bit.

I said the people that "THINK" like you, Shows how "SMART" you are.

Again, Just give it a rest already dude

AMEN!!!!!

The most cogent comment on this post is from Franchise. "I would also add that at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what the fans and media think about Smith's "IT". It's the coaches and players who spend the most face time with him 12/7." If I find out any of the coaches even take the time to read the opinions on this blog regarding whom the starting quarterback should be, I'll faint.

I second your post. That is absolutely right. If we were making the decisions on starters our team would be far worse off. The football experts should make the decisions on who starts at what position.

Won't it be nice when the day finally arrives where the 9ers have a clear cut #1 at the QB position. IMHO, Hill should start. It's also my opinion that Hill would probably not be a starter for over half the league. That means, we really don't have a franchise QB on the roster. For that reason alone, my head says it will be a long year but my heart hopes for the best.

thanks for answering my question, I agree 100% with your recommendations for the practice sqaud and I really hope Zeigler lands on that of the 53 man roster, he has glue-esque hands

Dude -- that was HILARIOUS. Thanks

This from Sando;
"Barring a Tom Brady-like performance over the next two weeks, Alex Smith won't be able to beat out Shaun Hill at quarterback. It's pretty easy to see why. Singletary wants a quarterback who can manage the game and not make mistakes. That's Hill's strength. Hill doesn't have the arm strength or athletic ability of Smith. In practices, he might not throw the prettiest pass. But the guy is a gamer and has been a winner. His gift is the ability to see, read and anticipate what defenses are doing. A switch goes off in his head in games, and Hill can make the right read at the right time. What surprised me is the physical problem he played with the past two seasons. He dislocated a joint at the top of his right index finger. A quarterback needs that index finger to generate a spiral. Hill had an index finger that bent with the shape of the ball. Without being to put extra pressure on the ball with that finger, Hill couldn't throw a quality long pass last season. Doctors grafted a small bone from another part of his hand to fix the problem, and now he can throw a longer pass."
I never heard this before but maybe we are underestimating his ability to throw the long ball and we will see an improvement there which seems to be the biggest criticism about Hill.

Thank you for the Hilter/Crabtree video. BRILLIANT!!!

That video is freaking hilarious!!!!!

Aaron: Anyone bought the Crabtree jerseys are SOL; buying a jersey for an unsigned player is never a good choice, particularly since they're under no obligation to sign for a team and can certainly be traded away, so the brunt of the loss falls on the buyer. Regarding whether following the draft makes sense, it does, since one first pick who doesn't sign doesn't negate the 5 others that did; the draft isn't just about star power, but also about rejuvenating the team with young blood. As to whether Crabtree is truly so stupid, it's hard to say, since it's unlikely anybody will draft him higher given the baggage that will come with him.

As an athlete once said, if you stop practicing and playing, you lose your skills.

For an alternative perspective of OneNiner's interpretation of "mystery"

My interpretation of Singletary's words claiming Hill is not a "mystery" means this: Hill has led the team to victory at the greatest velocity since Jeff Garcia. Singletary knows this (show me, don't tell me).

Smith, by virtue of interpreting Singletary's comment, is viewed as a mystery. This is more of a sin against him than an opportunity for him. He might have a continually diminishing duration to make impression as the minutes of play grow more important (i.e.- closer to regular season)

One more thought: it is my interpreation that you don't necessarily want Smith to succeed if that means holding the clipboard and proving himself as a back-up. Smith will have his chance someday, when he is ready, but as of yet, he is proving on the practice field and between the lines that he is not ready. He has the power within himself to change that Saturday night. Guess we'll see what happens.

..interesting point of view ...

The problem with that view is ...- "Hill has led the team to victory at the greatest velocity since Jeff Garcia"

FIRST - You have to tell us which victory you are talking about? ...that was a great victory

SECOND - Coach was not here when J.Garcia was here, so how will he know this?

And for further information the 2 biggest game in the last 4 yrs the niners have played and won was by A.SMITH - on the road against seattle + Against Arizona in the opener....and if i recall very well it was A.Smith that made a difference in those games

Finally on your thought - I have been consistent since we drafted A.Smith - LET HIM PLAY - No point of holding the clipboard - He has the tools just lacks the experience...

Nolan did the same thing by trying to spoon feed him the playbook....I have said this before, i will say it again...LET A.SMITH LOOSE

...Norv was the only guy who understood this...

I give up, It's pointless lol!!

wow

Can't wait till September.

Like I said,his name is ONEniner because he only likes ONE Niner,Alex. He doesn't care about the team or else he would want Hill to be the starter,so they will win more games (oh by the way, Hill IS the starter and Alex is fighting it out with Huard for 2nd string,and so far Alex is losing to Huard).

Your views are POINTLESS

Your opinions are POINTLESS

Your observations are POINTLESS

Every single thing you say or post is POINTLESS and BIASED

At this point I've determined that your stance on this issue is less about the 49ers and the best QB for the job and more about getting reactions from other members and the attention it brings you.

You have perfected the craft of being a "TOOL"

Yet... even with all your POINTLESS nonsense. I'm looking forward to what excuses will be after tomorrows game :P

..And Houston...We DO have the possible franchise QB of the future o the roster NOW. He is Nate Davis and has all the tools and intangebles you could ever ask for in a star QB. But you are correct that it won't do us any good this year and probably not fully make the difference next year either. But by 2011 ,he should be our stud QB for the next 10 years. If he somehow turns out to be an NFL flop.like Alex,then we ARE in big trouble and will possibly need to waste both our #1 picks next year on a franchise QB. Hopefully Davis will show enough this year in practice etc. to confirm that Davis is the future,as the Niners think he probably is.