Backup... I got a feeling not for long. Reading what Singletary said, If Hill has a bad first half Smith will be going in.

Alex is such a great guy. I really do like him because he's such a humble and giving person, it's just a shame that he can't be the star QB that we all want him to. Nevertheless, I'm still rooting for him and if he gets his shot sometime this season I hope he excels.

Sing didnt say anything to make anyone feel like Hill is getting the hook.

Sing said that Hill is the qb thats it. he has no reason to look over his shoulder. he said if things start to go bad they will evaluate the decision. just like ANY other team that doesnt have a franchise QB. look at the browns they have a different QB every week. TB made a change. Panthers are talking about a change. it happens unless your manning brady ect or even a young "star" Cutler, rivers, ect

to anyone waiting to see smith from what i read, dont hold your breath.

7points: Sing said nothing new. Hill is the starter and Sing said nothing at all new,nothing !(read the whole thing,not just the few words that make you happy !)
Smith only goes in if Hill is hurt,and that goes for the entire year,according to sing,unless of course Hill goes in the tank completely and sucks.In that case he and Alex would both suck,and we might as well see Davis ,to get him ready for next year !

I want a win in the worst way, I wish it was Sunday

"Smith only goes in if Hill is hurt,and that goes for the entire year,according to sing,unless of course Hill goes in the tank completely and sucks.In that case he and Alex would both suck"

Dude.....You are loosing it...lol

i bet you felt like this November 4th, 2008 ....lol

lol...i love how you concluded ....."In that case he and Alex would both suck"...lmao

Does that even make any sense?......lmao

Cmon dude - "remember it is about the team"...lmao

not just u...i need that win badly...waaay badly.....

....going 3-3 facing the colts is no fun

and not to mention those cardigrls playing better...

plz Football God's just give me this one, this is one of those games you look back and say - what if...

....this is a team we should beat if we are going to the playoffs

Smith has really shown his maturity this year. He is becoming the type of man that other men will follow. I really hope he gets a chance to shine.

i'm rooting for hill to win games since his hometown is not very far from where i live, but...

singletary is going to stand by shawn hill. he will never pull him, unless there is a injury. I know our offensive line his not very good, but that is just a cop out. steelers have a sorry o-line also, but big ben seems to make it work.

sing just needs to realize if hill is not performing well he might want to do something different. i cant stand to see anymore games like atlanta. that game was so far out of hand he sould of put in alex just to see what he could do.

i want a guy who will lead us to wins

I don't think anybody has ever had a problem with Alex Smith the man. Most people have issues with his ability to play quarterback. I am of the opinion that he will be a very good NFL quarterback and the only question is whether or not that will be in a 49ers uniform.

This is a very classy and admirable move on his part to share his experiences to Sam Bradford.

I totally agree with fans that admire Smith as a person because he clearly is. As I said before I don't see Sing pulling Hill unless he plays these next 2 games like he did against the Falcons regardless of the O-line play. But if that scenario plays out then that would mean 3 consecutive losses so I'm not hoping for that to happen.

The last thing any qb should do is listen ti Alice Smith..I will puke if hes put in...If you think Hill looked bad against Atlanta what do you think Smith would have done.I ont get it with this guy let him go he still cant hit wideopen receivers happy feet and no leadership...ITS OVER..LET IT GO!!!If anything lets see what we have in Nate Davis Ive seen enough of Alice in Wonderland..

Any news about Alex Smith is....eh. The only thing I want to hear about that guy from this point on is the news this spring when he has been released. Ive seen and heard enough from the guy to know he isn't an NFL QB and we are completely wasting our time and efforts even discussing him. It is a moot issue, the guy's time here is done. He shouldnt even be on this team, he got lucky with McCs soft spot. Springtime, he is GONE.

And it WILL HAPPEN.

TOP_CAT You are right. Think oneniner. The niners are keeping two draft picks for next year. You know one of those will be a QB. Guess who the odd man out is going to be?

kansas49er,

I disagree that PIT has a bad O Line. Rothlisberger just holds the ball way way too long is why they give up a lot of sacks. This has been mentioned by many analysts as well as Ben himself has acknowledged this publicly. He has even publicly defended his line and told them that he appreciates what they do.

Well said. Couldn't agree more.

Hopefully he turns out like Terry Bradshaw did where he had a rough couple of years at the beginning and then in year 4 or 5 he was given another chance and they go on to win 4 superbowl's. That would be a nice story.

I feel your anguish oneniner. I want to win this one badly as well.

Please football god....turn Harelson or Lawson into Charles Haley. Just for this one week. pretty please....

Pass rush is the key guys. If we can pressure Schaub, we win. If we stink at rushing the passer (as vs Atlanta) all the fantasy owners who have schaub or Johnson or Daniels will be buying drinks Sunday night.

Alex Smith....the definition of "eh". Let him hold a clipboard for some other teams 3rd string. Havent we been robbed enough by him???

One bust talking to a future bust. Isn't that sweet?

Was looking over 2010 FA list to see what we might go after in Free agency versus what we try to draft. The list wasnt completely up to date so I apologize if any of these guys have already signed extensions... Just thought it would be fun to see.

2010 FA players that have possibilities?

Offensive tackle: Not much out there that are that good...
Gandy in AZ is a left tackle but no one else jumps out at me.

O Guards that may be FA next year:
NE's Logan Mankins
NE's Stephen Neal (But would prefer their other guard)
NYG Chris Snee (Probably one of the most underrated guards in the league)
NYG Rich Seubert
GB Daryn Colledge
???Justin Smiley back????

QB's: Only 1 that I see....

Jason Campbell?????
I see campbell as an intriguing possibility to come in and take over while we develop davis and possible a draftee from next years draft.... I worry it will be too soon for davis to start next year and a 1 year contract with campbell could prove productive for all parties involved.

DB's by next year Singletary should have a son in law that wants to be on our team ;) provided he isnt franchised again...

Based on the areas of need we have I see that OT and QB is our most likely bet for the 2 first round picks. If we wanted to we could try for campbell and hold off on a QB prospect until later or the following year. Now those picks are based on what we need not BPA so what we end up with may not be what we need.

Are you a face-painter? Do you smear red and gold on your face before each game, storm the field when the 9ers win (as if you had anything to do with the victory...which is why college football is hilarious), and then take each loss like a personal attack on you? If that's how you really feel, then I understand your position on AS. But you're still just a face-painter.
I'll take McCloughan's experience in evaluating talent over your 40 years of watching TV any day.

Alex Smith does seem like an awfully nice kid - i hope he does well. But he's had a fair bit of time to show he deserves the job, and hasnt really been effective, has he? he had a healthy spring and he couldnt beat out Shaun Hill, a career backup with an average arm (at best) who draws a lot of slights from Niner fans, so what does that say. Again, Alex Smith seems like a nice kid - but my nephews are nice kids too, and they dont deserve to start for the 49ers. i hope our guys play well, but if they dont, we need some new talent at this position.

smitty is going to be playing soon. i can feel it! its better hill started the season so everybody could see what a fraud he was. everybody thought he the answer. i mean come on! the guy played teams who sucked and or didnt care at that point in the season. also i really think martz system made him seem better than he was. now that everybody(well most except the idiots who think he is a god) can see he isnt the answer. now fans can relax on the whole hill is good. cuz he isnt. he cant make simple plays or read the Defense without freaking out and throwing it away. and the only reason hill was named the starter was because smith injured his hand tackling.

oh yeah and how mad do you think jerry jones is seeing crabtree in a 49er uniform ahahahahahaahahaaha!!! wait till crabs starts making plays for us, jerry is going to cry LOL

Don't sell your nephews short. Maybe they can start.

I'd have to respectfully disagree...I think Hill is good, he's just got so much to improve on that this whole Hill/Smith conversation keeps coming up. I wish one was far superior than the other, but it's just not the case.

hill isnt good dude. he holds our team back. time for him to ride the pine where he should be. smitty needs to step up and take us to the playoffs! which i know he can do!!

You could be right, we'll see as the season goes on. I like both of those guys, but I agree that AS has more of the prototypical skills to carry the team farther.

Alex Smith does not have "It". If he ever becomes a decent NFL QB, it will be a long, long time from now, but the 49ers do not have a long, long time to wait.

Trade Alex Smith and get something for him. He'll be a decent back up somewhere else.

What we need to do is take advantage of the times we are either way ahead or way behind and get some real looks at Nate Davis in a live game. The sooner we see if Davis has "It" or not the better. It will help us makes some decisions for next year.

I want to say, "nothing personal" OneNiner, but your assertion of Alex Smith and your constant call to get him back as the starter is pathetic. I challenge you this, Alex Smith will not prove himself this year. He will not become the starter or if Hill does get demoted, we will see that Smith still and never will have "It".

If I am wrong, I will never submit another comment here ever again. Do you believe in Alex Smith enough to make the same promise?

And you know what "IT" is, because of all your years of experience playing the game, right?

No anyone with anykind of common sense can tell when a quarterback has "it"...What does no playmakers or a bad offensive line half to do with throwing balls over receivers head or at their feets or doing the Irish river dance in the backfield when theres no pressure.Ray Charles could tell you who has the "it" factor fathead anyone with half a brain could see Smith was garbage halfway through her rookie season...and there was no "it" factor there.Like I said anyone with half a brain could see Smith is done in the league thats why one niner thinks hes the next Tom Brady...

One game and everyone wants to bench Hill..Alex Smith played like that every game of her career?!!!!And now you want him back in??Please put down the pipe and come back to reality...

Quick, someone call Jed!!! We've found Coach Sing and Scotty McC's replacement!!! All in one person!!! He knows more than they do!!! /sarcasm

Dude, Smith couldn't beat out Hill during preseason. Smith has NEVER been in the positive in td/int ratio for any season. Hill has never been negative. With a team like ours, turnovers are killers. Moreso than with the elite teams. They can come back from behind. We can't and a turnover sets that up too easily.

Hill is more appropriate for the type of football our team plays, which is dictated by the talent level we have. And that's what the guys who ARE paid the big money have decided.

"...hill started the season so everybody could see what a fraud he was..."

Yea, that's right. I can see how this played out;

Sing; Raye, we need to start Hill. He's not as good as Smith, no sir. But this will show everyone what a fraud he is!
Raye; But coach, Smith just isn't progressing. He's still tenative, lacks accuracy and decision making. Hill should start.
Sing; Can't do it. Our main focus here is proving to people what a doof Hill is so we can have a QB controversy. That's important.
Raye; But what if Hill does well?
Sing: With this line? Nope. Won't happen. Can't happen. We need to be focused.
Raye: But what if he shows that resiliency, game management, toughness?
Sing; No balloons, no party. We'll just keep telling Chilo he's doing great so he doesn't improve. Sooner or later someone will break Hill in half and then by they everyone will know what a fraud he is. And then we can have him throw high balls to Crabtree till some safety breaks his ribs. I WANT WINNERS!
Raye: Ok coach!

GLT, you're one smart cookie.

this is what we know, smith couldn't beat out hill during TC and pre-season. hill was the qb that came in and started moving the chains. hill came in and started winning games. and if you notice, the offense believes in hill more than smith. now, if you were in that huddle and heard other things, then please let us know if you're part of the 49ers' offense and you're blogging with us. we would love to hear your comments from the huddle.

the atlanta game was a FLUKE. things happen. so now that we're done with that, it's time for the niners to get back on track. and i think they will do that against the texans. singletary knows hill is a winner and a natural leader. i believe him. but just to let you know, i'm not a smith-hater. i still believe in him too. so if hill ever goes down, i would welcome smith to come in and prove us wrong. we're 3-2. it feels good to be above .500 five games in. let's get to 4-2 and roll like the niners of '81!

smokindoggies - omg...your comment CRACKED me up! you hit it right on the nail! i was thinking the same thing. so singletary starts hill to show how he's a fraud?? singletary takes o'SUCKivan out and put hill in so he can show the world how he's worst than o'SUCKivan?? i kept thinking that GLT4.CrashoverRide is really oneniner in another guise!

look, the niners are not the saints, colts, or patriots, BUT they're winners right now! and they're doing a good job as a TEAM to win those games. there's excitement for our 49ers and whoever wins for them, smith or hill, i'm all for it! right now, hill is our man. JUST WIN BABY!! GO NINERS!!

Thanks 49erhthor. The other thing I learned from GLT tonight was that the niners were playing teams that didn't care. I didn't realize that Arizona or Seattle wouldn't care about early season divisional games. That's pretty insightful stuff, I mean a lacky fan like me might just think that in the NFL EVERY game is important.
But noooo, turns out the other teams just didn't care, and that's why Hill helped win those games.
You know I'm thinking, they're probably angry at Sing for trying to make Hill look like a fraud. So they conspired to make sure Hill won so Sing wouldn't get all that glory.
Unfortunately I'm just a simpleton and can't figure out all these complexities like GLT can. Dang brother, time for me to go to ESPNU and learn me some football.

Hill????

I thought alex would have been playing already, so hill has surprised me a little. Make no mistake though, the 9ers will find it harder and harder to win with hill as qb. Now that there is film on him, they will dare him to beat the blitz, they will force him to throw the intermediate ball and he will have turnovers. Hill just can't do it.

With a seperated shoulder, alex stood in the pocket and tried to deliver the ball. He is not scared in the pocket. Now that his shoulder is healed, he can deliver the intermediate and long ball that this offense is lacking.

Yes, alex did not win the preseason battle. Alex did not have a bad camp, Shaun had a great camp. Alex regularly completed the long passes in camp and shaun completed the short. Shaun won and we are now stuck with him. Clearly, because shaun had a great camp, that does not make him a great qb.

Once alex gets back in (next couple of games) and knocks the rust off, we will have re-found our qb of the future.

Tha Grinch... You said, "What does no playmakers or a bad offensive line half to do with throwing balls over receivers head or at their feets or doing the Irish river dance in the backfield when theres no pressure."

I'd have to disagree with you about the river dance part. Peyton Manning does the "river dance" all the time when dropping back, yet he's still very accurate. Now I don't have a mancrush on A. Smith like oneniner does so don't go there. I'm also not saying that A. Smith is Peyton either. Peyton said that by keeping his feet moving while in the pocket helps him with a quicker release.

Also, when A. Smith was throwing balls 30 feet over the receivers' heads, his shoulder was injured so I'm giving him a pass. This was the time he and Nolan had the blow-up about how injured he really was. I still think that he deserves another shot in the NFL when fully healthy, even if it's not with the Niners.

Anyways, I'm all for whomever is starting. I just don't want S. Hill to be replaced because it means that we're not doing well as a team. Hopefully with Snyder switching to G and Pashos at RT full time, Hill will have a couple more seconds in the pocket. I'm very excited about this upcoming game because I want to see how the team responds after having a bye week to think about the Atlanta loss. And of course I'd like to see how Crabtree plays. I can't wait for Sunday!

Matt,

When was the last time the Niners won a 10am game? Just curious because it's been so long that I don't remember. Why do we have to cater to the folks back east and their time zone? Doesn't it make more sense for us to play a 1pm PST game since we're from the West Coast?

Matt, thanks for all of your good work,
Truth: Smith has an arm like Steve Sax, or Utley, or Ankiel.
Velocity good. Accuracy...Lord have mercy...quickly to a shrink's couch would be the best accuracy in his case.
I believe if Hill can get protection, he is serviceable and tough and can allow the Gores and Willises and Crabtrees to handle overall business...and move on with hope in tow in the West.

However, if Hill continues to throw bounce passes like some cool NBA pointguard, or what appear to be pitchouts to perfectly good and open receivers...well then I believe you insert Nate Davis, not Smith, who I humbly believe is done as an NFL qb.
What do you think?

The NFl has started all sunday afternoon games at 1:00 pm since the league formed..When east coast teams play on the west coast and they start at 1 it is 4 to their bodies.. the traveling to the east NEVER bothered the team when they PUMMELED New Orleans and Atlanta regularly back in the day..

all i have seen is that without gore hill is nothing....can't win with him....and the win against the rams was more defense and special teams and rams bad play. Hill struggled in a 35-0 win.....for a 29 year old he is just not very good and has shown very little in all of his games he has played that makes me want him in the game over smith.....

Smith was extra young when he played over two years ago...it is time to let smith develop for we have all seen there is no developing on the hill side of the equation there is no IT with his sloppy passes into the pasture grass....probably won't happen until next year because singletary has a skewed offensive vision...next year hill will not be the quarterback.......and let's face it, there is no offensive guru on this team...singletary is just a grind coach with a dream that can't be supported without gore... singletary is just a below average coach to date with little tactical savviness.

crabtree/gore will save hill's job because crabtree is a slant receiver with strong hands....unless the texan LB's jump the slant routes...but texan defense isn't that good from most indications so hill has a potential reprieve. I think the last five games has shown hill is much less than smith and this hill chapter should be closed sooner rather than later.

The MAIN difference is that Alex Smith signed a 26 MILLION dollar contract AND then got his shoulder jacked up...
Bradford's injury will cost him some serious iron...

I'm tired of crainium depleted punks putting down our coach. We are lucky to have him. A.smith prototypical 1st round BUST.

Havent we been robbed enough by him???

Was curious , how much of Smith's money came out of your pocket??

The game is in Houston, which is CST. That means the game will start at 12:00 noon local time in Houston. There is no "catering to the east coast" here. Why on earth would the people of Houston play their home game at 3:00 because a west coast team is in town? It's the reality of having 4 time zones in the nation. The outlying zones have to compromise from time to time.

That dialogue had me dyin!

What the hell Matt, No new post since yesterday at 1:30, get it together baby.

For shame Matt........ Predicting Houston with a win....... How dare you make an unbiased prediction against your team. ;)

I agree it will come down to what ever pass rush we get on Houston. It's not impossible.....

I however think we will be playing to prove something and the Texans will come out on the losing end of that.

That's just my un-unbiased opinion though.

I just had an epiphany...look at how the Niners have played on the road against dome teams so far this year. Hmmmm...I'm just sayin'!

I know what "It" is! Maybe an Offensive Line which give protects the QB and gives him time to throw? We have been sacked 16 times and are close to the bottom of the NFL.

Until Hill, Smith, or Davis get "It" they won't ever have a chance to demonstrate their talents.

We have sacked their QB a total of 11 times which puts us in the bottom third of the NFL.

"It" is called the line of scrimmage and he who controls it wins football games. Being able to scout & draft productive Linemen is a great skill and crucial for the success of a NFL Team. Great QBs always have "it."

Jason Campbell? Jason Campbell! This post is a candidate for Seth Meyers' SNL Weekend Update skit -- you know the one... It's called: "Really?"

No offense, but I would bring Trent Dilfer out of retirement before ever handing my team to Jason Campbell.

Jason Campbell? Jason Campbell! This post is a candidate for Seth Meyers' SNL Weekend Update skit -- you know the one... It's called: "Really?"

No offense, but I would bring Trent Dilfer out of retirement before ever handing my team to Jason Campbell.

Really.

MM - wow. you're cracking down on senseless blogging from us huh? just yesterday we had about 30+ comments and now it's only 5 this morning.

i have to ask, is there a set of rules that we have to follow? if we don't, our comments get removed? just asking for future submission.

whoa...i guess i wrote too soon. after i submitted my above entry, everything just popped in!

sorry MM for me thinking that you were censoring certain blogs. my bad.

I think Coach Singletary from his notes summed up best his feelings towards A.Smith...There's nothing that stands out to make you say WOW we've got to get this guy to the dance. I'm pushing all my chips in betting he's not with this team next year.

i have to agree with NJM. why would we even want jason campbell as a free agent? i'm sorry, but they have a better OL than ours, and he has more time to throw, but even with that, he's not a field general. i would rather throw nate davis in before acquiring campbell. i'm amazed by what you see.

hill may not have a rocket arm, but he's winning with good decisions. campbell has not. nope. nada.

Comment: sorry MM for me thinking that you were censoring certain blogs.

My response: I think there was one comment that I tossed into the dumpster. Somebody using inappropriate language. In the future, I'll have a quicker trigger when it comes to folks making off-topic comments. For instance, if I'm writing about the secondary and someone is spamming about the QBs, those comments will be removed. --Matt M.

Matt,

Did you dictate this article? Maybe it's just me but it read much different than your normal writing. Not bad - just different.

Question: Matt, Did you dictate this article? Maybe it's just me but it read much different than your normal writing. Not bad - just different.

My response: Nope, it was all me. I wrote it in about two minutes so I could get out and watch practice, but it was my fingers striking the keys. --Matt M.

Was curious , how much of Smith's money came out of your pocket??

Thankfully none, this year. I pay good money to watch the team on Sunday Ticket. And thank God Smith hasn't had the chance to ruin any of my Sundays this year. Hence, I haven't paid to see him at all this year.

And if I never see him play for this team again it will be too soon. But thanks for asking.

dang - nothing to read....

those damn spammers.....:)

Matt,

Not sure you'll get out while you're in town but here's a few restaurant choices for you that are relatively close to Reliant.

Maggiono's Little Italy - A little pricey but VERY good Italian food. Maybe not up to your standards considering your heritage but is outstanding to Germans like me.

Papasito's - portions are way too big but if you like TexMex it's the place to go. There are several all over town but the people at your hotel should be able to direct you to a close location.

Ragin Cajun - Casual dining. Very good cajun food

Mesa Grill - American cuisine. I think Bobby Flay owns this one. Presentation of food is outstanding but I'm not too high on the taste. Many people in the area swear by this place. Might be your cup of tea.

Baker Street Pub & Grill in Rice Village - I haven't been to this place in about a year but it's a good place for a decent meal and a beer. Rice Village has a neat little area with several restaurants and pubs within walking distance. If the weather's good, its a nice area for patio dining.

Hopefully, this info isn't too far off topic but thought I'd pass along a few suggestions.

Brian O'Neils is another good choice in Rice Village.

Thank you. Dinner recommendations are never "off topic" for me. --Matt M.

I was not thinking of Campbell as anything more than a stop gap for a year while Davis develops a little more. My biggest fear is putting Davis in too soon and ruining him.

I live in the DC area am forced to see a lot more that is going on with the Redskins. The Redskins O Line is no better than ours. They also have no receivers. Their coach is also one of the worst in the nfl right now and has been making terrible offensive calls.

How bad is your Head Coach when the front office goes and pulls a retired football guy who was reading bingo numbers (not made up) when you called him to have him oversee your head coach as an adviser.

I only see Campbell as a possibility that we could contemplate getting so that we can draft heavier on the OL rather than a QB. But I still think because he is about the only QB going into free agency next year that we don't have many options there and may still be forced to draft a QB.