Singletary makes strongest statement: Smith as starter in 2010

Coach Mike Singletary said he was comfortable in saying Alex Smith will be the 49ers’ starting quarterback in 2010.

 

Does that mean that Smith, definitively, will be the starter in 2010?

 

“If it’ll stop you from asking again, yes,” Singletary answered.

 

Singletary and GM Scot McCloughan just answered questions for about 15 minutes apiece at the NFL Scouting Combine. I’ll post transcripts of their interviews a little later, but – for now – here are the main parts:

 

–McCloughan said – salary cap or no salary cap – the 49ers will proceed with the same approach this offseason. In other words, like every team in the NFL, the 49ers will have its own self-imposed salary cap. It’s called a budget.

 

Here’s the issue: If the 49ers went after a veteran free agent, such as Julius Peppers or Dunta Robinson, it would potentially mean that the 49ers could not re-sign one of their own players in the future (Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, Dashon Goldson, etc.).

 

“What’s best going forward is that we don’t reach for anything and we do what’s best for the organization,” Singletary said. “I think we have a lot of things in place and it’s very important that we continue to build our organization through the draft, and focus on not getting quick-fixes here and there.

 

“One of the main focuses we always want to have, is we want to take care of our own. We want to show the guys who are there that we really appreciate who they are and the job they’re doing. I think signing those guys is the best way of showing that.”