The big competition of the 49ers’ offseason is taking place at quarterback – just as it did a year ago. In fact, it was the only head-to-head comparison going on during the 49ers’ recently completed minicamp.
The quarterbacks were among the few veterans taking part in this minicamp, which was designed to get the rookies up to speed so they don’t slow things down too much when the entire team is on the same field for the first time together in June.
Once the full squad begins working out – or training camp begins – there will be competitions along the defensive line and at the wide-receiver spots. Everyone will be watching Michael Crabtree’s quest to earn a starting job when he takes part in full practices during training camp.
But the quarterback competition is already taking place – mostly behind the scenes. Alex Smith and Shaun Hill are engaged in a daily struggle for the job. This is significant because the 49ers are not a bad team. There are fewer question marks with the 49ers’ roster than at any time in the last seven or eight years.
But the one unknown – as it has been every season since Jeff Garcia left – is the quarterback position. As I recall, the only year during that time when there was legitimate optimism about the 49ers’ quarterback play was heading into the 2007 season.
Smith was coming off a promising 2006 year – promising because of how much improvement he showed from his rookie season. And it was only reasonable to expect him to continue to get better.
And that brings me to a point I’d like to make about Mr. Smith. There have been a lot of reasons given and theories about why heads into his fifth NFL season in competition for the 49ers’ starting job. You know the reasons: Four offensive coordinators in four years; Mike Nolan mishandled him; bad supporting cast; he’s not a leader; etc.
None are legitimate reasons. They are all excuses, and they are completely irrelevant reasons for why Smith has failed to progress since his second season in the league.
You might be of the opinion Smith can be a good or great quarterback. You might be of the opinion Smith is a bust and he’ll never be anything other than a career NFL backup, at best.
But there is no way anybody can objectively evaluate a young player (Smith turns 25 on Thursday) who hasn’t played for nearly two full seasons. If Alex Smith were a bust, we wouldn’t even know it yet.
Of the 49ers’ past 32 games, Smith has missed 26 due to injuries to his throwing shoulder. Moreover, three of the six games in which Smith appeared he played with a separated shoulder. Anybody could tell he was in excruciating pain every time he was asked to throw the ball.
There might be those that say this is just an excuse. The injuries are not excuses why Smith has not produced the past two seasons; the injuries are facts.
Like most, I question just how effective Alex Smith would have been had he remained healthy. That is an entirely different argument. We will never know how Smith would have played in 2007 and ’08 if he had not been injured. You can’t play well (or poorly), if you don’t play.
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If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and read Lowell Cohn’s interview with Alex Smith at the Cohn Zohn. Alex says he is taking a different mental approach. In the past, “I worried about things that were external and let them affect me, affect my mind, affect my attitude which in turn affected my play and performance,” Smith told
“And really I came to the conclusion – this is honest, I’m not BSing – that stuff kind of is what it is and I’m not going to let it affect me. I’ll control what I can control.”
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The general consensus – and I’m sorry I can’t come up with anything more fresh — is Smith has the bigger “upside” (because of his physical skills) and Hill’s biggest strength is the “it” factor (apparent in his 7-3 record as a starter).
Smith, at times, gives the appearance that he wants what Hill seemingly possesses: that intangible quality, that unspoken confidence. It’s the “it” factor that inspired Hill to tell coach Mike Singletary he would be making a huge mistake if he benched him in the third quarter of the game last season against the Rams.
Singletary said he’ll be looking for the quarterback who makes “magic” happen when he steps into the huddle. Hill is the favorite to win the starting job. And if Hill is the starter when the season begins, that’s not necessarily a bad thing for Smith, either.
The backup will get his shot at some point – just like Hill got his chance when J.T. O’Sullivan’s turnovers piled up. Yes, the backup will play. Remember, the only QB in team history that went a full season without giving the backup a chance to get on the field was Alex Smith in 2006.
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The 49ers begin their organized-team activities on May 18. I’m going to try to take some time off until then. So, on the heels of the 49ers’ rookie minicamp, here are some parting words:
–The players were not wearing pads over the weekend. The running backs did not get tackled (well, Glen Coffee did take a nasty fall when his feet got tangled near the line of scrimmage), so they all looked good. Kory Sheets and Thomas Clayton were the quickest of the bunch. Coffee is a powerful runner whose strength is accentuated when he’s wearing pads.
–I saw more receiving ability from rookie tight end Bear Pascoe in two practices than I saw from Billy Bajema, the man he’s replacing, in four seasons. Pascoe first duty with the 49ers is to be a blocking specialist. Depending on what happens down the road with Vernon Davis, he might be the every-down guy in a year or two.
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–When I asked defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer about his first year, he got a pained expression on his face. He is embarrassed that he rarely played last season. He is working hard this offseason to make an impact, as his body fat has fallen from 23 percent to 19.
–I believe the 49ers’ best defensive line rotation would be: LE Balmer/Demetric Evans, NT Isaac Sopoaga/Aubrayo Franklin; RE Justin Smith/Ricky Jean-Francois. (The 49ers keep saying they expect Ray McDonald back at some point in training camp after he underwent offseason surgery to reconstruct his right knee.)
–Outside linebacker Jay Moore realizes he is lucky to still be around after spending his first two seasons on injured reserve. He remained in the Bay Area and rehabbed at the 49ers’ practice facility. He probably would not have made the 53-man roster last season, but the door is wide open for him to solidify a spot as a backup this season.
–The team has no plans to sign undrafted free agent linebacker Worrell Williams (
–The 49ers are open to signing undrafted rookie defensive end Brandon Long (
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–Like I noted, I’ll be taking some time off from writing on the blog. But you can follow my personal musings on Facebook and Twitter.
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