Troy Smith gets the start

The 49ers will start Troy Smith at quarterback Sunday against the Rams, two team sources told The Chronicle.

This is the second time this year coach Mike Singletary has benched Alex Smith, who went 1-1 after getting his job back from Troy after five games hurt and then benched.

Troy Smith won three of five games but was benched after a loss in Green Bay. Alex Smith has now been benched after a loss in San Diego.

It's not likely the 49ers would have won either game no matter who the quarterback was, yet in both cases, it's the quarterback who lost his job.

Now, Singletary hopes Troy Smith's hand can get hot again just in time to save the season.

And if his hand isn't hot, then he'll get benched before it's too late. Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson said both quarterbacks are getting reps this week ... but then, Johnson said they haven't decided on a starter yet ... one day after Singletary said he informed both quarterbacks who will start but didn't want to announce it ... and just moments before news broke that Troy Smith is indeed the starter.

That makes Johnson one incredibly out-of-the-loop offensive coordinator, or someone who needs to get his story straight with Singletary before he fields questions about his starting quarterback.

Posted By: David White (Email, Twitter) | Dec 22 at 12:03 PM