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Quarterbacks
The release of Damon Huard
Nate Davis did exactly what the 49ers wanted him to do and that's force them to release veteran Damon Huard. Now the team has two promising players backing starter Shaun Hill. Of course, many feel Alex Smith won't amount to a pile of sweat-stained football laces, but here's a quarterback who was decent in his second season and who could get back on the development track under the right coach and the right system. With the 49ers, he has both.
To the team's credit, the 49ers have figured out a way to get Davis to learn half the offense, which offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye said is about standard for a rookie quarterback at the end of his first training camp. They've done it with diagrams and with running formations and plays after practice every day just for Davis. He said anything with words is difficult for him so the 49ers have designed his learning almost exclusively with visuals. Davis being on par with a standard rookie is impressive since Shaun Hill and Alex Smith monopolized the snaps during most of training camp.
But he's really not close to starting an NFL game, despite the promise he displayed. When asked what it would take to prepare him to start a regular-season game, offensive Jimmy Raye first muttered, "Oh my God." He then said the difficulty would be in preparing Davis to face a myriad of blitzes, which he hasn't been subjected to in his preseason play. Davis has also been limited to certain formations and standard motions.
Here some of things Raye said about Davis on Tuesday. "What has been really important and delightful is that he just goes and plays," Raye said. "What he exhibits if you watch him play, he has a calm demeanor about him. He has an ability to go fast and not hurry, and if a guy is open he can hit him."
All sentiments that led to the dismissal of 36-year-old veteran Damon Huard.
| September 01 2009 at 11:39 PM
A Man to be Admired
Jeff Chadiha, formerly of the San Francisco Examiner and Sports Illustrated, wrote an outstanding story on 49ers quarterback Alex Smith for ESPN.
It's rare as a beat writer to get to know the players on the team. There's a need for some professional distance and I'm not saying that I know Alex Smith that well. But he and his family did open their house to me when I covered the team for the Chronicle, shortly after he was drafted. I went to San Diego and spent a day with Smith at his parents home, where they put on a barbecue and played the family game - volleyball - in the backyard. Smith's parents were there, as were his older brother and sister and his younger sister. But the guy who was in the middle of everything was David Edwards, Smith's best friend.
Alex Smith has had plenty to contemplate over the last five years.
Edwards committed suicide during training camp last year, which rocked Smith to the core. Shortly afterwards, Smith sustained a shoulder injury and was declared out for the season. Chadiha, if you haven't read the story yet, mainly focuses on how the loss impacted Smith.
From what I observed that summer day in the Smith's back yard, it would be difficult for anyone to think that Edwards was not part of the Smith family. Doug Smith, Alex's dad, joked and interacted as much with Edwards as he did with his other four kids. Edwards, a skinny, fun-loving guy, made a big show of trying to spike on Alex, something he never really accomplished. When he wasn't playing up his athletic prowess, he was in the kitchen talking politics with Alex's mom, Pam, who was preparing ribs for the huge contingent that kept flowing through the front door.
I interviewed Edwards about his best friend, the next day, when the San Diego suburb of La Mesa held a parade for him. Edwards was careful and didn't say much, which belied the boisterous personality he displayed on the volleyball court.
I saw him again about two years later when he came up for the opening of Smith's foundation to serve foster kids. Edwards was living with Smith at the time and was working for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom over that summer. We talked briefly, but I left Edwards alone when Newsom walked into the event. Even though Edwards was working for him, he had yet to meet Newsom and wanted to introduce himself to the mayor.
Edwards did say he had designs on a political career. He wanted to go to law school and then eventually work his way into politics. That was the last time I saw Edwards.
As Smith expressed in Chadiha's story, he has regrets about not calling Edwards back the night he killed himself. It's easy to blame oneself when something so tragic happens and a call from Smith might not have made a difference. Smith said he didn't know Edwards was struggling.
What impressed me and what has always impressed me about Smith is his ability to soldier on. I don't know if he'll become a good quarterback, but the day after hearing of Edwards's death, he went out to practice. Through five different coordinators, Smith has never failed to give it his all. Even through his misunderstandings and difficulties with former head coach Mike Nolan, Smith continued to put in his time. In fact, before he was fired, Nolan said he was impressed that Smith continued to work out and cram on his playbook last year even after being placed on injured reserve.
That's what will make Smith a success, whether in football or outside of it. Smith is unusually grounded for someone who experienced so much monetary success and so much publicity good and bad at such a young age.
Many on this site and on others, revile him as a quarterback. But as a person, you can't help but admire him.
| July 02 2009 at 07:07 PM
Mike Martz Speaks
Former 49ers' offensive coordinator Mike Martz was just on NFL Network breaking down Alex Smith. He said that Smith needs to bend his knees more, spread his feet and widen his base to improve his mechanics. Being nearly 6-foot, 5-inches tall, Martz said when Smith throws with a narrow base, his shoulders tend to tilt which affects his accuracy.
Martz refrained from harsh criticism of Smith, but did say that Smith often didn't know where to go with his passes and said he had a hard time trusting his receivers. "Some of his receivers were a little subpar," Martz said. "When that happens, you cut corners."
Martz also said the constant rotation of offensive coordinators had an adverse impact on Smith's development. But why not break down Shaun Hill? He's the most unusual 49ers quarterback I've ever seen, and everyone is mystified on how he can be so effective.
On another matter, Martz was asked if he would sign Michael Vick, who was released from the Falcons today. Martz said he would only do it if he already had an entrenched starter at quarterback. He would then use Vick as a receiver and a runner and a quarterback who could take about 30 percent of the snaps. Apparently three or four teams are interested in Vick, including the Patriots. New England might make the most sense for Vick because fans trust the organization, which might minimize the distraction factor.
| June 12 2009 at 04:55 PM
Quarterback Roundabout
Nothing stirs controversy more than the contemplation of signing Michael Vick. Sources cited elsewhere constantly connected Vick with the 49ers, but that may have been because of Mike Singletary. In fact that's what McCloughan said when he shut down Vick option two days ago. Early in OTA's Singletary was asked about Vick and said he hadn't been discussed and then said the team had enough to worry about with their own four quarterbacks.
Can the 49ers afford not to start Shaun Hill?
Personally, I wish Vick well. He could be an inspiration to many if he's able to communicate a message of redemption. But as many of you have mentioned, does he have those kinds of communication skills? He might need to do a lot more publicly in order to be signed by an NFL team. I also agree that he'll have a harder time getting back to the NFL because he is a black quarterback, undoubtedly Drew Brees or Peyton Manning would have an easier time getting back into the league if they've been convicted of dogfighting.
Alex Smith again looked better than Shaun Hill today as the 49ers continued with their red zone offense. But does it matter? It's June. It's OTA's and the 49ers are still running around in shorts, jerseys and helmets with a different mix on offense and defense every day. But undoubtedly, Smith's revival during OTA's has to give the 49ers pause. Is he showing signs of realizing his first-round potential?
Smith has drawn enough interest to have ESPN's Jeff Chadiha fly out from his home in Kansas City to do a story on him.
Smith playing well now opens up a real quarterback competition come training camp, a competition that's likely to last into the exhibition season. Remember Smith was decent during his only full year of playing when he posted a 74.8 passer rating while throwing 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Even at the beginning of 2007 before he was injured, he led the team to a pair of wins including the opener against the Cardinals when he marched the team to the winning touchdown by completing 6-of-10 passes on the final drive for 60 yards and he also ran for 25 yards on fourth down.
If Smith's shoulder is sound, and he's proving in the OTA's that it is, why can't he be another quarterback with loads of potential who's simply resuming his career?
But the counter argument is just as forceful. Hill isn't likely to beat out anybody now or in training camp. He simply performs and moves the team on Sunday afternoons. His teammates love him, his coach respects him. Can the 49ers afford to sit him even if Smith outplays him in training camp and exhibitions? If Hill started 16 games instead of nine, the 49ers might well have made the playoffs last year. Can they afford to make the same mistake again?
One more point, playthelotto wrote that many why wonder African Americans have no role models. Barack Obama might be considered to be a pretty good role model, no matter what your politics are. Or how about attorney general Eric Holder? Academics Henry Louis Gates, Cornel West and Michael Eric Dyson are giants in their fields to say nothing of new NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith. And there are the hundreds if not thousands of athletes who could be looked upon as role models. On the 49ers alone, Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Aubrayo Franklin, Takeo Spikes, Walt Harris, Nate Clements, Arnaz Battle, Moran Norris and Manny Lawson are just a few of the players who could be considered role models.
| June 10 2009 at 10:44 PM
What to do a with First-Round Draft Pick
Owner/President and the San Francisco 49ers Grand Poo-Baa of all things significant, Jed York was on Comcast's Chronicle Live last week with host Greg Papa. Papa fired the quarterback question at York as in will the 49ers use the second first-round draft pick they gained in a trade with Carolina to snare ANOTHER quarterback.
York proved artfully evasive on the matter, saying that he and his general manager Scot McCloughan had talked about it and they both felt the two first-rounders for next year allow them flexibility to make a deal. But York never said if they would.
Would Brady Quinn be that much better than this guy?
At this stage, making a play for quarterback seems remote. The only one who's a possibility seems to be Cleveland's Brady Quinn. But would Quinn be all that more productive than Shaun Hill or Alex Smith? And by trading for him, wouldn't they just be getting another mid-range quarterback when they already have two in Hill and Smith? Does Quinn make them better and more importantly could he even beat out Hill or Smith for the starting job?
The answers are no, no and no. Adding another quarterback would just gum up the works. The 49ers already have five quarterbacks: Hill, Smith, veteran Damon Huard, rookie Nate Davis and rookie free Kirby Freeman and unless Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger are available, one more quarterback would be a waste of a roster spot.
So what else could the 49ers possibly do with the extra first-round choice? If the Cardinals get desperate enough, the 49ers could presumably swap their second-rounder (apparently their first-round demand for Boldin has been dropped to a second-rounder) for wide receiver Anquan Boldin, an unabashed favorite of receivers coach Jerry Sullivan who helped draft Boldin in Arizona. But the Cardinals are reluctant to trade Boldin to a division rival and do the 49ers really need a well-used 28-year-old receiver to team with Isaac Bruce, Josh Morgan and now first-round draft pick Michael Crabtree?
Boldin also wants nine million per. With the big contract they'll devote to Crabtree, that's a lot of cap space tied up in the receiver position.
Another Cardinal, defensive end Darnell Dockett, also wants to be traded. While he fills a need, Arizona is unlikely to deal him within the division if they want to trade him at all.
The 49ers might be best served to sit on the pick until next year, when they could use it for draft-day maneuvering. At the least, they could just expend it in the draft. The last time they had twin picks in the opening round (2007) they went with Patrick Willis and Joe Staley, not a bad duo.
| May 06 2009 at 08:23 PM
Smith Restructures
The 49ers just announced a two-year restructured contract for quarterback Alex Smith. He'll return for his fifth season with the team and will battle Shaun Hill for the starting job possibly starting as soon as the 49ers pre-draft minicamp.
Smith has undergone three shoulder surgeries over the last two seasons that have cost him a total of 23 games during that span. His latest surgery occurred in October when a bothersome bone fragment was removed from the area.
Alex Smith is back for more.
Smith recently returned from his honeymoon. A conference call with Smith for reporters is scheduled for this afternoon.
| March 10 2009 at 10:52 AM
Singletary Speaks
OK, I'm not at the scouting combine in Indy, but I do have NFL Network and Mike Singletary made an appearance there with Jon Gruden, Steve Mariucci and Fran Charles. Singletary was then scheduled to head to the podium to answer questions from the media contingent.
Mariucci asked about bringing in a veteran quarterback to compete with Shaun Hill and mentioned the names of Michael Vick and Jeff Garcia.
49ers looking to nail Smith down.
"I think right now we have some other things going on," Singletary said. "Down the line, we'll just figure it out. Shaun Hill, he's our starter going into training camp."
Singletary also said the team is concentrating on re-structuring Alex Smith's contract and Singletary is hopeful Smith will compete with Hill in training camp. Singletary was also asked about team needs, on offense the first position he mentioned was tackle and then said someone to complement Frank Gore and surprisingly, he said a player to complement the tight end position.
On defense, Singletary said a pass rusher and a safety.
NFL Network, quoting Matt Maiocco and the Santa Rosa Press Demo, said Isaac Bruce is 50-50 for his return. Maiocco was apparently quoting general manager Scot McCloughan (I haven't seen anything on Maiocco's site yet). That would be a blow, Bruce can still play and he was a leader for the young receivers. Might it be that Bruce is trying to get the 49ers to sweeten his deal? The 49ers apparently want the situation resolved soon.
| February 20 2009 at 01:28 PM
Should Mr. Smith stay in San Francisco?
The 49ers should keep Alex Smith. They'll probably be able to sign him to an affordable, incentive-laden deal that would pay Smith as a backup, which is probably what he will be in 2009.
Also, by retaining Smith, the 49ers could still tap the talent that made him the 2005 overall pick. The only way that talent gets tapped is if Smith's able to stay in an offense long enough for the Ah-Ha moment when it all clicks for him. Maybe that moment will never come. Maybe Smith's shoulder will never comeback after two significant surgeries and a few arthroscopes.
However, if Smith comes cheap, why should some other team realize his talent instead of the 49ers? Go back for a moment to 2006 when Smith had a quarterback rating in the 70's. That year, he threw 18 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions and he had the toughness and durability to take every snap from center. His numbers that season were better than Brett Favre's. Except for the emotional scars left by his former head coach and former offensive coordinator, Smith is the same guy, the same quarterback.
After the 2006 season, no one was saying Smith should be dumped. Everyone expected he had taken a significant step towards being a solid NFL starter and would take another in 2007. In his first two games that year he led the team to late scores to secure wins. Even if Smith returns to his 2007 self, that would make him a legitimate backup and with quarterbacks becoming increasingly scarce, even backups are difficult to find.
No one should fire a head coach or cut a quarterback unless they have a clear replacement. If the 49ers don't retain Smith, then who should be the backup? Jamie Martin?
At least with Smith there's still upside. Going with a young quarterback is becoming increasingly risky. For every Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan there are a dozen Charlie Frye's and even Giovanni Carmazzi's, and now with no NFL Europe and possibly no arena league, where can a quarterback develop his talent? Also, it's going to get harder to find a quarterback from a pro style offense with so many college offenses instituting some form of the spread. A rookie quarterback will probably have to learn to dropback among other things. That's a lot of learning and a lot to expect.
The 49ers have a quarterback who has already made that transition. Maybe Smith will never have the Hall of Fame career the 49ers envisioned when they launched an ad campaign touting him as a successor to Joe Montana and Steve Young before Smith even threw his first pass. But Smith, if healthy, has proven he can be an average quarterback, and with time to learn an offense for more than a year, he might be a lot more than that.
While the last two seasons have been hellish for him, they've also punctured his Hall of Fame expectations. After all that has happened with him, should Smith eventually become a starter and win election to the Pro Bowl, it would be a significant surprise. The pressure is officially off.
Even if Smith is retained, the 49ers need to draft another quarterback but not in the first four rounds. The team has too many other needs, but they should still have another arm they can possibly develop. The NFL should also shield quarterbacks who are taken in the later rounds so teams have a chance to groom homegrown talent. The league would definitely benefit from that strategy in the form of future slingers, and let's face it, with the economic crisis raging and younger fans identifying with their fantasy teams over team allegiances, the league may need transcendent talent at quarterback to keep people in the stands.
| February 16 2009 at 09:13 PM
Why Doesn't Shaun Hill Get More Love?
Niner fans wonder what off-season moves the team can make. Can they trade for Donovan McNabb or Derek Anderson? How about signing Matt Cassel or Jeff Garcia?
The 49ers might what to spend their money elsewhere particularly if Shaun Hill continues to play the he has. This guy is good, potentially really good.
Who knows where he'll finish in passer rating and touchdown to interception ratio or completion percentage, but if it's anywhere close to where it is now (94.3, 7 td's, 3 int's, 60.3 completion percentage) he has to be the team's starter for 2009.
How many quarterbacks in the league could post a passer rating that high with an offensive line that doesn't protect well and a receiving corps that lacks a impact player? Imagine, if Hill played for the Cowboys. If he did, he'd probably be a MVP candidate.
In fact, after diagnosing the second half against Dallas, Hill looks a lot like Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Both excel at moving in the pocket, both can make the impromptu play and both have the confidence of their teammates.
In leading the 49ers to two fourth-quarter touchdowns against Dallas, Hill had one stretch where he completed five straight passes for 87 yards, including the two scores. On three of those passes, he was pressured, but was able to either move out of the pocket, or slide away from pressure and throw. He had completions of 22, 30 and 18 yards against a defense that was warding against the long pass. With more seasoning and time as a starter, he's the type of quarterback who could get better.
Also consider that in five of his seven appearances, he has compiled a rating of over 100, and in his first start, his completion percentage of .815 set an NFL record.
If Shaun Hill was Alex Smith or even J.T. O'Sullivan, fans would be hailing the coronation of another proficient 49ers quarterback.
Not only that, in his five starts, he's 3-2 playing for a bad team.
His humble beginnings, (six of his first seven seasons spent mostly as a third quarterback), less than artistic style (even running back Frank Gore says Hill plays ugly) and lack of support from offensive coordinator Mike Martz (he remains enamored with O'Sullivan) has conspired against Hill. But if Hill continues to play well, the 49ers should concentrate their off-season energy on getting talent to surround rather than replacing him.
For those interested, here's a gander at Hill's second-half Dallas numbers:
shotgun: 5-6 87 yards sack, TD
7-step: 0-2 interception
5-step: 0-3 sack
3-step: 5-5-58 yards, TD
Left: 3-6 27 yards, int.
Middle: 3-4 41 TD
Right: 4-6 77 TD
Short (0-10 yards): 4-7 39 yards TD
intermediate (10-20 yards): 4-5 55 int. TD
Long: (20 or more): 2-4 52
Yards after catch: 35
Versus blitz: 6-13 56 yards, two sacks.
Hit: Six times including two sacks.
Pressures: Adam Snyder 3, Vernon Davis 1.
Move within pocket: three; 3-3 70 yards TD.
| November 28 2008 at 04:43 PM
Dilfer on Hill
Former 49ers quarterback and now ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer was on the KNBR morning show with Murph and Mac and he had some interesting things to say about the transition from J.T. O'Sullivan to Shaun Hill.
He said when a quarterback is able to get rid of the ball quickly and gains the reputation for doing so, the defense he faces immediately becomes passive. Blitzing makes little sense in that situation because with the ball coming out in two seconds or less, blitzers don't have time to get home and the quarterback now has man coverage matchups to exploit. Dilfer said he has looked at every offensive snap of the Cardinals this year, and he says that's why quarterback Kurt Warner is thriving.
Dilfer said Arizona throws out of the three- or five-step drop 85 percent of the time and 90 percent of their passes travel less than 20 yards.
Quick throws, short drops and long drives play into Shaun Hill's strengths and it will be interesting if offensive coordinator Mike Martz now abandons his seven-step philosophy. Martz, before the season, said he will also adjust to the strengths of his personnel. We'll see how far he's willing to do just that Monday night in Arizona.
Dilfer also said Hill's arm strength is underrated. He puts the strength of his arm as better than Chad Pennington's or Jeff Garcia's and on par with Steve Young's and he said he can throw the deep seam routes Martz favors.
He also said, and everyone could see this last year, that Hill knows how to run a huddle and lead a team. Even the defense seems to get a lift every time he gets in the game. As one defender told me last year, "It's all about the quarterback."
Hill gets players to believe in him and believe in themselves. His style around the locker room is quiet and breezy. Even for those covering the team, he's very easy to talk with and is the most unpretentious quarterback I've ever met.
But he also has backbone. One report stated that he stood up in a team meeting during training camp and declared that his arm was not tired and that he didn't understand why he wasn't getting more of a chance to compete (the 49ers benched him for a couple of days in the summer, saying his arm was "tired.")
Brian Murphy then asked Dilfer why Hill didn't start the season. Dilfer said Martz wanted O'Sullivan. I saw about 70 percent of the training camp practices and I thought Hill performed the worst compared to O'Sullivan and Alex Smith. From what I can tell, Hill just doesn't practice well. He threw consecutive interceptions on Tuesday for example. And in training camp, he was trying to learn a new offense and make throws that might not suit him.
Martz, according to a source, was also frustrated by Smith and Hill because they were too cautious in making the downfield throws.
Could Hill be the savior of the 49ers offense? Right now, he and Mike Singletary share the same opportunity. They both will get a half a season to prove if they can be an answer to this beleaguered team and it all starts Monday night.
NOTES: Wide receiver Arnaz Battle (foot), tackle Barry Sims (ankle) and safety Dashon Goldson (knee) are out for Monday night's game. Tackle Jonas Jennings (shoulder) and kick returner Allen Rossum (hamstring) have been limited in practice so far. ... Dilfer also said that Singletary put some coaches on alert.
| November 07 2008 at 04:12 PM
Veteran 49ers writers Kevin Lynch and David White analyze the stats with an insider's insight.
By Kevin Lynch, David White, Read Bios
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