49ers QB Battle

The San Francisco 49ers look like they’re prepared to allow the battle for the starting quarterback position rage on deep into the preseason.  The team is undecided between former first overall pick Alex Smith and the undrafted Shaun Hill.  Smith hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations that come along with being the number one pick in the draft.  The Utah product had a really rough start to his career, throwing 11 interceptions to just one touchdown pass in the nine games in which he played in his rookie season.  But under the tutelage of former offensive coordinator Norv Turner, Smith shined in 2006, throwing 18 touchdowns and raising his completion percentage to 58 percent.

Last year Turner departed and Smith took a step back, throwing just two touchdowns in an injury-plagued season and completing only 48 percent of his passes.  Hill played in just three games last season towards the end of the year, but looked good.  He tossed five touchdowns to just one interception and netted a 101.3 quarterback rating.  With new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, whoever the starter is will be throwing the ball often.  Conventional NFL wisdom points to Smith as the starter because he makes much more money, but Head Coach Mike Nolan’s job might hang in the balance of this decision.

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