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| Paul Sakuma / Associated Press |
| Shaun Hill and Alex Smith are in an open competition for the starting QB job. |
As part of NFL Network's 32 teams in 32 days series, airing daily on Total Access, NFL.com takes a look at a key question facing each NFL team. NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger and NFL Network host Paul Burmeister discuss the San Francisco 49ers quarterback competition. Can the 49ers win with either Shaun Hill or Alex Smith at the helm this season?
Read their take and then enter the discussion below.
Baldinger: Hill a playmaker The
49ers can be a winning team with
Shaun Hill. I don't think they can win with
Alex Smith.
One thing with Hill is that he's already been a winning QB for them. With Hill, they have a guy who knows how to play on Sundays. He moves the team. They'll score points with him in the lineup. He's a playmaker and gets the ball out of his hands quickly. The 49ers tend to stay in games with Hill at QB. I think we're going to see a lot of Frank Gore this season, and we're going to see a lot of play-action and pushing the ball down the field. We'll see a vertical stretch in the offense under Jimmy Raye. But there are a lot of young receivers. Michael Crabtree will have to learn. Josh Morgan is really just coming into his own right now. They have some young guys they will have to feature; they'll be a big part of this team. I don't think they can lean on Isaac Bruce the way that Mike Martz did last year. The 49ers can win with Hill this season, behind a solid offensive line and a ground game focused on Gore. |
Burmeister: QB not my concern I believe
Shaun Hill is the best quarterback on the
49ers roster. I don't think this team can consistently win with
Alex Smith.
The quarterback competition is getting the most attention, but when I think about the Niners offense, QB isn't my biggest concern. I acknowledge that it's nowhere near a strength, but it's really not the biggest reason for worry. Higher on my list of questions: Can Michael Crabtree be as effective in an NFL offense vs. NFL corners as he was in Texas Tech's spread attack vs. Big 12 corners? Can Vernon Davis continue to develop? And will Marvel Smith play at a winning level for an entire season at right tackle? One more question mark for me reagarding this Niners team: How will the players respond to an entire season of Mike Singletary's type of leadership? There could be a mixed reaction. When the season gets long in November, will it drive them to improve? Or will it drive them into the ground? It takes a special kind of player -- a special type of locker room -- to match his intensity from early August to late December. |
