Could Shaun Hill save Mike Nolan's job?
Shaun Hill, "the anti-Alex Smith", may be playing well enough to save Mike Nolan's job. At least that's what Bay Area sage Tim Kawakami thinks.
Kawakami takes it a step further, wondering if Hills two victories could jeopardize Smith's place on the team. Vernon Davis, never one to keep his mouth shut, had this to say.
“He’s for real–Shaun Hill is for real. You’ve got to have a competition. You can’t let the No. 1 guy sit in front and feel comfortable. He’s got to know if he doesn’t get the job done, he’s got someone behind him to step up.”
It appears that sentiment isn't alone in the San Francisco locker room.
“I’m not going to pick favorites, but I think Shaun’s done a tremendous job," Shaun Heitman said.
Hill's first two starts have been quite promising, even if they show a struggle with the deep ball. But let's not get carried away. The 49ers first beat the Bengals, then a Bucs team that rested some starters after halftime. Hill complete exactly one pass on two of San Francisco's touchdown drives because of short fields set up by turnovers. San Francisco had a total of 213 yards, to 434 for Tampa.
Hill may be lucky, but that doesn't mean the 49ers won't act because of it. Kawakami writes:
Smith has been hurt, and that’s out of his control. He has been bad. And Smith has been under-mined by his coach—and then struck back in public—which was in Smith’s control. His teammates have sided with Nolan. The worst thing that could’ve happened to Smith was the one thing that could’ve possibly saved Nolan: Some no-name QB, showing up and making the 49ers offense look decent.Shaun Hill has done that. He’s the anti-Smith and soon, he might be the man who made Smith disappear.
Perhaps Nolan will win this battle after all.
Comments
Bottom line, Smith is a bust.
And despite showing some reason for optimism last season with QB guru Norv Turn as offensive coordinator... and the injury to lean on... Smith has done nothing to warrant being the #1 overall pick.
Whether Nolan undermined him or not (maybe it was deserved?)... the Niners would be wise to cut bait and invest the significant $ saved in a veteran free agent if they want to get better soon.
Posted by: Stephen | December 24, 2007 04:16 PM
No offense, Greg, but you don't even know the name of the player who said he wasn't picking favorites. There is no Shaun Heitman on the team. Furthermore, Kawakami is probably the least respected 49ers beat writer. He is a casual football fan who happens to cover the team. I know you are a fantasy guy, but this isn't baseball - numbers don't tell the whole story. Smith has tons of potential and maybe he wouldn't have been the top pick in the draft in other years, but he was the best choice in a weak 2005 draft class. Many are calling for his head but few realize why our offense is so bad. Antonio Bryant has been our best receiver by leaps and bounds in the past 4 years. The offense was handed to a rookie coordinator this year, and the play in which Smith was injured on was the probably the most pathetic excuse for blocking scheme I have ever witnessed. How can you allow a defensive tackle to run free at your QB? The media has really blown this whole thing out of proportion and more attention is paid to the negative than the positive. I have yet to hear anybody quote Niners Guard Justin Smiley when he said he viewed Alex Smith as a winner and called him 'one of the toughest guys he's ever seen.' I'm glad someone's paying attention to our team, but Kawakami is probably the worst guy to get information from. My suggestion: Matt Maiocco.
Posted by: Marc | December 27, 2007 10:42 PM