Shaun Hill Wins 49ers QB Gig

Finally the San Francisco 49ers have named their starting quarterback, and as expected, at least by me, Shaun Hill will get the nod.

It's unfortunate they waited so long as Hill now has just a few weeks before the season to work on his final timing and plays with the "A" team, but hopefully that will be enough.

Hill's leadership and overall poise were pointed to as reasons for his ascendancy to the top spot. Alex Smith's currently injured thumb probably pushed the decision forward as well, but again this was a move the staff was rumored to have liked a long, long time ago.

Hill played well in 2008 once he emerged from the chaos of the last days of the Mike Nolan regime, with solid if not spectacular football.

Hill lacks the arm that Alex Smith has, however he isn't quite as squirrely in the pocket under pressure and is accurate in the short game.

He certainly looked at tight end Vernon Davis often in the first preseason games and I expect Davis to continue to be a beneficiary of Hill's largess. As I have said before, this could be a big year for Vernon Davis.

Josh Morgan might not see the amount of deep balls he would have had Smith won the job, but the Niners need to stretch the field and Morgan is all they have. He has to show last season wasn't a fluke, and I expect him to do a lot with his opportunities.

Isaac Bruce will probably see a good amount of targets—Hill looked to him often once he was in the drivers seat. While I think Morgan will see a ton of work now that he's healthy (unlike last year), Bruce's presence and reliability cannot be denied.

Overall, this was a move I—and many others—expected to happen at some point. Alex Smith has not been able to gain enough momentum at any point in his career to warrant much optimism, and that held true again this year.

In my opinion, neither quarterback will be the future of this franchise—perhaps Nate Davis has a chance at that. But Hill is a good enough QB to shepherd the 49ers through the NFC West this season