The start to the San Francisco 49ers' 2008 season is less than two weeks away!
And the 49ers' quarterback is: Montana? No. Young? Ahhh, No. Garcia? No! Smith?? NO!!! J.T. O' Sullivan? Yes!
Now you’re on track. Wait a second, who is O'Sullivan? Well, I don't know. Let’s ask Head Coach Mike Nolan. Wait, he doesn't know. Let’s ask Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz. Hell, he doesn't even know.
The guy hasn't started a NFL game, and he's been in the league for six years. Yeah, you heard, six years. This is why no one knows who he is. The season that will be the deciding factor for Mike Nolan's future with the 49ers lies in the hands of a quarterback that has never started a game.
A quarterback who has never prepared to start a NFL game. A quarterback who has never gone into the locker room at halftime and then came out ready to play. So much is riding on jersey No. 14. Another coach with some...guts, would of went with the guy he started it all with.
Mike's (Nolan) faith is in J.T.'s hands. Alex Smith's faith is in his hands. GM Scot McCloughan faith is in his hands.
If O'Sullivan does well and wins games, most importantly the first four, Alex Smith's days with the 49ers are numbered. If O'Sullivan plays well through the first half of the season, Smith might as well pack up, and Mike can leave his things as they are. On the other hand, McCloughan can start counting his days.
If O'Sullivan does not do so well for the first two to four games, Smith can start warming up. He'll get another shot. If he does well, Mike's job may still be on the line because of his early season shenanigans. If he does poorly, Mike's hours are numbered. He might be gone by the eighth game. McCloughan will probably be gone by the end of the year, too.
Maybe the only scenario that can save this team is if O’Sullivan is absolutely terrible in the first or second game. Or perhaps he gets injured, and Smith comes in and plays great. This would be a situation where everyone keeps their jobs, and all is fine and dandy.
However, everyone’s days are numbered if this team fails. This is how it should be. A team in this much turmoil, coming into its fourth year with the same leadership is not something to be admired.
Probably the only winner that comes out of this year will be the other Mike. Mike Martz. If this team wins, it's because of him. If this team loses, he's probably the new coach, maybe by mid-season, or by 2009.
The other true winners are the fans. If the 'Niners win; things are great! If the 'Niners lose; it's about time for some new leadership! It’s a win-win situation.
The most important Mike is in Seattle, and he won’t be there in ’09: Mike Holmgren. Now we can breathe. If the owners know better, they would finally see that things are finally coming full circle.
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