Ten Questions For San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Shaun Hill

First off, for those of you Bleacher Creatures who closely follow the 49ers community here on B/R, I can speak for all of us writers in saying thank you for the overwhelming amount of reads and comments.

Secondly, many of our loyal 49er readers here on B/R may be wondering why there is currently a large influx of articles about the team even though it is currently the NFL's offseason.

Despite mini-camps just getting started, there have been quite the number of 49ers articles of late dealing with numerous topics concerning the team. The articles have ranged from all sorts of different topics about the team including the draft, coach Singletary, and position battles going into training camp.

Now, the reason all these articles are popping up is because B/R is teaming up with CBS Sports to give an unprecedented opportunity to 32 different aspiring sports journalists.

One amateur journalist will be selected for each of the NFL's 32 teams to become a full-time member of the press for their local team next season. When chosen, each one of the 32 writers will be able to scream at the top of their lungs "I am a professional sportswriter!!!"

Those of us who have sent in our applications for this position have been assigned a list of different types of articles to write about concering our local team.

One of the articles we have been asked to write about is a piece where we choose one player on the team and compose a series of questions we would ask him in a future interview.

For my interview, I have chosen 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill.

Question No. 1: Shaun, being undrafted out of Maryland in 2002, what did you personally feel were the chances that you would be able to land somewhere on an NFL roster?

Question No. 2: While taking only two snaps with the Vikings over four seasons, was there at any point where you just thought to yourself "I'm never going to be a starter"?

Question No. 3: What was going through your mind when you first got on the field to run an actual play? What was the play? and was it effective?

Question No. 4: How did it feel when Arnaz Battle came down with your first career touchdown pass?

Question No. 5: When and why did you decide to start giving the ball to offensive lineman so they could spike it after touchdowns?

Question No. 6: Much was made at the beginning of the 2008 season about Mike Martz bringing in "his guy" in quarterback J. T. O'Sullivan to compete for the starting quarterback job. In your opinion, did you feel you were given an adequate look during training camp and the preseason? Because many fans were convinced that the competition unfairly became a two-man race between O'Sullivan and Alex Smith.

Question No. 7: Last season it was apparent that you and future hall-of-famer Isaac Bruce created some chemistry out on the field, how excited were you when you heard he was coming back for another season?

Question No. 8: After going 7-3 as a starter in your short career with the 49ers, including a 5-3 mark last season, does it bother you that you still have to "compete" for the job?

Question No. 9: Those of us 49er fans who watched the 30 minute TV program "A Day in the life of Joe Staley" saw a group of teammates out to dinner including yourself and Alex Smith. Is it hard to stay good friends with a teammate when your both vying for the same job?

Question No. 10: How has the transition been from Martz' offense to the new system installed by Jimmy Raye? Does the new system fit your style better? And if so, how excited are you to get on the field with what is currently turning into a very potent offensive group? With the additions of Crabtree, Norris, and free-agent receiver Brandon Jones, the offense has some new weapons. Combined with an already strong group of play-makers, is the sky the limit for this offense?