Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You, Tomorrow...

After a strong finish Saturday afternoon to what had otherwise been a disastrous first day of practice for Alex Smith, it wasn't too surprising to see him taking the first reps in all of the team's passing drills on Sunday, whether they were seven-on-seven, 11-on-11 walk-thrus with all offensive personnel, offensive third teamers and no-hopers playing defense, or the full speed 11-on-11 offense versus defense scrimmaging. 

Neither was it much of a surprise that a team official quickly doused any speculation of what that could mean, explaining that every practice play and personnel grouping had been scripted well in advance and that the team just wanted to see Smith and Hill working with different combinations on different plays.

While Smith, whose shoulder seems to be fully recovered from two separate season ending operations, throws a noticeably harder ball than Hill it didn't help him bridge any of the gap between the two and in fact it's more likely that the soft-tossing incumbent has lengthened his lead.

Of all the receivers on the team the only one Smith seems to have any kind of chemistry with is newcomer Brandon Jones, while Hill has shown himself capable of completing, or not, passes to all of his wideouts equally.

Both quarterbacks struggled to connect with their receivers on any of the 11-on-11 drills, settling for crossing patterns to the tight ends and dump offs to the backs, though it could be that that was the design of the particular plays practiced today.

While tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker were catching ball after ball, wideouts Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan were mostly jogging aimlessly, when they were seeing reps at all.

Jones confirmed after practice that he is indeed gunning for Morgan's starting spot opposite Bruce and Michael Crabtree being M.I.A. from camp only helps his cause.

None of the coaches stuck around or made themselves available to discuss the various offensive subplots, but there's always tomorrow.

The Crabtree Contract Dilemma: Rookie Michael Crabtree continues to be absent from camp and and all the available evidence continues to point to him being one of last first rounders, if not the very last, to sign his contract. 

First of all, according to a report from The Denver Post, his agent Eugene Parker is angling for Crabtree to be paid like he was the third pick in the draft instead of the tenth.

Not only is that a preposterous demand if it's in fact accurate, but it would also leaves Parker with some explaining to do to unsigned Chiefs defensive end Tyson Jackson, whom he also represents, and who just so happens to be the actual third pick of the draft.

Secondly, the 49ers front office is in the unfortunate position of not even being able to use the "draft slotting" argument for Crabtree's contract as he is smack dab in the middle of a quintet of players—ranging from offensive tackle Eugene Monroe, taken eighth by the Jaguars to running back Knowshon Moreno, taken 12th by the Broncos—who remain unsigned.

Without defensive tackle B.J. Raji (Packers) directly above him or defensive end Aaron Maybin (Bills) right below him getting a deal done, it is very likely the 49ers and Crabtree will continue their standoff, with neither side having any leverage.

Position Battle Updates: The surprise starter in camp thus far continues to be guard/tackle Adam Snyder, who for the second straight day was the first team right tackle in favor of free agent signee Marvel Smith as well as last year's starter Barry Sims.

Perhaps the team is trying to take it slowly with Smith, who had to go on Injured Reserve last December for a back injury while he was with the Steelers, but for now he's Snyder's understudy while Sims is backing up Joe Staley on the left side.

Another free agent signing, Dre' Bly, got a chance to work with the first team defense while Tarell Brown, his competition for the right corner job, was nursing a sprained toe on his left foot and he seemed to fare well.  

Sitting and Watching, Sitting and Watching: Head Coach Mike Singletary decided to play only first and second teamers in the team's 11-on-11 drills, outside of the offensive skill positions (quarterback, running back, wide receivers, tight ends).

That meant a lot of young linemen and defensive backs were reduced to watching on the sidelines, just like the rest of us. This is notable mainly for the reason that Curtis Taylor, a seventh round pick out of LSU who is currently on the third string, was one of the stars of the first day and really turned some heads with his strength in the "Nutcracker" drill and his ballhawking on defense.

I was looking forward to seeing more of him, but again, there's always tomorrow.

Notes: No new injuries to report, but outside linebacker Parys Haralson (right hip flexor) and the aforementioned Brown were held out Sunday afternoon after getting dinged on Sunday.

Defensive-end Ray McDonald continues to be on the PUP list while recovering from offseason knee surgery and rookie defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois was still unable to practice, as he is recovering from a staph infection.

Expected starting fullback Moran Norris, who missed his second straight day of practice for an excused personal matter, did check in to his room late Sunday afternoon and is expected to practice tomorrow morning, according to a team official.