Alex Smith Should Have a Big Hill To Climb

If there’s one aspect about the NFL that hasn’t changed in decades, it is simply this: It requires consistent play and good decision-making from your quarterback in order to be a winning football team.

And, of course, the one position battle in 49erland that everyone has their eye on is at quarterback, where former first overall selection Alex Smith and undrafted journeyman Shaun Hill appear to be deadlocked in the battle to take the field in Arizona on Week One.

Smith’s status as the No. 1 draft pick may help his cause, but that was in 2005 and the selection was made by Mike Nolan, not Mike Singletary. Singletary shouldn’t feel pressure to honor the decision of a man who was 18-37 as San Francisco’s head coach. Rather, he should pick the guy that he feels best about leading the 49ers to the top of the division. And that’s Shaun Hill.

Over three seasons with the team (two in which he actually played), Hill has compiled a 7-3 record as a starter, and a quarterback’s record is more important than any stat. By comparison, Smith’s record as the starting quarterback of the 49ers is just 11-19.

Some of the more avid Smith supporters (cough-GM Scot McCloughan-cough) may warn that Hill’s impressive win-loss record is due mostly to the team’s he’s faced. Only one of Hill’s wins in 2008 (A 24-14 win over the Jets in Week 14) was against a team with a winning record. However, there aren’t any easy wins in the NFL, and Hill’s record should speak for itself, regardless of the completion.

Hill may not possess all of the natural athletic gifts as Smith, but the relatively young 49er offense has appeared to feed off of Hill’s determination and grit, as evidenced by the many “grind-it-out” wins they’ve enjoyed with Hill under center.

Smith, meanwhile, has been in the league for four seasons. The result? One mediocre season and three disastrous ones.

Even for a rookie quarterback who deserved some leeway in 2004, Smith was shockingly bad, throwing for a single touchdown against 11 interceptions and three fumbles lost and a completion percentage just north of 50 percent.

Smith seemed to be adjusting to the speed of the NFL in 2005 under then-offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who took advantage of Smith’s mobility by using a high number of play-action roll out passes. That season, Smith threw for 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions as his completion percentage jumped to 58.1.

However, 2007 was a nightmare for Smith, who appeared in just seven games, threw for two touchdowns and four interceptions and completed only 48.7 percent of his passes. Smith injured his throwing shoulder causing him to miss the second half of 2007, and then reinjured it forcing him to miss the entire 2008 season. The last thing the 49ers need is for their newly-named starting quarterback to go down in Week Two, and such a scenario is certainly possible if Smith gets the job.

And how about the mindset each man would take onto the field as the starting quarterback? Right now, Smith is just trying to avoid being labeled as one of the all-time busts, while Hill is playing with house money. That is, Hill is was undrafted and he’s sure to relish a chance to be one of only 32 men in the world who can say they are the starting quarterback of an NFL team. Hill would be under less pressure than Smith, and thus far in his time with the Niners, he’s handled his underdog role quite well.

Mike Singletary, noted for being an “old school” coach, should also be commended on his handling of the quarterback controversy, even going so far as to saying that the team will make the decision for him, and he’ll simply go with the quarterback that the 49er offense responds to the best. Hopefully, whoever gets the starting job can get a response out of his squad, something that’s certainly been lacking in years past from the position.

Three-time Pro-Bowler Jeff Garcia was the last Niner to provide any sort of consistency at quarterback. Since his departure after the 2003 season, the 49ers have weeded through a revolving door of quarterbacks in a seemingly vain attempt to find the next great signal caller in the franchise’s storied history. But here we are in 2009 and none of the other starting quarterbacks over the past five seasons (Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey, Cody Pickett, Trent Dilfer, Chris Weinke, or J.T. O’Sullivan) have given the 49er faithful any reason to feel good about the team’s long-term future at the position.

The 49ers have no plans of naming a starting QB until after the team’s third preseason game, and while their performances should no doubt be taken into consideration, Hill should have to play himself out of the starting job in order for Smith to be handed the reins in Week One. Hill has given the 49ers something that Smith never has: Consistency.

So while it is yet to be seen if he will emerge as the face of the franchise, Hill is the best quarterback on San Francisco’s roster and he should have the inside track to take the field in Arizona. Hopefully, Hill hangs on to the starting job and San Fran’s switch back to the classic red-and-gold look along with a firmly entrenched field general can help the Niners make their way back into the playoffs in 2009.