49ers QB Smith given playbook; coach expects him to return

By Matthew Barrows - mbarrows@sacbee.com

Published: Sunday, May. 1, 2011 - 12:00 am
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SANTA CLARA – Coach Jim Harbaugh has said he wants, even expects, quarterback Alex Smith to return to the 49ers every time he has been asked in recent weeks, and he stuck to that theme Saturday.

"I strongly feel that Alex is going to come back here," he said.

But perhaps the coach's actions speak louder than his words. Harbaugh also said he has given Smith the team's offensive playbook even though Smith, a free agent, isn't on the team. In normal circumstances, coaches don't let their playbooks off the premises for fear of them falling into enemy hands. Giving one to a player who might wind up on another team is unheard of. All of which points strongly to Smith returning for his seventh season. Smith has a standing, one-year offer from the 49ers.

"He has not signed," Harbaugh said. "There's a leap of faith there."

On Friday, teams had a short window to meet with veteran players before the lockout was temporarily reinstated. Harbaugh said he met with Smith for 30 to 40 minutes, mostly to catch up on family matters. Smith and his wife, Elizabeth, are expecting their first baby any day, which is another reason to think Smith will remain with the 49ers. Smith has not returned several calls seeking comment. Having the playbook would allow Smith to orchestrate workouts if the lockout drags on during the offseason. Smith has been part of a group of a dozen or so 49ers who have been training together in the San Jose area.

On Friday, Harbaugh said second-round draft pick Colin Kaepernick would have a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job. But Saturday, Harbaugh gave the edge to Smith in a hypothetical competition.

"Alex is definitely going to have the head start," Harbaugh said. "He's played in the NFL. … If I'm a betting man, I'm betting on Alex Smith."

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/01/3592416/49ers-qb-smith-given-playbook.html#ixzz1L8RFNtVW

Uncharted waters, and the 49ers are rudderless at QB

From Matt Barrows, The Sac Bee, April 5th


Dumbfounding fact of the day: The 49ers have an extra sixth-round pick in the upcoming draft that they received for perennial underachiever Kentwan Balmer and an extra seventh rounder they received for perennial overachiever Shaun Hill. The compensation for Balmer is 41 slots better than the compensation for Hill. Sigh.

With 12 total picks, the 49ers will head into the draft with more selections than any other team. And, yes, the picks they received in exchange for Hill and Balmer potentially could be packaged with others so that the 49ers can move up and target specific players.
Still, the 49ers would have been much better off if they had kept Hill.

They shipped him to Detroit for a seventh-round selection, and for far more money signed David Carr as the team's primary backup. Carr, of course, ended up being leapfrogged by Mike Singletary-favorite Troy Smith and falling to No. 3 in the quarterback pecking order. The new regime has opted to move on from Smith and may not be too enamored of Carr, either. As previously reported, Harbaugh gave Carr a low grade when Carr, the eventual No. 1 pick, was entering the draft in 2002.

Hill, meanwhile, showed the same kind of leadership and moxie in Detroit when starter Matthew Stafford suffered a separated shoulder last year as he did in San Francisco when Alex Smith dealt with shoulder injuries in 2007 and 2008. It's a safe guess that Hill is one of the veteran Lions players organizing workouts and practices during the lockout especially since Stafford is still recovering from his injury.

The 49ers, meanwhile, could use such a player. There's a modest contingent working out together in the South Bay, but it's an offensive lineman, Joe Staley, and a defensive lineman, Justin Smith, who are the primary organizers. Hill might not have the physical attributes Harbaugh is seeking in a future starter, but he is everything a head coach wants in a locker-room leader and he would have been an ideal "bridge" quarterback for 2011 while Harbaugh developed a youngster.

After Disappointing Year, 49ers' Jackson Is Waived

Matt Barrows, Sacramento Bee

Coach Mike Nolan called Jackson on Friday night to tell him that he would be waived, according to Jackson's agent. The call came on the same day the 49ers signed another wide receiver, former Arizona Cardinals wideout Bryant Johnson, to a one-year deal. "I always had a great deal of respect for Darrell as a player in the NFL," Nolan said in a statement Saturday. "I appreciated his dedication and work ethic during his season with the 49ers. He always had a positive attitude every day he came to work. While we are going in a different direction, I know he can still produce and be an asset to an NFL team this year."

The 49ers traded a 2007 fourth-round draft choice to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Jackson in April. The eight-year veteran has nearly 7,000 receiving yards but struggled last year in the 49ers' 32nd-ranked offense. He finished the season with 497 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and dropped a number of passes. His agent, Brian Mooney, said Jackson was surprised by the decision but happy that it was made well before teams start meeting for minicamps.

"There are no hard feelings," Mooney said. "We appreciate them doing this when they did. It gives us a chance to hit the market aggressively."

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Niners Lose Defensive End, Reportedly Adding Receiver

Tom FitzGerald, San Francisco Chronicle

The 49ers said goodbye Friday to defensive end Marques Douglas, but they are reportedly saying hello to former Arizona Cardinals receiver Bryant Johnson. Douglas, an unrestricted free agent who became expendable when the 49ers signed Justin Smith, agreed to a four-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Douglas, 30, started for the 49ers for three years after leaving the Baltimore Ravens in 2005.

ESPN. com reported that Johnson had agreed to terms on a one-year deal. Johnson, 27, made 210 catches for 2,675 yards and nine touchdowns in five years with the Cardinals, who drafted him in the first round (the 17th overall pick) in the 2003 draft out of Penn State. The 6-foot-3 receiver had 46 catches last year for 528 yards and two touchdowns. He has played third fiddle to Pro Bowlers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald and was looking for a team where he could play a larger role.

The 49ers brought in free-agent linebacker Takeo Spikes on Thursday but have not signed the former member of the Bengals and Bills.

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Nolan & Martz Will Sink Or Swim - Together

Mike Martz will last a year, maybe two, as the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator. The question is: How will this end? The worst-case scenario is, of course, is that the 49ers experience their sixth consecutive losing season and miss the playoffs. Mike Nolan gets fired and with him, the entire staff, Martz included. The best thing the 49ers can hope for is that Martz turns around a terrible offense and rescues the fast-sinking career of quarterback Alex Smith. He leaves after a year or two to get another NFL coaching job, with the 49ers' thanks.

Without question, Martz is one of the NFL's preeminent offensive minds. He was the creator of the "Greatest Show on Turf" offense of the St. Louis Rams. He can scheme, as well as make effective use of his players' particular talents and abilities. In his seven years with the Rams (the first as offensive coordinator), Martz built a unit that had few rivals in its day. The Rams finished in the top 10 in total offense in six of those years and never worse than No. 5 in passing. St. Louis led the league in total and scoring offense for three consecutive seasons (1999-2001) and made the Super Bowl twice. And Martz made stars out of quarterbacks seemingly with pedestrian skills. Kurt Warner, a former Arena League player, was transformed into a two-time MVP. Marc Bulger, a little-known sixth-round draft pick, became a two-time Pro Bowler. Even Jon Kitna, who had mostly an undistinguished career, surpassed 4,000 passing yards in each of the last two seasons under Martz in Detroit.

While there is no questioning of his credentials as an offensive coordinator, Martz has flaws that makes him a ticking time bomb. Not the most diplomatic kind, he's been known to alienate, from players, fellow coaches, management to the media. He was an easy scapegoat when the Lions, 6-2 at the season's midway point, collapsed to a 7-9 finish. His stubbornness and even arrogance sometimes gets the best of him. Case in point: In the 2001 Super Bowl, his heavily favored Rams lost to New England partly because of his refusal to adapt to the Patriots' defense by running the ball more. And last season, he virtually abandoned the running game -- to the chagrin of the Lions' management -- that hastened his ouster.

Even with the league's bottom-ranked offense, Martz should be able to make enough hay with either Smith or Shaun Hill at quarterback. He will also have a healthy Frank Gore, which makes the offense more potent and versatile. His ability as a play-caller alone should be worth a few more points and additional yardage per game.

The question is: Will that translate to more wins, thus saving Mike Nolan's job?

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Niners Should Look At Losman

Would the Niners be willing to take a chance on a less disappointing first-round quarterback? J.P. Losman was overthrown in Buffalo by rookie Trent Edwards, and he needs a fresh start; coincidentally, San Francisco should be looking for someone to overthrow the immensely unproductive Alex Smith. Trading for an underachiever often famously gives a struggling player a boost thanks simply to the scenery change, moreover both Losman and his possible new team could use this transaction.

Statistically, Losman has had a more impressive career than Smith, although that's like being proud of getting better grades than the kid in your class who eats crayons and wears Velcro sneakers through his teens. Losman has completed a vaguely fair 59.1 percent of his passes, which is also fairly better than Smith's unfortunate career 54.4 percent rate. Similarly, the fact that Losman has 31 touchdown passes compared to 29 interceptions doesn't look all that stupendous until held up against Smith's stat line, which indicates that he has 19 scoring tosses weighed against a woeful 31 picks. They all contribute to the fact that Losman has achieved a barely middling 77.3 rating, which looks better next to Smith's woefully inadequate 63.5 mark.

And, not to make excuses, but Losman was treated as poorly during his tenure as a hungover clown at an Adderall kid's birthday party. Most notably, he was victimized in 2005 by then-head coach Mike Mularkey, who doltishly never understood that most non-Roethlisberger-named quarterbacks are bound to struggle in their first starting season and accordingly yanked Losman out of his spot on multiple occasions. The hit to the player's confidence resonated for some time. Losman was also hindered by the contemporary history of mundanely predictable play calling for the Bills along with the fact that the team has recently had exactly one genuine threat at wide receiver in Lee Evans. The quarterback didn't live up to his promise, but the community college's chancellor isn't going to attain Ivy League membership for his employer.

That didn't stop a handful of the team's backers from blaming it all on Losman. Some Bills fans turned him like a roving pack of junior high school girls who decided that their classmate who got braces over the summer needs to have a miserable school day every day. At the same time, Losman didn't help his cause, often recklessly and needlessly gambling on attempts along with displaying a frustrating tendency to hold the ball entirely too long while making decisions, often obliviously seeming to forget while looking for a receiver that he was in the midst of a football play. While Losman managed to have a strong season in 2006, throwing for 3,051 yards and 19 touchdowns with 14 interceptions while obtaining an 84.9 rating, the team still finished 7-9; he then regressed this past season before he was benched for likely the final time as a Bill. It all led to Buffalo's interminable playoff drought continuing under his watch no matter where the balance of blame lies. That's why being sent to a team that's enduring a quarterback void of its own could be mutually beneficial. A Venice, Calif., native, Losman would return to his home coast and get a new opportunity to work for a franchise that should be willing to take a chance on a prospective upgrade. He's occasionally displayed a strong arm and scrambling abilities, and it's feasible that he could mature enough as a player under Mike Martz's guidance that those flashes could turn into tendencies.

It would be worth bringing in Losman not just to challenge Smith but also in case Shaun Hill turns into a pumpkin and if the team realizes that Trent Dilfer A) is turning 36 on March 13, B) perhaps faces retirement thanks to the aftermath of his December concussion, and C) is a great guy who isn't very good as a quarterback. Dealing for Losman would give him a chance to live up to his potential and give the 49ers another option behind center, especially for those who remain unconvinced regarding Smith even after his contract extension. More importantly, Smith needs to stay motivated lest he thinks that his longer pact is evidence that he's performed satisfactorily. A training camp battle is a sure way to get the best out of every quarterback and also determine who is the best quarterback.

As for Losman, both he and the 49ers have a need to leave setbacks in the past, and in that regard both can help out each other. If nothing else, sticking with their current respective situations means things will likely simply stay rotten; discarding suffering is as good a reason as any to attempt a new partnership between Losman and San Francisco.

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D-Line The Focus Now With Hill Signed

The Niners recently agreed to a three-year contract with former third-string quarterback Shaun Hill, who won consecutive starts last season after the ineffectual duo of Alex Smith and Trent Dilfer succumbed to injuries. The contract is believed to be worth $6 million, with incentives that could boost its value to $11.5 million -- hardly a blockbuster deal, but one that clearly signals the end of Smith's tenure as San Francisco's undisputed starter. But while some dare to envision a future blissfully divorced from the most visible cog in an offense that ranked last in the league in an assortment of critical categories last season, the team must now address the futures of its remaining free agents, starting with defensive linemen Marques Douglas and Isaac Sopoaga.

With the Tennessee Titans having slapped the franchise tag on Albert Haynesworth and the Niners eager to plug the hole created by the retirement of four-time Pro Bowler and 14-year mainstay Bryant Young, (above), the presence of veterans like Douglas and Sopoaga could help stabilize the line play on a team in need of an extreme makeover on both sides of the ball. But at what cost?

Douglas, (left) who has ranked among the league's most consistent tackle contributors during his three-year tenure with the 49ers, recorded 71 takedowns last season -- 55 solo -- to complement his three sacks. And though Mike Nolan is reportedly delighted with the ninth-year pro's work ethic, questions linger about his long-term future with a rebuilding franchise. Douglas, who will turn 31 next month, has made no secret of his desire to stay with the club, calling San Francisco "a home away from home." But the North Carolina native, whose sack totals could never be confused with those of an elite lineman, just finished a three-year, $4.5 million deal, and will likely be seeking a substantial raise. Will he be worth the money on a team still clawing its way toward respectability?

The Niners face another difficult decision with Sopoaga, 26, a part-time nose tackle blessed with uncommon strength and potential who has yet to assert himself as a front-line starter. In four years with the team -- the first of which was cut short by a season-ending back injury suffered in training camp -- his production has remained maddeningly inconsistent, but a new, more lucrative deal would seem to guarantee him an expanded role on San Francisco's defensive line. Should newly appointed general manager Scot McCloughan gamble on talent that is not yet fully developed, or should he be prepared to watch Sopoaga sign for big money elsewhere?

The 49ers would prefer to bring back both linemen, and are reportedly negotiating with them in good faith. Just don't expect both to return, even as they pledge their allegiance to Niner Nation. With premium free agents like Haynesworth disappearing from the market, Sopoaga's price tag is surely rising while Douglas becomes increasingly attractive to contenders in need of dependable leadership on their D-lines. If McCloughan has serious doubts about either's ability to contribute to the Niners in the not-too-distant future, when the rebuilding process presumably begins to yield dividends, he should resist the urge to overspend and let them walk.

Offseason Getting Shorter and Shorter

Quarterbacks Alex Smith and Shaun Hill are expected to be ready to take part in the 49ers' offseason program, which is ALREADY scheduled to begin March 17. Both players are coming off surgeries. With new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, the competition for the starting job begins early. Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, will have to earn the position this offseason. Therefore, the competition for 2008 should be fierce from the get-go. Hill was scheduled to be a free agent, but the 49ers signed him to a three-year, $6 million contract that included a $1.95 million signing bonus. If he hits all his playing-time and performance incentives, his deal would be worth $11.5 million over three seasons.Hill underwent surgery the first week of January on a broken and dislocated right index finger. He played with that injury late in the season and still managed to give the 49ers their best quarterback play of the season. Hill completed 68.4 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and one interception in 2.5 games. The 49ers won both of his starts.The 49ers got off to a 2-1 start with Smith healthy. But he sustained a separated right shoulder in Week 4, missed two games and was ineffective when he tried to return to the lineup.Moreover, Smith and coach Mike Nolan publicly feuded. Nolan said Smith's poor play had nothing to do with his shoulder injury until Smith broke his silence and admitted his shoulder was injured. Several weeks later, Smith underwent season-ending surgery.The rehabilitation from Smith's surgery was expected to last three months. When the offseason program begins, it'll be a little more than three months since his surgery. The 49ers will likely work Smith back slowly to ensure he will be ready for the minicamps, organized team activities and training camp.Smith and Hill will compete for the starting job.

The team will also look to add a No. 3 quarterback with the club expecting veteran Trent Dilfer to retire. Dilfer did not play in 2006 because Smith took every snap from center. Last season, Dilfer struggled mightily in his backup role. He completed just 51.6 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions. One reason Hill is looking forward to playing for new offensive coordinator Martz is because he sees similarities in his game and another quarterback who thrived under Martz. Hill said his style is a lot like Rams quarterback Marc Bulger."I play the same kind of game he does," Hill said. "He has a quick release. He doesn't have the strongest arm in the world, but he gets the ball out on time and in rhythm." The 49ers own the No. 29 draft pick in the first round, and so far they have 16 or 17 players ranked with first-round grades. They usually have 20 to 22 players ranked as first-round talents.The club had yet to assign grades to quarterbacks, defensive ends and wide receivers, so they appear to be in good shape as far as getting a player they like with the No. 29 pick. The 49ers have selected two players in the first round both of the past two seasons.