Items by

Kyle Orton vs Alex Smith: Comparing Two Very Similar Quarterbacks

Published: January 7, 2010

comment No Comments

With the 2009-2010 NFL season now in the books for the majority of the NFL’s 32 teams, it is time for fans to discuss why their clubs failed to qualify for the postseason.

Fans around the league will argue over what went wrong, what they can do better and where they need upgrades.

The majority of these fans are going to throw out absurd ideas about who should stay and who should go from their team. Likewise, owners will often make rash decisions about player personnel before giving enough time to diagnose what went wrong.

Now in particular, their are two teams with quarterbacks who while are very similar, are players who should be looked at in completely different lights.

The Denver Broncos fell apart after a 6-0 start and missed the playoffs and the San Francisco 49ers went through a quarterback change despite a 3-1 start and also missed the playoffs.

Denver became just the third team in nearly 40 years to start the season 6-0 and fail to qualify for the playoffs, but their quarterback Kyle Orton was part of the solution, not the problem.

The 6′ 4″, 217 pound 2005 draft pick played at a higher level than his team’s 8-8 finish.

San Francisco fell short of the playoffs for the seventh straight season, as Alex Smith got back on the field only to show the same inconsistencies he has shown throughout his career.

This 6′ 4″, 217 pound 2005 draft pick played at a level expected for a team who finished the season at 8-8.

Both quarterbacks led their teams to .500 records in their first years under a new offensive scheme and both were with completely different teams.

Orton was traded to Denver over the offseason and Smith hadn’t appeared in a game since 2007 when he had a completely different 49ers roster around him. The 2009 49ers had a Pro Bowl version of Vernon Davis, three different starters on the offensive line, Michael Crabtree and a vastly improved defense. Smith hardly had any of this talent around him in ’07.

Add the new coaches and Smith almost had an entirely different team supporting him.

So going into the 2009 season, you had two quarterbacks who had shown flashes of success but weren’t exactly thought highly of by the majority of NFL fans.

Orton had completed just 55 percent of his career passes for 5,319 yards in 33 games including 30 touchdowns against 27 interceptions prior to 2009.

Smith had completed just 54 percent of his career passes for 4,679 yards in 32 games including 19 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.

After this past season the numbers remained quite similar when you look at the quarterbacking statistics for the 2009.

Orton:

W-L: 8-8 Rating: 86.8 Comp%: 62.1 Yds/G: 237.6 Yds/A: 7.0 TD: 21 INT: 12

Fum: 4 FumL: 2

Smith:

W-L: 5-5 Rating: 81.5 Comp%: 60.5 Yds/G: 213.6 Yds/A: 6.3 TD: 18 INT: 12

Fum: 2 FumL: 1

Looking at the statistics both quarterbacks were similarly awful prior to this season, especially when you consider the lack of weapons they had around them in their first few years.

Now after the 2009 season, it is clear they both improved.

This time around, they were similarly average (again, when looking at the numbers).

But any Bronco fan who bashes Kyle Orton needs a reality check. Orton led your team to a 6-0 start. Three of those wins came against teams currently in the playoffs and of those three, Orton posted quarterback ratings above 115 in two of them. And his 96.7 rating against New England wasn’t too shabby either.

Orton unfortunately suffered an injury in the week 10 contest against the Washington Redskins and in the following week’s rematch against San Diego, Orton wasn’t healthy enough to play his best football.

Against the Chargers Orton turned in an awful 55.4 rating but in three of the Broncos’ eight losses he turned in a rating above 90.

Fans can’t blame Orton for the Bronco defense allowing JaMarcus Russell of all people to lead a game winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. Nor can they blame Orton for Donovan McNabb shredding the Denver defense for 322 yards and three touchdowns.

And in the season finale against the Chiefs, well, it ain’t like Orton can go out on defense and help stop the Kansas City running game which broke loose for 317 yards and three touchdowns.

Orton did have a bad game in the finale, but it also didn’t help that he was without three of his favorite targets in the passing game with neither Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal or Tony Scheffler in the lineup.

Alex Smith, on the other hand, had all three of his top targets in the passing game available during the 49ers season finale against the 1-14 St. Louis Rams but still accumulated just 23 yards passing in the first half.

But as much as I have diagnosed the last two games of the 49ers schedule which came against the aforementioned Rams and Detroit Lions, these two games had no luster. So perhaps it is understandable that Smith didn’t play to his capabilities in meaningless games.

However, let’s compare these two quarterbacks in games against teams that made the playoffs.

Orton went 4-4 against teams that made the playoffs this season. Smith on the other hand went 1-3 against playoff teams with his sole win coming in a game where he managed a quarterback rating of just 59.7 and led the offense to just 24 points despite his defense forcing seven turnovers.

The answer is clear: Kyle Orton is the better quarterback. While Denver may have had a better offensive line than San Francisco, Orton was simply much better than Smith when both players had adequate time to throw.

A couple of signature throws from Orton were his beautiful 19-yard touchdown pass to Tony Scheffler in week six against the Chargers and his 75-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall in week 10 against the Redskins.

Signature throws from Alex Smith? Can’t really think of any that match the quality of throws Orton was able to put up this season.

While Smith can certainly improve, the 49ers still need to allocate a good chunk of their time scouting for other options because Smith just might not ever become the guy they thought they were getting when they drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2005.

The Broncos on the other hand, they have their guy.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

San Francisco 49ers: The Plays That Made Fans Jump Up and Down in 2009

Published: January 6, 2010

comment No Comments

While the 2009 San Francisco 49ers came up short in their goal of making the playoffs, an 8-8 regular season (their first non-losing season since 2002) made for an exciting brand of football.

Despite having to switch quarterbacks mid-way through the season, the 49ers still managed to hang around the playoff race until week 15, largely in part to the big play abilities in all three phases of the game

Unfortunately the 49ers would fall short in each phase of the game when it mattered most this season and because of this, they managed just two wins on the road and missed the post-season.

As their head coach Mike Singletary stated after the season finale, his team was simply too immature to reach their goals. And part of that immaturity has to be placed on the head coach. Questionable clock management, including odd timeout usages and play calling was evident throughout the season.

But with a year and a half of coaching under his belt, Singletary should improve as a head coach next season and his players will improve because of it.

Alex Smith will improve, the offensive line will improve and the defense will improve in 2010, and a big reason for the confidence in this team moving forward comes from the big plays turned in on both sides of the ball and even special teams this past season.

Granted some of the big plays turned in by the 49ers came in non crucial moments, including ones in the last two meaningless games. Therefore I have left those off this list.

The remaining big plays that made the list were the ones that fans went crazy over because they were huge moments in crucial games that had playoff implications on the line.

Begin Slideshow

What Should the San Francisco 49ers Do with Their Two First Round Picks?

Published: December 30, 2009

comment No Comments

With only the lowly St. Louis Rams left on the 2009 schedule for the San Francisco 49ers, it feels like time to look forward to the offseason for the Red and Gold.

As the current NFL standings lie going into week 17, the 49ers are projected to receive the 12th and 15th overall picks in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Those exact positions are subject to change, but you can be guaranteed that both selections will fall between No. 10 and No. 20 overall.

By virtue of having these two middle tier selections, the 49ers can significantly upgrade their talent level in this draft, but only if they do so wisely. By wisely, I mean not passing up on an explosive talent like they did two years ago when they passed on DeSean Jackson twice in the 2008 draft.

Assuming (although it is never good to assume with the 49ers) that San Francisco finishes the season with a win over the Rams, the 49ers will finish at .500 with a record of 8-8.

Now while posters here on B/R may be fed up with my negative opinion of quarterback Alex Smith, it needs to be reiterated that Smith is and should be the starter for 2010. Never have I said he shouldn’t be; I have simply stated that he doesn’t show that “it” factor that makes you think, “Wow, I could really see this guy leading the 49ers to playoff success.”

He has the ability to get the 49ers to the playoffs and maybe win a game or maybe even two, but when it comes to sustained playoff success year after year, Smith doesn’t project to have the necessary skills to be that type of quarterback.

But that is an argument I have beaten to death over the course of the season, and with the year coming to a close, it is time to analyze how this team can improve upon what is probably going to be an 8-8 finish, their first non-losing season since 2002.

The first and foremost need for the 49ers is to bolster their offensive line, but using both their first round selections on offensive linemen would be a major, major mistake.

Did the offensive line of Joe Staley, David Baas, Eric Heitmann, Chilo Rachal, and Adam Snyder live up to the expectations coming into this season? No, of course not—they performed at an unacceptable level.

However, wasn’t this the same offensive line that fans were excited to see play for a full season coming out of last year’s 5-2 finish? Staley, Baas, Heitmann, and Snyder played quite well down the stretch, and as a rookie, Rachal got in there late and had some memorable blocks in front of Frank Gore.

One inconsistent season and the entire offensive line not named Joe Staley needs to be replaced? If Staley wasn’t a first round pick, would his job be as safe as it is? His 2009 campaign was solid, and he is, by far, the best offensive lineman the 49ers have, but he isn’t as dominant as fans like to claim.

That said, Staley is almost certain to improve next season, just as both Baas and Rachal are likely to improve. Remember, this was just Baas’ second full season as a starter and Rachal’s first. The core four of Staley-Baas-Heitmann-Rachal has the talent to have a bounce-back year in 2010, and making any changes amongst those four is not a vital need.

But what is a vital need is a right tackle. Just like last offseason, the 49ers need a big, strong, and quick tackle to play opposite of Staley. If there is a right tackle that fits the bill in the draft, then the 49ers should use one of their first round choices and take that player.

If there isn’t that dominating tackle available, the 49ers’ next best options are to use the first of their two first round picks to pick up either a shutdown corner to complement Nate Clements or a pass-rushing defensive end to play opposite Justin Smith.

While Shawntae Spencer, Dre’ Bly, and Walt Harris are all quality corners that would help out tremendously next season if they all return, none of them is a pure difference maker. Considering that Clements doesn’t have that top-end speed, drafting a tall and speedy corner to play that No. 2 corner spot would solidify a secondary that struggled at times this season.

If that type of corner isn’t available, then San Francisco should go after a defensive end who can rush the quarterback. The trio of pass rushing outside linebackers in Parys Haralson, Manny Lawson, and Ahmad Brooks is a solid core, but when it comes to rushing the passer, the only defensive lineman on the roster who generates any consistent pressure is Smith.

Aubrayo Franklin, Ray McDonald, and Isaac Sopoaga are all good against the run, but the 49ers need more than just one-dimensional defensive linemen. They need someone who can help generate a pass rush. If only they could clone Justin Smith. But someone at least close to that caliber or even more talented than Smith is a necessary pickup in either the draft or free agency.

Right tackle, corner, and defensive end are the three big needs. Darn, weren’t those the same three needs last year? Looking back on it, those were (more or less) the same big needs.

Well, this offseason they are still holes needing to be filled, and while the 49ers have two first round picks, at least one of those holes should be filled in the first round.

However, for as many needs as the 49ers have, there is always the argument of grabbing the best player available regardless of other needs. Case in point was the drafting of Michael Crabtree last year and what should have been the drafting of DeSean Jackson two years ago.

While wide receiver was in fact a need in both the ’08 and ’09 drafts (more so in the ’08 draft), there were bigger needs in other areas.

In 2008, the 49ers felt that drafting a player at a position of the biggest need was the way to go. Last year, they felt that drafting the best talent available regardless of need was the best route.

Clearly, drafting Crabtree (despite his holdout) was the better choice than drafting Kentwan Balmer over DeSean Jackson.

The 49ers need to use more of this thought process when using their two first round selections. If a player with the talents of a Jahvid Best falls in their laps in the middle of the first round, they need to jump on that scenario.

Let’s face it, you can never have enough running backs, and right now the 49ers have Frank Gore and nobody else. Could Glen Coffee develop and get better? Sure he can; 2009 was his rookie year, and he deserves time to get better. But Coffee is no Jahvid Best, not by a long shot.

Ignoring any of the negatives that may come with Best (there were negatives with Jackson as well), his potential upside is so high that it is worth taking a shot on because he can fill the void of a speed back to complement Gore as well as the void at punt/kick returner.

Look at the best teams in the league and their offenses—almost all of them have a couple of guys who can run the ball. Philadelphia has always had a solid backup to Brian Westbrook, the New Orleans Saints have Reggie Bush, Mike Bell, and Pierre Thomas, the New England Patriots have Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, and Fred Taylor, and lastly, the New York Giants have Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

I almost forgot—the San Diego Chargers with LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles and the Minnesota Vikings with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor also have two backs who can get the job done.

Best and Gore in the backfield? Crabtree and Davis in the passing game? Talk about weapons that Alex Smith can benefit from.

Drafting the top talent available with one of their first round picks just might be the way to go depending who is available when the 49ers are on the clock.

While one of the first round picks the 49ers have should go to a right tackle (if the right one is available) and the rest of the 49ers’ draft should be offensive line-heavy, one of the two picks should be used elsewhere.

For every Alan Faneca, Steve Hutchinson, and Walter Jones offensive lineman who was drafted in the first round, there is a Jeff Saturday, Eugene Amano, and Jason Peters who is either drafted in the late rounds or not even drafted at all.

Offensive linemen can be found more frequently in later rounds of the draft, but playmakers like Jahvid Best rarely fall past the first round.

Either way, let’s hope the 49ers use their first round picks wisely and fill two different holes with their selections.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

San Francisco 49ers: Why Alex Smith is Not a Super Bowl Caliber Quarterback

Published: December 28, 2009

comment No Comments

“And Young is back to throw, he’s going deep for Jerry, he caught it! He’s gone! Touchdown 49ers!! After just a minute and 24 seconds, touchdown pass to Jerry Rice!”

More or less, those are the words of former long-time voice of the 49ers, Joe Starkey, as he called Steve Young’s opening touchdown pass to Jerry Rice in Super Bowl XXIX.

Young was perfect in that game, throwing for a record six touchdown passes on the game’s biggest stage.

What did Alex Smith do yesterday against a 2-12 Lions team? His lone touchdown pass came on a play where he shouldn’t have even thrown the ball.

While the quarterbacking statistics look more than solid from the current 49er QB yesterday: 20-31 passing for 230 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions for a passer rating of 97.5, Smith left much to be desired in the hopes of the 49er faithful.

It wasn’t just the numerous overthrown balls, under-thrown balls, four tipped balls at the line of scrimmage, but even the plays he was able to complete made you scratch your head and say, “What the hell was that?”

After being named the starter for next season earlier in the week, Smith came out and laid a dud of a performance in the first half against a Detroit Lions team that was ripe for a shellacking by the 49ers offense.

Detroit is ranked dead last in the NFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, with 265.4 yards allowed per game and 31 touchdowns allowed through the air.

Yet Smith managed just 230 yards and only a single touchdown pass on a play that he should have run for the touchdown rather than risk the throw? Yiiiiiikes.

Of course, if Smith had just thrown the ball down the Lions throat and made the big play in the first half, his nearly bone-headed touchdown pass in the second half would have been his second of the game.

After a perfect play fake late in the first quarter, Smith had a streaking Michael Crabtree wide open for what should have been a touchdown. But the 49er quarterback severely under-threw the ball, forcing Crabtree to slow down and adjust to make the catch. Crabtree was then stopped short of the end zone, and the drive ended in a field goal instead of a touchdown.

Fifty yard-passes are nice, but 60-yard touchdowns are better. According to Mark Purdy’s article in the San Jose Mercury News today, Smith was apparently afraid of an overthrow, telling Purdy “It’s like a layup—you don’t want to necessarily make that too difficult on [Crabtree].”

Is this the guy the 49ers want leading their football team? A quarterback who is so worried about an overthrow that he under-throws his receiver on purpose? A quarterback who (to borrow Smith’s basketball analogy) would ignore a wide open three-point opportunity to win the game by risking another pass?

As former Jets head coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards says, “You play to win the game. Hello?!? You play to win the game!”

In this instance, how can Smith even contemplate not airing the ball out and attempting to fit it into Crabtree, perfectly in stride? If the ball indeed drops incomplete, what is the problem? You are still playing the Lions, the game is as close to an automatic win that you can get in the NFL (although I say that because I do believe in any given Sunday).

Even when Smith had nothing to lose, he still played it safe. An attribute nobody should want in their starting quarterback.

Now this poor throw on Crabtree’s 50-yard gain got me thinking: When have we seen Smith ever hit a receiver perfectly in stride? How many times this season have we seen a receiver not have to adjust his route to make the catch? Not often.

On most of those deep middle passes to Vernon Davis, the 49er tight-end has had to slow down and jump up for the ball. The majority of Crabtree’s catches have been extremely athletic plays by the rookie; when he snatches the ball either from over his head or way out in front of his body, and Delanie Walker usually has to reach behind him to make the catch.

Smith almost never hits a receiver perfectly in stride, and watching Sunday night football last night made me wish the 49ers had Tony Romo as their quarterback.

Granted, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback has struggled during the postseason so far in his career, but he made one perfect pass last night that made me think, “Wow, that was Steve Young/Joe Montana-like.”

In the middle of the second quarter, Romo hit his tight-end Jason Witten about 25 yards down field on a crossing pattern. The safety was right on Witten’s heels, but the throw was on the money: a perfect spiral that hit Witten right between eight and two on his jersey, and he didn’t have to break stride at all. With such an amazingly accurate throw, Witten was able to scamper another 44 yards down inside the Redskins five yard line before being tackled.

While Romo has had his fair share of inconsistencies throughout his career, it is plays like this one that show he has the ability to overcome his mistakes and should eventually enjoy playoff success.

However, with Smith, we very rarely—if ever—see plays of this fashion that make us fans think, “Okay, he can be the guy,” and because of that, it has become clear that Smith is not the guy to lead the 49ers to their sixth Super Bowl title.

Am I saying that Smith is terrible? No, I’m not. Could he lead the 49ers to the playoffs? Sure he could, but he won’t be able to succeed when he gets there, because he doesn’t play at the same speed as everyone else on the field. Five years into his career, and he is still a step behind on almost every throw.

For those of you here on B/R who think I have a vendetta against the 49er quarterback, let me state that I agree with Smith being the quarterback next season. The 49ers have a goal to get back to the playoffs, and Smith gives them the best chance. He is a very capable quarterback.

But to win championships, teams need a quarterback who is more than just “capable.” They need a quarterback that is “unstoppable” when he’s on his game. Young/Montana/Favre/Elway/Roethlisberger/Manning/Brady/Brees/Warner/McNair/Aikman/Marino/Simms etc., are all guys who fit this bill.

Over 90 percent of Super Bowl-caliber teams have quarterbacks who can beat the best of the best when it matters most. For every Trent Dilfer who wins a Super Bowl, there are at least three other Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks who had the talent to dominate opposing defenses.

Alex Smith doesn’t show this ability in the slightest. And I wouldn’t have any basis for writing this article if it wasn’t for his two bone-headed plays on Sunday. The first of which was the aforementioned under-thrown ball to Crabtree, and the second was his lone touchdown to Davis.

After another excellent play fake, Smith had the entire right-half of the end zone wide open to run the ball in for the score. Had he sprinted to the corner right away, he could have walked into the end zone once he reached the goal-line.

However, Smith took an odd circular route to the corner and the linebacker closed in on him. As he approached the corner, Smith still could have scored, albeit with some contact, had he dove into the end zone. But instead, he pulled up short and risked floating a pass to Davis in the back corner for the touchdown.

The stupidity of the play was twofold: Not only did Smith risk another batted ball or incomplete pass that should have been a touchdown, but the replays showed that 99.99 percent of his body was past the line of scrimmage. Detroit challenged the play, and it very easily could have been reversed, but the refs claimed irrefutable evidence (although almost everyone watching thought that it was going to be overturned).

Regardless of the ref’s call, it was clear Smith was not thinking about where he was on the field, and that is simply inexcusable. I mean what was going on? Did Smith have Davis on his fantasy team or what? There was no reason to risk a throw when he could have simply run the ball in for the score untouched.

When have you seen any other respectable starting quarterback make as odd looking of a play as that?

The 49ers forced another six turnovers against the Lions on Sunday and the offense managed just 20 points. Two weeks ago against Arizona they forced seven turnovers and the offense managed only 24 points. Good quarterbacks turn these high amount of turnovers into absolute blowout victories for their team.

Smith, on the other hand, led his team to just five touchdown drives in those two games, even with his defense forcing 13 turnovers to his benefit. Not exactly the points of turnovers that one would expect from a good quarterback.

Supporters of the first round pick may once again pull out the five offensive coordinators in five years defense, but not having continuity in the offense doesn’t excuse a quarterback from having a poor football mentality.

Five different coordinators in his first five seasons means missing a pass because of miscommunication, not understanding the complexity of certain plays, or not having chemistry with teammates. But it has no affect on a quarterback making the wrong assumption when the right play to make is so incredibly obvious.

If Smith can’t impress the fan base against the Lions, how is he going to impress the fanbase if he ever gets to the playoffs?

The 49ers finally have a quarterback who has the ability to get them to the postseason, but don’t bet on them winning if he ever manages to get them there.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

San Francisco 49ers Get it Wrong Again

Published: December 24, 2009

comment No Comments

Let’s start from the top, shall we?

49ers acting owner and team president Jed York has re-iterated his faith for both GM Scot McCloughan and head coach Mike Singletary.

Mike Singletary in turn as re-iterated his faith in Alex Smith by naming him the starting quarterback for next season. By doing so, Singletary has made it almost a must to start Smith the final two games of the season.

How would it look if he named Smith the starter for next year and then gave rookie Nate Davis the next two starts? People would wonder just what in the world is going on? Is Singletary saying one thing and thinking another?

Therefore, after stating that Smith will be the 2010 starter, Singletary has to go with him in the next two games.

Unfortunately, this move also makes absolute zero sense and simply because of the mediocrity of the opponents.

There is nothing, let me repeat, nothing that Alex Smith can accomplish in the final two games that would be of the positive variety.

Unlike recent seasons when the 49ers were able to play spoiler against playoff contending teams in the last couple weeks, this year they have no such opportunity.

The remaining two teams on the schedule are the 2-12 Detroit Lions and 1-13 St. Louis Rams, whose lone victory came over Detroit.

Case in point, the 49ers are facing two teams that have a combined winning percentage of .074 against the rest of the league. It is no question that Shaun Hill, much less Alex Smith could throw for 350 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions against these lowly franchises.

Now, Singletary is claiming that he wants to see every “ounce” of what Smith can give these final two weeks but he doesn’t realize that there is nothing his veteran quarterback can prove against such lousy teams.

Last week’s game in Philadelphia was Smith’s final chance this season to prove he could rise to the occasion and play better than expected. But no matter how well he plays during these remaining two games, everyone will say “whatever, it was the Lions and the Rams, the retired Trent Dilfer could have done that.”

Okay, maybe not that last part about Dilfer, but you get what I’m saying.

Since the 49ers aren’t able to play spoiler, there is nothing the veteran starters can gain from playing these last two games. They can only be lost to injury and for veterans like Takeo Spikes and Michael Lewis, any more injury trouble could prohibit them from playing at the same level next season.

But, there is one good thing that could come from playing such inferior opponents in the final two weeks.

They could get rookie quarterback Nate Davis some experience.

Like I’ve said, Alex Smith has nothing to prove in these last two games, so he has absolutely no need to start. However, Davis has yet to play during his rookie season and could benefit from the playing time.

Remember, Smith got his first start against the Indianapolis Colts back in 2005. Don’t you think he would have loved to get his first action against the Lions or Rams?

I think so.

Starting Davis these last two weeks makes all too much sense, but once again the 49ers have screwed it up by naming Smith the starter next season.

While Smith played well this year after taking over mid-way through the season for Shaun Hill, he still didn’t show fans that he had overcome the inconsistencies that plagued him in his first four years of his career.

Will he lead the 49ers to the playoffs next year? Who knows, maybe. But nothing he does in the final two weeks will raise the expectations for him next season.

But if Davis has any chance at performing well as the starter during next season or beyond, it is pivotal he get some game experience, no matter the opponent. Let him understand what it feels like to play a game from start to finish and go through any necessary growing pains or instant success that comes from playing his first career games.

The 49ers have absolutely nothing to lose in this situation and have a ton to gain with not only their rookie quarterback but the other young players who haven’t seen much playing time.

And not only that, but in terms of TV ratings, wouldn’t the 49er organization want as many 49er fans as possible tuning into these meaningless games?

Ask any 49er fan down the street and I can guarantee you each and every one of them will be more inclined to watch the final two games if they knew Nate Davis was starting at quarterback.

Simply said, not starting the rookie the final two weeks is just another blunder by the 49ers organization that will once again make fans question the management and coaching staff.

If only it could be the 1994 again.

PS. Look at the article photo. Skin tone aside, who does that big body, strong arm, No. 7 quarterback with gloves remind you of?

Give your responses to my question in the comment section.