So far, it's limited prep time for QBs

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers' three-way competition at quarterback is necessary to determine the player best-suited to start among Alex Smith, Shaun Hill and J.T. O'Sullivan.

However, the longer it takes to make a decision, the more problems it causes for the regular season. After all, the eventual No. 1 quarterback will not receive as much preparation time as preferred leading up to the Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

"Whether we have a starter or not doesn't change the information they're trying to handle," 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz said Sunday after the club wrapped up a three-day, full-squad minicamp.

"(The starter) might get a few more snaps, but it's not significant right now. Now, the longer it goes, you'd like to have a sense of where it's going. But we have plenty of time."

Coach Mike Nolan, who will ultimately decide the starting quarterback with plenty of input from Martz and quarterbacks coach Ted Tollner, said a preliminary decision might be made before the 49ers open training camp in late July.

"In a perfect world, you'd have a one, a two and a three," Nolan said. "But before you get to the perfect world, somebody has to win the job.

"If we can come to that point where we think at the beginning of training camp that this is where we're leaning, we'll show that. I don't have any timetable on that. If we do (make a decision), I'll feel a little better. And I think it'll raise the level of competition because the guys will know where they stand."

The team will hold practices over 12 days in June. It is possible the starting quarterback will be determined based on the performances at those organized team activities.

Martz's offense is famed for its complexities. Receivers often are required to make route choices based on the defensive coverage. The quarterback has to choreograph multiple shifts and motions, and make split-second decisions based on which patterns the receivers choose on option routes.

"The nice thing as far as a quarterback, you are given a lot of answers and knowledge," Smith said. "When we are installing plays and going through the offense, we are given a lot as far as answers versus different coverages, different techniques -- zone or man. Everything is given to you beforehand, whereas a lot of times you are learning that on the go. It can seem like a lot, but I think eventually it is really going to help me and the other quarterbacks in decision-making."

Martz said he does not have any problem with three 49ers quarterbacks sharing the practice time at the team's recently completely minicamp.

"If it's a real extended time, I think it can affect it," he said. "But I'm not worried about that. There's nothing you can do about it. It is what it is. There is no other way of doing it that's right. This is the right way of doing it."

Martz pointed out the success former St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner experienced in his first season as a starter. Warner did not become the Rams' starter until the third exhibition game in 1999 after Trent Green sustained a season-ending injury.

Warner went on to be named MVP of the league, while leading the Rams to the Super Bowl title.

While that was Warner's second season with the Rams, it was his first in Martz's offense.

When Martz became the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator in 2006, there was no quarterback competition. Jon Kitna was the incumbent, so he got the first-team practice snaps.

"I'm sure everybody will get enough practice reps," Hill said. "I don't know if it's really that much different than what it has been in the past. There's nothing set who's playing this position, but it's that way throughout the whole offense."

O'Sullivan managed to learn Martz's offense well enough in a short period of time last summer. After playing in NFL Europe, O'Sullivan signed with the Lions and eventually rose to become Kitna's backup in short order. He saw action in four games, completing 13 of 26 passes for 148 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

"If it's important to you, you're going to learn it," O'Sullivan said. "It's important to me, so I tried to learn it as quickly as I could. If you want to learn it, you're going to put in the time."

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com