Nolan hands offense to O'Sullivan

Alex Smith, chosen with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 draft, is now the 49ers’ No. 2 quarterback.

Journeyman J.T. O’Sullivan, on his eighth NFL team in six seasons, earned the first starting job of his career after outplaying Smith and Shaun Hill this summer, 49ers coach Mike Nolan announced Friday.

“I’m confident J.T. is the best man for the job right now,” Nolan said.

The decision ended a drama that began when after the 49ers re-signed Hill to a three-year, $6 million contract to compete with Smith. Hill was considered a part of the competition after he played well in 10 quarters of action at the end of last season.

But new 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz pushed for O’Sullivan, whom he brought with him from the Detroit Lions after getting fired. The 49ers signed O’Sullivan, a former NCAA Division II All-America at UC Davis, to a one-year, $645,000 contract as a free agent.

One week into training camp, O’Sullivan was elevated into a three-way competition. He has practiced exclusively with the first-team offense since Aug. 6.

Nolan repeatedly told the media that it should “not read anything” into the fact O’Sullivan worked with the first team, while Smith practiced with the second unit and Hill rarely saw practice time in recent weeks.

The O’Sulllivan-Smith-Hill rotation was also used for each of the 49ers’ first three exhibition games. On Friday, Nolan finally announced that, indeed, O’Sullivan was the starter, with Smith as the backup and Hill as the No. 3 quarterback.

Nolan said a final decision was made on the flight home Thursday night from the 49ers’ 37-30 victory over the Chicago Bears. O’Sullivan completed 7 of 8 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown for a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

“The determining factor, I believe, is that he’s got the better command of the offense between the three,” Nolan said. “He played with consistency. He did the things that are real important to playing that position.”

Nolan said the starting quarterback will not be a week-to-week decision. He met with the quarterbacks individually around 2 p.m. Friday to deliver the verdict and voice his support of O’Sullivan.

“I spoke to each quarterback,” Nolan said. “I said the same thing to all of them. I’m backing our quarterback 100 percent. J.T. O’Sullivan is our quarterback and I’m expecting him to succeed.

“But we all know we can’t control everything in this league. Whether he’s getting his shoelace fixed and is out of the game or someone happens to get nicked, we all have to stay ready to do this job at our very best level.”

The 49ers’ decision to go with O’Sullivan, who turns 29 on Monday, does not bode well for Smith’s future with the organization. O’Sullivan has attempted just 26 NFL passes — all last season — while Smith, 24, has 30 starts in three seasons. He played just seven games last year due to a separated shoulder that required season-ending surgery.

Smith is scheduled to earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $9.625 million next season — a figure that will not be considered for a backup quarterback.

Nolan and general manager Scot McCloughan said Smith will remain on the 49ers this season. Nolan said the club has not discussed releasing him and the 49ers are not likely to seek a trade, either.

When asked Thursday night if Smith’s career with the 49ers would be over if he’s not named the starter, McCloughan said, “Absolutely not. If J.T. wins the starting job, I expect Alex to keep fighting and I’d be disappointed if he doesn’t keep getting better and better. You never know when you’re going to need a second quarterback to play.”

Smith could be the first known quarterback chosen with the No. 1 overall pick who was healthy enough to play and still did not win a starting job in his fourth NFL season. Nolan said any perception of Smith as “a bust” is wrong.

“I think he’s getting better and better right now,” Nolan said. “He needs consistency and continuity, which we all do. He’s getting that right now. He’s getting a detailed offense from a detailed coach. And I think he performs well in that environment.”

The 49ers have employed four different offensive coordinators in Smith’s four seasons. His best season came in 2006 under Norv Turner when he completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 2,890 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 16 starts.

“I don’t think it’s accurate to say that about Alex,” said Nolan, referring to the “bust” label. “I have a lot of confidence in Alex. I think he’s matured a lot this year. I’m encouraged by the things he’s done. He was very upbeat and positive in our meeting today. He’s optimistic about his possibilities of really being a good quarterback.”

Smith was the first draft pick of the Nolan-McCloughan regime. It was the selection that many thought would eventually define their tenure together.

“I don’t see it as a problem,” Nolan said. “We want to play the best players who give us the best chance to win. Alex has a lot of ability and a lot of potential and I think he’s going to be a very good quarterback in this league. He’s just not there at this point.”

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

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