49ers still not sold on Hill; why not?

<p>SANTACLARA</p><p>After the 49ers beat the Jets, Mike Singletary came to his postgame news conference and, naturally, someone asked if Shaun Hill, who played brilliantly, has made the case to be starting quarterback next season.</p><p>Everyone expected Singletary to endorse Hill right then and there. He didn’t. He said Hill has improved but Singletary never took the next step. He allowed the topic to drift off into silence.</p><p>That brings me to Singletary’s Monday news conference. Here is our dialog:</p><p>Cohn: In the postgame press conference (on Sunday) you were asked if you think Shaun Hill might be the starter next year and you were cautious in your answer. You said he’s improving but you didn’t commit. I’d like to ask again. I’m more interested in why you’re being cautious than a repeat of what you said yesterday.</p><p>Singletary: I wouldn’t say the word is cautious. I would say wise. We’re playing right now. After the season I don’t know what will happen. There are a lot of uncertainties. I’m not going to get into next season, talking about what I think Shaun Hill is going to be. I’m going to talk about right now. I’m going to talk about next week. As far as Shaun Hill is concerned, I’m very excited about what I see, very excited about what he’s doing. I’ve asked Shaun Hill to establish himself as an NFL starting quarterback, establish himself as a championship quarterback. At the appropriate time, we’ll address it. The most important thing for Shaun Hill to do is continue the progression, continue to get better.</p><p>It was a fascinating answer, partly because Singletary always referred to Hill as Shaun Hill. It’s as if Hill has one compound name Shaunhill. It’s like calling Mike Singletary Mikesingletary.</p><p>So, why isn’t Mikesingletary anointing Shaunhill? Mikesingletary doesn’t even know if he’ll be the coach next season and he’s in no position to anoint or appoint anyone. That decision gets made over his head, just as the decision about his own future gets made over his head. Mikesingletary was merely being prudent when he refused to commit himself, and he was honoring the chain of command, praiseworthy behavior.</p><p>There’s something else. It appears the 49ers still are not sold on Shaunhill, still believe he’s OK, but over the long haul is not a winning quarterback — at least not a big winner — and can’t take them where they need to go. It seems clear no one in that quiet building in Santa Clara is about to say Shaunhill is next season’s starter, or even that next season’s starter currently works in the building.</p><p>It is fair for the Niners to have their doubts about Shaunhill. They pay the money, but are they correct? I say, no. I say they have a prejudice against him, a prejudice that started long ago on the practice field, a prejudice the decision makers have not been able to put aside. I’m saying the 49ers are prisoners of old thinking, of what used to be. I’m also saying Shaunhill already has done enough to be seriously considered as next season’s starter. At the very least, he should be the front-runner in any quarterback competition.</p><p>But that’s exactly the problem — a quarterback competition. It’s a big problem for Shaunhill. Put him in any quarterback competition and he automatically comes in last. Coaches look at him missing receivers on the practice field and they look at that doughy body and they think this guy should be carrying the water bucket, certainly not carrying the team.</p><p>He is a crummy practice player, for whatever reason. Before this season he came in a distant third to J.T. O’Sullivan and Alex Smith in the quarterback competition. JTO, it turns out, is allergic to footballs — that’s why he’s always fumbling them. Smith was on the verge of a broken shoulder. And Shaunhill still looked worse than both of them.</p><p>That led the Niners to undervalue him — a clear example of old thinking. Surely, Shaunhill has been terrific in real games. On Sunday his passer rating was a gaudy 98.8, and the guy on the other side — someone by the name of Favre — got a 60.8. That’s a dazzling comparison.</p><p>Here’s what the 49ers need to understand. Many guys are good practice players — JTO comes to mind. When they are playing against their teammates, when there is no pass rush, they can stand back and zing the ball all over the place. Real games aren’t so comfortable. Angry opponents try to disrupt plays and rip the quarterback’s head off. Suddenly the practice genius is a chump — like JTO.</p><p>Not Shaunhill. He loves chaos, thrives in chaos. Why? I don’t have the slightest idea. But he is the genuine article — has presence, the knack, the feel — whatever you want to call it. This indefinable, wonderful thing separates him from mere practice quarterbacks who can’t embrace football’s glorious turmoil.</p><p>Shaunhill has been the biggest difference on offense in the Mikesingletary tenure. That’s what you can call current thinking. The Niners need to wise up.</p><p>For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/cohn. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at 521-5486 or lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com</p>