Will Nolan surprise the 49ers?

<p>SANTA CLARA — A year ago, then-49ers coach Mike Nolan was accused of installing blitz packages in an exhibition game designed to thwart the player he passed up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft.</p><p>Forget for a moment that the point of playing defense is to disrupt the opposition’s offense.</p><p>Anyway, Nolan’s defense was successful.</p><p>Aaron Rodgers, the former Cal standout whom the 49ers jilted, completed just nine of 16 passes and was sacked four times in the 49ers’ victory over the Green Bay Packers.</p><p>Nolan returns to Candlestick Park on Friday night as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator. And even if Nolan empties the playbook against his former team, the 49ers’ offense should not be caught by surprise.</p><p>“It’s the first preseason game, so I guess we could see some stuff,” 49ers quarterback Alex Smith said. “But I’m not sure. Who knows? I’ve seen quite a bit from our defense, so I don’t imagine there’s much they (the Broncos) could throw at us that I haven’t seen yet.”</p><p>New defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has dialed up every blitz in the team’s arsenal through the first two weeks of practices while working against the 49ers’ offense.</p><p>“We are throwing everything at them that they’ll see throughout the season,” Manusky said of the team’s defensive installation.</p><p>While it is beneficial for the defense to know what will be available in the playbook this season, it should also work to the offense’s advantage, too. </p><p>“We’re definitely seeing more blitz packages from our defense than we’ll ever see in a game,” said quarterback Shaun Hill, who is competing against Smith for the 49ers’ starting job.</p><p>Coach Mike Singletary has yet to announce which quarterback will take the field first for the 49ers on Friday. Hill took the first snaps of training camp, but the two quarterbacks have shared time with the starters.</p><p>Singletary could decide to give Hill the start, based on his strong play at the end of last season. Or Singletary could try to find out immediately how Smith responds to the pressure of a game in front of the home fans.</p><p>After all, 49ers fans booed Smith’s first incomplete pass during the team’s open practice on Aug. 1. Smith said he has not considered what kind of reception he might receive Friday night.</p><p>“I’m really focused on what I need to do out there, and what I need to do is execute the offense and play well,” Smith said.</p><p>Smith has experienced the best training camp of his five-year career. Last year, he was rebounding from shoulder surgery. Smith eventually was played on injured reserve to start the season after sustaining a fracture to his throwing shoulder.</p><p>“I really battled a lot of soreness last year and tried to fight through it and gut it out,” Smith said. “I never felt that good with my shoulder and throwing the ball. I feel very different this year. I feel very comfortable out there.”</p><p>By the time the time the season rolls around, the entire 49ers’ offense should feel comfortable at the prospect of facing more than the standard four pass-rushers.</p><p>The 49ers’ offense had difficulty Tuesday picking up the variety of corner and safety blitzes from its own defense. There will actually be more familiarity with the scheme when the 49ers begin facing enemy defenses. </p><p>“If we go into a game, we kind of know which (blitzes) teams like to run in certain situations, and it kind of clears itself up a lot easier,” Hill said. “Against our defense, we’re not necessarily out there game-planning against them.</p><p>“Like (offensive coordinator) Jimmy Raye says all the time, ‘When you get good, you want teams to blitz you.’ So it’s good to get that work.”</p><p>For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco via email at matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com</p>