Hill appears to have moved past Smith

NAPA — Quarterback Shaun Hill appeared to benefit as much as anyone from the 49ers’ two days of practices against the Raiders.

Hill and Alex Smith have been even in the quarterback competition through nearly three weeks of training camp, coach Mike Singletary has suggested. But Hill may have pulled ahead based on how much smoother the 49ers’ offense ran when he was on the field against the Raiders.

The competition will continue at least through Saturday’s game against the Raiders. Smith might have to put together a strong showing to remain in the competition to open the regular-season as the team’s starter.

Singletary refuses to divulge a leader in the competition, but he did express satisfaction with the overall quarterback play.

“I thought he (Hill) did a good job,” Singletary said. “I think Shaun did a good job of getting the ball out and making some good decisions. I thought Alex did some nice things as well, but Shaun did do a good job.”

The 49ers this summer had a three-second clock installed at their practice field to provide a guideline of when the ball should be out of the quarterback’s hand. The buzzer rarely goes off while the ball is in Hill’s hand.

One of the knocks on Smith is his consistency in getting rid of the football on time. His college coach, Urban Meyer, once said Smith will not throw the ball unless he is completely familiar with the offense.

“Yes, he’s getting better at it,” 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye said. “That three-second clock was a little bit of a nuisance to them earlier, but I think they have adjusted to that and they understand that their body time clock has to speed up as well as their feet and we’ve emphasized and stressed the ball coming out.”

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The 49ers boarded their team buses to return to their Santa Clara headquarters believing their two days of practices against the Raiders served to improve the team.

“I think we got a lot of good work on both sides of the ball,” Singletary said. “I’m pleased coming away from this that we made some progress and that’s what we have to do each day.”

After a dominating morning practice on defense, the 49ers recorded two more interception. Safety Reggie Smith and linebacker Marques Harris picked off passes. Harris’ interception of Raiders reserve quarterback Charlie Frye came on the final play — a fitting conclusion to the joint practices.

GREEN AGREES

The 49ers reached an agreement on a one-year contract with free-agent cornerback Eric Green, National Football Post reported. Green, a fifth-year pro, signed with the Dolphins this offseason after spending his first four years with the Arizona Cardinals.

To make room on the roster for Green, the 49ers released fullback Zak Keasey with an injury settlement. Keasey is expected to miss 8 to 10 weeks with a broken forearm. The 49ers have the option to re-sign Keasey later in the season.

EXTRA POINTS

Outside linebacker Parys Haralson did not practice after sustaining a foot sprain. He will be re-evaluated today, at which point the 49ers should have a better idea how long he’ll be out of action. Safety Michael Lewis (concussion) also sat out.

Veterans Takeo Spikes, Justin Smith, Aubrayo Franklin and Marvel Smith were the non-injured players who rested in the afternoon practice.

For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com