The 49ers’ next quarterback worked out Friday in Reno, as well
as Thursday in Columbia, Mo., on Wednesday in Tallahassee, Fla.,
and last week in Fort Worth, Texas, and Auburn, Ala. The 49ers’
next quarterback is putting his Cincinnati-area house on the market
and pondering retirement. He is moonlighting as an NCAA basketball
analyst thanks to his Syracuse hoops history. He is being dangled
as trade bait once again by his Philadelphia boss.
The 49ers’ next quarterback worked out Friday in Reno, as well as Thursday in Columbia, Mo., on Wednesday in Tallahassee, Fla., and last week in Fort Worth, Texas, and Auburn, Ala.
The 49ers’ next quarterback is putting his Cincinnati-area house on the market and pondering retirement. He is moonlighting as an NCAA basketball analyst thanks to his Syracuse hoops history. He is being dangled as trade bait once again by his Philadelphia boss.
Yes, the possibilities suddenly seem endless as the 49ers search for their next Joe Montana, Steve Young or John Brodie.
The 49ers’ plan: Investigate every possibility. The result: Excitement at every turn for a franchise that hasn’t seen a Pro Bowl quarterback or a winning season since 2002, with Jeff Garcia.
Welcome to the 49ers’ version of March Madness. The lockout-imposed NFL is not at a true standstill, not if you’ve noticed coach Jim Harbaugh’s itinerary. General manager Trent Baalke is on the case, too, as is the personnel department.
This suddenly seems like an encouraging search in what normally is a dry market for capable quarterbacks. Good ones are a rare commodity, if you haven’t been paying attention this century.
Maybe it is the Harbaugh factor. Confidence oozes from any search spearheaded by a former NFL quarterback who has bred pro prospects at the University of San Diego and Stanford. That aura didn’t accompany Mike Nolan nor Mike Singletary, Harbaugh’s defensive-minded predecessors.
There is no secrecy about the 49ers’ ambition. They don’t have a quarterback right now, so they’re not financially committed to anyone Harbaugh doesn’t want.
It is as much a blank canvas as it is a blank check.
We’ve heard dozens of names floated as the 49ers’ answer to their quarterback conundrum. You know what? Each one is intriguing enough to think he could work.
That, ahem, savior will toil in the 49ers’ once-patented West Coast offensive system. Harbaugh claimed from Day 1 the 49ers will go retro and hearken back Bill Walsh’s brilliant philosophies. It is up to Harbaugh (& Co.) to interpret how potential quarterbacks fill those needs, such as accuracy and timing.
What quarterbacks coming out of college would fit best in a West Coast system? That is the billion-dollar question. Too many quarterbacks in the NFL’s developmental league (see: NCAA Division I football) are groomed in a spread offense and thus face a wicked transition to life under center in the NFL.
But that is no reason to shy away from proven quarterbacks such as Auburn’s Cam Newton, Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, etc. Other factors certainly could scare off the 49ers, be it Wonderlic scores, checkered pasts or inadequate fundamentals.
One longtime scout projects the top four quarterbacks as Newton, Gabbert, TCU’s Andy Dalton and Florida State’s Christian Ponder. Considering the 49ers’ desperate straits, it might be wise to use the seventh overall draft pick to nab any from that quartet.
Time again for Harbaugh to act as a “quarterback whisperer.” He knows what it takes to play the position and what it takes to win. He knows to look for intangible qualities, such as how a quarterback handles pocket pressure, reads defenses or leads a team.
This month is critical in that analysis. The April 28-30 draft is the quickest way the 49ers can add a quarterback, thanks to a labor-talk deadlock that has frozen player movement regarding trades and free agency.
All of which makes for fun theater whenever Harbaugh or a 49ers representative is spotted at a college prospect’s workout. That’s been the case for two weeks, starting with Baalke getting spotted at Newton’s workout and Harbaugh surfacing at Dalton’s session.
Friday, Kaepernick worked out privately for the 49ers, who are holding their annual winter retreat nearby at Squaw Valley. Thursday, Gabbert worked out in Missouri and was praised by Harbaugh, who told the Kansas City Star that Gabbert “did an excellent job. I think he really helped himself today.”
Rather than rush a rookie into the lineup, Harbaugh ought to deploy a veteran to warm the seat. But who are the top seeds for that veteran bracket?
Rather than retire or return to the Bengals, Carson Palmer could revive his career with the 49ers. Rather than draw more of Mike Shanahan’s ire in Washington, Donovan McNabb could bring west his expertise on the West Coast offense. Rather than sit behind Eagles starter Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb could show just how much he learned in Andy Reid’s West Coast system.
As for the Alex Smith factor, Harbaugh won’t rule him out. Smith won’t burn that bridge. Most fans don’t want it but won’t totally dismiss that marriage-by-convenience.
Quarterback madness, 49ers style.
— Column by Cam Inman, Contra Costa Times
