Third try a charm?
I was probably one of about 25 people in the region that
actually watched the 49ers lose to the Minnesota Vikings last
Sunday. And after they fell behind 27-0 by halftime I was probably
one of about five people that actually watched the entire game
– and I’m glad I did.
Since none of you probably witnessed 49ers third-string QB Shaun
Hill’s play in the second half last Sunday, here is what happened.
In 30 min. of football this guy showed me more than Alex Smith and
Trent Dilfer combined, which makes me wonder even more where Mike
Nolan’s head is at.
Third try a charm?
I was probably one of about 25 people in the region that actually watched the 49ers lose to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. And after they fell behind 27-0 by halftime I was probably one of about five people that actually watched the entire game – and I’m glad I did.
Since none of you probably witnessed 49ers third-string QB Shaun Hill’s play in the second half last Sunday, here is what happened. In 30 min. of football this guy showed me more than Alex Smith and Trent Dilfer combined, which makes me wonder even more where Mike Nolan’s head is at.
Sure, Minnesota didn’t have time to game plan for the 27-year-old ex-Viking, who had only taken one snap from center in six NFL seasons prior to Sunday’s action with the Niners, but clearly this 6-foot-3 QB appeared more ready to lead the Niners than anyone else.
For the record, in just a half hour of playing time, Hill was 22-of-27 for 181 yards 1 TD and 0 picks – good for a grand total passer rating of 106.9. To put that into perspective, neither Dilfer nor Smith is even in the 60s when it comes to passer rating – the defining statistic for quarterbacks in the NFL.
And what if Hill had played the entire game? Does this mean that he throws a pair of TDs to go with his 362-yard day of passing – numbers we haven’t seen the likes of since Gilroy’s Jeff Garcia was behind center.
As good as Hill looked, it really made me wonder just how clueless Nolan is. Here is a guy who opts to sit the team’s top possession receiver, Arnaz Battle, in place of speedster Ashley Lelie. If the desire here was to spread the field, why not start Battle and Lelie and sit Darrell Jackson – the guy who hasn’t been able to catch a pass all season long.
And here is the same coach who doesn’t even consider playing Hill the entire season until Dilfer is forced to leave the game after taking a serious blow to the head.
When Dilfer exited the game here were his numbers: 7-of-19 for 45 yards and one interception for a passer rating of 23.4. And yet had Dilfer not gone down, he would have stayed in there, no doubt, even though Nolan now claims that he would have put in Hill in the second half to “spark” the offense.
Enter Hill.
On his opening drive, he leads the team the length of the field and caps it off with a touchdown toss to Battle. It was literally the smoothest that the offense had looked all season. The crowd looked dumbfounded.
Where has this guy been all season? Backing up two hacks that’s where. And guess what Hill’s completion percentage was for the game – 81.5 percent. Dilfer is in the low 50s in this category and Smith is hovering in the high 40s, just about what the temperature often is this time of year.
Without a significant free-agent signing or hitting draft-day gold, Hill – not Smith – should be the team’s future and here’s why. When Smith plays, he looks like a deer in the headlights. It’s drop back look for the primary receiver and if he’s not open either force it in there for a pick, throw it OB or get sacked. Dilfer is just too old so I’m going to cut him some slack. His fire is there but his talent level isn’t.
Hill on the other hand made quick decisions Sunday. When the primary target was covered, he’d dish it off to the open man. He looked a little unorthodox (so did Montana) but he kept the chains moving, and hooked up with underused tight end Vernon Davis more than anyone has all season long. He even showed that he could move in the pocket and get away from trouble. Time will tell but I don’t think Smith is going to amount to a hill of beans. Hill on the other hand just might – and I saw some flashes of that last Sunday.
