The Shaun Hill debate

by David Fucillo on Dec 21, 2007 12:18 PM PST in San Francisco 49ers News

Consider this perfect timing for this post. I hadn't fully weighed in on the burgeoning Shaun Hill era aside from the run through of his performance against the Bengals. Since then, over at ESPN The Sports Guy weighed in on the quarterback crisis in the NFL and I posted some this morning thoughts on not getting ahead of ourselves with Shaun Hill over at Nothing Finer, the FSN Bay Area 49ers blog I've been writing.

First off, Bill Simmons aka The Sports Guy, for those who do not read his work. He did a quasi-poll of the 60 quarterbacks who have started a game this season to clear up how ugly things really have been in the NFL. It's not a traditional 1-60 poll, but rather a breakdown into different categories. What did he have to say about Alex Smith and Shaun Hill?

FLASHES OF UPSIDE, FLOODS OF DOWNSIDE
Cleo Lemon,Tarvaris Jackson, Rex Grossman, Sage Rosenfels, Brodie Croyle, Alex Smith, the McCown brothers (Josh and Luke)

Comments: I'm not sure what's more astonishing -- that Alex Smith was included in this list, or that you could argue he should be two levels lower. Also, this list actually made me laugh out loud after I typed all the names. There's something inherently funny about the group itself and the sight of "the McCown brothers" pushes it over the top. They're like the Buffer brothers, only if both of them were Bruce.

THE ONE-WEEK WONDERS
Todd Collins, Shaun Hill

Comments: Just remember, William Hung and Delores the Lunch Lady had their 15 minutes, too. Yes, I'm bitter both guys cost me money last week.

While the Alex Smith category is pretty spot on, I take umbrage with his lumping of Shaun Hill with Todd Collins. Collins has been in the league for 13 years and actually started most of the 1997 season with the Buffalo Bills. Shaun Hill has been in the league six years and made his first ever start last week.

I put together the post over at Nothing Finer to basically say, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, ANYTHING is possible." Shaun Hill could be the savior fans have been looking for. Then again, Alex Smith could bounce back from surgery and be the franchise quarterback for the next decade. And of course, neither could work out and we start all over in a couple of years. However, the upside to Hill playing so well is that he'll give Alex Smith competition that he has never had before. Smith was handed the starting QB position and never had to earn it with his performance on the field after college. Plenty of teams do that and it works out fine (Aikman, Manning, etc...). However, competition could prove useful to Alex Smith. If he wilts under the pressure, we've saved ourselves further heartache. If he steps up and claims the job as his own, all the better. Either way, a strong finish for Hill this year will make for an interesting 2008 training camp.

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Oooo

From "Nothing Finer"

However, as tough as it has been to go through this season, it would be foolish to simply give up on Alex Smith and anoint Shaun Hill the next savior. When a person is stumbling through the desert, dehydrated and searching for water, every mirage appears to be life-saving water.

Hmmm...

Then again, Fooch kind of beat me to it...

Then again, Fooch was kind of ripping this guy off to begin with...

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down. Over and over. / My Blog, For Writers

by howtheyscored on Dec 21, 2007 12:31 PM PST reply actions

well played

Well played indeed. Really I was planning on plagiarizing Moses from the beginning and not you, or even anything I said previously.

One clarification though is that my desert metaphor is seeing water but it's really just a mirage and you're drinking sand, as opposed to finding a real oasis. Of course maybe Shaun Hill is that oasis and I've gone crazy and am off sitting in the desert eating sand. This metaphor is running on fumes I think.

Niners Nation - The premier 49ers blog on the Internet!

by David Fucillo on Dec 21, 2007 12:50 PM PST up reply actions

Huh?

What is is. But what will have been won't be until it's happened.

by Bob In Pacifica on Dec 21, 2007 5:42 PM PST reply actions

imo

Shaun Hill is competent. Unfortunately, that's all it takes to be that much of an improvement over what we've had. I don't think anyone is really predicting multiple probowls in the wings for this spectacular diamond in the rough. It's just easy to get carried away.

McDonald's seems like a 5-star restraunt when you've gone 3 years eating prison slop.

by shleckothegecko on Dec 21, 2007 10:32 PM PST reply actions

Amazement

Here's what amazes me about the Sports Guy:

He finally wrote an article where he didn't spend the entire thing talking about how great the Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics/fill-in-the-Boston-sports-team is, or how much he hates the Yankees/Colts/other-villainous-to-Boston-sports-team. And it wasn't a mailbag filled with drones asking him questions in the exact same style of writing that Bill produces ("Hey Bill, my buddies and I were in Vegas talking about Seinfeld and the Patriots, and thought you'd be the perfect judge for our argument. If Tom Brady, Coco Crisp and a bunch of female celebrites were on Real World/Road Rules Challenge, would it be better than Friday Night Lights? Can we get a ruling?"). I mean, this has become a once a year kind of thing!

Thinking of giving up sports and taking up heavy drinking.

by Drunken Miller on Dec 24, 2007 9:37 AM PST reply actions