I’m happy that I did.

I still believe that Smith would have been a good choice. Of course he got hurt so in the end it doesn’t matter. I have a feeling though that if Alex Smith went in, in the second half of the season, Martz would still have been making him do the 7 step drops and the sacks would still be high (Because he is more of a physical specimen than Hill Martz would throw down the field more). But I don’t care because I’m just glad we have a COMPETENT QB! Congratulations Shaun Hill on doing what J.T. O’Sullivan couldn’t, getting the chance to start and not pissing all over it.

I enjoyed reading our NYT stuff from the Giants game. Some highlightsL

While the 49ers hold the same record as a year ago, they are clearly an improved team. In large part, they can thank Mike Martz for the much-improved offense, but they can also thank him for the 2-4 record. If Martz can just tighten up the offensive game plan and hand the ball off to Frank Gore a little more often, this team could make a run at .500. This team has the weapons to hang with the Giants. If they play like they’ve done the last two weeks they’ll get killed. If they make the proper adjustments, an upset is possible. I continue to hold my breath… 49ers, 24-23.

And:

For good reason, many fans are openly pessimistic about this week’s matchup with the Giants, while others are simply outspoken about their lack of optimism. The Giants’ defensive line is not what it was last year, but it is still more than capable. Likewise, the 49ers’ offensive line is not what it was last year, but it is still more than, say, cheesecloth. This pattern becomes more glaring with each positional matchup. Giants, capable. 49ers, cheesecloth. But Mike Nolan likes cheesecloth and, aye, therein lies the rub. Still, we all go a little crazy sometimes. And with Frank Gore and Patrick Willis, I almost can’t blame me. 49ers, 30-27.

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Speaking of which, here’s the link for the new ones we just did: http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/100-words-jets-8-4-at-niners-4-8/

I was always skeptical of Hill, and I uphold that that was always the right opinion to have of him. Even now, to some extent, it still is. He is by far the better option than O’Sullivan, though. There was a time even that was rightfully in question, but at this point it couldn’t possibly be more clear.

what I voted for, I can’t remember. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t “free shaun hill”

But early in the year, I don’t think he was really an option. He suffered from dead arm in camp, if you remember, and really struggled to get a grasp on the new offense in his very limited time before that.

Going into week 1, JTO clearly knew the playbook better than anyone else on the roster, and he had put in a few pretty good performances early on. I don’t think anyone was anointing him the starter for the entirety of the 2008 season (I sure as hell wasn’t), but he had the edge for the first couple games.

That being said, I had hoped that it would only be a matter of time before Shaun Hill took, or was handed, the reigns.

I’m the resident Shaun Hill supporter here. Hell, I’ve posted way too many comments and fanposts that say, basically, “Just TurnOvers throws games away – start Shaun Hill. Thanks”.

Not to brag or anything.

I’m very happy we started with J.T.O. Because had Shaun Hill started, we might have a few more wins, but Mike Nolan might still be our head coach. Our ceiling with Mike Nolan was so low, even with wins from Shaun Hill I think it will be vastly increased next season with Singletary and Hill. Nolan might still be around and that means settling for mediocrity and no spark.

but I did see Shaun Hill play really well last year down the stretch. I was surprised he didn’t get the nod this year. I think he was at a disadvantage the whole way thru training camp because JT was brought in by Martz and Nolan was going with whatever Martz wanted – which still got him fired. Shaun Hill reminds me of Chad Pennington a little bit, he doesn’t have a particularly amazing arm. He doesn’t really need one when he has smart accurate throws.

Just stopping by to say I was on the Shaun Hill bandwagon at the end of last year, befuddled by JT starting, but happy that he finally got the spot he deserved.

Everyone, including Hill, said that Hill was slow at picking up the Martz offense.

So suppose that Hill started at the beginning of the season and did terribly. Would he already be consigned to the bench?

Or suppose he did better than JTO in our parallel universe and won a game or two that O’Sullivan lost. Maybe the Yorks don’t pull the trigger and fire Nolan. And maybe at the end of the year Nolan is fired and Singletary goes somewhere else.

I wasn’t on the Hill bandwagon last year or this year early on. Late last year the games the Niners won were against teams that had either thrown in the towel or were protecting first-stringers for the playoffs. As I recall, at least one of Hill’s wins wasn’t televised so I didn’t even see his pocket presence, and his coolness under pressure is his most impressive attribute.

In training camp I presumed the coaches were correct in putting Hill in third place. They were wrong, apparently.

I can honestly say that Shaun Hill has demonstrated the intangibles that make for a good quarterback, and those intangibles are showing up on the field and in the results. I’m glad that he’s the starter and I think the team should be planning on him starting for the next few years. Resign Smith and/or JTO for backups. No problem if the money is right. I suspect that if Martz is gone so is JTO. Or maybe the Niners should draft someone to sit and learn.

But keep Hill as quarterback.

I have always been a Hill hater, so I’ll eat some more crow. I’ve been eating a lot of crow this year, I’m getting used to the taste.

Thats the way i voted. If it wasn’t an option then I would’ve voted Hill. I was one of the ones at the Minnesota game last year chanting Hills name while Dilcrap was out there losing his mind and head. I don’t wish anyone to get hurt but we should thank Dilfer for getting his head knocked off in that game because thats when Hill got his chance.

cos I believed that, of the 3 QB’s, prior to the season starting he was the best of them and, as we had invested heavily in him we couldn’t just throw him away so to speak.Of course, once the injury hit I believe we should have gone straight to Hill.
 I think also, and you guys can tell I’m wrong here being closer to the action, but I believe that Hill wasn’t given a fair chance during practice and pre-season to prove himself then.
Next year I would cut JTO, re-work Smith’s contract and keep him as a back-up – thus giving him time to learn the offense properly – and draft a QB in lower rounds as our guy for the future.

i was just telling my cousin that the 49ers should do exactly that.