Jim Harbaugh more or less names Colt McCoy 49ers backup quarterback

Last night, Jim Harbaugh had some comments about Colt McCoy, and the media ran with that as indication that Harbaugh had named him the 49ers No. 2 quarterback. I had a chance to go back over the transcripts, and while it is not quite "Colt McCoy is this team's backup for the regular season", it did seem to move us in that direction.

Harbaugh was first asked, "Is QB Colt McCoy your backup quarterback now?" Harbaugh's response:

"Yeah, yes he is. I thought he played very well. Thing that's been very encouraging is he's progressed and gotten better every week. Tonight, just down after down, consistently good, that's what we've been looking for."

At first you could potentially take that as, "he's my quarterback right now, but that could change." Fortunately, we got this exchange a little later:

The competition now at quarterback is for the number three job going into the season? Is that accurate to say?

"Yeah, I feel real good about right now that Colt's the backup."

Colt McCoy was brought in on the act during his session with the media:

Did Harbaugh tell you that you were the backup because he told us.

"Yeah we've talked all week long. I would say that this week was probably my best week of practice. I'm gaining a lot of confidence and that's always a good thing. I'm glad I came out and performed, but give credit to the other guys too. I was fortunate enough to play with the first O-line in the first half - those guys are phenomenal. The receivers ran and caught the ball well, so I'm thankful."

Given all of these comments, it seems like Colt McCoy is definitely the backup quarterback right now, and probably is the backup quarterback when the regular season starts. I don't think that will change, but after this exchange, I still would not be surprised by some kind of change. McCoy confirmed last night that he did re-negotiate his contract. Whether that locked up a roster spot or not, it would seem for now like Colt McCoy will be the backup to start the season.

McCoy did not put on an inspired performance, but rather more of a game manager type of performance. I had several people tweet at me along those lines, proclaiming that B.J. Daniels had more upside and should be the backup quarterback. While Daniels has looked sharp, he also has a grand total of three preseason games under his NFL belt. He could be fine, but if something were to happen, it makes sense to have a guy at the helm that could keep things from completely falling apart. And it seems the 49ers want McCoy to be that guy.

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