Official San Francisco 49ers Off-Season Thread (5-7): Let's get ready for the Draft!

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Does someone wanna explain this
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[h1]Report says 49ers stadium could turn Santa Clara's convention center into moneymaker[/h1]
By Denis C. Theriault


Mercury News

Posted: 06/21/2009 11:00:00 PM PDT

Updated: 06/22/2009 09:56:26 PM PDT


Santa Clara officials say there's yet another reason why voters should approve efforts to land a San Francisco 49ers stadium: new revenue for the city's long-subsidized convention center.

A report released last week says the project could help erase the city's annual $300,000 convention center subsidy, generating $157,000 a year for Santa Clara's operating budget. Further, the report says, the stadium also would drive up convention business at nearby hotels, creating up to $176,000 in new occupancy tax revenues.

"That would be the best-case scenario," said Assistant City Manager Ron Garratt, noting that the scenario "assumes a healthier market than exists right now."

The report is one of three stadium-related issues up for discussion tonight by the City Council, the first such talks since the council three weeks ago approved a financing deal that calls for providing the $937 million project with a $114 million public subsidy.

Council members also will take up the costs and timetable required to hold a referendum in March, April or June; city officials must decide as soon as this fall when to put the issue on the ballot. They also will discuss amending the city's charter so the 49ers could select a construction contractor, specifically one well-versed in NFL facilities, without a competitive bidding process.

Monday, Councilman Kevin Moore said at least two of those items - the convention center report and the ballot discussion - are closely related.

Perhaps the council's most ardent stadium booster, Moore said the "synergy" between the convention center and a nearby stadium, and the potential financial boon to the city, add to a compelling argument for moving forward.

As currently drawn up, the stadium would include some 109,000 square feet of new, high-end banquet and meeting space for use by convention center clients.

"This will be the hot spot," Moore said. "This is going to really enliven our entertainment area."

The stadium project's lengthy financing "term sheet," approved by the council June 2, hinted that a stadium might help the convention center, which has needed city funds to operate throughout its 23 years.

The new report includes more specifics about that hoped-for boost: Because the stadium facilities would provide the convention center with more space and flexibility, the report projects 12 additional days of large trade shows, eight more days of smaller banquet events and 13,000 new "room nights" at nearby hotels.

Improved economy

Garratt acknowledged that those projections presume economic conditions much rosier than today's. But he also said a stadium wouldn't open any sooner than 2014 and that conditions by then could look more like those in the late 1990s, just before the dot-com boom.

"We'll run with these numbers for now," he said. "They were examined and compared to a number of convention centers throughout the nation. Hopefully, a few years out, they'll be here."

But one stadium-subsidy opponent said the projections, even if the stars line up behind them, remain "underwhelming."

"Their convention center 'synergies' can't make the case for a $114 million subsidy for a $1 billion stadium," said Bill Bailey, treasurer for community group Santa Clara Plays Fair.

In the meantime, the council tonight will look into the best time to hold a binding vote on the project - something that can't happen until a detailed environmental study is approved, probably this fall.

Three options

Of the three proposed dates - March 2, April 13 and June 8 - the latter would be the cheapest, at $151,644, because it would allow the city to piggyback on the already scheduled state primary.

The March election, being looked at as an all-mail vote, would be the next cheapest at $364,459. But city officials would first need to lobby the state to change election-code rules that limit mail elections to cities with fewer than 100,000 people.

A special election in April would cost $652,396. But the issue of cost could wind up moot. Lisa Lang, a spokeswoman for the 49ers, said the team had long ago offered to help with the expense, and once the city chooses an election date, the team would be willing to talk again with city officials.

The earliest the council would need to make a decision is late November, ahead of the deadline for placing measures on the March ballot.

"I'm waiting to make a decision" based on what city staff recommends, Moore said, "but my inclination is that March would make the most sense."

Link
More positives about the stadium.
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So I'm over here working with my uncle in San Jose. And my uncle lives in Silver Creek Valley on Vicenza Way and four houses down I find out that VernonDavis lives there. He has a brand new s500, a Bentley Continental, and a 96 Impala. I'm kind of nervous to go talk to him. I see his car every one inawhile but I would feel stupid to go ring his door bell.
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Originally Posted by fuzynguyen

So I'm over here working with my uncle in San Jose. And my uncle lives in Silver Creek Valley on Vicenza Way and four houses down I find out that Vernon Davis lives there. He has a brand new s500, a Bentley Continental, and a 96 Impala. I'm kind of nervous to go talk to him. I see his car every one in awhile but I would feel stupid to go ring his door bell.
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Yo, directions?
 
Originally Posted by NikeTalker23

Originally Posted by fuzynguyen

So I'm over here working with my uncle in San Jose. And my uncle lives in Silver Creek Valley on Vicenza Way and four houses down I find out that Vernon Davis lives there. He has a brand new s500, a Bentley Continental, and a 96 Impala. I'm kind of nervous to go talk to him. I see his car every one in awhile but I would feel stupid to go ring his door bell.
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Yo, directions?
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you should crash all his parties
 
Originally Posted by NikeTalker23

Yo, where's ReliantJ at?
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he got banned a long time ago for posting nudies in a thread i think.

he PM'd me not too long ago, come out of hiding Reliant!
 
All this basketball talk made me forget how excited I am about the football season. Any updates on Crabtree?
 
Originally Posted by westcoastsfinest

Originally Posted by LB510

9 wins would be nice this year
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10 would be nicer
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...do it singletary!
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[Lee Corso]Not so fast my friend !!!!!!!![Lee Corso]

We're playing the AFC South, NFC North, Philadelphia & Atlanta next season
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Not to mention the fact that we also haven't been that strong against the NFC West lately
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I'll admit it. I'm a skeptic. Especially when it comes to the York family. Ever since Eddie DeBartolo's sister Denise and her husband John assumed control of the 49ers, I've been watching their clumsy regime and organizational blunders, further distancing the team from its glory years.
So when, a few years ago, I started hearing praise for their son Jed, the heir apparent, I wasn't biting. Some kid in his mid-20s was going to turn everything around?
But I started paying attention. I saw Jed make a few missteps early on. But I've seen him grow into this new role as the public face of ownership. And this month, as Jed ran the gauntlet of media interviews after the Santa Clara City Council voted to approve the 49ers stadium financing plan, I must admit: I was impressed.
He was not only articulate, he was honest. He didn't exaggerate the team's victory. He didn't cheerlead or embellish. He wasn't overly defensive or slickly smooth. He was restrained, thoughtful and appeared prepared for a long road ahead.
And since I've spent years bashing the York family, I felt I should give Jed a compliment in person. Recently we sat down for a long conversation at 49ers headquarters, where I asked him about his growing comfort level as the public face of the team.
"It's probably a little more natural for me than it is for other family members," Jed said.
Jed, 28, grew up in the public eye. When people needed something in Youngstown
Ohio, they sought out his family. When he was in second grade at St. Charles elementary school, the school gave a rally for his family before the 1989 Super Bowl. He grew up aware that he was in the spotlight.
At Cardinal Mooney High, he was the senior class president and led the school rallies. His ability for public speaking was obvious to the speech coach, Ms. Mastro Nard, who tried to persuade Jed to come out for speech. But it conflicted with baseball and he was captain of the team.
Though there isn't a lot of formal training in his background, Jed had his grandfather and uncle - both quite comfortable in the spotlight - as role models.
As Jed has evolved into his new role, he has been in touch with the former face of the team. He talks to his uncle Eddie on a regular basis. The phone conversations run both ways: either Jed calls or Eddie calls with advice.
"He definitely has some pearls," Jed said. "Mostly about not listening to the media."
I can vouch that this is advice DeBartolo himself often ignored. But the open communication between uncle and nephew is encouraging. A large part of the Yorks' public relations problem is the perceived rift with DeBartolo and their unwillingness or inability to embrace his accomplishments.
"I think some of that was blown out of proportion," Jed said.
Regardless, by virtue of having his uncle's public blessing, Jed can work to make the 49ers whole again.
"It certainly helps," Jed said of his relationship with his uncle. "I think he's the best owner there's ever been in professional football, maybe professional sports. So to have the blessing of an idol, whether he's my uncle or not, is important."
The 49ers announced this spring that they are starting a team Hall of Fame and will induct DeBartolo - a decision Jed said was unanimous within his family.
"That's a no-brainer," Jed said. "It's important for the fans, but that's not why we're doing it. If you do something just for show or media attention, that becomes obvious. It catches up with you."
Jed has a certain savvy in dealing with the media that his parents lack. And some of that comes from another mentor. Andy Dolich, the team's chief operating officer and a longtime sports executive, appears to have left his fingerprints on his young protégé.
"He has," Jed said. "He's been working in sports longer than I've been alive. He has experience, something that I lack. I can learn from him."
He said he and Dolich share similar philosophies - about being available to the media, about honest responses. They also share a simple belief system, one perfected by Uncle Eddie.
"Keep it simple," Jed said. "My uncle did grand things but everyone knew what the goal was. The goal was to win the Super Bowl."
Jed lacks the brashness of his uncle. For a young man who grew up never lacking anything, Jed has a certain humility. His girlfriend is a sixth-grade science teacher in a San Francisco public school. When people laud him for being articulate, Jed said he can't help but contrast such praise with her challenging job, for which there is little public acknowledgement.
This summer, the young couple is traveling to Italy. (His girlfriend has never been out of the country.) And then a new season will unfold - with Jed now firmly at the helm.
"Our slogan for this year is, 'Don't tell me, show me,'" he said. "There's a reason that there's negativity around this team. We haven't been in playoffs since 2002.
"It's up to us to change that."
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Andre Dabagghian desperately didn't want to have that conversation on Aug. 10, 2008. It was nearly 11 p.m. on a Sunday night, and he knew his good friend, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, already had plenty of pressure on him.

Smith was fighting to keep his starting job during training camp. He was enduring tremendous pain in his surgically repaired right shoulder. The last thing Dabagghian wanted to do was drop this bomb: Smith's best friend, David Edwards, had killed himself earlier that day.

The job became that much harder when Smith received Dabagghian's text message and called back a few minutes later. When Dabagghian heard the upbeat tone in Smith's voice, he told his friend to sit down.

NFC West blog

ESPN.com's Mike Sando writes about all things NFC West in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

So Smith steadied himself in his Santa Clara Marriott hotel room and quietly listened to the details of his friend's death. (Out of respect for Edwards' family, which didn't comment for this story, Smith asked that the manner of suicide not be revealed publicly.)

Smith's heart quickly sank as his former housemate delivered the news. His body tensed. His mind raced. Smith heard every word that Dabagghian said, and still he resisted the truth.

"I was in complete shock," Smith said in a recent interview. "I just didn't want to believe it."

The football star recalled speaking to Edwards on the phone just the day before -- and failing to return a subsequent follow-up phone call from him. Smith is overcome with regret.

"It's hard for me to not have those feelings that I was being selfish about my NFL career, and I wound up not being there for David."

After learning of Edwards' death, Smith called his fiancée, Elizabeth, who rushed over to the hotel. He called his parents, Doug and Pam, who had come to think of Edwards as their fifth child. Smith also called 49ers head coach Mike Nolan, who immediately responded to support the same quarterback he'd publicly feuded with a season earlier.

And after all those gut-wrenching conversations, Smith woke up the next morning and did something that was stunning in its own right: He went back to practice.

"I tried to go out there but I just couldn't get David's image out of my head," Smith said. "I've never lost anybody that close to me before. I still keep a big picture of him by my bed. Even now, I still wake up every day thinking about him."

Smith's finding his way back
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AP Photo/Paul Sakuma
Even Shaun Hil (left), Alex Smith's competition for the starting quarterback job, is impressed with the renewed strength of Smith's right arm.
It's been nearly 11 months since Alex Smith started what has been the hardest period of his life. He's still finding his way back from that devastating night. He's never been a man who's let people into his life easily, so the death of Edwards was even more painful to accept. But Smith would be the first to say that something blossomed in him shortly after that tragedy. In the wake of the devastation, he's developed a clarity of purpose that might ultimately save his NFL career.

After all, the same man who produced disappointing numbers in his first four NFL seasons (19 touchdowns, 31 interceptions and a 12-18 record as a starter) has been turning heads during the 49ers' offseason workouts. There's more determination in Smith's eyes, more swagger in his stride and more confidence in the once-gimpy right arm that now feels fully healed. Even Shaun Hill, Smith's good friend and the man who's battling for the starting quarterback job, has been impressed.

"He's throwing it well," Hill said. "[His ball] has got a lot of zip on it right now, and his accuracy is coming back. He's looking good out there. I like what I see."

"I think my focus is in the right place," Smith said. "I've never been through anything like what I went through last year, but I've also tried to take the good from it. I didn't do it consciously, but I have grown up. I do feel like I'm in a better place and I also know that sitting out as much as I have has definitely made me hungry."

Smith's teammates and coaches aren't the only ones who have noticed the change. When Smith could have been focusing on last-minute details for his wedding in February, he spent the day before the event grinding through another rehab session and studying the offense installed by new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye. He also used to be the kind of guy who took time to watch shows like "The Office" at home with Elizabeth. Now he's eating dinner at 7 p.m., taking his playbook to bed at 8 and going to sleep by 9 so he can be rested for the next opportunity to prove himself.

Smith's friends say they haven't seen this side of him since his days as a sophomore at Utah, back when former Utes head coach Urban Meyer said he was a third-string nobody with a football career heading nowhere. That kind of motivation eventually made Smith a regular presence in the office of former Utah quarterbacks coach Dan Mullen, where Smith immersed himself in Meyer's system. Two years later, Smith had a 21-1 record as a starter. He also had NFL scouts drooling over his combination of size (he's 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 217 pounds), arm strength and athleticism.

What was apparent about Smith then is the same thing that seems obvious now: He isn't going to wilt when the odds are stacked against him.

"I'm seeing the same attitude that Alex had back when nobody knew anything about him at Utah," Dabagghian said. "I've been waiting to see that confidence from him as the 49ers' quarterback, and I see that now. Alex really hasn't been this excited to play football since he was in college."

The question, of course, is whether Smith can continue impressing people when training camp starts. Hill has done enough to be considered the front-runner in this competition. He's 7-3 as a starter with the 49ers, and his inspiring play last season helped Mike Singletary go from interim coach -- after the team fired Nolan seven games into last season -- to permanent head coach in late December. For a team that has had so many issues at quarterback recently, it would be hard to overlook Hill's success on the job.

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I still feel like I have unfinished business here. That's because I still know what kind of player I can become and I haven't shown that yet. Thankfully, the 49ers have given me another chance.
"
-- 49ers QB Alex Smith on his NFL career
Smith also is playing for his fifth offensive coordinator in five years, which means there is no guarantee he will find an immediate comfort zone in Raye's system.

He is such a reputed perfectionist that Mullen said: "Alex really wants to think himself into an offense. He wants to know all the nuances of it so he can know how to use it."

That desire to perfect an offense could make it harder for Smith to play with the same instinctive freedom that Hill displays naturally.

But Smith also understands something crucial to his chances of his success: Those aren't the kinds of issues that he can control. He came into the league as a 20-year-old who was so sheltered that he had purchased his first car just a month before. Now, at age 25, he has the look of a mature veteran who's eager to show the world what he's learned.

Smith has changed his throwing motion to be more efficient with the football, and former 49ers quarterback Trent Dilfer, now an ESPN analyst, also has noticed that Smith likely is ready "to play the game the way he wants to play it instead of the way others have been telling him to play it."

Added Smith: "I still feel like I have unfinished business here. That's because I still know what kind of player I can become and I haven't shown that yet. Thankfully, the 49ers have given me another chance."

When asked why Smith received another opportunity to compete for the job, Singletary said: "I basically wanted to see Alex and Shaun at the same starting place. I wasn't certain that Alex was at that place at the beginning of last season. I think he was trying to climb out of something. But I also think he has done that and he's done a good job here. He's competing for the job."

A valuable friendship
Smith would be the first to say that the climbing process that Singletary referred to has yet to end. In some ways, it might never be over. Smith had known Edwards since they first met as freshmen at Helix High in La Mesa, Calif. They didn't seem to have much in common at first sight -- Smith was the introverted, gifted athlete, while Edwards was a quick-witted extrovert with little natural physical ability -- but they bonded almost immediately. Since both were blessed with bright minds, they often pushed each other with sharp debates and probing conversations ranging from sports to politics.

David Edwards (left) and Alex Smith had been friends since freshman year of high school. Said Smith: "He was more like an adopted brother to me."
Smith and Edwards became so tight that they were nearly inseparable throughout their teenage years. Edwards often could be found hanging out at the Smith family home in suburban San Diego, and that was even after Alex had left for school at Utah. (Edwards attended UCLA.)

"Calling David a best friend really doesn't do our relationship justice," Smith said. "He was more like an adopted brother to me. He was close to everyone in my family."

Doug Smith, Alex's father, added that Edwards "literally was at every important moment in Alex's life after they became friends."

That included a visit to New York City for the 2005 NFL draft, where Smith, Edwards and Dabagghian toured the town and waited to see whether Smith would become the top pick that year. It had been a magical journey for Smith -- he had received only two Division I scholarship offers before ultimately maturing into an All-America quarterback -- and he wanted his pals along for the ride. When the 49ers selected Smith first overall, his friends joined him as roommates in his suburban San Jose, Calif., house.

They were all living a dream life in those days. Smith was trying to find his way in the NFL, and Edwards and Dabagghian were his most ardent supporters and harshest critics. Edwards was even there when Smith went on his first informal date with Elizabeth. After Smith and Elizabeth hung out at the St. Patrick's Day festival in San Jose, Edwards invited himself to their dinner at a local restaurant that evening.

For Smith, everything slowly seemed to be falling into place back then. After throwing one touchdown pass and 11 interceptions as a rookie, he had improved noticeably under the guidance of new offensive coordinator Norv Turner in his second season. With Turner placing him in a quarterback-friendly offense, Smith completed a career-high 58.1 percent of his passes while throwing 16 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. The belief was that 2007 would be even better, as the 49ers hoped to vault into playoff contention after finishing 8-8 a year earlier.

It was a scenario that seemed plausible until Smith tore ligaments in his right shoulder after Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Rocky Bernard sacked him in a loss on Sept. 30, 2007. Though Smith was in so much pain that he had to sleep sitting upright for the remainder of the year, he first tried competing with the injury. When Smith's play declined drastically, he publicly admitted that he was severely injured and said Nolan hadn't understood his concerns. By the end of the year, Smith was certain Nolan had tried to undermine him with teammates by suggesting Smith was soft. (Nolan, now the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator, was not allowed to comment for this story because of team policy.)

It was a nightmarish experience for Smith, who didn't play in the final six games of that year and ultimately underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Dec. 11, 2007: "There were things that got out of the building back then that shouldn't have left. I think we both would want to go back and change that."

Dilfer is more pointed in his assessment of those events.

"Alex wasn't banged up," Dilfer said. "He was injured. That should've been presented better to everybody, or he should've been sat down. The organization sort of threw him under the bus."

What's also important to note about that time is that Edwards wasn't around very much any more. He'd taken a job that required him to work mainly in Iowa, and by the end of 2007 he was moving back to San Diego to prepare for law school. Edwards and Smith still spoke on the phone frequently. Edwards also made monthly trips to the Bay Area. But there was just enough separation that it was easy for Smith to think he could've missed something about his friend's issues.

Smith's friends now suspect Edwards might have been grappling with a chemical imbalance. He could've been living with feelings of suicide for years. All Smith knows is that he couldn't see it coming as he tried to stabilize his imploding career.

"I was concerned with football," Smith said. "I feel like it took me away from David for a little bit. He was back in San Diego. He was trying to deal with some things."

That feeling overwhelmed Smith from the moment Dabagghian informed him of Edwards' death. Smith had seen Edwards enjoying himself on two separate occasions that summer -- first at Smith's engagement party and later at a Smith family vacation in Shasta Lake. Smith also had talked to Edwards just a day before Edwards' death. There was no depression in Edwards' voice then, no reason for Smith to think his friend had reached a point of no return.

In fact, that last phone call is what pains Smith as much as anything about this tragedy. When asked what he talked to Edwards about, Smith said: "The whole conversation was about me. He wanted to know how the competition was going, how my shoulder was feeling, how I was doing. That's the kind of guy he was."

Elizabeth Smith added that her husband had a tough time forgiving himself for what happened after that talk. When Edwards called later that night, Smith ignored his cell phone, figuring that he'd return the call later.

What Smith ultimately was left with was the kind of tragic mystery that could drive an analytical mind like his crazy. The closest person in Smith's life had given no indication that he had lost his will to live. Edwards had left no note in the wake of his death. Elizabeth and Smith's parents tried to explain that Edwards was fighting something nobody could prevent. But Smith still blamed himself for the final result.

Said Dabagghian: "I was really worried about Alex in the two or three days after I told him about David. The perfectionist side of him was thinking about David, but he also was worried about what was happening with his team. You wouldn't find anybody who would feel sorry for Alex because of everything he has, but in that situation you would've felt that. Almost everything in his life was going wrong at that point."

Smith still managed to make it through those difficult days that followed Edwards' death. Smith's parents held a memorial service at their home three days later that included a backyard barbecue, which was Edwards' favorite event. Smith also gave the eulogy that day, although he initially struggled with the responsibility. While choking back tears, he told some funny stories about Edwards before reminding people to remember the person his friend was instead of the way he died.

"I basically said everything I would've said to him if he was still here," Smith said.

As painful as that moment was for Smith, it did start a healing process for him that would prove invaluable in the coming weeks. Even when he lost his job to J.T. O'Sullivan and later underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last September, Smith didn't let those issues crush his spirit. Football always had been his release when things weren't going right for him. Now he used it as a means of escape even though he was sidelined.

While rehabilitating his shoulder, Smith continued to study film and attend meetings. He also kept up with the game plans that former offensive coordinator Mike Martz designed every week. Players on injured reserve usually go home after rehab and vanish from the locker room. Smith decided he wasn't going to use his injury as a reason to distance himself from his teammates.

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Phil Carter/US Presswire
Alex Smith on entering his fifth NFL season: "My focus is definitely in the right place."
For Smith, losing his best friend had taught him the importance of not taking life -- or opportunity -- for granted.

As Smith's father, Doug, said, "Alex got to be an observer of the game when he was out. He used it as chance to learn."

"It was hard when I hurt my shoulder again," Smith said. "But you also do start to see the bigger picture better after something like that. I had a better grasp on life and what really mattered. And I wasn't going to dwell on things that were outside of my control."

That time was a breakthrough moment for Smith in ways that casual observers couldn't see. Instead of absorbing all the pressure that came with being a young, aspiring quarterback in the NFL -- as he'd done earlier in his career -- he learned the value of blowing it off. He stopped worrying about what the media were saying about him. He spent less time wondering who would coach the team after Nolan was fired.

Smith also didn't grapple with the possibility that the 49ers might dump him.

"I didn't know what was going to happen at the end of the year because there was a lot going on," Smith said. "But I also decided that all that uncertainty didn't matter to me. I wasn't going to sit at home and dwell on it. I was only going to worry about being the best player I could be."

The 49ers obviously saw some encouraging signs as well. Instead of releasing Smith earlier this offseason -- he was due to be paid $24.6 million over the last two years of his current contract -- they restructured his deal to a reported $4 million per season for this year and the next. The team's decision to keep Singletary also was a promising move for Smith. After going through those rocky times with Nolan, Smith so appreciates Singletary's candid, no-nonsense nature that he refers to his coach as "a man of honesty and integrity."

"
Alex still has moments when he needs to go through the grieving process. He didn't really get that opportunity when all this happened.
"
-- Elizabeth Smith on her husband Alex
Singletary also sees how far Smith has come in a short time.

"Difficult moments can make men mature in ways that age and time can't," Singletary said. "When Alex first came into the league, he was this wide-eyed kid who had a look that said, 'I'm in the NFL. Here we go.' But once you go through some tough times, your focus starts to sharpen and you know what you have to do. That's where Alex is at now."

Singletary added that he's talked to Smith about the importance of enjoying the game again.

"I told him it's a matter of feeling good out there," Singletary said. "That's the biggest thing he has to do because it's the key to playing well. Alex knows he can play this game. He just needs to put things back in place."

Smith admits that that process still isn't as easy as he'd like it to be. There are days when he'll be walking with Elizabeth and he'll stop to reflect on the loss of his best friend. There are moments when he'll look for a text message from Edwards or wonder when his buddy will come walking through the front door of his house.

"Alex still has moments when he needs to go through the grieving process," Elizabeth said. "He didn't really get that opportunity when all this happened."

But Smith has taken some important steps in addressing his pain. When he and Elizabeth were married at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, they gave a tribute to Edwards.

Shortly after dinner arrived, they glanced briefly at each other through tears.

"We said we'd had a lot of weight to carry, but we also said it was time to start over," said Elizabeth, who also had an uncle die recently.

"This is a new year, a new season and a new start. There may be people who aren't with us any longer. But we also have to move forward."

It's that belief that is so apparent in Smith today.

He knows that his career with the 49ers remains up in the air. He realizes that all these good vibes won't mean anything if he can't keep turning heads in training camp. But Smith also understands something just as critical: His world will not implode if Shaun Hill is the 49ers' starting quarterback this season.

That's because Smith already has won a bigger battle -- the kind that ultimately made him a stronger person overall.

Said Dilfer: "Everybody can see that he's a different person now. Losing David and getting married have hardened him as a man in a good way. Now he's a guy who will draw a line in the sand and tell you when he thinks something is bulls---. That's something you need if you're going to be an NFL quarterback."

"My focus is definitely in the right place," Smith said. "There are a lot of peripheral things that you have to deal with in this league, and I dealt with a lot of them when I came in. It's everything from being on your own to facing the media. But I'm at a point where I'm not going to let anything distract me. I know who I am. And I know where I want to go."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeffri&id=4280753
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[h1]Offseason spotlight: Can the 49ers win with Hill, Smith?[/h1]
NFL.com
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Paul Sakuma / Associated Press[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Shaun Hill and Alex Smith are in an open competition for the starting QB job.[/td] [/tr][/table]
As part of NFL Network's 32 teams in 32 days series, airing daily on Total Access, NFL.com takes a look at a key question facing each NFL team. NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger and NFL Network host Paul Burmeister discuss the San Francisco 49ers quarterback competition. Can the 49ers win with either Shaun Hill or Alex Smith at the helm this season?

Read their take and then enter the discussion below.
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[h3]Baldinger: Hill a playmaker[/h3]
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The 49ers can be a winning team with Shaun Hill. I don't think they can win with Alex Smith.

One thing with Hill is that he's already been a winning QB for them. With Hill, they have a guy who knows how to play on Sundays. He moves the team. They'll score points with him in the lineup. He's a playmaker and gets the ball out of his hands quickly.

The 49ers tend to stay in games with Hill at QB.

I think we're going to see a lot of Frank Gore this season, and we're going to see a lot of play-action and pushing the ball down the field. We'll see a vertical stretch in the offense under Jimmy Raye. But there are a lot of young receivers. Michael Crabtree will have to learn. Josh Morgan is really just coming into his own right now. They have some young guys they will have to feature; they'll be a big part of this team. I don't think they can lean on Isaac Bruce the way that Mike Martz did last year.

The 49ers can win with Hill this season, behind a solid offensive line and a ground game focused on Gore.
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[h3]Burmeister: QB not my concern[/h3]
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I believe Shaun Hill is the best quarterback on the 49ers roster. I don't think this team can consistently win with Alex Smith.

The quarterback competition is getting the most attention, but when I think about the Niners offense, QB isn't my biggest concern. I acknowledge that it's nowhere near a strength, but it's really not the biggest reason for worry. Higher on my list of questions: Can Michael Crabtree be as effective in an NFL offense vs. NFL corners as he was in Texas Tech's spread attack vs. Big 12 corners? Can Vernon Davis continue to develop? And will Marvel Smith play at a winning level for an entire season at right tackle?

One more question mark for me reagarding this Niners team: How will the players respond to an entire season of Mike Singletary's type of leadership? There could be a mixed reaction.

When the season gets long in November, will it drive them to improve? Or will it drive them into the ground? It takes a special kind of player -- a special type of locker room -- to match his intensity from early August to late December.
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i'm really pulling for alex...if the situation is right for him to start, let's see what happens. if he can really outperform hill in preseason i saywhy not. but if hill still shows to be more consistent and better, gotta go with hill.
alex def won't be a pro bowl QB, but he can be solid still.
 
Originally Posted by acidicality

i'm really pulling for alex...if the situation is right for him to start, let's see what happens. if he can really outperform hill in preseason i say why not. but if hill still shows to be more consistent and better, gotta go with hill.
alex def won't be a pro bowl QB, but he can be solid still.
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If Alex starts he better mother $%+*%+$ be the next JimPlunkett
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Otherwise, I don't ever want to see him on the field again.
 
super excited about this season, def have potential to make playoffs IMO

what games you guys going to?

a homie of mine who plays for the broncos is goign to give me tickets to the 1st preseason game, excitedd!
 
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