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		49ers Smith will still have to work for starting role By Joe Cronin and Ken Gimblin March 13, 2009

	SANTA CLARA--Alex Smith is going to be a question mark because will the year off that he didn't play have any effect on his game? We don't know that yet, remember Smith came into the NFL with one major problem he was not a drop back quarterback he always passed from a different formation where they threw the ball back five or six yards. Smith is not used to going back to pass and going back to pass is a lot different where you can look over the field before the ball ever gets to you. If you noticed when he dropped back his major problem was that he had was that he always threw ball late. That will give you some indication this year as to how he's coming along in the first exhibition game. If you can look at him passing and perceive that he's throwing the ball late then the 49ers are going to have problems with him. He's probably not going to make the team or starting quarterback. He's probably going to be a wash out after all the talent he exhibited at the University of Utah. Remember in the NFL with a 16 game schedule it's always better to have two quarterbacks even though they complain and they're competitive your going to get into some personality problems it's still far better to have two quarterbacks. Especially if there is honest competition amongst them. You can see this past season JT O'Sullivan gave it all he had and he had some games where he played very well. His problem came about because he didn't throw the ball quick enough. He didn't look over the field to find his number one, number two, or his number three receivers were going to be. When that's the case it's something that's very difficult to tell. The coaching can let you know what’s happening but to be able to do that on a long ongoing basis it's darn hard to do. You have to look at the 49ers at the end of last year and try to figure out what the attitude is going to be in the coaching department. They're going to give them a chance but Smith is going to have to step up. If he doesn't step up he's in big trouble and he won't make it through. If he does step up even if he makes some kind of mistakes he still is going to be light years better than what happened to O'Sullivan last year. The 49ers want guys who aren't going to be perfect but they're going to have to show a good attitude about trying to do the job that you getting paid for. On 49er broadcaster Ted Robinson: Remember everybody who attended 49ers game all revered ex 49ers broadcaster Joe Starkey. The new guy is going to be different but if he's competent and good Ted Robinson he's going to be one of the measures that's going to look like the new 49ers on the air. Robinson will have good healthy listeners especially if the team gets better. If the team gets better his recognition and it will go up right away. That what kind of what happened to Starkey in the beginning when he took over for ex-49er play by play announcer Don Klein. Starkey will remembered as the hockey broadcaster from Pittsburgh and California in the NHL many fans will remember him starting out his career in hockey at the Penguins then the Seals play by play announcer. Certainly Len Shapiro the Seals old publicity man remembers. Well Starkey sure made it in football and his broadcast of that Cal game where Cal ran a lateral kick off back on the last play of the game is a classic that will be played forever. If Robinson comes in and does well as a 49ers broadcaster which you can bet the house he will it's going to lend an ultimate stamp on his career it's going to be exceedingly positive and he's definitely going to pull it off. Whether he does is open for discussion, but if anybody can do it he can. Robinson is experienced and some hated to see Starkey go but he couldn't have handled both ends of back to back games in two different cities, traveling and doing the Cal Bears on Saturdays and then the 49ers on Sundays but that's what Starkey had to do. Joe Starkey was always considered to be a big part of the 49ers family for not only his outstanding play by play but for being such a warm person and such. Robinson if he can broadcast up to those standards the same thing could happen to him. He certainly matched it when he was the Giants play by play announcer here. Ken Gimblin and Joe Cronin co-host Sportstalk Radio