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		49ers Friday night lights gets pre season ramped up By David Zizmor August 14, 2009

	SAN FRANCISCO--The 49ers had their first game of the pre season under their respective football belts after Friday night's meeting against the Denver Broncos. Still after the contest it hasn't been decided whose going to get the starting nod for quarterback for the 49ers. This will be interesting for several reasons. Also what made last night's contest even more interesting former 49er head coach Mike Nolan was assisting as defensive coordinator for the Broncos. The 49ers got to see their former head coach on the opposite sideline and see what he could draw up and stop the 49ers. Nolan who was not familiar with the 49ers current offensive strategy he used to run last season that was put in by new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye and Nolan was out there last night trying to make a point and trying to stop Raye and the 49ers offense. Nolan may have wanted to have something to prove which would have been somewhat harder than normal for defenses in an exhibition game than you would normally expect for the first game of the pre season never the less the real issue, the real spectacle here is the quarterback decision for the 49ers between Shaun Hill and Alex Smith. There are some people who are speculating that Smith is going to get the starting job simply because Singletary wants to see him in a situation where he's under the most stress possible. Singletary wants to see how Smith responds under stress because thats kind of problem he's had in the regular season. Smith has been a guy in the past whose looked good in the pre season but when he gets to the regular season he kind of folds up plays a little more tentatively. The way Mike Singletary and a lot of other people see it as a home game against the Denver Broncos and Mike Nolan and that whole hullabaloo between the two of them, the fans have been very critical and the game Friday couldn't have been a more stressful for a pre season game and that was the best situation to see how Smith responds to that kind of stress. Smith has succeeded in practice and if he applies this in these games then we might actually see Smith as the starter. With that said Hill has been doing well equally in practice and certainly deserves to be the number one based on how he's played on the last couple of years for the 49ers at 7-3 and it certainly says more than enough by itself. Hill is going to get his chance as well but nothing is set in stone at this point the Smith versus Hill quarterback controversy will probably continue beyond this week unless one them gets hurt or has an amazing game and the other one has a terrible game as they face the Raiders at Candlestick next Saturday night. It was interesting to watch Friday night at Candlestick but there is nothing resolved as coach Singletary is still studying both players at this point and everybody is trying read the tea leaves to see what Singletary will think based on their performances. This should be a fun pre season for 49ers fans trying to figure out whose going to be the QB. Michael Crabtree update: Let's be clear about the guy who helps out Crabtree, David Wells is just his cousin and does not hold an official position it's Eugene Parker who is Crabtree's agent in this matter. Wells has stated that Crabtree will hold out for the rest of the season if he has to. He's really more a posse member Wells is not anyone with a title and he doesn't officially speak for Crabtree and the second Crabtree's cousin says this Eugene Parker the actual Crabtree agent said "that's ridiculous he has no plans to sit out he whole season." Let's make this clear there is no way that Michael Crabtree is going to sit this whole season out. He might hold out for all of pre season and he might hold out for longer than anybody wants but there is no reason and there is no good reason for him to sit out an entire season and try and enter the draft and there are a couple of reasons here number one, if Crabtree decides to hold out for the whole season and try and re-enter the draft next year the 49ers have the rights to Crabtree which means Crabtree can not work out for any other team. Nobody can get a look at him, nobody can try him out, nobody can see what he's doing and what kind of shape he's in. You can't give him a physical, you can't give him a 40 yard dash, nothing. You can't do it because he's under the control of the 49ers right up until draft day and lets face it Crabtree was injured coming into this year's draft so there are a lot of questions about his physical status, especially about his speed he never ran a 40 yard dash in the combine or anywhere else nobody really knows what his actual time would be and that's just going to be a big question mark. David Zizmor does 49ers commentary each week during the season for Sportstalk radio