The Associated Press
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Shaun Hill is a big reason Mike Singletary became San Francisco's head coach and shed the interim tag from his title. Not that it matters much now.
Singletary is going with Hill as the 49ers' starting quarterback for their exhibition opener Friday night against the Denver Broncos, yet insisted Thursday this is no hint whatsoever who will be under center come the regular season.
"Shaun Hill will start the game. I do not know who will start next week," Singletary said. "Really, it could have been Shaun Hill or Alex Smith we chose, so don't read anything in to it."
Hill, who worked with the No. 1 offense during the team's walkthrough Thursday, went 5-3 over the Niners' final eight games last season and 2-0 as a fill-in starter in 2007. He has shown he can lead the team and, ultimately, win. That, naturally, is a big factor for an organization that's endured a franchise-worst six straight losing seasons.
If there's a leader in this competition, Singletary won't say.
"I don't care about today. What I care about is at the end of it," he said in his matter-of-fact way. "And one can go a little bit ahead and a little bit behind. In all fairness to them, that's the only thing I want to comment on. In terms of who it is, who's ahead, who's not, it really doesn't matter right now for us."
Singletary said he doesn't have a targeted number of plays for Hill. The flow of the game will dictate when he turns the offense over to Smith and the other quarterbacks. Rookie Nate Davis also could get some opportunities.
Hill and Smith have been fairly even through the first 13 days of training camp, Singletary's first calling the shots. He took over for the fired Mike Nolan on Oct. 20 and they will be reunited when Nolan returns to Candlestick Park on Friday as Denver's defensive coordinator.
The journeyman Hill has faced questions, perhaps unfairly, about whether he can be a legitimate NFL starter who can make the big plays under pressure when it counts - especially long passes downfield. The 29-year-old Hill was an undrafted free agent in 2006.
"I am probably too far involved to sit there and judge," Hill said. "I'm my own biggest critic and I don't sit there and try to dwell on what Alex has done either. It'd be impossible for me to say how even it is."
Smith, meanwhile, missed all of 2008 after reinjuring his surgically repaired right shoulder days before the season opener.
Singletary certainly wishes he already had a starter.
"If we were really pleased, we'd have one. We'd say, 'That's the guy,"' Singletary said. "But I am pleased with the progression that they're making. ... I will be really excited when the time comes to announce who that guy is."
Singletary, who's running a grueling camp and has had his team in full pads since Day 1, gave the 49ers a rare afternoon off Thursday after canceling a scheduled practice session.
Running back Frank Gore and receiver Isaac Bruce won't play Friday. Singletary doesn't want to risk injury to two of his star players who have been getting plenty of work in camp. Glen Coffee will replace Gore.
No matter who he's playing with, Hill plans to be steady.
"I have to approach the game taking what they give me," he said. "If the deep ball's available, I have to take it, but I can't go out there and force something downfield just for the sake of proving to people that I can throw the deep ball. I'm very focused on playing within myself. I feel like I've proven that when I do that what I have is sufficient."
Players who will be sidelined with injury are starting left guard David Baas (foot), running back Michael Robinson (groin), cornerback Tarell Brown (toe), linebacker Patrick Willis (ankle) and tight end Delanie Walker (concussion).