49ers QB Battle: Throw Nate Davis into the mix

Even though this off-season’s quarterback battle will mainly feature
Alex Smith and Shaun Hill, would you believe that the quarterback that
will benefit most from this could be Nate Davis?

The rookie
quarterback out of Ball State was drafted in the fifth round and could
be projected to be the team’s third string quarterback. He even could
end up as the fourth stringer behind veteran Damon Huard.

But how can he benefit from a battle that doesn’t even involve him?

Now,
the 49ers would be fools to not name Shaun Hill their starter for the
2009 season. Everything that has gone right for Hill has gone
accordingly and he should be rewarded with the starting role. With an
impressive 7-2 record as a starter, Hill does give the 49ers the best
shot to win.

But let’s say that Hill does get the #1 spot on the
depth chart. Who would be #2? You would think Alex Smith will take that
spot, but Davis could be a solid challenge to Smith.

Smith is the
pet project of the Mike Nolan era. With that #1 overall pick status
looming over Smith, the “bust” word starts to creep closer and closer
around 49ers camp. The 49ers surprised some by restructuring Smith’s
contract to keep him around. But if he does not perform well, he should
not be rewarded the #2 spot. If Davis does play better, Smith’s career
in San Francisco might as well be over.

Smith says that he has
fully recovered from off-season shoulder surgery and would be ready to
handle the upcoming battle for the starting job. But with a lot of
uncertainty behind Smith, Davis would probably benefit from the battle
for the #2 spot on the depth chart.

Davis has been criticized for
having an unorthodox way of gripping the football. But that shouldn’t
take away his ability to throw the ball deep and accurately. In fact,
those are the skills that I have yet to see from Smith at the pro level.

Davis
looks to have more upside (and more potential) at this point than Smith
does. If Davis outperforms Smith this off-season, the 49ers should not
hold onto Smith as the future of the franchise. They need to let it go
and move on.

Dyslexia, the learning disability that Davis has,
should not be a problem for Davis as he learns the playbook. He has
said that he is a great visual learner and as long as he is able to
visualize the play and picture it, he will be just fine on the field.

And
as Davis continues to battle for a position on the roster, he might
just be good enough to make it to #2. He probably won’t win the top
spot, but could very well set himself for a bright future if he can
show his goods in training camp. And over recent years, backup
quarterbacks have excelled when the team’s starter is unable to
perform. In recent memory, we can find a Tony Romo or a Matt Cassel
quietly taking notes as a backup. When their time came, they never
looked back.