By PFW Staff
July 11, 2008

While rumors continue suggesting behind the scenes that Alex Smith is the frontrunner for the Niners’ starting QB job by a growing margin over Shaun Hill and J.T. O’Sullivan, head coach Mike Nolan disclosed yesterday that a final decision wasn’t expected to be made until after the first two preseason games — away across the Bay at Oakland and at home vs. the Packers, a team that has quite a QB dilemma of its own these days.

Nolan relayed the news in a local conference call Thursday that primarily addressed his recent trip to Afghanistan, which he said was “an amazing experience.”

Team insiders maintain that Smith and Hill, who displayed flashes late in the season as the team’s starting QB, are the only serious challengers in the team’s QB competition, and that O’Sullivan, who was a backup QB in Detroit under new Niners offensive coordinator Mike Martz, is viewed as a valued backup in tune with Martz’s methodology, despite what the Niners have been otherwise indicating.

The consensus in offseason minicamps and OTAs up to now is that Smith has looked much better than Hill, but it’s also worth noting that Hill has always been viewed as a marginal performer at best in practice situations.