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December 17, 2007

Hill setting himself up for nice payday

Shaun Hill and his agent have to be feeling pretty good right about now. According to Mike Nolan, who just wrapped up his Monday presser, the 49ers tried to sign Hill to an extension earlier in the year. The two sides couldn’t get a deal done, though, and now Hill is set to hit the open market in March. And if he has another good game Sunday against Tampa Bay, he’ll be in a far more commanding position than he was in August. Asked if he now sees Hill as more than a No. 3 quarterback, Nolan said, “Yes. Sure. Without question.”

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As has become the custom in 49ersville, Nolan gave his players the day off today. That’s good news for Hill’s sausage finger, which tends to swell every time he throws a football. He’ll have three days off before he resumes throwing again Wednesday.

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Speaking of ailing quarterbacks, Alex Smith is back from Alabama. He came into 49ers headquarters for treatment on Sunday and Monday. His surgery went off without a hitch, according to sources, and he is expected to make a full recovery.

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Why did Mike Nolan burn a timeout before a first-half punt? He says he thought the 49ers had 12 men on the field. One of the 49ers’ special teamers had gotten hurt, so Mark Roman filled in on punt coverage. When Nolan saw Roman on the field, he thought he wasn’t supposed to be there. “It was kind of a knee-jerk reaction to the situation,” Nolan said.

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Nolan said he talked to John York in the locker room following the game, but that they didn’t discuss Nolan’s future with the team. “We have had no conversations with respect to that.”

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Nolan said that rookie receiver Jason Hill was in on 19 plays Saturday against Cincinnati. The plan is to continue to get Hill repetitions as the season winds down.
-- Matt Barrows

Posted by Matthew Barrows at 1:13 PM | Comments |