Oâ€^TMSullivan ready to make his case on field
Posted by Dan Brown on August 7th, 2008 at 4:56 pm | Categorized as Uncategorized

At long last, itâ€^TMs time to shut up and play.

After weeks of breathless analysis, the 49ers quarterbacks can let their play do the talking Friday night against the Raiders. J.T. Oâ€^TMSullivan gets first crack, followed by Alex Smith and Shaun Hill.

Oâ€^TMSullivan, for one, is eager to give his vocal chords a rest. Reporters peppered him with questions about his potential big break against the Raiders â€" and he shook his head dismissively at almost every one of them.


â€oeI feel bad not giving you some better answers,â€^TMâ€^TM he finally said. â€oeBut this is my job. Iâ€^TMve prepared a long time to play football.”

Oâ€^TMSullivan tends to be edgy even without such scrutiny. In fact, thatâ€^TMs one of his strongest selling points in his pursuit of the 49ers starting job.

This is a guy who plays with swagger and fire â€" two words that might also describe Mike Martz â€" and his ability to get the 49ers to rally around him could help him win the job.

Part of the reason heâ€^TMs starting in the first place is that Coach Mike Nolan wants an up-close view of how the quarterback handles himself on the field.

â€oeYou can feel and see the emotion that goes on in a game and see how the guys respond to stressful situations,â€^TMâ€^TM Nolan said. â€oeYou donâ€^TMt get that on TV.”

There is no question Oâ€^TMSullivan will start. The remaining question is how much that means.

There is a popular argument that this the quarterback race is a sham, and that itâ€^TMs really been Alex Smithâ€^TMs job to lose. Itâ€^TMs reasonable argument. Benching him for the first quarter tonight, for example, might be a way of provoking Smith into showing a little more competitive fire of his own.

After all, the former No. 1 pick hasnâ€^TMt been a healthy second-stringer since Oct. 2, 2005, when he backed up Tim Rattay in Mexico City.

But itâ€^TMs also possible that you can believe your eyes. Oâ€^TMSullivan really, truly might be the front-runner. Why not? Martz loves him. Heâ€^TMs played the best in recent practices. He understands the offense.

Playing with the No. 1 unit offers a chance to cement all those elements.

Itâ€^TMs true that Smith has a big contract and the benefit of the doubt that comes with being the No. 1 pick. Some argue that the organization wants him to win the job and that it will bend over backward to make sure that happens rather than be embarrassed by an extravagantly priced back-up.

But considering Nolanâ€^TMs tenuous job security, he canâ€^TMt afford to be sentimental. Itâ€^TMs true that he might want to avoid admitting that his first act as a coach was making the wrong choice with No. 1 pick in 2005.

But itâ€^TMs far more important to his future employment that he not stumble out of the gate. The 49ersâ€^TM opening 8-game stretch includes the Seahawks (twice), Patriots, Eagles and Giants.

Nolan has to pick the quarterback that will help save his job, not save face.

Thatâ€^TMs why the coach acknowledged that the Raiders game â€" the preseason opener, mind you â€" fits the definition of â€oea big game.” He wants to turn up the heat and see which quarterback responds.

â€oeYou come to training camp as an assembly,â€^TMâ€^TM he said. â€oeYou want to become a team.”

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Oâ€^TMSullivan, incidentally, has an idea of just how hostile a Raiders crowd can be. I asked the Sacramento native today if he had ever attended a game in Oakland.

Turns out he was in the stands for the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 14, 2001.

â€oeWe were sitting in the same row as Metallica,â€^TMâ€^TM Oâ€^TMSullivan said. â€oeIt was during their Napster conflict. So, I remember the drummer â€" I want to say his name is Lars â€" stood up and the section did not take kindly to it.

â€oeA few things were thrown. It was a pretty surreal environment. First youâ€^TMre sitting next to Metallica, then people are throwing stuff at you.

â€oeThose fans are pretty special in this league. They get after it. Passionate about it, so it should be an exciting environment.”

• http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2008/08/07/osullivan-ready-to-make-his-case-on-field/

BY, you signed up for another year? You think I should come back?

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