Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The 49ers' quarterback situation became a little more interesting today when coach Mike Nolan said the team is open to adding a veteran at the position. Matt Maiocco of Instant 49ers quotes Nolan this way: "The door's open to any player who makes us better." But: "There's no one out there at this time that we feel strongly about."
That isn't the problem. The problem is not feeling strongly enough about any of the 49ers' current quarterbacks to get behind one of them as the starter.
Naming anyone other than Alex Smith the starter damages and possibly kills any future attempts to revive Smith as a viable option for San Francisco. Would that be a good thing?
Do we know for sure that Smith doesn't have what it takes to become a quality NFL starter? Have the 49ers essentially given up on him already? If not, would their approach differ in meaningful ways, short of releasing Smith, if they had given up on him? Would they be less supportive of him in their public comments about him? Would that be possible without saying negative things about Smith? Is there a worse quarterback situation in the league?
When will the 49ers name a starter? I'm still thinking they'll do it before the third exhibition game, but we simply don't have many reliable answers at this point.
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
