FanHouse 49ers

After what I can only imagine were intense deliberations and discussions, 49ers' Head Coach Mike Nolan went ahead and named his starting quarterback this afternoon. The winner? As was expected, J.T. O'Sullivan, as reported by Matt Maiocco of the Press Democrat.

J.T. O'Sullivan is starter going into the regular season, 49ers coach Mike Nolan announced on conference call with reporters this afternoon.

Nolan said the focus is on getting ready for the season. O'Sullivan got the better command of the offense right now. Moved ball as a unit and scored points with him as QB.

As Maiocco states, Alex Smith will remain with the team, and in the process, become one of the highest-paid clipboard holders in the league.

Honestly, it's not a bad job for Smith as he doesn't get hit, gets a front row seat to every Niners game (while being paid a handsome sum of cash), and like every backup quarterback, instantly becomes the most popular guy in town.

For O'Sullivan, it will be his first starting gig in the NFL after bouncing around eight different teams in six years (nine, if you include a brief stint in NFL Europe) .

He's only thrown 26 passes in a regular season game (A 20-17 win last year, while playing for the Detroit Lions), but was the most productive quarterback for San Francisco through the teams first three preseason games, throwing for 351 yards and completing over 60% of his passes.

He was originally a sixth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints out of California-Davis in 2002.

I'm not talking about the Vegas line, which currently has the Seahawks as nine-and-a-half point favorites. I'm talking about Pick 'em, as in interceptions.

Since beating the Seahawks in San Francisco four weeks ago, the 49ers are on a three game skid, losing a close one in St. Louis, and then getting blown out by the Saints and Packers.

The Saints held Frank Gore to 40 yards, but he was able to run for 130 against the Rams and Packers, and given the Seahawks are now approaching the ball carrier like a rabid porcupine, he's bound to cross the century mark Thursday night as well.

So what's been the difference in these three losses?

Alex Smith has thrown 7 interceptions over this span, with the Saints picking three and the Rams and Packers each getting two. Add to that Smith getting sacked six times over this three game stretch, and you don't have to be Vince Lombardi to figure out the key to winning this match-up.

The last time these two teams met, apart from giving up 212 yards to the inventor of the internet, the Seahawks put no pressure on Smith, only sacking him once and getting no interceptions.

The knee-jerk reaction might be to say our defense needs to gamble more and blitz the hell out of Smith, but as we saw in Arizona, our blitz packages are either horribly telegraphed or just sadly ineffective.

The key to pressuring Alex Smith lies in the hands of Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander, Jerramy Stevens (conspicuously a non-factor in AZ) and most of all, Mack Strong. No, I'm not considering playing these guys on the defensive line, but rather imploring them to HOLD ON TO THE BALL and sustain long, clock-eating, yardage-compiling, point-scoring drives.

Our defense is not terrible, they're just not built to be on the field for 30+ minutes per game. The offense needs to protect them by getting an early lead and continuing to add to it with ever possession. That's when our smaller and faster defense is most efficient, when they can pull out the stops and come after the quarterback with wild abandon.

If the team comes out flat, or continues to rack up more turnovers than Richard Simmons in a San Francisco massage parlor, then they risk losing the NFC West edge to the Niners, and jeopardize their playoff hopes in general.

That's how important this game is.

I'm not sure you could ask for a more perfect game. A gloriously sunny day. Chiefs' fans out in droves and fully dressed in red. And, oh yes, a 41-0 victory.

What went right? I could end this column right now with a list of what went wrong. Just look at some of the concerns detailed in this blog (either by Jon or me) leading up to this game. Mike Solari's playcalling? Stellar. Lack of a pass rush? Five sacks should do the trick. Offensive line problems? How about zero sacks on Damon Huard. Speaking of Huard... well, he pretty much addressed that concern right away by throwing perfect passes throughout the first quarter.

Okay, so perhaps the run defense could have been better, and the special teams coverage unit was only so-so. But gosh, the score could well have been 83-0 if we're going to get that picky. It was near as perfect a game as I can recall the Chiefs ever playing. The only game I can think of that came close was the 56-10 shellacking of the Falcons two years ago, but even then, they actually allowed the Falcons to score. The 49ers never even came close.

Of course, Chiefs fans know not to get too excited. The Chiefs have always been capable of playing this kind of game, but the key is whether they can sustain it. Too often, the Chiefs have gotten our hopes up, only to lose games they clearly should not have lost. Next week will be a good test. Facing a rookie quarterback with a porous offensive line, and a defense that usually doesn't keep points off the board, the Chiefs can't afford a letdown. 1-2 is a heck of a lot better than 0-3, but 2-2 is even more crucial than 1-4. Let's see if Herm Edwards is as good at sustaining momentum as he is at motivating in the down times.

Well, it appears that the Chiefs' offensive woes will face another major hurdle: their starting left tackle Kyle Turley is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Turley is experiencing some back problems. Adam Teicher reported about Turley's injury in a recent article in the Kansas City Star. According to Teicher:

"I'm concerned," Turley said. "A back injury is not something to fool around with. It's definitely cause for concern.

"We'll see. I'm supposed to meet with more doctors, and we'll find out what's happening. I'm just trying to wait it out."

Definitely a cause for concern you say? That's the understatement of the century. Nevermind that this was a back problem that forced Turley into temporary retirement.

Okay, Turley hasn't been an all-world tackle out there, but he was adequate. Chiefs' fans understand the major implication if Turley is unable to play--it means Jordan Black will once again start left tackle. In an effort to avoid using choice words to explain Black's play at left tackle last season, let's just say it was flipping awful. El Jordan looked like a matador on the field last year, as if he were waving a cape at defenders as they bullrushed past him. It's a new season. Perhaps Black has improved since then, but I'm not holding my breath. The other option would be to rotate inexperienced Will Svitek if Black starts to struggle. The Chiefs really like Svitek's upside, but based on everything we've seen from training camp to preseason, Svitek is still a far cry from being ready for the NFL.

On a side note, call me crazy, but why have the Chiefs not looked into moving Will Shields to left tackle? The Chiefs' very best option at arguably the second most important position on the field might be playing a different position right now. Here's why I believe in this plan B: the question you might ask is, who will replace Will Shields in what has been an absolutely dominant interior offensive line trio that consists of Shields, Casey Wiegmann and Brian Waters? The answer? Jordan Black. Maybe even John Welbourn, if they can convince him out of retirement once his suspension clears. I have always felt that Jordan Black would be a superb guard. Black is a power lineman. He struggles mightily against quick pass rushers because he does not have the footwork to take them on. However, he has proven to be a solid run blocker and can hold his own against bigger bodies. It's highly unlikely that the Chiefs make this kind of a move. They will likely stick to the dominant interior trio and focus on the power running game; however, time will tell if they may need to move Shields to create some balance. Shields can play the position. He started one game at left tackle in 2005 and you have to imagine that a man with his credentials could certainly make a transition like this seamlessly.

The Chiefs have two winnable games coming up: first the 49ers then the Cardinals. After that, they have a three-game stretch featuring Pittsburgh, San Diego and Seattle. The Chiefs better do their full share of experimenting before they face those three defensive powerhouses. And I certainly hope they are looking into that plan B.