With the news of the "Super-Secret CBA Meetings" this past week, there is hope once again in NFL fan-land. Owners reportedly made some concessions, players were present (although I've yet to hear who they were) and overall the tenor seems to have been very good. Progress seems to have been made.
Excuse me a second while I knock on wood, while tossing salt over my shoulder and hoping I didn't jinx it.
As that's the case, we may stand on the cusp of a time when actual football might actually be played and we can begin discussing what the 49ers might or might not do at various positions on the team.
Of course, one of the biggest questions going forward would be who ends up at quarterback. I'm not just talking for this season either. The 49ers continue to face questions about one of the more important positions on a football team and certain parts of this season might go a long way towards answering them.
Alex Smith
As much as he has had to go through with offensive coordinator after offensive coordinator, and as much as he has struggled, the fact that newly anointed coach Jim Harbaugh gave him a playbook before he was even signed speaks volumes. It could be that Harbaugh merely wants someone familiar with the team in what he knew would be a shortened and chaotic preseason.
Or it could be he thinks most of Smith's issues were not of his own making.
Given the aforementioned tumultuous coaching situations he's had to face, you have to think the latter possibility is strongest. While Smith has problems with consistency and accuracy, that's not to say he cannot overcome them with the right coach.
I won't anoint Harbaugh as a certifiable QB genius, but as a former quarterback who was chosen high and took a long time to reach his potential, Harbaugh may know better than most how to turn Smith's career around.
Smith is clearly a leader as well, becoming the centerpiece for 49ers practices during the lockout, despite not even being under contract.
While he has had issues thus far, that will not stop him from being a quarterback of the future for the 49ers if he and Harbaugh can find a way to overcome them.
Colin Kaepernick
While Harbaugh might believe Alex Smith could be the answer at quarterback, he and the team aren't putting all their eggs in one basket. Drafting Colin Kaepernick—and moving up nine spots in the second while coughing up three picks to do it—was definitely a move with an eye towards the future.
Kaepernick is tremendously mobile, has a very strong arm and a will to win, showing an ability to lead a team from behind.
He's also a project who will likely take several years to develop into a starting caliber NFL quarterback. Kaepernick has little experience under center, will need to tweak some mechanic and footwork issues and get better at reading his progressions.
All these things can be fixed and he's already off to a great start—with Harbaugh's last quarterback, Andrew Luck, tutoring him.
While Smith has a leg up having been in San Francisco for many years, Kaepernick is Harbaugh's own project and you can bet he'll put a lot of effort into getting Kaepernick in a position to succeed.
Kyle Orton
There's a lot of talk about how the Broncos won't get rid of current quarterback Kyle Orton, but there was a lot of talk before the draft that the Broncos were wanting a quarterback and look how that worked out.
They might keep Orton, if only to give Tim Tebow some more time to improve, but if they can get something for Orton, I think they'd be inclined to pull the trigger.
For the most part, Orton has been a serviceable quarterback. He has a good arm, decent accuracy and makes pretty good decisions. He'd be a good fit for Harbaugh's offense.
There are a couple of downsides to him though. First, while he doesn't often lose you games, he's not going to win you many from behind either. For all his flaws, Tebow will—which is another reason I suspect Denver will move Orton and roll with Timmy Football.
Secondly, the price tag may very well be higher than the team is willing to pay. They just picked up Kaepernick for multiple picks during the last draft and having done that, I'm not sure they'd pay the rumored second-rounder or better price on Orton.
The other popular name tossed about in trade rumors is Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb. For the most part he's allegedly all ready to be shipped off to the Arizona Cardinals, but until that happens for real, there is always the chance it will fall apart, another team will make a better offer or the rumor will be proven just that.
Kolb is an interesting prospect for a team like the 49ers. He looked good in spot duty when former Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb was yanked by Coach Andy Reid in 2009, but didn't look very good in 2010 and was ultimately replaced by Michael Vick.
So which is the real Kolb? Again, here is a guy who the 49ers coaching staff could work with, who has some experience in the West Coast offense they are supposedly set to run and who has been a starter in a very tough division.
The downside to Kolb is that he struggled with better receivers than the 49ers have. While Vernon Davis has finally reached—and stayed at—his potential, Michael Crabtree seems bent on being petulant and none of the other wide receivers have really stepped up consistently.
Kolb, like Orton, will also likely come with a high price tag and one that the team might balk at paying.
However, as with the previous names on this list, I believe Harbaugh could help Kolb reach the next level and if they could get him for a good price, he would be a successful 49ers quarterback.
Andrew Luck/Matt Barkley/Landry Jones
It would be easy to just list Luck here, given the connection he has to the 49ers new head coach. However, there is no guarantee that Luck will remain the top quarterback in the 2012 draft (just ask Jake Locker) nor that the 49ers would be in a position to take him.
However, Luck, USC's Matt Barkley and Oklahoma's Landry Jones will likely be in the mix throughout the first round and there is every chance that one of them falls to the 49ers, wherever they pick.
All three have shown great potential and I could see Harbaugh being excited by any of them.
Of course, one hopes that the 49ers will not be looking for a quarterback of the future in the next draft—that Smith or Kaepernick or someone else steps forward to take the reins.
If they don't though, expect the team to take a hard look at a quarterback in the next draft class.
In which case, there could be a whole new name at the top of this list of potential quarterbacks of the future.
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