Despite the incomprehensible rantings of a head coach and the young pseudo-owner who supports him, nobody thinks the San Francisco 49ers will be making it to the playoffs in the 2010 NFL season. It's a longshot and they'd have to do something that no other team has ever done before. As Westley would tell you, we only say it won't happen because nobody's ever done it before. This team, however, doesn't run on true love, it runs on ... well, I'm not even sure at this point.
The 49ers aren't even sure at this point. But they need wins, they need 'em bad right now to stop the bleeding. Head coach Mike Singletary was attached at the hip with quarterback Alex Smith coming into this season. How Smith played tied in directly with Singletary's job security, and now Smith will miss two-to-three weeks due to a shoulder injury on his non-throwing arm. But rather than backup David Carr, Singletary announced on Wednesday morning's press conference in London that the team's most recent acquisition at the position, Troy Smith, would be making the start.
Smith is obviously a much different quarterback than ... well, Smith. He's much more mobile, for once, and that will be the determining factor going into this game against the Denver Broncos. Does this suddenly mean that the 49ers will have 300 yards rushing, with half of those coming from the quarterback position? It would be nice, but let's not be silly. But to have a guy out there that teams have to account for in more ways than one is an advantage in of itself, and perhaps it will be an even bigger factor with the 49ers considering the Broncos odd schedule leading up to the London game. They're arriving in London earlier than any team in recent memory, while the 49ers seemed to go earlier than any team in recent memory.
The Broncos are coming off a beating from the Oakland Raiders, a team the 49ers picked up their first win off of just two short weeks ago. They lost that game 59-14 and absolutely need a rebound here against the Niners. Frank Gore will be licking his lips when he sees the numbers oft-struggling Darren McFadden put up against the Broncos defense.
Look for more on the game here at SB Nation Bay Area as they week progresses, and be sure to check out Niners Nation for 49ers news. For Broncos news, check out Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver.