Aug 20th 2008 11:50AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: 49ers, NFC WestIt’s a fair question, even if it’s been asked too many times to count since the 49ers used the first-overall pick of the 2005 draft to select quarterback Alex Smith, but here we are: is he a bust yet?

That’s not the headline of Nancy Gay’s column in today’s , but she gets right to the point when she writes that Smith, currently somewhere on the depth chart behind journeyman J.T. O’Sullivan, isn’t ready to be an NFL backup quarterback. Too bad it might not be up to him.

O’Sullivan was the surprise starter for the 49ers first preseason game, less so a week later, and now, as San Francisco approaches its third contest, it’s almost expected. Whatever happens, O’Sullivan isn’t interested in looking beyond the next game. “This is everyday. This is my job, to get ready for Thursday. If I let myself get caught up in stuff I can’t control, like who plays Sept. 7, I’m letting my performance be affected on Thursday.”

But as Gay points out, if Smith gets demoted, it’ll be a salary-cap nightmare.Continue Reading