In yesterday’s media conference, Singletary said it seemed like Gore would play, but he was still day-to-day. Gore is 22 yards away from 1,000 yards and if he reaches that mark he’d be the first 49ers running back to every reach 1,000 yards in three straight seasons (not even Roger Craig did it). Gore really wants it, but we’ll see how healthy he is.

QB: Shaun Hill is currently signed through the 2010 season after signing a 3 year, $6M deal last offseason. What I’d like to see is the 49ers draft a QB in the middle rounds this year and then sit him behind Hill next season and slowly work him in during the 2010 season, setting him up to take over fully in 2011. It worked for the Titans with Steve McNair, and I think it could work here. Hill is no superstar, but he’s capable enough to guide this team to the playoffs if they could develop the offensive weapons around him. Alex Smith is under contract but will be cut or have to renegotiate his contract if he wants to stay with the 49ers. WIth his arch-nemisis Mike Nolan gone, the odds of Smith returning certainly increased. However, I’m hoping he leaves b/c I think a fresh start is necessary for everybody.

Holes on offense: I actually think the 49ers are a little bit closer than people think on offense (from a 49ers fan I know that’s shocking). At wide receiver, injuries have allowed them to get playing time for their younger receivers and they’re starting to develop. Jason Hill, a 2007 3rd round pick, has gotten a significant bump in PT due to Arnaz Battle’s foot problems (Battle is out for the year). 2008 sixth round pick Josh Morgan was developing into a starter in training camp before suffering a staph infection, which has hurt his development. Throw in a groin injury that kept him out for a month and he’s lost important development time.

I suppose when Isaac Bruce is your most productive receiver you’ve got issues. However, I think the 49ers are getting a good chance to develop their young guys.

As for the offensive line, it’s actually developing rather well. They moved 2007 first round pick Joe Staley from right tackle to left tackle and he looks like the long-term answer there. 2008 second round pick Chilo Rachal has moved into the starting lineup at right guard and is showing improvement each week. Eric Heitmann, a 2002 7th round pick, probably should’ve made the Pro Bowl as he has been dominate at center (just ask Jets NT Kris Jenkins). Still question marks along the line, but with a QB who actually gets rid of the ball quickly, not so awful

For myself, cautious optimism would be the best way to description, and I think it applies to a lot of folks. Mike Singletary has re-invigorated the team and the fanbase. I always felt this was a talented team, but they were under-performing. It’s clearly not a Super Bowl squad, but there are plenty of building blocks in place to take the next step.

Can they challenge the Cardinals in 2009? I think so, although it will certainly be a dog-fight. They lost both their games to the Cardinals this year, but both were close, tough contests. Assuming the York’s are smart and give Singletary the full-time head coaching job, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do with a full offseason, training camp, etc.

One thing 49ers fans are keeping in mind is the fact that Mike Nolan teams finished relatively strong in December all three seasons of the Nolan era. They’re finishing pretty strong again, but this time it has a different feel to it. I remain optimistic, but caution is the word as I’ve been slapped down a few too many times by this team.

Cautious optimism is where its at, and once again the whole “Nolan finished strong” lingers. Still, it feels a lot different this time around and I think the Cardinals division clinching days are going to be cut short next season.

Joe’s great but I was actually more of a Steve Young guys. When Young took over I was about 11 or 12 so it might be that i just remember more about him. I think Hill’s been solid. He can manage the game, but he still has the tools to make more plays than like a Trent Dilfer in Baltimore. I think he’s a guy who could hold down the fort for a couple of years while they develop the next big thing.

As to the rivalry, it’s hard for either side to get excited about it when they both stink. I think right now, the 49ers are developing a rivalry with Arizona. They lost both games this year, although they were pretty close. If next year the 49ers can improve on this season I could see it developing into a ful-fledged rivalry.

To expand on what Fooch said, Shaun Hill is more of a Jeff Garcia type than a Steve Young type. He’s the QB that wasn’t drafted, playing Europe, and waited for his chance.

The thing is, he’s way more than just a caretaker QB. A lot of us in SF believe he has the skills to become a play-making QBs. We’ve seen that here. He takes care of the ball, but he doesn’t give up on plays. He’s mobile and has the ability make plays with his feet, but he only tries it when things break down. He’s also really gutty. Witness his helmetless run in the MNF game against the Cardinals.

Will he be our franchise QB? I hope, but there’s a good chance that Shaun Hill will transition over to a younger guy the Niners draft later on down the road.

As for Alex Smith, for all we know, he could be the next Steve Young (recall that Young was unceremoniously dumped by the Bucs before the Niners gave him a chance). But if he succeeds, it most likely will not be in San Francisco, which is unfortunate, because after the 2006 season ended, there were really high hopes for this kid.

And JT O’Sullivan? He should be someone else’s trash.

The “drama” between Davis and Singletary was a temporary thing. Davis is a guy who clearly needs a disciplinarian to keep him in line. Since he was thrown out of the game, Davis has been one of the biggest proponents of removing the interim tag and promoting Singletary to the full time head coach.

On the field, it’s been good and bad news. On the bad side, Davis has shown some bad hands at time and his numbers aren’t that impressive. On the good side, a big reason he hasn’t been getting a lot of balls thrown his way is because of his blocking prowess. Singletary actually said Davis was the best blocking tight end he’s ever seen. Considering how high a pick he was, you’d like a little more. However, he does seem to be showing some overall development signs.

Heading into next year, it’s hard to tell what his role will be given the fact that there’s no guarantee Martz will be back. If he leaves, who knows what the new OC will do with Davis. If Martz stays around and Hill is the starter I think maybe we see a bit more involvement.