Me and a lot of other 49er fans went all Chicken Little yesterday when 49ers starting quarterback Shaun Hill left practice with a strained back. Good thing we were just overreacting. Shaun Hill wasn't just back on the field today, he even did something he never does.
He looked really good in practice.
That back strain issue is so yesterday, and eyewitness Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat says, "Hill took part in every individual drill and led the team on an impressive red-zone session."
Hill was never concerned about the back flaring up, telling Maiocco, "If it was anything pressing, my mother and father would've known from me before reading about it."
We still don't know whether Hill will play Saturday night against the Cowboys. But when asked, Hill gave the Chronicle a solid, "As far as I know."
Hill may or may not play, but still bust out your 52 jersey Saturday night with pride. Patrick Wilis will play, in his first game appearance this season. It's also a return for Willis to the duties of wearing the one defensive player's "radio transmitter helmet", a feature added to the game last season so one defensive player could communicate with the coordinators, just like the quarterbacks.
"I want the headset," Willis told the Associated Press. "I break the huddle, I call the play, it's my show to run."
Sports
It's his show, and it's Shaun Hill's too.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who wants a satellite tv transmitter in his favorite flask.