There was a little controversy stirred up in May when San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh announced that there would be an "open competition" between Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick to be the team's starting quarterback. But most people believed Smith had the job all along, and Harbaugh made it official Thursday night.
When asked after the 49ers' final preseason game if Smith could finally be named the week-one starter, Harbaugh said, "I'm pretty sure we can say that. ... He played (Thursday) with a very cool head and made good decisions. He played the way you want him to out there -- calm, cool, collected."

Fantasy Analysis:

Smith was pretty wretched in the preseason -- 5.5 yards per attempt, zero touchdowns, two interceptions in 36 throws. Yet, he was better than the rookie Kaepernick, who completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw five picks next to zero TDs. I think he will see some playing time at some point this season, and 49er fans are left to hope that this is the final year they have to watch Smith in the scarlet and gold.