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You want to be a starting quarterback, Troy Smith?
You've got it.
Now, good luck actually making anything happen with the 49ers offense around you.
Smith, the former Ravens quarterback who was cut by Baltimore prior to the start of the regular season this year, will make his first start of the season this Sunday when the 49ers travel to London to face the Broncos.
Man, I feel sorry for those in England who got stuck with that matchup.
The former Heisman Trophy winner will get the nod because of an injury to Alex Smith, San Francisco's normal starter under center.
Troy has not started a game since his rookie season with the Ravens in 2007. He started the final two games of the '07 campaign, going 1-1 and posting decent stat line: 32-of-60 for 370 yards, two touchdowns and two fumbles lost in those two starts.
He had a chance to win the starting job out of training camp in 2008 because of an injury to Kyle Boller, but missed over three weeks because of a severe tonsil infection. Joe Flacco took over as the Ravens' starting QB, and Smith failed to crack the starting lineup in Baltimore over the next two seasons.
After the Ravens added Marc Bulger as their backup quarterback this offseason, Smith was bumped to the third-string role. GM Ozzie Newsome couldn't find a team willing to trade for Smith, so the Ravens cut him loose in early September.
Now, with Alex Smith reportedly out 2-3 weeks, Troy will have the chance that he's wanted all along - to prove that he's worthy of being an NFL starting quarterback.
We'll see how it turns out.
