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San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan has a new mantra and it reminds me of a soap opera.  “One day at a time,” he professes, and I for one think that’s a smart approach to the new season. Coming off the 49ers’ less than stellar 5-11 performance last year, his new philosophy is exactly what the players need to hear.With a little more than a month remaining before training camp commences, Nolan is making it clear to everyone in the organization that no one has a lock on a starting position. Things will all be sorted out on the field, he says, and when the final decisions are made, they will be based on performance and nothing more. Nolan believes that competition is healthy for the players. “Our guys know what’s at stake. It creates a sense of urgency to do things now. Things don’t take care of themselves.”Nowhere is the competition more intense than at quarterback, where three distinctly different individuals will be fighting it out for the coveted starter’s job. Will it be Alex Smith, Shaun Hill or J.T. O’Sullivan? We’ll find out in due time, but meanwhile all the jockeying for Nolan’s favor will make for some training camp and pre-season controversy.Just to make things a little more interesting, let’s toss into the equation a new offensive coordinator, San Francisco’s fourth in four years. Quarterback guru Mike Martz brings a proven track record of success to the 49ers. While at the St. Louis Rams, Martz guided two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV, and followed that by mentoring a couple more pretty good NFL quarterbacks—Trent Green and Mark Bulger.The question in 49er camp comes down to which of the three QB prospects will shoulder the load. I give J.T. O’Sullivan an outside chance at best. Martz is familiar with O’Sullivan’s abilities, having coached him in Detroit last year where O’Sullivan filled a backup QB role for the Lions. Martz must have liked what he saw of O’Sullivan in Detroit because that’s the primary reason O’Sullivan is a 49er now.So it comes down to last year’s season-opening starter Alex Smith and his main challenger Shaun Hill, who started the last two games. Both had a modicum of success in 2007. Smith showed some real maturity as a starter until suffering a separated shoulder in late September against the Seahawks. Hill didn’t see action until he replaced an injured Trent Dilfer in early December. Hill led the 49ers to victory in that game against the Vikings and then the final two against Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. Nolan wants to see how everything plays out over the next few weeks before naming his starter. With three solid QBs vying for the spot, the head coach’s task won’t be easy.

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