The 49ers quarterback battle between Shaun Hill and Alex Smith grabbed all of the headlines in San Francisco. But offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye says that it does not matter who the quarterback is — the offense still runs through RB Frank Gore.

“This deal is 21,” Raye responded. ”This ball park is going to be run by No. 21. The guy that’s running this ship at the quarterback position, and for both of them, that is why the competition was what it was. It was never going to be that the lead dog in this race was going to be the quarterback. The bell cow in this operation will be No. 21. The quarterback’s job is to make sure we get that done and play within himself and make the plays available to him. It wasn’t from the beginning to tailor it to so we would see the quarterback and do what his strengths were as our lead. That wasn’t the way it was.”

Raye’s comments shouldn’t come as a surprise. Coach Mike Singletary said nearly the same thing over a month ago, saying the QB position wasn’t the most important focus for his team’s success.

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