Singletary, Hill hoping to lose "interim" tags

SANTA CLARA — Mike Singletary is the 49ers’ interim head coach.

Shaun Hill is the interim starting quarterback.

Whether they think about it in these terms or not, both men are auditioning in the final weeks of the season to remove the “interim” tag from their job titles in 2009.

Singletary’s case for being named as the permanent coach will not be based solely on wins and losses. At some point, 49ers management will probably need to hear his plan for the team’s quarterback situation.

Alex Smith is injured, and his future with the organization is in doubt because of a scheduled 2009 salary that far exceeds his production in four NFL seasons.

J.T. O’Sullivan, who committed 17 turnovers while starting the 49ers’ first eight games, is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season.

The only quarterback on the roster virtually guaranteed of returning next season is Hill, who signed a three-year, $6 million contract extension in the offseason.

Singletary said Wednesday he is not spending any time looking to the future. He has not spoken to Smith about his plans, and his focus is on the upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys.

“I think right now all I know is what I have, and I don’t take it any farther than that,” Singletary said. “We just have the two guys. J.T. and Shaun, and it’s just a matter of knowing what I saw last year and being able to try to make a decision going forward (to determine) which gives us the best chance to win.

“Beyond that, there are so many other things to look at that are immediate, and I guess as you get closer to the future then you can look at it a bit.”

Niners general manager Scot McCloughan is not ready to make any commitments for next season, either. Singletary is under contract through the end of the season. All the other coaches on the staff, including offensive coordinator Mike Martz, have contracts through 2009.

“It all depends which route we take at the end of the season,” McCloughan said. “We want success. We want to finish the season with success and go from there.”

Hill finds himself in a similar role as late last season when he was thrust into the starting lineup after injuries to Smith and then-backup Trent Dilfer. But Hill is not only auditioning for a job. He’s auditioning for a 49ers starting position.

And the best way for Hill to set himself up for the future is to take care of his business in real time.

“I try not to think too far ahead, that’s for sure,” Hill said. “We’re still just taking it one game at a time. That’s the approach I need to take.”

Hill’s approach appears to be working. He became the only 49ers quarterback to achieve a perfect first-half passer rating, as he completed 12 of 14 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-16 victory over the St. Louis Rams. On Wednesday, the NFL named Hill NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

The 49ers had gone more than four years since they had a quarterback receive the honor. Tim Rattay threw for 417 yards against the Arizona Cardinals and was player of the week in Week 5 of the 2004 season.

“It was kind of a surprise, but anytime a quarterback gets an award like that, it’s a direct reflection of how the whole offense played — and in this case how the whole team played,” Hill said.

“The defense and the special teams set us up with field position, and then the way the whole offense executed. The offensive line obviously played unbelievable and all the skill guys made great plays.”

For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at 521-5492 or matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com.