With both Smiths finally healthy the San Francisco 49ers have finally chosen their starting quarterback for Week 16's matchup against the St. Louis Rams, choosing former backup Troy Smith over number-one pick Alex. Troy Smith, who got his first chance at a starting job when Alex Smith fell to another injury, is 66-for-126 in five games at the helm, with 1023 yards, four touchdowns to three interceptions, and a yards-per-attempt of 8.12. Despite his serious accuracy problems he's opened the 49ers and their talented receivers up downfield, but he's experienced a serious drop-off since his revelatory start to the season. Alex Smith, who's appeared in nine games in 2010, has 12 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and a Y/A of 6.6.
The San Francisco Chronicle adds that if Troy gets off to a slow start we're likely to see Alex, who's also gotten reps in practice this week. As a Rams fan I'd rather see Troy, to be honest; he's still coasting off a combination of the team's growing frustration in Alex's inability to become a franchise quarterback and his outstanding start to the season.