Damon Huard got the gate today in San Francisco, released by the 49ers after just five months.
The 36-year-old quarterback who, prior to joining the Niners in March, had played for Miami, New England, and Kansas City now hits the open market.
He’s not that far removed from usefulness. Huard started 21 games in the past three seasons, and his teams have won 10 of those starts.
New England, which just released 2007 third-round pick Kevin O’Connell, could be interested in having Huard back in their mix. They currently have Tom Brady nursing a shoulder (sore), veteran backup Andrew Walter, who is new to the Pats system, and undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer.
A call to Huard’s agent, Mike Sullivan, wasn’t immediately returned. (Hmmmph!)
Meanwhile, Niners coach Mike Singletary sent Huard off with a nice, “Attaboy.” In a statement released by the team, Singletary said Huard “was a professional in every sense.” [Editor’s note: Singletary’s choice in conjugation makes us think of a phrase used by one of our commenters . . . “Is he died?”]
Singletary added, “What he did with our quarterbacks was outstanding. He helped them to have a better idea about what it takes to be a pro. Not only did he provide great tips throughout, but he helped build their confidence. It’s one thing to hear what you need to do to get better from someone who never played the game, but when you hear it from a guy like Damon you take his words to heart.”
Since only three of the past 25 Super Bowls were won by coaches who “played the game” at the NFL level, someone’s been taking the words of those other guys to heart.
But we digress.