by By Darren Sabedra MediaNews staff , Contra Costa Times

It was the team's most definitive response to date about the troubled quarterback.

McCloughan said that he and coach Mike Singletary discussed the idea of bringing Vick aboard last week but decided against it.

As recently as late last month, Singletary was noncommittal when asked about the former Atlanta Falcons star.

"That's something, going forward, you just never know," Singletary said at the time. "I don't want to say absolutely not, because I'm not there. But I'm certainly not going to say yes."

With Vick officially off the radar, the 49ers almost certainly will begin training camp next month with Shaun Hill and Alex Smith competing for the quarterback job.

Smith's surgically repaired shoulder has given him no limitations while he's tested it through series of minicamps and organized team activities.

"It's the best I've felt in a long time," Smith said after Monday's OTA. "It's comforting that it's just Football now."

Smith didn't anticipate the recovery to happen so swiftly.

"I was really skeptical," he said. "Is it going to happen? Am I going to be out there? I wanted the shot at the competition. But you hate to go compete and ... not be able to be who you are."

McCloughan noted that Smith, who had surgery in October, looked very good during this past weekend's minicamp and that the shoulder was holding up well.

When Smith was asked to specify what he could do now that he couldn't do before the surgery, he said, "All the throws all the different arm angles."

As for the competition with Hill, Smith is encouraged about that, too, adding that Singletary is upfront about everything.

"He's going to tell you what he thinks," Smith said. "Last year was a little, 'Hey, what's going on?' This year it's nothing close to that. No excuses. It's Shaun and me out there competing. We've known that from Day One."

Nonsense not allowed

Though Monday's workout was technically "voluntary," Singletary was all business. Furious that the team wasn't functioning up to his standards, he abruptly stopped practice and shouted, "We don't walk off the field! We sprint off the field!" He then had the team run a series of wind sprints.

"He's no nonsense," said defensive end Demetric Evans, who spent the past five seasons with the Washington Redskins. "He wants to get it done, a sense of urgency. Those are the things he preaches day in and day out. That's the kind of team he's going to coach."

Evans said that Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells coaches he previously played under were the same way.

"I guess they're all from that same old-school mind-set and know what it takes to win," Evans said.

Extra point

Evans' presence could be a boost for the 49ers . He had a solid season last year for the Redskins as a run stopper and a pass rusher, and many in the Washington organization viewed him as the team's most valuable defensive lineman in 2008, according to The Washington Post.

"I bring versatility," Evans said.

Evans' biggest adjustment thus far has been the time difference because his wife is finishing her medical residency on the East Coast.

"When I get out of practice, it's almost evening time over there," he said.

Darren Sabedra, MediaNews staff

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