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LUCAS AT LARGE M I K E LUCA S • UWB A DGERS.C OM Tolzien preparing for Super experience A s the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart, the backup to the backup, Scott Tolzien didn't take any snaps for the San Francisco 49ers. But he still feels good about his ongoing pro football education. "For starters, I get to go against the No. 1 defense in the NFL weekin and week-out,'' said Tolzien, the former Wisconsin quarterback, who runs the 49ers' scout team in. "I remember when I first got here, I thought, 'Am I the worst football player around? Or, what's the deal?' It didn't take long to figure out that our defense is extremely good.'' It's one of the reasons why the 49ers are playing in Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens. Another reason has been the dramatic emergence of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Tolzien started the season as the backup to Kaepernick who was the backup to Alex Smith. But after Smith suffered a concussion, Kaepernick took over as the starter and now Smith is the top reserve. "I've learned a lot from just being the third guy,'' Tolzien admitted. "What I thought was really cool was that none of this quote-unquote controversy changed the dynamic in our quarterback room." Regarding Kaepernick's rapid development, Tolzien said, "We all knew he had the physical tools. You saw that in practice. But the way he's done it on game days is extremely impressive. "He's still a young quarterback, yet he doesn't make the young guy 12 » VARSITY JANUA RY 31, 2013 mistakes. Even more than that, he's not just managing the game, he's making plays.'' Tolzien, who led the Badgers to the 2010 Big Ten title, can derive satisfaction not only from the overall team results but in how the defense reacts to each individual opponent from week to week. That's on him. "I basically try to treat Wednesdays and Thursdays as my game days,'' he said. "What it boils down to is preparing each week as the starter, whether you're third string or first string. "You'd be cheating yourself ― you'd be cheating your team ― if you weren't doing that. A majority of my focus is on our scheme. That's one of the fun parts of the gig.'' On Super Bowl Sunday, he will be "trying to live or play vicariously through the starter and provide an extra set of eyes for adjustments that can be made during timeouts and between series.'' Although he has been inactive more than he has dressed for just three games during the regular season, Tolzien has treated his apprenticeship with urgency. "You realize at this level that a lot of it is on you,'' Tolzien said. "If you're not good enough, they're going to find the next guy. That's pretty powerful right there. "You'd better find a way to get better each week, otherwise you're not going to last. There's another crop of guys coming into this league after the draft and they're looking to take your job. "It will be like that every year un- til I establish myself in this league ― until I get playing time and prove that I can do it. I'm fine with that. Bottom line: you have to be hungry to get better.'' By all accounts, Tolzien is famished. "It's pretty simple, I want to be a starter,'' he said. "That hasn't changed since when I picked up a football when I was 10 years old.'' To this end, he has been taking advantage of his teachers: head coach Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL signalcaller, and the 49ers quarterbacks coach, Geep Chryst, the brother of Pitt coach Paul Chryst. "He (Harbaugh) played over a decade in the league,'' Tolzien said, "so there's merit in the things that he points out to you, whether it's a defensive scheme or a fundamental of the position. "It's not just coachspeak. He sees the game through our lens and that has been extremely helpful. I'm just so happy to work with both guys. They're first-class individuals and awesome coaches. "Geep is the more talkative version of Paul (who was Tolzien's coordinator at UW). They have the same humor and personality. You're just going to hear more out of Geep.'' Tolzien heard from Smith after the Badgers hired Gary Andersen. Smith and Andersen were at Utah at the same time. "Right away, he goes, 'That's an awesome hire,''' Tolzien said. "He told me he's just one of the most genuine people that you'll ever come across, just a normal guy.'' Not unlike Tolzien.