--Quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan signed with the Detroit Lions after completing the final season of the now-defunct NFL Europe last spring. His job was to report to training camp and quickly learn Mike Martz's offense.

O'Sullivan won the team's backup quarterback job despite having a lot less time in the offense than some of his competition.

"If it's important to you, you're going to learn it," O'Sullivan said. "It's important to me, so I tried to learn it as quickly as I could. If you want to learn it, you're going to put in time."

O'Sullivan said the group of 49ers quarterbacks will learn together.

"We're a group. We all help each other," O'Sullivan said. "All groups come back and ask questions. I do with these guys. It gives and takes both ways."

--High-priced free agent Justin Smith will be featured in the 49ers' defense this season. Although he will start at right defensive end, he could end up just about anywhere. The 49ers used him in a lot of different roles during the club's three-day minicamp. On some plays, he stood up, assuming a linebacker role.

"Well, I'm not one to say it's going to give us an advantage, but I think No. 1, it's going to utilize Justin's talents and it's going to fit into the things that we do so it's a good marriage," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said.

--The 49ers were scheduled to assist in building six new homes for Habitat for Humanity, near the team's practice facility in Santa Clara, Calif. A 20-person team comprised of staff members from the 49ers and volunteers from the Bank of America were scheduled to begin work early Friday morning.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"If coach came in and says, 'I want to play this guy,' I would be comfortable with whatever he says. We'll go play. I have great confidence in them." -- 49ers offensive Mike Martz on the three-way quarterback competition among Alex Smith, Shaun Hill and J.T. O'Sullivan.

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