Troy Smith, not David Carr, gets the call as Alex Smith fill-in

The news is not surprising that the 49ers are replacing the injured Alex Smith at quarterback. The man they chose is a bit of a shocker, though.

It will be Troy Smith, normally the third-string quarterback, who will get the call for Sunday's game against the Broncos in London. Head coach Mike Singletary bypassed backup David Carr, who threw a costly interception in Sunday's loss to the Panthers.

Alex Smith suffered a separated shoulder against the Panthers and will miss 2-3 weeks. Then again, if Troy Smith plays well in relief, then there's a decent chance Singletary will stick with the former Ohio State star and Heisman Trophy winner. 

"Troy Smith gives us a good opportunity to win this game," Singletary said. "I talked to David Carr about it. He understands. That's a personal thing between he and I, and I'm going to leave it there."