San Francisco 49ers

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) Et cetera – Quarterback Alex Smith recorded the first 300-yard passing game of his career, finishing with 310 yards. Meanwhile, Vernon Davis set a franchise record with his 10th touchdown catch, the most ever in one season for a 49ers tight end. Ted Kwalick and Brent Jones each had nine.

SEATTLE -- The Seahawks braced for another rampage from Frank Gore. Instead, they got a career passing day from Alex Smith, the 49ers' new spread offense -- and a gift win. One was to Vernon Davis, who had six catches for a career-high 111 yards. Davis' 10th touchdown of the season set a single-...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) SEATTLE – The 49ers were trailing by three points with five minutes remaining in their 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday when Mike Singletary grabbed Alex Smith and essentially told him to win the game. And Smith played his role perfectly.

Seattle Seahawks’ Jon Ryan and kicker Olindo Mare (10) watch as Mare's kick scores a field goal against the San Francisco 49ers' in the second half Sunday in Seattle.SEATTLE -- Olindo Mare kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to send the Seattle Seahawks to a 20-17 victory on Sunday o...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) • Line: 49ers by 1. • Radio: KCTC (1320 AM); KNBR (1050 AM). Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Gary Plummer (color). WHO'S THE WATCH? Alex Smith 49ERS QUARTERBACK INJURY REPORT 49ers Alex Smith 196 122 1,267 11 7 Frank Gore 128 643 6 5.0 Vernon Davis 57 670 9 11.8 Frank Gore 36 234 3 6.5

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By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) A number of offensive players have been hurt by San Francisco's revolving door at offensive coordinator, and Walker is one of them. He also happened to be drafted the same year that the 49ers used their sixth overall pick on another tight end, Vernon Davis. Getting Davis, not Walker, involv...

On the 49ers defensive staff then? Current Raiders defensive coordinator John Marshall. Scott, coming off a two-sack game at Dallas, will have the freedom ... Oakland, Russell face crossroadSan Jose Mercury News all 23 news articles »

Alex Smith. The 49ers quarterback really holds the fate of the team in his normal-sized right hand. Continue to win with Smith at the helm and coach Mike ...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) The 49ers don't run a true spread, something offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye noted Thursday. Raye called the term – used widely since the team's Oct. 25 game in Houston – a "total misnomer." No, what Raye and the 49ers have is something unique.

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) San Francisco 49ers Alex Smith passes against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first half at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif. November 29, 2009.SAN FRANCISCO – It was third and goal from the Jacksonville 3-yard line early in the second quarter, and offensive coordinator Jimmy Ra...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) The other player Singletary singled out Monday was quarterback Alex Smith. Singletary said he sought out Smith to see how the quarterback felt about the direction of the offense. When Smith told him, Singletary urged him to share those thoughts with offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye.

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) More reason to celebrate – Ten minutes after the 49ers were in the locker room, an explosion of noise could be heard from within. The cause? The Tennessee Titans had just beaten the Arizona Cardinals on a touchdown pass as time expired.

It's pretty much the growth of this offense," Smith said. "In the NFL, you have to be balanced. You have to be able to do it different ways to find ways to win." He credited Davis, Smith and even Crabtree -- the rookie top draft pick -- for offering their input.

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) SANTA CLARA – Mike Singletary raised eyebrows earlier this week when he used the word "meek" to describe quarterback Alex Smith. On Friday, Singletary clarified the comment. S' on his chest – Last week, the 49ers played against Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who grew up wearing a Joe M...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) SANTA CLARA – There are two kinds of 49ers fans in this world: Those who want Alex Smith tossed into a Hefty bag like a picked-over turkey carcass and those who believe there's still plenty of meat to be salvaged. The fans around here grew up on Joe Montana and Steve Young. They might be willing t...

McCarthy said the Packers should know more about Kampman and Harris on Monday. For now, they'll try to carry all the things they did right in the first half into Thursday's game at Detroit. San Francisco's Josh Morgan returned a kickoff 76 yards and Smith threw a 24-yard touchdown to Vernon D...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) 49ers linebacker Parys Haralson tries to pressure Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler during last week's victory over the Bears. While the 49ers haven't piled up a lot of sacks this season, they have put a suitable amount of pressure on opposing teams' quarterbacks, says defensive coordina...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) SANTA CLARA – Patrick Willis and Lance Briggs side by side in the 49ers' linebacking corps? That combination seemed so likely last year that Briggs and Willis sat down together at the 2008 Pro Bowl to talk about the possibilities. Later Davis conceded that he respected defensive lineman A...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) And turnovers killed the 49ers on Sunday. Gore kept playing – and running as well as he has this season. But his swollen face was symbolic of a 49ers squad that lost two starters – Nate Clements and Joe Staley – last week and watched as nine more players landed on the injury report Sunday.

Davis' third touchdown, on a 23-yard reception, pulled the 49ers within 24-21 with 3:49 remaining. Smith connected with Crabtree for six yards and a first down on the first play of the fourth quarter, and the 49ers scored five plays later.

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) Johnson caught the pass, which led to a 50-yard field goal by Kris Brown that extended Houston's lead to 24-14. Johnson left the game two plays later with a chest contusion and was taken to a hospital. Spencer said he thought Johnson fell on the point of the football on his long reception and da...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) The 49ers are incapable of keeping pace with a team like the Colts the way their offense has operated under quarterback Shaun Hill. The Texans proved as much. With Alex Smith? Judging from the way he threw the ball to Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree in the second half, the 49ers would stand a...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) The 49ers declined comment. Lewis suffered the first during an Aug. 18 scrimmage against the Raiders in Napa. Eleven days later, he took a knee to the side of the helmet during an exhibition game against the Cowboys. He sat out the following exhibition game in San Diego.

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) Then again, Singletary isn't exactly a dream coach for a receiver. The 49ers' receptions leader through four games is a tight end. Their top wideout, Isaac Bruce, ranks 66th among his peers in receptions. Asked if he was worried whether his statistics would suffer in the 49ers' offense, Cra...

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson, left, runs against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nate Clements, bottom, cornerback Dre' Bly (31)and defensive end Ray McDonald (91) in the second quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009.

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) Defensive tackle Ray McDonald returns a fourth-quarter fumble 11 yards for the 49ers' final touchdown. St. Louis' blunders directly led to 21 49ers points.SAN FRANCISCO -- The 49ers pitched their first shutout since 2002 on Sunday, but no one was waving towels or popping champagne corks.

Sanders: Dropping hints. Sanders dropped another teaser in a segment called "Let's Go Primetime." After noting how well the 49ers defense played against the Rams, he said, "And Crabtree may be on his way. I'm just saying. I'm just saying."

49ers have ball at Rams 29 ... 1st and 10: Coffee carries for five ... 2nd and 10: Hill play action, finds Morgan open for the TOUCHDOWN. Not pretty but effective. Five plays, 43 yards, 2:05. 49ers 28, Rams 0. 3Q 2Q Looks like the 49ers wireless is finally working ....

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By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) After offensive-minded coaches - Dick Vermeil, Martz and Scott Linehan - ran the operation for nine years, St. Louis hired a former defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, to resurrect the franchise in the offseason. Spagnuolo was an Eagles defensive assistant under defensive coordi...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) Davis, the sixth overall pick in 2006, was finally meeting expectations. Fells, who went undrafted out of UC Davis, was exceeding his. Expensive hit – Defensive end Justin Smith was fined $5,000 for hitting Brett Favre in the knee area during Minnesota's 27-24 win last Sunday.

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matt Barrows) But stubbornness also gets you in trouble. When your path is blocked by a wall - in the case of Sunday's game against the Vikings, the Williams wall for defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams - isn't it wiser to go over or around instead of plowing straight ahead?

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) Singletary was asked what he thinks about being labeled conservative – a word at which his predecessor, Mike Nolan, once bristled. Injuries – The only other 49er aside from Gore who has been ruled out for Sunday's game is special-teams contributor Reggie Smith, who is dealing with a groin...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) RICH PEDRONCELLI Associated Press file, 1997 Former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., left, with quarterback Steve Young in 1997, will become the first member of the 49ers Hall of Fame. DeBartolo didn't just give his money to players.SANTA CLARA – Former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. prom...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) If the Crabtree camp was calculating that the 49ers' passing game would struggle without him Sunday in Arizona, it may have been disappointed. The 49ers' problem was that they didn't throw enough. Said left guard David Baas: "Arizona brought half their team in blitzes, every run."

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) Of course, a strong defensive effort would aid the 49ers' ball-control game plan. We know we have to pressure Kurt, and we're going to go after him," defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said. "Sometimes, we are going sit back and play some zone and play some man. You have to play the cat-and-mo...

Greg Manusky also spoke. Asked why Shawntae Spencer won the starting cornerback job, Manusky several times used the word "clean" to describe Spencer's game. That means that Spencer is fluid and doesn't make many mental mistakes, which appears to be what separated him from Dre Bly in the co...

DE Tyson Jackson: This guy practically screams 49ers. He's big, physical and comes from college football's best conference, the SEC. He would be a perfect fit at left defensive end on the 49ers' three-man defensive line ... if they hadn't spent a first rounder on a left defensive end, Kentwan B...

Question: What's the scoop? There hasn't been a new 49ers headline in like 3 days. Do I need to get my 49ers news elsewhere? Or is there really nothing going on? I mean didn't Sanchez visit or anything? One new headline every 5-6 days is not going to cut it. Tom, Bend OR

Very interesting KNBR interview yesterday with Jim Trotter, the SI reporter who, along with Adam Schefter, broke the news about the Jimmy Raye hire Wednesday evening. According to Trotter, before Mike Singletary made his final choice for offensive coordinator, he brought the two fina...

  USA - The 49ers allowed Johnnie Lee Higgins to return a punt for a touchdown in the exhibition opener against the Raiders. Defense rests – A 49ers defense that ...