Quarterback Alex Smith's right shoulder is feeling pretty darn good after throwing approximately 100 passes on Saturday to tight end Billy Bajema. Now, however, his right forearm is bothering him.
"There are so many small muscles in the hand," Smith said. "You're gripping and releasing, so you have to get all those (muscles) back into shape."
When asked if his forearm is now an issue, Smith answered, "It won't be a problem. I'll be fine on Wednesday."
Wednesday is the key day for the 49ers' preparation to face the Giants. The players have their usual Tuesday day off before returning to work on Wednesday.
The team's medical staff has told coach Mike Nolan that Smith and tight end Vernon Davis should be able to practice on Wednesday.
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The 49ers were the first NFL team to use the shotgun, when coach Red Hickey unveiled the formation with John Brodie at quarterback in 1960.
But through the years, the 49ers have used the formation probably as little as any other team. Smith used the formation quite a bit in the Steelers game when the 49ers went to a passing attack in the fourth quarter. (He was also in that formation when sustained his shoulder separation against the Seahawks).
Smith ran the shotgun at Utah, and Smith is comfortable using the formation to get a better idea of what the defense is doing.
"The shotgun is great for certain things," Smith said. "I don't think it's an end-all but there are some situations . . . (when) it's nice to get back in the gun and away from it. You can see the bigger picture."
Smith said it is particularly useful when defenses get a little "exotic." It also gives him a split-second longer to get rid of the ball.
He said, "(When) defenses are so chaotic and guys are everywhere, you do need to see the bigger picture a little more in order to get a sense for what they're trying to do. Is it pressure? Is it coverage? You get a better idea of if when you're getting back (in the shotgun)."
The two biggest downsides to the shotgun formation are 1) the potential for bad snaps; and 2) it generally takes play-action passes out of the equation.
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Smith said the number of audibles he calls in a game depends on the particular week and the game plan.
"Sometimes in the game plan there are a lot more checks and audibles," he said. "Some weeks there aren't many at all."
The 49ers aren't "a huge audible team," Smith said. But when he does make checks, he said he tries not to be obvious.
"There are certain types of audibles, whether you're audibling the protection or the routes or audibling a run from one to another or whether it's from run to pass, or pass to run. Those things are all different types of audibles. Some are more obvious that others. It used to be pretty noticeable when I was changing a play. You try to get better at it, so the defense doesn't know what's going on."
Of course, the most obvious quarterback in the league, as far as calling audibles, is Peyton Manning. Smith said half the time Manning is calling out phony plays to confuse a defense.
"He's dummying half that time," Smith said. "He's trying to screw with them. He audibles so much . . . he's checking and they get up and run the same play."
Smith said the audibles the 49ers use are less obvious and do not require as much disguising. They might call a couple plays in the huddle and then come to the line of scrimmage and check into one of the plays.
"Through our cadence, the defense has no idea what's going on," Smith said, "so there's no need to decoy quite a bit.
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The 49erse added offensive lineman Tavares Washington to the practice squad after Harvey Dahl was signed last week to the Falcons' 53-man roster. Washington spent the entire 2006 season on the 49ers' practice squad.
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The trade deadline is Tuesday, and offensive lineman Kwame Harris said he is prepared for whatever happens. A couple weeks ago, the 49ers were asking for a conditional fifth-round pick that would become a fourth-rounder if Harris spent at six weeks or more on his new team's 45-man game-day roster.
"I've been thinking a lot about it," Harris said. "I thought everything through in the first week, and almost every week since. I'll feel comfortable with whatever happens."
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Click here for 49ers Hot Reads from Tuesday's Press Democrat.
- mcbaes72 2007-10-16 09:39:35 (203 views)