San Francisco 49ers - Smith, Davis likely will return vs. Giants - sacbee.com
SANTA CLARA -- The question, "Do you look forward to returning to a more aggressive offense?" had barely been asked Thursday when Alex Smith leaped in with the answer.
"Very much so," the quarterback said. "I felt like we were making that progression from the Arizona game to the St. Louis game and up to the Pittsburgh game. That progression was coming."
That progression, however, was upended -- literally -- when safety Troy Polamalu's helmet struck Vernon Davis' leg in the third quarter of the Pittsburgh game, propelling the big tight end into the air and out of the game. Smith joined Davis on the injury report the next week when Seattle defensive tackle Rocky Bernard drove him into the ground, separating his throwing shoulder.
The good news for the 49ers' flagging offense is that both players appear ready to rejoin the team for its next game, Oct. 21 against the New York Giants. Even better news is that they will return to an offense that's more ambitious than the one they left.
Coach Mike Nolan said Thursday the team would carve out a bigger role for receiver Ashley Lelie, one of the few players on the 49ers' roster capable of stretching the field and putting pressure on opposing defenses.
Rex Ryan, the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, essentially told Nolan that Lelie was one of the few offensive players the Ravens feared when, following Sunday's game, he said the Ravens were prepared to double-team Lelie when he entered the game.
Lelie ended up playing only one snap against the Ravens. Baltimore used single coverage on the 49ers' other wide receivers, who finished the game with a cumulative 84 receiving yards.
With deep threats such as Davis and Lelie on the bench, Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis said afterward that the defense merely had to concentrate on stopping running back Frank Gore. The strategy worked. Baltimore held Gore to 52 yards and the 49ers to seven points.
Inserting Lelie into the offense won't fix all the 49ers' problems. But it certainly will give defenses another player to worry about.
Lelie entered the season with 3,437 receiving yards and has been particularly effective catching the deep ball, as his 17.5 yards-per-catch average suggests.
"So if we put Ashley in and he doesn't catch any balls, don't say, 'Why didn't you throw him the ball?' " Nolan said. "It might be the case they threw somebody on him.
"Now, if we can get that, that frees up some more running as well."
As for Davis and Smith, both said they plan to practice next Wednesday when the 49ers begin preparing for the Giants.
After throwing dozens of passes in the 25- to 30-yard range Wednesday, Smith had a Quasimoto-like lump of ice wrapped to his right shoulder Thursday. He said he would throw more this weekend and then participate in the 49ers' non-contact practice Monday.
If that goes well, he said, he ought to be able to suit up for Wednesday's practice. After all, it's taking him awhile to warm up his arm, but the zip appears to be returning. Thursday, he estimated his arm strength as about 90 percent of normal.