49ers Blog and Q&A

His starting free safety is the only 49er who hasn't arrived for spring practice, but secondary coach Ed Donatell isn't sweating the absence. Not having Dashon Goldson simply means more repetitions for Goldson's backups, Donatell said Thursday, and frankly they could use the practice.

The safety spot in San Francisco went from deep and experienced in 2011 to promising but green this season. After starters Goldson and Donte Whitner, the top backup is C.J. Spillman, a special teams ace whose defensive role was limited to short-yardage plays last year. Other than Spillman, no other backup safety on the roster has played a defensive snap in an NFL game.

Contact was forbidden during the May practices, which meant a lot of work for the receivers and tight ends in the passing game. Conversely Donatell's defensive backs also have been getting plenty of practice. Donatell doubles those repetitions by having safety tandems stand behind the play when they are not one of the 11 on the field.

"They're taking mental reps and they're chatting," Donatell said. "... We want them to be a chatty group, and we want them to be an extension of our coordinator and our coaches."

Last year, the 49ers entered training camp with veterans Reggie Smith, Madieu Williams and Taylor Mays as part of the safety mix. Mays was traded to the Bengals later that summer while the team did not re-sign free agents Smith and Williams in March. Now Spillman, who was in on only 16 of 1014 defensive snaps last year, is the top backup.

Jim Harbaugh backs Alex Smith 110 percent. We've heard that a million times by now, including during yesterday's out-of-left field rehash by Harbaugh of what he claimed was the 49ers' non-pursuit of Peyton Manning two and a half months ago.

But the real indicator of the relationship is the contract that Smith was very reluctant to sign and finally did only after taking a free-agent visit to Miami. For a starting quarterback who took his team to overtime in the NFC Championship game, it's a modest three-year deal for $24 million that gives the 49ers an easy out after this season.

That is, the 49ers' contractual commitment to Smith in no way matches Harbaugh's effusive praise of Smith.

The quarterback, to his credit, appears to have gotten past that. In fact, from the day he signed the contract, Smith has not raised the slightest gripe about the team's interest in Manning or his ho hum contract. He's been the perfect soldier, falling in lockstep behind Harbaugh and saying all the right things.

Which makes Harbaugh's resurrection of the story all the more peculiar. Why open old wounds when there was every appearance they had healed over and been forgotten? And Smith certainly felt wounded at that time.

When Alex Smith was summoned into the media trailer after today's practice, he probably thought it had something to do with his Cam Newton comments from last week, which have been bandied about from east coast to west coast for a week.

Instead, Smith was asked about the 49ers' pursuit - or non-pursuit/evaluation/flirtation/tire kicking - of Peyton Manning from two and a half months ago. Smith followed his coach's lead by saying that he was informed throughout the process and that he would have competed with Manning had Manning chosen to play in San Francisco and had the 49ers -- cough, cough -- decided the four-time NFL MVP was worth signing. Here's the transcript:

Q: Harbaugh says there's no scenario, from the team point of view, in which you wouldn't have been a 49er. Was there a scenario in your mind?
AS: From the beginning, like I said, that was the scenario. They had been up front with me. Coach Harbaugh, from the day I've been here, has been completely honest. And both he and Trent (Baalke), from the beginning, from all of this, yeah. I mean, a month prior to any of the Peyton Manning stuff, they had been negotiating with me to come back and new contract. And when that (Manning) arised, they were honest, came over and talked to me. Potentially (I would) compete for the job. This is exactly what he told Peyton. For me, that was always there.

Q: But would you have wanted to compete with Peyton?
AS: I certainly felt like this was my job to compete for. No question. I felt like what we accomplished last year, that I deserved that.

Q: So why make a free-agent visit to Miami?
AS: I think that was more of the, uh ... I mean, that's what free agency is. It was my first time through it. A little bit of it, how you play that business side. Obviously that's not something I'm comfortable with and did a lot. But, yeah, that's a part of it. Yeah, you go around and you see the teams and you weigh your options. You don't know what those options are until you go look at them sometimes, so. But for me, this was always the place. I've always said that. This was always the place. Then things happen, and you do play that game a little bit.

Q: Are you surprised we're still talking about this?
AS: A little bit. Yeah. A little surprised.

Q: Did you know that (Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman) were going to Duke to watch Manning?
AS: I knew they were going to look at him, yeah. Through that whole process, I knew they were going to go see him and check him out and do their due diligence, whatever you want to call it.

Q: Reaction to the Cam Newton controversy.
AS: Um, you know if there's a good thing from all the drama that kinda came of it: Hopefully people didn't catch on to the fact that we let out a team secret. That around here, we don't really care about individual stats. And if I can say anything, that's the one good thing - hopefully it kinda covered that up."

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In non-Alex Smith news, several 49ers were back at practice today, including Anthony Davis, Michael Crabtree and Donte Whitner.

-- Matt Barrows

Jim Harbaugh today buried the lead. As his 13-minute group session with reporters was winding down, he -- out of the blue -- said he wanted to clarify a misperception that he's been seeing since March: That the 49ers were pursuing then-free agent quarterback Peyton Manning, who narrowed his options to the 49ers, the Titans and his ultimate choice, the Broncos.

"It's an erroneous perception that we were flirting with Peyton Manning. I keep hearing that over and over again," Harbaugh said. "It's silly, and it's untrue. It's phony. Even the perception that we were pursuing him ... we were evaluating him. I've said all along, Alex Smith has been our quarterback. There's been no scenario, other than Alex choosing to sign with another team, that we would have considered him not as our quarterback."

Two months ago, free agency had gotten underway and the 49ers still hadn't signed Smith despite the fact that Smith, coming off his best season in seven years, said he wanted to be back and the 49ers also wanted to return. While Manning was deliberating on his landing spot, Smith made the only free-agent visit of his career, to Miami. He also had planned a trip to Seattle, but the Seahawks signed free agent Matt Flynn instead.

Smith on Wednesday dismissed the Miami trip. "That's what free agency is," he said. And he said that he would have competed with Manning had the 49ers signed him. "I certainly felt like this was my job to compete for, no question," Smith said. "I felt like what we accomplished last year - that I deserved that."

The key to making the 49ers' game-day roster this season: versatility. That's what a number of the team's offensive linemen are working on this spring. The most prominent is Alex Boone, who is the frontrunner for the starting right guard position but who on Tuesday lined up at right tackle in starter Anthony Davis' absence.

This mimicked a regular-season scenario in which Davis - or left tackle Joe Staley - went down with an injury. Boone, who was the team's backup tackle last season, would move from the starting guard position to tackle, and someone from the bench would have to fill in at guard.

Most teams activate seven offensive linemen on game days. The two players on the bench ideally are versatile, and in the 49ers' case, one of them needs to be able to play center. Daniel Kilgore has been lining up exclusively at center this spring, at least in the two practices that have been open to the media. He played guard last year.

On Tuesday, Mike Person filled in at right guard with the first-string unit. Person played tackle in college and mostly lined up at tackle as a rookie last season. He's also played a lot at tackle during the recent OTAs. If the season began today, Kilgore (center and guard) and Person (guard and tackle) likely would be the two backup offensive linemen who are active on game day.

The 49ers held their second, media-accessible OTA practice today. There were a lot more absences than there were last week, and that gave a little insight to the depth chart on both offense and defense.

On offense, the players missing from the voluntary session included presumed starters Vernon Davis, Anthony Davis and Michael Crabtree, as well as receiver Mario Manningham. Ted Ginn and Joe Looney continue to rehab from injuries while some rookies, such as LaMichael James and Chris Owusu, cannot take part because their universities are still in session. Crabtree is somewhere in Mexico, according to this picture by a certain fellow wide receiver.

With Anthony Davis out, Alex Boone kicked out to left tackle with the first-team unit while Mike Person filled in at right guard. The second-team offensive line looked like this: LT Al Netter, LG Garrett Chisolm, C Daniel Kilgore, RG Derek Hall, RT Kenny Wiggins.

On defense, the missing players included starting safeties Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson (he has not signed his franchise tender) as well as cornerback Chris Culliver. Starting cornerback Carlos Rogers continues to rehab from a lower-body injury while draft pick Darius Fleming is out with a torn ACL.

The starting safeties were C.J. Spillman (SS) and draft pick Trenton Robinson (FS). The starting cornerbacks were Tramaine Brock and Tarell Brown with Perrish Cox entering in third-down situations.

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The three best-looking wide receivers early this offseason have been Randy Moss, Crabtree and Kyle Williams, who was easily Alex Smith's favorite target on Tuesday. Williams looked quick and fluid last year. If it's possible, he looks more so this year.

Ted Ginn has begun OTAs the way he ended the 2011 season - working out with a trainer on a side field while the rest of the team practices. Ginn's injury, unknown at this point, does not appear to be serious. He's moving without a limp. But it's a reminder that the 49ers need to find a backup punt returner for Ginn, who is one of the top returners in the league but who is signed only through this season.

Last week Jim Harbaugh said he would be comfortable with Kyle Williams as the primary backup this season. That very well may be the way it plays out. Williams' high-profile flubs in January appear to have sharpened his focus this offseason.

But with a beefed-up wide receiving corps, Williams' spot on the 53-man squad is not a lock. The hope is that rookie LaMichael James, who is virtually guaranteed a roster spot, will handle the job long term. James' experience as a punt returner, however, is limited to the 15 opportunities he had last season at Oregon (for 139 yards, including one touchdown), and Harbaugh acknowledged he may not be ready for the role this season.

"This is somebody that has a chance to evolve into a punt returner, a kickoff returner," he said of James after he was drafted. "He's got to work on his hands in those situations, returning punts. That may be x amount of time before he's really able to do that. We've got a pretty darn good returner in Ted Ginn, as it is now, but that'll definitely create a possibility down the road for us."

Brandon Jacobs says he hadn't done a squat in six years. This astounds me.

After all, Jacobs is a running back, and you would think that of all the positions groups, running backs would concentrate on building up their legs the most. What's more, he's 6-4, 264 pounds. His game is built on intimidation and power. You'd think he'd want to accentuate that as much as possible. You'd think that he'd be squatzilla.

He hasn't been. Jacobs said the concern when he was with the Giants was that squats - the most basic of all thigh- and butt-building exercises -- wouldn't be good for his knees, so he didn't do them.

But when he arrived with the 49ers, the trainers identified quickness and burst as a shortcoming in his game. Indeed, the critique in New York in recent seasons was that Jacobs has the size and appearance of the ultimate power runner but didn't hit the hole like one and was tripped up in the backfield too often. The 49ers prescribed a regimen of squats, and Jacobs says he notices a difference after only two months.

"My legs already feel a lot stronger," he said. "I'm stronger, I'm more explosive, I'm hitting the hole. I'm just ready to go."

Jacobs said he's slimmer than he was in New York, but he weighs the same. That's due to the muscle he's built up since joining the 49ers, he said. Jacobs turns 30 in July, but he says he's faster than he's been in years.

With Jacobs, fellow newcomer LaMichael James and incumbents Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon, the 49ers easily have the deepest backfield they've had in years. You also could say that about their wide-receiving corps, which added Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and A.J. Jenkins. In today's Bee I wrote how distributing the ball among this group is one of the biggest questions and challenges the 49ers will have this year.

It also will be interesting to see whether the 49ers alter their offensive style in 2012. Last year only one team - the Broncos - threw the ball less than the 49ers and only two teams ran the ball more. Indeed, that throwback style is why Jacobs feels at home in San Francisco. While the rest of the league, including the Giants, has gone pass happy, the 49ers have maintained a more traditional balance - 489 rushing attempts to 451 passing attempts in 2011.

The question is whether that ratio swings in the other direction in 2012.

-- Matt Barrows

No. 1 overall draft pick fight!

Alex Smith always has been polite and mild mannered. In fact, he's been criticized at times for it. Mike Singletary once called him "meek." But some of his recent comments about Carolina quarterback Cam Newton have ruffled feathers on the east coast.

On Wednesday, Smith was asked whether his new stable of wide receivers should boost the 49ers' passing yards per game, which last year ranked 29th. Smith didn't exactly get angry at the comment. But he made it clear what he thought of passing statistics and it was a surprisingly forceful comment from Smith.

"This is the honest truth," Smith said. "I could absolutely care less about yards per game. I think that is a totally overblown stat because if you're losing games in the second half, guess what, you're like the Carolina Panthers and you're going no-huddle the entire second half and, yeah, Cam Newton threw for a lot of 300-yard games. That's great. You're not winning, though."

That quote gained traction and prompted a Twitter reply yesterday from Carolina linebacker Jon Beason, who used the 49ers' flirtation with Peyton Manning this offseason to needle Smith: "Alex smith, don't hate on Cam Bc your stats would've gotten u cut if Peyton decided to come 2 San Fran. Truth b told ... That's after a 13-3 yr."

Oh, snap.

For the record, the 49ers averaged 181 passing yards a game last season, ranked 29th in the league in that category, but finished 13-3 and went to the NFC Championship game. Newton's Panthers, meanwhile, averaged 239 yards a game, ranked 13th overall and finished 6-10. Newton had three, 300-plus yard passing games; Smith's highest regular season total was 291 yards in a comeback effort against the Eagles. He had 299 yards against the Saints in the playoffs.

The 49ers and Panthers would only face each other this season if they met in the playoffs ....

-- Matt Barrows

A.J. Jenkins said he planned on going for a dip after practice today. Why? Because that's what Randy Moss routinely does after practice.

All apologies to Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree, but Moss has to be the most scrutinized player on the 49ers' roster. Not only is the media curious about the 13-year veteran who was retired at this time last year, the players -- young and old -- are watching his every move, too.

That includes first-round draft pick Jenkins. The 49ers signed Moss and drafted Jenkins this offseason after going through 2011 without a deep threat at receiver. In fact, you could argue that the team hasn't had a consistent big-play receiver since Terrell Owens left town.

Moss, of course, is signed for one year. The hope is that Jenkins will be here for the long haul and that he takes careful notes on Moss throughout the season. So far, Jenkins, who has a Randy Moss jersey in his closet at home, can't help but oblige.

"Anything that he does, I'm looking," Jenkins said. "That's running routes, that's getting off press (coverage), that's catching balls, that's eating the right things, that's treatment - everything that he does. Because he's been in the league for, what, 14 or 15 years? That's respect. ... He's always constantly treating his body like a machine. That's one thing that I want to pick up."

As for Jenkins' other mentor, Jerry Rice, the rookie said he has yet to tackle The Hill with the former 49ers receiver. But the two spoke Wednesday and they have plans to get together in the near future to strategize on an offseason regimen.

Jenkins was noticeably winded after the team's rookie minicamp earlier this month, and he acknowledged he's not yet ready for a two-plus mile run that's uphill all of the way. "I want to build myself up before I take that on," Jenkins said.

-- Matt Barrows

If you like to devour 49ers minutia, tuck a napkin in your collar and belly up to the table. Here are the nuts and bolts from Wednesday's OTA, the only session this week that is open to the media.

As I mentioned on Twitter, second-year center Chase Beeler returned to practice after sitting out the recent minicamp with a broken right hand. Beeler, who is right-handed, merely started snapping with his left hand. (He has a small cast on the right that he hopes will come off in a couple of weeks).

Beeler's issue last year was size and strength. He arrived with the 49ers at 275 pounds, and he used his time on the practice squad to get bigger and stronger. While the broken hand - he did it while lifting weights - doesn't help his quest for power, Beeler still has made noticeable strides. He's up to 295 pounds and he is benching as much as 440 pounds.

Beeler's issue this year might be practice repetitions. With Jonathan Goodwin back at center with the first-team offensive line, and Alex Boone at right guard with the first team (perhaps permanently), Daniel Kilgore has been the center with the second-team line and draft pick Jason Slowey has taken a lot of snaps with the second or third teams.

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There were several compositions of the second-team offensive line; here's the main one. Keep in mind that the veterans will have an advantage in the early practices and that draft pick Joe Looney isn't practicing:

Alex Smith concedes the 49ers' passing attack could stand to improve in 2012. But don't bring up last year's paltry yards-per-game average, and whatever you do, don't cite the lack of 300-yard passing games over his career.

"This is the honest truth," Smith said, warming up for one of his favorite peeves. "I could absolutely care less about yards per game. I think that is a totally overblown stat because if you're losing games in the second half, guess what, you're like the Carolina Panthers and you're going no-huddle the entire second half and, yeah, Cam Newton threw for a lot of 300-yard games. That's great. You're not winning, though."

For the record, the 49ers averaged 181 passing yards a game last season, ranked 29th in the league in that category, but finished 13-3 and went to the NFC Championship game. Newton's Panthers, meanwhile, averaged 239 yards a game, ranked 13th overall and finished 6-10.

As Smith noted, the 49ers didn't need prolific numbers because, thanks to one of the best defenses in the league, they never got into shootouts and rarely fell behind by wide margins. The team's biggest comeback was in Week 4 against Philadelphia, and Smith finished that game with a season-high 291 passing yards. Smith has had only two 300-plus yard performances over his career - in 2010 against Philadelphia and in 2009 against the Seahawks.

When the 49ers first assembled as a team last year, the lockout had wiped away most of the offseason and Jim Harbaugh and his players had to sprint and cram and sprint some more just to get ready for the regular season.

The entire 49ers squad met for the first time this week, giving them a nearly three-month head start on where they were last season. But that doesn't mean the pace of life at 49ers headquarters has become leisurely. In fact, it's just as urgent as last year.

"Let me tell you, things have not changed," quarterback Alex Smith said today. "If you talk to anybody about the first day of Football School and it was like, holy smokes. I think it blew everyone's mind. I know Randy (Moss) came out here and was like, holy smokes. It was 100 mph. This coaching staff, coach Harbaugh, only knows one speed. It's not relax time, it's full throttle even more."

Harbaugh said he was most pleased with the attendance for the team's first week of OTAs. The only absences were safety Dashon Goldson, who has not yet signed his franchise tag tender, and three rookies, including second-round pick LaMichael James, whose schools have not yet had their graduations.

*****UPDATE***** The 49ers announced that Lee's extension is for six years or through the 2018 season. His agent, Eddie Edwards, said, "He's excited to be in San Francisco for the next seven years. He loves the fans, he loves his teammates, he loves the organization."

Said GM Trent Baalke in a statement: ""The 49ers are pleased to have reached a long term contract extension with Andy. Andy has established himself as one of the top players in the game at his position. He is a valued member of our organization and community. As we stated earlier this year, it is our objective to keep the core of this team together long term, and this is just another step in that direction."

General manager Trent Baalke and the 49ers' chief contract negotiator, Paraag Marathe, were observed having a conversation at the end of Tuesday's practice, usually a sign that a deal is in the works. Then this morning team president Jed York tweeted that the 49ers are close to an extension for one of their All-Pro players.

All those clues have led to this outcome: Punter Andy Lee is getting a raise. A league source confirmed a contract extension this morning, although the details of the new deal still are unavailable.

Lee, 29, has been out-punting his contract for several years now. In 2007 he was a restricted free agent who signed an offer sheet on a six-year deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers matched that offer to retain Lee, and he has been in the middle of the pack among punters when it comes to salary ever since.

Lee is due to earn a base salary of $1 million this year, the final year of his current contract. By contrast, the Raiders' Shane Lechler's base salary will be $3.8 million. Lee's new deal is expected to be comparable to Lechler's

As York hinted, Lee was one of five All-Pros last year and he also was voted to his third Pro Bowl. During the 2011 season he set an NFL record with a net average of 44 yards a punt, and was part of a 49ers' special teams that was the best in the league.

Of the team's other All-Pros, Patrick Willis' contract expires after the 2016 season while those of Justin Smith, NaVorro Bowman and David Akers expire after the 2013 season. Bowman, of course, has out-performed his current deal. However, his extension promises to be a thorny one considering the 49ers will be hesitant to pay him more than Willis.

-- Matt Barrows

Kyle Williams spoke to local reporters today for the first time since his two flubbed punt returns in the NFC Championship. Williams said he's dealt with that game by focusing on the upcoming season, and he said preparation for the 2012 campaign started almost as soon as the 2011 season ended. Here's the transcript:

What's the offseason been like for you?
KW: I haven't really stopped. Ever since a week after that last game, I've been going. There was no break and I've been going full-throttle since then. I feel great.

Has it been a different regimen than the past?
KW: No, it's just been more. The same type of stuff, but the volume has definitely been turned up and it's been very rigorous. I'm pushing myself to get an edge -- that's what it takes.

Do you use what happened in the championship game as motivation?
KW: Well, to some degree. It's not like you want to forget about something like that. You want to build off of that, learn from it, take it as a mistake and build off it, you know? It was a tough time, obviously, for me and for the whole team. But the way these guys had my back, they continue to have my back. That, coupled with the work ethic, has just kind of been a good therapy for me. So I've just been going hard, and I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go now.

On whether he's been more explosive this offseason.
KW: I think that's a direct result of the amount of work. There was no dropoff from last year. We went through the whole season, and immediately afterward we've been working. There's been no dropoff.

How intense do you think the competition at WR will be?
KW: Very intense. It's something that I look forward to, that we look forward to as a whole group. And we're building off that. Guys are getting better every day. It's already started

Interested in Randy Moss, Alex Smith or Michael Crabtree? Don't worry. Forests worth of paper (and internet space) will be devoted to those A-list athletes this offseason. But there are some obscure players who are interesting, too.

I'm not saying these guys will make the 53-man squad. But here are a few players who aren't household names - heck, most of them weren't even drafted - who are intriguing this offseason. The first week of OTAs begins today.

OL Derek Hall: The 49ers have an embarrassment of riches on the offensive line. Hall, who played offensive tackle at Stanford, lined up at center during the 49ers' recent minicamp and he has the ability to play all five positions along the offensive line. At 6-5, 307 pounds, Hall has good size, is smart and by all accounts has been a tireless worker for the 49ers. Perhaps most intriguing is the fact that he is a relative newcomer to offensive line after beginning his stay at Stanford as a defensive lineman. That is, he has potential. Hall's issue is that the 49ers are teeming with multi-talented linemen - Daniel Kilgore, Mike Person and Alex Boone to name a few. Hall spent last season on the practice squad and is eligible this year, too.

Jim Harbaugh's "best hands ever" quote from last week prompted me to go back over San Francisco's 2011 statistics - both regular season and postseason - in terms of which receiver caught the most passes thrown his way.

These numbers, of course, don't speak directly to a player's hands. The numbers are influenced by factors such as the route, the type of coverage employed, whether a receiver is matched against the team's best cornerback and the quality of the throw. But considering that one of the factors for each one of these players was constant - Alex Smith was the quarterback - they are worth noting.

Below are the pass catchers who were targeted at least 15 times last year. The first number listed is the times a receiver was targeted, the second his catches.

Joshua Morgan: 18-15, 83 percent.
Vernon Davis: 110-77, 70 percent
Michael Crabtree: 131-77, 59 percent
Ted Ginn, Jr.: 36-20, 56 percent
Kyle Williams: 41-22, 54 percent
Delanie Walker: 39-21, 54 percent
Braylon Edwards: 34-15, 44 percent

Something that caught my eye: Everyone's percentage, aside from Vernon Davis', went down as the season progressed, perhaps because of the weather or the caliber of opponent or both. Davis also was the only pass catcher who had any success in the playoffs. He caught 10 of the 15 passes that went his way (for 292 yards and four touchdowns).

The rest of the group combined to catch 10 of the 33 passes that went their way against the Saints and Giants. Crabtree caught five of 16 passes thrown in his direction; Williams caught two of the 10 passes on which he was targeted.

-- Matt Barrows

How has Randy Moss looked this offseason? What about Mario Manningham or Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick or Josh Johnson? It's hard to say because veteran players not only have been forbidden from practicing in helmets and pads to this point, they haven't been able to play against opponents.

That changes this week. The 49ers are set to begin a three-day OTA session on Tuesday, and for the first time players will get to see how Moss and the other newcomers look against real, live defensive players. Under the new CBA rules, players now will be able to wear helmets, but no other pads are permitted. Also, there will be no "live" contact drills and no one-on-one drills, such as pass-rush drills or bump-and-run drills between a receiver and a cornerback.

Here is an unofficial depth chart -- there was some guessing involved -- as OTAs commence. As has been the case in previous years, several rookies will not attend because their school year still is in session. This year that includes second-round pick LaMichael James, Chris Owusu and all of the Stanford players, Northwestern offensive lineman Al Netter and Wisconsin defensive lineman Patrick Butrym.

***UPDATE*** Netter, Butrym and Stanford safety Michael Thomas can take part in the OTAs because they've fulfilled their graduation requirements, according to a 49ers spokesman.

Offense:

When Jim Harbaugh said on KNBR yesterday that Michael Crabtree has the "best hands I've ever seen," I was reminded of last offseason when Harbaugh said Alex Smith was a "very accurate passer." Or when he said Smith was an "elite" quarterback. Or when he insisted Smith deserved a spot in the Pro Bowl.

Not only does Harbaugh always back his players publicly, he pumps up the players that are in need of a little inflating. Last year that was Smith, who had been kicked around like no other 49er in the last quarter century but who responded with the best season of his career.

This year Crabtree may be getting the same kind of treatment. Crabtree hasn't been a bust in San Francisco. But he certainly hasn't lived up to his draft status - no. 10 overall - nor has he come close to being someone deserving of being paid as a Top 5 pick, which was Crabtree's stance during his loooooonnnnng contract impasse in 2009.

To this point, Crabtree has not shown elite hands. He ended the 2009 season as one of the league leaders in dropped passes, according to STATS LLC, despite playing an abbreviated season. He and Smith were notoriously out of sync in the beginning of the 2010 season, which led to a rash of interceptions. Some were Smith's fault. Others glanced off of Crabtree's hands into the arms of defenders.

Part of Aldon Smith's offseason routine has involved locking himself in a room and going over his rookie game film. He's not searching for the highlights -- the 14 sacks and two forced fumbles he had in the regular season. Instead he's looking for the ones that got away.

"Some games I didn't think I did as well in. There were some games that, in my mind, I could have been more productive in," he said this week. "I'm watching all the times I didn't get there and trying to better myself. I'm watching moves I could have done, things I need to improve on."

Fourteen is an impressive sack total. It's the highest for an NFL rookie since 1999 and the most ever for a 49ers rookie. But it becomes more remarkable when you consider that Smith didn't get a single sack until Week 4 when he had 1 ½ against perhaps the most slippery quarterback in the league, Philadelphia's Michael Vick.

Smith said he simply became more comfortable with the 49ers defense -- which he only began learning in August - and the coaches, in turn, became more comfortable with him. As a result his playing time increased in Philadelphia.

Aldon Smith says the 49ers were not targeting Ben Roethlisberger's sore left ankle in the Dec. 19 game against the Steelers as the Pittsburgh quarterback suggested last week.

While discussing the Saints bounty scandal, Roethlisberger was asked by radio host Dan Patrick whether he ever felt targeted. "Um wow -- that's tough," Roethlisberger said. "I don't really complain about that stuff, either. But I think when we played San Fran, I felt like there were some things going on, some extra . . . Now, obviously, I did have the ankle (injury) and I was playing, so there was kind of a bull's-eye on there anyway. But for the most part, guys play tough and you go into a game expecting it. I expect to be tougher than them."

Smith was Roethlisberger's main tormentor in that game. He had 2 ½ sacks - his highest total of the season - against the Steelers quarterback, whose mobility was severely restricted by a high-ankle sprain. Another Smith sack was wiped away because of an illegal contact penalty down the field.

"Our goal was to win the game," Smith said. "We don't go out and talk about hurting other players, their ankles or injuries or any of that. We were going out to win the game. The quarterback, he controls the game. So if he got hit, it happens."

For the record, the 49ers defense was penalized three times in that game. Ray McDonald was flagged for encroachment, there was the five-yard illegal contact penalty and NaVorro Bowman was penalized for a false start.

ESPN's Mike Sando reviewed every Steelers offensive snap in that game and concluded there was nothing suspicious about any of the 49ers' hits on Roethlisberger.

-- Matt Barrows

When Trent Baalke said last month that he hoped seventh-round pick Cam Johnson would arrive with a chip on his shoulder, the message likely was aimed not at the reporters in the room but at Johnson. The outside linebacker is known to be a bit detached and dispassionate, and Baalke already may have been trying to light the proverbial fire beneath him.

That's not an issue for Trenton Robinson, who is at a full boil as soon as he wakes. I recently asked Robinson whether he arrives in the NFL with a chip on his shoulder. Before I could get the question out, a smile formed on his face. "I don't want to go into it too deep as far as how I feel," he said. "But I do have a chip on my shoulder, and I'll be ready to go."

There are a lot of things contributing to Robinson's chip. For one, he fell to the sixth round despite being a team captain and a first-team All-Big 10 selection in 2011. He's also small - 5-9, 193 pounds - and his stature always has been questioned.

Robinson says he plays as if he's 6-10: "It's in me," he said. "Off the field I'm fun and all that stuff. But on the field, you've got to have another guy. You can't be out on the field being nice. It's a rough, physical game. And I know that and I love that. ... Just nasty. You've got to be out there, you've got to hit and do all the stuff you can't do when you're walking around."

Dashon Goldson has no plans to sign his franchise tag tender any time soon, and that's not necessarily a bad thing for the 49ers. Sure, there's something to be said for having all 11 defensive starters on hand for offseason workouts, the camaraderie, the cohesion, yadda, yadda, yadda.

But Goldson wasn't around last year, either. In fact, he didn't join the team until a week and half into training camp. The result: he finished tied for the team lead in interceptions (including a big one against the Saints in the playoffs), went to his first Pro Bowl and had the best season of his career. That is, he's shown a full offseason is not a prerequisite for a good year.

Furthermore, Goldson's absence gives the younger players more exposure. As of now, C.J. Spillman is filling in at free safety when the first-team defense takes the field. The 49ers signed Spillman to a three-year extension this offseason. Spillman may be the most physically gifted of all of the team's safeties - he's certainly one of the more aggressive - but he lacks experience.

Newcomers Mark LeGree and Trenton Robinson, a sixth-round draft pick, also get a bit more action with Goldson's absence.

Fellow safety Donte Whitner wasn't wrong last week when he said Goldson would be in the Bay Area this week. Goldson, according to a source, was here over the weekend visiting his family, who live in the Bay Area. Goldson is currently in South Florida.

If he signs his franchise tender, he will make $6.2 million in 2012, which is more than he's made his first five years in the league. The 49ers, however, also would have the option of franchising him next year.

-- Matt Barrows

Too big and too stiff to play outside linebacker. That was the rap on Cam Johnson entering the draft. Everyone thought the Virginia defensive end had talent. One of the critiques was that at 6-4, 268 pounds, he wasn't the prototypical outside linebackers 3-4 teams were seeking.

The 49ers, however, don't look for prototypical outside linebackers. If you think back to last year, you might recall that there were a lot of positive reviews about Aldon Smith, but that most observers thought he was too linear and too stiff to be an effective linebacker in the NFL.

Indeed, general manager Trent Baalke has intimated that, given the option to take Von Miller, who is a prototypical 3-4 outside linebacker, who won defensive rookie of the year and who was taken No. 3 overall in 2011, he still would have gone with Smith, who was taken seventh overall. That is, Smith and Johnson fit the 49ers' unique mold for outside linebackers.

Johnson wasn't selected until the end of the seventh round. But he's bound to receive a lot more attention this offseason than a typical seventh-round pick given the flashes of ability he showed at Virginia and the recent ACL injury that is likely to end the season for fellow rookie outside linebacker Darius Fleming.

The question is why Johnson, who led the Cavaliers in sacks and tackles for loss the last two years and who had a strong Senior Bowl and combine, fell so far in the draft. Last year, his college coach, Mike London, told reporters that Johnson had shown a trait for sickle cell anemia and suggested that that was sapping his stamina.

The 49ers took two outside linebackers in last month's draft, and today they're thanking their lucky stars they did just that. One of those linebackers, Notre Dame's Darius Fleming, tore his ACL on Friday, his agent and the team confirmed today. That news was first reported by NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

Fleming was injured early in Friday's rookie minicamp practice, an injury that originally appeared to be to his hamstring. That was the only day of the three-day camp that was open to the media. Immediately after that session, Fleming told reporters the injury wasn't severe and that he planned to get back on the field that weekend.

He was on his feet -- albeit moving slowly -- during both the morning and afternoon practices Friday. "He tried to shake it off and practice, but there was a stability issue," agent Andy Simms said. A subsequent MRI revealed the tear.

The 49ers have not commented on what they plan to do with Fleming, although an ACL injury likely would prompt them to eventually place the rookie on injured reserve or perhaps the physically unable to perform list. Simms said no other ligaments were damaged, which is good news as far as the recovery.

"There's some hope that if he works hard it could be November (when Fleming returns)," Simms said. "That's obviously optimistic, so we'll see. But they're keeping all possibilities open right now."

The 49ers used two picks at outside linebacker because they only had three players at that position on the roster last year - starters Ahmad Brooks and Parys Haralson as well as then-rookie Aldon Smith, who spent most of the season as a defensive end. The presumed starters this year are Brooks and Smith.

The team took Fleming in the fifth round and then Cam Johnson of Virginia in the seventh round. Johnson played through a knee injury last year and was not as consistent as NFL teams would have liked. That inconsistency - and not because he has a trait for sickle-cell anemia - is why he fell in the draft.

However, he also has flashed ability that prompted the 49ers to take him with their final pick. He has the size - 267 pounds - and the run-stopping ability the 49ers prefer at that position. In addition, the team on Monday signed tryout player Eric Bakhtiari, who also is an outside linebacker. Undrafted rookie Kourtnei Brown, who played defensive end exclusively at Clemson, also is on the roster.

Fleming signed a four-year deal the day before the injury occurred.

-- Matt Barrows

I've just returned from a very cool brainstorming session regarding the 49ers hall of fame, which will be part of the new stadium. The groups heading up the operation, Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. and Cortina Productions, have the skeleton of the structure mapped out. What they're trying to do now is put the meat on those bones.

That's where we came in. The group invited several reporters to sit down and talk about everything from great moments in 49ers history to very broad ideas of what the team symbolizes to components we think should be part of the hall of fame. A reoccurring theme with us was that while The Catch is undisputedly the iconic moment for the team, there are 35 years of history prior to that that should not be forgotten.

The plans are ambitious, both from a content and a timeline standpoint. (The stadium is set to open two years from now). One of the tenets of the new stadium is cutting-edge technology. The hall-of-fame groups want to marry that techno-savvy with the franchise's past, which may seem like opposing ideas but which also promises to make it a very cool project.

For example, how would you like a virtual reality experience of exiting the locker room, walking through the narrow, moldy tunnels beneath Candlestick and then emerging onto the field in front of 68,000 screaming fans? (Think: "Avatar" meets "Any Given Sunday.")

As reported earlier today, the 49ers signed outside linebacker Eric Bakhtiari, who played under Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego. The team also signed another former Torero, defensive back Ben Hannula. Both attended the team's recent rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

Hannula entered the league in 2010 as an undrafted free agent with the Giants. He spent time on New York's practice squad that year. He also played with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League (2010-11).

To make room, the 49ers released another former San Diego player, receiver John Matthews and Harvard tackle Kevin Murphy, who was one of the undrafted free agents the team added following the draft. Matthews spent most of the 2011 season on the 49ers' practice squad.

-- Matt Barrows

Linebacker Eric Bakhtiari, who took part in the 49ers rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, will be offered a contract by the team, his agent said Monday. Bakhtiari played under Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego, and he also spent time on the 49ers' practice squad in 2009.

Bakhtiari, who is 6-3, 250 pounds and who is from Burlingame/San Mateo, has bounced among several NFL teams over the last few years, and he played three games for the Titans in 2009. That experience appeared to give him an advantage among the rookies in Friday's practices, and he looked comfortable and assignment-sound on the field. He also took advantage of hamstring injuries suffered by rookie outside linebackers Darius Fleming and Kourtnei Brown.

The 49ers were at the 90-man allotment for the offseason, meaning that any tryout players they sign will have to be offset by cutting other players.

-- Matt Barrows

I wrote a story Sunday about LaMichael James' relationship with his grandmother, who raised him since birth and who still guides him five years after her death. I could just have easily written about the Texarkana neighborhood in which he grew up. James, in fact, credits both his grandmother and his home town with forging him into the man and the player he is today.

That neighborhood is on the Texas side of town and is known as Beverly. James described it as a virtual war zone. In fact, he used the words "war zone. You saw it so much that it was regular," he said. "It didn't bother me - gunshots or someone getting killed or drugs deals or police. That type of stuff was happening everyday, all day. ... There wasn't a day that went by that something didn't happen. It's part of the culture. It's what it was."

I talked to one of his coaches and asked him if he thought James was embellishing a bit. No, he said, Beverly was that bad. His sister, Tasha, who is 16 years his senior and who is extremely protective of her little brother, wanted him to get as far away from Texarkana as he could.

"My sister was always the one who was telling me to leave," he said. "Like, 'I want you to go as far as you can. I want you to leave and don't come back.' I think she was looking out for my best interest."

Texarkana is unique in that half of it is in Texas and the other half is in Arkansas. And that creates a Hatfields-vs.-McCoys feud. James, however, was able to steer clear of that trouble. For one, he had a connection to both sides. His grandmother lived on the Texas side of town. His mom was on the Arkansas side. This gave him a bit of carte blanche everywhere he went.

NFL scouts typically don't change jobs until after the draft, and there's been some recent movement on the San Francisco staff. The 49ers parted ways with Todd Brunner, their Northeast Area scout who had been with the team for 12 years, and he promptly was hired by his former boss, Scot McCloughan, with the Seahawks. Brunner handled most of the area scouting on the east coast and was the point man on recent picks like Anthony Davis and Cam Johnson.

It also appears that Midlands Area scout Kent Kahl, who was with the team for five seasons, has been let go. Kahl is based in Iowa and presumably was the point man on first-round draft pick A.J. Jenkins. He no longer is listed on the team web site. Kahl has interviewed with the Bears, Jets and Texans.

Meanwhile, Neil Stratton, @insidetheleague, reports the team has added Chip Flanagan, a Redskins scout, and former Arizona State defensive line coach Scott Brown to the scouting staff. GM Trent Baalke was on the Redskins' staff before joining the 49ers, and he and Flanagan overlapped a year there.

Flanagan still is listed on the Redskins web site; the 49ers have not confirmed any of these moves.

On the coaching side, former Washington State head coach Paul Wulff told Cougfan.com that he will be joining the 49ers as an offensive assistant. It's unknown what Wulff's role will be. He grew up in Davis and played on the offensive line at Washington State in the late 1980s.

-- Matt Barrows

Count former Sacramento State quarterback Jeff Fleming among the rookies boggled by Friday's morning practice. Fleming said he was having to process formations and concepts during the opening session of the 49ers rookie minicamp he hadn't run since junior college.

"The first practice was really nerve-racking, but by the second practice I calmed down a little bit and really had a better idea of what was going to happen on plays and everything," Fleming said. "It's going to get better as we go, but they're going to throw a whole other load of stuff at us (Saturday)."

Learning on the fly, however, should be Fleming's forte. After all, he had only been with Sacramento State for three days when he was forced into the season opener - against Harbaugh and Stanford no less - in 2010. Fleming had transferred from New Mexico State that week because the staff there wanted to turn him into a Wildcat quarterback.

He entered the Stanford game without knowing the Hornet playbook or even the offensive terminology after starting quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson injured his ankle in the first half. Bethel-Thompson spent training camp with the 49ers last year. He initially made the practice squad but was released after the 49ers signed Scott Tolzien to be their third quarterback.

Fleming, who is taking part in the minicamp on a tryout basis, said he's hoping to make a similar impression on Harbaugh, who remembered him from the 2010 contest. Does he think that's why he landed in Santa Clara for a tryout this weekend?

"I really don't know," Fleming said. "I don't ask questions. The fact is he let me get my foot in the door, and I just want to take advantage of that if it's possible. Whatever happens, happens."

-- Matt Barrows

First-round pick A.J. Jenkins may have gotten winded midway through his first practice with the 49ers. But he fared better than some of his fellow rookies who spent the initial session limping around with strains and pulls.

Fifth-round draft pick Darius Fleming pulled a hamstring almost as soon as the practice started. That forced undrafted rookie Kourtnei Brown to get more repetitions, and he ended up tweaking his own hamstring but made it to the end of practice, he reported afterward. (Brown played defensive end at Clemson but will play outside linebacker with the 49ers).

Another undrafted rookie, fullback Cameron Bell, also appeared to suffer a hamstring injury early and did not practice. Meanwhile, Jim Harbaugh reported that center Chase Beeler broke a bone in his right hand while lifting weights recently. Beeler has a cast on his forearm now, but Harbaugh said he should be fully healed by training camp.

********************
The two quarterbacks on hand for the three-day session are Sacramento State's Jeff Fleming and Tavita Pritchard, a former quarterback of Harbaugh's at Stanford who now is an assistant coach there. Fleming threw a nice, 50-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nathan Palmer (Northern Illinois) during one-on-one coverage drills.

Maybe it was partly due to contrast. For the last month, after all, Jim Harbaugh has been watching his uber-fit veterans train and practice in Santa Clara. He called that group "fanatical" when it came to staying in shape. On Friday, there was a new crop of players - most of them rookies - on hand, and the difference in stamina was stark.

"Guys were a little out of shape, but we'll get them going," said Harbaugh. Asked specifically how first-round pick A.J. Jenkins looked, Harbaugh said the whole "group of receivers looked good today. Out of shape - that's the bad news. The good news is that it's a very talented group of those young receivers. You can tell that right away.

"The bad news is we've got to get them in shape. I don't know exactly what all these guys were doing for the last six months."

Jenkins was observed doubled over from about the midpoint of the hour-and-a-half session onward. Afterward he was in the locker room with bags of ice on both his hamstrings and quadriceps. "I'm back home (in Jacksonville) and thinking I'm in shape -- working out in the morning time," Jenkins said. "You definitely see (this) is a totally different ball game, so you've got to get your mind right."

Jenkins, of course, has been challenged by Jerry Rice to train on the hill that Rice made famous during his playing days. If he can conquer that run, on-field stamina should not be an issue. Jenkins said he's more eager than ever to work with Rice.

One of the players who seem unaffected by the grueling first practice was Stanford receiver Chris Owusu, who said the session was very similar to the ones he experienced under Harbaugh and that he came in prepared.

"I played with coach Harbaugh for three years," he said. "I know what he expects from his players. I know his mentality, I know his philosophy. And part of it is, you can't be competitive if you're not in shape. I wanted to come in here and be in shape."

Owusu stood out in the practice, the first of five over the next three days. In fact, during a figure-eight drill - players weave around two big hoops - he beat out Jenkins twice in a head-to-head race. Both races, however, were very tight.

-- Matt Barrows

In addition to the 49ers' seven draft picks and 18 undrafted rookies, 12 players will be participating in the upcoming minicamp on a tryout basis. Here's the list, which, as I reported Wednesday, includes Sacramento State quarterback Jeff Fleming and Humboldt State defensive tackle Andrew Iupati. Another player, linebacker Eric Bakhtiari, spent time on the 49ers practice squad in 2008. Veteran free agents like Bakhtiari can try out but are only permitted to do so for two days

Bakhtiari, Gabe Derricks and Ben Hannula all played for Harbaugh and some of his current staff at the University of San Diego. The Stanford players, of course, also played for Harbaugh. In fact, Harbaugh is even familiar with Fleming, who faced Stanford in the 2010 season opener.

QB Jeff Fleming, Sacramento State
QB Tavita Pritchard, Stanford
K Nate Whitaker, Stanford
DB Gabe Derricks, San Diego
DB Chris Boudreaux, Nevada
DB Ben Hannula, San Diego
TE Luke Nawrocki, Penn
LB Eric Bakhtiari, San Diego
DB Manu Ngatikaura, San Jose State
LB Clint Snyder, Stanford
DL Ekom Udofia, Stanford
DL Andrew Iupati, Humboldt State

In addition to the rookies, first-year players also are permitted to take part in the weekend minicamp, which contains five practices in three days.

CB Cory Nelms
S Mark LeGree
WR Kyle Nelson
LB Michael Wilhoite
C Chase Beeler
OL Garrett Chisolm
OL Kenny Wiggins
TE Konrad Reuland

*** Fourth-round pick Joe Looney will not take part in the minicamp because he is still recovering from a foot injury suffered in January.

-- Matt Barrows

And then there was one...

The 49ers made a flurry of deals on Thursday, signing six of their seven draft picks to four-year contracts. The only outstanding selection is first-round choice A.J. Jenkins, whose agent said that the wide receiver's deal would be done long before training camp begins. The new collective bargaining agreement has a rookie wage scale that makes rookie contracts far less contentious than they used to be.

"It feels good to get this other stuff out of the way," said sixth-round pick Trenton Robinson. "I can just focus on doing what I have to do."

-- Matt Barrows

Alex Boone admits he was skeptical at first. On the first day of the 49ers offseason program, offensive line coach Mike Solari pulled him aside and told him there'd been a change of plans: Boone, an offensive tackle who had never played a snap at guard in his life, would be thrown into the mix at right guard.

Boone called it "a little bit of a shocker. ... At first I wasn't for it in my own head." And now? "I love it."

Boone said the biggest difference between guard and tackle was that at the latter he could often backpedal or slide a few steps before making contact with a defender. At guard, the contact is immediate. "It's a lot more violent in there, so I like it," he said.

Then there's the matter of leverage. Most guards are squatty, stocky guys. Boone is more linear and stands 6-8. But he said he wouldn't let his high profile deter him. "You're never too tall to play anything," he said. "As long as you can sink low enough and get leverage on guys."

So far, the right guard competition has been among Boone and second-year players Daniel Kilgore and Mike Person. With starting center Jonathan Goodwin absent, Kilgore has been playing center and Boone has lined up at right guard. Person has been at right guard with the second team.

Boone said he didn't know how fourth-round pick Joe Looney would be worked in when he arrives. ***Looney said Thursday that he wasn't cleared to practice after suffering a foot injury in January. He said he would sit out the rookie minicamp this weekend.

-- Matt Barrows

Safety Donte Whitner today said that fellow safety Dashon Goldson, who has not taken part in any offseason workouts in Santa Clara, will be in town next week. Whitner said he didn't know if that means Goldson will sign the one-year franchise tag tender that was offered to him in February.

Goldson has been working out in his native Los Angeles, as was the case last year when he was seeking a long-term deal as a free agent. He never got the desired offer and signed a one-year deal with the 49ers instead. He tied for the team lead in interceptions in 2011 and made his first pro bowl. After the season, he parted ways with agent Drew Rosenhaus and signed Ben Dogra in the hopes of completing a long-term contract.

Whitner, meanwhile, often was charged with keeping an eye on Randy Moss when Moss was with the Patriots and Whitner was with the Bills. The difference between then and now when it comes to Moss? Zero, Whitner said.

"He still looks the same. He's always looked - since he's been playing football - like he's been running fast. He's a long-strider, and when you run beside him, he's actually running really fast. So he's running the same as he's always run. His body looks like a younger Randy Moss."

Whitner said Moss' mere presence will open up a 49ers offense - especially a running game -- that was often bottled up by defenses last year. "It's very deceptive for a safety when you have a guy that's a long strider," Whitner said. "... So you know there will be a lot of safeties that are playing 20 and 25 yards from the line of scrimmage, which should open up the running game even more than it was last year. So you know he's not going to only help us catching the football and taking the top off the defense, he's going to help us by taking the extra guy out of the box and allowing Frank and a lot of the running backs we have back there a little more space to pound it on the ground."

Whitner said Moss was part of the morning workout group that includes Gore and Michael Crabtree. He said sometimes the group runs with chains on their backs. At other times, it's 60-yard sprints. "A lot of times he's leading in the sprints," Whitner said. "So if I have to say anything, I don't think he's lost a step at all."

-- Matt Barrows

None of the rookies are on hand and a lot of veterans weren't here for today's voluntary "Football School" involving the veteran 49ers. Among the absentees were a pair of centers, Jonathan Goodwin and Chase Beeler. So you have to take the spots where players are lining up with a grain of salt.

With that in mind, when the presumed first-team offensive line was on the field, Daniel Kilgore was lined up at center and Alex Boone was playing right guard. (Anthony Davis was at right tackle, Mike Iuapti at left guard and Joe Staley at left tackle.) The second-team composition had former Stanford offensive tackle Derek Hall at center and Mike Person at right guard.

******************
The quarterback pecking order, based on who throws first, second, third, etc., appears to be Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Josh Johnson and Scott Tolzien. All four took an array of throws (no pads, no helmets, no defense), including a lot of go routes.

Veteran receiver Randy Moss must have run a dozen go routes himself. He looked like his old self, appearing very fit and very fast. In fact, he caught a bomb from Smith in the middle of the end zone from 50 yards away.

Kaepernick described having Moss in the offensive huddle as "surreal." Like most young players on the team, he watched Moss as a kid. "Actually I wasn't a fan because I was a Packers fan growing up," said Kaepernick, whose family is from Wisconsin.

*******************
Here are the players who aren't here for the voluntary session: K David Akers, P Andy Lee, LS Brian Jennings, WR Mario Manningham, Goodwin, Beeler, RB Frank Gore, RB Brandon Jacobs, RB Rock Cartwright, S Dashon Goldson and CB Carlos Rogers. In addition, Ted Ginn did not run any routes, presumably because he is still recovering from an injury.

According to Donte Whitner, Gore was on hand for the morning workout Thursday but did not attend the hour-long "football school."

The 49ers reached deals with two more draft picks today, meaning that three of the seven selections likely will be completed today as players arrive for a three-day rookie minicamp. The deals were struck with fifth-round pick Darius Fleming, an outside linebacker, and sixth-round pick Trenton Robinson, a safety, according to their agents. Those deals were first reported by Sirius XM NFL radio's Adam Caplan.

The 49ers previously had reached a deal with another sixth rounder, Jason Slowey, who is expected to play center for the 49ers. All the deals are for four years. The remaining players to sign are receiver A.J. Jenkins, running back LaMichael James, guard Joe Looney and the final pick, outside linebacker Cam Johnson.

The 49ers will hold a three-day minicamp starting Friday. Players arrive today.

-- Matt Barrows

Former Sacramento State quarterback Jeff Fleming will be one of the quarterbacks on hand for the 49ers rookie minicamp that begins Friday, the school confirmed today. Fleming, who started seven games last season, including an overtime win over Oregon State in Corvallis, is one of several players who will take part on a tryout basis.

The team did not draft a quarterback or sign a rookie following the draft. The upcoming camp is for rookies, but non rookies are able to participate on a tryout basis. Another quarterback will be Tavita Pritchard, who was Jim Harbaugh's quarterback at Stanford before Andrew Luck took over the job in 2009. Pritchard also took part in a 49ers minicamp in 2010, and he obviously is familiar with Harbaugh and the 49ers offense.

Another player trying out has a familiar surname. Andrew Iupati, who played defensive tackle at Division II Humboldt State and who figures to be a nose tackle this weekend, will be on hand, agent Ryan Tollner said. Iupati began playing at Oregon before transferring to Humboldt State.

In Week 3 of the 1980 season, 49ers starting quarterback Steve DeBerg came down with a case of laryngitis so bad the team had to fashion an amplifier for his helmet so that he could call signals during that week's game against the New York Jets in Shea Stadium.

Bill Walsh saw it as a perfect opportunity to build the confidence of his young quarterback, a kid named Joe Montana. Walsh warned Montana that if anything were to happen to DeBerg's amplifier during the game, he would have to go into the game while it was repaired.

Sure enough, when the 49ers were in the Jets red-zone, DeBerg started pointing to his throat, the signal that the amplifier had cut out. In came Montana, who promptly ran a naked bootleg for a five-yard touchdown. After the play, DeBerg's amplifier miraculously started working again.

That amplifier contraption is one of the artifacts the 49ers recently have obtained for their hall of fame, which will be part of the new stadium. The team has all sorts of items - from the ball from Montana's first touchdown pass in 1979 to Steve Wallace's concussion-proof padding to Walsh's desk - but is looking for more.

"My dream is to take a look at every possible artifact of historical value," said former PR director Jerry Walker, who is now the team archivist. "At one point, the team thought about changing the logo, and there are some prototypes out there. That's the kind of thing we're after."

The 49ers will have running backs, fullbacks, wide receivers and tight ends at their minicamp this weekend. What they don't have, for now at least, is someone to throw them the ball.

The three-day camp is for rookies only. So even though the 49ers have four quarterbacks on the roster, Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Josh Johnson and Scott Tolzien can't attend. The team did not take a passer in last month's draft nor did they sign one as an undrafted free agent.

Coach Jim Harbaugh, of course, has been known to throw a pass or two (or seventy five) during practice, and trainer Nate Breske also is a former quarterback. The team also could sign a rookie passer to fill in this weekend like it did in 2009 when former Miami quarterback Kirby Freeman was signed to help run practice. Freeman was added April 30 that year and waived May 12.

Or the team could bring in more rookies, including quarterbacks, on a tryout basis, which several other teams did this past weekend. In fact, some of them, including the Buccaneers and Jaguars, ended up signing some of the tryout players and cutting some of the undrafted free agents they had signed just days earlier. Welcome to the NFL, rook.

Here's the rookie minicamp roster by position as it stands now:

First-round draft pick A.J. Jenkins will be on hand for the 49ers rookie minicamp this weekend after all, according to his agent. The day after he was taken with the 30th overall pick, Jenkins stressed to reporters how important education is to his family and how he plans to graduate from the University of Illinois this weekend.

Jenkins indeed will graduate with a degree in sports management. But he won't be tossing his mortarboard in the air with the rest of his classmates in Champaign, Ill. Instead he'll be with 24 other rookies in Santa Clara for the three-day initiation session that begins Friday. The 49ers are expecting full participation from their seven-man draft class and the 17 undrafted rookies they signed last week. An 18th player, Texas A&M defensive lineman Tony Jerod-Eddie, is expected to sign this week.

"He's been working out non-stop and is ready to go," said agent Jonathan Perzley. "He's not ok with just sitting and watching everyone else during his rookie season. He wants to get in there and play."

Jenkins doesn't want special treatment because he's a first-round pick. In fact, he may be in for a more grueling regimen because of his draft status and the position he plays. Former 49ers great Jerry Rice reached out to him via Twitter soon after the draft, and now the hall of famer plans to take the rookie on one of his famous hill-climbing sessions in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Their Twitter exchange today: @17AJJenkins: I know you will be ready ... But so will I #49ers RT @JerryRice: @17AJJenkins I'm getting in top shape to get you up that Hill!

-- Matt Barrows

Do you remember the scene in "The Incredibles" in which seamstress Edna Mode ticks off all the grisly demises of the superheroes whose outfits included capes? One had her cape sucked into a jet turbine. Another's cape got snagged on a launching missile, etc., etc. "No capes!" Edna snaps when she finishes the stroll down tragic memory lane.

I'm reminded of that scene as I recall all of the 49ers receivers who have donned No. 81 post Terrell Owens. Many have worn the number. Nary one has had any sustained success, and most have flamed out in spectacular fashion almost as soon as the jersey draped their shoulder pads. No. 81 is like the Brady Bunch tiki doll. Wear it and you're bound to wake up with a tarantula crawling across the bridge of your nose.

I'm not saying that Owens, who left San Francisco after the 2003 season spitting venom and torching bridges, placed a curse on his former jersey. But I'm not saying he didn't. No 49ers receiver has gotten remotely close to the Pro Bowl since he left. In fact, none has even reached 1,000 receiving yards. Those who have actually worn No. 81 have fared much worse. The damned:

• Rashaun Woods (2004-05). The former first-round pick said his dream was to be a fisherman. That may be what he's doing right now.

• Brandon Williams* (2006-07). The former third-round pick wanted to be a rapper. That may be what he's doing right now.

Just because you win a criminal court case doesn't mean the issue is dead. New 49ers cornerback Perrish Cox, who in March was acquitted of two felony charges of sexual assault, is now facing a civil suit related to the same 2010 encounter, according to Courthouse News Service. Both he and former teammate Demaryius Thomas, a receiver for the Broncos, are named in the suit.

The 49ers signed Cox, 25, to a two-year deal soon after he had been acquitted of the criminal charges, and he thanked the 49ers for researching his background and not being scared off by the charges. "That's not me," Cox said at the time. "I'm not that type of guy. ... It was a nervous, scary situation. But I don't blame anybody but myself. I take responsibility for my actions. I'll never put myself in that situation again."

The 49ers believe that as well. "As an organization, from ownership on down, we have done our due diligence and are confident that Perrish will be a positive contributor to the 49ers, as well as our community," general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement at the time.

The contracts are in. The 49ers today officially released a list of 17 undrafted free agents. Among the standouts are the three Stanford players, Chris Owusu, Matt Masifilo and Michael Thomas, and running back Jewel Hampton, whom I wrote about earlier in the week. Also of note is Clemson's Kourtnei Brown, who has Aldon Smith-like dimensions and who ran his 40-yard dash in the 4.6-second range.

The team was expected to sign 18 players to reach the 90-man roster limit, which means it still has one spot open. Undrafted players have the toughest road to making an NFL roster. Then again, the 49ers' locker room is full of players in that category. David Akers, Scott Tolzien, Joe Hastings, Tramaine Brock, C.J. Spillman, Alex Boone, Ian Williams, Demarcus Dobbs and Will Tukuafu were not drafted but spent time on the team's 53-man roster last year. Blake Costanzo, who is now with the Bears, also was not drafted.

The bios below are courtesy of the 49ers.

Cameron Bell FB 6-2 252 Northern Illinois
Kourtnei Brown LB 6-6 255 Clemson
Patrick Butrym DT 6-4 285 Wisconsin
Garrett Celek TE 6-5 252 Michigan State
David Gonzalez OL 6-6 286 Washington State
Jewel Hampton RB 5-9 210 Southern Illinois
Joe Holland LB 6-1 229 Purdue
Matthew Masifilo DT 6-3 280 Stanford
Anthony Mosley CB 6-0 178 Kentucky
Kevin Murphy T 6-7 295 Harvard
Al Netter G 6-6 310 Northwestern
Chris Owusu WR 6-2 200 Stanford
Nathan Palmer WR 5-11 195 Northern Illinois
Deante Purvis CB 5-11 195 UNLV
Giorgio Tavecchio K 5-10 178 California
Michael Thomas S 5-11 182 Stanford
Brian Tyms WR 6-3 210 Florida A&M

The 49ers have agreed to terms on a four-year contract with sixth-round pick Jason Slowey, according to Sirius XM NFL reporter Adam Caplan, who cites Slowey's agent. Slowey, the second of two sixth-round picks, played at Western Oregon and is being eyed as a center.

In recent years the 49ers have been one of the most aggressive teams in the league when it comes to signing their picks quickly. No other deals with 49ers draft picks have been consummated at this point, but their agents said contact has been made and they anticipate agreements falling into place quickly. Around the NFL, two second-round choices have agreed to terms, including Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill, who has a deal with the Jets.

The 49ers will see most of their rookies, including 18 undrafted free agents, next week. The team has a rookie minicamp May 11-13.

-- Matt Barrows

Jeremy Newberry thinks rookie guard Joe Looney will have a head start when it comes to picking up the line calls and protection schemes of an NFL offense. After all, Newberry coached Looney on just that this past winter.

Newberry, who works for Octagon football, which represents Looney, flew to Atlanta in January to give the Wake Forest lineman a crash course in learning how an NFL offensive line works. Newberry came away impressed.

"The kid's really, really sharp," said Newberry, echoing what Jim Harbaugh said after Looney was drafted. "You didn't have to tell him twice. He's also one of the nicest kids you'll ever meet. Very engaging, very well spoken."

Looney will have to be a quick study if he is to win a starting job this summer. He's likely to enter the fray at perhaps the most competitive spot on the 49ers' roster - right guard. Two of the team's 2011 draft picks, fifth rounder Daniel Kilgore and seventh rounder Mike Person, also figure to be in the mix at the position. The team also could add a veteran to the competition, including one from their own squad, Alex Boone.

Newberry feels that Looney has a good shot. He worked with Looney at both guard and at center, which Newberry played for the 49ers from 1998-2006 and which Looney played when Senior Bowl practices began later that month. Not only does the 49ers' fourth-round pick have good size at 6-3, 315 pounds, Newberry said, he's the son of coach - usually a plus when it comes to dedication and work ethic - and he's athletic for his size.

Looney broke a bone in his foot during Senior Bowl practice, and because of that was not able to take part in that game, the combine or any pre-draft workouts. (And his draft stock probably sunk at least a round as a result). But back in early January, Newberry said Looney was consistently running his 40-yard dashes in the 4.9-second range.

The fastest offensive lineman at the scouting combine was Oklahoma's Donald Stephenson, who ran a 4.94-second 40. The top guard in the draft, Stanford's David DeCastro, ran his in 5.43 seconds.

-- Matt Barrows

The 49ers' rookie rookie class, 25 players strong, will report for a three-day minicamp next week. The May 11-13 session may not include the top rookie, wide receiver A.J. Jenkins, who said he has received Jim Harbaugh's blessing to attend his graduation session at the University of Illinois on the 13th, a Sunday.

The team also will hold a mandatory full minicamp June 12-14. OTAs will be held May 22-24, May 29-31 and June 4-7. None of the sessions will be open to the public and only a percentage have to be open to the media.

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Here are a few more new jersey numbers for recently added 49ers. Those for the undrafted free agents who are signing this week have not been determined.

WR Mario Manningham, No. 14*

WR A.J. Jenkins (D-1), No. 17

CB Perrish Cox, No. 20

RB LaMichael James (D-2), No. 23

RB Rock Cartwright, No. 28

S Trenton Robinson (D-6A), No. 30

S Mark Legree, No. 35

RB Brandon Jacobs, No. 45

OLB Cameron Johnson (D-7), No. 50

OLB Darius Fleming (D-5), No. 58

OT Garrett Chisolm, No. 60

C Jason Slowey (D-6B), No. 62

G Joe Looney (D-4), No. 66

WR Randy Moss, No. 84

* No. 14 apparently is temporary for Manningham. He wore No. 82 in New York. That number currently is worn by tight end Nate Byham.

-- Matt Barrows

Jim Harbaugh, who was a teammate of Junior Seau's on the Chargers from 1999-2000, released this statement about Seau, who was found dead Wednesday from an apparent self-enlicted gun-shot wound:

"I, along with the entire NFL family, the San Diego community and those who shared a life with Junior, grieve the loss of the ultimate teammate and friend. I am saddened that I was not there for Junior as he had always been for his teammates and friends."

 "The qualities I most respected in Junior were the caring and respect he showed to all those with whom he came in contact. One of my fondest remembrances as a professional football player was looking across the locker room after playing my last career game with the Chargers and knowing that I had shared that moment with one of the greatest teammates and competitors the game has ever known. The moment moved me to get off my stool, approach Junior and ask him to trade jerseys. It's the only time I had done that in my career."
 
"My thoughts and prayers go out to Junior's family."

-- Matt Barrows