49ers Blog and Q&A: Saddle up: Justin Smith returns to practice

49ers Blog and Q&A

News, notes and reader questions about the San Francisco 49ers

• Ask Matt a 49ers question

January 3, 2013

Saddle up: Justin Smith returns to practice

Justin Smith today was in uniform for the first time since his Dec. 16 triceps injury. Smith, wearing a plastic brace over his left arm, warmed up with his fellow defensive linemen and went through individual drills. It was the defensive lineman's first on-field injury since partially tearing his triceps tendon in the third quarter against New England.

Smith, nicknamed "Cowboy," was voted to his fourth straight Pro Bowl last month. His streak of 185 starts had been the NFL's third longest and the most for a defensive lineman until his recent injury. Smith missed most of the second half against the Patriots and the next two games vs. Seattle and Arizona.

Smith was the team's most dominant player in the postseason last year. He told The Bee last week that he's felt stronger and more confident about his arm as time has gone on and that he would be on the field for the team's Jan. 12 playoff opener. The 49ers will host the Packers, Seahawks or Redskins.

The defensive linemen isn't much of a talker, but he spoke at length in the spring about windows of opportunity and how quickly they can slam shut. Smith noted that a 49ers defense that boasts six Pro Bowlers this year mostly is full of youngsters or players in their prime. Smith, 33, is closing out his 12th season.

"I figure I got three more good years in me, four more good years," Smith said at the time. "I don't want to be the guy that becomes the third-down guy, plays 17 (snaps), I don't want to do that. I'm figuring, let's go.

"Time is of the essence for me, personally," Smith continued. "Not everyone else. We have a young defense. But I think everyone feels the urgency ,and we've got the guys right now. Let's not wait."

- Matt Barrows

About Comments

Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.

• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.

blog comments powered by Disqus

FOLLOW US | Get more from sacbee.com | Follow us on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook | Get news in your inbox | View our mobile versions | e-edition: Print edition online | What our bloggers are saying

Please use the form below to submit your question. Because there is a 100-word limit for questions, a word counter is located directly beneath the box where you enter the your question.