Latest News Updates

Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments (Shutdown Corner)

Alex Smith gets defensive when he's asked about his meager passing numbers. And when Alex Smith gets defensive, he apparently likes to take unsolicited shots at other quarterbacks who went with the No. 1 pick. This week, the San Francisco 49ers QB was asked about his passing yards, which averaged under 200 yards during the Niners run to the NFC championship game. "I could absolutely care less on yards per game," Smith  told reporters . [ Wait, so he's saying he cares a little bit? ] "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. Yeah, Cam Newton threw for a lot of 300-yard games. That's great. You're not winning, though." Says the guy who entered last season with a 19-31 career record. Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason heard about Smith's comments and responded on Twitter: To which I respond: (Warning: Nearly inaudible PG-13 language at end of clip.) Beason just James Harrison'd Alex Smith. That was the verbal equivalent of a helmet-to-helmet hit in the open field. It doesn't even matter that Smith is right about football stats being meaningless. There are plenty of ways to make that point without ripping on the guy who put up the best rookie season in NFL history.

 

Panther Racing hoping to end runner-up streak (The Associated Press)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Panther Racing owner John Barnes would still like to celebrate in Indianapolis' Victory Lane some day.

 

Hakeem Nicks' Injury Could Be a Blessing in Disguise for Giants: Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Here we go again.

 

Vegas has spoken, NFL season win totals are live (National Football Post)

Four picks to keep an eye on this summer as we approach the start of the 2012 season.

 

Alex Smith joins the burgeoning ‘stats are for losers’ movement (Shutdown Corner)

Add the voice of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith to those decrying the increasing use of stats to evaluate football performance. Usually, it's former head coaches unhappy about the numbers (used, as they sometimes are, to help describe why said former head coaches lost their jobs), but in Smith's case, he's tired of the stats despite his 2011 season, in which he finally played with some of the efficiency and consistency expected of the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. When asked before the 49ers' divisional playoff win over the New Orleans Saints if he might someday throw for more yards in a season than Drew Brees, or some of the NFL's other more high-octane quarterbacks, Smith was quite defiant. "I really don't care," Smith said. "I'm looking to outscore him. He can throw for as many yards as he wants." So there! The 49ers did indeed outscore the Saints on their way to a close NFC championship loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, and in the 2012 season, more will certainly be expected of Smith. He played the caretaker role for Jim Harbaugh in 2011, throwing just five interceptions and helping San Francisco's unflashy-but-effective offense as the 49ers shocked the league with a 13-3 record. He also had career highs in pass attempts (445), completions, (273), passing yards (3,144), and his second-highest touchdown total (17). Now, Smith is being asked if he's ready to bust out with bigger numbers ... and the answer is, he really doesn't care. "I could absolutely care less on yards per game," Smith told Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday . "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. Yeah, Cam Newton threw for a lot of 300-yard games. That's great. You're not winning, though." Well, hold on there, Huckleberry! Cam Newton smashed many of the NFL's rookie passing records in 2011, and I would argue that he did do a lot of winning -- he took the worst team in the league and helped pull it to a six-win season. Now, the Panthers are rightfully seen as a fringe playoff contender, and Newton is the primary reason. In fact, it could be argued that Newton did everything Smith could not in 2005 -- take a horrible team to the next level with his own play as the first pick in the draft. It's a bit easier for Smith to say these things now, buttressed as he is by a dynamic rushing attack and supported by one of the NFL's best defenses. Joe Flacco has tried that whole "I'm just winning" thing as well, but he's very much in Smith's camp -- aided severely by his defense and running game. Total yards may not matter, but can Smith become the kind of quarterback capable of transcending the average and putting a team on his back? That's the real question for any quarterback looking to find that mysterious "elite." "We're up in the third and fourth quarter and naturally you're going to be in four-minute offense," Smith said of the wisdom behind the 49ers' more conservative game plan. "You're going to be grinding it out. You're going to be running the ball a lot more and you're not going to have as many 300-yard passing games."

 

49ers sign All-Pro punter Andy Lee through 2018 (The Associated Press)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Andy Lee has made every punt and held every field goal and extra-point attempt - minus a few in the preseason - for the San Francisco 49ers since 2004.

 

49ers QB Alex Smith facing higher expectations (The Associated Press)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Alex Smith looked one way, then another, finding open receivers with such ease that the toughest part might've been deciding whose turn it was in the rotation.

 

49ers coach impressed with Moss in early OTA workuts (The SportsXchange)

Wide receiver is a position where the San Francisco 49ers need an upgrade, as evidenced by the addition of veterans Randy Moss and Mario Manningham and rookie A.J. Jenkins, who was the 49ers' first-round draft choice.

 

NFL roundup: Players union files suit, accuses owners of collusion (The SportsXchange)

The NFL Players Association filed a lawsuit on Wednesday that accused NFL owners and the league of collusion during the 2010 NFL season.

 

All-Pro punter Lee signs contract extension with 49ers (Reuters)

(Reuters) - The San Francisco 49ers have signed three-time All-Pro punter Andy Lee to a six-year contract extension, the National Football League team said on Wednesday. Lee, who set the league's single-season record in net punting average (44 yards) last year, will remain with San Francisco through the 2018 season. "Andy has established himself as one of the top players in the game at his position," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. ...