Tag: alex smith

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco 49ers came tantalizingly close to their sixth Super Bowl trip. Instead, that bid literally slipped from their grasp, ending one of their most surprisingly successful seasons in franchise history.

Alex Smith's rocket pass to Vernon Davis in the closing seconds of Saturday's victory over the New Orleans Saints brought more than joy for 49er fans in the area - it gave local businesses and bars one more week.

A 49ers hero in San Francisco last week, he's a film star in New York this week.

Looking at it from a distance, nine years really isn't that long.

SAN FRANCISCO - He was always cerebral. We knew that. He was always polite. We knew that. He was always trying to prove he was more than a first-round bust or, most recently, so much more than a seat warmer while rookie Colin Kaepernick developed.

Vernon Davis revealed Wednesday how frustrated he was adapting to a 49ers offense that might use him heavily in their playoff opener.

No quarterback got sacked more this season than the 49ers' Alex Smith. That doesn't reflect well on his offensive linemen.

ST. LOUIS - A quiet procession of glum-faced 49ers trudged into their locker room Sunday, showing no signs they just won their 13th game and clinched the NFC playoffs' No. 2 seed.

Frank Gore has been with the 49ers long enough to know how dire circumstances can set up a loss.

Left tackle Joe Staley knows the eardrum-rattling peril that awaits the 49ers in Saturday's visit to Seattle's CenturyLink Field.