49er says team didn't target Big Ben's ankle
18 May 2012, 9:02 am
San Francisco linebacker aldon Smith told the Sacramento Bee that the 49ers weren't targeting Ben Roethlisberger's injured ankle in a Dec. 19 game. "Our goal was to win the game," said Smith, who had 2.5 sacks that game. "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 ...

aldon Smith says 49ers never targeted Roethlisberger’s ankle
18 May 2012, 8:31 am
In a radio interview last week, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suggested that the 49ers targeted his injured ankle during the December game between the teams. He said he thought the 49ers were guilty of doing “some extra” when they came after him, presumably as part of an attempt to get him out of the contest.…

Top rookies stare down sophomore slumps
17 May 2012, 8:17 pm
RENTON, Wash. -- aldon Smith, Patrick Peterson and Doug Baldwin lit up the NFL, relatively speaking, as NFC West rookies last season. Smith's 14 sacks led the 49ers. Peterson's four touchdowns on punt returns tied an NFL record. Baldwin led the Seattle Seahawks in receiving as an undrafted free agent. Great work, guys, but what's next? "One of the biggest things I keep hearing from people is not ...

San Francisco 49ers’ aldon Smith Looks to Be More Versatile in 2012: Fan Reaction
15 May 2012, 6:12 pm
Word coming from the San Francisco 49ers' training camp is that aldon Smith, the Pro Football Writers of America 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year, is looking to improve on his impressive rookie campaign. For those of you who missed it, Smith finished the year with 14 sacks - just a half-sack shy of tying the rookie NFL sack record - 31 total tackles, one safety, and two forced fumbles, and did ...

NFL 1st Round Picks Who Won't Be Starting in 2012
14 May 2012, 11:02 pm
As players continue to become more and more specialized, the term "starter" has begun to lose a bit of its luster. aldon Smith, first round pick of the 49ers in 2011, wasn't a starter per se, but his 14 sacks in his rookie season certainly showed that he was able to contribute. That said, fans expect to see their first round picks on the field at the start of the game. Here are five players that ...

Roethlisberger hints that his injured ankle was a target for 49ers
10 May 2012, 11:56 am
Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t accusing the San Francisco 49ers of any concerted, financially-motivated hits in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game in Candlestick Park last December, but he did bring up the topic of whether his injured ankle was a target in the latest conversation in which a pro football player was asked about bounties. Read full article >>

San Francisco 49ers Draft Grades: Grading the Selection of Darius Fleming
28 April 2012, 4:05 pm
aldon Smith, looks like you have some mentoring to do. The San Francisco 49ers chose to bolster its pass-rushing linebacker unit by selecting Notre Dame’s Darius Fleming in the fifth round (No. 165 overall) in the 2012 NFL draft . The 6’2’’, 245-pound former member of the Fighting Irish isn’t fully commensurate with the 49ers dominant quarterback killer (6’4’’, 258 pounds). However, Fleming ...

2012 San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft Needs: Five Potential First-Round Fits - Fan's Analysis
26 April 2012, 1:57 pm
The San Francisco 49ers had success with in the draft in 2011. First round pick (7th overall) aldon Smith narrowly missed winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and helped carry the team to its best finish in over a decade, which nearly included a trip to the Super Bowl. Because of that success, the team finds itself in the unfamiliar position of holding pick No. 30 in the 2012 draft ...

Interview: aldon Baker
25 April 2012, 3:40 pm
Baker, a native of South Africa, went back to his personal training roots after being a professional mountain bike racer for five years and he is arguably the best in the business.

San Francisco 49ers: Breaking Down aldon Smith's Rookie Campaign
21 April 2012, 11:38 pm
In 2011, the rookie seventh overall pick from Missouri evolved into an absolute terror in the league for offenses. San Francisco 49ers linebacker aldon Smith finished the regular season with 14 sacks, which is only a half-sack shy of the rookie record set by Jevon Kearse in 1999. As a situational player, Smith had a miraculous rookie campaign that was accompanied by team success. Smith led the ...