Mario Manningham News

Alex Smith turned heads last week when he defended his rather average passing numbers from a year ago, calling the current trend toward heavy yardage through the air a "totally overblown stat." The San Francisco 49ers quarterback took a swipe at Cam Newton's 4,051 passing yards as a rookie to make his point.

Gary Myers of the New York Daily News just had to do it . In the wake of Mario Manningham's defection to the San Francisco 49ers and Hakeem Nicks ' broken foot, Myers had to go and start spouting Plaxico Burress to the New York Giants nonsense.

The NFL OTA sessions are an important step on the way to the 2012 NFL Kickoff, and there are important takeaways to focus on during this period of the offseason.

Last week, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh got some tongues wagging when he stated that Michael Crabtree had the best hands of any wide receiver Coach Harbaugh had been around.

With training camps about to get into full swing, look for a number of positional battles to heat up into the summer.

The San Francisco 49ers have signed legend Randy Moss to bolster their limited receiving options.

The outcome of an NFL season, or any professional team's season for that matter, dictates the strategy toward improving upon or advancing the franchise's success moving forward.

SANTA CLARA – When Brandon Jacobs dreams of the upcoming season, he envisions shoulder pads crunching, helmets cracking and defensive linemen giving ground along the line of scrimmage.

In the offseason, the 49ers have picked up a pass-catching trio that includes a future Hall of Famer , a Super Bowl hero and a first-round draft pick .

On paper -- or to be more specific, the depth chart -- things look bleak for Kyle Williams' future with the San Francisco 49ers .

Colin Kaepernick - Kaepernick is likely to stay as the main backup in his second year in the system.

But you could not fault Alex Smith for looking especially lively on the 49ers practice field Wednesday, as the sun shined and his receivers galloped all over the field.

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.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith prepares to pass as coach Jim Harbaugh watches during NFL football practice in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, May 23, 2012.

Since 2007, Andy Lee leads the NFL in gross average , ranks second in net average and ranks third in punts downed inside the 20-yard line .

Fans of the San Francisco 49ers have learned a lot about the team this offseason after a roller-coaster ride through free agency, the NFL draft and the Peyton Manning fiasco.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Kyle Williams walked out of San Francisco 49ers headquarters Tuesday ready to talk about - and move past - the most miserable moment of his career.

San Francisco 49ers wideout Kyle Williams has patiently waited for a chance to erase the memories of January, when his two fumbled punt returns contributed to the team's loss in the NFC Championship Game.

Rookie camps have been unkind to some NFL prospects who were highly touted coming out of the draft.

SANTA CLARA – When Jim Harbaugh said on KNBR last week that wide receiver Michael Crabtree has the "best hands I've ever seen," it was hard not to think back to last offseason when the 49ers coach said Alex Smith was a "very accurate passer." Or when Harbaugh said Smith was an "elite" quarterback.