Alex Smith concludes 49ers workouts, happy with progress

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Camp Alex II is officially over.

Nobody knows for certain when the San Francisco 49ers will begin training camp. Or if Alex Smith can be as successful a quarterback this fall as he has been this summer.

The 49ers' former and apparently future quarterback ended his final scheduled informal team workout Friday. After organizing two separate four-day minicamps at San Jose State that included most of the team's offensive players, Smith said he has installed about as much of new coach Jim Harbaugh's West Coast system as he can this summer.

All he can do now is wait for the NFL lockout to end so he can show how much the workouts really accomplished.

"I know what I installed and everything I basically threw at the wall. I don't know how much of it stuck to the wall," said Smith, a free agent expected to re-sign with the team. "And I think that's going to be the test when these guys come back, whenever this thing ends, how much of it stuck."

At the very least, Smith believes the workouts have put the 49ers in a better position.

San Francisco has among the most to lose the deeper the labor disagreement goes, with so much under Harbaugh that is unknown and unsettled. Smith spent just a few hours with Harbaugh and his staff when the lockout was briefly lifted, leaving the team's headquarters with boxes of game highlights and a playbook.

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Smith studied the information and relayed that to his teammates during classroom sessions he taught on a drawing board. He even quizzed them when it was over and awarded undisclosed prizes, revealing only that receiver Kevin Jurovich left happiest.

The two dozen or so players at most of the workouts -- down to 10 offensive players on the last day because of the upcoming holiday weekend -- also went into Spartan Stadium for about 90 minutes to run plays each day.

"I got put in a position where I just kind of felt like I needed to do it," Smith said. "All of a sudden, I didn't know how long the lockout was going to go, as it got longer and longer, more and more I felt like we were behind the eight ball and needed to do something."

That leadership quality has been sorely missing from San Francisco's quarterback.

The 49ers haven't had a winning season or reached the playoffs since 2002, and inconsistency at the position might be the biggest reason why. With the exception of receiver Michael Crabtree, who has openly questioned whether Smith is the presumed starter, players at the workouts have said all the right things about Smith.

There's still little from his past play to suggest he will be the franchise's long-term solution, and the presence of second-round pick Colin Kaepernick figures to ignite the fan pessimism that revolves around Smith the first time the 2005 No. 1 overall pick throws an interception.

Smith will be the first to acknowledge the workouts he organized will be meaningless if he can't finally deliver consistently when it counts. The only action from this summer Harbaugh will see will be on video from the workouts Smith taped. The rest will be up to the quarterback to prove in front of the new coach.

Smith is flirting with the idea of holding another minicamp or even a larger session to mimic training camp if the lockout persists into late July. With so many free agents on the defensive side, Smith isn't sure he could find 11 players to fill out a roster -- and he wouldn't hold contact drills anyway, for fear of injuries.

Smith and others will continue to lift weights and exercise at San Jose State in smaller groups in the coming weeks, waiting to find out when training camp begins -- and whether Smith can be as accomplished a quarterback against an NFL defense.

"I would feel pretty good at this point if training camp started," Smith said. "Training camp is where the bulk of the work comes in anyway. You love the offseason program, but I think it serves as the same type of thing. It's an introduction to this stuff. The real football starts in training camp."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Brady happy to rejoin fellow Pats, hopeful of labor resolution

Tom Brady is putting in some football work this week.

After three days of workouts with some of his New England Patriots teammates, the quarterback headlined a charity touch football game at Harvard University.

Brady took a break during halftime of Friday night's game benefiting Best Buddies International, which supports programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, to briefly comment on the NFL's labor stalemate and when it will end.

"Nobody knows. Hopefully soon," Brady said. "There's been a lot (of) positive moves from both sides. Everyone is working hard toward a great outcome. And I'm confident that a lot of reasonable people will come to a very reasonable agreement."

Brady's comments were rather polite compared to the arguments made earlier in the day before a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

Brady, who's among the 10 plaintiffs in the antitrust lawsuit filed against the league, said he's looking forward to the 2011 season, even if fans and some players are growing restless during the nearly three-month work stoppage that's threatening it.

Brady said veterans and young players alike have a responsibility to leave the NFL in better conditions than when they entered.

"We all stick together and we realize how important each one of us are to each other," he said. "A lot of guys really care about the game."

More than 40 Patriots players joined Brady for workouts Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Boston College's Alumni Stadium. Coaches couldn't attend because of the lockout, leaving Brady in charge.

"It's been fun to see a lot of the guys," the quarterback told the Boston Herald. "I think there's a lot of good work."

Brady also said his right foot is fine nearly five months after he had surgery to repair a stress fracture.

"I feel good," he said. "Good enough to run around here and have fun, and I'm excited for football season."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Rivera happy Panthers practicing, but he'd like to coach them

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Happy as a Bear, Peppers calls exit from Panthers 'a little sour'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Julius Peppers described his offseason departure from the Carolina Panthers as "a little sour" Wednesday, claiming the team tried to paint him in a bad light after deciding to let him leave in free agency.

In a conference call with reporters ahead of his return to Charlotte on Sunday with the Chicago Bears, Peppers said he was under the impression the Panthers decided to "do away with anybody who is making a significant amount of money" as part of a roster overhaul that has produced the NFL's youngest team.

"That's a business decision. I can understand and respect that," said Peppers, who's 30. "The problem that I had was they tried to turn the tables and make it look like I wanted out no matter what. Really, I didn't have the option to stay. It was never offered to stay."

"So when I say it ended a little sour, I felt like it could have been a little more respectful. At least a phone call to say, 'It's been good. We're going in a different direction. We're going to let you go.' They couldn't even give me that."

Peppers also disputed Panthers general manager Marty Hurney's earlier claims that they twice tried to make the the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end the NFL's highest-paid defensive player. Peppers said that happened only once, after the 2007 season, a deal he rejected.

Hurney didn't return a message seeking comment, releasing only a short statement that didn't address Peppers' criticism of the Panthers.

"Julius gave us eight great years and we appreciate everything he did for us," Hurney said.

The Panthers and Peppers were locked in a lengthy contract dispute that included his pleas to allow him to leave in free agency after the 2008 season. The Panthers refused and used the restrictive franchise tag, requiring a mammoth one-year deal that paid Peppers $18.2 million last season.

The Panthers could have used the franchise tag again this season, but at the cost of at least $20.1 million. The Panthers declined and let the 6-foot-7 Peppers, the franchise's career leader with 81 sacks, leave without compensation.

Peppers, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Panthers, signed a six-year, $91.5 million deal with the Bears in March. While he said he's happy in Chicago -- he has two sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal for the Bears (3-1) -- he's puzzled with how things ended in Charlotte.

"I was kind of surprised because I was expecting to hear something from them," Peppers said. "I didn't understand what was going on. But as the weeks and the months went by, I started getting the picture of the direction they were going in and I knew I wasn't a part of it."

Now Peppers, a Bailey, N.C., native who starred in college in North Carolina, will return home Sunday to play the struggling Panthers (0-4) for the first time. After the two years of rocky contract negotiations, Peppers said he has "no idea" how he'll be received by fans.

But Peppers clearly was frustrated at the perception he doesn't play hard on every down. The reputation has stayed with him since college and was fueled by games in Carolina in which the freakishly athletic Peppers had little impact.

"I just see that as people not being able to form an opinion for themselves," Peppers said. "People will hear one thing and just run with it. ... A couple people started saying it for whatever reason, and then it followed me. And then people just kept repeating it, even though it wasn't true."

Peppers, who also ranks first in Panthers history with 29 forced fumbles and nine blocked kicks, is proud of his time with the team despite the criticism and messy ending.

"Look at a guy like Dwight Freeney, who had (84) sacks or whatever it was in eight seasons. I'm right there behind him at 81," Peppers said. "If people look at the numbers and stop just making up stuff about how I played, you'll realize I've done well and really I think I exceeded expectations when I was brought to that team."

Notes: Panthers WR Steve Smith was on crutches in the locker room after missing practice with a high ankle sprain. Smith is expected to miss at least one game. ... Safety Sherrod Martin (concussion) sat out practice, but he is holding out hope that he'll be cleared to play Sunday. ... RB DeAngelo Williams (illness) and RT Jeff Otah (knee) didn't practice, and LB Jamar Williams (neck) was limited. ... The first court appearance for WR Dwayne Jarrett, cut by the Panthers on Tuesday after he was charged with driving while impaired, was postponed from Wednesday to Nov. 12.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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