National Football League

San Francisco 49ers quarterback vows to throw caution to the wind

Published Oct. 14, 2010 10:17 a.m. ET

foxsports

Earlier this week, Alex Smith vowed to play more fearlessly. He said he would "cut it loose" after seeing how well the aggressive approach worked in the final minutes last weekend against Philadelphia Eagles.

But let's not get crazy, Smith said.

"You're not trying to get out of hand. You have to make split-second decisions, smart decisions, throughout the course of the game,'' he said Wednesday.

So he plans to cut it loose "... within reason.

"You can't lose your levelheadedness," Smith said. "The emotions of the game go up and down, and as a quarterback, I think you have to be the guy that is always steadying the ship."

Smith leads the NFL with nine interceptions, a stat he blames on playing too cautiously. He recognizes that sounds counterintuitive, but playing tentatively can mean being a fraction of a second too late with a throw.

When he played more freely last Sunday, Smith completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards with two touchdowns and an interception during the final 11 minutes.

The 49ers want to see more of that guy against the Raiders on Sunday, especially after watching San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers torch the Raiders defense for 431 yards and two touchdowns last week.

The question for the 49ers is how to get Smith to play as aggressively as he did against the Eagles. That breakthrough came only after coach Mike Singletary threatened to bench his quarterback, a decision that led to a sideline shouting match captured by NBC cameras.

"It definitely caught me off guard. No question," Smith said of the incident. "It that's what he was trying to do, you know "..."

Singletary's most famous act as coach was a televised tirade against tight end Vernon Davis, a public airing out that helped Davis turn around his career.

Singletary was in no rush to draw a comparison between his Davis speech and this one, but he indicated he liked that Smith responded by playing with more fire.

"The thing that really came to him on Sunday was just realizing, 'Anytime I go out there with an edge, I play the game with the best of them,' " Singletary said. "And that mindset is something that he has to keep in the forefront of his play at all times."

In his only previous game against the Raiders, in 2006, running back Frank Gore rushed for 134 yards and finished with 172 yards from scrimmage (38 yards receiving). Despite his struggles establishing the 49ers' ground game this season, Gore leads NFL backs with 33 catches and 284 receiving yards.

The 49ers re-signed fullback Jehuu Caulcrick to the practice squad, but it's just a cameo. Cornerback Tramaine Brock is expected to take that spot today.

Left tackle Joe Staley (shoulder) practiced on a limited basis Wednesday. Safety Curtis Taylor (quadriceps) and tight end Delanie Walker (ankle) didn't practice.

The 49ers are 5-6 in their regular-season meetings against the Raiders. The 49ers won the last meeting, 34-20 on Oct. 8, 2006.