--New 49ers receiver Brandon Jones did not want to be anointed as a starter after signing a five-year, $16.5 million contract. He wouldn't want it that way, and neither would his family.
He said coach Mike Singletary said he would have to win a starting job.
"That's what I want: The opportunity to go out there and compete," Jones said. "That's what this game is about. There are a lot of talented players, but I just want to have that chance to compete and go out there and practice. Nothing is going to be given to you. He told me that. Nothing is going to be given to you and I wouldn't appreciate it if it was. My mom certainly wouldn't appreciate it if it was given to me."
--Quarterback Alex Smith did not opt for a fresh start after four rocky seasons with the 49ers. However, he said with a change in the coaching staff, there is a different aura around the team.
"It does feel different," Smith said. "There's definitely a different feeling around the facility with coach Singletary here, with some of the new people he's brought in. It's kind of a fresh attitude. With the new contract and coming in and kind of a fresh start to compete, it is kind of refreshing in a sense. I feel like I get a chance to kind of start fresh, start over, and start again to try to become the player I know I can be."
Smith signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract to remain with the 49ers to replace his previous scheduled salary of $9.625 million this season.
--After re-signing with the 49ers after spending 11 games with the Detroit Lions last season, fullback Moran Norris had an idea what might be on people's minds.
So, what was it like being on a team that went 0-16?
"I knew that question was coming," Norris said.
Oops, sorry.
"It's cool," he said. "No, it was difficult going 0-16. You just didn't know what to expect, but you know, how I took it, I just went in there and tried to get better each game and you can just do your job. You can't worry about the rest of them, so I just try to do my job."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I thought he was a real tough-nosed guy, and you can tell he is. But after talking to him, you know that he wants it. It's his will to win and the fire in his eyes that make you want to play for a guy like that." -- 49ers new receiver Brandon Jones, a free-agent pickup from the Tennessee Titans.
