--The 49ers made up for their opening-week home loss with the road victory against the Seahawks, the four-time defending NFC West champions. "We lost a home game last week against Arizona," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "You'd like to think if you're going to make a run at something, you take care of your home. So we had to steal one on the road, so to speak. Now, Seattle's dealing with the same thing."
--Quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, saw his fourth NFL season come to an end last week when he was placed on injured reserve. With his return to the 49ers considered unlikely, many are of the opinion he is a "bust."
Backup quarterback Shaun Hill strongly disagrees.
"I don't think he's a bust at all. Last year with the injuries, that's what hampered him," Hill said. "Trent (Dilfer) and I were so excited last year about what he was going to do. He looked so good in the preseason, so good throughout practice, even in the offseason. We were very excited about what he was going to do. It's very sad this is happening to him again. Hopefully, they can get it corrected and he can move on. As far as a bust, I don't agree with any of that."
--Offensive coordinator Mike Martz does not mind spreading the ball around to his other players, but he knows running back Frank Gore is the one guy he wants to touch the ball over and over.
Does that mean that Martz has a number of times in mind that he wants Gore to touch the ball on a given week?
"Yes, I do," Martz said. "(But it's) nothing that I would ever share with you guys."
--Pass-rusher Tully Banta-Cain admitted that right now he's the "odd man out," but he said he'll be ready when he's called upon. Banta-Cain said he wants to be with the 49ers, and the 49ers took action before the season opener guarantee that Banta-Cain remains with the organization. Banta-Cain accepted a salary reduction from $2.2 million to $1 million (next year's contract was also adjusted from $2.475M to $1.25M) to remain with the 49ers. Otherwise, he would've been free to go to any team.
"I want to be here," Banta-Cain said. "And I'll keep working hard. Good things happen to those who wait, right?"
BY THE NUMBERS: 8 - Number of sacks the 49ers allowed in the road victory over Seattle, giving them a league-high 12 after two weeks.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It means we are 1-0 (last week). That is the way we are going to try to do things. It's the same thing this week. Nothing more than that" - 49ers QB J.T. O'Sullivan on the significance of the 49ers' victory last week against the Seahawks.
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