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2B Daily News – Thursday, August 15, 2013 NFL RAIDERS 49ers eager to face former quarterback Alex Smith Veldheer out with torn triceps SANTA CLARA (AP) — Over all those years and thousands of practice snaps, the stingy San Francisco defense never got to put a hit on Alex Smith. And this is a group known for its vicious blows, from sack man Aldon Smith at linebacker to pounding safety Donte Whitner. So, no surprise Smith's former teammates on the opposite side of the ball will be salivating to finally chase down the quarterback when they face him and the Chiefs in a preseason game at Kansas City on Friday night. ''There's a first time for everything,'' linebacker NaVorro Bowman said, smiling. ''We never got a chance to hit him. This time we can. We're looking forward to it. I know Alex knows we're coming. It's football, man. He's on another team and we have to go out there and play our game.'' Cornerback Carlos Rogers plans to talk trash — because, he insists, Smith will certainly be expecting it from this group. ''He'll probably come after me because we were always talking junk during practices while he was here. I'm going to take a look at the film and see what we can come up with,'' Rogers said. ''It will be really fun. I'm pretty sure he's going to be talking junk. He's going to want to go at our defense because now he gets the opportunity. When he was here we didn't really go against the 1 offense unless it was training camp.'' Smith has begun anew in the AFC with the Chiefs after being traded in March. He lost his starting job with San Francisco in November to Colin Kaepernick. Smith certainly sounds as if he will leave the personal ties out of it Friday — rather focusing on preparing his offense with a matchup against one of the NFL's top defenses in recent years. ''Regardless of the fact that I used to play there, they're a good defensive unit,'' he said ''They're a really good defensive unit, and they'll be a good test for us. I mean, they don't have many weaknesses on that side of the ball. It'll be a really good test for us.'' Given Smith's long history with the 49ers, an up-and-down, eight-year tenure — filled with numerous promotions and demotions, not to mention injuries — after they selected him with the No. 1 draft pick out of Utah in 2005, he still has many supporters in his old locker room. Running back Frank Gore is rooting for him, tight end Vernon Davis, too. And Kaepernick, of course. They have spoken a couple of times during the offseason, though Kaepernick declined to elaborate. ''He did a lot for me, Alex was someone that really helped me pick up the playbook, understand what we were trying to get done and how we wanted to do it,'' Kaepernick said Wednesday. ''I wouldn't be as far along as I am right now without him. Personally, he's a great guy, he's a class act. I have nothing bad to say about him. He's always helped me, he's always put the team first.'' It was Smith who took it upon himself to lead San Francisco's players in workouts at nearby San Jose State during the 2011 NFL lockout that became known as ''Camp Alex,'' a step in his leadership that put the team in position to end a franchise-worst stretch of eight seasons without a playoff berth or winning record. After all those boos from his own fans during the struggles, he had made good at last. For his example, and so many other things, coach Jim Harbaugh is grateful to this day. Even if he made the tough choice to go with Kaepernick for last season's stretch run. Smith largely thrived under the direction of Harbaugh, a 15-year NFL quarterback himself. ''It's personal with Alex. It probably is different in that way,'' Harbaugh said. ''Feel like there's a great friendship there and a lot of history. He's a unique person. A very good, in all ways, a good friend. No longer on our team. Not a trusted agent anymore.'' Come Friday, both sides will try to keep all the mixed emotions off the field. Though the history will clearly provide some preseason fuel. ''Now we'll get a chance to hit him,'' Rogers said. ''He had on the jersey and we couldn't touch the quarterback, so I'm pretty sure our D-line will be happy about that, too.'' Notes: A day after safeties C.J. Spillman and Michael Thomas fought during practice and Spillman sent to the locker room, Harbaugh said he has handled the altercation. ''I think that's something that has no place in practice or training camp,'' Harbaugh said. ''Not to go into what the policy is right now as it's happened. It's been addressed.'' He wouldn't say whether they would play against the Chiefs. ... Harbaugh has ''a list of eight or nine guys'' he said won't travel to Kansas City, though he wouldn't say who they are other than that LT Joe Staley is likely on there. SOCCER Altidore leads US to 4-3 win vs Bosnia The Associated Press Trailing 2-0 at halftime, their record winning streak in jeopardy, the Americans never panicked. There was no need to, not with Jozy Altidore on their team. Altidore led an impressive comeback Wednesday, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist on the other goal as the U.S. rallied to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-3 in an exhibition in Sarajevo and extend its record winning streak to 12 games. It was the first come-from-behind win on European soil for the Americans. ''We came in (at halftime) and said, 'Listen we can beat GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) ''Off the bat, I'm like oh, bleep bleep,'' he said, serving as his own censor. ''I just put my head down and I looked up and it seemed like I had gained ground on it. And that's when I said, you know what, I'm going to be able to have a chance to reach for it. And once I caught it, I just tried to hold on to it.'' Soriano worked around Brandon Belt's RBI single in the ninth and, helped by Span's grab, earned his 31st save. ''I didn't think he was going to get to it,'' manager Davey Johnson said of Span. ''He kind of put it in another gear and then, full-out leap.'' Ian Desmond homered and Anthony Rendon had two RBIs in a five-run fourth inning that put Washington up 6-1. MEDIA (Continued from page 1B) to the NFL, said owners won't get the injury figures from training camp until their October meeting. As a result, he said it's too soon to tell if there's been a spike in any type of injury or at any particular position for that matter. ''We have no hard data yet,'' he said. ''We've had some ACL injuries so far. Last year, it was Achilles injuries in camp. I want to wait for the six weeks of training camp and the preseason and compare year to year and allow the experts to evaluate if there's any more injuries or if the injuries are different than in years past. But I don't think there's any more.'' Like Brady, Kansas City this team,''' said Altidore, who has scored in five straight games, a first for a U.S. player. ''We came in and said, 'We have more weapons, we're just as confident as they are. We just have to put more passes together and be more confident.' And you saw that in the second half.'' The 12-game winning streak is the longest in the world right now, and three shy of the record set by Spain in 2009. The win over 13th-ranked Bosnia was the second over a top15 team during the run, following a 4-3 victory over No. 2 Germany on June 2 that started the streak. Edin Dzeko scored his second goal in the 90th minute. But it wasn't enough for the Dragons, who lost for the first time in 10 games. Zimmermann gave up six hits, walked two and struck out two. After going 1-3 in his previous four starts, the right-hander permitted only two runners past second base. But the victory wasn't his until Span made his gamesaving catch. ''I was up here sitting in the video room with (teammate Tyler) Clippard,'' Zimmermann said. ''I thought it was a double in the gap and then he comes out of nowhere. It was great to see.'' In his last 42 regular-season starts, Zimmermann is 23-8 with a 3.01 ERA. Washington is 31-11 in those games. Lincecum surrendered six runs and seven hits in six innings. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner allowed a combined three runs over 22 innings in his previous three starts. Belt homered and Pablo Sandoval had three hits for the last-place Giants, who have lost eight of 11 to fall a season-high 15 games under .500 (52-67). Since the AllStar break, the defending World Series champions are 9-16. It could have been different in this one — except for Span. ''Yeah, I definitely thought that was a hit,'' Pence said. ''I didn't even see him catch it. I had my head down, running. The crowd noise made me look up. I was in shock.'' The Giants used a walk to Pence, a stolen base and a two-out single by Roger Kieschnick to manufacture a second-inning run. In the bottom half, Desmond needed only one swing to tie it. His 17th home run was his 10th career hit in 12 at-bats against Lincecum, including two longballs. San Francisco got two singles and a walk to load the bases with two outs in the fourth for Lincecum, an .098 lifetime hitter who bounced into a force play. Similarly, two singles and an intentional walk loaded the bases for Washington in the bottom half, and the Nationals took full advantage of the situation. Rendon hit a two-run double and Kurt Suzuki followed with an RBI single. A wild pitch by Lincecum let in another run, and Ryan Zimmerman capped the uprising with a run-scoring single. ''I just didn't limit the damage in that inning,'' Lincecum lamented. After Zimmermann left, Belt homered off Ian Krol and Sandoval doubled in two runs off Ryan Mattheus before Clippard struck out Kieschnick and Gregor Blanco. Sandoval's three hits were one more than he had in his previous seven games. Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles also created quite a buzz on social media. Charles, who missed an entire season two years ago with a torn ACL in his left knee, turned his right foot midway through practice Monday, gingerly climbed into a green cart and was taken to the locker room. Twitter was atwitter with ''NFL insiders'' giving conflicting accounts, some saying the Chiefs feared the worst, others saying they were relieved. Coach Andy Reid briefed reporters when practice ended and said it was a strain and that X-rays were negative. Then, the speculation turned to how long the Pro Bowl running back would be out. On Tuesday, with speculation about Charles' injury still running rampant, the Chiefs trotted out their train- er, who said Charles had his foot examined by two orthopedic surgeons and they confirmed the team's diagnosis of a mild strain. The league has barred ball carriers this season from using the crown of their helmets to make forcible contact with a defender in the open field and eliminated the peel-back block. The changes were the latest involving safety, and head injuries in particular, with the issue receiving heightened attention amid lawsuits filed by former players claiming that the NFL didn't do enough to prevent concussions in years past. Camps had barely opened when Broncos center Dan Koppen, Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram, San Diego receiver Danario Alexander and Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin went down with torn anterior cruicate ligaments. Bengals All-Pro receiver A.J. Green bruised his left knee trying to make an acrobatic sideline catch on the first day of camp. ''I can't say that it's unique to this preseason,'' said St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, co-chair of the league's competition committee with McKay. ''Unfortunately, preseason injuries are a part of the game, and they happen every year. It's just something that you hope that doesn't happen to you.'' Some players, like Rob Gronkowski and Michael Crabtree, didn't even make it to training camp healthy. Receiver Percy Harvin was sidelined on the eve of Seattle's training camp by a torn hip labrum that would require surgery, something he announced, fittingly, on Twitter. NAPA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders sustained a significant blow Wednesday with the news that starting left tackle Jared Veldheer will need surgery on his torn left triceps and will miss a significant portion of the upcoming season. Veldheer has been bothered by the triceps throughout training camp and had a second MRI performed on Tuesday when it did not feel any better. After consulting with doctors and the team, Veldheer decided to have the surgery. ''It's a disappointment for all of us,'' coach Dennis Allen said. ''But again we're going to play 16 games this year. The teams that are able to push through those things mentally, those are the teams that have success. Everybody has injuries. That's one we'll just have to deal with.'' Allen said Veldheer would miss a significant amount of time but hoped he would be back at some point this season. Allen said Veldheer would be a candidate to be placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, which would require him to miss at least the first eight weeks. The Raiders can place Veldheer on that list starting Sept. 3. He would be required to sit for six weeks and then could practice for two more before being eligible to be activated in time for the team's eighth game on Nov. 3 against Philadelphia. Teams can only use that designation on one player and Allen said he wouldn't know for sure whether that would be an option for Veldheer until after the surgery. The injury to Veldheer gives a shot at a starting role to Alex Barron, a former first-round pick by the St. Louis Rams who has not played a game in the NFL since 2010. ''Of course it's an opportunity,'' Barron said. ''First and foremost it's an opportunity to be here, period. It's another opportunity obviously to go up on the chart and help the team as best I can. My whole thing is I'm going to continue to work and try to help the team as best I can.'' Barron was drafted 19th overall in 2005 out of Florida State but struggled for almost his entire five seasons in St. Louis. He started 74 games and played both left and right tackle but was plagued by penalties and poor blocking. He committed 43 false start penalties — including 13 in 2006 — and 13 holding penalties while allowing 33 sacks, according to game tracking from STATS LLC. He was traded to Dallas in 2010 and played 11 games with the Cowboys. But Barron hasn't played since, spending a little time with New Orleans and Seattle without ever getting into a game. ''I think Alex has been playing very well,'' quarterback Matt Flynn said. ''I was with him in camp last year in Seattle. He seems like a different guy here. He's playing well, playing aggressive and really coming into his own.'' Veldheer was perhaps Oakland's most indispensable player, given his talent and the importance of the position he plays. He had started the past 42 games at left tackle, missing only one offensive snap in that entire time. A third-round pick out of Hillsdale College in 2010, Veldheer was an emerging left tackle in the NFL who was counted on as a major piece of the Raiders rebuilding project. Veldheer was rated by Pro Football Focus as the eighth best pass-blocking left tackle in the NFL last season. He has been responsible for just four sacks in each of the past two seasons, according to STATS LLC. ''It's a real big blow,'' right tackle Khalif Barnes said. ''Jared's a big part of our line. He's a big guy. He comes to work every day, you never hear him complaining, just tries to go in, get the job done, he just tries to perfect his craft every day at practice. He's a good part of our team, a good leader for our team.'' The Raiders have been hampered by injuries on the line throughout camp. Right guard Mike Brisiel has been out all week as he struggles to recover from offseason ankle surgery. Lucas Nix, who is batting with Tony Bergstrom for the left guard spot, has also missed significant time in camp with an undisclosed injury. Second-round pick Menelik Watson has not practiced all camp with a calf injury. With Oakland changing blocking schemes from a zone system last year to more power blocking this season, the lack of continuity on the line is concerning. ''It definitely hurts,'' center Stefen Wisniewski said. ''We've had a couple of left guards in there, a couple of right guards in there, and now we're working with a new left tackle. But I think we're all communicating really well. I think it's just a matter of getting your footwork right, and getting some of those combination blocks right.'' 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) ''It was a wake-up call to me what happened to me,'' Dobbs said at the time. ''The thing that happened in Dallas, it makes me grateful that God was looking out for me. It could have been a lot worse in my situation. ''What happened in Dallas is unfortunate. It just goes to show what could have been. I'm grateful that I'm here and able to be on the team and go on and continue my life. That saddened me to hear that, but it made me count my blessings even more.'' The third-year pro out of Georgia, who signed as an undrafted free agent in July 2011, had three tackles in 12 games last year. He played primarily on special teams. Harbaugh said Wednesday he had ''a list of eight or nine guys'' who wouldn't make the trip with the team for Friday's exhibition game at Kansas City but provided no further details such as names.