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2B Daily News – Friday, November 30, 2012 49ERS RAIDERS Alex Smith wonders how he lost starting job to Kaepernick McClain kept out of practice for 2nd straight day SANTA CLARA. (AP) — Alex Smith is trying to understand how he lost his job as starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers a month after being named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. It's not an easy thing for the NFL's fifth-ranked quarterback to deal with this week, even though Smith already has experienced plenty of ups and downs in his tumultuous career since the 49ers made him the No. 1 overall selection of the 2005 draft. Smith spoke with the media Thursday for the first time since coach Jim Harbaugh made Colin Kaepernick the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams, a rematch of the last game in which Smith appeared. Smith is now completely healthy from the concussion he suffered in that Nov. 11 game and has been medically cleared to play. But he'll be Kaepernick's backup for the second consecutive week. Smith is uncertain what Harbaugh's decision means for him the rest of this season. ''I feel like the only thing I did to lose my job was get a concussion,'' Smith said. Smith was playing some of the best football of his career when he was injured and left early in the second quarter of the 24-24 tie with the Rams. He completed 7 of 8 passes with a passer rating of 143.8 against St. Louis, throwing for his 13th touchdown of the season on his final pass. The week before, Smith completed 18 of 19 for 232 yards and three touchdowns during a win over Arizona, setting an NFL record with a 94.7 completion percentage for a quarterback with a minimum of 15 attempts. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time two days later. Smith ranks fifth in the NFL with a passer rating of 104.1 and leads the league with a 70.0 completion percentage. ''You kind of state your case with your play and I felt like I've done that,'' Smith said. ''It's tough. It stings the most just because I really felt there was something special going on here and you sacrifice and invest so much time. I felt like I was playing good football. I have no idea what's going to happen from here. All I can do now is just prepare and get ready.'' Smith was in limbo the past two weeks after suffering his concussion, practicing every day with the 49ers in a non-contact black jersey. The 49ers did not announce during either week who would be their starting quarterback until game day against Chicago on Nov. 19 and New Orleans last Sunday. There's no uncertainty this week. Kaepernick, San Francisco's secondround draft pick last year, took away the starting job from Smith with strong performances in decisive victories over the Bears and Saints. Smith has lost his starting job and dealt with injuries and adversity several times before with the 49ers. He was beaten out for the role in training camp in 2008 by journeyman J.T. O'Sullivan, then began the 2009 season behind veteran Shaun Hill before starting the final 10 games of that season. In 2010, Smith was replaced as the starter by former coach Mike Singletary with Troy Smith for a key December game that decided San Francisco's playoff fate that season. The next week, Alex Smith began a string of 28 consecutive starts for the 49ers that ended after his concussion. Smith had a 21-6-1 record in those games and played a significant role in San Francisco's rise back to prominence last year and continued success this season. Smith resurrected his career under Harbaugh, who took over as San Francisco's coach in 2011. ''Those (other seasons) are all in the past,'' Smith said. ''For this one, you're in it right now. It's such a great team, such a great group of guys in this locker room. There's something special going on. It's a tough pill to swallow, for sure.'' Smith said he was prepared for Harbaugh's decision and knew it was a possibility ''just based off the last couple of weeks the way things have gone.'' Smith got the news during a conversation with Harbaugh earlier this week, when the coach explained why he decided to go in a different direction. Harbaugh left open the possibility he could go back to Smith at any time. ''Alex is a class act all the way,'' Harbaugh said. ''He'll prepare as if he is the starter. And that's what we would expect. And be ready to go in and play and contribute to this football team. We've got two quarterbacks that we feel great about as the starting quarterback. Anything's a possibility. I would assume nothing, or rule out anything.'' Smith said he felt no resentment toward Harbaugh, nor did he try to talk the coach out of the change at quarterback. ''At this point, what's talk going to do?'' Smith said. ''I feel like he made up his mind, and he's not a guy that didn't put thought into it already. I don't get to make those decisions. That's what he gets paid to do. I play football. So that's what I'm going to continue to do. Continue to get ready, and then make the most of my next opportunity.'' NHL LOCKOUT Mediators fail to help sides NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL, the players' association and now even federal mediators agree on one thing: the bickering sides are nowhere near a deal that would put hockey back on the ice. The league and the union wrapped up two days of talks on Thursday in New Jersey, with help from mediators, but moved no closer to a solution to save the hockey season that has already been delayed and shortened. Two members from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service joined the discussions on Wednesday AND Thursday but couldn't bring the sides any closer. ''After spending several hours with both sides over two days, the presiding mediators concluded that the parties remained far apart, and that no progress toward a resolution could be made through further mediation at this point in time,'' NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. ''We are disappointed that the mediation process was not successful.'' Players' association executive director Donald Fehr echoed Daly's remarks on Thursday night without offering insight where the process might head next. ''This afternoon, the mediators informed the parties that they did not think it was productive to continue the discussions further today,'' Fehr said in a statement. ''The mediators indicated that they would stay in contact with the league and the NHLPA, and would call the parties back together when they thought the time was right.'' The bottom line is that, 75 days into the owners' lockout of players, there is no end in sight. The lockout has already forced the cancellation of games through Dec. 14, the New Year's Day Winter Classic, and the AllStar weekend in January. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman offered the union a meeting that would consist of only owners and players — without the presence of leaders on both sides of the dispute — Daly told The Associated Press in an email. He added that the union was considering the proposal and would get back to the league. After agreeing to help from mediators on Monday, the league and the union returned to the bargaining table on Wednesday for their first face-toface talks in a week. Those discussions lasted for about six hours. They met again Thursday morning until late afternoon before breaking off. The next sure thing on the hockey calendar is the NHL board of governors, scheduled next Wednesday in New York. Meanwhile, the players could seek to decertify the union and challenge the lockout in court. Either way, the sides are getting close to losing another season to labor strife. The NHL is already the only major North American sports league to cancel a season because of such a dispute — when the 2004-05 schedule was wiped out. Mediation didn't work back then, either, though the collective bargaining agreement that recently expired was ultimately hammered out. Mediators were summoned in February, shortly before the season was canceled. In discussions last week, the players' association made a new comprehensive proposal that was quickly rejected by the NHL. George Cohen, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service director, assigned deputy director Scot Beckenbaugh and director of mediation services John Sweeney to the negotiations on Monday. Last week, Fehr said the sides were $182 million apart on a five-year deal, which comes to $1.2 million annually for each of the 30 teams. The NHL wants to increase eligibility for free agency to 28 years of age or eight seasons of service, up from 27 years or seven seasons. The league has also proposed adding a year of service for salary arbitration eligibility, hiking it from 1-4 to 2-5 years of service, depending on the age a player signs. On Oct. 16, the NHL proposed a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue, down from the players' 57 percent portion of $3.3 billion last season. With guaranteed contracts likely to push the players' share over the halfway mark at the start of the next deal, management wants that money to come out of future years to bring the overall percentage down to an even split over the length of an agreement. Players previously had proposed they receive a guaranteed amount of income each year. Owners want a seven-year deal, which the union says is too long because less than half the current players will be active by the last season. ALAMEDA (AP) — Linebacker Rolando McClain remained a member of the Oakland Raiders on Thursday despite being told to stay out of practice for a second straight day and not to report to the team facility. The former first-round pick is stuck in limbo a day after being sent out of practice by coach Dennis Allen for undisclosed reasons. ''There's going to be consequences to his actions and it's a teamrelated issue,'' Allen said. ''I don't really want to get into the details of it. We asked him not to come to practice today.'' Allen said he talked with McClain on Thursday and that McClain was told not to report to the team's facility as the Raiders (38) prepare for Sunday's home game against the Cleveland Browns. Allen said McClain has not been suspended and remains on the 53-man roster but would not speculate on what the future held for the linebacker. ''This is something that we've got to make a decision as an organization, and we're going to make sure that we make the right decision,'' Allen said. McClain was the eighth overall pick in the 2010 draft after helping Alabama win a national championship. He has struggled so far in his career and has had his playing time sharply reduced in recent weeks. In 41 career games with Oakland, McClain had 6 1/2 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, no fumble recoveries and did little to help improve Oakland's struggling run defense. After being essentially an every down player for the first two years of his career, McClain was demoted after the first month of this season. He was replaced by rookie Miles Burris in nickel packages because of his struggles in pass coverage and because the coaching NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific W L Pct GB L.A. Clippers 9 8 7 8 .467 2 Phoenix 7 4 10 .286 4.5 Southwest W L Pct GB Memphis 11 2 .846 — San Antonio 13 4 .765 — Houston 7 8 .467 5 Dallas 7 9 .438 5.5 New Orleans 4 10 .286 7.5 Northwest W L Pct GB Oklahoma City 12 4 .750 — Utah 9 7 .563 3 Denver 8 7 .533 3.5 Minnesota 6 8 .429 5 Portland 6 9 .400 5.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic W L Pct GB (Continued from page 1B) Addonizo added 7 points and 6 boards. Russ Smith, Sutter's junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach, said Mercy "had a lot of heart." "They went after it," he said. Next up for the Warriors will be a matchup against Williams at 4:30 p.m. today at Los Molinos High. ——— Sports Editor Andre Byik can be reached at 5272151, ext. 111 or at spor ts@redbluffdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @TehamaSports 10 4 .714 — 9 6 .600 1.5 Boston 8 7 .533 2.5 Toronto Haas, Langer defend use of long putters 10 4 .714 — Philadelphia GOLF Brooklyn New York MERCY 3 13 .188 8 Central W L Pct GB Milwaukee 7 6 .538 — Chicago 7 7 .500 .5 Indiana 7 8 .467 1 Detroit 5 11 .313 3.5 Cleveland 3 12 .200 5 Southeast W L Miami Pct GB 11 3 .786 — would ban players from anchoring the club to the body. ''It has been out for that long,'' Langer said Thursday at the Nedbank Challenge. ''If there is anything illegal about it, why did they not stop it right away? If it is that easy with a long putter, a belly putter, why aren't 90 percent of the pros and 100 percent of the amateurs using it?'' Langer suggested there might be a challenge to the rule proposal. Atlanta 9 4 .692 1.5 Charlotte SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) — Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer says the debate over putting with long clubs is far from over. Langer has been using a long putter he anchors to his chest for 15 years, and the German remains one of the best on the 50-and-older Champions Tour, winning the money list for the fourth time this year. He was perplexed when the U.S. Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club announced a new rule that W 8 4 3 1 L 3 7 8 10 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .727 .364 .273 .091 PF 318 245 218 161 PA 221 237 356 301 W 8 5 4 4 L 3 6 7 7 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .727 .455 .364 .364 PF 407 211 221 243 PA 244 226 290 319 W Houston 10 Indianapolis 7 Tennessee 4 Jacksonville 2 North W Baltimore 9 Pittsburgh 6 Cincinnati 6 Cleveland 3 L 1 4 7 9 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .909 .636 .364 .182 PF 327 230 238 188 PA 211 273 335 308 L 2 5 5 8 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .818 .545 .545 .273 PF 283 231 282 209 PA 219 210 247 248 Denver San Diego RAIDERS Kansas City East N. England Miami N.Y. Jets Buffalo South 9 .438 2.5 KINGS AFC West 6 .571 .5 L.A. Lakers NFL 6 .600 — WARRIORS staff believed he tired too easily playing every down. He has gone from playing more than 90 percent of defensive snaps to just over half the past seven games. McClain also had problems off the field. He was involved in a shooting in Alabama last November when he left the team briefly during the season to attend a family funeral. McClain had been convicted of four misdemeanors in May but he appealed and the charges were recently dropped when the accuser told prosecutors he no longer wanted to pursue the case. If McClain does not play Sunday, recently acquired Omar Gaither would start in his place against the Browns. Gaither was signed by Oakland on Nov. 14 to replace the injured Travis Goethel. In two games, Gaither has only played on special teams but the coaches say he has learned the new system quickly. ''It's all similar,'' Gaither said. ''You've just got to learn the lingo. One coach calls it one thing, another coach calls it a different thing. The toughest part is the language, but there's only 11 guys, so there's only so many different things you can do.'' Gaither started 40 games over six combined seasons with Philadelphia and Carolina, playing middle and outside linebacker. He has 393 tackles, six sacks, 25 passes defensed, two interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in his career. 7 7 .500 4 Orlando 5 1 12 .077 9.5 49ERS Seattle St. Louis Arizona East N.Y. Giants Washington Dallas Philadelphia South W 8 6 4 4 L 2 5 6 7 T 1 0 1 0 Pct .773 .545 .409 .364 PF 276 219 205 180 PA 155 185 254 227 W 7 5 5 3 L 4 6 6 8 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .636 .455 .455 .273 PF 305 295 242 184 PA 226 285 262 282 W L T Pct PF PA Atlanta 11 1 0 .917 317 229 Tampa Bay 6 5 0 .545 310 254 New Orleans5 7 0 .417 321 327 Carolina 3 8 0 .273 214 265 North W L T Pct PF PA Chicago 8 3 0 .727 277 175 Green Bay 7 4 0 .636 273 245 Minnesota 6 5 0 .545 248 249 Detroit 4 7 0 .364 267 280 —————————————————— Week 12 Results Thursday's results Houston 34, Detroit 31, OT Washington 38, Dallas 31 New England 49, N.Y. Jets 19 Sunday's results Denver 17, Kansas City 9 Chicago 28, Minnesota 10 Cincinnati 34, Oakland 10 Cleveland 20, Pittsburgh 14 Indianapolis 20, Buffalo 13 Jacksonville 24, Tennessee 19 Atlanta 24, Tampa Bay 23 Miami 24, Seattle 21 Baltimore 16, San Diego 13, OT St. Louis 31, Arizona 17 San Francisco 31, New Orleans 21 N.Y. Giants 38, Green Bay 10 Monday's result Carolina 30, Philadelphia 22 9 .357 6 Washington NFC West —————————————————— Thursday's results Miami 105, San Antonio 100 Denver at Golden State, late Today's Games Philadelphia at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Toronto, 4 p.m. Brooklyn at Orlando, 4 p.m. Portland at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Cleveland at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Washington at New York, 4:30 p.m. Milwaukee at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Detroit at Memphis, 5 p.m. Utah at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Indiana at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Denver at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Week 13 Schedule Thursday's result Atlanta 23, New Orleans 13 Sunday's games Seattle at Chicago, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Green Bay, 10 a.m. San Francisco at St. Louis, 10 a.m. Carolina at Kansas City, 10 a.m. Houston at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Arizona at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. Indianapolis at Detroit, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Buffalo, 10 a.m. New England at Miami, 10 a.m. Tampa Bay at Denver, 1:05 p.m. Cleveland at Oakland, 1:25 p.m. Cincinnati at San Diego, 1:25 p.m. Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 1:25 p.m. Philadelphia at Dallas, 5:20 p.m. Monday's games N.Y. Giants at Washington, 5:30 p.m.