August 21st, 2007 
Matt Loede 
Posted in Two 49′er Tidbits from Pro Football Weekly
• Veteran Niners ILB Derek Smith says the eye injury that 
limited him last season no longer is an issue, but team sources continue to have their doubts. We hear that in the preseason opener, the same recognition problems that hindered Smith last year popped up more than a few times. Smith wasn’t the only Niners linebacker who struggled in the preseason opener; ’06 first-round pick Manny Lawson looked flat-out awful, actually chasing the wrong guy on one eminently forgettable play.
• Keep a close eye on Niners fifth-year WR Taylor Jacobs, who has been on the field a lot in three-WR sets and is a real favorite of WR coach Jerry Sullivan. We’re told Jacobs had an outstanding training camp. The former Redskins second-round pick always has possessed great athleticism and could end up being a very intriguing late bloomer.
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