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Aldon Smith's 14-sack rookie season and Bruce Irvin's recent first-round selection have obscured another young NFC West pass-rusher with great potential. Not for long, perhaps. The St. Louis Rams' Robert Quinn, chosen 14th overall in 2011, show...

NFL rosters turn over quickly. It's no shock to see a team's draft class disperse after five or six years. Sometimes it takes a special player to thrive through injuries, coaching changes, temptations and other issues that can send a promising car...

Randy Moss looked every bit a team player as he demonstrated a cut and quick feet for his fellow wide receivers, who listened intently and observed while the veteran impressed in his first formal practice with the San Francisco 49ers.

Greetings, and Happy Cinco de Mayo. A look back at the most recent NFC West chat shows the concussion issue permeating what are usually football-related discussions. The issue was a significant one for the division last season as several players, ...

Moderately accomplished quarterbacks are more likely than great ones to mentor a young prospect, in my view. They have less to lose. The "Outside the Lines" video above provides fresh and archived interviews with NFC West alums Joe Montana, Ste...

Former Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler says he's hoping to leave a "very respectful, cherished, loving legacy" during his time here on Planet Earth. The tattoo on his right arm reminds him of this. "Leave your legacy," it says. Oswe...

Three-fourths of the NFC West wanted a shot at Peyton Manning this offseason. The Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll and John Schneider flew to Denver in a failed attempt to catch Manning before the quarterback departed for Arizona. The Cardinals m...

High hopes for Sam Bradford and Kevin Kolb gave way to a largely unanticipated development in 2011: Alex Smith was the best quarterback in the NFC West. How will Matt Flynn affect the division's quarterback dynamics in 2012? Danny O'Neil of the...

The San Francisco 49ers have options at quarterback over the next couple seasons. Their new deal with Alex Smith could last one, two or three seasons. They could hand over the offense to Colin Kaepernick at any point along the way. Signing veteran...

The numbers for recent NFC West quarterback contracts are now available through various sources. The San Francisco 49ers' Alex Smith signed a three-year deal that gives the team an easy escape after one or two seasons. He gets a $3 million roster ...

A three-year deal for Alex Smith accomplishes two things for the San Francisco 49ers. It brings back Smith for at least one more season as the starter. That was the most important thing. There was no sense messing up a good thing prematurely and u...

Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers have little choice, in my view, but to reach agreement on a new contract. The 49ers, having missed out on Peyton Manning, cannot plausibly go from an overtime defeat in the NFC Championship Game with Smith to...

Five considerations now that Peyton Manning has told the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans he plans to sign with the Denver Broncos: Big sighs of relief: Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis no longer must worry about defending against a Manning...

Wild, wild weekend around here. Matt Flynn, Jason Jones, Kendall Langford and Mario Manningham found homes in the NFC West. Brandon Lloyd landed with the Patriots in New England. Alex Smith hit the road without knowing whether he would retur...

The San Francisco 49ers announced Friday that they re-signed cornerback Carlos Rogers.

Thank you, Indianapolis Colts, for at least temporarily changing the subject from bounties to where Peyton Manning might play next. Arizona and Seattle have quickly emerged as teams with interest in the soon-to-be-released Colts quarterback. Bo...