Injuries force roster moves as SF signs Davis, Long

<p>SANTA CLARA — Much of the talk here over the past couple days has revolved around the broken fibula suffered by starting center Eric Heitmann. Indeed, Heitmann is the most important 49er currently on the mend. But no position group has been hit harder than linebacker, where Scott McKillop, NaVorro Bowman, Travis LaBoy, Ahmad Brooks and Martail Burnett all have been cut down since the start of training camp.</p><p>McKillop, the inside 'backer who tore his left ACL and patellar tendon, is likely gone for the season. He will be missed both as a backup linebacker and a special-teams performer. The real problem, though, is outside, where LaBoy (concussion), Brooks (lacerated kidney) and Burnett (sprained knee) represented half the work force as camp began.</p><p>LaBoy should be back sometime soon. But Brooks, who had six sacks last season, won't even be re-evaluated for another two weeks, and could easily miss the start of the regular season Sept. 12. The 49ers waived Burnett, injured on Tuesday. Hence the roster moves of the day: signing outside linebackers Bruce Davis and Brandon Long.</p><p>Long has been here before. The 49ers signed the former Michigan State player April 30 and cut him June 18. He's hoping for a longer go-round this time.</p><p>Davis is a more interesting prospect. The son of former Raiders offensive lineman Bruce Davis Sr., he was a dynamic player at UCLA, where he played defensive end and ranked second in school history with 29½ sacks. The Steelers drafted him in the third round in 2008, at overall pick No. 88. He never did much of anything in Pittsburgh, though, playing five games as a rookie and getting cut at the end of training camp in 2009.</p><p>The Patriots signed Davis to their practice squad that October, then waived him last May. The Broncos claimed him, but his stint in Denver was brief; Josh McDaniel released him July 27.</p><p>“It's just been tough breaks everywhere I've been,” Davis said Tuesday. “Pittsburgh, they pay a guy (James Harrison) $50 million, and I wasn't exactly ready. So I go to New England. They've got a great pass rusher in Tully Banta-Cain, and they drafted a couple young guys. Got to Denver, and I still don't know what happened there, but that's not important. I just feel like if I can get the opportunity, I'll be fine.”</p><p>Davis admitted it was difficult to transition from defensive end to OLB his first season. This is his third 3-4 system by now, though, and he says he has it down.</p><p>Davis sounded like a man who realizes this could be his final opportunity in the NFL. He may have started to wonder whether that chance would come after sitting at home in Denver for two weeks and waiting for the phone to ring.</p><p>“You're sitting home in the air conditioning on the couch — to some people that might sound good, but not me. I'm a football player,” Davis said. “So that was tough to get over that hump mentally. ... It's just like, when you get an opportunity, you've gotta do whatever you can. Because I'm not going back to sitting on my couch. I refuse to do that again.”</p><h3>MR. SMITH GOES TO PIECES</h3> <p>Tuesday's morning practice wasn't nearly as ragged as Monday's, and the 49ers seemed to suffer no major injuries. But one element was off-kilter: Quarterback Alex Smith, who has looked fairly accurate through most of camp, had perhaps his worst day of the summer.</p><p>The 49ers' field leader had several passes broken up, missed some receivers altogether, had one pass picked off by cornerback Nate Clements and sailed a ball so high over Frank Gore on a wheel route that it short-hopped a cameraman's shin on the sideline.</p><p>Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye noted that two of Smith's top targets, tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, were rested in the morning, and that several receivers ran bad routes. Smith is working with a new center, too, in David Baas. But Raye also admitted that Smith may have gotten “arm-weary” during camp.</p><h3>EXTRA POINTS</h3> <p>Still no sign of DL Kentwan Balmer, whom coach Mike Singletary excused from practice Tuesday. Singletary did not address reporters, but he did go on KNBR's “Morning Show” during drive time and had this to say on the subject: “It's on Kentwan. As far as I'm concerned, we're gonna continue to practice and do what we have to do, and Kentwan's gotta make up his mind in terms of how he's gonna handle some of the personal issues that he has to handle. ... There's certainly a lot on his plate right now.”</p><p>There has been no clarification of Balmer's issues. Some wonder whether it has to do with an ongoing probe of the University of North Carolina football program, an investigation that has linked Balmer to trips taken by Tar Heels tackle Marvin Austin.</p><p>Out of commission today were Heitmann, LaBoy, Bowman (shoulder) and WR Brandon Jones (hamstring). CB Phillip Adams returned to action, sore hamstring and all. The afternoon session was special teams only. Jones and fellow WRs Josh Morgan and Scott Long spent the hour working with trainers.</p><p>Nate Davis came on to play QB three times in various team periods — and got exactly one snap each time. He threw two incomplete passes, and the final try of the day was a broken play; OLB Diyral Briggs wound up touching Davis down. His third-team offense started to line up for another go, but Raye angrily yelled, “Get 'em off the field!”</p><p>For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at 521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com</p>